WWW Wednesday (15th August 2012)

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading.

To join in all you need to do is answer the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?



• What am I currently reading? Currently I am still reading as part of a blog tour. I am also hosting a giveaway for this awesome book which you can enter here.

• What did I recently finish reading? I recently finished reading  and absolutely loved it. My review will be coming very soon.

• What do I think I'll read next?  I haven't really made my mind up completely but I think I may start reading  next.


What have you been up to this week?

Michelle

In My Mailbox (12th August 2012)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren and is a weekly meme to show what books you have accumulated during the week.

So, these are the books I acquired this week (click on the covers to be taken to Goodreads):

For Review:

 Kindly sent to me for review by the author Lane Stark.

 Supplied by BTS Tours as part of their book tour during September and October.


So, what great books did you get this week?

Michelle

Second Excerpt - Pledged by Gwynneth White

Today I am very excited to be able to give you the second book excerpt for the upcoming new release 'Pledged' by Gwynneth White. This post follows on from the book synopsis and author information I gave you last month and the First Excerpt posted last week.

This excerpt is to give you a bit of a feel for two of the other main characters, Sophia and Jared. Next week I will be bringing you the third and final excerpt so you can get to know the other main characters, Caleb & Talitha.

Meet Sophia and Jared:

Jared nodded at Sophia and Kezeah without any sign of recognition. With two of his Pledged up front and two at their rear, he marched them down the corridor to a flight of stairs. Once at the bottom, he ducked beneath an archway, opening onto to a gloomy, narrow tunnel. Erin, never keen on dark, claustrophobic spaces, took a deep breath and paused.

“C’mon,” Seth said. “The sooner we walk through it, the quicker we get to the other side.”

“What happens if what’s on the other side is even worse?”

“Then you’ll know for sure that the dead guys are leading this expedition,” Seth said, wanting to deny the painful burning in his heart that reconnected him with a cursed Jared. He grabbed Erin’s arm and pulled her into the passage.

They’d taken no more than two tentative steps along the uneven floor when Sophia stopped. “Commander, I am not walking through this snake-hole!”

Jared turned back to look at her. With none of the fear or diffidence Erin and Seth expected from a boy with limited to exposure to girls – especially beautiful ones – he answered, “Of course, my lady. You’re from Norin, where I understand you live in grass huts.” He gave a sardonic smile. “But don’t despair, you’ll soon get used to bricks. Even our own Outcasts have learnt not to flinch at the sight of them.” He continued down the passage.

     Seth’s mouth dropped at Jared’s rudeness; this was so foreign to the Jared he had seen just moments ago in his vision. It just added to his anger at Reuel’s Curse.

The Pledged at Sophia’s rear prodded her back; she gave him a fierce look and started walking.

For Seth and Sophia, both taller than Erin and Kezeah, negotiating the tortuous twists and turns of the tunnel was no easy matter. Stooping, cursing each time they bumped their heads on the rough ceiling, they struggled after Jared, but he kept up the merciless pace until they reached a dark staircase.

Her temper now as short as her breath, Sophia stopped walking and locked her arms across her chest. “Having just cracked my skull open, you now expect me to scramble up those treacherous stairs too. No doubt hoping I’ll fall and break my neck. Well, forget it. I’m not moving.”

“Sophia!” Kezeah whispered, jabbing her in the ribs as she stepped gingerly onto the first narrow step.

Sophia ignored her. “Only savages and rats live in places like this.”

     Jared’s eyes narrowed. “Savages and rats, you say, my lady?”

Sophia set her face into a cold stare, locking her hypnotic blue eyes on his.

He surprised her by holding her gaze. “I hate to disappoint you, my lady, but Lord Rustus, Lord of the Household, under the direction of the Overlord himself, has chosen your apartment. Surely you don’t question their judgment in this matter?” 

     “As a matter of fact, I do.”

     “In that case, I’ll gladly pass on your concerns. If that’s what you really want.”

“Enough, Sophia. This isn’t a fight you can win.” Sophia’s Guardian had joined them.

***

So, are you getting excited yet??? I sure am!

Also, don't forget to enter my Giveaway to be in the running for one of five ebook copies of Pledged.

Have a great weekend!

Michelle

Review and Author Interview - The Stone of Darkness by Resa Nelson

I am very excited to be part of the blog tour for the third instalment in the Dragonslayer series. Following is my review of this awesome book plus an interview with the wonderful Resa Nelson.

The Stone of Darkness by Resa Nelson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
236 pages

Published May 29th 2012 by Mundania Press

Synopsis:

'In Book 3 of the Dragonslayer series, Astrid accepts her duty and follows the winter route--until she's bitten by a dragon. Everyone knows dragon bites are poisonous and deadly, so she reluctantly accepts her impending death. In a twist of fate, she survives. Desperate for an explanation, Astrid believes she has somehow been protected by the black stone she keeps with her at all times, a stone that emerged from the sole of her foot a year ago. Determined to find out what the stone is and what kind of powers it possesses, Astrid begins a journey that leads her to alchemists and an army of men under the rule of the powerful warrior, Mandulane, the acting lord of the Krystr army. Mandulane's mission is to spread the word of the new god Krystr, which preaches the evil intent of women and the danger they pose to all men, who are entitled to dominate the world. Rumors about this new god and army have spread, but Astrid is the first Northlander to encounter them. Soon, she stumbles upon a secret of a far-reaching and mind-numbing plot that will impact the entire world. Astrid must find a way to spread the news of this threat and protect her people and everyone else at risk. She's convinced the answer lies inside the Stone of Darkness, and she must find a way to understand the stone and the powers she's convinced it must hold before it's too late.'

My Thoughts:

The Stone of Darkness continues the epic tale of Astrid and her journey as the Dragonslayer.
In this instalment, Astrid is on a mission to find out as much as she can about the black stone she removed from her foot the previous year. Astrid is of the opinion that this stone saved her life after she was bitten by a dragon but didn't die from the poison in it's saliva as she should have.

Throughout this book Astrid has to learn who she can trust to help her on her journey and finds protection and company in the form of the Iron Maidens along the way.

As with the other books in this series, it is refreshing to watch how Astrid grows as a person and to see her develop into a more mature and open minded woman.

This series is full of adventure and The Stone of Darkness has a plot that flows smoothly and keeps you interested until the very end. It was great to see some new characters introduced in this instalment as well as follow on with the lives of some of the original characters.

There is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of this book and I can't wait to see what happens next and how the author finishes off this series in the fourth book.

Author Interview:
I was fortunate enough to get Resa to answer some interview questions:

What was your inspiration behind ‘The Dragonslayer’ series?

Like a lot of writers, I use writing as therapy!  Many years ago, I'd been propositioned by a co-worker (a married man with two young children), which horrified me and hurt my feelings.  So I wrote a short story about it, except my story took place in a medieval type of fantasy world.  The story was published in a magazine, and response from readers was so strong that it made me realize they saw something more in the story that I couldn't see.  I decided that I'd expand the story into a novel only if I came up with an idea that I loved with my whole heart – otherwise, I'd be wasting everybody's time.  It took me about 8 years to come up with that idea.  Then once I started writing Book 1 (The Dragonslayer's Sword), I realized the world I'd created could support more than one book, and I began to understand the big picture.  And it all started with a bad experience and one little short story!  I also wrote a second story (which was also published) in my Dragonslayer world, and everyone is welcome to download a free PDF ebook of those original short stories to get an idea of what my Dragonslayer series is like at http://www.resanelson.com/files

Would you like to share one piece of advice you would give to other aspiring authors?

If writing is truly what you want to do (notice I didn't say “be famous” or “get rich” -- I'm talking about actually writing), then do not give up under any circumstances.  I've seen writers whose work was far better than mine never get published because they gave up too easily and too soon. 

If you weren't a writer, what else do you think you would you be doing instead?

My answer to this changes all the time.  I love sports and have a degree in sport management (which ironically is extremely helpful in my writing life).  Because the Olympics are going on right now, I think back to how much I've always loved the Olympics.  In ancient times, the Greeks told all countries that they had to stop fighting any wars during the Olympics.  The idea was to stop whatever you were doing and send your country’s best athletes to Greece to compete in sports.  I think that's one of the most civilized ideas ever.  So at one time I did think about pursuing a career working with the Olympics.

Do you have one particular special ‘writing place’ or are you fortunate enough to be able to write anywhere?

I've always been able to block out the world around me and focus on reading or writing.  So I can write anywhere.  The “real” world literally disappears – I can't hear anything when I’m focused and all I can see is my computer screen or sheet of paper (if I'm writing in longhand).  I've written short stories in waiting rooms, in airports, on trains, and on planes.  In fact, this year I finally figured out that I can write short stories during any down time when I'm selling and signing books at an event.  So far I've written four new short stories this year, and none of them have been in the comfort of my own home!

Are there any authors that have inspired you along the way?

Oh, yes, tons!  When I was young, my favorite authors were Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and Agatha Christie.  I was also a big fan of Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Mark Twain, and Louisa May Alcott.  Later, I fell in love with the work of Jane Austen.  As an adult, I became a big fan of Connie Willis.  In fact, that's how I rate the science fiction and fantasy section of any bookstore.  If they don't carry at least one book by Connie Willis, my opinion of that store goes down.  These I days I typically don't read in my genre unless it's something really remarkable, for example, the Harry Potter series or The Hunger Games.  Mostly I read mysteries and thrillers.  Currently, my favorite mystery writer is Harlan Coben because the heroic characters he creates are people I'd like to hang out with.  And his villains are really, seriously scary!

Do you have a favourite scene in the book ‘The Stone of Darkness’ (without giving the story away too much)?

Actually, my favorite scene is the beginning because it came from a conversation I had with a teenage boy after I'd given a presentation about The Dragonslayer’s Sword (Book 1 in my Dragonslayer series) at a library.  He wanted to talk about dragons and how to fight them.  He felt very strongly that a good strategy might be to lie in wait with plenty of people armed with bows and arrows.  My feeling is that dragons have tough scales that overlap, which provide dragons with a type of natural armor.  But I thought this teenager's opinion was really interesting and valid.  I thought about what he had to say and kept looking for a way to write about it.  When I started writing The Stone of Darkness, it dawned on me that it would make a perfect opening.  So the action and characters at the beginning of this book are greatly inspired by that conversation, and I think often about the young man I met.  I feel like he's part of that book, which really makes me happy.  Every so often I ask people I meet in person if I can use their name for a character or use something we've talked about in a future novel.

Do you have any pets?

No, but I love nature and animals.  I have a balcony, and every year finches nest in a hanging plant of flowers that I buy just for them.  The planter hangs just a foot away from my window, so I get a great view of the baby birds, especially when they're old enough to exercise their flight muscles.  They're so cute!  I felt like an aunt to every batch of birds that has hatched on my balcony.  I even have a clip of some of the babies on YouTube at this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_0bPKmaVuo

What’s your favourite way to spend your spare time?

It depends.  If I'm exhausted, I love either reading or watching movies or TV.  If I have energy, I'm a big fan of going to museums, Broadway musicals, or ballet.  Or going to the beach.  Or traveling to other countries, because I want to learn about other people and their culture and customs.

What’s one thing that most people wouldn’t know about you?

I have a science degree in physical education, which required me to take a course in human dissection.  I dreaded it and put it off until my senior year, hoping it would go away.  But it turned out to be one of my favorite classes ... especially after a hulky male classmate fainted, and I didn't!  It was fascinating.  We’re as different on the inside as we are on the outside.  One of the most challenging things about dissection was locating parts of the body that we knew were there – we just couldn’t always find them where we thought they’d be!

What’s one of the most surprising things you’ve learnt about yourself since writing?

My novels often change me in ways I don't expect.  For example, writing the villanous characters in my Dragonslayer series has led me to feeling a lot of compassion for misogynists.  I used to despise them, but now I just pity them.  I never saw that coming.

Wow, I'm so excited that Resa's favourite author at the moment is Harlan Coben. He's been one of my favourite author's for years!

Author Biography:
Resa Nelson has been selling fiction professionally since 1988. She is a longtime member of SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) and is a graduate of the Clarion SF Workshop.
Resa was also the TV/Movie Columnist for Realms of Fantasy magazine for 13 years and was a contributor to SCI FI magazine. She has sold over 200 articles to magazines in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Her first novel, The Dragonslayer’s Sword, was nominated for the Nebula Award and was also a Finalist for the EPPIE Award. This medieval fantasy novel is based on a short story first published in the premiere issue of Science Fiction Age magazine and ranked 2nd in that magazine's first Readers Top Ten Poll. The Dragonslayer's Sword is Book 1 in her 4-book Dragonslayer series. Book 2, The Iron Maiden, was published last December, Book 3 was published in May, and the final book in the series is scheduled for publication in November.
Resa's standalone novel, Our Lady of the Absolute, is a fantasy/mystery/thriller about a modern-day society based on ancient Egypt. Midwest Book Review gave this book a 5-star review, calling it "a riveting fantasy, very highly recommended."
Resa lives in Massachusetts.

Links:
Resa’s website:  http://www.resanelson.com
                                                                       
Free “mini” ebook of Dragonslayer short stories:  http://www.resanelson.com/files

GoodReads giveaway:  http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/27323-the-stone-of-darkness

Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Resa-Nelson-The-Dragonslayers-Sword/122200661871

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/ResaNelson

Email:  ContactResa@aol.com

Ebooks ($4.99 each) are available directly from Mundania Press at:  http://mundania.com/author.php?author=Resa+Nelson (get a 10% discount at checkout with the coupon code MP10)

Paperbacks are available from Mundania Press, Amazon, and Barnes&Noble:

http://mundania.com/author.php?author=Resa+Nelson (get a 10% discount at checkout with the coupon code MP10)

http://www.amazon.com/Resa-Nelson/e/B002C78D2Q/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/resa-nelson

The Stone Of Darkness on Amazon

My reviews of The Dragonslayer's Sword (Book 1) and The Iron Maiden (Book 2)

Seventh Star Press 'Feel The Fire' Giveaway!

Welcome to Seventh Star Press’ Feel the Fire Contest! Easy to enter, easy to get a lot of entries, and you can win a Kindle Fire, Amazon.com gift cards/certificates, signed books, eBook bundles and much more!

Here are the parameters of this contest. All eBook, book, poster art, and art card prizes relating to Seventh Star Press authors directly, as well as the Kindle Fire, and the Amazon.com gift cards will be fulfilled by Seventh Star Press . eBooks from non-SSP authors featured in the bundles of the first three prizes (Grand Prize and prizes #2 and #3) will be fulfilled by the authors themselves. These authors assume all responsibility for fulfillment and delivery of their titles to the prize winners. They have been asked to deliver their eBooks in the week following the close of the contest at midnight on September 19th.

Grand Prize limited to US/Canadian residents only. Prizes #2-15 eligible for international entries.
Also, this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. We hereby release Facebook of any liability.

This contest uses the RaffleCopter system where you can earn extra entries merely by liking the Facebook pages or following the Twitter accounts of various authors and some bloggers. We encourage you to get as many entries as possible and discover from wonderful new authors in the process!

And now for a description of the available prizes:

Grand Prize: Kindle Fire, plus 10 SSP eBooks of your choice (choose from any title in our catalog from authors Jackie Gamber, Michael West, Stephen Zimmer, H. David Blalock, D.A. Adams, R.J. Sullivan, and Steven Shrewsbury), as well as eBook bundle from participating non-SSP authors, including titles from Apex Book Company, Hydra Publications, Blackwyrm Publishing, LocoNeal Publishing, and more! (total of 29 eBooks, 10 from SSP and 19 in non-SSP bundle)
Participating Authors and Titles (other than SSP): Total of 19 eBooks in this bundle.
J.H. Glaze: 5 pack including The Spirit Box, Northwest, Forced Intelligence, and The Horror Challenge Volumes I and II.
James R. Tuck: Hired Gun:The Culvert City Crime Files and That Things at the Zoo: Deacon Chalk e-novella 1
Rachel Hunter: Empyreal Fate
Dianne Gardner: Deception Peak
Gwen Perkins: The Universal Mirror
Sara Harvey: Penemue Trilogy (The Convent of the Pure, The Labyrinth of the Dead, The Tower of the Forgotten)
J.M. McDermott: Last Dragon
Georgia L. Jones: Legends of Darkness
Christopher Kokoski: Dark Halo
Sheila Deeth: Divide by Zero
Ren Garcia: Sands of the Solar Empire
Aaron Drown: Path of An Arrow
Prize # 2: $25 Amazon.com gift card/certificate, plus 5 eBooks of your choice from the SSP catalog, and full eBook bundle of non-SSP authors (as described in Grand Prize). Total of 24 eBooks in this prize package.
Prize #3: $25 Amazon.com gift card/certificate, plus 5 eBooks of your choice from the SSP catalog, and full eBook bundle of non-SSP authors (as described in Grand Prize). Total of 24 eBooks in this prize package.
Prize #4: Your choice of 1 limited edition hardcover version from the following titles: Poseidon’s Children or Cinema of Shadows. Signed and numbered by author.
Prize #5: Your choice of 1 limited edition hardcover version from the following titles: Redheart, Overkill, or The Fall of Dorkhun. Signed and numbered by author.
Prize #6: Your choice of 1 limited edition hardcover version from the following titles: Angelkiller or Haunting Obsession. Signed and numbered by author.
Prize#7: Softcover of your choice from SSP Catalog
Prize#8: Softcover of your choice from SSP Catalog
Prize#9: Softcover of your choice from SSP Catalog
Prize#10: Poster Art from Matthew Perry and Bonnie Wasson: includes the ”Kissing Image” from Poseidon’s Children, and the “Elf Woman” from The Fall of Dorkhun. Posters are 14X20 and sent in cardboard tube.
Prize#11: 7 eBooks of your choice from SSP Catalog
Prize#12: 7 eBooks of your choice from SSP Catalog
Prize#13: 7 eBooks of your choice from SSP Catalog
Prize#14: Sets of 5X7 art cards from Poseidon’s Children, Angelkiller, Overkill, Redheart, and The Fall of Dorkhun plus 2 SSP eBooks of your choice from the SSP catalog .
Prize#15: Sets of 5X7 art cards from Poseidon’s Children, Angelkiller, Overkill, Redheart, and The Fall of Dorkhun plus 2 SSP eBooks of your choice from the SSP catalog.
To enter this awesome giveaway you just have to complete the Rafflecopter form here.

Good luck everyone!!!

WWW Wednesday (8th August 2012)

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading.

To join in all you need to do is answer the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?



• What am I currently reading?  Currently I am reading  as part of a blog tour. I am also hosting a giveaway for this awesome book which you can enter here. 

• What did I recently finish reading? I recently finished reading . My review will be coming soon.

• What do I think I'll read next? Next I think I will definitely start reading .


What have you been up to this week?

Michelle

First Excerpt and Giveaway Announcement - Pledged by Gwynneth White

Today I am very excited to be able to give you the first book excerpt plus announce the giveaway details for the upcoming new release 'Pledged' by Gwynneth White. This post follows on from the book synopsis and author information I gave you last month.

This excerpt is to give you a bit of a feel for the two main characters, Seth and Erin. In the near future I will also be bringing you excerpts so you can get to know the other main characters, Sophia & Jared, and Caleb & Talitha.

EXCERPT ONE: Meet Seth and Erin . . .

Despite the heat, Seth felt icy. Dread could do that to him. Or so he had recently discovered. Deep breathing usually calmed him, so he sucked in a lungful of desert air and told himself to relax. It didn’t help. By the time he’d walked from the aircraft to the immigration hall he’d ripped off a jagged piece of thumbnail, already bitten raw. He handed his US passport to the Botswanan border official, and, after a frown, and a stamp, he joined the crowd at the baggage carousel. Botswana in southern Africa was the last place on earth he’d ever have picked for a holiday destination. But he wasn’t here on holiday. Not even close.

His backpack was slow in coming. Tired from his long-haul flight from New York, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Almost as if to mock him, the hated vision that had brought him to Botswana burst into his mind. In an instant he was back in ancient times, watching a man he knew only as Gideon. As usual, Gideon was huddled on a windswept hill with his band of hopeless soldiers, waiting to be slaughtered by a huge army gathered in the valley below.

Seth snapped his eyes open to stop the battle from waging in his mind. It wasn’t that he was particularly squeamish; he’d watched enough movies to iron clad his stomach against gory visuals. But no movie had ever left him icy with dread the way Gideon’s battle did. And the reason for that was simple. The moment the visions had started, he had known that the war, fought so long ago in a place he’d never heard of, was far from over. And, as reluctant as he was, he too was being enlisted to fight in a cause he didn’t understand or want.

He forced himself to focus on the present: Erin, who waited for him in the arrivals hall; his brother Kyle, whom he’d come to Botswana to visit; Kyle’s expedition to find the Lost City of the Kalahari . . .

He ripped off another piece of fingernail. Thinking about the search for the Lost City was almost as bad as the war-vision. I hope Kyle never finds the damned place. He slapped his hand on his thigh. Enough! Grabbing his backpack off the carousel, he set his face into a smile and strode into the arrivals hall.

The first hurdle was finding Erin. She was due to arrive an hour earlier on a flight from Cape Town in South Africa, one of Botswana’s neighbours. He’d never met her, although they had spoken over the phone once. Then she’d described herself as “a short, seventeen-year-old (a year younger than him) with a mass of ginger hair.” She’d sounded nice. Meeting her was the one ray of brightness in this otherwise dark picture.

He stopped to scan the crowd. A petite girl with shoulder length, reddish-blonde curls, dressed in skinny jeans and a purple blouse, immediately caught his eye. It had to be Erin. Nice legs. What’s it with girls that they always under-sell themselves? He studied her face with his artist’s eye. Vermeer would’ve killed to paint her. Suddenly wishing he didn’t look so grimy after his three plane-changes, he walked over to join her. “Hi, I’m Seth. You’ve got to be Erin. My brother’s just married your sister Izzy.”

“And after only knowing each other for about a week.”

Her dimpled grin was infectious, making him crack his trademark crooked smile. “Madness.”

“Mysterious.” Erin cocked her head to one side, seemingly appraising him. He knew he had been accurate when he’d told her he was tall and dark-haired. But what he had failed to mention was what girls had often said they liked about him: his strong, angular face, softened by expressive brown eyes. He watched her eyes rove over his grey Muse: Resistance t-shirt, taking in his broad shoulders and chest. From there they darted down his black camo-pants to his boots. Amused by her blatant assessment, he cocked his head to one side, watching her. Suddenly Erin giggled – was she embarrassed? – and picked up her bag.

“We’ve yet another plane to catch. My fourth in the last twenty-four hours,” Seth said, hoping to explain away his rumpled appearance. “To a place called Maun.”

“So we do. Let the adventure begin.”

Giveaway Details:

Ok, now to the good bit. Swallow Press are allowing me to give 5 lucky readers the chance to win a copy of 'Pledged' in ebook format. At the end of the giveaway, I will send Swallow Press the email addresses of all the winners and they will send out a Smashwords coupon for you to download the format of your choice, awesome! If you wish to enter, please fill out the form below (Note: this giveaway is international and closes on the 31st August 2012) a Rafflecopter giveaway