LDS Giveaway Hop (2 winners)

Welcome to the LDS Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer. On my blog, on lucky winner will win an eCopy of TWO SOULS ARE BETTER THAN ONE by Karen E Hoover (open INT) and another lucky winner will get  a signed copy of SEEKING PERSEPHONE by Sarah M Eden (US only please).


Seeking Persephone (US only)

From the back cover: When Persephone Lancaster receives a marriage proposal from the ill-tempered Duke of Kielder, she refuses — and then reconsiders. The obscene sum of money he’s offering Persephone would save her family from ruin. With her characteristic optimism, she travels to the far reaches of Northumberland to wed a greatly feared stranger.

Lodged deep in a thick forest infested with wild dogs, the Duke’s castle is as cold and forbidding as the Duke himself, a man with terrible scars on his body and his soul. But the Duke’s steely determination to protect his heart at all costs is challenged by his growing attachment to his lovely and gentle bride. With caring persistence, Persephone attempts to pierce the Duke’s armor and reach the man beneath. Yet he cannot tolerate such exposure, and his repeated rejections take their toll. But when grave danger arises, the Duke realizes he must face the risk of revealing his true feelings or lose the woman he cannot live without.

Two Souls Are Better Than One

Description taken from Smashwords (INT)

Barely thirteen, Jeremy James Johansen has had more than his share of trouble. His father disappeared without a trace and the police believe he murdered his lab assistant, though his son knows it isn’t true. His dad can’t even handle a knife, let alone a bow and arrow.

A year later Jeremy stumbles across a portal to another world and gets pulled through—but not as himself. Somehow he swaps bodies with the man on the other side before the portal disappears.

Captured by a dragon and a man in black who insists on calling him father, he tries to escape, only to plummet to his death. He awakens in his own bed, believing it was all a bad dream. The problem is there are holes in his memory he can’t fill.

In time, he discovers that the portal holds the answers not only to his forgotten memories, but most importantly, points him down the path to finding his father. 

Entering is easy.

• Follow my blog via GFC and/or Networked blogs (on the left sidebar). Leave a comment telling me you're a follower, which book you'd like to win, and a way to contact you if you win. Karen's book is open to my INT followers and Sarah's is US only please.

For additional enteries

• Follow me on twitter, here. Leave a comment.
• Follow Karen, here. Leave a comment.
• Follow Sarah, here. Leave a comment.

Thanks for stopping by! It is in your best interest to leave seperate comments as random.org will choose the winner. Please, have all enteries in by midnight on May 17th. The winner will then be announced that weekend. Be sure to stop by all the blogs participating! Happy Hopping!

Book Lover's Giveaway Hop (Int) Dec 2-6

Welcome to the Book Lover's Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and Kid Lit Frenzy. There are tons of stuff just waiting to be given away with over 200 blogs participating! Thank you to all who entered my last giveaway and I'm excited to be able offer this giveaway internationally.

The giveaway runs 2nd of Dec through midnight on the 6th.



Here's what you can win on my blog . . . an eBook of The Sapphire Flute: Book 1 of the Wolfchild Saga by Karen Hoover. Check out my review here. You won't want to miss this saga! Take a look at some sample chapters here.

Now, what do you have to do to enter? It's easy.

Mandatory

• Follow my blog and leave me a comment with an email

Optional

• Follow Karen Hoover's blog and leave me a comment telling me so
• Tweet about this giveaway and let me know you've done so
• Facebook about this giveaway and let me know
• (it would be helpful to have each comment separate, but not necessary)

Have fun and my Random.org be with you. :)

Book Review--Armor of Light

The Armor of Light by Karen Hoover is the second book in The Wolfchild Saga. I have to say that I enjoyed this one much more than the first book. Making a statement like that, I feel like I need to have a sure reason but I can't pinpoint one thing in particular. I loved the new characters introduced and found myself cheering for Ember and Kayla more than ever. The character development made me more attached to everyone. I could feel the heartache and the joy of each character. There were lots of twists and turns, some I expected, others I didn't but I'm sure excited to see where it goes from here. This is a book I can recommend to any and everyone who loves a new world full of intrigue, love, betrayal, and much more. It receives a :):):):):)

Here is a blurb taken from Amazon, a link to Karen's website and a sample chapter (if this isn't enough to get you hooked, I don't know what will!) from the book, as well as where you can get it (Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble). Let me know what you think!

Ember has been accepted into the mage academy, but not without cost. She has gained a new enemy, ancient and dark, whose entire purpose is to destroy all white magic and her along with it. After nearly losing her life in a brutal attack, DeMunth is assigned her guardian, and the keystone he wears, The Armor of Light, begins the transition that will make it a true power.

Kayla has lost most everything of importance to her—the people, the prestige, and all she fought for the past ten years. With nothing left to lose, she continues her search for the birthplace of The Sapphire Flute and the Wolfchild she believes to be its player. Her journey will take her to strange, foreign, and often dangerous places, and everything she had thought to be true will be proven wrong.

In a showdown full of betrayal and heroic loss, Ember and Kayla finally meet on the battlefield, fighting a war on two fronts—against C'Tan and her people, and the mysterious enemy bent on destroying all magic—the shadow weavers.

The story is full of power, betrayal, hope, and love. The elements of the universe are coming together, and none can know who will stand in the end.

Book Buzzin' and Review

I just finished a fabulous book by Karen Hoover, The Sapphire Flute, Book One in the Wolfchild Saga. This wonderful book has magic, shape shifting, dragons, mystery and intrigue. I loved the characters and they way things were woven together. I'm excited to see how this series plays out. I have my ideas, but love to be proven wrong!

Here's a treat too. I have the first chapter to L. C. Lewis' new book Awakening Avery. Have a read and let me know what you think! It didn't past very well, but here's the link to my facebook to read it.

Lots o' Stuff

Isn't it funny how quickly time flies and life just seems to keep moving forward whether you want it too or not. So, since I wasn't able to post more than once last week, this gets to be a long one!

1) It's a Super Spring Break Mary Kay Sale! From today (March 15) till midnight March 20 you can get up to 25% off your Mary Kay order. Here's how it works. Everyone automatically gets 15% off your purchase. You get another 5% off if you become a follower of my blog for a total of 20%(Those of you who are already followers automatically get the 5% plus a little something extra :) ). Then if I can get a total order of $250 or more (from everyone ordering between now and Saturday), I'll give everyone an additional 5% for a grand total of 25% off your order. So tell everyone, hope online, have fun doing a virtual makeover on my website, take a look at new colors and products for the spring and place an order! http://www.marykay.com/bonnie.andrus

2) Karen Hoover's book, The Sapphire Flute is available tomorrow!! YEAH!!!! :)

3) Here's a great book that was released in January. D. N. Giles aka Nichole Giles' The Sharp Edge of a Knife is based on a true story that sounds amazing. Here's the backliner for the book:

Most people would have panicked, sitting bound and gagged on a boulder in the middle of the desert as I was, but for some reason, I didn’t. A strange kind of reassurance washed over me from somewhere deep within. Whether it was peace that I’d go quickly, or comfort that I was being protected, I wasn’t sure.

Mel Petersen leaves for work on the morning of February 7, 1958, he has no idea what awaits him. A few miles from his house, Mel picks up a pair of young men who appear to be college students, hoping to prevent them from having to walk in the cold. What Mel doesn’t know is that the men are actually convicts on the run, who are desperate to get away by any means necessary.
When one of his passengers holds a knife to Mel’s throat, he has no choice but to submit to the demands of the criminals. Mel hopes he has what it takes to talk his captors into letting him live so he can return to his wife and children, but fears they will kill him before he has the chance.
Based on a true story, The Sharp Edge of a Knife follows Mel and his captors on an unforgettable ride that will have you questioning the depth of your faith and sitting on the edge of your seat as it grabs your attention from the first sentence and keeps you riveted until the very end.

For a sample chapter and more about the author take a look at her website and blog.
http://www.sharpedgeofaknife.blogspot.com/
http:/www.nicholegiles.blogspot.com/

4) Book Reviews
I've been reading through the Fablehaven (Fablehaven, Rise of the Evening Star, Grip of the Shadow Plague and Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuaries) series again by Brandon Mull. If you like magical creatures and all the havoc that can happen around them, this is a series for you. I discovered that I had read the first three around this time of year last year in preparation for the release of the fourth book. That explains why I remembered more about those three than the last one. For me, Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuaries was the best one. I loved the descriptions, the detail and the plot twists. I also really like the lessons that are learned by Seth throughout the series. Here are two quotes that really stuck out.

"I hate how my past actions keep messing up my future options," Seth muttered.
"Then you've started down the road to wisdom," Grandpa replied.

"Choices determine character."

Great lessons not matter the context. I'm excited for the conclusion that is coming out next week.

5) There was something else I had in mind that I would post about but of course I would remember it now. I'll just have to do another post later!

Life's a Journey! Enjoy the Ride!

Book Buzzin'

There are so many things running through my head right now and several that I want to post about. I was thinking I didn't want to have multiple subjects in a post, but with so much I'd like to say I'll just go ahead and do it.

1) On March 16th Karen Hoover's book The Wolfchild Saga: The Sapphire Flute is released. Karen is an amazing writer and person. I'm really excited for her release. I had the opportunity to listen to a reading by Karen at the LTUE conference in February and the book sounds amazing. (I tried to put a picture of her book cover here, but it didn't work out so well. You'll have to check it out on her website or the publishers website. Amazon doesn't have a picture up for her yet.) Here's her press release:

VALOR PUBLISHING GROUP, LLC
P.O. Box 2516 – Orem, UT 84059-2516
www.valorpublishinggroup.com

NEWS ITEM

VALOR PUBLISHING GROUP TOUTS OWN ‘J.K. ROWLING’ WITH RELEASE OF KAREN E. HOOVER’S, "THE WOLFCHILD SAGA: THE SAPPHIRE FLUTE"

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Justin Anderson Phone: 801-455-2824 Email: justin@valorpublishinggroup.com www.valorpublishinggroup.com
Orem, UT - 6 March 2010, Orem, UT -- Valor Publishing Group announces the release of Karen E. Hoover's highly anticipated book, The Wolfchild Saga: The Sapphire Flute. The young adult fantasy has already created a wave of interest in national blogging circuits, earning a modest Hoover the title of The New J.K. Rowling by Valor Publishing Group president, Candace E. Salima, who reaffirms her belief in the series' big screen possibilities, saying it has the potential to rival the Harry Potter series. "It is that good and we are so proud of Karen."

The Sapphire Flute - the first in seven of Karen E. Hoover's books in The Wolfchild Saga - takes readers on an unexpected and exciting journey through the eyes of two young heroines, Ember, a shape-shifter of secret origins and Kayla, a gifted musician who is the guardian of the precious flute. The girls' journeys are set on a collision course as they face difficult paths and discover their destinies are shaped by the Keepers who preside and maintain order in their world of magic.

"Hoover is very talented when it comes to bringing life to her characters, like a puppeteer to the marionette," says popular blogger, Elizabeth Mueller. "Karen has a vivid imagination and it is not difficult to follow the artistic weave of her words."
Karen E. Hoover resides in Utah with her husband and two sons. She will be signing copies of her first release at The Gateway Barnes & Noble in Salt Lake City, March 16, 2010 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
--more--
Pre-orders are being taken on the Valor Publishing Group website at www.valorpublishinggroup.com .
For interviews or to book speaking engagements with Karen E. Hoover, please contact her publicist, Justin Anderson: justin@valorpublishinggroup.com or call him at 801-455-2824.

She is currently having a contest as well. Her link is under my "Other People's Contests." Take a look!

2) It is Read and "E" Book week, something new that I didn't know existed. Marsha Ward's novels are 50% off on Smashwords.com. Just use coupon code RAE50 when checking out. http://is.gd/9UCqc Pretty interesting, but I like new, interesting things.

3) I've had the opportunity to be in several different classrooms this week and have found it very interesting to see which kids have been taught to take responsibility for their actions and who has not. Yes kids are head strong but most are. That doesn't mean they are not capable of understanding how to take responsibility for their actions.

When I had my own classroom, I tried to teach my 5 and 6 year olds that it wasn't Mom's responsibility to put their folder in their backpack every night. They could put it in or get the paper signed or show Mom or Dad their work. Don't wait until it's too late to teach children that. They are never to young to have some type of reasonable responsibility. In fact it helps them grow into a better person.

4) I was going to write more notes on the ANWA Conference, specifically those on Aprilynne Pike's, the author of Wings, class but I'm thinking a book is calling me to read a bit before I go to bed. I was very impressed with her and her road to being published. I learned a lot about her as a person and am more willing to read the rest of her books. Tomorrow, hopefully, I will share more on that.

Until then, Happy Reading! Life is a Journey, Enjoy the Ride! :)