Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Dead Dreams by Emma Right - Excerpt Tour!

Launching - 

On Tour with Prism Book Tours...

The Excerpt Tour
Each day will reveal another piece of Dead Dreams...

10/29: Launch
10/30: My Seryniti - Excerpt #1
10/31: My Devotional Thoughts - Excerpt #2
11/1: Mel’s Shelves - Excerpt #3
11/4: The Bookish Fairy - Excerpt #5
11/5: My Love for Reading Keeps Growing - Excerpt #6
11/6: Tressa’s Wishful Endings - Excerpt #7
11/7: Nocturnal Predators Reviews - Excerpt #8
11/8: The Pensive Chronicler - Excerpt #9
11/10: kimberlyfaye reads - Excerpt #10
11/11: Min Reads and Reviews - Excerpt #11
11/13: Colorimetry - Excerpt #13
11/14: fundinmental - Excerpt #14
11/15: Bookworm Lisa - Excerpt #15
11/17: Sylv Jenkins Author - Excerpt #16
11/18: The Wonderings of One Person - Excerpt #17
11/19: Buried Under Books - Excerpt #18
11/20: Grand Finale

Emma Right

Emma Right is a happy wife and homeschool mother of five living in the Pacific West Coast. Besides running a busy home, and looking after too many pets, she also enjoys reading aloud to her children and often has her nose in a book. Right was a copywriter for a major advertising agency during her B.C. years. B.C.meaning “Before Children,” which may as well have been in the B.C.era, as she always says. Please feel free to contact Emma. She’s always happy to hear from her readers.





Dead Dreams (Dead Dreams, #1)Dead Dreams
by Emma Right
250 Pages

Eighteen-year-old Brie O’Mara has so much going for her: a loving family in the sidelines, an heiress for a roommate, and dreams that might just come true. Big dreams--of going to acting school, finishing college and making a name for herself. She is about to be the envy of everyone she knew. What more could she hope for? Except her dreams are about to lead her down the road to nightmares. Nightmares that could turn into a deadly reality.

Dead Dreams, Book 1, a young adult psychological thriller and mystery





Each Stop Reveals another section of Dead Dreams

Follow the tour and START READING NOW!! 

First up: 

* Prologue * 

They say each dead body, a human corpse, has a scent all of its own, a sweet-sour smell. A cadaver dog picks up the odor as clearly as a mother recognizes a photo of her child. Of course, I wouldn’t know, for I am no dog. I might as well have been, the way I’d stooped to yield to my basic instincts. My mind wandered to her, what her unique smell would be when, and if, they ever were to find her.

vvv

After what happened, I decided to write out the events that led to that day and details in case Id missed something, or might need it for defense, or in case they found me dead. My relatives might need to piece together the things that had spiraled out of control, if they wanted to put me to rest, to forget me altogether. That would bleast painful for them. I nodded to myself as I sat in the car. I thought of my most favorite girl in the world: Lilly. At least Lillyd have my dog, Holly, to remember me by.

My friends used to call me Brie, short for Brianna. But, I could hardly count anyone a friend any more. Id have to resort to back-watching if I wanted to survive.


vvv









Tour-Wide Giveaway:

Paperback Copy of Dead Dreams (US Only)
5 eCopies of Dead Dreams (Int'l)


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Monday, October 28, 2013

Interview with Author A.J. Baczek

I’d like to welcome A.J. Baczek, author of All the Difference to my blog today!  I also want to thank her for being my FIRST author interview!  





 When did you decide to become a writer???
I'd say the writing bug officially bit me when I was in high school. At the time, my first love was writing screenplays, but as I moved into adulthood I decided I was more interested in novels. I've actually taken some of those old ideas and expanded on them as I work on my novels. I fell in love with the detail, description, and character development that just isn't the same when you're writing something meant for the screen or stage. Up until mid-2012, writing was just a hobby for me. Once I really got into All the Difference, I realized that I couldn't just leave my books on my computer where no one would ever have a chance to see them. I had to share my characters and their stories with a much wider audience, and that's when I decided to venture into self-publishing.

Why do you write?
At this point, I'm honestly not sure if I could stop if I tried! While I've always enjoyed writing on some level, it really hit me as I was writing my first novel, and I fell in love with the process. It energizes me like nothing else ever has, and I love being able to enter this sort of alternate reality that I've created in my own head. I'm not sure how to describe the way it makes me feel, other than to say that my characters feel like my friends, and their lives are so intertwined with mine that I can't cut them off. I can't get rid of them, so I might as well entertain them. :)

Do you have a special time you like to write or do you just sit down whenever inspiration hits you?
I can't always write at the exact moment inspiration strikes, but right now I am fortunate to have a very flexible schedule that allows me to spend most of my day writing. In those moments when I can't be at my computer, I have a notebook handy to jot down ideas so they don't disappear on me.

Do you work to an outlined plot or do you prefer to just see where the characters take you?
I do not outline! Can't stand outlines ;) I usually start with some idea of where I want things to go, but oftentimes I find that my characters have a different idea, and I allow them to take me wherever they want to go. Their plans are usually better than mine, anyway, and I learn an awful lot about them in the process if I don't insist on sticking to my original ideas.


What is the hardest part about writing?
I have this obnoxious habit of being insecure about my writing. I worry that it isn't good enough or accurate enough or that it won't appeal to readers, or that I'll somehow make a drastic mistake. I've learned that there is no right or wrong way to handle most parts of the writing process, and if I keep telling myself that, it gets easier. Particularly with All the Difference, I was constantly asking for feedback from beta readers on sections of the book that I really didn't need to ask questions on. I was insecure in my own abilities and didn't trust my own ideas, and I learned that most of the time, I should have trusted those ideas. Overcoming that insecurity and allowing myself to "just write" has probably been the hardest part of the process for me.

What brought you to the decision to write All the Difference?
All the Difference started as a short screenplay that I wrote when I was a teenager. I decided about ten years later that I wanted to take that same idea and "adapt it" into a novel. I started with a similar concept to my original work, and expanded on it from there. The characters definitely evolved and changed, as did their story, and I was able to look at things from an entirely different perspective as an adult.

What characters did you consider the hardest to write about?
This question totally stumped me! Thinking back on the process, I would say it was most difficult for me to make sure I accurately portrayed the relationship between Angela and David, who are two of the teachers in the novel. I wanted to make sure I stayed true to both of them as individuals, but also to their relationship. Even though I knew how their story was going to play out, there were moments when I'd get stuck and have to figure out how to develop their relationship, or where I'd ask people questions to make sure I was taking things in a realistic direction.
I love those two!  They made me happy, mad and sad!  You have such great characters in your book!

Tell us about the cover and how it came about!
I was in the market for a cover designer and was introduced to a friend-of-a-friend back in Arizona who does graphic design for a living. He agreed to work on my novel as a side project. I gave him a few general ideas along with the photos that are now on the cover. The two people on the cover are actually my cousin and a friend of his who he grew up with. The designer sent me several different "mock-ups" of the cover, and I emailed him back and forth with feedback until we ultimately arrived at the current cover. I knew I wanted the two main teenage characters to be featured somehow, and I liked the idea of incorporating the fall to winter seasons that make up a large portion of the story.

What genre do you think your book falls under? 
I always classify my work as general fiction, but All the Difference also managed to find itself in the Young Adult genre as well, which to be honest was totally unintentional on my part. It does fit, though. I think the novel has an appeal for young adults, but also for those who are into their 20s, 30s, and even older. I think every generation has something they can learn or take away from the characters in the novel.
I agree!  I still feel that everyone should read this book!  Especially parents of teenagers, or teenagers themselves!  There is just such a great lesson about learning to be yourself! 

 What is the most satisfying thing to you about being a writer?
I would say the ability to create stories that readers enjoy. I have so much fun while I'm writing, but it's even more exciting for me when I realize that there are other people out there who enjoy my characters and their stories. It's my hope that my novels can also help readers identify with the characters on a personal level, and apply the lessons and challenges my characters experience to their own lives. I've found that many people read fiction to escape reality, and I hope the alternate reality I create inspires, energizes, and sticks with my readers, challenging them while also giving them hope for their own lives.

Who are 3 of YOUR favorite authors???
In all honesty, I have not been much of a reader over these last few years (bad AJ!) I am consciously working on this, because I do believe writers must also be avid readers. Nicholas Sparks has been a longtime favorite for me. Just recently I discovered Michelle D. Argyle and Kevin Alan Milne, and I absolutely love both of them. Amazing writers!

Do you have any other books in the works??
I have two novels in the works! One is tentatively titled Without Condition and deals with the struggles of a single father and his young son. I'm hoping to have it published in early 2014. My third project is very much in the beginning stages, but it's keeping me occupied and I'm excited to see where the characters lead me on this one. It's definitely a project that is taking me out of my comfort zone (in a good way!)


Thank you A.J.!  That was so much fun!  Thank you for taking time to answer my questions!  I look forward to your new books coming out, and hope to be able to interview you again!  

You can find A.J. Baczek here on Facebook, here on her blog, and here on Goodreads!  You can purchase her book by clicking here: Amazon or here: Barnes & Noble!  You can also enter the give away for one of two signed books of All The Difference to add to your shelf!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
picture and description taken from Goodreads

A.J. Baczek fell in love with writing at a young age. She has a collection of poetry, stories, and screenplays, most of which were written during her teenage years. She entertained the idea of a few career choices before realizing that her true passion is and always has been the written word. She is in the process of taking her past creations and transforming them into reader-worthy novels, along with several new ideas that she has up her sleeve. When she is not writing, A.J. enjoys reading, conversations with friends, hiking and tennis. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her two crazy cats.


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Sunday, October 27, 2013

FLASH BOOK BLAST! Order of the Seers by Cerece Rennie Murphy

This is my first BOOK BLAST also!  I am so excited to be part of this!!!!!

Order of the Seers (Order of the Seers, #1)  The Red Order (Order of the Seers, #2)

Order of the Seers FLASH Bookblast!!  
Win $25 Amazon Gift Card below

What would you do if you held
infinite power
in the palm of your hand?

Order of the Seers begins with the journey of Liam and Lilith Knight, a brother and sister who are hunted by The Guild, a ruthless world organization that seeks to capture and exploit Lilith's unique ability as a Seer to envision the future. Soon after they are forced to leave their home, Lilith and Liam discover that she is not alone. Other Seers like Lilith are routinely kidnapped and enslaved by the Guild for the purpose of consolidating wealth and power around the world... see more on Goodreads

In The Red Order, Book II in the Order of the Seers Trilogy:

The Lost Seers embark upon a world-wide mission to save their kind from the tyranny of the Guild and unveil their greatest weapon -  Developed in secret, The Restoration Project has the potential to awaken the supernatural ability within every man, woman, and child on earth and bring down the very foundation of the Guild’s power and authority.

But the Guild has other plans. Driven by the necessity for control, Crane Le Dieu creates The Red Order... see more on Goodreads.





Order of the Seers
Chapter 1: The End

Sunday, June 22, 2008 

Liam was losing his patience. “Aw, come on! Are you serious? You can’t
want to ride this thing again!”

Instead of answering her older brother, Lilli remained in her seat as
the Ferris wheel conductor looked on expectantly, hand outstretched and
waiting for another two tokens.

The way Lilli’s skinny arms hugged her book bag while she stared
blankly at the pressed metal floor of their “Fairy Land Caboose” made it
hard for Liam to stay angry. The sight of her looking so dejected softened
him enough to give the conductor his fifth set of tokens in less than 45
minutes. Liam settled back into his seat just as the lap bar clamped down
uncomfortably against his thighs.

“Lilli, say something. Why’d you drag me out here if you were just gonna
sulk? I hate the carnival, you know that.”

“I know something… okay? Just… trust me. We have to stay here.” Her
voice was so low he could barely hear her over the wind-up music that was
blaring from the overhead speakers.

“Did Mom say something to you?”

Lilli responded to his question with silence and a barely discernable
shake of her head back and forth. He tried again.

“Lilli! Did Mom…?”

“Yes,” she snapped.

They both fell silent again as Liam took in the latest weird thing of the
day. Lilith Knight, or Lilli as she preferred to be called, had always been
strange. Even when she was five, she could beat Liam at chess lazily, without
even thinking about it. She would find things and give them to you before
you asked for them. Before you, or even she, knew why. Up until recently,
he thought she was just a freak. No biggie. All little sisters are like that, he told
himself.

It was only in the past few months that his perception of her began
to shift, after her prediction that he would catch his new girlfriend, Krista,
kissing his teammate Lance in the locker room after their championship
game. At the time, he’d brushed off her premonition as meddling. Krista
wasn’t even his girlfriend and his team was 1-1 with the whole basketball
season ahead of them.

He’d forgotten her warning completely until two months later when he
ran back into the locker room after winning the championship to get the
jacket he’d left behind and immediately smelled Krista’s perfume. When he
found them, two thoughts overshadowed the scene unfolding in front of
him. The first was that what they were doing wasn’t really “kissing,” though
he could see how a sheltered thirteen-year-old would describe it that way.
His second thought was that Lilli was right; she was exactly right. He was so
stunned by Lilli’s accuracy that he didn’t even bother to disturb them, leaving
his new ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend to their business. From that
moment, Liam understood that Lilli wasn’t just a freak, or more accurately,
that she wasn’t a freak at all. She was special…gifted.

The sound of Lilli’s sniffling followed by the trembling of her body
as she began to cry uncontrollably broke the long silence that had fallen
between them. What the…, Liam half-mumbled as his mind swung from
irritation to absolute bewilderment. Slowly and deliberately, Liam moved his
palms down the front of his face as he fought the urge to shake the truth
right out of her and end whatever this was. But he couldn’t. She’s so brittle
already, he thought, without any idea as to why. So instead, he reached out
to envelop his sister in his arms, trying to soothe her and comfort her from
some unknown force.

“Lilli, it’s all right. I’m sorry, okay? Don’t cry. Just… tell me what’s going
on. Why are we here?”

Continue Chapter 1 of Order of the Seers HERE.  Read Chapter 1-2 of The Red Order HERE.


My name is Cerece Rennie Murphy, but, among my 5 siblings, I am known and teased by my superhero name, Wonder Worry, (and yes, I am a little worried about your reaction to what I just said). While in my youth, I used my superpower to whip minor setbacks into epic tragedies in 60 seconds flat, I no longer have the time to hone the skills I once possessed, which were handed down to me VERY CAREFULLY by my mother and her mother before. 

Instead of spending my days imagining worst case scenarios, I am now on the front lines of true disaster prevention – treading the fine line between boo-boos and permanent brain damage, fighting crimes of curiosity, omission, absent-mindedness and sleep deprivation. I carry others down the winding, bumpy road of youth that starts out at the nexus of unique and brilliant but intersects with narcissistic serial killer at some distant point I hope fervently to avoid. As you might have guessed, I am a wife and mother of 2 small children. Luckily, my family lights up the sky so I never stumble too hard or lose my way.

I would lament the luxury of needless worry, but alas, I don’t have the energy. As I write this, I am losing a battle fought between my trusty sponge and a hardened glob of half-eaten cheese that traveled from the kitchen to the living room rug in the palm of a very small, but mischievous hand. Its stronghold on the fibers suggests occupancy of at least 2 days, but I’ll never know for sure. Rather than despair, I’ve chosen to retreat to my keyboard, noting that I have won the war - most of the rug is un-cheesed. 

Before I worried. Now, I write. 

I look forward to slowly, quietly, in my own shy way, becoming a part of this community. If you would like to get to know me and my work a bit better, you can visit me... 


Join The Ominous Tour December 10 - 25 with Prism Book Tours


Giveaway:
October 27 - November 10

Re-Usable Bag


1 Winner - Gift Package: Re-Usable Bag, Bookmark and signed print copies of Order of the Seers & The Red Order (US only)
1 Winner -  $25 Gift Card
5 Winners - eCopy of Order of the Seers
5 Winners - eCopy of The Red Order

International Giveaway (except "Gift Package"), must be able to receive winnings, must be 18 or older to enter. See additional restrictions in Rafflecopter.

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My FIRST Blog Excerpt Tour coming up this week!



I have been invited to my first blog tour!  I am soo excited about this!  To check out more information on it, you can go here: PRISM BOOK TOURS!  My website is on the list!!!!  Thank you to Tressa @Tressa's Wishful Ending, and Burgundy Ice @ Prism Book Tours for inviting me to be part
of this!!!  I will post more on this as soon as I get more info!

Friday, October 25, 2013

My Thoughts - Unwind by Neal Shusterman

UNWIND by Neal Shusterman

picture taken from "Goodreads"

DESCRIPTION: (taken from Goodreads)

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

My Thoughts:  (I don't know if I can really call it a "review")


I was a little reluctant about reading this book because I had heard how "disturbing" it was.  Sometimes I like to enter the dark, and twisty world, as long as it's not "gross"!  This was very interesting!  I totally didn't know what to expect, but I actually really enjoyed this book!  The whole idea is a little disturbing, and I often wonder what takes an Author to that place!  BUT, having said that, I guess it's so we can be brought into a world we are not use to!

Connor and Risa have a relationship that kind of comes out of desperation, yet it turns out to be such a great companionship,  considering the world they live in!    I also grew to love Lev!  He wasn't my favorite for a long time, but he redeemed himself and became a character I cared about!  I hope that all three continue in the rest of the series!

I love that some of this takes place in Arizona, because I could relate to it, and knew exactly where they were when they referred to Happy Jack, Arizona!  

I personally think that this book is pretty clean considering the whole "Unwinding" concept!  I would recommend this book if you enjoy Dystopian books!  

My Rating:

I gave it 4 out of 5 Stars ****

*I bought this book from Itunes and listened to it!  The narrator was really great!
*This is my PERSONAL opinion of the book, and I am not affiliated with Itunes, or Goodreads!  

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Review of Allegiant, by Veronica Roth - Updated


After sleeping on it I have decided to review this book, but it is hard to review with out spoiling it.  SO be aware when reading my review!

Description:  (borrowed the description from the Amazon web page)
What if your whole world was a lie?What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?  What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

My Review:

This is hard to review! I don't even know if you can really call it a review...More like a harping!  I was so very excited for this book!  It arrived on my door step Tuesday night, but I didn't get a chance to read it until yesterday.  Let me start by saying a good book is like a good movie for me, but if said movie, or book has a bad ending (even if it was good all the way till the ending) then it ruins the whole thing for me!  You always remember the ending!  If the ending isn't good, then it just doesn't go down as a "good" book for me.

I LOVED the first two books in this series, Divergent and Insurgent!  They were FANTASTIC!  I love that the main character was a strong woman, even when people around her made stupid choices she remained strong!  I loved that about the books!  Tris was by far one of my favorite characters to follow.

Yesterday, as I read Allegiant, I turned and turned the pages, and then I got towards the end of the book, and something happened to make me want to put the book down and not even finish.  That just made me sad!  I do not like it when a series that I read starts out Fantastic and ends blah!  Granted, I am not the author, and it is the authors prerogative to take the book in any direction they want, but as a reader I was extremely disappointed in this book!  I don't want to give away the ending, so I will be careful, but I did NOT like it!  I know that not all books are going to tie up into a pretty little bow (much to my dismay) but this one ended in a way I totally wasn't expecting and in a way that made me not even like the book!  

I guess the best way to put it, is I am sad!  I am sad it ended the way it did, and I am sad that I didn't love it!  

My Rating:
I give Allegiant 2 start out of 5 **
the only reason I am giving it two stars is because the first two books were so great I didn't have the heart to give this one a single star.

Source:  I bought this book from Amazon

disclaimer:  I am not affiliated with Amazon, this is a personal review!







Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Review of "All The Difference" by A.J. Baczek

All the Difference




Description:
The truth changes everything… Charlie Roberts begins his junior year of high school doing what he does best—causing trouble. After having his ego bruised by unsuspecting freshman Rachel Mayfield, Charlie vows to get revenge by making her school days as miserable as possible. Charlie will stop at nothing to carry out his plans, but underestimates just what will become of his ill intentions. Meanwhile, teachers Angela Warner and David McCallister are asked to organize an end-of-semester assembly focused on making a difference, and their time together turns into much more than either of them expected. As the assembly draws near, both teachers and their students are faced with life-changing decisions on honesty, forgiveness, and the power of a second chance.. (here is the link to the goodreads page for this book: Goodreads - All The Difference

My Review:

I have a few disclaimers to place here before I start!  1.  I have never done a book review other than on Goodreads or Amazon...so this is a first for me.  2.  This author happens to be a personal friend of mine, but that did not affect my review in anyway!

I cannot even tell you how much I loved this book.   It's one of those books that every high school child, or parent with a high schooler needs to read!  There are two stories going on in this book and both are equally fabulous!  I love it when a book gives you characters you "love" to "hate"!  That probably doesn't make sense but if you read this book it will!    There are times in this book that I wanted to throw it against the wall because I was blown away at how people were acting!  That to me lets me know it's a good book!  A book that evokes that much emotion out of me deserves a good rating!  There were times that I cried in this book....for a few reasons!  A.J. Baczek has a way with words!  She helped me connect with Rachel and Charlie right away!  I read this book in a day!  I couldn't put it down!  When the MC are faced with decision that will ultimately change how their lives "could" be, you find your self begging them to take the steps YOU want them to take!  

What I love most about this book is that it is clean, and has a good message!  Its a great story with great characters, and a fabulous plot!   I hope that you will take the time to read this fabulous book!  

You can find A.J. Baczek's blog here: A.J. Baczek, Author

You can purchase "All The Difference" here: Amazon or here: Barnes & Noble

I would recommend this book for anyone ages 12-112!

My Rating: (I don't have a nifty little tool so I just have to type it in!)
I give it 5 out of 5 stars!  *****

You can also read a review about this book in words much more eloquent than mine here: Review By Natalie Carroll, Author


Happy Reading!!!

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

My Attempt At Something I Love to Do!

In the past few months I have been introduced to some amazing blogs, that have in turn introduced me to new Authors, books, and other amazing things!  I have a sweet friend who invited me to host a blog tour, and in the process made me want to create my own blog!  Mine will probably be pretty personal because it's all about books I have read and love.  I just want others to love reading as much as I do, and want to share with people the books that I have read, and hopefully offer some insight on why I liked them!  Maybe it will help spread the word about a book!  I love reading!  Can't wait to share my passion with the blogging world!