Blog A Quote #20

Blog A Quote is weekly meme hosted by Michelle Chew Writes. Each week we will be sharing a quote from our favorite books. For more info and to sign up visit Michelle Chew Writes.

My quote for this week



Hollowland (The Hollows, #1) By Amanda Hocking

“You know something?" He lifted his head, and when he turned to me, he had this strange look in his eyes. Almost as if he was really seeing me for the first time. "I don't think I ever really lived until this. I've never done anything that mattered before, but now I'm fighting to save my life, and yours. And I know it sounds really cheesy and lame, but I don't think I ever really felt alive. Not until I met you.”

I really liked this book, well because I like zombies and anything that is horror. Remy is a kick-ass girl that is a very independent girl who can take care of herself. It has all the action that you need to keep you wanting to read more.

What is your favorite quote?

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Blog Tour: (Review + First Chapter) I’ve Been Deader By Adam Sifre

I would like to welcome Adam Sifre to The Avid Reader today. Thanks for stopping by Adam Sifre. Please be sure and check out Adam Sifre's novel I’ve Been Deader. Check out my review and the first chapter of I’ve Been Deader.

Book Title:

Author: Adam Sifre

Series: Book One

Genre: Horror/romance

Published: July 2, 2012

Publisher: Taylor Street Publishing

ISBN: 13: 978-1478180784

ASIN: B008H04Z0G

Pages: 306

Word Count: 90,000

Cover Artist: Tim Hewtson

BOOK TRAILER

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BOOK DESCRIPTION

I’ve Been Deader

Being a zombie is no picnic and it's one hell of a handicap in the romance department when you fall in love with a 'breather':

Aleta is a breather with short blonde hair and brown eyes - two of them! - and the whitest smile Fred has ever seen. Every day at a certain time she sits at her window, and every day he stands in the rubble across the street among a crowd of zombies waiting to break through the fence and eat her.

'You are beautiful, like an angel', he thinks, but all he can moan is, “Braaaiiinss."

Still, as zombies go, Fred's quite a catch. Underneath all the gangrene and rot, Fred is different. This girl will probably turn out to be yet another dead end, an infatuation, someone whose image he cannot get out of his mind and whose taste he cannot get out of his mouth, but the heart wants what the heart wants.

For breathers, it is always only a matter of time, however beautiful they are and whatever the government is assuring people.

Which makes Fred sad because he has a beautiful 11 year old son called Timmy, and Timmy may still be alive.

BUY NOW LINK

I’ve Been Deader

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CHAPTER ONE

I’ve Been Deader

Commute

Fred's ruined face stared back at him from a fractured, mold spotted mirror. The remains of breakfast pooled around his feet and a pair of lace panties clung to his shoe, glued there by God knew what.

Bits of flesh were stuck between his yellow teeth, along with the sodden remains of a hand-wash-only label. There was no denying that he'd seen better days.

Being a zombie is no picnic.

Compelled to pause and take stock of himself, he wiped his gore stained hands on a filthy shirt, unsure if he was cleaning the hands or the shirt. His right eye looked like a crushed egg yolk and his left leg was broken in two places. A large splinter of bone poked through the nskin above his thigh, fine dark lines etched across the surface like a bad piece of scrimshaw. The open wound on his neck had started leaking again, but at least the fluid was mostly clear now.

No use dwelling on negatives. Time to get to work. He turned away from his reflection, and limped out of the men's room of the Vince Lombardi rest area.

An overly bright morning sun assaulted him as he stepped outside.

Fred gave a mental wince, wishing yet again that he could blink.

Sunlight had no adverse effect on the undead, but he had never been a morning person. Rain or shine, today he had to shamble over to Terminal C of Newark Airport, where eight breathers were making their last stand. Zombies were lone hunters and rarely worked together.

Every so often, however, a kind of collective broadcast signal went out over the undead grapevine, announcing the newest brain buffet - in a shopping mall, a church, or an airport - with predictable and satisfying results.

Dozens were already making their way down the New Jersey turnpike. By their mindless, movie-slow pace, he knew they hadn't fed.

Zombies weren't Jesse Owens on the best of days, but they tended to move a lot faster with a little brain in the old furnace.

If Fred could breathe, he would have sighed. There'd be hundreds of zombies, all ready to fight over eight brains and assorted bits. The breathers would probably take out ten to twenty percent of the attacking hoard before being overwhelmed. That left about ten zombies per breather. With luck, by the time he got there he would still be the brainiac of the pack.

Having his wits about him gave a zombie an edge in the hunt. The effects of the virus or whatever it was that put the mojo in their mortified flesh varied from corpse to corpse. Most became textbook droolie ghoulies, but some could reason and even remember who they were as breathers. So far Fred hadn't come across any other thinkers, but he doubted he was the only one.

By mid-afternoon he found himself enjoying his walk down the turnpike. Most of the fires had burned themselves out and although the air still reeked of burning gasoline, the skies were more or less smoke-free. He might be a walking corpse, but he appreciated a warm spring day like this one. He pulled his lips up in what should have been a grin.

Death, ruin and destruction improved the New Jersey Turnpike.

Not that there wasn't a black lining to be found around Fred's own little rainbow of a life. Most of the zombies were a few hundred yardsdown the road, but two lesser undead doggedly tagged alongside of him, putting a bit of a damper on things. The virus left them as nothing more than … well, nothing more than zombies. They were about as interesting as slugs and moaned so much that, were Fred alive, he'd be sporting a hell of a migraine.

All in all, however, the day was turning out quite well. He almost convinced himself being undead wasn't so bad. Sure, it was bad luck that he was forty-five years old with a rather large potbelly when he had been bitten by that damned clerk. Being cursed to wander the earth in search of brains was bad enough, but why couldn't it have happened when he was twenty years younger and thirty pounds lighter?

He was imagining wandering the earth in search of fresh brains as a slimmer, sleeker and younger Fred, when the head of the zombie on his left exploded.

Shit!

MY REVIEW

I’ve Been Deader

 

The following review is my opinion and not a paid review. I was given a copy of I’ve Been Deader from the author for a review via Bewitching Book Tours.

 

I’ve Been Deader is a book about zombies. It is unlike any book about zombies that I have ever read. It is about this zombie named Fred. Fred can think, read and he learns that he can control the undead. He is on a mission and his mission is to find his son Timmy.

 

Fred figures out that the "breathers" and the zombies are in a war and that the "breathers" are winning. But after he learns that he can control the zombies he rounds up himself an army of undead to help him fight against the "breathers". He can't let the undead die out he has to win this war.

Fred sees a "breather" and falls in love with her. He goes to see her so that he can see if they can have some type of relationship. But all "breathers" are afraid of the zombies. All most do is run away screaming. The "breathers" have all almost been wiped out. And the zombies are very hungry.

I really loved reading I've Been Deader it being so different from any other book with zombies in it that I have read. I loved that we got to see what the zombies were thinking and feeling. We also got to know about their life like who they were and what kind of person they were before they became a member of the undead.

Adam Sifre is an amazing writer and has a brilliant imagination. One that I really admire. I've Been Deader is very different than other books about zombies. But if you like reading about zombies or just love a good horror story then you would love I've Been Deader.

I would like to thank Adam Sifre and Bewitching Book Tours for the wonderful opportunity to read I've Been Deader.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lawyer, Writer, Zombie Man

I have no real interest in anything and therefore write about everything. Think of the funniest person you know. I'm just a little bit funnier. Same goes for humble and good looking. Stick around. We'll have some fun.

ONLINE LINKS

Blog

Goodreads

Be sure and check out all the other stops on the tour.

TOUR SCHEDULE

September 20 Guest blog Captivated Reading

September 20 Promo Freda's Voice

September 21 Interview Sultry Storyteller

September 23 Interview Laurie's Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews

September 25 Interview Roxanne’s Realm

September 26 Guest blog Zombie Survival Crew

September 27 Interview Fang-tastic Books

September 28 Promo Mama Knows Books

September 30 Promo The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom

October 1 Interview Kay Dee Royal

October 2 Guest blog Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Write

October 5 Review Snowdrop Dreams of Books

October 6 Guest blog Snowdrop Dreams of Books

October 7 Review The Avid Reader

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Blog Tour: (Review + Giveaway) The Burning Of Isobel Key By Jen McConnel

I would like to welcome Jen McConnel to The Avid Reader today. Thanks for stopping by Jen McConnel. Please be sure and check out Jen McConnel's novel The Burning of Isobel Key. Check out my review and the first chapter of The Burning of Isobel Key. Oh and before you leave be sure and enter the giveaway!

Book Title: The Burning of Isobel Key

Author: Jen McConnel

Series: Contemporary, New Adult

Published: October 2012

Publisher: BrightFish Press

ISBN: 978-0615684680

Pages: 290

Word Count: 64k

Cover Artist: Heidi Sutherlin

BOOK TRAILER

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BOOK DESCRIPTION

The Burning of Isobel Key

When Lou travels to Scotland, she's a mess. She is twenty-six, unemployed, and unsure of herself. It doesn't help that she's traveling with Tammy, her best friend, who is everything Lou is not. 

 

At first, the trip pushes Lou towards the brink of depression, but then she meets Brian, a handsome local tour guide. When Brian tells the tourists about the countless witches burned in Scotland, Lou starts to listen. And when she discovers information about Isobel Key, one of the victims of the seventeenth century, Lou finds renewed purpose. 

 

She sets out to learn the truth of the condemned witch, but she isn't prepared for the knowledge that waits for her. Lou must face her demons if she has any hope of righting the wrongs of the past.

BUY NOW LINK

The Burning of Isobel Key

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CHAPTER ONE

The Burning of Isobel Key

“I quit!” Lou’s words echoed around the checkout line, and customers craned their necks to see what was happening. Red in the face, Lou looked down at her register in embarrassment. Her manager patted her shoulder.

“Let’s go back in the office to talk about this.” He turned, expecting her to follow.

“No!” Louder than she’d intended, Lou stood her ground. “You heard me. I’ve had enough of this store.” As she spoke, she tossed her nametag on the counter. An errant brown curl flipped over her eye, and she pushed it away. Under the shocked gaze of her manager and the curious stares of a snake-like line of holiday shoppers, Lou fled.

Once she was outside in the bitter December wind, she headed for the nearest T stop, acting out of habit more than conscious thought. She’d walked this easy route between the bookstore and the T for the past four years, and her body took over while her mind churned.

She had a college degree, for Pete’s sake! Cum laude from Duke University had landed her a job selling books and stationary to the snobby suburbanites outside of Boston. Sighing, she paid her fare and took her seat on the train bound for the city center.

Suddenly, the weight of what she had done hit her, and she buried her face in her hands. What was she thinking, quitting her job like that? Lou replayed the afternoon in her mind. Nothing had happened today that hadn’t happened a thousand other times. Maybe it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back: four years of answering bizarre questions and customers who were always right had finally taken its toll on her psyche.

But now what would she do? Lou wasn’t a person who acted on impulse: she was cautious and considered her options. And now she was unemployed the week before Christmas. Lou slumped in her seat. Unless she figured something out, and fast, she might have to move back in with her family. It wasn’t that Lou had anything against her family, not really: her parents had adopted her shortly after her birth, and they’d never made her feel like anything but their cherished only child. But Lou was almost 27, and it had never been part of her plan to live at home after college. Part of her plan: that was funny, she thought. It sounded like she’d ever had a plan.

Sure, she always knew that she’d attend college after high school. With parents who had both made careers in the medical field, Lou had never doubted that she’d follow their lead and soak up as much education as she could. Money wasn’t an issue, so when she turned 18 and Duke University accepted her, she thought it would be ideal. She moved to North Carolina and spent four years studying the liberal arts, unable to decide on a tangible career path. Nothing seemed to fit, and even though she earned her degree, she didn’t really know what she was going to do after college. It was lucky that her best friend needed a roommate in Boston, Lou mused, or she might have ended up back with her parents four years ago.

Shaking her head, Lou glanced up as the train rolled to a stop. Standing unsteadily, she tried to ignore the raging pity party in her mind. As the doors whooshed open, the cold winter air assaulted her again. For the first time she realized that she’d left her coat behind in the employee lounge. Hesitating for a moment, Lou considered taking the train back and getting her things.

“There’s no going back,” she whispered. Even the excuse of her coat might be enough to put her back in her manager’s office, begging for her job back. Shivering, Lou hurried up the stairs and out of the tunnel. The old black light posts were swathed in candy cane stripes, and every window she passed displayed some holiday decorations. What a time to be unemployed, Lou thought sourly as she buzzed the doorman at her apartment.

Unlocking the door on the seventeenth floor, Lou called out nervously, “Hello? Tammy?” Her roommate didn’t answer, and Lou felt relieved. She wasn’t ready to face anyone yet, not until she’d figured out her next step. Checking the kitschy clock on the wall of the hallway, Lou realized it was only a quarter after four. Tammy wouldn’t be home ‘til seven or later. Relaxing, Lou stacked her boots neatly in the hall closet and headed to the kitchen.

The sleek, modern kitchen was a mess: remnants from Tammy’s last party were still strewn across the stainless countertops. Sighing, Lou plugged in the electric kettle and searched for a mug. While she waited for the kettle to whistle, she started to tidy up. She loaded the dishwasher carelessly and overfilled the soap container, but when she was done the room looked much more presentable. Satisfied, Lou added a packet of hot chocolate to the mug. After a moment’s hesitation, she stirred a hearty dollop of vanilla vodka into the chipped Disney World souvenir.

Leaning against the counter, Lou studied the apartment. The kitchen was open to the rest of the space, and from her vantage point, Lou could see the living room and the stairs that led to her lofted bedroom. She sighed, wondering how much longer she’d get to enjoy this apartment with her best friend. Her parents had helped her out with bills from time to time, but Lou felt certain that all assistance of this kind would stop if they found out she was no longer employed.

“What’s the matter with me?” She wondered out loud, tears in her eyes. Taking her mug, she crossed to the living room and flopped down on the fluffy red sofa. She began flipping aimlessly through the stack of magazines on the coffee table.

Suddenly, her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. Glancing at the cracked screen, Lou saw that it was Tammy calling. Sighing, she flipped the phone open.

“Hello?”

Tammy’s voice was crackly but excited. “Lou? Guess what? You’ll never guess what happened!”

Lou sighed, annoyed. “What?”

“They gave me an account!” Tammy squealed in delight. “Did you hear?”

“Tammy, that’s amazing!”

“And the best part is, guess where the account is based? Guess!”

Not wanting to play games, Lou asked, “Would you just tell me?”

“Scotland! Isn’t that awesome?”

Stunned speechless, Lou just stared at the phone.

“Lou! Louisa! Are you still there?”

She shook herself. “Yes, I’m here. Tammy, that’s great!”

“I know! They want me to go over there next week to check things out and meet everybody.”

“But isn’t next week Christmas? What about your family?”

Tammy laughed. “They won’t care. But Lou, wouldn’t it be perfect to spend Christmas in Scotland?”

Lou agreed that it would be. She ignored the small bubble of jealousy starting to form in her heart.

“Tammy, I’m really excited for you.”

“For us, you mean.”

“What are you talking about?”

Tammy’s voice broke into a garbled stream of words.

“Tammy!” Lou shouted. “I can’t hear you.”

“In the T…we’ll talk… home…”

The cell phone made a crunching sound and the call dropped. Lou looked at her phone and leaned back into the couch cushions. Wasn’t it just like fate to give Tammy something so wonderful, she mused, when she was so miserable? Sniffing, Lou drained her cup of spiked cocoa and headed upstairs to lie down.

MY REVIEW

The Burning of Isobel Key

 

The following review is my opinion and not a paid review. I was given a copy of The Burning of Isobel Key from the author for a review via Bewitching Book Tours.

 

Lou was almost 27 years old when she quit her job at the bookstore. She was just fed up with the customers. They was always asking some question or another that didn't make much sense. The day that she walked out was no different from any other day. Lou had a degree from Duke University and didn't know what she wanted to do with her life.

Lou's best friend and roommate Tammy calls her one day on her way home and tells her that she got an account. That her job was sending her to Scotland the very next week. The week before Christmas. Tammy takes Lou with her to Scotland. While in Scotland Lou meets a guy, Brian that she falls in love with.

Lou finds out about a woman by the name of Isobel Key that was accused of being a witch in the 17th century. Lou her new friend Brian and Tammy do research to find out what really happened to Isobel. Jen McConnel does a real good job going from the present time of Lou's life to the past of Isobel's life. You knew and could understand what time period you were reading unlike some books that I have read in the past.

When you were reading about Isobel the writing was so descriptive that you could picture what you were reading in your mind. The same goes for when you were reading about Lou's life as well. It's like Stephen King said in his book On Writing. The writer and the Constant Reader both have esp. When he is writing about a red table cloth you the Constant Reader sees a red table cloth in your mind.

If you like reading about the Salem Witch Trials then you would definitely enjoy reading The Burning Of Isobel Key.

AUTHOR BIO

Jen McConnel first began writing poetry as a child.  Since then, her words have appeared in a variety of magazines and journals, including Sagewoman, PanGaia, and The Storyteller (where she won the people’s choice 3rd place award for her poem, “Luna”).

She is also an active reviewer for Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA), and proud member of SCBWI, NCWN, and SCWW. She lives in North Carolina, where she teaches writing at a community college.

ONLINE LINKS

Website

Blog

Goodreads

Twitter

Facebook

GIVEAWAY

3 $10 Amazon Gift Cards

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure and check out all the other stops on the tour.

TOUR SCHEDULE

RDB Oct 1

A Bibliophile's Thoughts on Books

Cover2CoverBlog

Whimsically Yours

Place of Reads Book Blog

Stuffed Shelves

Creatively Green

Fang-tastic Books

Roxanne’s Realm

Tour Oct 2-9

October 2 Interview and review My Escape

October 3 Promo and review Stuffed Shelves

October 4 Guest blog Place of Reads Book Blog

October 5 Guest blog and review Musing From An Addicted Reader

October 6 Review The Avid Reader

October 7 Review Books, Books, and More Books

October 8 Guest blog Mila Ramos

October 9 Guest blog and review On the Broomstick

October 9 Promo Frankie Blooding Blooding Book Reviews

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Blog Tour: (Guest Post + Giveaway) Forbidden Mind By Kimberly Kinrade

I would like to welcome Kimberly Kinrade to The Avid Reader today. Thanks for stopping by Kimberly Kinrade. Please be sure and check out Kimberly Kinrade's novel Forbidden Mind. Check out my guest post with Kimberly Kinrade on Lie to me, I dare you. A guest post by Lucy from The Forbidden Trilogy. Oh and before you leave be sure and enter the giveaway!

Book Title: Forbidden Mind

Author: Kimberly Kinrade

Series: The Forbidden Trilogy

Published: September 6th 2011

Publisher: Evolved Publishing

Ebook:

Pages: 176

BLURB

Forbidden Mind

49% of Americans believe their government officials are honest. I don't know these officials, or their supporters, but I know their secrets, and 49% of Americans are wrong.

My employers pay me well to be right, to know things others can't. But I don't know why they brought that boy in, strapped to a stretcher, barely conscious. He asked me for help when I could give none.

I'm a wealthy spy, a talented artist, a martial arts black belt, and a prisoner. They tell me that on my eighteenth birthday, I will be released, free to go to the college of my dreams. It's my eighteenth birthday, and a man in black is at my door. I know he's not here to free me.

I know, because I can read minds.

My name is Sam, and this is my story.

So begins the tale of Sam and Drake--from the time they link minds, forging a bond that leads to an unconventional romance--to their fight for survival against the corrupt, twisted organization known as 'Rent-A-Kid.'  

REVIEWS

Forbidden Mind

"...a thrilling, dark and deeply romantic read that had me sitting on the edge of my seat and eagerly awaiting the next installment." ~ Refracted Light Young Adult Book Reviews

"The plot is very ALIAS and DARK ANGEL-like with X-MEN as its backdrop (awesome combo!). Forbidden Mind BLEW my mind!" ~Sour Skittles Book Blog

Winner of 2011 Forward National Literature Award

BUY NOW LINK

Forbidden Mind

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Paper Book

Forbidden Mind will be FREE Oct 2-6 on Amazon for launch of Forbidden Life.

EXCERPT

Forbidden Mind

The door to the studio hung open just a crack, and angry screams assaulted us as we approached. Luke and

Lucy looked to me as if I knew what was going on.?I shrugged my shoulders in the universal I've-got-no-freaking-idea way and crept to the door. I could have just

slipped into their minds, but listening to people talk both out load and mentally was hard to track and gave me a pretty big headache. At that moment, what they were saying, or rather screaming, to each other was more interesting.

We didn't want to budge the door and draw attention to ourselves, so Luke pushed his head through. He bobbed in and out so quickly I almost missed it. Being able to walk through anything was mighty handy at times.

I nudged him. "Well?"?"Higgins and Mr. K. They both look pretty pissed."?They sounded it too. I'd never heard Headmaster Higgins yell at any of the teachers, or students for that matter.

He wasn't a pushover by any stretch, but he'd always been levelheaded—until today.?Higgins shouted at Mr. K. "How could you enter her without permission from me? Do you realize what you've

done? This could ruin the school and everything we're doing here."

Was Higgins talking about me?

Mr. K replied with the same volume and anger. I could imagine the vein over his left eye bulging. "You have no idea how talented that girl is! She should be at the best art school in the world, not hidden here like a freak of nature. It's my job to make sure she has a future when she leaves this god-awful place, and I'm not letting you, or the people you work for, stand in my way. Or hers."

They must have been talking about me, but it made no sense. Why didn't Higgins want me entering the contest, and why did Mr. K hate this place so much?

"Don't you mean, the people we work for? They employ us both, and you'd do well to remember that, Mr. Krevner. Their reach extends beyond the gates of this school."

I couldn't believe it. Was the headmaster actually threatening my art teacher? What was going on?

"You will pull her from that competition and clean up the mess you've made, or your days here are numbered. Am I making myself clear?"

Something crashed into a wall, and my friends and I jumped back in surprise.

"Everything is very clear. You use her and her gifts, rent her and all these kids out to the highest bidder as spies. You make billions on these Rent-A-Kids, as they call themselves. And now you want to snuff her chance to shine doing what she truly loves? No. If you want to destroy her dreams, you can do it yourself. I'll have no part in it."

Footsteps approached the door. I tripped back, grabbed Luke and Lucy, and the three of us ducked around the corner of the building. I peeked out just as Mr. K stormed from the studio, his face bright red and contorted in anger. Not his best look.

Headmaster Higgins followed him out moments later. He adjusted his navy blue suit and plastered a calm mask over his face. His midnight black skin did not reveal his recent spike in blood pressure the same way that Mr. K's pasty complexion had, but the tight way he held his shoulders and the fists he made of his hands spoke to his anger.

Tears stung my eyes, and I swiped at them with the back of a hand still stained with splashes of paint. If they pulled me from the contest, hundreds of hours of hard work would be wasted, and my future would get flushed down the toilet. That couldn't happen!

When both men were gone, the three of us snuck into the studio and closed the door behind us. My enthusiasm had drained out of me like dirty bathtub water. I sniffled and wiped my traitorous eyes again.

Lucy put her arm around me. "Cheer up, Chica. We'll figure this out, I promise. They can't keep you from this, not after all the hard work you've done. And you'll be leaving for New York soon. Luke and I will join you there, and we'll make all of our dreams come true, just watch!"

I tried to smile, for her sake, but the smile didn't reach my eyes.?Luke rubbed my head as if I were his pet dog. "Where's this painting I've been hearing so little about?"?I swatted his hand and couldn't suppress a small, but genuine, smile. Luke could always cheer me: funny,

gorgeous, and so much like a brother it sucked.?"Over here." The canvas draped over my painting appeared undisturbed. A sigh of relief escaped me. At least

nothing had happened to it. "Close your eyes."?They both groaned but did as told.?Fear and nervousness buzzed through me as I pulled the canvas off. What if they hated it? What if everyone

hated it and my dreams of being a real artist died before they could even be born? My lungs clenched with stale breath and I exhaled before I got too dizzy. "Okay, you can look."

They stood there, jaws dropped, stunned into silence. They either hated it or totally loved it.?"Um, is this a bad or good silence?"?Lucy pulled her mouth closed and swallowed before she spoke. "O.M.G. Sam, this is the most incredible,

unbelievable thing I've ever seen in my life. You painted this?" "You like it?"

Her mental voice slammed into me. 'Would I lie to you? It's amazing!'

Relief flooded me even as I laughed at her joke. I could read minds, sure, but she was the human lie detector. No one dared lie to her.

Luke hugged me and whispered into my ear, "I'm so proud of you, Sam. This is truly epic!"

We stood there staring for several minutes. This painting represented so much about me, my life, my future... everything. I hated to leave it even for a minute, but my stomach protested its neglect with a loud rumble.

Luke grabbed my hand. "Come on, let's feed you. My treat."

With the buzz of success filling me, and Luke's hand in mind, I entertained a what-if. What if I could get past the whole brother thing with Luke? I took in his tall, well-defined frame, his dark hair and bright blue eyes. Gorgeous inside and out, but... nothing. No spark at all. Such a pity. Of all the guys at school, he was the only one I could even imagine being with, but I couldn't force the chemistry and neither could he.

We walked to dinner hand in hand, and I consoled myself with the fact that I had the best friends a girl could want. Not a bad consolation prize after all, and worth a hundred boyfriends.

GUEST POST

Lie to me, I dare you

A guest post by Lucy from The Forbidden Trilogy.

If you lie to me, I’ll know. I always know. Which is why it’s so shocking to me that I’ve been lied to my whole life and never knew until now.

My name is Lucy. I was raised in the Rent-A-Kid dorms, a secret school where kids with special para-powers are rented out to the highest bidder for spy work. Think X-Men, meets Dark Angel and Alias with a dark twist!

It took my best friend Sam meeting a strange boy who can control minds for us to start uncovering the truth. Sam reads minds, so I guess she always knows when people are lying too. Which, by the way, is most of the time.

Jaded? Me? Well, wouldn’t you be if you were dumped at a hospital with your twin brother when you were a baby and picked up by this place?

Yeah. You would.

But still, I have Sam and my twin Luke. We’ve always been there for each other.

I had serious reservations when Sam started mind linking with Drake. He had her questioning everything we ever believed. Not a healthy way to live if you ask me. But I gotta give him some credit. My shy little friend finally started getting herself a backbone! Score one for Drake.

It kinda sucks though, cuz they have to go through some serious hell to be together. I mean, literally, they spend the early part of their relationship in each other’s minds! No thanks! I’d rather have the flesh, ya know? But whateve. It worked for them. Mostly.

I don’t want to give too much away because you can read their story in “Forbidden Mind.” But basically, our eighteenth birthday does not offer us the freedom we had always believed and been promised.

Oh no. Not even close. In fact, quite the opposite. It’s disgusting really, what they do to us—to those like us. Human exploitation, just because we’re different. So what if I make you uncomfortable because you can’t lie to me as easily as you might some? Stop the damn lying and you’ll be fine!

But, humans are humans. And it seems a shadow side of the human condition that we’re so anxious to enslave each other and use each other for profit.

Someday I will find the people behind this whole operation and wipe my ass with their money—after I destroy everything they’ve built.

But first, you need to read about Sam and Drake. Don’t worry, I’m in it too! And you can look forward to more of me in Forbidden Fire and Forbidden Life.

I can promise you one thing; you’re in for a wild ride.

Don’t believe me? Would I lie to you? Ha! Check the books out for yourself if you don't believe. There are free samples of each!

In the meantime, think about what you say or think next, you never know when someone around you might have a para-power that could bust you!

BOOKMARKS

Sam

Luke

Lucy

Drake

POSTCARD

Sam

WANTED POSTER

Sam Smith

AUTHOR BIO

NOTE: my married name is Karpov-Kinrade, but my books are published as just Kinrade

Kimberly Kinrade was born with ink in her veins and magic in her heart. She writes fantasy and paranormal stories for children, YA and adults and still believes in magic worlds. Check out her YA paranormal novels Forbidden Mind and Forbidden Fire and her illustrated children's fantasy chapter books Lexie World, and Bella World, all on Amazon.

She lives with her three little girls who think they're ninja princesses with super powers, her two dogs who think they're humans and her husband, also known as the sexy Russian Prince, who is the love of her life and writing partner.

FOR A LIST OF HER BOOKS, CHECK OUT

Amazon

For a fun fan experience, join the team at I.P.I.

For kids and parents of young kids, join the Lost Kids at Three Lost Kids

Good Reads

ONLINE LINKS

Website

Twitter

IPI Twitter

Facebook

IPI Facebook

YOUTUBE

Forbidden Mind

GIVEAWAY

$25 Amazon GC plus signed copy of all three books (Forbidden Mind, Forbidden Fire, Forbidden Life), bookmarks and surprise swag {USA/Canada Only}

2 signed copies of Forbidden Mind with swag {USA/Canada Only}

2 Book Marks and IPI ID badge

7 Postcards from Sam and Hunter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure and check out all the other stops on the tour.

TOUR SCHEDULE

10/1 A night’s Dream of Books Review

10/1 Andrea Heltsley Books Review

10/1 Guilty Indulgence Spot Light, Guest Blog, First Chapter, and Giveaway

10/1 My Other Book Blog Review and Giveaway

10/2 Bookish Things & More Guest Blog and Review

10/2 Simply Infatuated Guest Blog and Giveaway

10/3 A Soul Unsung Spot Light,, Review, and First Chapter

10/3 The story of a girl... Review

10/4 Dahl's Doll Review and Giveaway

10/4 Reader Girls Spot Light, Review, and Interview

10/5 The Avid Reader Guest Post

10/5 Michelle's Paranormal Vault of Books Review, First Chapter, and Giveaway

10/6 The Cover by Brittany Interview

10/8 Doctor's Notes Review and Giveaway

10/8 Andi's Young Adult Books Spot Light, Guest Blog, Review, First Chapter, and Giveaway

10/8 Shelley Munro Review

10/9 Eternally Books Spot Light, Guest Blog, Review, Interview, and Giveaway

10/9 The Bunnies Review Review

10/10 My Cozie Corner Review and Giveaway

10/10 For The Love Of Film And Novels Guest Blog, Review, First Chapter, and Giveaway

10/11 Rea's Reading and Reviews Review

10/11 A Date with a Book Review, First Chapter, and Giveaway

10/12 Lissette E. Manning Guest Blog

10/12 Nette's Bookshelf Reviews Guest Blog, Review, and Giveaway

10/12 Princess of Pages Review

10/12 The Clumsy Coquette Review

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Review: The Psychic By Margarita Felices

Forbidden Mind by Kimberly Kinrade will be FREE Oct 2-6 on Amazon for launch of Forbidden Life.

Revamp by Beck Sherman will be FREE Oct. 3 and 4 on Amazon.

Title: The Psychic

Author: Margarita Felices

Published: May 22nd 2012

Publisher: Books To Go Noe

Kindle Edition

Pages: 26

Goodreads Synopsis:

Beryl Parker grew up in the old world of fairgrounds and con artists. After years of wedded bliss with Charlie, they had managed the best con ever! But a year later, Charlie dies, leaving Beryl penniless and in hiding. One day while walking through a local market, she sees a sign for a fortune teller and sits nearby to listen in on what was going on. It was perfect! Such a great scam. It wasn't long before she's set up her own stall and five years later, she's living in a grand Victorian house in the best part of Cardiff. She has money in the bank and takes luxurious holidays. But Beryl should watch out who she reads to, because sometimes they come back for more.

My Review:

The following review is my opinion and not a paid review. I got The Psychic by the author Margarita Felices as a free download from Amazon.

Beryl Parker's and her husband Charlie were con artists. When Charlie ups and dies on Beryl she is worried what she is going to do without Charlie. She's like "how is she going to pay the bills?" "How is she going to survive with out Charlie?"

Then one day Beryl decides to set up her own little scam. Beryl decides that she will become a forture teller after she sees someone else doing the samething.

It is not long before Beryl's little scam pays off. She is making a lot of money and has her own little house a grand Victorian with money in the bank.

The Psychic a great little read. While it is a short story it reads like a full length novel. The Psychic was one of those little reads that you just can't put down. You want to keep reading to find out what is going to happen next.

Look for Margarita Felices on the web:

Goodreads - Margarita Felices

Goodreads - The Psychic

Twitter - Margarita Felices

Facebook - Margarita Felices

Buy The Book:

Amazon

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Wishlist Wednesday #27

Forbidden Mind by Kimberly Kinrade will be FREE Oct 2-6 on Amazon for launch of Forbidden Life.

Revamp by Beck Sherman will be FREE Oct. 3 and 4 on Amazon.

Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added (it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist and onto our wonderful shelves.

• Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
• Please consider adding the blog hop button to your blog somewhere, so others can find it easily and join in too! Help spread the word! The code will be at the bottom of the post under the linky.
• Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.
• Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.
• Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of the post on Pen to Paper.
• Put a link back to pen to paper somewhere in your post.
• Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

On My Wishlist

Title: The Last Witch (Incenaga, #1)
Author: Debbie Dee
Paperback:
Pages: 246
Published: September 12th 2012
Publisher: Dolce Books

Goodreads synopsis

For generations the Incenaga Witches have been forced to use their power to fulfill the wishes of others until they are drained of their magic and left to die. Desperate to protect his infant daughter - the last surviving witch - Emmeline’s father escapes with her to the forests where he vows to keep her hidden from the world and from the truth.

Sixteen years later, Emmeline is discovered and finds herself in the grip of a traitor who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, even if it means abusing her power until she dies. As she fights to regain her freedom she is faced with a choice between a prince who offers a lifetime of security and a common gamekeeper who has no idea of her power, but offers his heart.

But who can she trust when her power can be used against her?

Why did I choose The Last Witch for this weeks Wishlist Wednesday?

This sounds like no other book about witches that I have read before. The witches use their power until they are dead? The Last Witch sounds very intriguing.

Look for Debbie Dee on the web

Goodreads - Debbie Dee

Goodreads - The Last Witch

Web Site - Debbie Dee

Twitter - Debbie Dee

Facebook - Debbie Dee

What is on your Wishlist Wednesday?

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Top Ten Tuesday #26

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and would LOVE to see your top ten lists! the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

For future Top Ten Tuesday topics, check them out here!

This weeks Top Ten List

Top Ten "Older" Books You Don't Want People To Forget About (you can define older however you wish. Basically just backlisted books you think are great. Basically the point is to share books that could be forgotten about in the midst of all the new releases)

Title: Roots: The Saga of an American Family

Author: Alex Haley

Roots is a very favorite book of mine. I loved reading this book. I also loved the movies.

Title: Queen

Author: Alex Haley

Queen is also a very favorite book of mine. I loved reading this book. I also loved the movies.

Title: Palomino

Author: Danielle Steel

I loved reading Palomino. It is my favorite book by Danielle Steel.

Title: The Stand

Author: Stephen King

The Stand is one of my favorite books. I could and have read it over and over. I loved the movie too. The movie was not as good as the book.

Title: The Dark Tower Boxed Set

Author: Stephen King

I loved The Dark Tower Series. I loved all the characters. Like Roland, Eddie, Jake ect...

Title: One Past Midnight: The Langoliers (Four Past Midnight)

Author: Stephen King

I guess you have already figured out that Stephen King is one of my favorite authors. The Langoliers is also one of my favorite books and movies.

Title: The Thorn Birds: A Novel

Author: Title: Colleen McCullough

I read and Watched The Thorn Birds. I really loved both. I have read and watched both more than once.

Title: A Little Princess

Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett

I loved reading and watching A Little Princess. Shirley Temple was a great actress. I have watched most of her movies.

Title: Dead World

Author: Shaun Jeffrey

I loved reading Dead World because I think that Shaun Jeffrey is another Stephen King. He puts more in his stories than just the plot itself. I think that Shaun and Stephen has more to say than what the story that they are writing are telling us.

Title: Shatter Me

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me was one of the best books that I have read.

What is on your Top Ten?

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Blog Tour: (Guest Post + Excerpt) Quinn Checks In By L.H. Thomson

I would like to welcome L.H. Thomson to The Avid Reader today. Thanks for stopping by L.H. Check out L.H.'s book Quinn Checks In and Guest Post on "Why I love writing". Thanks to Making Connections and L.H. Thomson for allowing me to be a part of this tour.

Book Title: Quinn Checks In

Author: L.H. Thomson

Series: Liam Quinn Mysteries

Genre: Hard-boiled mystery

Published: April 4th 2012

Publisher: J.I. Loome

Kindle Edition:

Pages: 200

PURCHASE

Amazon US (Kindle)

SYNOPSIS

QUINN CHECKS IN

Liam Quinn is back in his hometown Philly after three years in the pen for forgery. Now the ex-boxer, ex-art student has been given a chance to make amends by working as an insurance investigator, restoring a little of his family's pride and getting another chance at Nora Garcia de Soria, the woman of his dreams.

But a gallery heist isn't what it seems, and pretty soon, Quinn is running out of people to trust. The biggest mobster in town, a sweetheart named "Vin The Shin," is calling him out; a steady string of lowlifes want his head, and the local police think he's hiding something.

Hey, when trouble comes knocking?

That's when Quinn Checks In.

REVIEWS

QUINN CHECKS IN

Four Stars from #1 ranked, #1 followed Goodreads.com Reviewer Jennifer Hall, AKA Traveller:

“Here is a PI story that doesn't deal in death, that doesn't reflect just black-and-white, and that makes you wonder where the Quinn series is going to go. I for one, certainly plan to find out, and have booked a copy of the next Quinn already. Oh, and not to mention: there's a little dash of romance as well, that keeps you wondering about how it will develop as the series continues.

“Time will tell, but for now, I'm with Quinn.”

Five Stars from R.P. Dahlke, author of the popular Lalla Bains series:

“Liam dodges bullets, punches… okay, some not so much, mob-types, and all sorts of lovely women in this bright, witty and wonderfully complex first in the Liam Quinn mystery series.

“Highly recommended!”

Five Stars from Goodreads.com reviewer Beverly Ashauer:

“Throw in some fist fights, murders, family problems and a mom who wants him home every Sunday for dinner and you have a really great book. Oh, and I forgot about the girl he has loved forever, but can't get up the nerve to tell her. Quinn's life is quite an action-packed adventure. I will certainly read more books by this author and hope he has a long series with Liam Quinn as the main character!”

EXCERPT

QUINN CHECKS IN

MY FAMILY’S NEIGHBORHOOD is called Fishtown, and it’s about as glamorous as the name sounds.

The narrow old brick-and-wood buildings are attached, block on block, crammed together tight, tall and skinny, dark hues and wood shingle siding. Many of them are multi-family and still others – like my parents’ house – were just the most that young immigrant families could ever hope to afford back in the day. The streets between them are no wider than modern alleys, decades of beaten down, repaired and patched asphalt worn to a near-glassy smoothness in the occasional spot.

The neighborhood has been filled for years by the ranks of the blue-collar working man: firefighters, cops, dock workers, construction workers, garbage men, mailmen, teachers and transit drivers, all crammed in with their wives and husbands and kids and grandparents, like shoes stored in a box one size too small, then piled on top of one another in a corner cupboard.

Nearly everyone here is Irish, or Italian or Russian. But everyone displays their Star Spangled Banner in some prominent spot on their house and means it, too. Every person here, no matter how well off they’ve been, has a father or a grandfather who’s willing to smack them silly still, and sit them down and lecture them about life in the old country, and how good they’ve got it now.

In summer, when the mercury climbs high, the humidity swelters and the sidewalk feels like it might melt, the close quarters can boil over into trouble, with nowhere good for all of that pressure to go, long-time next-door neighbors coming to rapid blows in short, unsustainable explosions of passion.

But more usually, you see the best in people, a kind of hum of activity as they blow off that steam, of guys in football jerseys and long shorts swapping stories on the stoops while sharing a tall boy, and kids playing in the street, hanging around Central Pizza for a slice or a hoagie, maybe cooling off under an open hydrant; it’s a real village in the city, if you come from here.

Even though it’s gotten a little more upscale in recent years, with musicians and artists enjoying the affordability, people have thought of Fishtown as low-rent for years. But that’s fine with us. When you lived here, you at least knew who your neighbors were. My parents, Al and Maureen, raised five kids in one of the those tiny houses, with my dad walking a beat for twenty years and manning a precinct desk job for another ten after that.

GUEST POST

WHY I LOVE WRITING

Hi Avid Readers, and thanks to Nancy for letting me tell you a little about myself. I guess it's appropriate to talk about why I love writing, and it started with my folks.

When I was a kid, my folks had some strange ideas about parenting. It wasn't uncommon for me to go to the pub with my dad when I was a little boy and have a pint of "shandy" -- a bit of beer, a lot of 7Up. We were also allowed a little wine at Sunday dinner and to stay up until 10 p.m. And they absolutely refused to spend much time reading me children's stories.

Those ended by age four, which is when they bought me my first mystery. Well, sort of: Live and Let Die, by Ian Fleming. Within a year, I'd already mapped out my career path: special agent with a licence to kill. When that didn't work out, writer seemed a realistic fallback.

Now, it may sound a bit premature for a four-year-old to read a book in which a CIA agent is thrown into a shark tank. And I'd be lying if there wasn't bed wetting involved that night. But my parents had been told I had a gift for the gab and language, and as long as I could read at an adult level, they though, I might as well start.

Of course, this was probably quite a bad idea, given some of the nasty stuff that's written at an adult level. I was about to crack "The Wanting of Levine," a quite excellent 1970s parable about American politics and capitalism, when my mother yelped, ran across the room and plucked it out of my then-five-year-old hands. Years later, reading the handful of sex scenes, it seemed pretty tame. At five, it would have confused the heck out of me.

I suppose, however, that the upside of taking on adult fiction and literature early was that I absorbed it like a sponge. I probably write detective novels now specifically because my father gave me a book called "The Girl, The Gold Watch and Everything" to read as a six-year-old. It was by John D MacDonald, and though not one of those in his famous Travis McGee series, it was an introduction, and the P.I. potboilers followed shortly thereafter.

Then it was the great British-style detective writers: Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, P.D. James, Ngaio Marsh. By the time I was in my teens, I'd read thousands of books and by 18, I was working full time as a newspaper reporter, occasional magazine feature writer and general loudmouth. I have to seriously question whether I would've taken that route had my parents gone from "Go Dog Go" to "DIck and Jane", rather than skipping me ahead to a tale about a voodoo priest politician and a cool-as-ice British agent.

Crazy, but it worked. In a pretty direct way, then, I can say I owe them my love of writing. They weren't often the greatest at parenting. But they were pretty awesome parents.

LH Thomson is the author of seven books, including Quinn Checks In, a new series about Irish-American ex-con Liam Quinn, and the Max Castillo Mysteries set in Spain.

ABOUT L.H. THOMASON

A 20-year veteran newspaper reporter and editor, L.H. Thomson has written seven novels. When he’s not writing strange newspaper and web columns about the impacts of neuroscience on sociology or the losing ways of his beloved Toronto FC, he lives in Edmonton, Canada with his wife Lori – a quality assurance manager for a major utility company who helped develop the Liam Quinn character – and their six adopted pets, who didn’t make the process any easier at all.

FIND THE AUTHOR

Blog

Books on Amazon

Quinn Checks In

Be sure and check out all the other stops on the tour.

TOUR SCHEDULE

Oct. 1st - Nancy The Avid Reader - Guest Post/Excerpt

Oct. 2nd - Cherie Reads - Review/Excerpt/Giveaway

Oct. 3rd - Flora - Excerpt

Oct. 4th - Amanda - Excerpt or Guest Post

Oct. 5th - Trish Musings of a Writing Reader - Guest Post

Oct. 6th - Making Connections Blog

Oct. 7th - Alana

Oct. 8th - Nikki - Review & Excerpt

Oct. 9th - Samantha Mullins - Review

Oct. 10th - Kristine - Review..Guest Post..Giveaway

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Blog A Quote #19

Blog A Quote is weekly meme hosted by Michelle Chew Writes. Each week we will be sharing a quote from our favorite books. For more info and to sign up visit Michelle Chew Writes.

My quote for this week



Of Poseidon By Anna Banks

“I said, you'll have to prove that I ran into you on purpose. That I meant to cause you harm. And besides, I checked with you at the time---"

"Emma."

"---and you said you didn't have injuries---"

"EM-MA"

"Did you hear me, Galen?" I turn around and yell at the remaining spectators in the hall as the bell rings. "CHLOE IS DEAD!”

Of Poseidon was the first book about mermaids that I read. I loved it. The ending was kind of shocking. It was an ending that left you wanting more. I can't wait to read the next book in the series called Of Triton. I have a while to wait because it is not expected to be published until 2013.

What is your favorite quote?

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