Thursday, 10 July 2014

Throwback Thursday #28

This Meme is hosted by Melissa at My World in Words and Pages. Go to her blog and join us!

I blog about great looking new releases, new books sent to me for read and review, book reviews of what I've read and features about exciting new authors to try.

 But what about all the books that are already on my TBR, waiting for me to read them? Don't they deserve a mention and a chance to be highlighted? Yes they do!

Welcome to Throwback Thursday, where I will take the time to tell you about some of the books that have been on my shelves for a while and maybe a few of you will add them to your wishlists/tbrs. If you have read them, why not leave a comment to tell me what you thought of it-but no spoilers please! 


Reclusive outdoorsman, Jimmy Kerrigan, finds himself battling a vampiric plague which threatens to destroy Hobson's Valley, the isolated mountain community he calls home. When his family, friends and neighbours fall prey to the 'Fugue', Kerrigan is the only one who can save them and prevent the disease spreading beyond the remote town's boundaries.Kerrigan is uniquely equipped to deal with the outbreak. He carries a variant strain of Fugue enabling him to overcome and heal its victims. However, the nature of the illness ensures neither he nor those he hunts down are aware they're infected. After feeding on humans, the diseased forget their behaviour. Even Kerrigan, having confronted or neutralised a Fugue, is unable to recall his actions as guardian of Hobson's Valley. The lineage of Fugue Hunters has always been able to reverse an outbreak but not this time; someone wants the disease to spread and, in combination with a mutation of the virus, Kerrigan realises he may not be strong enough to contain it.

Children of the night...beware In the darkness of an abandoned building in Portrush, well beyond the reach of the sun, two vampires have made their home. Claire and Xavier have risen from their underground slumber to feast upon the all the new millennium has to offer. But the twenty-first century is not all they had hoped for and there seems to be a shortage of vampires... but they can rectify that. Christian Warke has been searching for almost twenty years for the creature that killed his wife and destroyed his life. Driven by vengeance and fuelled by whiskey, he will not rest until he drives a stake into the heart of the creature called Xavier. Their paths are about to cross. During the next seven days mysteries will be solved, allies will be made, battles will be fought and blood will be spilled under the light of a new dawn. Sometimes, death is just the beginning.

Marcus, Becky, Richard, Helen, Sammy, and Graham. All complete strangers, different ages, backgrounds and even countries, but they all have one major thing in common…they all must DIE.
Sentenced to offer their penance in the many chambers of Hell, their lives are nothing but a torturous experience. They are brought face to face with their past, their mistakes and the implications that had for others. Until one by one they are rescued and thrown together. Walking in a dying world, they are introduced to their rescuers who do anything but conform to their angelic stereotype. Together, bonded by an unknown destiny the group is set on their quest; to find one individual buried deep within the many Hell worlds. Not only does the fate of their world rest on their shoulders, but that of existence itself.
Heaven and Hell, Angels and Demons, these things were once considered opposites, but what happens when they become neighbors, allies…friends?
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Monday, 7 July 2014

Book Blitz: Coral & Bone by Tiffany Daune


Coral & Bone by Tiffany Daune
Publication date: July 7th 2014
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Synopsis:
Halen knows the sparks igniting under her fingertips are dangerous. She has spent her entire life trying to quell the tingly feelings that make her destroy things, but now that she is back in Rockaway Beach, where she watched her father drown, the flames have become impossible to tame.

Halen is trying to hold on, but when she is thrust into a mysterious new world, the underwater realm of Elosia, she unravels the secrets of her past and can't help but ignite. As she explores Elosia, she realizes her life has been a lie. And when those who have deceived her come to her for help, Halen must choose—walk away or unleash the magick that could destroy them all.


AUTHOR BIO
I write stories about magick, love and dark creatures lurking in the shadows. When I'm not lost in Edit Land you can find me reading a book from my towering TBR pile or at the movie theater nibbling licorice. I don't have a lucky number, but my favorite time is 11:11. I completely believe that the fortunes found inside cookies will come true and that you must be careful when wishing on stars. I live on an island, so if you want to visit you'll need a boat, and if you want to survive the passage, be sure to bring candy for the mermaids.  

Author links: 
 
Can you tell me a little bit about your book and what inspired it?
I love mermaids and magick, so I thought why not bring them together. Of course I couldn't leave out shape shifters and sirens. I love fantasy realms and worlds. Heck my husband says I live in one, so why not write about one. Coral & Bone is set in the Earth realm and the underwater realm of Elosia. Coral & Bone is a meld of all my years of watching Disney movies and thrillers.
The Etlins in Coral & Bone are shifters. If you could be a shifter what animal would you want to be and why?
A crow because they are wickedly smart and eerie.

Coral & Bone is filled with magick and spells. If you could cast magick what would your first spell be?
I could have a lot of fun with magick. First, I would make sure no kids ever went to school hungry. So many kids start their day without breakfast because they can't afford it. I don't know how they can enjoy the school day with a rumbly tummy. I would cast a feast spell, so whenever they got up in the morning there would always be food on the table.

When did you know that you wanted to write professionally and how did you take the leap to get into the business? 
I started writing with the intent of publishing five years ago. I faced a lot of rejection letters, but I kept submitting and writing, until I received my first contract for Surface. Unfortunately, my publisher closed, and I had to start over. So, instead of resubmitting Surface, I wrote Coral & Bone and decided to self-publish.

Your first book SURFACE was published with a traditional publisher and CORAL & BONE was self-published, did you enjoy self-publishing and would you do it again?
There are pros and cons to both methods. A lot of writers are choosing a blended method and I think that's a great way to go. I loved every bit of the process, but it was a lot of work. I was fortunate to have a great team of women working on Coral & Bone. I was blessed to have Alix Reid as an editor. She worked for Harper Collins for 12 years, and then the very talented Nathalia Suellen created the cover. Lastly, Tamara Cribley designed the inside. With this team, I would definitely do it again.

What book is currently on your nightstand? And who are some of your favorite authors?
I have five on my nightstand right now. I'm currently lost in the pages of Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I could never pick just one, but I a few of my faves are Alyson Noel, Tehereh Mafi, Holly Black, Casandra Clare, John Green, and Kendare Blake.

What is next on your to read list?
I want to finish Looking for Alaska by John Green. I was busy with Coral & Bone edits when I started reading it and I had to take it back to the library before I could finish. I may just buy this one.

Why mermaids?
You know when someone reads you a story as a child and it sticks with you forever? Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid was that story for me. I love the original and I adore the Disney version. But, it wasn't until I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides did I find my mermaid muse for Coral & Bone.

If you could meet one of your characters in real life, who would it be and why?
Halen. Then I could apologize for all the crap I put her through. I'm not done with her yet, so she may need a hug.
 
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Saturday, 5 July 2014

Stacking the Shelves #40


Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews
Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!
              
I have been offline due to my mum's recent death from cancer and it's been a struggle to get myself back into a routine and start blogging again. Details about it can be found in my blog post from earlier this week:
 
So today I'm trying to upload details about books I've got from the last couple of weeks-downloads and bought paperbacks. I will try to visit some of your blogs in the next few days though it might take me until later in the week to get to everyone.
 
FREE DOWNLOADS:
  

BOUGHT DOWNLOADS:

RECEIVED AS TRADE:

BOUGHT PAPERBACKS:
  

 
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Friday, 4 July 2014

Throwback Thursday #27

This Meme is hosted by Melissa at My World in Words and Pages. Go to her blog and join us!

I blog about great looking new releases, new books sent to me for read and review, book reviews of what I've read and features about exciting new authors to try.

 But what about all the books that are already on my TBR, waiting for me to read them? Don't they deserve a mention and a chance to be highlighted? Yes they do!

Welcome to Throwback Thursday, where I will take the time to tell you about some of the books that have been on my shelves for a while and maybe a few of you will add them to your wishlists/tbrs. If you have read them, why not leave a comment to tell me what you thought of it-but no spoilers please! 

 I'm back online today after a long break so I'm getting back into my routine by posting this meme even though it's a day late.



They took everything: her family, her home, her childhood.

By the age of nineteen, Raven has spent most of her life in the sprawling slums of America, fighting as a rebel against the dictatorship. When the rebellion steals an experimental time-travel device, she travels back five decades to the year 2013. Her plan: assassinate the future dictator when he is still young and vulnerable, long before he comes to power. She must move fast to reshape history, because agents from her own time are on her trail, ready to execute her on sight.





Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth... but he is not alone. Every other man, woman and child on the planet has become a vampire, and they are hungry for Neville's blood.

By day he is the hunter, stalking the undead through the ruins of civilisation. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for the dawn.

How long can one man survive like this?

Time is slipping away....

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?


  
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Back online after the worst week of my life

I am back from an enforced break due to family issues. Many of you you read my Stacking the Shelves posts or are friends/group members on Goodreads etc will know that my Mum went into hospital in December and was diagnosed with stomach and liver cancer in January. Chemotherapy was attempted in February and March but was halted after three sessions because she was getting too weak to cope with it. A spell in hospital at Easter followed due to a bladder infection, and she was returned to hospital in May with similar problems. I did a blog post about the trauma we went through when she started getting confused and agitated, not knowing where she was or who we were. The doctors said that time was up and Mum shocked them a few days later by coming out of it as if nothing had happened.

 Well, three weeks ago my mum was given the all clear to come home. So the hospital started ordering delivery of special hospital bed/table, care workers, panic alarms and a pile of other things. It meant moving my dad's bed and all other furniture down to the living room and him sleeping on the couch until we could get that furniture over to his brothers house for storage. We were concerned during these few days as to our eyes and the eyes of the nurses, she became weaker and started to show signs of the confusion and agitation again. The doctors still wanted to send her home. Once all the equipment was delivered on the Monday, the doctors decided on the Thursday that not only was she not getting home, she was entering the 'end of life' stage. So now we had to arrange the removal of all that equipment on June 23rd. This was complicated by the fact that from the 23rd-27th, we had workmen in to remodel the bathroom. So all the bathroom and kitchen furniture had to be moved to let them in to the water mains and electrical boxes. We had the fun of all this while trying to take shifts at the hospital to sit with my mum in her final days. On the night of the 24th, we were called to the hospital as the end was close. On the night of the 25th she died in hospital. Despite knowing it was coming, my dad, uncle and I were devastated. The funeral was yesterday.

 I'm struggling to cope with her death and I still have to tackle the tasks of clearing out clothes and possessions and old photos which I can't face yet but I'll need to get on with it. During this period I've only made two blog posts-book blitz committments that I signed up to. Now I feel I need to try and get back into a routine and re-connect with my friends online who I've neglected recently and start blogging and tweeting again. 

 Thank you to all of you who have supported me through all the stages of mum's illness. Thank you to everyone who took the time to send a message of support or said a prayer for us. It has been a comfort to our family.
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