Hive Five: Valentine's Day!

This week I've found the top five gifts for book lovers on Valentine's Day!  These gifts can be given to your best friend, neighbor, significant other or just someone you know.  Enjoy!

Romance Ebooks on Kindle

Now, don't think romance is always the erotic kind just because it is Valentine's day.  There is a genre for any book reader on this page!  Amazon offers a very wide variety of top picks in romance for Kindle starting at just $2.99.  Check it out here.

Book Page Heart Paper Chain

These DIY gift ideas are super cute and can easily decorate someone's desk, room, cubicle, etc.  The paper chain can easily be made by following the directions found here, just substitute book pages for the construction paper.  I love making these chains.  Plus, all they require are some staples, scissors, paper and you!  Super simple!

Review Day: Gilded Wings (Book 2)

It's Review Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Title: Gilded Wings (Angel Chronicles Book 2)

Author: Amy Lignor

My Rating: 5 Stars!!

This review was a request by numerous people on Twitter and Facebook.  I reviewed the first book in the series - The Angel Chronicles Book 1 - and found this series to be the most incredible YA/romance/fantasy I have ever read.  I am completely in love with this series and cannot get enough of it!  Keep reading to see how book 2 compares to book 1.  I'm even proud to say that Amy Lignor follows my blog!!  She is such a sweetheart and I love working/chatting with her.

Book Blurb:

The Beloved Angel/Warrior Team from Until Next Time Returns!

When Matt and Emily are sent on their second mission they have no idea how truly dark human nature can become… 

Emily never wanted to face humans again. With the heartache that went on down below, she’s still trying to figure out how to save souls that don’t deserve saving. The only one she wants to see again is Jason - the young man she fell in love with who became the soulmate she simply can’t forget…

Matt was trained to protect and defend the souls down below. Longing to feel the heartfelt emotions that come from being human, Matt wants nothing more than to have just one life - one chance - to live and love the girl of his dreams…

The powerful team find themselves in a brand new century, living in the Gilded Age of New York City. Emily takes over the body of Anya, a young Russian girl who arrives on Ellis Island after a hideous tragedy. There she meets up with a strangely familiar young man by the name of Drew Parrish, who helps Anya survive in an unknown world of luxury, snobbery and…obsession.

What Anya’s inner angel doesn’t know is that the soul she loves is also back. This time around Jason goes by the name of Max Carrow. Once a quiet and kind boy, he’s now part of the ‘Four Hundred Club,’ and wants nothing more than to be among the most admired as he climbs the shaky ladder of society’s elite.

As two worlds merge, Emily and Matt struggle under the weight of their “Gilded Wings.” Not only will they have to figure out who they should fight to save, but they must also face a romantic choice that could destroy them both.

13: Tallent & Lowery

As most of you know, last year I read and reviewed The Angel Chronicles by Amy Lignor.  Well, I loved her novel, and have become a fan or many more of her others, so much that Amy has asked me to help with her latest novel 13: Tallent & Lowery.  It is my pleasure to introduce to all of my readers yet another instant hit from miss Amy.  Enjoy!

Released on November 30, 2012, 13: Tallent & Lowery has received glowing reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, and has been featured in magazines!  Her newest romance series is being called one of the best from 2012!

Book Blurb:

In 1902, in a dark room on the fifth floor of Carnegie Hall, thirteen people came together to continue a tradition that had been set in stone thousands of years before. In 2012, Leah Tallent is Head of Research at the New York Public Library. Stoic and stable, brilliant and cynical, she has forever enjoyed her existence among the book stacks. But even with her unparalleled intellect, there was no way to know that on the historic steps between America's famous lions, she would become involved with a crazy man on a fanatical quest. Gareth Lowery has spent his life searching for the ultimate artifact that he is certain exists. His life's pursuit has been to retrieve twelve keys hidden by men whose job it was to protect the single biggest secret ever kept. To find the keys he must enlist the help of an unwilling guide who, unfortunately, knows much more than he bargained for. From the first page to the last word, this fantastic duo become immersed in a whirlwind treasure hunt with historical and passionate repercussions. From the strange and eerie Winchester House to the blustery darkness of Loch Ness, Gareth and Leah will quickly learn that the theory of duality is correct: For every bad there is a good and, for Heaven, there most assuredly exists...Hell.

ANSA: Ira Nayman

WELCOME to this week's ANSA!  This week it is my pleasure to bring back Ira Nayman - the man who always makes us laugh until we cry.  See his first interview here.  Ira just released a full length novel, so we're bringing him back to talk more about his journey.

Ira has been writing since he was a young boy.  "The first stories I ever wrote (when I was eight years old) were parodies of the Sherlock Holmes stories I was reading at the time.  I wrote them on the backs of my father’s legal-sized accounting sheets (the fronts had criss-crossing lines that made writing on them awkward).  I wrote three stories in all, one per page. And, I remember thinking at the time, “How do people come up with enough ideas to fill a whole story?”  Today, of course, I have far more ideas than I will be able to write in this lifetime.  If you stick with it, writing gets easier."

Typically a short-story writer, Ira Nayman just released his novel Welcome to the Multiverse.  The jump from writing short stories to a full length novel was...different.  "Writing a short short story is like running a sprint.  Writing a novel is like running a marathon. Trite, but true.  Of course, if you compare the work involved in writing enough short short stories to get as high a word count as a novel, it will be about the same.  However, the nature of the work is different.

When you have finished a short short story, you can go on to a completely different premise with completely different characters; the drawback of this is that you need a lot of ideas.  In fact, the shorter the stories, the more ideas you will need.  When you are writing a novel, by way of contrast, you don’t need as many basic ideas (although each chapter or even scene may require its own inspiration); the drawback is that you are always constrained by the characters and situation you have set up."

Becoming an Alien in 2013

If you had the chance to become an alien... would you?

In the Summer of 2013, you will have the chance to not only live among aliens but become an alien in the new anthropological science-fiction novel....A Miracle of Rare Design by Mike Resnick.

Book Blurb:

The best way to learn about an alien species is not only to live among them, but to become them in both physical form and function, but could a human really learn to think like an alien, and at what cost to his humanity?

Journalist and adventurer Xavier William Lennox becomes obsessed with the rituals of the Fireflies, an alien culture of gold-skinned inhabitants living on the planet Medina. When he gets too close to their mysterious society, he's captured, tortured, and banished for his curiosity, but vows to learn what it is that the aliens are so desperate to hide, even if it means becoming one of them.

But his curiosity doesn't end with the Fireflies. As opportunities arise to study more alien races, Lennox undergoes a series of cosmetic surgeries so that he can blend in with their cultures. But each time his humanity is stretched until he faces his biggest challenge—trying to return to the ordinary life of a man who has experienced the universe in ways he was never meant to.

Author - Mike Resnick

Cover Artist - Bradley Sharp

Dog Star Books Website

Happy Cover Reveal Day!

Review Day: Rennefarre

It's Review Day!!!!!!!!!!!!

Title: Rennefarre

Author: Malve von Hassell

My Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Book Blurb:

Imagine riding on the back of a blue heron across time and space. Imagine befriending crows, being kidnapped by magpies, and being given a lift on the back of a kindly stag. Imagine experiencing life as an outcast from human society, encountering spirits and mythical creatures from the world of legends, experiencing the plague in Dresden, and being chased through Berlin by Frederick the Great.

Dott is a twelve-year old girl. She lives in the countryside east of Berlin in an unspecified time between the two world wars. When Dott sneaks out to see the bonfire at the edge of her village on the evening of the midsummer night festival, she has no idea what will happen next. In the dark of night, the magical Rennefarre flower falls into her shoe. It not only makes her invisible, but also allows her to see things no one else could see. No longer able to stay with her parents and her young brother and sister, she begins her search to find a way out of her predicament.

Her quest to return home to her family winds its way through the cities and countryside of 20th century Germany—and beyond. As she befriends the local animals, they help her on her way with gifts of food, shelter, and—through the help of a kind spirit—a magical cup which allows her to become small and ride on the backs of the birds.

Flying across the country on the backs of crows and herons, Dott finds herself seeing the country not only as it is, but also as it used to be. She lives through moments in history others can only read about—meeting historical kings and fanciful spirits along the way. But, even with all of the excitement of her travels, she always has one goal in mind: returning home to her family.

Part coming-of-age story, part fantasy, and part social-cultural portrait of Eastern Germany in the early part of the 20th century, the book covers real ground. That is, one could follow Dott's travels on a map of the area. Seamlessly blending elements of fantasy and history, the book contains a fascinating array of details of day-to-day life in rural and urban areas in eastern Germany. Dott’s adventures are interwoven with folklore and myths as well as vivid accounts of different eras and the diverse cultural and ethnic strains that have formed the basis for a rich and complex history of Germany and Eastern Europe. Written on the eve of World War II, the book offers a sobering perspective on the human potential for causing devastation. At the same time it is filled with hope. In one scene, Dott gets a glimpse of the future — an utterly destroyed cityscape; it inspires her to look to her own responsibilities and actions in life.

Scam Factory!

WELCOME to the Scam Factory blog tour!!  Today I have a giveaway,  book blurb and author bio for you.  Enjoy!

Book Blurb:

Whoever said 'white-collar crime doesn’t pay' never lived in Washington D.C. TierGroup is a business consultancy firm located in the heart of DC. Its Division Heads have a very cold and calculating unorthodox approach to conducting business. Protecting and serving their clients is the only thing that matters. Nevertheless, loyalty can swing both ways in this journey through greed, corruption, and absolute lack of accountability.

As a former Las Vegas Casino Surveillance Director, Michael Crayter, a straight shooter, becomes an unaware, almost, employee of TierGroup in mid-2001. His transformation takes many shapes from idea man to fraud guru. He embarks on a journey to Iraq, through Hurricane Katrina and eventually takes part in one of the biggest scams in the history of the United States - the TARP funding program. His boss, Charles “The Czar” Zarin, is the ultimate manipulation mentor. Michael Crayter’s experience will last for more than eight years and will make his old Vegas job seem like child’s play.

The investment opportunities the United States has to offer during this timeframe are seemingly endless and the public joins in on the greed. The whole country is riding high on the inflated value train with careless abandonment. There are no regulations followed or laws unbroken by the Mortgage Lenders, Stock Brokers, and Bankers. The bubble is getting bigger and the clock is ticking. It's every man for himself. Divide and conquer. Borrow and spend. No one sees the tsunami coming, except for Charles Zarin. Capitalism will be turned upside down and the money spigot will run dry.

By late 2007 the bubble bursts and our country’s economy is left in ruins. The Treasury is sent in to bail out the white-collar thieves. While losing most of its clients TierGroup and Michael Crayter are left to fend for themselves. The tables are turned on the fat-cat bankers who caused the meltdown. Michael Crayter uses his hard gained experience to get even with the fake bastards. Almost everyone loyal to TierGroup gets away with highway robbery and the American taxpayer is left holding the bag. Michael Crayter begins to tell his story, in this Four Part first-person narrative, during a 2005 interview at FBI headquarters in Washington D.C.

Review Day: Mellifica

It's Review Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Title: Mellifica - Devastating First Love

Author: Melissa Mayberry

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Book Blurb:

At sixteen years old, Melissa has already found her Prince Charming. Sandy, the school’s most popular boy, graces her with a dream-like romance. However, a bold and dominating stranger named Arien quickly enters the picture and steals the girl’s heart while at summer camp. 

What seems like a promising new relationship eventually becomes a downward spiral into heartbreak, leading Melissa down a path to depression, anorexia, and revenge. As the stakes are raised, it seems like the girl’s life may never be quite the same again—even her future plans collapse when an older woman threatens to come between her and her boyfriend. 

Trapped by her own impulsive affections and misplaced trust, Melissa struggles to find happiness in love without losing herself, her friends, or her sense of freedom.

Calling All Authors!!

Authorship week is about to begin!  Are you going to participate?  Authorship Week is a full week of free events on E-Novelist.  "E-Novelist is a community for writers who seek new ways to bring their books into the digital world through social media, networking and innovations in digital storytelling." - Stephanie, co-creator and operator of E-Novelist

The week is designed to kick off the new Authorship Program, a program designed to help authors achieve their goals in writing.  The program is run by experts, offers around the clock support, and gives you the resources necessary to meet your goal.  E-Novelist hopes to help 10,000 authors in the first year of the program.

Authorship Week is January 21 - 25.  Below is a list of the activities.

21st January - "Pinspire Me!" Pinterest Party (Awards will be given!)

22nd January - "Breaking Your Writing Barriers" Twitter Party (+ Giveaway with Beth Barany)

23rd January - "Authorship Marketing" Linkedin+ Party - (+ Prizes from renowned editor Susan Uttendorfsky)

24th January - "Generating Ideas" Facebook Party (+ Lots of free resources!)

25th January - LAUNCH OF THE AUTHORSHIP PROGRAM! (Hall Of Fame Induction + Live Workshop for new AP Members!)

Mark your calendars for this fantastic week!  Join in the fun activities or sign up for the Authorship Program!  Happy Authorship Week!

Ken Dalton: My Writing Journey

Welcome to the The Tartan Shroud blog tour!  Ken Dalton is here to share the tale of how he became an author of the amazing The Tartan Shroud and numerous other novels.  Sit tight until the end, there's another giveaway!

About Ken Dalton:
Ken Dalton was born in 1938 at Hollywood Hospital. He grew up with his parents, his older sister, Pat, and younger brother, Richard in Los Angeles. The year 1938 informs the quick reader that Ken’s older than a lot of people, but younger than some.

In a turn of bad luck, the dreaded Polio virus found Ken.

At the end of World War ll, Ken’s family moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming for a year where he learned how to live through snow blizzards, avoid walking through the large pile of coal in the basement, and how to survive life as an Army Officer’s brat on a base called Fort Warren.

By the age of sixteen, after eleven years of operations, therapy, and braces, Ken’s luck changed dramatically when he met the girl of his dreams at a party. A few years later they married, produced three wonderful children, and settled into a happy life in Southern California.

Santa Montefiore: Love Stories

Welcome to the The Woman from Paris blog tour! Santa Montefiore has written an amazing guest post about love stories - stay tuned until the end too, you can enter to win your own copy of the novel!

About Santa Montefiore:

Santa Montefiore is the internationally bestselling author of several novels, including The French Gardener and The Last Voyage of the Valentina. She lives in London with her husband, historian Simon Sebag-Montefiore, and their two children.

Love Stories...

For me there is nothing more important to write about than love.  The greatest stories ever written are about love: Gone with the Wind, Love in the Time of Cholera, The Count of Monte Cristo, Pride & Prejudice to name but a few.  Art reflects life, and life, when boiled down to its essence, is love.   Love for our friends and family, love for our homes, love for our countries and in rare and beautiful cases like Mother Theresa and Ghandi, love for the human race.  Love drives us to do wonderful things, but also terrible things in the name of love. Of course, the latter is not real love, that’s ego-driven, selfish love – more possessiveness than love.  But that’s what makes love so fascinating to write about – because it can damage as much as it can heal, when it’s not pure and unconditional.

Love is eternal. It is who we are in the core of our being, beneath the layers of ego.  Writing about love leads me to ponder the great questions of our existence. Why we’re here, where we go when we die – and I truly believe that we’re here to grow in love, to expand our consciousness, to rid ourselves of ego, to wake up and realise who we really are: spiritual beings here to learn and teach those around us – about love.  It’s so simple, but so hard!  Because we love so fiercely, loss is so devastating.  Love is the fire which moulds us and makes us more compassionate.  But I don’t believe death is an end, but a new horizon and love lives on.  It’s the one thing we take with us.

Review Day: Mickey Tussler

It's Review Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today I have two books for you.

Author: Frank Nappi

Title 1: The Legend of Mickey Tussler

Title 2: Sophomore Campaign - A Mickey Tussler Novel

My Rating: 4 Stars

Description (title 1):

In the late 1940s, the minor league Milwaukee Brewers are foundering yet again and manager Arthur Murphy is desperate. When he sees seventeen-year old Mickey Tussler throwing apples into a barrel, he knows he has found the next pitching phenom. But not everyone is so hopeful. Mickey’s autism—a disorder still not truly understood even today—has alienated the boy from the world, and he is berated by other players and fans. Mickey faces immense trials in the harsh and competitive world of baseball while coping with the challenges inherent to his disorder. An honest and knowledgeable book about overcoming adversity, and the basis for the television movie A Mile in His Shoes, Mickey’s powerful story shows that with support and determination anyone can be triumphant, even when the odds are stacked against him.