You know how it is, you've had a really crap week and all you want to do is make yourself feel a bit better by giving yourself a little treat. Maybe it was a wishlist book, a game to play on your console, clothes, dvd or something a bit quirky or expensive. Welcome to Chuckles Little Treats where I plan to tell you about the non book treats that I've received from someone or treated myself to. Have you received something good this week too?
Ok I've been lazing in front of the TV this last week or so and took in a few classic films that I haven't watched in years and forgot how much I enjoyed them! Yes I've got a bit of an Al Pacino theme going this week as I bought the beautiful digitally restored boxset dvd of The Godfather trilogy, and the dvd of Scarface. The Godfather is just classic and shows Al Pacino at his very best. I love watching his character harden as the film progresses and the ruthlessness in him in the second film is well matched by his grief and humanity in the third as he seeks redemption. In Scarface, his psychotic, manic portrayal of Tony Montana is awesome and seriously, doesn't he look HOT???
*wipes sweating brow* So of course I decided to treat myself to a couple of other related items just for fun! First we have the very cool Godfather hoodie, and a Tony Montana bobblehead! OK say it with me, you know you want to...'say hello to my little friend!'
When newlyweds Abby and Rob awaken, the power is out, the neighborhood is covered in snow, and the house is freezing. They'll soon find out that the storm is the least of their worries.
Somewhere outside, something else is lurking. Waiting for the chance to strike...
My Review:
Abby wakes in the middle of the night to see that the power and heating
are off and a blizzard storm is raging outside. The neighbours are
already leaving despite it being the middle of the night and Abby thinks
they should leave too...but it is too late and something outside is
waiting...
Rob and Abby are having their first winter since
moving to New England and they are suffering for not getting prepared
earlier. They have no wood burner or working fireplace, no chopped
firewood, no back up generator, no SUV to cope with winter conditions
and few supplies. Now when they need to get away from the freezing
house, they find their car is not going to get them to safety. Rob is a
bit of an idiot who prefers scaring his wife during the storm to helping
her deal with the situation. Abby isn't the sharpest tool in the box
though-if you are trying to leave to head to 'some hotel' in a dodgy car
for the snow conditions, you'd take food, extra blankets etc with you
instead of leaving it all behind!
Abby is nervous and with good
reason, as it isn't the storm that is going to be the real danger.
Something is stalking them and a few flimsy doors will not keep it out.
When the beast shows itself, Abby is in real danger and has to try to
outsmart it to stay alive and find help.
I liked the way that the
story was written. The author conveys Abby's fear and paranoia nicely,
and builds up the tension of the building storm and the fear of what is
stalking them in a slow but steady way which fulls you into the story. I
liked the plot and Abby was a normal woman that you can easily relate
to. When the beast is stalking her she keeps changing her mind about
what to do, where to go, repeating mistakes, feeling confused...and I
think it fits the story, even if you want to yell at her in frustration
at times!
It is also a clever story and it has a couple of things
that made it different from the usual werewolf horror story. I'm afraid
I can't give you a hint because it would ruin things for you. Sorry,
you'll have to read it to find out, and with it being free to grab on
Amazon, there's no reason not to try it!
More than a million
books are self-published each year, and most disappear into the ether,
seen by only a few. So, how do you self-publish your book and have it
make a ripple in this giant self-publishing pond?
Designed for
use by both the beginner and moderately experienced person, The
Self-Publishing Road Map offers practical guidance to make your
self-publishing journey a success. The book discusses how to ready your
book for publication, where and how to publish online, how to get
reviews, and how to market your title. This book gives you all the steps
you need to successfully complete your self-publishing goals.
This
isn't a get-rich-quick book, or a promise of untold riches. This is
practical advice that pays off what you put into it. If you're ready to
start your self-publishing journey, or already started and want somebody
to ride shotgun and navigate, this is the book for you. Buckle up. It's
time to go!
Where can I buy this book?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00SSK3G14/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_uk-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738
http://www.amazon.com/The-Self-Publishing-Road-Map-Journey-ebook/dp/B00SSK3G14/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8
About the Author!
R.J. Crayton grew up in
Illinois and now lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. She is
the author of the Life First series of novels, which includes Life
First and Second Life. Prior to writing fiction, Crayton was a
journalist, writing for newspapers, including the Wichita Eagle and
Kansas City Star. Crayton also worked for several trade publications,
including Solid Waste Report, Education Technology News, and Campus
Crime. Her first novels were published in 2013. The third novel in the
Life First series, and a short story collection (Four Mothers), will be
released in 2014. Crayton is a monthly contributor to the Indies
Unlimited blog (http://www.indiesunlimited.com/author...) and a regular contributor to the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies blog (http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/bio/cr...).
When she's not writing, Crayton spends her time being a ninja mom
(stealthy and ultra cool, like moms should be) to her son and daughter.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7111348.R_J_Crayton
http://rjcrayton.com/
https://www.facebook.com/rjcraytonauthor
http://rjcrayton.tumblr.com/
https://www.pinterest.com/rjcrayton/
https://plus.google.com/100148365017122584860/posts
https://twitter.com/rjcrayton
Have you read these great books by RJ Crayton?
Strong-willed Kelsey Reed must escape tonight or tomorrow her government will take her kidney and give it to someone else.
In
this future forged by survivors of pandemics that wiped out 80 percent
of the world's population, life is valued above all else. The government
of "Life First" requires the mentally ill to be sterilized, outlaws
abortions and sentences to death those who refuse to donate an organ
when told.
Determined not to give up her kidney, Kelsey enlists
the help of her boyfriend Luke and a dodgy doctor to escape. The trio
must disable the tracking chip in her arm for her to flee undetected. If
they fail, Kelsey will be stripped of everything.
"The plot was really
well worked with lots of twists and surprises that keep you hooked.
There was depth, drama, tension and action in this book that I didn't
expect. The storytelling was done beautifully, and you can't help but
care what happens to everyone involved."
-Chuckles Book Cave
Susan Harper is being
held captive by her government in this romantic thriller, Second Life.
As the normally feisty Susan’s hopes of freedom dwindle, a mysterious
stranger sneaks into her room and promises to help her.
Susan
and mystery man Rob grow close as he tries to orchestrate her escape.
When the duo discovers the truth behind Susan’s captivity, they realize
she is in grave danger, and they must act quickly. Susan and Rob will
need more than passion for each other and their wits to succeed. They
will need help from old friends, including Kelsey Reed.
In the previous book, Life First, Susan gave Kelsey a chance at a second life. But now will she get a chance at her own?
When Kelsey Reed fled
her country to escape a forced kidney transplant, she was sure she’d
never return. However, when her brother-in-law shows up on her doorstep,
he commits an act of betrayal that changes everything.
Forced to
head back to the nation that wants her dead, Kelsey will need the help
of her husband Luke, and friends Susan and Rob to escape this new
nightmare.
Four stories. Four mothers. Four crises. One great read. Sometimes, a mother’s flaws are dangerous.
Nobody
is perfect at being a mother, and that is especially true for the
mothers featured in this short story collection. While the stories span
genres, they all touch on the condition of motherhood. In each story, we
meet a mother as she deals with a real or perceived crisis and her
flaws emerge. In Almost Perfect, Bitsy’s flaw causes her to take a truly
horrendous action, proving that it’s not just stepmothers who are
wicked. Tilda, the mother we meet in As Luck Would Have It, exudes luck
from every pore, but she has flawed expectations that may end up shaping
her daughter’s reality. Felicity is relishing her overbearing husband’s
absence on a business trip, when her Two-Day Break suddenly turns into a
nightmare. In The Beads, Iram is living a nightmare -- a child in a
coma after nearly choking to death -- when something happens that
affects her entire outlook. Also included in the collection is a bonus
story, Lynch Party, about a mother who has a different perspective on
what makes a great party activity.
So the Horror Month of March has come to an end! I had big plans to read a ton of books and while I'm pleased at what I got finished, I'm annoyed at losing about 8 days of reading to a reading slump caused by insomnia. It was frustrating! I did finish the month with a couple of strong days filled with reading short stories and novellas. So *drumroll* and this is what I managed to finish this month!
Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop where we will post about one book
per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added
(it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist
and onto our wonderful shelves. Hosted by http://www.pentopaperblog.com/
OK
I can sum this up in one word...WANT! I've always enjoyed these
anthologies, giving us a chance to hang out with all the Otherworld gang
even when there are no more novels to come. The one downside is having
to wait until January 2016 for release!
The next Otherworld anthology from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong
More than a decade after Kelley Armstrong first opened the doors to the
Otherworld, fans are still clamoring for more. In response to their
demands—and to coincide with the Syfy Network show based on the
series—Plume has signed up three Otherworld anthologies, each of which
revolves around a different theme. The second in the trilogy, Otherworld Secrets,
features fan-favorites such as Cassandra, Savannah, and Adam in rare
and never before- published short stories—plus a brand new novella. Fans
old and new will flock to this mystery-themed volume to discover the
deepest secrets of this captivating world.
