Shooting Stars Book Blast & Giveaway

Hello my amazing followers, today’s book blast celebrates the release of H.D Gordon’s Shooting Stars. Keep reading for the Giveaway…

Shooting Stars Synopsis

Once upon a time, a common boy fell in love with a princess. It was a hopeless, forbidden love, grown in a world where sorcery and magic rule over all. Now, dark times are brewing, and destiny will bring them together, while fate works to keep them apart. Extraordinary battles will be fought, and extraordinary choices made. Join the author of The Alexa Montgomery Saga for the beginning of a tale of star-crossed lovers and magic, of hope and love and loss, of desperate wishes made on stars.

Book Info

Review: Wisteria by Bisi Leyton

Title: Wisteria
Series: Wisteria, Book 1
Author: Bisi Leyton
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: Aprox. 275 Pages, 484 KB
Publication Date: August 15, 2012
Available Formats: Kindle Edition, eBook
Source: IO Book Tours
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Get it @: Amazon | Smashwords | Goodreads

Book Description:

Sixteen year old Wisteria Kuti has two options—track the infected around the Isle of Smythe or leave the only known safe haven and face a world infested with flesh eating biters. But even with well-armed trackers, things go wrong and Wisteria ends up alone facing certain death, until she is rescued by the mysterious Bach. Uninfected, Bach is able to survive among the hordes of living dead.

Eighteen year old Bach, from a race known as The Family, has no interest in human affairs. He was sent here to complete his Great Walk and return home as a man—as a Sen Son. The Family regard humans as Dirt People, but Bach is drawn to this Terran girl, whom he has never seen before, but somehow knows.

Hunted by flesh eaters, cannibals, and the mysterious blood thirsty group called Red Phoenix, Wisteria and Bach make their way back to the Isle of Smythe, a community built on secrets and lies.

This book is classified as Young Adult Paranormal Romance, and although it fits the bill, the story itself pulls from a wider set of norms. In fact, the novel has many elements of the horror and the sci-fi genre. To begin with, the story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where a scientifically created virus has turned most of humanity into flesh –and brain– eating zombies. Sprinkle the mix with a healthy dose of mostly older sexy teenage aliens and inter-dimensional traveling and you have the recipe for great entertainment.

Blog Tour: Crimson Darkness

Hey there my amazing followers and lurkers. How have you all been lately? Welcome back to another wonderful blog tour. Today's authors are visiting us for the third time; this time to promote their sequel novel Crimson Darkness, which will be released as soon as September 1st, 2012.

If the name sounds familiar to you, that's because they also dropped by recently to give me and small group of bloggers an exclusive look at the book's Cover Real. (Psst... want to take a peek at the cover? CLICK ON THIS LINK, let that be our little secret).

So who's visiting us today you may ask? Well, not one, but two authors; the writing duo of Amos Cassidy. And for their visit they are giving you, my amazing readers, a never before published scene from their debut novel Crimson Midnight, the first book on the Crimson series. You can read my review of Crimson Midnight HERE. You can also drop by and read the author interview from the previous tour HERE.

Now, without further ado, I leave you in the hands of Amos Cassidy:

Blog Tour: The Viking's Witch

Welcome back my amazing followers, today I have another author Spotlight for you. We are being visited today by Kelly A Wilkins, who’s touring the blog-o-sphere promoting her new novel, a Historical Fiction named The Viking’s Witch.

Who's the Author?

Blog Tour: Dragon's Teeth

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Journey with Words and another great Blog Tour. Today I'm presenting you to indie author Suzanne van Rooyen and her debut novel Dragon's Teeth. Let's give her a warm welcome!!

Suzanne grew up in the urban sprawl of Johannesburg, South Africa where she studied music and penned a few angsty poems. After a brief stint in Australia, Suzanne settled in Finland where she completed a Master's degree in music and started writing in earnest.

Suzanne now works as a freelance writer, author and part-time dance teacher. Her short stories have appeared in Golden Visions Magazine, Cast of Wonders, and Earthbound Fiction among others. When not writing she strums away at her guitar and entertains her shiba inu, Lego.

She brings us a cyberpunk story as her debut novel.

Blog Tour: Circe by Jessica Penot

Hello again my amazing followers, today we are welcoming another great author who's promoting her book, a psychological thriller called Circe.

What is Circe exactly? Here is the book's description:

Dr. Black is a good man with a few vices. He is willing to sacrifice his career for his wife, Pria. He takes an internship at a hick institution in Southern Alabama to make his wife happy, but once he is situated in this old hospital, he finds that old habits die-hard. He is sexually compulsive and easily seduced by his supervisor, Cassie, who takes him to the bowls of the institution and shows him its tragic history. As Dr. Black loses himself in his obsession with Cassie, he becomes convinced that she is the key to Circe's mythology and magic and a series of bizarre murders leaves him convinced that she has opened the gates to another world. Madness and sanity begin to blur for Dr. Black and he becomes entangled in the mystery at the heart of Circe. A mystery that's as old as the ancient hospital itself. A mystery that could incriminate Cassie, an old god, or Dr. Black himself.

So without further ado, please welcome Jessica Penot, who will talk to us today about...

The Characters of Circe

I have written many books at this point and I think Circe is my best novel. It wasn’t the easiest to write, but it is my best novel. As I begin to read reviews of Circe, I realize that what made it so hard to write is that it was driven by an antihero. It is driven by a man who isn’t likeable and who is utterly, tragically flawed. He struggles with his own flaws and at times, he wants to be good, but his struggle is as doomed as he is. Writing a character like this was difficult. It is hard to find the shades of gray in such a character, to trace back to the childhood tragedies and black cognitions that make such a man. It is also difficult to make a character like this readable and interesting enough to be compelling. I think I accomplished this.

Tour Stop: The 5 Moons of Tiiana

Welcome back my amazing followers and lurkers. Today I'm welcoming author Paul T. Harry, who's on a Blog Tour Showcasing his new novel, The 5 Moons of Tiiana.

The book is a Science Fiction with added Adventure, Mystery, and Romance, that has excitement mixed with drama and humor. The story is targeted to “young-hearted individuals with open and active imaginations—ones who are seeking an adventuresome read” as explained by the author.

You guys might want to mark your calendars. The 5 Moons of Tiiana will be available for FREE for one day only on July 31, 2012 as special promotion at Amazon. 

Who is Paul T. Harry?

Paul T. Harry attended the University of Nevada Las Vegas as an English major with a theater arts minor before beginning his career as a writer and music producer. He also worked as an editor with Second Avenue Songwriter’s magazine and has spent the last 30 years writing novels, screenplays and short stories. Paul is married with four children and resides in Gold Canyon, outside Phoenix.

So what exactly is The 5 Moons of Tiiana?

The 5 Moons of Tiiana is a science fiction narration on a soldier caught in the middle of an interstellar war, faced with rescuing the princess he loves, and solving an ancient alien mystery that might bring peace to the galaxy.

ARC Review: Dark Light by Carl Hose

Title: Dark Light
Series: Standalone
Editor: Carl Hose
Publisher: MARLvision Publishing
Length: 518 Pages
Publication Date: June 15, 2012
Reviewed Format: ARC Edition: Kindle Edition, PDF
Source: Supplied by the editor through IO Book Tours
My Rating: ★★★★★
Get it @: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble

Book Description:

Dark Light is the light that shines through when some of the finest writers in horror use the power of their words for something good. That’s the case with this anthology—42 writers coming together to help support the Ronald McDonald House Charities and all the good the organization does for families every day of the year.

Make no mistake, though. These are horror writers and the stories they’ve written are not pretty. Traditional and non-traditional horror, dark humor, ghosts, serial killers, alternate universes, magic, zombies, and other creatures of the night hide between these pages. Shadows move and dead fingers stroke unsuspecting flesh, razor sharp knives shimmer in the moonlight, and unknown things hide in closets and under the bed. The stories here are as varied as the writers themselves. If you’re a fan of horror, you will not be let down.

Despite the horrific nature of these tales, however, their very existence in Dark Light stands as proof there will always be a light at the end of every tunnel.

Turn the lights down low and enjoy the show.

This book is an amazing anthology, 44 short stories by 42 extremely talented authors. Some of the stories are scary; others are downright creepy, while some leave a note of sadness at the end. Have you ever been reading a scene in a book and felt a chill go down your spine? I did while reading this book. It’s as gruesome as the genre gets, with a strange, albeit twisted, undertone of hope. It highlights human nature in the good, the bad and the extreme throughout many different scenarios. If you are a horror fan, this will be a great addition to your collection. If you want to taste the genre, this book will give you the perfect opportunity to test it out while also getting some serious quality reading. Best part is, if you buy this book you will be giving back to charity.

You read that right. I received this book for review as part of its Blog Tour thanks to Innovative Online Book Tours. Proceeds from the sales will go to The Ronald McDonald House Foundation.

The Roaster: (Title / Author)

Review: Riser by Becca C. Smith

Title: Riser
Series: The Riser Saga, Book 1
Author: Becca C. Smith
Publisher: Publisher House if available
Length: Number of Pages, Word Count, File Size, etc.
Publication Date: June 5, 2010
Available Format: Paperback, Kindle Edition, eBook
Source: Supplied by the author through IO Book Tours

My Rating: ★★★☆☆
Get it @: Amazon | Book Depository

Book Description:

Black swirling holes churning madly in the center of every corpse. This is how eighteen-year-old Chelsan Derée sees the deceased. Her ability to connect to the black spinning holes allows her to control every dead thing within a four-mile radius.

But that's the least of her problems. It's 2320 and Chelsan Derée has to survive another year of high school, which for her is pure and utter torture, mainly due to the fact that her schoolmate Jill Forester's favorite activity is making Chelsan's life a living hell. If that isn't enough, Chelsan's impossible crush on Ryan Vaughn makes her brain do somersaults on a regular basis, especially since she is positive he doesn't know she exists. And being eighteen Chelsan has to deal with the pressure of whether or not she should take a little pill called Age-pro, which cures aging, making the world eighteen forever and highly over-populated.

When Chelsan's mother, Janet, is brutally killed, along with everyone else in her trailer park, Chelsan finds out that she was the intended target. Chelsan must use her power to raise and control the dead to save herself, protect her friends and take down the man responsible for murdering her mother.

Chelsan is an 18 year old living in L.A. in the year 2320. Although some technology breakthroughs have allowed civilization to have some wicked technology, life pretty much remains the same. Except for one tiny detail… Immortality comes in the shape of a pill. You read it right; the secret for immortality has been breached and encapsulated for public consumption.

Dreamwalker Tour Blitz

Hello again my amazing followers, I hope you are all doing great. Today we are welcoming Andrea Heltsley, author of Dreamwalker, the first book on the Persephone’s League of Immortals Series. She is here to share with us her picks for her perfect Dream Cast! WARNING: side effects may include some drooling, take the necessary precautions ~.^

Andrea is a biology nerd who loves reading just about anything paranormal and some chick lit. She enjoys sunshine and her two Italian greyhounds with her husband. She always write to music, it helps the creative process. Dissolve is her first novel. She has been writing ever since she was in grade school and have finally decided to make a career out of it. More books to come summer 2012 and 2013.

Dreamwalker is a new Paranormal Romance that follows Noel as she discovers a world she never knew existed.

Synopsis

Noel Kennedy lost her boyfriend, her job and her dignity all in one week. Then something happened and she began to dream of this stranger she had never met. She couldn’t resist the man of her dreams named Jared especially when she met him in real life. Entranced, she slowly unraveled a world she was meant to stay out of. Her life was not what she thought it was once a sexy Boone stepped into the mix and shook things up. Can she escape a life of servitude or immortality for a chance at love?

Andrea, thank you for dropping by today to chat. So without further ado, everyone, I leave you in Andrea’s hands.

This would be my ideal cast for the characters of Dreamwalker. *swoon* The guys are so smoking hot!!!! I would have trouble choosing too! Jared looks so sexy and mysterious, while Boone looks like the hottest bad boy ever. Noel has it so rough..lol Poor Autumn, Augustine is so dreamy at first, I would be giddy around him too:)

Author Interview: Amos Cassidy!

Welcome Back my amazing followers and lurkers! Today I'm being visited by a duo of writers. Two weeks ago I reviewed their first novel Crimson Midnight, and today they are dropping by to chat a bit about their book, their experience as writers and more.

So, who's Amos Cassidy?

Amos Cassidy is a team of two writers from the UK; Amos is a 28 year old Diva and Cassidy a 35 year old mum of two. They have been writing together since 2009 and 'Tales from the Ether' is their first publication. Their debut novel 'Crimson Midnight' is also now available in ebook format. For more information on the 'Crimson Series' please visit: http://crimsonseries.wordpress.com/

Mel: First of all, welcome to Journey with Words and thank you for dropping by to chat.

Amos: Hello! Thanks for having us J

Cassidy: It’s great to be here. Got any coffee?

Mel: Sure do! My Dad's drink of choice is coffee so there is always around. How about you tell us a bit about yourselves while I get you some.

Shadow Visions Blog Tour

Welcome back my amazing followers and lurkers to another Blog Tour stop! Today we are being visited by author Gabriella Hewitt, she is here to talk to us a little about her new novel, Shadow Visions, and the various similarities and differences among today’s culture vs. the ancient Aztec’s. Also, read through the very end, there is a short giveaway ~.^

So who is Gabriella Hewitt? Actually…

Gabriella Hewitt is the pen name of creative writing talents Sasha Tomaszycki and Patrizia M.J. Hayashi. Together they weave tales of romantic suspense and dangerously sensual paranormals. Check out the website www.GabriellaHewitt.com to find out about upcoming releases and events on her blog.

So without further ado I give you Miss Gabriella Hewitt:

The fun part of writing SHADOW VISIONS based on Aztec mythology was getting to do the research. Some of the things I found out had me smiling and heralding the Aztec culture. Other things had me cringing and shaking my head.

In a way, we are not so different than the Aztec people of the past. And in another way, we are completely different.

Here is a quick comparison list of how we are alike & different:

ALIKE: Aztecs liked to eat meat and tons of it. (Throw some steak on the BBQ any day)

DIFFERENT: Aztecs ate deer, rabbits, and dogs. (Sorry but chewing on Bambi, Thumper and Fido doesn’t sound tasty to today’s modern girl.)

Straight to Heaven Blog Tour: Author Interview

Hello my amazing followers and lurkers, today I'm hosting my second stop on the Straight to Heaven Blog Tour for Michelle Scott. Yesterday I brought you my review of the first book on this series. Today I'm bringing you an interview with the author!

Michelle Scott received her MFA from Wayne State University. Her stories have appeared in such places as Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, All Possible Worlds and Realms. Her fantasy novel, The Dragons of Hazlett was nominated for a 2009 EPPIE Award. Michelle’s YA novels include the vampire romance, Blood Sisters, and the fantasy Uncommon Magic. Her latest fantasy novel, An Anthem for the Battle Lands, was recently released from Mundania Press, LLC. Michelle lives in southeast Michigan with her husband and three children.

Interview:

First of all, Welcome to Journey with Words and thank you for stopping by to answer a couple of questions and to let my readers get to know you a bit better.

Michelle: Thank you so much for hosting me! I’m glad to be here.

Q: Tell me a bit about yourself.

Michelle: I’m a pretty average person (a middle-aged mother of three) who loves to read and write urban fantasy. I’m also a huge movie buff and am addicted to movie theater popcorn with extra butter and Milkduds. I’ve been writing for nearly twenty-five years which is as long as I’ve been married. Since my husband is a teacher, in the summers, we love to make road trips with our kids. So far, our favorite vacation spot has been Glacier National Park in Montana because it reminds us all of the Lord of the Rings movies, lol.

Q: What types of stories do you turn to when you want to read a book? Are you a Paranormal Romance girl, or do you like them more action oriented, more grounded on reality than fantasy… what genre you prefer the most?

Michelle: I’m urban fantasy through and through! Although I do enjoy PNR, I’m more about action than romance. For a while, I was reading a lot of science fiction and horror, but I’ve changed my obsession to witches and demons. I also read a lot of non-genre and historical fiction. I have to admit that I love interpersonal drama and emotional. Strong characters are what win me over every time.

Q: When did you realize that writing was your passion?

Review: Straight to Hell by Michelle Scott

Title: Straight to Hell
Series: Lilith Straight, Book 1
Author: Michelle Scott (Click to read Interview)
Publisher: Self Published
Length: 179 Pages (approximately)
Publication Date: September 8, 2011
Available Formats: Kindle Edition, eBook
Source: MOBI Format provided by the author
My Rating: ★★★★☆

Description:

Lilly Straight had it all, the husband, the daughter, the house, the money, the perfect life we all dream about every now and then. But after a series of events force her to give up her haute couture life style, Lilly most find a way to make ends meet if she wants to be able to support her family. It is at that moment that you belief you have begun to figure things out that life chooses to play one of its crazy cards and literary turn your world topsy-turvi. That is exactly what happens to Lilly, thanks to an accident she was sent straight to hell and now must honor a bargain with a demon done by one of her ancestors some generations back in order to be able to continue to care for her family. As succubi, Lilly must tempt people so that they fall to their doom, but is she capable of sacrificing other’s souls in order to save her own?

Straight to Hell was a surprising reading with a story that once it has grabs you it refuses to let go. The story mixes the typical aspects and struggles of everyday life while adding as extra pressure the paranormal realm to create a compelling story with the age old battle of good vs evil. The book follows the life of a struggling mother trying to find her footing after practically losing all she was used to and finding herself barely able to scrape by for survival. To top things off she has to look after her nice and her irresponsible younger sister. And as if that wasn't enough there is a very sexy incubus who’s giving the rounds around our heroine.

Pavlov’s Dogs Blog Tour

Welcome back my amazing followers and lurkers. Today I have for you a taste of a new Dystopian book called Pavlov’s Dogs. Let’s give a warm welcome to the authors behind this novel: D.L. Snell and Thom Brannan. So stick around because I have the authors' bio, a book synopsis and a excerpt for your enjoyment.

So who are these authors you may ask?

D.L. SNELL is an acclaimed novelist from the Pacific Northwest. Anthologies include Pocket Books’ Blood Lite series, edited by best-selling author Kevin J. Anderson. Snell’s first novel, Roses of Blood on Barbwire Vines, also attained critical acclaim from popular novelists such as New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry.

Where can you stalk him? You can find Mr. Snell @:

• Goodreads
• His Website
• Facebook
• Twitter

THOM BRANNAN (est. 1976) has been a submariner, a nuclear operator, an electrician and now works on an offshore drilling platform. He lives in or around Austin, Texas, with his lovely wife, Kitty, a boy, a girl, a cat and a dog.

Where can you stalk him? You can find Mr. Brannan @:

• Goodreads
• Amazon

So what exactly is Pavlov’s Dogs about?

Zombies Versus Werewolves: Who Will Win?

Pavlov’s Dogs is a new action, sci-fi, horror novel that answers the burning question all fans want to know.

With the rise in popularity of zombie fiction, readers have been dying to know which monster can beat the walking dead. Novelists Thom Brannan and D.L. Snell answer one of those questions in their newest book, PAVLOV’S DOGS (Permuted Press).

PAVLOV’S features genetically enhanced werewolves designed to operate as spec ops soldiers. They can transform at will and are fearsome killing machines. When the dead rise, the mastermind behind the Dogs wishes to unleash his creations against the undead hordes and send them on rescue missions to bring survivors back to his island. But many members of the doctor’s team raise critical questions: The Dogs are still prototypes, untested. What happens if they’re not ready for battle and their systems fail? More importantly, what happens when a Dog gets bitten by an infected human? Can the werewolves win out against the hordes?

The Third Fate Blog Tour

Hello my amazing followers and lurkers, May is going to be a bit of a busy month with me hosting four Blog Tour Stops. The first one was last week's Gabriel and its author M.A. Abraham, and today I'm welcoming author Nadja Notariani who brings her novel The Third Fate for you to get a taste for. So please, go ahead and...

Meet the Author:

Nadja Notariani was born in Rochester, Pennsylvania in 1971. Her upbringing included very diverse environments, affording wide and varied richness of ethnic and religious tradition. Raised in both an Italian/Mediterranean American home and a traditional German household, Nadja gleaned the unique benefits of viewing the world through two widely different lenses.

Nadja currently resides in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Her published titles follow.Claiming The Prize, a contemporary romance.Her Dark Baron, a historical novella.The Third Fate, a paranormal romance, published in late March, 2012.