And the winner is . . .

Thank you to all who enter! Random.org has spoken and the winner of Joan Sowards Chocolate Roses is . . . Grace! The winner has been notified and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. Please stop by again!

Crater Lake Book Review & Blog Tour

Crater Lake: Battle for Wizard Island by Steve Westover.

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Crater Lake, hosted by Cedar Fort Publishing. I have to say that I enjoyed this book. The characters were fun and easy to relate to. Not to mention the setting was incredible. Take a look at this picture from Steve's blog.

Pretty amazing, isn't it. Back to the book. Some of the transitions were on the rough side for me, but the ending wrapped everything up and left me wondering what the next installment will be. I would recommend this to anyone, especially the younger readers.

:):):):)

Here are other blogs participating in the tour, http://www.cedarfortbooks.com/blog-tour-crater-lake/,

and some other fun links to check out.

Steve's Blog http://westoversleftovers.blogspot.com/

Steve on GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4095511.Steve_Westover

Crater Lake Poster page: http://craterlakebook.com 

Cedar Fort Blog http://www.cedarfortbooks.com/

Cedar Fort Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cedarfortbooks

Cedar Fort Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/cedarfortbooks

Cedar Fort GoodReads http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4202252-cedar-fort

Wailing and thrashing for escape, Allie’s dad disappeared first, the dirt covering the crown of his head. Ethan and Jordan’s parents followed, gasping for breath before the dirt covered their faces and muffled their screams. Mercifully, they descended faster than Allie’s mom. She had been the appetizer, and the other three adults were the main course.

While visiting his crazy Uncle Bart at Crater Lake National Park, thirteen-year-old Ethan’s world collapses when all the adults disappear, including his parents. Now Ethan must rally his new friends and decipher the legends of the lake to find the key to rescuing his parents from their earthen prison before he’s captured too and their imprisonment becomes permanent.

Book Buzzin'--Lacrimosa

Lacrimosa by Christine Fonseca, part of the Requim series. I'm so excited for this one!!

It’s been three thousand years since the fall of Azzaziel and the rebirth of evil; three thousand years since the Sentinal Order, an elite group of warrior angels, returned to Celestium. Their job—rid Earth of the dark creatures, the UnHoly. And with luck, end Azza’s rule.

As if casting out demons isn’t hard enough, five-hundred-year-old Nesy has to masquerade as a teenage girl to do it. Nesy is the best of the Sentinals. She never makes mistakes, never hesitates, never gets emotionally involved. Until she meets Aydan.  

He is evil incarnate; a fallen angel that feeds off the souls of others. Everything Nesy is supposed to hate.  But she can’t, because he’s also the love of her former life as a human girl—a life that ended too soon, tying her to emotions she was never supposed to feel.

Now Nesy must choose between doing her duty—damning Aydan to the fiery depths of hell—or saving him, and condemning herself. And her choice may cost her, and Celestium, far more than anyone realizes.

How much will she sacrifice for love?

One more important thing to do

By Bonnie Harris

I've felt for awhile that if I want to really succeed in the writing world, that I needed to get to know some of these new internet things, i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, Tumblr, etc. As I've attended writing conferences, others have confirmed that feeling and I've tried a little harder to stay on top of it. Then in this month's Nelson Literary Agency's Newsletter, Kristin Nelson said basically the same thing. (I'll share what she said in a moment.)

But that's one more thing to do, you may say. Yes. It is one more thing to do. It's an important thing to do, but it doesn't have to be done all at once. I started with Facebook and got the hang of that. Then of course they change/upgrade/create a new learning curve, but that's another story. Thanks to some encouragement from a friend, I figured out the blogging world and have even ventured into Twitter. I can't say I completely understand all of it, especially the new stuff coming out, but I can say that it's amazing how many people I'm able to reach with just those three things.

This day and age, internet exposure is a must. I'll admitt that I've read a few books, enjoyed them enough to look up the authors webpage/blog, and have gotten really frustrated when there hasn't been one. Frustrated enough to decide not to read any more books by them. (Well, at least for a little while.)

In our busy lives, I know it's hard to squeeze in more time to add something else, but it can be done in the most simple way possible. You don't have to spend hours on it, I don't think. But it is important to use it. In my opinion.

Now, here's what Kristin has to say.

Publishing is shifting and changing so rapidly, even I have no idea what it's going to look like 12 months from now. But one thing has become very clear to me. For authors to really succeed, they absolutely must embrace technology. Not only do they need to embrace it, they need to learn to love it—even if it's not a natural fit.

Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, insert next big thing.

The days of Salinger scribbling furiously in his cabin alone, no communication with the outside world, are long gone. Although I imagine now there will be some story of a reclusive author with no Internet connection making it the old-fashioned way even in this always connected world. *grin*

And embracing technology holds true for agents too.

Seems like ancient history when back in 2003 I bought my first tablet PC (it was a Gateway) so I could read and edit everything electronically. No paper. Queries by email.

My fellow agents thought I was nuts.

I'd drag that eight-pounder around to editor meetings in New York so I wouldn't have to retype my notes post trip.

Eight pounds. That's crazy. Today, the iPad and Kindle Fire weigh mere ounces.

You cannot remain static. And no, I haven't decided to start tweeting, but I have begun a series of video blogs. The learning curve has been steep, but I'm glad I'm doing it. Man, I'm learning so much about my computer's capabilities.

What else do I not know? Time to find out!

Dies Irae Blog Tour, Book Review & International Giveaway

Giveaway is Closed.

Welcome to the Dies Irae blog tour, book review, giveaway and interview with author Christine Fonseca! Wow! This book had me hooked from the first page to the last. I couldn't put it down and it left me wanting more. I can't wait for the next installment, which happens to be coming out in March! (Do you have to ask if I'm excited? In case you haven't figured it out, I'M EXCITED!!) The characters are unique, distinct and to die for. The story is so tragic it's beautiful. I loved absolutely everything about it. This is definitely one that needs to be on everyone's "Must Read" list.

:):):):):)

Here's the book trailer. 

Mikayel lives by one rule—obey the orders of the angelic Council at all costs. That is, until he and his friends, Azza and Demi, are sent to Earth.  Assigned as Watchers while they await their decision of which angelic order to serve, the three assume the bodies of teenagers and experience life as human.

The sensations are overwhelming as the angels experience a host of human emotions—rage, terror, love—and come ever closer to breaking one of the unbreakable rules—never fall in love.  

But being human isn’t the only problem facing the three angels. Unbeknownst to the Council, demonic activity is on the rise, threatening to break a tenuous peace that has existed for a millennia; a peace Azza seems bent on destroying.

Caught in a struggle for power with unseen demonic forces and Azza, and fighting against his rising emotional attachment to Demi, Mikayel must now decide how much he is willing to sacrifice for his new found love—a decision that could reignite an ancient war and will threaten the only thing that matters to the angels, the survival of humanity. 

Take a look at the other participating blogs on the tour and what they have to say.

TOUR DATES - 2/1 through 2/17

2/1 ~ Michelle McLean (Character Interview) and Heather McCorkle (Author interview)

2/2 ~ Nicole Zoltack (Guest post - Courage to Create) and LK Gardner Griffie (Guest Post - Embracing the Shadow) 

2/3 ~ Gretchen McNeil (Interview) and Jen Merrill (Guest Post - Writing Stories for Gifted Kids)

2/4 ~ Simon C Larter (Interview) and Nata Romeo (Interview) 

2/5 ~ Eric Stallsworth (Guest Post - Writing a Series) and BE Sanderson (Guest Post - Backing Away From the Abyss)

2/6 ~ Supagurl Books (Top 5 movies) and Rebecca Enzor (Guest Post - The Inspiration Behind Dies Irae)

2/7 ~ Melanie McCullough (Top 5 Randomness) and Angela Brown (Guest Post - Write What You Know)

2/8 ~ Stina Lindenblatt (Guest Post - Using Setting to Enhance a Story)

2/9 ~ Bonnie Harris (Interview) 

2/10 ~ C.Michelle Jefferies (Guest Post - Top 5 Book Promotion) and Katrina Lantz (Guest Post - Elements of Thrillers and Gothic Stories) and Matthew Macnish (Guest Post - Writing FOR children instead of about them)

2/11 ~ Laura Diamond (Guest Post - Writing a Novella vs Writing a Novel)

2/12 ~ Book Briefs (Top 10 Facts re Dies Irae)

2/13 ~ Denise Grover Swank (Interview) and  Nisa Swineford (Interview all week)

2/14 ~ Danyelle Leafty (Interview) and Kathleen Doyle (Guest Post - Love in YA)

2/15 ~ Elana Johnson (Crazy Video Interview)

2/16 ~ Kristen Yard (Interview)

2/17 ~ Ali Cross (Character Interview)

Now for the Giveaway. 

One lucky winner will receive TWO downloads of Dies Irae. One for them and one to gift to a friend. That's TWO digital downloads for one lucky winner!

Here's what to do . . .

Mandatory

• Make sure you're a follower of this blog (left sidebar) AND Christine's blog. Leave a comment telling me you've done both with a way to contact you if you win.

Optional

• Follow the other blogs participating in this tour. Leave a SEPERATE COMMENT FOR EACH BLOG YOU FOLLOW, telling me the name of the blog and a way to contact you. That gives you a total of 27 extra entries here. (The list of participating blogs is above.)
• Spread the word! Leave me a comment telling me how you shared the love and a way to contact you for 1 extra entry.

There is a total of 1 mandatory entry and up to 28 optional entries. Please leave a seperate comment for each entry. Enter by midnight on the 23rd of February. Random.org will decide the winner, who will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. Good Luck!

Here's my interview with Christine.

What made you decide to become a writer?   I think a part of me always expected/wanted to be a writer, albeit an unconscious part. I remember fantasizing about living some kind of glamorous life in NYC as a writer when I was in college. Although my life did not follow the paths I thought of back in my twenties, it would seem that I managed to find my way to writing after all. Or, more accurately, writing found me.

Who inspires you? Hands down, my mom. She was incredibly creative and talented in her own right. I grew up hearing her sing, watching her paint, and feeling inspired by her wisdom. Sadly, she passed away just over a year ago, but every time I look at my children, or read some of my stories, I can see her reflected in my life. She continues to inspire my actions, and my work. Daily. 

What would you like your readers to get out of your writing? Everything I write, from nonfiction to fiction, comes from an emotional frame of reference. My hope is that somehow I manage to tap into our universal, shared human experience and resonate on a deeply personal level with my readers, an emotional level—whether I am instructing them about gifted kids, spinning a dark and romantic tale, or attempting something a tad more humorous.

Where did this idea come from? The series actually started with the first novel, LACRIMOSA, launching in March 2012. DIES IRAE is a prequel to that story, taking place roughly 3000 years prior. I wanted to explore the relationship between Mikayel and Azzaziel(Azza)– two characters that are the driving force behind the main characters of LACRIMOSA. So, I took a snippet of a story that is in the novel and wove into this novella; something that has forever changed my point of view on the entire series.

Who was your favorite character to develop? That is a hard one—I really enjoyed developing both Mikayel and Azza. But I was most surprised, I think, by Azza. He is so much more complex, so much deeper and richer than I anticipated. His motivations are different too—something that forced me to relook at the entire series and revamp how he was portrayed in LACRIMOSA.

Any advice for aspiring authors? Focus on your craft, first and foremost. Don’t rush the process. Learn and write. Write and learn. And then have others—not your friends or family—shred your work. Then repeat the process. The rest, the publishing and marketing, will come. But you will have no longevity in the business if you lose track of your primary purpose: Crafting a great story.

What can we expect next from you? The first novel, LACRIMOSA, comes out in March, followed by LIBERA ME in the fall and REQUIEM early next year. After that, who knows! I am currently outlining a companion series, as well as writing a couple of YA psychological thrillers. 

Where can we purchase your book? DIES IRAE is available in digital format only with all major booksellers – Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBookstore, etc. LACRIMOSA will be available in both hardback and digital formats

Thanks for having me Bonnie. I hope you and your readers enjoy DIES IRAE and the series.

Follower Love Giveaway (Int) Feb 7-14

Welcome to the Follower Love Giveway, hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and Rachael Renee Anderson. There are tons of stuff up for grabs! On this blog, you can win an eCopy of Joan Sowards Chocolate Roses A Jane Eyre Parody. Check out my review here. You can read the first two chapters here to wet your appetite.

Janie Rose Whitaker's world revolved around her chocolate shop until Roger Wentworth and his young daughter moved into the apartment across from Janie's. Anyone would think Roger fit the mold of the perfect guy, but soon Janie discovers secrets that could keep them apart forever. Though she resists getting involved in Roger's complicated life, they are drawn further into a bittersweet relationship.


How do you win this wonderful book? Glad you asked. It's as easy as eating chocolate. There are a possibility of three entries. Please leave a seperate comment for each entry.


Mandatory

• Be a follower of this blog via Networked Blogs and/or GFC. Leave me a comment telling me how and an email to contact you if you win.

Optional

• Follow Joan's Blog here. Leave a comment telling me so with an email.

• Spread the chocolate, I mean love. Leave me a comment telling me what you did.

Now, stop by all the other participating blogs and thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check out my other giveaways on the left side bar or here.

Book Review, Giveaway (US only) & Blog Tour--RetirementQuest

RetirementQuest by John Hauserman.

Thanks for stopping by on this blog tour, book review, and giveaway! When asked to join this blog tour, I found myself intrigued by the subject. Someday we all want to have the ability to retire—some sooner than others. I wanted to see if my plan was anywhere close to what it should be and hopefully learn something new along the way. It's been my experience whenever I've spoken with finacial people, I find my head spinning, wondering what language they're speaking. So I braced myself for that same type of experience with this book. I was pleasantly surprised that I could understand most of it. John takes the technical aspects of the finacial world and makes it understandable. In reality I found this book enjoyable to read, as long as I didn't try to read too much at one time. One or two chapters was enough and I had to let it diguest. :)

RetirementQuest explained pitfalls to watch out for, what drive the media has in investing, the type of advice to be wary of. It gave me several things to look into myself and for me, I took away that it is ultimately our responsibility  in the long run. I throughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone, especially those starting out or are even halfway to retirement. It gives great guidance and clarity to what can be a very confusing issue. I will definitely be referring back to it in the years to come. 

Be sure to stop by their website. They have wonderful tools to help you get started, classes, a message from John, and tons more info. My inteview below also has some great information for readers and writers.

:):):):):)

RetirementQuest: Make Better Decisions was written by a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner who has been counseling clients since 1992. Drawing from his twenty years of experience, John Hauserman has developed a unique ability to communicate complex financial subject matter in easy to understand terms. Readers are guided through the basics of financial planning, while threads of politics, history, and psychology are woven together to create a tapestry of deeper understanding into the financial planning world. Complete with hard hitting insight into the practices and sometimes abuses of the financial services industry, John has created a masterpiece designed to help those responsible-minded investors who are seeking to avoid common planning mistakes.

Giveaway

Now for the giveaway. John has donated a copy of RetirementQuest for one lucky reader. How to enter? Easy.

• Make sure you're a follower of my blog. Leave a comment telling me how you follow and an email address to contact you if you win.

• For an extra entry, leave a seperate comment telling me what the two sources of inspiration for John are. (Hint: It's below in the interview.)

Feel free to spread the word and make sure to enter by midnight on Feb 16th. Good luck! And may random.org be with you.

RetirementQuest: Make Better Decisions

By: John Hauserman, CFP®

What made you decide to become a writer?

I feel that I have a very important message that has the potential to dramatically impact peoples’ lives. I am a financial advisor who cares a great deal about my clients, profession, and community, and I am pained to watch people make some very costly, yet common mistakes. In many cases these financial errors are preventable if a person has a minimal level of understanding.

Who inspires you?

I have two major sources of inspiration. My clients would be the first source. It is tremendously fulfilling to know that I have guided so many around the potential calamities of the past two decades, including such debacles as the dot com bubble burst and the real estate implosion. Sadly, my other source of inspiration comes from the inexcusable state of the financial services industry. Now don’t get me wrong, there are many excellent advisors around our great nation who hold their client interests first and foremost it is not them who inspire nearly as much as some others. In this case I am referring to a negative inspiration; my blood simply boils when I hear the snake-oil sales pitches which are all too common in the current state of the financial services industry. Built on an industrial revolution era business model, many of these slick suited dinosaurs simply see their clients (and potential clients) as a convenient means to make a quick buck. They tell half-truths, churn, bully, deceive, and abuse the trust that millions place in them. Then they simply ramp up their marketing efforts to find their next victim. They seem quite immune to any sense of morality by recommending dot com stocks to a retiree and knowing that it caused them to lose most of their life savings, then recommending real estate partnerships which often resulted in the loss of the rest of any remaining nest egg. In many cases those same so-called “advisors” now hulk gold as the next can’t miss opportunity, or annuities with smoke and mirror promises of free money and too good to believe rates of interest. 

   

What would you like your readers to get out of your writing?

      I hope to empower my readers with a lifetime of better financial decision making. In particular I have sought to detail the pervasive shortcomings of the financial services industry and compare them to a newer and better model which puts clients first (known as fiduciary). In so doing I hope that my readers will be able to tell the difference and be in a better position to avoid the financial vampires who suck the financial life-blood out of their victims.

     Secondly, I hope to make my readers better investors. This does not require advanced expertise, simply a lay understanding of a few core concepts. By grasping these basics and understanding how the media tends to hype dangerous trends, investors may just be able to side step some of those most avoidable (and common) mistakes.

   

Where did this idea come from?

     The idea for this book is based upon my twenty years as a financial advisor, but was spurred by the hysteria that swirled around the events of the financial crises which made itself known in fall of 2008. I tried in vain to raise warning flags regarding the obvious bubble that was welling up in the real estate markets. While I am quite proud that I was able to steer my clients away from making tragic mistakes in this regard, I was nonetheless frustrated that I could not reach a broader audience. My many letters to editors, article submissions, and requests for media interviews all fell on deaf ears; it seems that all the media was interested in at that time were stories that confirmed the nation’s manic belief that real estate was a sure bet investment. As the events unfolded, messages became dominated so-called news that was often little more than masked political spin doctoring or clever manipulations by those previously mentioned financial vampires. It soon became  clear to me that people needed a calm voice of reason. 

   

Any advice for aspiring authors?

     If your writing is focused on a regulated industry, make sure you submit your manuscript to your compliance team early and often. When I first discussed this with my compliance department they asked that I have the book blocked before sending it to them. While there was logic behind the request, since certain disclosure needed to appear on the same page as the related text, it still caused a great deal of expense and delay as we had to redesign the book a number of times in order to incorporate or reword required disclosures and then again to get them on the same page as the required text. Had I sent the manuscript in advance we could have had the disclosure language correct from the beginning and that would have resulted in less revisions. 

What can we expect next from you?

     I have a financial education website www.Retirementquest.com which complements the book a great deal. My next project is to add videos to the site which will verbally and visually explain some of the charts, graphs, and more complicated details from the book. 

Where can we purchase your book?

     The book is available at Amazon. Please be aware that when searching, RetirementQuest should be entered as all one word, as it appears in the book title, or follow this link:

http://www.amazon.com/RetirementQuest-Better-Decisions-John-Hauserman/dp/0983021708/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323794148&sr=1-1