Cover Reveal ~ Furthermore: An Anthology

It's Cover Reveal week! Thanks to the talent of so many wonderful authors, our anthology is nearly complete and will be released on December 11th. But today, we are excited to share the cover with you and won't make you wait any longer!

A first date, a lottery, treachery and deceit. Sometimes fate has other plans. Sometimes there’s more to tell.

In Furthermore: An Anthology, eighteen original stories take you on a journey through worlds here and beyond. From the depths of the earth to the embrace of the sea, your favorite series continue. Prequels, alternative views, and new scenes give readers a chance to experience more than originally told.

Including stories from Rebekah Campbell, Amber Garr, David Estes, Leigh Michael, Karen Amanda Hooper, Stephanie Judice, and Mayandree Michael. And most importantly, in honor of those who lost the battle and those who continue to fight, all proceeds from this anthology will be donated to cancer research and support.

SURPRISE VISITOR - Emily has never been a fan of surprises but Eric has something up his sleeve to change her mind. (The Darkness Through The Light Series)

GETTING TO KNOW THE HEAVIES - The two Sullivan bodyguards are still human beings underneath it all. And everyone has a weakness. (The Darkness Through The Light Series)

PEOPLE CHANGE - When Eric asks his dad a question about his mother, it’s time to go back to where it all began and then went so badly wrong. (The Darkness Through The Light Series)

COLD FEET - Kain witnesses Eviana’s deceit on their wedding day and is forced to deal with the consequences of her behavior. (The Syrenka Series)

RIFT - Daniel encourages the group to make a detour to the Grand Canyon, as the distance between the friends begins to rival the great ravine. (The Syrenka Series)

DISCOVERY - Leila’s first encounter with her psychic mentor is nothing short of memorable. (The Leila Marx Novels)

HUMAN RESOURCES – Blake finds a new job while Mac finds a friend who reminds him of home. (The Leila Marx Novels)

THE RUNAWAY- TAWNI’S STORY - After learning of her parents’ treachery, Tawni leaves home seeking to make amends for their transgressions. (The Dwellers Saga)

THE LIFE LOTTERY- A STORY FROM YEAR ZERO - With the survival of the human race on the brink, there’s only one way to decide who will be saved in the underground caves: The Lottery. (The Dwellers Saga)

FATE: Experience Annabelle’s struggle to fulfill the ABA Prophecy in a new light through the parting words of Adrian, Aurelia, Blake, and Lady Katherine. (Annabelle’s Story)

The Sound of Love - Glimpse into one of Nathaniel’s previous lives and see how his soul mate reacts when tragedy strikes. (The Kindrily Series)

MUIRNE’S MELODY--To escape her master’s vile desires, Muirne flees into the snow-swept night, finding a green-eyed stranger and a mystical destiny. (Saga of the Setti Series)

JEREMY’S HEART: Calm, cool, and complete scoundrel, Jeremy realizes the loss he’s suffered means nothing compared to true love. (Saga of the Setti Series)

FALL FROM GRACE: Warped by centuries of darkness, the creature Sveigja plots to capture Clara as his queen. (Saga of the Setti Series)

Plus two original stories by Mayandree Michel.

We would like to extend a HUGE thanks to Claudia at PhatPuppyArt for donating the artwork and to Alexandra Shostak for donating her time for the cover design. You ladies are amazing and we are all so grateful for your contribution!

If you are interested in promoting the release or reviewing an ARC, please visit HERE to sign up.

To find out more about the authors and their stories, please check out THIS POST.

soapy sundays #12

October Recap & a Fresh Start

 

It's hard to believe I haven't posted a soapy sundays edition since the last Sunday of September! Weeks just slip by me, especially this month when I'm doing NaNoWriMo, and I found myself a few weeks behind in my Y&R episodes, eek!

 

First of all, I love the new intro! It's about time the cast appearing in the opening credits have had their photos updated, and the actors who are getting more airtime have been included. I don't even fast forward through it anymore, lol.

 

Hot Hot Heat

 



 Ronan and Phyllis...Oh. My. God. She was feeling the chemistry, Ronan, you could tell that. They are absolutely smoldering together! I don't think I could've resisted him, so kudos to her. I was happy that by the end of the month, she gave in to her feelings, well maybe I should say lust. :D Ronan is there for Phyllis in ways that Nick has never been and never will be. So why is she so dead set in trying to win him back? He doesn't deserve her! Just let the two of them split up once and for all.

 

She pleads for Nick to forgive her. Why? He remarried her, knowing she has a huge tendency to act emotionally rather than rationally...but he remarried her anyway!! Now he's divorcing her. He ditches her everytime she does something that disappoints him. He told her she DISGUSTS him!! Why are you trying to win that back?! Oh yeah, and now he's hooking up with YOUR SISTER! Enough said. Obviously, I'm Team Phonan, lol. :D

 

Greatest Line of Dialogue Ever

 

Kevin and Chloe figure out the obvious--that Daniel and Heather are seeing each other. When Chloe confronts Daniel and he denies it, Chloe says, "Liar liar, hipster jeans on fire." Epicly funny! Wish I had thought of it first, heehee!

 

I'm still a few episodes behind, but I've heard Heather's character might be written off or recast or something. I really hope not--I love Jennifer Landon as Heather; I don't want to see her go! She's played Heather the best out of all the actresses who've been cast in the role. She makes Heather seem normal and not awkward. Plus, she has nice father-daughter chemistry with Paul.

 

 Supercouple 

 

Awww...Victor and Nikki together again. Although, Nikki, you're right to worry about the future. As much as I hate to say it, it won't be long until Victor hates you again. But I'll enjoy seeing you guys plan your 148th wedding (thanks Adam for that gem of a line, lol) and being all lovey dovey for a while.

 

Descent into Madness

 

Ah Sharon. I could just scream in frustration--how could she burn down the ranch??? Does this mean they're rebuilding the set? It's iconic...it's been there since before I was born! If they are gonna redo Victor's house, then I hope it's somewhat recognizable with some touches of the original house. I know this sounds crazy, but that's the one set I never wanted to be drastically changed. :/ Sharon really needs to pay for that, lol.

 

I wish Adam would just stay away from her. Why is he helping her out anyway to the detriment of his marriage? Thank God Chelsea found out the truth--I can't believe, though, that I would be okay with my new husband helping out his ex and letting her stay on our property. What's up with that? I don't get his motives. I spent the last few episodes Sharon was going to burn down the cabin. And maybe Adam and Chelsea's house, too. She's a loose canon right now. I don't know if she should be trusted to be in that cabin alone honestly.

 

Loss of a New Newman

 

I knew Adam and Chelsea weren't going to stay happy for long, which I understand because if, as a viewer, you want your favorite couples to get air time, then they have to have conflict and drama. I was so close to tears when Chelsea told Adam she lost their baby after Summer plowed into their car. Summer is so immature, blaming Phyllis for the accident. "If I hadn't been so upset with you," she whined to her mother, "that accident never would've happened." (I'm paraphrasing). Please! Take some responsibility for your actions, Summer. I'm not really sure why the character was recast already, but recasting seems to happen a lot when the children of legacy characters are aged suddenly. I wonder how many times this character will be recast.

 

So, I'm sad Adam and Chelsea lost their baby; that's really heartbreaking. And Adam is forcing distance between them by refusing to talk about their loss and his insistence with ingratiating himself back into Sharon's life. Sharon needs to take care of herself and stop relying on men to come save her. In my opinion, Sharon's character has really been done a major injustice by being written this way. I hope she's built back up--although it's been a really long time since I've liked her character because I've grown to love Phyllis so much.

 

I'd really like to see Adam and Chelsea work their problems out, but on a soap, you never know what's going to happen. That's the beauty of watching Y&R. :D 

sunday trivia #9

Hey everyone! I'm taking part in Debdatta Dasgupta Sahay's new Sunday Trivia meme over at b00k r3vi3ws Click on the link so you can get involved, too! Every Sunday all of the participating bloggers will ask trivia questions that are related to books, authors, characters, and movies based on books. The answers along with new questions will be posted the following Sunday. Try it without Googling, lol. ;)

Answers to last week's questions:

1. In Mary Shelley's book of the same name, Frankenstein is:
a. violent and terrifying monster
b. a mad scientist who created a monster
c. a village in the Alps

Answer: A

2. A poltergeist is a ghost that:
a. haunts cemeteries
b. possesses people
c. makes noise

Answer: C

3. In Haiti and West Africa, a corpse brought back to life is called a:
a. zombie
b. vampire
c. monster

Answer: A

4. When do banshees wail?
a. when someone is born
b. when someone is about to die
c. when someone watches a scary movie

Answer: B

5. What is the difference between demons and ghosts? (Essay question! Just kidding! :D)

Answer: Ghosts are the spirits of people who have died, but demons are spirits who have never existed in human form.

Since I'm doing NaNoWriMo, I'm focused on that right now, and will take off this month from Sunday Trivia. :)

Please don't forget to stop by b00k r3vi3ws and answer her questions, too. The link is above. :D

Zed by Stephen Herfst ~ #Review

Title: Zed
Author: Stephen Herfst
Published: February 18, 2012
Pages: 152
Genre: Zombies, Humor, Apocalypse
My copy: Kindle Edition from Smashwords
Average Rating: 4.13 / 5
My Rating: 4 / 5

Synopsis from Goodreads :

The story revolves around a teenage girl's promise to save Zed from the human hordes.

Zed is not your typical zombie. He is cursed with the affliction of thought ... although he tries to make the best of a bad situation. The goals for his unrest are simple: to improve his stride, to taste a lightly-seared pork loin once again and avoid Activists at all costs.

His life was predictable, controlled and good until chaos crashed the party. In just one day his world is destroyed and his ability to survive is tested. Would he be able to get through this in one piece? And would he somehow be able to survive the unstoppable force that goes by the name of Chase?

My Review:

I signed up through the ARR program on Goodreads to receive a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the interesting twist on the zombie genre this story presented and haven't laughed so hard about a zombie apocalypse since the movie Shaun of the Dead. On an interesting side note, Shaun of the Dead was on TV yesterday, and one of the characters called a zombie a "zed." I immediately thought of this book and loved it! I do want to point out that though I thought of this book, it's completely different from the movie and any other zombie book I've read--it takes place from the zombie's point of view. I'm only comparing the two because both have comical moments.

The changes in Zed's behavior and thinking once he met up with Chase were so cool! I loved their partnership--it was the two of them against the world...the world who wanted to kill off every zombie out there. Zed was a zombie I found myself rooting for, and Chase was the perfect partner to team up with him. She is a force of nature and definitely smart in her survival mode, which is one of the things about her that Zed admires and I did as well.

There aren't just awesome characters either. Plenty of action kept my interest, and I was so nervous and on the edge of my seat every time they found themselves in a situation with obstacles to overcome. I never thought I'd be on a zombie's side until I read this book! I couldn't get over how kick ass Chase is and how unafraid and matter-of-fact she was in teaming up with a zombie and fighting for their survival right alongside him. I can't wait to see where the next book takes me!

Find the Author:

Goodreads  Facebook  Website  Google +

Buy the Book:

Amazon  Smashwords  Barnes & Noble

sunday trivia #8

Hey everyone! I'm taking part in Debdatta Dasgupta Sahay's new Sunday Trivia meme over at b00k r3vi3ws Click on the link so you can get involved, too! Every Sunday all of the participating bloggers will ask trivia questions that are related to books, authors, characters, and movies based on books. The answers along with new questions will be posted the following Sunday. Try it without Googling, lol. ;)


Questions & answers from last week:
Q: What's the bestselling nonfiction book of all time?
A: The Bible
 
Q: What is Dr. Seuss's real full name?
A: Theodor Seuss Geisel

Q: Which author has sold more children's books than any other author? *Hint: the answer will surprise you :)
A: R.L. Stine  I was really surprised with this one! I thought it would be J.K. Rowling or even Dr. Seuss, lol.

This week in honor of Halloween, I'm asking Halloween themed questions in multiple choice form. Have fun! :D
1. In Mary Shelley's book of the same name, Frankenstein is:
a. violent and terrifying monster
b. a mad scientist who created a monster
c. a village in the Alps

2. A poltergeist is a ghost that:
a. haunts cemeteries
b. possesses people
c. makes noise

3. In Haiti and West Africa, a corpse brought back to life is called a:
a. zombie
b. vampire
c. monster

4. When do banshees wail?
a. when someone is born
b. when someone is about to die
c. when someone watches a scary movie

5. What is the difference between demons and ghosts? (Essay question! Just kidding! :D)

Please don't forget to stop by b00k r3vi3ws and answer her questions, too. The link is above. :D

evie's epic bookshelf cleaning giveaway @ bookish!

Evie over at Bookish is cleaning out her bookshelves, and YOU get a chance to be one of four winners to receive a BOX of books!

Here are the prizes (photos from Evie's blog):

Box #1 YA Finished copies

 

 

Box #2 Adult ARCs & Finished Copies

 



Box #3 YA ARCs

 

 

 

Box #4 YA Hardcovers

 



This is an amazing and generous giveaway, but it ends on October 31st so get over to Evie's blog as fast as you can and enter for a chance to win a box of books! On the right hand side of my blog, click on the Bookshelf Cleaning @ Bookish button to be taken directly to the giveaway. Good luck! :D

review ~ jilly-bean

Title: Jilly-Bean (Jilly-Bean #1)
Author: Celia Vogel
Published: April 15, 2012
Pages: 208 pages
Genre: YA
My copy: Kindle edition from Amazon
Average Rating: 3.40 / 5.00
My Rating: 2 / 5

Synopsis from Goodreads :

A mysterious psychic named Madame Zelda.

An eerie séance.

A dead body.

A hunky doctor who bears a striking resemblance to Michelangelo's Statue of David.

A naive girl named Jillian Crossland.

Temperatures are rising and superstition reigns supreme!

Eighteen year old Jillian Crossland, aka Jilly-Bean, has her life planned out. Or so she thinks. A seance one evening with Madame Zelda presiding, sets in motion events that are both comical and tragic.

Jilly-Bean is a story filled with humour, insight, and lovable, quirky characters.

My Review:

I signed up to receive a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through Goodreads.

I really wanted to like this book, and there were definitely parts I enjoyed reading. I was really freaked out by the seance, but I love to be scared and it was one of my favorite scenes of the entire book.

I never really connected with Jillian's character. She seemed to lose her common sense once she met Matt and became paranoid about whether he was in love with her or not though they hadn't been dating very long. There wasn't any rooting value for their relationship to work, but what he ended up doing to her was really awful of him at the same time, which I could then empathize with her.

Some parts of the plot didn't make sense to me. Descriptions of the scenery went on way too long as well as the ordinary tasks Jillian set out to complete. I had a difficult time reading through those sections with interest.

On the positive side, as I mentioned before, I loved the seance scenes, and overall the book was well written. I think if there had been more focus on the seance and paranormal occurrences, I would have definitely been infatuated with this story.

Find the Author:

Goodreads  Facebook  Twitter 

Buy the book:

Amazon  Barnes & Noble

review ~ contemplations of dinner

 

Title: Contemplations of Dinner

Author: Gabriel Beyers

Published: December 22, 2011

Pages: 135

Genre: Horror, Short Stories

My copy: Kindle edition from Smashwords

Average Rating: 3.60 / 5.00 

My Rating: 4 / 5

Synopsis from Goodreads :

When death has you for dinner, oh the tales that you will hear.

A secret hidden in a freezer. A lonely woman takes solace in an ancient cat. A boy is trapped in a barn with a gang of killers. An open grave awaits an occupant. A man is encouraged to kill by a long lost love. And more.

Here lie ten short stories from the mind of author Gabriel Beyers.

My Review:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review from Review Seekers on Facebook.

Contemplations of Dinner is a collection of short stories that will scare the living bejeezus out of you! I've watched what seems like hundreds of horror movies so I'm pretty well desensitized. It takes a lot to scare me, and it's rare when a book gives me the kind of scares that a really really well done horror flick can do. This is one of those rare books.

Some of the scenes in certain stories were ones I had to read twice because I couldn't believe what I had just read! It would be something so deliciously evil that I needed to take a moment and soak it in. Then I began thinking maybe I'm not as desensitized to scares as I thought I was.

I wondered why this book was titled Contemplations of Dinner, and you'll be shocked once you read it and find out why for yourself. This is a perfect book to pick up and read this time of year when Halloween is quickly approaching, and I highly recommend this collection to any and every horror fan.

 

 

Find the Author:

Goodreads  Website  Facebook  Twitter 

 

Buy the Book:

Smashwords  Amazon  Barnes & Noble

review ~ the second wave: a post-apocalyptic tale

 

Title: The Second Wave: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale
Author: Lisa McCourt Hollar
Published: July 6, 2012
Length: 8457 words (approximately)
Genre: Zombies, Horror
My copy: Kindle edition from Smashwords
Average rating: 5 / 5
My rating: 5 / 5

Synopsis from Goodreads :
A young woman, Fran, seeks refuge from the cold in an Ohio farmhouse. Wanting to forget the past several months and the horror she has witnessed, she convinces herself that she is safe, at least for the moment. Relaxing and enjoying the winter scene, she falls asleep and wakes to a new nightmare. Soon she learns that what happened at the beginning of the Zombie Apocalypse wasn't the worst of it. There was more to the virus that created the monsters that now ruled the earth. The infection was mutating and what was coming next may mean the end for all those left alive.

My Review:
I received this eBook for free from the author on Review Seekers on Facebook in exchange for an unbiased review.

I've seen and own so many zombie movies it's crazy. I never in a million years would have thought that I'd read a tale about zombies that was so fresh and different from any movie I've ever seen. This story blew me away! I can't rave about how much I loved reading every word. The author's spin on the zombie genre had me surprised at every turn and was told so vividly, I was freaked out! I live in Ohio, you know, and very close to where the story takes place. You will be shocked by the ending--I know I was! This is an absolute must-read for every zombie fan!

Find the author:
Goodreads  Website  Twitter  Facebook

Buy the book:
Smashwords  Amazon  Barnes & Noble

sunday trivia #7

 

Hey everyone! I'm taking part in Debdatta Dasgupta Sahay's new Sunday Trivia meme over at b00k r3vi3ws Click on the link so you can get involved, too! Every Sunday all of the participating bloggers will ask trivia questions that are related to books, authors, characters, and movies based on books. The answers along with new questions will be posted the following Sunday. Try it without Googling, lol. ;)

Answers from Sunday Trivia #6
1. Name of any book written by Chelsea Handler-- Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.

2. The Sookie Stackhouse novels in order are:
#1 Dead Until Dark
#2 Living Dead in Dallas
#3 Club Dead
#4 Dead to the World
#5 Dead as a Doornail
#6 Definitely Dead
#7 All Together Dead
#8 From Dead to Worse
#9 Dead and Gone
#10 Dead in the Family
#11 Dead Reckoning
#12 Deadlocked
#13 Dead Ever After (coming out in 2013)
P.S. ~ I know this question was really evil, lol. I've read them all (except 12 and 13) and still get the tiles mixed up. :)

3. The author of Before I Go to Sleep is S.J. Watson.

4. The upcoming new novel by Gayle Forman is titled Just One Day and is expected to be published on January 8, 2013.

Questions for this week:
1. What's the bestselling nonfiction book of all time?
2. What is Dr. Seuss's real full name?
3. Which author has sold more children's books than any other author? *Hint: the answer will surprise you :)

Please answer these questions in the comments section below. Don't forget to visit b00k r3vi3ws! :D