The Avid Reader

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday #29

4:30:00 AM meme, The Broke and the Bookish, Top Ten Tuesday No comments

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 would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and 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 Favorite Kick-Ass Heroines

Zoey Redbird: House of Night By P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

Stevie Rae: House of Night By P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

Remy King: The Hollows By Amanda Hocking

Jess: Witchblood (Witchblood Series) By Emma Mills

Juliette: Shatter Me

Elena: The Witching Pen By Dianna Hardy

Mary: The Demon Bride By Dianna Hardy

Kayla: Darkness Falls By Jessica Sorensen

Lanore Vesta: Fire Baptized By Kenya Wright

Alison Monroe: The Vampire Hunters By Scott M. Baker

What is on your Top Ten?

Blog Tour: (Interview + Excerpt) Zane By Kimberly Lewis

5:00:00 AM Blog Tour, Excerpt, Interview, Kimberly Lewis, Making Connections Blog Tours, The McKades of Texas, Zane 2 comments

I would like to welcome Kimberly Lewis to The Avid Reader today. Thanks for stopping by Kimberly Lewis. Please be sure and check out Kimberly Lewis's novel Zane. Check out my interview with Kimberly Lewis and an excerpt of Zane.

Book Title: Zane

Author: Kimberly Lewis

Series Title: The McKades of Texas

Book Number in Series: #1

Genre: Western Contemporary Romance

Book Content: Curse words used throughout entire novel, mild violence and some sexual situations (not recommended for readers under the age of 18)

PURCHASE

Zane

*Zane is currently only available in ebook format*

Amazon

SYNOPSIS

Zane

Kellan Anderson is in hillbilly hell-or at least that's what it feels like. After enduring endless accounts of abuse from her now ex-boyfriend, Kellan makes a run for her life and finds herself in cowboy country. Leaving her fancy clothes and expensive lifestyle behind her, she trades in her high heels for cowboy boots and changes her name to Andi Ford. With her painful past threatening to catch up with her, hiding out in this small town seems easy enough - until one blonde hair, blue eyed cowboy steps in the picture.

Zane McKade has sworn off women, determining that they are all liars and cheats-including the new waitress at the local bar. After a rather unpleasant first encounter with the beautiful brunette, Zane's radar is set to high as he believes this woman is not who she claims to be. When his intimidation methods fail to break through Andi's barrier he decides to turn on the charm to get her to tell the truth. But Zane's plan begins to backfire as the more time he spends charming Andi, the more he finds himself breaking his own rules and falling for her.

EXCERPT

Zane

Kellan saw the man coming her way and a nervous feeling began to grow in the pit of her stomach. She hadn't noticed it when he rode up, but he was incredibly good looking. The man had to be a least six two, with long muscular legs leading up to narrow hips that angled into a very masculine upper body. He looked like an athlete. He looked…solid. And although his pale blue shirt was soaked with sweat, it somehow added to his overall appeal. He stopped at her table and glared at her. Only then did she realize that this man was not coming over for friendly chit-chat and her mood shifted.

"Is that your red sports car out there?" Zane asked, tilting his head and jerking his thumb towards the parking lot.

"Yes," Kellan told him. What's it to you? She stared up at him, waiting for him to continue. But when he just stared back, his deep blue eyes shooting daggers at her, she decided enough was enough. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Zane's jaw flexed. "You could have four miles ago."

"What?" She was utterly confused as to what mileage had to do with his apparent anger towards her.

"I don't look familiar to you?" He stared at her, his eyebrows coming together in frustration.

She looked the man over from head to toe. "No, I'm sorry you don't."

Zane let out an exasperated sigh. "How about now?" He raised his arms above his head and waved them just like he had done when he was trying to flag her down.

He looked completely ridiculous and she fought back the urge to laugh at him. But the more she looked at him she realized that he did look strangely familiar. Oh my… He was the man on the side of the road next to the pickup truck just outside of town.

"Oh," Kellan said. "Yes, I do remember you now. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you with your shirt on." She loaded her voice with sarcasm and crossed her arms over her chest. If he was going to have an attitude with her, then she was going to give it right back.

Zane's eyes narrowed. "Well, would you care to explain why you just blew past me like that?"

Kellan laughed, quietly as to not draw attention. "Why did I blow past you? Hmm, let me think. Um, maybe it has to do with the fact that you were partially naked and in the middle of nowhere."

Well damn. He hadn't thought about that. He'd been all riled up thinking that some guy just ignored him. Now, thinking about it from her perspective, he could see why she didn't pull over to help him. As it was though, his built up anger from everything that had transpired today got the best of him and he continued with his rant.

"I was not half naked," he said, his voice low as he briefly glanced around the room to see if anyone could hear them speaking.

"Look, cowboy." She said the word as though it were an insult and not an affirmation of what he obviously was. "I'm sorry you're having a bad day, but don't come over here and take it out on me. I had a good reason for not stopping earlier and I'm not going to apologize for looking after my own safety. You could've been a murderer for all I knew."

Zane knew that he should just man up and walk away, but he just couldn't do that now after her snarky "cowboy" remark. Why'd she have to go and say it like that anyway?

"Look, princess," he said with the same tone she had used. "This ain't Hollywood. Take your sunglasses off. You're inside and you look like a damn fool."

Kellan's jaw fell in disbelief.

Zane smiled, feeling triumphant that he got in the last word. He turned and started to walk away from her.

"Screw you, cowboy!" she yelled after him, saying the word exactly as she had before. "And that horse you rode in on."

And-Whoops!-now everyone in the diner had turned to look at them. Zane turned around to face her with amusement on his face. "Very original, princess."

INTERVIEW

Kimberly Lewis

The Avid Reader: What inspired you to write Zane?

Kimberly Lewis: I had just finished writing my first western contemporary romance, When the Heart Falls, and I knew I wanted to keep writing and do more westerns. I love reading series and really wanted to make my next novel the first in its own. But I decided to put off the idea for a bit and expand my writing outside of the western genre to reach more readers. I started writing a contemporary romance about a school teacher, Jenna, who sort of gets herself involved in a bit of a love triangle with her father's wealthy associate's son, Nathan, and her childhood/best friend, Cole. I really liked the story but hit a bit of a road block with the plot, so it's now just sitting on my laptop, patiently waiting for the day I return to it :-) So after that, my mind started wandering and on a day that I was just in a really bad mood and feeling depressed I came up with the idea for Zane-sounds weird I know but let me explain. The idea came to me when I was contemplating on writing down my feelings (on that particular day as a way to vent) and then I got thinking about this character (Kellan/Andi) and her keeping a journal of her own. I started to think about why she would keep a journal and then the rest of the story just came in to place after that. After I thought about the characters (main and secondary) I decided that this was the family that I wanted my first series to revolve around-and The McKades of Texas was born.

The Avid Reader: When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Kimberly Lewis: I knew I wanted to pursue writing seriously when I was 26. I had always loved writing but never dreamed I would actually have the opportunity to take it to the level where I would write a full length novel and publish it.

The Avid Reader: What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?

Kimberly Lewis: Wow, you're really making me think hard with this question :-) The earliest I can remember would be in first grade when we had to read a book for an assignment. I think the only reason I remember that is because I had to do this during my family vacation to Disney World. We'd spend all day in the Magic Kingdom and then I had to come back to our rental house and do my homework. We took our trip in November and, in an effort to keep me up to date with my lessons, my parents asked my teacher to send my work with us. It was a nice thought and pretty smart thinking, but when I got back home from vacation I was way ahead of the class. LOL.

Now the first book, or books, I can remember reading for enjoyment would be the Sweet Valley High books, but I can't remember how old I was when I read them.

The Avid Reader: What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

Kimberly Lewis: I really love romance novels and my favorites are westerns (of course!). I do read outside of the romance genre but very rarely. The only books I can think of offhand that I've read that weren't romance are the Harry Potter ones.

The Avid Reader: What is your favorite book?

Kimberly Lewis: Gosh, this is a hard one. I have so many books that I LOVE and it's really hard to pinpoint which one would be my favorite. If I have to pick one I'm going to go with the first contemporary romance I ever read and that would be Infamous by Suzanne Brockmann. There is so much going on in that novel and it really kept me interested from beginning to end. I love books where I can see it play out in my head like a movie and this book is one of those.

The Avid Reader: You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?

Kimberly Lewis: This one is easy. I really adore Joanne Kennedy's western romances. Her novels are full of life, with main characters that you really fall in love with and want nothing but the best outcome for them. She creates these secondary characters that really add that extra bit of support and comic relief that brings some lightness to her stories. Plus, the woman really knows how to write one heck of a sexy cowboy.

The Avid Reader: If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?

Kimberly Lewis: I really think I'd like to visit the old west. I'm into the whole western romance thing and since I get to experience the contemporary world of that genre, I think it'd be cool to experience the historical world. But not for too long because I'd have a panic attack without today's modern conveniences and technology. LOL.

The Avid Reader: When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?

Kimberly Lewis: Both. Sometimes I get on a roll and just write and write until I realize it's 4am and I've gotten no sleep and am going to have to take care of my family in three hours :-) And other times I will sit there and stare at my laptop screen, waiting for the next sentence to come to me. When that happens I usually take a break and if the creative juices start flowing I'll go back and start writing. If they don't I just call it a day and pick up where I left off another time. You can't force creativity.

The Avid Reader: Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?

Kimberly Lewis: We do have a dog but she is far from fuzzy. LOL. Her name is Deja and she's our nine year old red Doberman Pinscher. She is honestly the best dog I have ever had and you'd never know she was nine years old. She still acts like a puppy and people always mistake her for being around the age of three.

The Avid Reader: What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?

Kimberly Lewis: I really like good old, down home foods. I'm from the country so chicken-n-dumplin's is my absolute favorite meal (slick, flat dumplings...not the biscuit kind). My favorite dessert is New York style cheesecake...but...Applebee's used to have this dessert called an Apple Chimmi-cheesecake (I'm sure I totally butchered the spelling of that). It's this ridiculously delicious concoction of a slice of cheesecake wrapped in a dough and deep-fried, then sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, topped with apple pie filling and a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream on the side. Holy. Freakin'. Moly. My mouth is just watering thinking about it. LOL. But they don't make it anymore! If the owner of Applebee's just happens to read this interview I would really, really appreciate it you could bring that dessert back! The world is a much better place with Apple Chimmi-cheesecake :-)

The Avid Reader: Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?

Kimberly Lewis: There is so much advice to give to aspiring authors and I think the best advice I can give is to just never give up on your dream. Write what you want to write and how you want to write it. Each of us have a unique way of storytelling, so don't let someone's opinion of how you should do things get you down or discourage you from reaching your goal.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In November of 2011, author Kimberly Lewis stepped into the writing world with her first original western contemporary romance novel, When the Heart Falls.

Born and raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, this country girl at heart caught the creative bug at an early age, doing everything from drawing to writing short stories.

After the birth of her son, Kimberly found the inspiration to pick up a pen, or in this case a laptop, and began writing her first novel. Since then she has continued to write and credits her husband, Rob, and her wonderfully crazy family, who with their love and joking demeanor provide her with the ideas that inspire her novels.

In her spare time she enjoys reading, horseback riding, and spending time with her amazing family.

AUTHOR LINKS

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

TOUR SCHEDULE

Oct. 21 - J.A. - (interview)

Oct. 22 - Jamie Leigh Haden - (Interview, guest post, excerpt,Giveaways)

Oct. 23 - Sheri - Review

Oct. 24 - Debbie - Amethyst Eyes - (interview/guest post/review)

Oct. 25 - Alana - (Review)

Oct. 26 - Midu - (Excerpt/book promo)

Oct. 27 - Johanna - My Miscellaneous Bookshelf - (guest post & excerpt and giveaway)

Oct. 28 - Dina - (Guest Post)

29 - Nancy - The Avid Reader - (excerpt and interview)

Oct. 30 - Flora - (Excerpt)

Oct. 31 - Tana - (Review)

Blog A Quote #22

4:30:00 AM Blog A Quote, Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell, meme, Michelle Chew Writes No comments

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

Gone with the Wind By Margaret Mitchell

“I bare my soul and you are suspicious! No, Scarlett, this is a bona fide honorable declaration. I admit that it's not in the best of taste, coming at this time, but I have a very good excuse for my lack of breeding. I'm going away tomorrow for a long time and I fear that if I wait till I return you'll have married some one else with a little money. So I thought, why not me and my money? Really, Scarlett, I can't go all my life waiting to catch you between husbands. ”

Gone with the Wind is one of my all time favorite books. I really enjoy reading about the civil war and the fall of Atlanta. I love books like this where you can learn the history of your country while reading a good story.

What is your favorite quote?

Stacking The Shelves #19

4:30:00 AM meme, Stacking The Shelves, Tynga's Reviews No comments

Stacking The Shelves, A weekly Meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Blog about the books we got in the past weeh.

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Where each week we share the books that we have added to our shelves during the past week. This includes books that we bought, borrowed from the library, received from the author for review, books that we won. They can be either physical books or ebooks.

You can find out more about Stacking The Shelves from the official launch page.

More Amazon Freebies. But hey, I love Amazon Freebies.

Title: Dead Religion

Author: David Beers

A "God" is released on the world? Is it a "God" or a "Demon"? A hotel is blown up in Mexico City and an American citizen is responsible for the explosion that kills a lot of people? Wow Dead Religion sounds like a very intriguing read.

Title: Bottomland (A Novella)

Author: Curtis Hox

A writer instructor challenges his students to spend the night in an abandoned house in the mountains. Is the house haunted or does he just want to scare them?

Title: I Dream of Zombies

Author: S.D. Rasheed

25 year old Ash Nickeas likes to fantasize about a zombie outbreak. He likes to dream about who would survive and who wouldn't. What will he do to find out?

Title: Zombie Day Care: Impact Series - Book 1

Author: Craig Halloran

A day care for zombie children? How do you care for zombie children? Very carefully I would imagen. Why do you need a day care for zombie children? To save the children or yourself?

Title: Rise of the Zombies

Author: Drac Von Stoller

Rise of the Zombies? What are they gonna do? Stand up for what they believe in? Take over the world? Are they going to become the leaders of the world?

Title: Dragon Soul (Dragons in the Mist)

Author: B.J. Whittington

I have never read a book about dragons before. Dragon Soul just sounded like a good one to start with. It sounds as if it will be very interesting with plagues and humans being the host for the dragons.

Recieved from the author for an honest review.

Title: The Whispers of The Sprite (YA Paranormal Romance) (The Whispers Series)

Author: Joanna Mazurkiewicz

I was asked by the author if I wanted to review her book The Whispers of The Sprite. It sounds like a very great book. Ania sees people that no one else sees or notices. She also falls for a guy named Gabriel. Is is alive, a sprite or what is he? Can she or will she let herself love him?

What did you add to your shelves this week?

Review: No Shelter By T.S. Welti

4:30:00 AM No Shelter, Post Apocalyptic, Review, T.S. Welti No comments

Title: No Shelter

Author: T.S. Welti

Series: No Shelter #1

Published: June 15th 2012

Publisher: Blackhill Publishing

Kindle Edition

Pages: 103

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS

NO SHELTER

When the environment is ravaged by rising sea levels and monstrous storms, America is divided and survival becomes more precious than love.

When seventeen-year-old Nada and Isaac stumble upon a handsome stranger in the woods, their cozy alliance and romance begin to unravel. This stranger promises Nada the impossible in exchange for helping him rescue his sister from a prison in the last corner of civilization in the western United States. But this rescue operation is wrought with complications, including the fact that the girl they are supposed to save is the ex-President's daughter. This mission puts everyone's life at risk, especially Isaac--the one person who has always been there for Nada. Now Nada and her small tribe must choose between a somewhat comfortable existence in the mountains and the chance at a life free of fear and starvation.

This is a post-apocalyptic novella.

REVIEW

NO SHELTER

The following review is my opinion and not a paid review. I received No Shelter as a free download on Amazon.

The world and life as 17 year old Nada knew it has come to an end. The end was caused by huge storms like no one has ever seen before. Which resulted in large masses of flooding ending the life of the mass majority of the human population.

After the world had been destroyed and there was no more government officials and no more rules for anyone to live by there was a group of people who took charged called the guardians. Homes were destroyed so Nada and her mother went to live in a shelter in the high school. When a riot broke out at the shelter and the guardians were going to kill Nada she was saved by Isaac. The guardians set the school on fire and Nada's mother was killed in the fire.

Nada and Isaac along with some more friends set out on their own living in caves and any place they could find to stay safe. Nada and Isaac was attracted to each other but it took Nada a while before she gave in to her attraction to Isaac. They met a guy in the woods that wants Nada and her friends to help him rescue his sister. In return for their help he promised to take them to a safe place to live where there was plenty of water and food.

Isaac doesn't trust this stranger. He is jealous of him and Nada. Why he would be jealous I never could figure out exactly after what he did to Nada. But Nada being the nice person that she is could not say no to the strange. So they set out to go with him to rescue his sister. Nada has feelings for both Isaac and the new guy. She is confused most of the time as to which one she is really falling in love with.

I really liked reading No Shelter it was somewhat different from most post-apocalyptic novels that I have read as of lately. It is one of those page turners where you just want to keep reading and you don't want it to end.

Look for T.S. Welti on the web

Website - T.S. Welti

Goodreads - T.S. Welti

Goodreads - No Shelter

Twitter - T.S. Welti

Facebook - T.S. Welti

Buy The Book

Amazon
Smashwords

Blog Tour: (Guest Blog + Giveaway) The Death of Jack Nylund By David F Porteous

5:00:00 AM Bewitching Book Tours, Blog Tour, David F Porteous, Excerpt, Giveaway, Gods and Monters, Guest Post, The Death of Jack Nylund No comments

I would like to welcome David F Porteous to The Avid Reader today. Thanks for stopping by David F Porteous. Please be sure and check out David F Porteous's novel The Death of Jack Nylund. Check out my guest post with David F Porteous.

Book Title: The Death of Jack Nylund

Series: Gods and Monsters Book One

Author: David F Porteous

Genre: Urban Fantasy

ISBN: 978-1-291-03025-9

Number of pages: 127

Word Count: 37,000

Cover Artist: Rob Moran

PURCHASE

The Death of Jack Nylund

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Paperback

BOOK DESCRIPTION

The Death of Jack Nylund

America, 1922. Ten years have passed since The Lines went up, dividing the States and the world into isolated pockets. The oligarchs are gangsters, titans of industry, monsters - the secret masters of mankind. They have endured a decade of cold war stalemate - but with forces equally weighted, the life of one man might be enough to change the fate of all men.

US Federal Marshal Clay Falk must bring Jack Nylund to New York. For the Marshal and his deputies the financial rewards are enormous, but in a landscape of shifting loyalties Falk is soon made a counter-offer he can't refuse. The war can be ended in a single night - the price is the honour of a legend and the life of a god.

Private Investigator Walter Black has no idea his latest missing person's case is the balance on which the world rests. Jack Nylund's sister is dying and Walter must track Jack's scent across America, through ruined lives, secret addictions and unforgettable pasts. The enemy he must overcome is one he's all too familiar with. The cost of his failure would be the death of Jack Nylund.

EXCERPT

The Death of Jack Nylund

"This is a picture of him from 1919, just after the war, looking like he slept in that uniform all the way from France. He still had that face, but he wasn't the same. I know there's men who came back changed: the Paterson boy up in Brownville hung himself that summer. Nobody talked about it much, and I suppose that was for the best. But Jack wasn't like that; it hadn't been a terrible thing for him, I don't think. Or if it had been, then it was one of those terrible things you get through and it sets you free." She said it in a deliberate, emotionless voice and finally passed the small black and white photograph to Walter Black.

Mary Howard's hands and the photo smelled of Johnson's Baby Powder and Ivory soap.

"I knew the truth before he did," she said. "About this place. About him. He'd come back from the war having seen the world and, well, I can't imagine what else. He'd grown a head taller, but Auburn was still a small town; too small for him. Sure enough, he was gone before the winter set in."

"This is your only picture?" he asked.

"It's the most recent one. I have couple of older photos of him with our mother. I don't suppose those would be much use to you. I hope he still looks like this: can't imagine him as anything else. Is it enough?"

"You said he wrote to you," he reminded her.

"From hotels. I think only because there was paper and he had nothing to do. Backwards, forwards, 'cross a dozen states: as far east as Chicago and then three months later Baton Rouge and Beaumont, Texas. I kept all of them, wrote back the day I got each one, but I doubt he saw more than a handful of my replies. And so what? What stories did I have to tell him? Then a year ago the letters stopped. It was just after the baby came and before Arnold - that was my husband - before he passed away. For a couple of months I'd wait for the postman every day and some days he even had a letter for me. But it was never from Jack. His last one was from the Ramsay in Des Moines. I wrote there so many times the hotel manager wrote back asking me to stop."

"Can I see the letters?" Walter asked.

"Of course, let me-" She was cut-off by the sudden, sharp cry of the baby in the other room. "Like as not, he'll need changing. Can you give me a few minutes?"

He waited at the table and took another sip of the cheap, bitter coffee. The kitchen was clean, and worn from use and cleaning. The stove was older than the house around it, cannibalised from another home no grander than this one. A sink of similar ancestry was attached to the wall by iron bolts and stained with tears of indelible orange rust.

Mary Howard returned with a shoebox of letters under one arm and a wide-eyed child pressed to her side by the other. Her son - whose looks strongly favoured his mother - was Arnold Jack Howard.

"Pleased to meet you Mr Howard, I'm Walter Black," he said and extended his hand. The boy grabbed the top half of his thumb and beamed a toothless smile. "That's quite a grip you have there."

Mary sat back down and placed the collection of letters on the table. "You have a way with children Mr Black; little Jack doesn't usually take to strangers."

He asked, "May I see them?"

Her eyes followed his and with surprise she noticed the hand perched on top of the box, its fingers gripping the cardboard, like something precious beyond value, like a handhold on the edge of a precipice. Recognising the hand was hers, she exhaled and let go.

"I don't know what use they'll be. But if you need them, that's fine. I have most of them memorised."

He sorted the envelopes by eye. Four different sizes, eleven different shades of cream and white, one blue. Postmarks from fourteen states; nothing east of Chicago, Illinois, nor anything west of Grand Junction, Colorado. They smelled of the house and the shoebox and woman who had read them uncounted times. A handful were from Des Moines, but he lifted three others that looked the same and found a return address pre-printed onto the flap of each: Savoy Hotel, Kansas City.

As tactfully as he could, Walter Black said, "You should prepare yourself for the possibility-"

"That he's dead? I know."

"You should prepare yourself for the possibility that he's alive and doesn't want to come back."

She replied in that same flat voice, "I need you to find him Mr Black. If he's dead then I don't know what I'll do, but if he's alive he's got no choice. My son is all that matters to me now and he'll need someone when I'm gone."

Mary Howard's heart would not last the year, so the doctors said. Her mother died of the same thing at thirty-seven, though Mary was only twenty-eight. Stress, they called it; stress had cut her years as a grown woman in half, cut her time as a mother to nothing.

Walter continued, "This isn't as simple as making a few calls or writing some letters."

She held herself straight-backed as he explained his terms.

The blue cotton dress she wore had a small mending stitch at the shoulder. He'd seen this dress a hundred times on as many women. Such as it was, it was certainly the nicest thing she owned and she had worn it as much for herself as for him.

"I know the price," she said, "and I will pay it." Her desperation and the defiant setting of her jaw was a promise she couldn't break. They didn't discuss payment again.

"I'll leave in the morning for Kansas City and call you if I find anything there." He stood and picked up his hat from the table, taking the photograph and a selection of letters, as many as he could fit in a pocket.

"I don't have a telephone," she said.

"I'll write you, unless I can bring him back with me faster. Or unless it's not news you'd want to get by letter."

She rose to show him to the door and replied, "I'll wait for your letters, then."

Guest Blog

The Death of Jack Nylund

If you were to read the blurb for my new book The Death of Jack Nylund, you'd think it was a taut thriller set in the supernatural gangland of a fictional 1920s America. At least I hope that's what you'd think, because that's what I intended when I wrote the blurb. But that's not how the book started and in this guest post I wanted to draw back the curtain and show you just a little of the path towards creating this book.

The story that became Jack Nylund started in my first novel, Singular, set in a near-future where virtual immortality is possible through uploading your consciousness into a computer network. In this electronic afterlife people play games - much like they do now - assuming roles, undertaking quests, killing things and so forth.

In a world where the virtual is real - considers the recently deceased philosophy professor Patrick Clark - what are the moral implications of performing these tasks? And how are people changed by setting their sights on the "Genghis Khan Medal", awarded for killing one billion enemies - a feat that may take hundreds of years to achieve?

I wanted to explore this notion of changing the exterior -the skin of a person - and what effect this would have on the individual. Would the exterior change the interior? Or would the person within come to shape their appearance?

Then, understanding that there would be a world populated by individuals who could live forever, I asked myself what they would do with their lives? Would their needs and desires be dictated by their bodies or would they embrace a cerebral existence? Would they be noble or venal? How would they behave towards those whose bodies they stole? All these questions took me on a journey to the creation of a detective.

My detective meant to unpick, to understand and to reconcile the worlds of the shell-hoppers and the human beings. Thus was created Walter Black and the book opens with the dour, taciturn gumshoe in the run-down kitchen of his latest client whose brother Jack, a perfect candidate for a host body, has vanished without explanation.

All detectives of the pulp genre have dark stories; I knew Walter would be no exception, but the process of understanding the deep sadness in him was also how I came to understand his enemy and shape the oligarchs -the secret masters of mankind. As these pieces began to fit together I understood that the book - and the series that needed to follow - would also have to be an exploration of a man's relationship to his creator and the nature of love, weakness and obsession.

Walter Black opened the door on a new world of Gods and Monsters and I hope you'll step through that door with me and see what follows The Death of Jack Nylund.

About the Author

David F Porteous is a social research consultant and author of the novel Singular and the forthcoming Gods & Monsters series. The following are randomly selected biographical details about David - hit refresh to learn more.

Early Life: David attended Cockenzie and Port Seton Primary School where he learned to spell and write his name in cursive. The value of these once impressive skills has been substantially undermined by subsequent technological developments.

Influences: His favourite authors include Iain Banks, George V. Higgins, Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.

Other Interests: In his teens and early twenties he used to write poetry. People shouldn't try to find it; none of it was good.

Professional Work: In 2002 he graduated from Edinburgh Napier University with a degree in Marketing Management. His honours dissertation asserted that there was a bright future ahead for DVD rental stores. Over time this assertion proved to be both wrong and stupid. (He is not giving back the degree).

ONLINE LINKS

GIVEAWAY

Tour wide giveaway

10 signed copies of David's debut novel – Singular.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

TOUR SCHEDULE

October 1 Blitz

Lisa’s World of Books

Creatively Green

Fang-tastic Books

Roxanne’s Realm

Mommy's Reading

Andi's Book Reviews

The Bunny's Review

Sapphyria's Book Reviews

October Tour

October 2 Tour Intro Lisa’s World of Books

October 4 Promo Sapphyria's Book Reviews

October 5 Interview Laurie’s Paranormal blog

October 5 Guest blog Claire Ashgrove

October 7 Review Bookworm Babblings

October 9 Interview Books, Books, The Magical Fruit

October 15 Interview and review Booked & Loaded

October 15 Bewitching Magazine Feature Exclusive excerpt and interview

October 19 Promo Blooding Book Reviews

October 26 Guest blog The Avid Reader

October 28 Interview Fang-tastic Books

October 29 Guest blog Roxanne’s Realm

Blog Tour: (Promo + Guest Post) Dudes Down Under By Suzannah Burke

5:00:00 AM Blog Tour, Dudes Down Under, Guest Post, Promo, Suzannah Burke No comments

I would like to welcome Suzannah Burke to The Avid Reader today. Thanks for stopping by Suzannah Burke. Please be sure and check out Suzannah Burke's novel Dudes Down Under. Check out my guest blog with Suzannah Burke on "Location, Location, Location".

Book Title: Dudes Down Under

Author: Suzannah Burke

Series: Dudes Series Book One

Publisher: Taylor Street Books

Genre: Romantic Comedy

ISBN: 1475220715

ASIN: B007VIWXF4

Number of pages: 286

Word Count: 90,000

PURCHASE

Dudes Down Under

Amazon

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Dudes Down Under

Dudes Down Under, the most luxurious resort ever built. It sits on a privately owned Island on the Great Barrier Reef, off the northernmost region of Australia.

No cell-phones, no computers, no paparrazi.

The Menu:

The world’s most famous talk show hostess and the owner of the island sign a deal, the result; Hollywood's 'A' listers all vying for a chance to be the first guests.

The Method:

They pay half a million dollars for the privilege of being randomly chosen from a barrel of names on her programme.

The Ingredients:

The winners, include Hollywood’s foremost golden couple. His very unforgiving ex-wife.

The young hotel heiress with a habit of driving whilst drunk and little else to commend her. Blend in a couple of famous expatriate actors.

Add the tower owning king of power with an unfortunate hairstyle and attitude.

The television hostess and her film crew.

Add to the mixture:

The most politically incorrect bunch of Australian staff you are likely to meet, anywhere.

The dessert:

Cyril, who has impeccable dress sense, adores Al Pacino and Marlon Brando, drinks to excess, and has a fascinating attitude about well—everything! Well ... yes--he is a Crocodile, but he's family.

Blend the ingredients carefully then stand well back!

'Dudes Down Under' is waiting for you to arrive.

Guest Blog

Suzannah Burke

Location, Location Location!

When I began writing "Dudes Down Under' I knew that the location needed to be spectacular, serene and just downright beautiful.

Australia is my country, with a diversity of nature's beauty that astounds the many people that come here for a visit and never want to leave.

One of the most visually stunning locations is our Great Barrier Reef...sprinkled with tropical islands and laying in the pristine aqua waters of the Whitsunday passage in the South Pacific Ocean; I have had the privilege of living in these areas several times during my life and it's a place I return to as often as time and money allows.

Airlie Beach on the mainland is the gateway out to the reef. You can journey out by boat and visit the island resorts on day trips, or better yet take a helicopter ride and swoop in low over the reef to get some of the most stunning views imaginable. The larger islands have resorts catering to a cross range of $'s ...from the Moms and Dads plus the kids, to the ultimate in luxury for those with plenty of money to spend.

The islands are small, and the vegetation lush. Palm trees sweep down to the quiet lagoons and almost touch the blindingly white sand below. The lifestyle is laid back, serene and addictive. Picnic on the white sands under the shade of the palms, share a glass of Moet with a special someone...and then dive into the wonders of the world beneath the tropical sun.

At night look up into a sky heavy with the diamond lights of the stars and just breath in the sheer beauty of the place.

Do I love the place...? Oh, yes and yes again. I had a ball writing Dudes Down Under and the location I chose to set it in simply made it more pleasurable to write. Take a look at some of the pictures of The Great Barrier Reef and surrounds, and come on Down Under and experience the magic for yourself!

About the Author

Authors are meant to enjoy talking about themselves, right? Wrong! It is so difficult to blow your own trumpet without sounding big-headed or apologetic or both at once … “I do apologize for sounding big-headed.” You get my drift? I can do this straight up or in my normal (Occasionally) manner.

So here we go…I have had the privilege of having 3 books published by Taylor Street Publishing. Books one and two are biographical and written under my pen name of Stacey Danson. ‘Empty Chairs’ and its sequel ‘Faint Echoes of Laughter’ have been well received and for that I will always be so very grateful. They are difficult books to read, dealing as they do with the explosive topic of Child abuse in its most horrific of forms. When I was writing Empty Chairs I badly needed a release of some sort; somewhere I could focus my mind apart from the memories I had to relive. ‘Dudes Down Under’ is the result.

The book is Romantic and dare I say it very funny in an over the top, off the wall, ‘what the hell did she just say?’ way. The characters I loved writing. They became my friends. They gave me an avenue to explore strong women, vulnerable men, and love with all its faults and foibles. They also allowed me to explore comedic writing to its fullest extent.

Reviewers tell me they cried laughing at the comedy … and at times simply cried. I have a sequel (Dudes Does Hollywood) in the planning stages.

I have also recently completed a psychological thriller…phew! Challenges are something I never avoid. Only time will tell if my exploration of different genres will be successful.

ONLINE LINKS

Twitter

Blog

Amazon

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

TOUR SCHEDULE

October 15 Guest blog Lisa’s World of Books

October 16 Spotlight and review Steamy Reading

October 17 Interview A Writer's Mind

October 18 interview and review That's Erotica

October 19 Review Books, Books, and More Books

October 20 Guest blog For The Love Of Film And Novels

October 20 Promo smartmouthtexan

October 22 Review Books & Other Spells

October 25 Guest blog The Avid Reader

October 26 Interview Kay Dee Royal

October 27 Guest blog and review Always a Booklover

October 29 Interview Laurie’s Non-Paranormal

Blog Tour: (Review) Kavachi's Rise By Mike Kearby

5:00:00 AM Blog Tour, Full Moon Bites, Kavachi's Rise, Mike Kearby, Review, Vampires No comments

I would like to welcome Mike Kearby to The Avid Reader today. Thanks for stopping by Mike Kearby. Please be sure and check out Mike Kearby's novel Kavachi's Rise. Check out my review and an excerpt of Kavachi's Rise.

Book Title: Kavachi's Rise

Author: Mike Kearby

Series: The Devouring #1

Publisher: Damnation Books

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Paperback/Ebook:

Publisher: Carina Press

Words: 56,000

PURCHASE

Kavachi's Rise

Damnation Books

Amazon

B&N

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Kavachi's Rise

A Dark Secret. Thomas Morehart and his sister, Kara are vampyre, not the undead, but creatures evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to mimic their prey, man. Then - rescued from a Nazi Prison Camp, Thomas and Kara are brought to the U.S. and forced to work inside government-owned mortuaries. Now -betrayed by the government sixty-seven years later, Thomas and Kara are in a race against time to transform back to their feral states or risk Exsanguination by government sanctioned hit squads.

EXCERPT

Kavachi's Rise

The soldiers knew this lieutenant. Knew of him, anyway. Nikolai Borisoff was his Russian name, but if all the rumors were true, nobody knew his real name. Others of his kind referred to him as, “Rom baro,” the big man. But in the stories he was known simply as the necromancer hunter.

“Shall we put him in with the others, sir?” one soldier asked.

Nikolai ignored the question and squared himself off to stand face-to-face with the prisoner. He stared into the darkness of the creature’s eyes. “How do you write yourself?” he asked in Amria.

The creature stopped rocking. He looked up and opened a dark pit of a mouth. A word tumbled out: “Death.”

Nikolai frowned, “But where are the others?”

Death tilted his head right and left, like a confused animal trying to make sense of an unfamiliar sound. After several seconds of the head movement, he parted leathery lips and emitted a rattling laugh.

“Others?”

“Yes, the others, like yourself.”

“Killed, dead. All meat.”

“In the showers?”

“A death they would have welcomed.”

Nikolai leaned back. He stared across his left shoulder, down the rows of barracks where the camp’s prisoners were being assembled. The 48thhad found only a handful of them, yet intelligence had said there would be thousands. Reports had indicated as many as twenty thousand. He turned back to Death.

“Where?” he asked.

Death lifted his chin toward the camp entrance. “There,” he whispered. “Only a short way from the death gate. Toward the sea.”

Nikolai looked past the gathered prisoners and through the opened gates of the camp. Pine and aspen lined the road for as far as he could see. He turned back, questioning, “In the woods?”

“In the ground.”

Nikolai frowned. “Can you show me?”

Death shook his head. “I prefer here. It’s very bad luck to go to that place.”

“Why?”

Death began to rock again. “It’s a madhouse filled with all kinds of madness.”

Nikolai studied Death’s face. “Then you’ve been there?”

Death wagged a finger in Nikolai’s direction. “Oh, I went there once. It might even have been twice or maybe three times. I can’t be sure, for the madness takes away one’s sensibility.”

“And your job there?”

“I helped push the carts back to this camp.”

“Back? What had been on the carts before?”

“Creatures.”

“And when you returned?”

“Shoes…and pyjamas…and hair.”

“And what of those who once wore the shoes and pyjamas and hair?”

Death rested his chin against his knees once more and resumed his monotonous cantillate. Then, just as quickly, stopped. It looked up at Nikolai. Its pupils contracted. “Porrajmos!”

Nikolai narrowed his eyes and pinched his bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger. His gaze darted back to the front gate and to the forests outside. “Are you saying violate?”

Death’s face twisted. He screamed again, “Porrajmos!”

Nikolai shook his head and released his lip. “To open? To open one’s mouth?”

Death stopped rocking and stared ahead, rigid. His pupils dilated back to their dead state. He exhaled a short breath, then pushed his right index finger into a spot just below his right ear and directly above his jawbone. He held his finger in the spot for several breaths, as if to make sure Nikolai understood, then slowly dragged the finger down his neck to his collarbone.

Nikolai watched, fascinated at the visual. “Rip open?” he uttered.

Death shook his head, exasperated, exhaled a rattling breath, and motioned with an outstretched finger for Nikolai to lean close.

Nikolai stooped forward and turned an ear toward Death’s mouth.

A gush of stagnant air rushed from the man’s lips and flowed across Nikolai’s cheek and nose.

Nikolai jerked away from the dead gas -- and from the two words that had drifted on the offensive fumes. He sucked in a quick breath and jerked the pilotka from his head.

Death nodded blindly, as if pleased, and then started rocking again.

Nikolai could only stare at the living corpse swaying in front of him.

Porrajmos.

Such a simple word.

And when translated into Russian, two words: The devouring.

MY REVIEW

Kavachi's Rise

The following review is my opinion and not a paid review. I was given a copy of Kavachi's Rise from the author for a review via Full Moon Bites Book Tours.

Thomas has been taking care of his sister Kara ever since they had to go into hiding. They have had to keep who and what they are a secret from the government among others as well. Their race or species is almost extinct. Thomas and Kara are vampires but not your typical vampire as they do shapeshift.

As I was saying Kavachi's Rise is not your normal vampire book where boy falls in love with girl. Or there is two guys and the girl loves both of them and she is not sure which one she loves the most or is in love with. No Kavachi's Rise has a lot more twist and turns than your normal vampire book. It will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what are they going to do next.

If you are a conspiracist it will keep you wondering if they are any real vampires out there? And if they are could the government actually do to the vampires in real life as they did to Thomas and Kara? Let's think about it like this ok we have the CDC where they have all these different levels of diseases right? Ok we have no clue exactly what kind of or how many diseases that they do have. I mean they are not going tell us (the public) because they are afraid they would have a pandemic on their hands. They have bio weapons and who is to say that we (the public) knows about everyone that they have. I don't believe that we are anywhere close to knowing all the diseases that they study. Yeah I know by now most think I have lost it. But think about it.

If you like reading about vampires and conspiracies then I believe you would really enjoy reading Kavachi's Rise. With a mixture of vampires that shift and the government all rolled into one great story.

About the Author

From Wikipedia: Mike Kearby (born 1952) is an American novelist and inventor. Since 2005, Kearby has published ten novels, one graphic novel, and written two screenplays: (2011) Boston Nightly, with fellow writer Paul Bright and (2012) The Devouring. Boston Nightly is scheduled for filming in the spring of 2013.

Kearby was born in Mineral Wells, Texas, and received a B.S. from North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) in 1972. He taught high school English and reading for 10 years and created ""The Collaborative Novella Project"" The project allows future authors to go through the novel writing process from idea to published work.

""Ambush at Mustang Canyon"" was a finalist for the 2008 Spur Awards.

""A Hundred Miles to Water"" was awarded the 2011 Will Rogers Medallion Award for Best Adult Fiction.

“Texas Tales Illustrated” was awarded the 2012 Will Rogers Medallion Award for Best YA Non-Fiction.

ONLINE LINKS

Website

Twitter

Blog

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

TOUR SCHEDULE

Sept. 15th- A Bit of Dash (Review)

Sept. 16th- My Seryniti (Interview)

Sept. 17th- Books and Beauty (Guest Post)