Red Series

Saturday 28 December 2013

Book Review: Frenzy by Robert Lettrick

Frenzy by Robert Lettrick
Genre: Horror, YA, MG
Source: Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon Hardcover
Release: April 8, 2014


Summary from Netgalley: Ages 12 and up

14-year-old Heath Lambert is spending his summer at Camp Harmony in the picturesque Cascade Mountain Valley. It's the perfect place to enjoy the soothing calm of nature as he weighs a heavy decision. The camp offers distractions: his friends, Cricket and Dunbar, always up for trouble; his reluctant crush on Emily, one half of the beautiful Em & Em Twins; and hulking bullies Thumper and Floaties, who are determined to make him their punching bag for the summer. But no one rattles Heath like his creepy cabin mate, Will Stringer. Brilliant, cold and calculating, Will views the world as one big chess game, and he's always three moves ahead of everyone else.

Heath soon learns there's a much bigger threat to contend with. Something's wrong with the animals in the surrounding forest. A darkness is spreading, driving them mad with rage. Wolves, bears, mountain lions-even the chipmunks are infected, spurred on in droves by one horrific goal: hunt and kill every human they find.

Heath and a ragtag band of campers are faced with a choice: follow Will's lead and possibly survive, or follow the camp staff and die. But how do you trust a leader when you suspect he's more dangerous than the animals you're running from?

Heath came to Camp Harmony to be surrounded by nature. He's about to get his wish.

Review: Heath goes to Camp Harmony to have a great time in the outdoors but gets more than he bargained for. The book starts with boys in a camp doing typical things including playing games, trickery, arguing over girls and of course bucking into older bullies. When things turn from camp fun into a forest nightmare Heath and a group of of campers have to literally run for their lives as some kind of disease turn even tame animals at the camp into raging beasts. Not to mention the wild animals surrounding them, not even squirrels are safe anymore. Everyone as to rely on one another as they face the elements, crazed creatures and more risky each other. Several campers have secrets including Heath himself. He didn't just come to camp for a good time and Will who is their best hope cares mostly about himself. Not even the cute Em twins are without secrets and Heath's two close friends from camp Cricket and his chunky friend will each prove their worth or danger.

This book is great for fans of horror, nature (or not of if you want to see the dark side), outdoors, camping (or not, hey there's danger and an excuse to stay in) and books from a male's perspective. While recommended for ages 10/12-14 this book can be enjoyed by older teens and even adults who enjoy books from the YA genre. I do and I highly recommend this book.

Rating: 4 Stars

Friday 27 December 2013

Goal Accomplished



This year my goal for Do You Have Goals? Bloghop (a.k.a. Big Dreams) was to create a new writing genre in fiction. While I haven't taken the world by storm these past few months with AYA (Adults for Young Adults). I have done other things.

1. A website!

Visit: Adults for young Adults

2. A book to start writing



Photo Credit: wintersixfour @ Morguefile

I am loving this mock cover I spruced up.

Blurb: They told us or kids would be better than ever. That teen rebellion was simply an error to correct. Little did we know that tinkering with human behaviour could have dastardly consequences. Teen Error didn't make our kids better, not in the end. Teen Error has become Teen Terror and the adults are the ones who will be corrected next. Permanently.

Sorry folks no date on this one. But I do plan in 2014 to help expand the genre and add lists of books that fit this category including inviting authors and other bloggers to take part. I'm ok with what I've done so far. 2014 will be to work on making it spectacular. Happy Holidays and have a wonderful New Year.

P.S.: No this isn't a new book idea, it was actually made before I even came up with AYA. But it was after AYA I decided it was ready to be written. Still in the outline phase but I'll get there.

Tuesday 24 December 2013

50 States of Pray Event and Merry Christmas



The 50 States of Pray event is hosted by the delightful Mark Koopmans. With this event each participant in 100 words shares thoughts of the past or for the future.



Dear Future Me

I hope you work hard to achieve your dreams.
Be kind, loving and never forget the power of prayer.
Forget naysayers, always move forward.
Make new friends and keep the old ones.
Pray more often, be honest with others and yourself.
That this letter to my future self is also what you
reader would like to see more of in yourself.
Happy Holidays!

That's all folks! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!




Friday 20 December 2013

Book Review: The Reflections of Queen Snow White and Celebrating Christmas

The Reflections of Queen Snow White by David Meredith
Genre: Fantasy
Source: E-copy from the author
Purchase: Amazon


Summary: What happens when "happily ever after" has come and gone? 

On the eve of her only daughter, Princess Raven's wedding, an aging Snow White finds it impossible to share in the joyous spirit of the occasion. The ceremony itself promises to be the most glamorous social event of the decade. Snow White’s castle has been meticulously scrubbed, polished and opulently decorated for the celebration. It is already nearly bursting with jubilant guests and merry well-wishers. Prince Edel, Raven's fiancé, is a fine man from a neighboring kingdom and Snow White's own domain is prosperous and at peace. Things could not be better, in fact, except for one thing: 

The king is dead. 

The queen has been in a moribund state of hopeless depression for over a year with no end in sight. It is only when, in a fit of bitter despair, she seeks solitude in the vastness of her own sprawling castle and climbs a long disused and forgotten tower stair that she comes face to face with herself in the very same magic mirror used by her stepmother of old. 

It promises her respite in its shimmering depths, but can Snow White trust a device that was so precious to a woman who sought to cause her such irreparable harm? Can she confront the demons of her own difficult past to discover a better future for herself and her family? And finally, can she release her soul-crushing grief and suffocating loneliness to once again discover what "happily ever after" really means? 

Only time will tell as she wrestles with her past and is forced to confront The Reflections of Queen Snow White. 

Book Review: I love authors and fairy tale retelling. So when David contacted me with a request that I review his book after finding my blog, I decided to accept. Am I glad I did. David not only retells the story of Snow White after her happily ever after but takes a new look at her past. While there is happiness over the upcoming wedding of her daughter, Snow White is mourning the loss of Prince Charming and wondering if she was ever worthy, strong or special. Then she finds the mirror her terrible stepmother used and is taken on a journey through her past reflections of herself and is given the chance to see through her grief and maybe rediscover happiness. If not the crushing grief just might destroy her.

David is a master at flashbacks which is the substance of this story. But instead of just taking us all over the place or filling space these reflections take on a journey to see how David interprets Snow White's journey through all the good and the bad. Readers get to see the beauty in both happiness and tragedy and we get to decide for ourselves if happily ever after is just a perfect ending or won well fought for and deserved. Also the mirror is given new life and a much more pivotal role, making Snow White see herself as more than just an aging queen. Will Snow White find happiness again? What of the kingdom and the wedding? You will just have to get a copy of the book to find out. I highly recommend this read to everyone especially over the holidays when one of things we do is reflect about the year and look forward to a bright future.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Links: Website, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon




For my last post in this meme before 2014 I just want to celebrate another christmas, surviving another year, all of you guys and your support and love. Celebrate all the good things, learn from the bad and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Thursday 19 December 2013

Getting Personal: Goal Fail and 2014

In February in posted Goals for 2013 Revamped and planned to accomplish as many of them as possible. Now 2013 is almost over and all I really managed to accomplish was goal #9 which was to take my marketing and promoting of my books more seriously. I believe I did a good job at at along with the help of Courtney who assisted me from the marketing package I had one. Even though I got sick and had to delay the book, I received honest sage advice that will help me for all things I market. Thank you Courtney.

Am I disappointed I didn't accomplish more goals. Yes. Do I feel bad. Oddly not really. Earlier in the year I did have the downs as I realized I was definitely going to accomplish as much as I'd planned. But now I know I did accomplish some things that weren't even on the list. I got Briar's Dilemma off the ground without it being on the list, I'm working on a new genre AYA, and I have a secret project that popped up on the tail end of Nano 2013. Even though I didn't publish any books this year I do have a smashing book cover for Sacrifice HER. There are things I did without a list and I learned from my failures.



What I want to say is that failure comes with lessons and what you learn prepares you to do better next time. For 2014 I don't plan to have a goal list but I will always have goals. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I do plan to post through the holidays minus Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Wednesday 18 December 2013

Book News: The Sacrifice Series

I have officially set the date of Sacrifice HER as March 17, 2014. Deadly Luxury will be out May/June 2014 and the others will range from Summer/Fall release dates. But I'm also excited to say that Sacrifice Her will be getting a bit of a re-do.



The image of the female will still be there but I have to change the smoke because of a mix up that's a misuse on my part and I want to add to the title that this novella is book one in The Sacrifice Series. I plan to set the re-reveal as the same day as the cover reveal for Deadly Luxury.





Yes it is time again for another spectacular talk of an upcoming book by me, Tessan Chin. Kidding, Kidding, but congrats on winning The Voice girl! Jamaica's so proud. Oh and the U.S.A. and so forth...I guess. Serious now. In January I will open sign up for the February Cover Reveal for Deadly Luxury. I am excited about sharing another cover with you guys after all the positive responses I received for the first book. I like the mock cover I chose and believe the official cover will truly depict the fate that the two MC's are facing. I considered putting the sign up now but decided I want to focus on the holidays. Also you can check out my Pinterest Board for the series. And go to The Sacrifice Series Page for more on all the novellas.

Oh I'm so excited and I'm practically bouncing as I write this. Thanks for all the support and I can't for you guys to meet Deidra, Lord Brinn, Jessica and Joseph when my novellas come out. Ahhh! Can you tell I'm excited? Thanks for all your support and Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays my loves.

Monday 16 December 2013

Stakeout Cover Reveal

Today I'm excited to share the cover for Stakeout by Nikki Jefford. She is the author of the Aurora Sky series and a fun blogger to boot. Xpresso Book Tours is hosting this reveal.


BOOK & AUTHOR INFO:

Stakeout by Nikki Jefford
(Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter #2.5)
Publication date: January 14th 2014
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Synopsis:
Noel Harper got a second chance at life when the government recruited her as an undercover vampire informant. Since the day they brought her back from the good-as-dead, she has wanted to prove herself worthy.

When a member of her investigative unit is murdered, Noel is paired up with a vampire hunter named Dante to spy on a suspect in Fairbanks. The problem? They’re not the only ones on stakeout. Taking down murderous vampires is one thing. Dealing with the past is another. But this time, Noel isn’t letting fear win. She’s calling in help from the other side and learns a shocking secret along the way.

(STAKEOUT is an Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter novella told from Noel Harper’s POV. Approximately 40,000 words.)

Purchase Book 1:

Purchase Book 2:



AUTHOR BIO



Nikki Jefford is a third generation Alaskan who found paradise in the not-so-tropical San Juan Islands (Wash.) where she is once more neighbors with Canada in a town without a single traffic light. She loves fictional bad boys and heroines who kick butt.

When she's not reading, writing, working, or out on a nature walk, she's out riding her Suzuki DRZ400SM.

Author links:
http://www.nikkijefford.com/



Friday 13 December 2013

Celebrate the holidays and Express Yourself Meme


This week I celebrate the fact that Christmas is almost here. Also I got another book from my giveaway wins in the mail. I won an e-copy of Switched by Cassie Mae. And I have a special announcement when it comes to The Sacrifice Series next Wednesday. Also I'm happy for two years of blogging and all the wonderful friends I've met along the way. Love you all. Oh and the birth of Jesus, Christmas Day.


Photo Credit: Kaelcarp @ Morguefile




List some thing (s) you look forward to this time of year.

Christmas Time is time to:

Celebrate what you accomplished.

Enjoy some Christmas Cake (not Fruit Cake!)

Be with family and friends

Enjoy holiday movies and specials

Gifts

Celebrate the birth of Jesus

Look forward to the new year

Happy Holidays Everybody!

Wednesday 11 December 2013

Book Tour: Copied by S.M. Anderson gets the Spotlight


Today I'm taking part in the Book Tour for Copied by S.M. Anderson. This book is set to draw in young adult fans whether in their teens or adulthood. Now let's hit the spotlight!




Author: S. M. Anderson

Publisher: Curiosity Quills

Release Date: December 11

ISBN-13:
Genre: YA Science Fiction

Target Audience: 14 and up

Distributor: Ingram

Book Blurb:

Adopted off the black market, Alexander
Mitchell, has no idea his DNA is copyrighted and
property of military weapons giant Texacom Defense.
Nor that his DNA is being used to develop an army of clones. When the company
discovers he was not properly disposed of 17 years ago, they send an assassin copy,
BETA23, to terminate Xan and cover it up
After he narrowly escapes BETA23’s first attempt, Xan teams up with Lacey, a
genetically engineered genius he’s surprised to find common ground with— only
they’re awkward together. Half of the time she stares at Xan like the science project
he is and the other half…let’s just say Xan can’t keep his eyes off her lips.
When they manage to capture a company copy by luck and sheer stupidity on
Xan’s part, Lacey is determined to see the good in their prisoner to the point she
believes BETA23 can be persuaded to give them the intelligence they need to keep
the company forever off Xan’s back. Xan’s not sure if he can trust the darker version
of himself, not when it means gambling with the lives of his family and the possibility
of losing Lacey.

Author Biography



S. M. Anderson (Sarah Anderson) was born in
Lima, Peru. She has lived in seven different countries, on
five continents, and speaks a smattering of languages. As
a child and even young adult, writing and reading were
difficult for her, so difficult that she received extra help
outside the classroom and was diagnosed with a learning
disability. However, she always loved stories, especially
ethnic folktales from the countries she lived in. It was the
desire to create stories of her own that fueled her
determination to overcome the challenges that came with
writing. She has a BA in Art Education from BYU, with a
minor in Russian, and a love of power tools. She has a
growing family of three kids and currently lives in Springville, Utah.

Target Audience/Markets

Copied will find a home in the hearts of readers who enjoyed Divergent and the
TV show Heroes. The novel contains enough action to engross male readers with a
romantic subplot that will captivate the fairer sex. Although Copied’’s main target
audience is teenagers the core of the story deals with ethical dilemmas that will trigger
a crossover appeal to more mature readers.

To find out more:

Website: http://www.smandersonfiction.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SMAndersonfiction

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rATMhz7ZMw

Monday 9 December 2013

Cheersfest 2.0: Lee's Turn


Cheerfest 2.0 is here and hosted by a wonderful set of people. Today Arlee "Lee" Bird is the target oh I mean target of this online little celebration. Now let's get started.

My answer to the holy four questions.

1. Lee wanted to make friends through A-Z, not get roasted. Bummer.

2. More free time than the kind group who decided to hunt him for Cheerfest 2.0. Run Lee!

3. A post by Mr. Bird is meant to be read. You stalkers just stop hiding behind those bushes.

4. If audio only, Morgan Freeman. On film.... Alan Arkin. Hey it's a documentary not the Oscars. But with is cast...

Flash Fiction

A Juggler's Dream

A juggler in a brown coat answered a challenge. Find the bird in the dark room he was instructed. After an hour he came out empty handed.

"I win," he said.

"How?" the challenger demanded.

The juggler flipped him 'the bird'.

Tossing over the money, the challenger left cursing.

The Bonus Round


Caption: A modern photographic rendition of one of Picasso's cubism paintings. Still have no idea what it is even now.

Hope you had fun everyone. I did.

Friday 6 December 2013

Goodbye Mandela, Creepy Hollow Makeover and Celebrate


Photo Credit: chelle

Let's first have a moment of silence for the loss of Nelson Mandela. He was a great man who gave everything in the name of freedom for all. He will be dearly missed but fondly remembered.

Creepy Hollow Makeover

Pardon me for being a little late to the party. Rachel Morgan's series Creepy Hollow has amazing covers for each volume. But that's not enough for this writer/book cover designer. Now the e-book version will receive new eye grabbing covers while the print version will remain with their beautiful original covers. See the new e-book covers below.



THE FAERIE GUARDIAN
Amazon | Barnes&Noble | iTunes
Protecting humans from dangerous magical creatures is all in a day’s work for a faerie training to be a guardian. Seventeen-year-old Violet Fairdale knows this better than anyone—she’s about to become the best guardian the Guild has seen in years. That is, until a cute human boy who can somehow see through her faerie glamour follows her into the fae realm. Now she’s broken Guild Law, a crime that could lead to her expulsion.

The last thing Vi wants to do is spend any more time with the boy who got her into this mess, but the Guild requires that she return Nate to his home and make him forget everything he’s discovered of the fae realm. Easy, right? Not when you factor in evil faeries, long-lost family members, and inconvenient feelings of the romantic kind. Vi is about to find herself tangled up in a dangerous plot—and it’ll take all her training to get out alive.






THE FAERIE PRINCE
Amazon | Barnes&Noble | iTunes
The magical world is a dangerous one...




THE FAERIE WAR
The fate of the fae world is in her hands...



A little bit about Rachel ...
Rachel Morgan was born in South Africa where she spent a large portion of her childhood living in a fantasy land of her own making. After completing a degree in genetics, she decided science wasn’t for her—after all, they didn’t approve of made-up facts. These days she spends most of her time creating fictional worlds for young adults. When she isn't writing, she's reading (duh!), catching up on addictive TV series, and baking things that almost always include chocolate.





Celebrate the small things is a weekly meme hosted by Viklit to celebrate the good that happens during the week.

I am celebrating the giveaway win I got this week, the Alaskan goodies I got from Nikki Jefford, life, God and my Secret Project. While it will stay secret, I will share one thing. A song from the playlist. Have a wonderful weekend everyone.


Wednesday 4 December 2013

IWSG: Secret Project



What is the Secret Project you ask? Well that's just it. I can't tell you and for this Insecure Writer's Support Group I will leave YOU scratching your heads and wondering. *Evil Laugh* But I will leave you with a clue. A word that once you hear it repeated here as something by me you'll know it's the secret project. Word: Fema. Not the organization. That is all.

Anyway my birthday was last Friday. I have added a few books to my collection including a hard cover. Nanowrimo wasn't a complete bust since I started Briar's Dilemma unlike last year when it was a bust for Bunowrimo. Congrats to all who won this year and those like me who actually got started and have a word count no matter where it is.

This fun monthly meme is hosted by Alex Cavanaugh and we are all delighted that we have somewhere to share our feelings as writers. Thanks Alex!



Friday 29 November 2013

The Blacklist: Red on Punks, Goals and Celebrate a Birthday

Monday's The Blacklist blew the lid wide open with a new villain who has penetrated the fortress and plans to kill Red after making him suffer. Those who watched it know that Part Two is a must see. Those who haven't...well...you're missing out. The Blacklist has been a big hit and boost for NBC and next year promises only more of the greatness of one of the best new series of Fall 2013.

Plot according to WikipediaRaymond "Red" Reddington, one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives, surrenders at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He claims the FBI and he have similar interests in getting rid of dangerous criminals and terrorists. Reddington will cooperate only with Elizabeth Keen, a rookie FBI profiler. Keen questions Reddington's sudden interest in her, but Reddington will only reveal that she is very special. After the FBI uses Reddington's information to locate a terrorist, Reddington reveals that this terrorist is only the first of many criminals that he will help them neutralize. Over the course of his own criminal career, he has made a list of global criminals who he believes are truly dangerous to society, most of whom are unknown to the FBI. Reddington calls it "The Blacklist".




Red tries to save FBI Special Agent Donald Ressler's life.

But what I want to talk about is something Red said in the episode that really got me thinking.

"I won't let that punk out there get the best of me. Let alone the last of me" - Red

The world has all kinds of punks and while Red's punk is the extreme kind, us regular folks all have met a punk or two in your own life. Yet what Red says stands true. No punk should be allowed to get the better of you. Everyone has the right to live their life without a monkey on their back. Especially one whose only goal seems to be to make you miserable. People like that have something wrong within themselves and decide to take it out on other people. While punks will always exist, it is up to us who have to face them not to let them get to us. We might not always succeed, but like Red said, no punk's getting the last of me either. And that's my word on punk. Oh and Red rules.




Do you have Goals? Bloghop is hosted by Misha Gericke.

Aw boy. I have completely fallen off the rails with this. I will try to catch up in December and have my AYA website up.


This weekly meme is hosted by Viklit and participants celebrate the good things that happened during the week.

What am I celebrating? My birthday! Yes I am 29 today. My birthday will consist of books, family, television, going out, and just having fun. Yup, it's great to be me. And Sunday I'm seeing Catching Fire. Could've seen it earlier but my Mom wants to see the sequel too and unlike me isn't in a rush to see it alone. So I waited for her. Though I did say after this weekend I would go see it myself. Hey, before you judge me, I gave her two weekends. OK I guess that's terrible but I'm a Hunger Games fan and I had the money put aside for my ticket before the movie came out and with my tight budget that says a lot. Enjoy your weekend and hope those who celebrate Thanksgiving had a good one. What holiday did I celebrate yesterday? None. But today's my birthday so who cares? *Grins*

Thursday 28 November 2013

Getting Personal: Happy Birthday to Me! Happy Thanksgiving

Officially my birthday is tomorrow but I want to discuss something else then so today I'm just celebrating that my birthday is November 29. Yay Me! Plan to see Hunger Games with my mom over the weekend and of course my birthday will be spent having fun and stocking up on more books. Hey, I'm a book worm, what else did you expect?



Here's my fantasy birthday cake. Who cares about calories?



And not to forget those who celebrate thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!


Thursday 21 November 2013

Getting Personal: Nano and Me and Happy 2 Year Blogiversary


I will not be able to reach 50,000 words this year. Yes another year where I'll fall short of the 50,000 word goal of Nanowrimo. Would I have liked to accomplish it for the first time this year? Yes? Am I disappointed? Yes. Do I feel like a failure? No. 0%. Why you ask? Because I did this year what I wasn't able to do last year. I not only started Briar's Dilemma, I'm over 12,000 words into it. Now tell me that isn't a huge accomplishment by any standard.

I am still in love with the story and characters. I even added some new ones and characters like the mermaids have become super badasses since initially being just Briar's favourite secret flirt in bullfrog form. Illuminatu, the dolphin king shines and new comers like Ko, the Warlus have solidified their place into this new fictional world I've created. One of the things that have bothered me is the death count. Six chapters and three deaths and two near fatalities along with a near capture. I live for this kind of stuff and even I think the darkness is approaching too fast. Have to pace it better in the rewrites to come next year. Yes I plan to try to get to 20,000 this month then I'm putting it to rest for a while to focus on other projects. While I love the story this one was super hard to write and I went days with blank. But no regrets, Nanowrimo this year helped me get a project off the ground and for that I'm eternally grateful. Best of luck to the rest of you Nano writers and know whether you reached 50,000 words or not, you accomplished something amazing. You started to write a novel.

Guess What? It's Two Years since I started Queendsheena!



Well it was in October. Yup due to health issues and well...life I missed my blog's anniversary. But I'm still here and happy to celebrate Queendsheena being two as of October 25. Thank you blogging buddies, friends and readers for all your support. You make blogging worthwhile despite all the ups and downs. I'm truly happy.

Monday 18 November 2013

Waking Up Dead Blog Tour and Express Yourself Meme

I found this tour in my e-mail. The author had sent the request in October for me to post during their tour during November and today is the last day so I'm just in time. Better yet I was referred to her by another author. *Squeals* This is what happens when you're helpful in this community, people remember you. Anyway today I'm taking part in the Waking Up Dead Blog Tour and if you like reading about ghosts, debating the after life and mysteries. This book should be high on your list. And don't forget to check out the book trailer before you go.



Blurb

When Dallas resident Callie Taylor died young, she expected to go to Heaven, or maybe Hell. Instead, she met her fate early thanks to a creep with a knife and a mommy complex. Now she's witnessed another murder, and she's not about to let this one go. She's determined to help solve it before an innocent man goes to prison. And to answer the biggest question of all: why the hell did she wake up in Alabama?

_____________________________________________

Excerpt 1

When I died, I expected to go to heaven.
Okay. Maybe hell. It’s not like I was perfect or anything. But I was sort of hoping for heaven.
Instead, I went to Alabama.
Yeah. I know. It’s weird.
I died in Dallas, my hometown. I was killed, actually. Murdered. I’ll spare you the gruesome details. I don’t like to remember them myself. Some jerk with a knife--and probably a Bad-Mommy complex. Believe me, if I knew where he was, I’d go haunt his ass.
At any rate, by the time death came, I was ready for it--ready to stop hurting, ready to let go. I didn’t even fight it.
And then I woke up dead in Alabama. Talk about pissed off.
You know, even reincarnation would have been fine with me--I could have started over, clean slate and all that. Human, cow, bug. Whatever. But no. I ended up haunting someplace I’d never even been.
That’s not the way it’s supposed to work, right? Ghosts are supposed to be the tortured spirits of those who cannot let go of their earthly existence. If they could be convinced to follow the light, they’d leave behind said earthly existence and quit scaring the bejesus out of the poor folks who run across them. That’s what all those “ghost hunter” shows on television tell us.
Let me tell you something. The living don’t know jack about the dead.
Not this dead chick, anyway.


About the Author



Margo Bond Collins lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, several spoiled cats, and a ridiculous turtle. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters. Waking Up Dead is her first published novel. Her second novel, Legally Undead, is an urban fantasy, forthcoming in 2014 from World Weaver Press.

_____________________________________________

Connect with Margo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MargoBondCollin  @MargoBondCollin
Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/vampirarchy



Be sure to add Waking Up Dead to your Goodreads bookshelves: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18428064-waking-up-dead

Book Trailer





Express Yourself Meme



What do I carry around in my purse? Well an ID Card is a must, money, any other form of identification I need like NIS and TRN Number. Movie Ticket stubs I collect and library cards and a few receipts. My handbag has my books and pens, any papers I have to carry and should but often doesn't have my lip gloss. So pretty ordinary. Oh and my kindle when I can carry it.

Friday 15 November 2013

Dear Andrew, Celebrate the Week and Express Yourself Meme


Before anything else, a moment of silence for Andrew McNaughton, stepson of Nick Wilford. Sadly he passed away recently and his funeral is today. The family has asked for people to release a red balloon today (11 a.m. GMT) in his memory but for those who can't you can do something representational like this red balloon designed by Carrie Butler, that I'm sharing on my blog today. Nick and family you are in my prayers.



What am I celebrating this week?

1. I won several ebooks from M. Pax's Realms Faire Event. Check comments in Wednesday's Stockade Brigade to see my best attempt at Old English and Laura's Castle Jumble is on it;s last day and is another fun event to check out.

2. I'm on my way to saving for a laptop/tablet. I'm keeping the faith.

3. Purchased a book for my mom with paypal cash I won. She had been wanting to get a T.D. Jakes book for a while but the prices for books in Jamaica right now is often criminal. Enjoy when TBD delivers mom!

4. I gave into temptation and purchased my first book for myself from TBD after buying the book my mom chose. But the true celebration is I found two House of Night series (P.C. Cast books) in the bargain bucket for under $10. I mean my mother got one book for under ten and I got two. The $9 (plus cents) total made me smile. Thank you no shipping charges. Hint, hint, Amazon (at least drop it from over $10 a book).

5. God has not only kept me but blessed me with new books, money to buy more books, and you delightful readers to share my thoughts and reads with. Thank you God. And all my blogging/online friends and readers.

6. Nano is still on, I'm catching up and will have a first draft by the end of the month. I mean who needs a weekend. *Twitches* Not me.

7. How could I forget! I saw Ender's Game on Monday! I loved it so much. Will give play by play next week.

Express Yourself Meme


My top 5 TV Shows

1. Law and Order: SVU (NBC)

2. Grimm (NBC)

3. Arrow (CW)

4. Revolution (NBC)

5. The Walking Dead (AMC)

But have to add

6. Supernatural (CW)

7. The Blacklist (NBC)

Special Mentions

1. Covert Affairs on USA - Season Finale is next week and I'm pumped. Annie is on FIRE.

2. Nikita on CW - Final Season starts November 22. Can't wait to see how it all goes down.

3. Sleepy Hollow on Fox - Finally a fresh horror series that has no vampires, werewolves or zombies. Also Ichabob rocks and finally a fantastic black actress to root for outside Scandal and/or a Drama TV series.

4. White Collar on USA - I sense Neal and Peter will come to a head. Also Moz helped deliver a baby!

5. Vampire Diaries on CW - Last season this would be in the top 5 but the doppelganger business is now out of control and getting on my nerves. A real turn off. Still a top ten show for me and one of the best CW has to offer.

6. The Tomorrow People on CW - Teleportation doesn't get enough play in television series. Also people with multiple powers :(and aren't touted as superheroes). And teens actually get shot, take that Marvel: Agents of Shield. Who is taking extreme actions against super powered people now? Ultra will kill anybody. No need to call head office to double check on that and if you defy, you die.

Tuesday 12 November 2013

Cover Reveal and Waiting on Wednesday: Playing Pretend by Juliana Haygert

I'm a little late to the party but I'm revealing the cover for Juliana Haygert's Playing Pretend. This NA novel is coming out next year and for those looking for sexy Contemporary Romance, put this on your TBR list. The cover looks amazing and the flirty sex appeal oozes off the image. Juliana has been a blogger and writer I have known for a while and I'm happy to share her latest work with you.

Also Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that are eagerly anticipated. Juliana deserves a spot on this list and readers should giver book a look at  Goodreads.


Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Word Count: 60,000
Release date: March 2014
Cover: Berto Designs
As the Governor’s daughter, Charlotte McClain is an expert in playing pretend. High society, the men her mother shoves in her direction and a Pre-Law major are all a part of her perfect pretense. But when she pretends to be a nobody during Spring Break, she meets someone who rocks her world.
Mason Rowell knows heartbreak and Spring Break don’t mesh well, so he allows the mysterious Charlotte to seduce him. What should have been a fling, results in something deeper. After Spring Break has long since passed, he moves to Washington to pursue his graduate degree, but what he never expected to find living among the rich and pompous, was the girl who gave him the strength to change and the desire to start anew.
When the guy Charlotte can’t forget goes from a sensual memory to temptation in the flesh, her facade is put to the test. If she surrenders to his charms, she risks ruining her mother’s perfect career and master plan. Playing pretend is what Charlotte does best, but how long can she pretend she doesn’t love who man that made her proud of her true self?
**A light, sexy NA Contemporary Romance**
Add it on Goodreads!

Waiting on Wednesday: Reconnected

Please Note: The final WOW on this blog as I take my final bow this month. I want to thank all readers of this post and all my blogging. I r...