Thursday, January 31, 2013

Book Release Blitz: Identity Crisis by Grace Marshall


I am pleased to announce the new release of author Grace Marshall's book, the second in the series The Executive Decisions Trilogy 



Identity Crisis by Grace Marshall

Blurb:

Reclusive romance novelist Tess Delaney is the alter ego of Garrett Thorne, bad-boy brother of business tycoon Ellison Thorne. When Tess is nominated for the Golden Kiss Award, Garrett recruits PR specialist, Kendra Davis, to keep his secret and be Tess for the awards despite their mutual animosity. But when Tess is stalked by a rabid fan, an identity crisis is eclipsed by a battle for survival, and Tess Delaney, the woman who doesn’t exist, just might understand Kendra and Garrett’s hearts even better than they do.

Available from:

Other links will be added here as they become available: 



*****
Excerpt:
Garrett felt like a naughty teenager as they sneaked out the back door, through the gate of the privacy fence and down the alley. He wore a shapeless track suit with the black hoodie pulled up over his head and a scruffy pair of Converse sneakers that weren’t exactly meant for dancing. And Kendra, well she hardly looked ratty, in his opinion. She wore low rider jeans, and where they weren’t hugging her body like a second skin, they were full of threadbare, flesh revealing holes. The black sweat top she wore was cut short enough to show a tantalizing flash of her navel and hips bones when she moved just right. It slid off one shoulder to reveal the thin lacy strap of a red bra. She wore all of her russet locks tucked up under a leather beret. Her fashion statement was topped off with black ankle boots. She looked very, very dangerous. And hot. Of course she didn’t need to dress the part for either, he thought. He was already certain on both counts.

‘You live a little closer to The Boiling Point than Dee does.’ She took his hand and nodded to where the alley T’ed with the street, and then gave way to the park on the other side. ‘She never goes there, of course. Well she did once, but that was just for Harris, then he hated it.’ She giggled. ‘God I wish I could have been there for that.’

‘Am I going to hate it?’ he asked.

She shook her head. ‘Probably not. You’re much more of a bad boy than Harris is, or is that all an act?’

The long line of shiny chrome Harleys out front of the squat cinder block building gave Garrett the first clue that this was not Dancing with the Stars. Kendra waved them away absently. ‘The Boiling Point’s not really a biker bar, but it’s kind of the warm-up act, I suppose you could say. Lots of bikers start off here before they head on to their usual haunts. Makes for an exciting mix. Later in the night there are almost no bikers. But there are always lots of interesting people.’

Any other time, Garrett would have been up for meeting interesting people, but tonight he couldn’t imagine anyone interesting him more than the woman on his arm. He paid the fee at the door and a surly man the size of small house with fire-engine hair and a scruffy beard stamped their hands with a red ink TBP.

Inside a live band had just begun to play to a full, but not yet crowded house. ‘The place gets raided from time to time,’ Kendra said. ‘I don’t know what all goes on. I just come here because it’s interesting.’

‘A good raid and us carted off to the police station will really give the press something to talk about,’ Garrett observed.

‘Don’t worry,’ she yelled to be heard above the band’s bass-heavy version of Highway to Hell. ‘They just got raided last week. They’ll be good to go for a while now. We can relax and enjoy ourselves.’ She pulled him onto the dance floor. ‘Best dance while there’s room. In a few hours it’ll be a real tit squeeze.’

Kendra Davis was just as stunning dark and dangerous as she was golden and romantic, as she was naked in his kitchen, and she definitely knew how to move on the dance floor. But it made Garrett more than a little nervous that he wasn’t the only one who seemed to be noticing the way the woman could shake her booty. He thought about asking her to try not to draw to much attention to herself, but he wasn’t even sure it was possible for Kendra Davis not to draw attention.

The place smelled of leather and beer, and sweat. Already there was a thick haze of pheromones invisible to the eye, but everyone there breathed them it, gave them off and reveled in the dark anticipation of what the night might bring. The look in Kendra’s eyes was bright and wicked, like she would do anything, try anything, like all the boundaries were suddenly negotiable.

And fuck, as amazing as she was like that, as much as he wanted to lose himself in the place, in the experience, there was no way he could keep from thinking about who might be watching her in that crowd, about who might be waiting for just the perfect opportunity.

As though she were reading his mind, she pulled him to her with a hand curled around his neck and spoke against his ear. ‘Oh would you relax, Garrett. Do you really think this is the kind of hang-out Tess Delaney would frequent?’

Then she slid both arms around his neck and let him pull her into a deep, hungry kiss. When it ended with an aggressive flick of his tongue, she offered a throaty giggle. ‘Marking territory, are we?’ Before he had a chance to respond, she returned the favor, plunging her tongue in deep, and tightening a fist in his hair to pull him closer.

He moved a hand to the small of her back and gave her the full frontal rub-up, enough to be sure she knew she’d gotten his cock’s attention. ‘You see where this is leading if you keep that up?’

She pulled away and gave his crotch some breathing room as the music settled into a heavy metal beat that filled the dance floor with lots of heavily booted bikers and their spandex and leather women. Garrett was surprised to find more than a few men in pressed jeans and designer polo shirts bellied up to the bar in the mix that looked like it was probably mostly low-brow. He wasn’t the only man who looked like he’d just come from a work out at the corner gym and Kendra’s shredded jeans seemed to be the fashion statement of more than a few women among a smattering of Goth and grunge and plain old red-neck jeans and tee-shirts with baseball caps.

With each song the band played, the dance floor became fuller and fuller. The strobe light flashed and the disco ball bathed the floor in sparkles as people rocked and strutted and sweated, and it became more and more difficult to tell who was dancing with whom. Garrett was about to grab Kendra by the hand and reel her back in so they could stay connected when a biker in a ZZ Top tee-shirt that smelled like an ashtray and looked like it might have been painted across his bulging pecs managed to slide in between them, turn his back on Garrett, and focus his full attention on Kendra. And suddenly all Garrett could see was his broad back.

‘Kendra,’ he called, but his voice was drowned out in the roar of Def Leppard. And that might have been okay if the man hadn’t been so fucking big. Kendra was certainly entitled to dance with whomever she liked. But he couldn’t see her. He fucking couldn’t see her! Not even her feet between the man’s shuffling boots. ‘Kendra!’ He called again. Louder this time. That at least got the man’s attention, but when he turned to see what Garrett wanted, and he could see beyond the biker’s bulk, Kendra was not there! The woman the man was dancing with had cropped blonde hair and a leather bustier several sizes too small.

‘Kendra!’ Garrett called out, louder this time, shoving his way past the biker, who pulled the blonde to him protectively. Frantically Garrett scanned the burgeoning crowd on the dance floor, scanned the women with hats. There were cowboy hats, police hats, even a few stocking caps, but there were just too many people, too many lights, too much noise. In his mind he could only think of Razor Sharp’s horrid email and Kendra’s response to it. Why the hell hadn't he forced the issue? Why the hell hadn't he made her tell him why she was so upset, made her tell him about the stalker Dee had mentioned. And fuck! Why had he let her talk him into bringing her here?

*****

About the Author

Grace Marshall lives in South England with her husband and the growing gang of hooligan birds who frequent their feeders. When Grace isn't busy writing something sexy and romantic, she’s busy digging in her ever-expanding veg garden or walking across the British countryside. She finds inspiration outdoors in nature, and most of her best story ideas come to her while she’s walking or gardening.
Grace is the author of the fast paced, quirky Executive Decisions Trilogy  published by Xcite Romance. The first and second novels in the trilogy are out now.

Grace Marshall’s alter-ego, K D Grace, writes critically acclaimed, best-selling erotic romance. Whether it’s sexy romance or romantic sex, between The Graces, there’s a story for you.



Find Grace here:

            

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Double Helix: Perfection Unleashed by Jade Kerrion. Interview and Review








Interview Questions:
1.       Where did the idea come from for the book?
Genetic manipulation and bio engineering is the least discussed scientific revolution that is taking place today. Scientists are creating clones of animals, hybrid creatures that have never existed before, enhancing animal genes (including glow-in-the-dark puppies) and bionic robots. My novel propels readers into the “next step” and into a world that has been transformed by the Genetic Revolution, a world where clones, in-vitros, and mutants exist. It explores the societal implications when the definition of “humanity” comes under assault.
2.       What genre does your book fall under?
Technically, it fits under science fiction. However, the story takes place in a fairly contemporary setting, and people who enjoy urban fantasy or action/adventures are likely to enjoy Perfection Unleashed too.
3.       Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Oh, I love this question!
Galahad is the perfect human being who was raised in a laboratory for twenty five years. He becomes the catalyst of social turmoil in a world uneasily populated by humans, in vitros, clones, and mutants. His escape is especially devastating for Danyael Sabre, the alpha empath who survived a traumatic childhood and struggled to make something of his life, only to learn that his genetic code was used as Galahad’s physical template.
To play both Galahad and Danyael, we need an actor who can depict both Galahad’s wide-eyed innocence as well as Danyael’s world-weariness. Physical beauty is a prerequisite, of course. My pick for Galahad and Danyael is Orlando Bloom.
Zara Itani is a sensual Lebanese-Venezuelan assassin with very few scruples and a compassionate streak that she works very hard to conceal beneath exquisitely cultivated indifference. She’s a joy to watch in hand-to-hand combat, and you really don’t want her to pull a gun or dagger on you.
In Perfect Weapon, I wrote of Zara, “On a normal day, Zara could wreak more havoc with love than most people could with hate.” Yes, that’s her–trouble incarnate. No one else would have freed the perfect human being from his laboratory prison on little more than a whim. She is the daughter you would not wish on yourself, your best friends, and most especially not on your worst enemies.
More important than physical beauty (although Zara is beautiful) is attitude. My pick for Zara is Kate Beckinsale.
Mu Xin is the clone of Fu Hao, a 1,200 BC Chinese queen, military warlord, and high priestess. Her desert tomb was unearthed by archaeologists in 1976 and Xin was cloned from the remnants of Fu Hao’s DNA. Xin is among the first of the historic clones, and is considered a national treasure. She works for the US government as an analyst in the National Security Agency, but moonlights on the side as a hacker extraordinaire. She is brilliant but low-key, and appears content to play the role of Zara’s reliable sidekick.
Still, Xin’s genes were derived from a powerful and charismatic woman who rose from the lowly role of a concubine to become a queen, military warlord, and high priestess. What lurks behind Xin’s unflappable calm, and when will the real Xin show up to claim her genetic birthright?
The one absolute requirement for Mu Xin is that she’s Chinese (for obvious reasons.) Beyond that, I wanted an actress who looks like she could have been a superwoman from ancient China. My pick for Xin is Zhang Ziyi.
Miriya Templeton is an alpha telepath and an enforcer with the Mutant Affairs Council, the preeminent mutant rights organization in the US. In contrast to her petite stature, she is confident to the point of arrogance. She learns quickly that no amount of arrogance or confidence will get her through the kind of chaos Galahad’s escape unleashes upon society.
The biggest issue I have with casting an actress for Miriya is that I wrote her as a petite person. Do you know any petite, short actresses? No, me neither. No worries. I’m good at compromise. My pick for Miriya is Dakota Fanning.
And finally, Lucien Winter is a wealthy philanthropist who saved Danyael, the alpha empath, from the ruins of his childhood. Danyael has since come into his own strength, but habits are hard to break. Lucien’s unshakeable friendship still anchors Danyael’s emotional stability.
For Lucien, I wanted an actor who could look like he was born not just with the silver spoon, but with the whole place setting in his mouth. My pick for Lucien Winter is Armie Hammer.
4.       What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Perfection meets his imperfect origins and all hell breaks loose.
5.       Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I did send my manuscript to a few agents, but in the end, I decided against going down that route. It’s important for me to retain creative control over my series. I recruited beta readers, and hired an exceptional editor and cover artist. Writing is occasionally a solitary path, but publishing is very much a team effort.
6.       How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It took about three months to get to a solid first draft. That included a major overhaul of the ending after a beta reader (who is also an author) told me frankly that the ending sucked. After I sulked over it for half a day, I realized she was right and ripped out 40,000 words and rewrote the ending.
7.       What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
The Double Helix series is most frequently compared to X-Men, in part because it deals with genetic manipulation and mutants. It’s also occasionally compared to the Heroes and Alpha TV series.
8.       Who or What inspired you to write this book?
I hold my husband wholly responsible. For years prior, I’d been writing fan fiction and had built quite a large fan base. Fan fiction, as I’m sure you know, isn’t publishable for copyright reasons. My husband, who remains my biggest fan, finally pushed me into writing my “own” story. I took the plunge with NaNoWriMo 2010, and haven’t looked back since.
9.       What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Well, Perfection Unleashed has won up several awards, including a Royal Palm Literary Award and a Next Generation Indie Award. Reviewers have enjoyed its in-depth character development, its page-turning action, and the originality of its vision. For the duration of my blog tour (through March 1st), Perfection Unleashed is on sale for $0.99, so now would be a good time to check out the book that launched the Double Helix series. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

 Author Bio:

Jade Kerrion unites cutting-edge science and bioethics with fast-paced action in her award-winning Double Helix series. Perfection Unleashed and its sequels, Perfect Betrayal and Perfect Weapon, have been described as “a breakout piece of science fiction” and drawn rave reviews for their originality and vision. Her latest novel, When the Silence Ends, is a Young Adult spinoff the Double Helix series.



About The Double Helix series: 

His genetic code sourced from the best that humanity offers, Galahad embodies the pinnacle of perfection. When Zara Itani, a mercenary whose abrasive arrogance exceeds her beauty, frees him from his laboratory prison, she offers him the chance to claim everything that had ever been denied him, beginning with his humanity.

Perfection cannot be unleashed without repercussions, and Galahad’s freedom shatters Danyael Sabre’s life.

An alpha empath, Danyael is rare and coveted, even among the alpha mutants who dominate the Genetic Revolution. He wields the power to heal or kill with a touch, but craves only privacy and solitude—both impossible dreams for the man who was used as Galahad’s physical template.

Galahad and Danyael, two men, one face. One man seeks to embrace destiny, and the other to escape it.



The award-winning Double Helix series, consisting of Perfection Unleashed, Perfect Betrayal, and Perfect Weapon, will challenge your notions of perfection and humanity, and lead you in a celebration of courage and compassion. Science fiction, urban fantasy, and action-adventure readers will enjoy this thrilling roller-coaster ride as it twists and turns through a world transformed by the Genetic Revolution.

Social media and buy links:

Connect with Jade Kerrion: 
Perfection Unleashed:
Perfect Betrayal: 
Perfect Weapon: 
When the Silence Ends: 

~*~*~

BACKUP LINKS (if, for some reason, the links above do not transfer through a simple cut and paste)

Social Media Links

Perfection Unleashed
Apple iTunes: http://bit.ly/XyYiGt
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/Vrmz0Q

Perfect Betrayal
Apple iTunes: http://bit.ly/UcfbEt
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/V60wWZ

Perfect Weapon
Apple iTunes: http://bit.ly/U8avyA
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/UQyYqE

When the Silence Ends

My Review of the First Book
Perfection Unleashed
5 Stars

The best Sci- Fi I have read for the year thus far. Its interesting and intriguing story twisted with the ever changing line keeping you well entertained and guessing till the very end.
The cliff hanger at the end, did not leave you breathless wondering, but it did give you the sense of more to come. Wanting to read the next book in the Double Helix series, Perfect Betrayal.
The story unfolds as you learn about Galahad, the perfect human being. Breathless in beauty. Perfect human. But when his template enters, Danyael Sabre then the story line gets a whole lot of meaning. The mutant alpha empath the center of the book. So wrapped in his struggle to survive, to live for another day that I really felt sorry for him on so many levels. His keen sense of protecting those he love, his failures just to stand up again and do what is necessary to save the day. Compassion and empathy drained him to the point of exhaustion to be betrayed by the most brutal villain I have ever seen. Shielding emotions, using them as weapons. The most basic things that makes us human or not. Interesting plot to this good read.
I could strangle Roland Rakehell with my bare hands. But I will stop there and not disclose to much of the story that I enjoyed. And can recommend to all Sci-Fi readers. You will not be dissapointed.
We are introduced to Lucien his best friend and Xin, an computer whiz. Zara a warrior scared of nothing but really at times hard to like. But it enhanced the story line greatly, giving it much depth. Miriya that was truly understanding the layers of Danyael's character. Helping and supporting him in silence.
The abominations that killed and destroyed everything in its path and at the end surprised you with their care.
Each person developed with their own unique qualities enhancing the plot as it unfolds into the sinister world of DNA enhancements, creating new human beings as it goes along.
I can see why the author choose the actors on my question and I have to agree they would be a perfect fit.
Thank you for a great read.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Reasons for Hatred Book Tour and Review


Title: Reason for Hatred
Author: J.E, Thomas
Pages: 137
Published: Outskirts Press
Genre: Christian

Based on True Events


About The Book

This a story based on true events. It’s about two best friends who were separated during their childhood. The spotlight then zooms in on Hadassah; during their adult reunion, she divulges the painful moments of the sexual abuse, murder and death that occurred in her life during her adolescence. It is a story about an ordinary person faced with extraordinary trauma and how she came to forgive and learned to embrace wholeness.


About The Author

Bio Hadassah Thomas Martin is a high-spirited woman of faith who was born in Los Angeles and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.  She trained with Precept Ministries and became a certified trainer in “How to study the Bible”. She is also an active member of the Fellowship of International Christian Word Of Faith Ministries (FICWFM).  She is the founder of “Keep It Real Ministries” which is a non-profit organization whose mission is to conduct local bible studies which teach people how to continuously live in the reality of God’s Word; regardless of their experience.
Being an “at risk youth” herself, Hadassah has overcome insurmountable obstacles. She is a bright light to women who have suffered abuse and a vital assistant in producing overcomers.
She has a passion for people and teaches youth, men and woman how to fight to win!
As a true worshipper and Intercessor, she boldly believes that NOTHING is too hard for God!
In spite of the multiple challenges we face, she believes the greatness which is inside us all, can be extracted, developed and targeted to reach its designed purpose.
Her Focus: to express qualities that bring inspiration to others. Her motto is “We Always Triumph!”
Her inspiring influence, and her down to earth, “Keep It Real” style are certain to leave an indelible impression.

  
Order your copy


Link to purchase book on her website:


Contact: 

My  5 Star Review

This lady really need a medal, Hadassah Martin walked the road of self destruction when she hated a man so much that she was contemplating his death. But God works. Never stops to lift us from our death grip, darkened road to bring us into His marvelous Light. He is always faithful to help us, guiding us with patience and understanding, amplifying His precious gift in our lives. 

An amazing tale unfolds as two friends met on a cruise ship after Thirty Two years of separation  recapturing the life of Hadassah in a remarkable and gripping recollection of her teenage years and the man who impacted her life and that of her mother in a destructive whirl of manipulation, deceit, lies, rape, prostitution, drugs and abuse. A man that held them in the palm of his hands destroying their very nature. 
Fast paced and well written you are drawn into her life and the wrong choices she made but at the end how God came and by His Saving Grace saved her from herself.  
A recommended read to those who struggles with the very issue of unforgiveness in their own lives, being renewed by the mind as the word washed over you and cleanse you.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Impossible Compassion Tour and Review


Title: Impossible Compassion 
Author: Edward Mannix
Pages: 189

Available at:


Synopsis

How do we end suffering in our own life and on the planet? How do we bring about seemingly impossible outcomes such as miraculously healing our self from a fatal disease, saving the environment or ending violence and war?

In his second book, Edward Mannix takes on our assumptions about what is possible and impossible for us as individuals and as a species, and he provides us with a new paradigm and new tools that enable us to achieve that which was previously unachievable.

The new paradigm he presents includes two key concepts the author calls metaphysical causation and interlocking karma. 

Metaphysical causation at first sounds a lot like the Law of Attraction but ends up being quite a bit different. According to the author it is not our thoughts that create our reality, but rather it is our karma or karmic imprints that are projected onto the movie screen of our life by the powerful projector of our soul. By moving the discussion away from the potency of our thoughts to something more difficult to observe - our karmic imprints - the book reveals to us important hidden aspects of the creative mechanism of life, and offers us the opportunity to intervene in this causal process in a new and powerful way. For those readers who have tried the Law of Attraction and found it sometimes effective and other times ineffective, it is likely that the information presented in this text will illuminate why those techniques often fall down. 

Impossible Compassion provides a missing link of sorts, helping us identify and change our karmic imprints through the use of simple tools and processes that fall under the heading of what the author calls directed compassion. By utilizing our own compassion to alter the karmic imprints on the film of our soul - which the book teaches us how to do in specific detail - we can literally re-write the script of our life, leading to rapid and potentially miraculous changes in our external world.

And, while according to metaphysical causation we each sit at the center of and in some way create our own universe, we are also all connected to one another and part of each others' created universes. In his discussion of what he calls interlocking karma, the author illuminates this critical paradox that is so often misunderstood or entirely missed by students and teachers of modern spirituality. In so doing, he gives us further insight into the process of reality unfolding, and it is with an understanding of interlocking karma that we can see how giving our self compassion can influence the physical health of a loved one or help bring about major changes in our collective reality, e.g., ending violence and war. 




Author Bio:

Edward Mannix has been on a conscious path of personal and spiritual development for over twenty years. He has practiced Vipassana meditation in a monastery in Burma, travelled to Nepal to receive teachings and empowerments from Tibetan Rinpoches, and worked with hidden masters from a number of traditions and geographies, spanning Asia, Europe and the United States. Throughout his journey, Edward has consistently focused on a form of practical spirituality – integrating his spiritual pursuits into ordinary life, not leaving worldly endeavors behind, but instead using them as a vehicle to go deeper into awakening. While on his conscious path and prior to becoming an author, he worked in the private sector as a management consultant and social entrepreneur. He holds an M.B.A. from Columbia University where he studied Sustainability and Social Enterprise, an M.A. from The School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University, and a B.A. in Psychology and Economics from Indiana University. Drawing upon unique insight and an unusually diverse set of life experiences, Edward brings fresh perspective to ancient wisdom, and is emerging as an important new voice in the arenas of philosophy, spiritual development and personal transformation. 

Links:


My 5 Star Review

A Self Help Guide to bring restoration and healing in your life. Useful and helpful in many levels of our journey and experiences. Its practical explanation assisting you to go about directing compassion in your life and those you encounter with. Finding it useful and well delivered.
Words and actions creates our world around us starting from the moment we are born and even before as our parents actions directly contribute into us their own fears, abilities etc.
Our words and actions causes ripple effects in other people that connects with us on a daily basis. Leaving their footprints in us. Those footprints causes everlasting results in our lives and the after effects creates positive or negative results.
Applying compassion to ourselves and those we come in contact with not only helps us to help them but shields us from any harming after effects.
Developing your compassionate heart creates a force of goodness and healing that extend further than our own world, touching our environment, the people we come in contact with. Our way of life, community and businesses.
Many Christians do not understand this concept of being the Grace of God in a other wise devoid and dark world we are living in. As the author points out in this book effectively

"You and your own compassion are the vehicle of Grace"

Apostle Paul stated it this way in Ephesians 3:1 and 2 (Amp) that says the same as the author

For this reason [[a]because I preached that you are thus built up together], I, Paul, [am] the prisoner of Jesus the Christ[b]for the sake and on behalf of you Gentiles—Assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace (His unmerited favor) that was entrusted to me [to dispense to you] for your benefit,

When you have received Grace, God's unmerited favor in your life as Paul did you can understand the true meaning of the Word Grace and effectively give it to those who connects with you on a daily basis.

Compassion do not correct world view but is a source for their experience of reality. Applying the truth you have learned to the people and environment around you. In that we can be the image of Christ to a thirsty and dying world.
The two part self guide book help you to look deeper, seek the answers to your doubts and fears and find the truth that sets you free. Not to repeat the same mistakes, but learn from them and become stronger in your ability to live life. And truly be a compassionate human being.

A great book I can recommend to those who seek better understanding and enlightening their world in a pure unadulterated way.


Tuesday, January 22, 2013

First Liebster Blog Award Nomination!




Stunned! When I opened my mail yesterday and find this comment on my blog. My first.
I was just nominated for the Liebster Blog Award. Now when I got the notification it prompted me to see what it was all about. Liebster is German for favorite and is a way for bloggers who have a low following (less than 200) to connect and get their blog out there. Word to the wise: It really is just a networking tool and not only a way to gain followers. 

I was nominated by  Engelia at Time 2 Blog. Thank you!  


Here are the rules as I know them.

1.Tell 11 things about yourself.
2.Answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you.
3.Post 11 questions for those who will be nominated by you.
4.Nominate 11 bloggers who have less than 200 followers.
5.Get in contact with those 11 bloggers in order to inform them that you nominated them.

6. Link back to the blogger who nominated you.




1. 11 Things about myself

  • I am married for the last 28 years
  • Have three children in their twenties, one grand child
  • I have a dry sense of humor, either you get me or you miss out
  • I am extremely committed and a hard worker
  • Quit does not appear in my vocabulary
  • Good listener and observer
  • Always ready for a challenge
  • I Love to read a good suspense novel, Konsalik my all time favorite
  • I am creative, enjoying the world of books and what it offers
  • Love to meet new people
  • I am not a big talker
2. Questions from Engelia

1. What was your most frustrating moment in life thus far?
My slow computer that could not keep up with all my demands. In slow motion with every command I gave him and I wanted to scream. Yes you guess it almost no patience. My husband the ever patient one has come to my rescue and fixed it. So now my PC and I are best buddies again.

2. What is your greatest childhood memory?

O this is a easy question. I was at a tender age of fourteen at the time and as always we went on holidays to my grand parents in Kanoneiland. Now for those who does not know it is a one horse town in the middle of the Kalahari, about 40 km from Upington in the Northern Cape. One of the hottest places in South Africa. As the saying goes "There is only a wired fence between hell and that place" 
But a lovely place with lots to do if you know what to look for. 
Now in that year I turned fourteen Kanoneiland received electricity for the first time. A buzz went all over town and my grand mother wanted us to drive out on the road, come back and see the lights of the one road litted town. When my father did as she asked we went out on the road, drove about  2 km out of town and turned around. It was a beautiful starry night, pitch black with night critters all around you the only sound to break the silence.
The awe on my grand mother's face was memorable. I was transfixed on her lovely face almost flushed with excitement as she pointed towards the small line of lights, exclaiming the wonder of electricity in her life and what it meant for her and the small town. 
I have told this story many times to my own children. The pure joy of a woman in her late seventies still remind me of the simplicity of life and how we still can enjoy such an awe struck experience. 

3. What is your favorite place to be?

Western Cape, with it's picturesque mountains, openness and wide cold blue ocean.

4. What is your biggest pet peeve?

Brutally honest

5.Do you believe in luck?

I believe in working hard to eat the fruit of your labor. Luck in the grant scale of things has little to do with it. Hard work, determination and confidence are the building blocks of anything you want to do and what counts the most.

6.Have you ever cheated on or at something?

I have never cheated, it is the evidence of a low self esteem

7.Why do you blog or read? 

I love to read. Blogging is something I take day by day. Appreciating the open communication between myself and authors number one and readers number two. Seeing the result of marketing and reaping the benefits of it.

8.Has love ever passed you by?

No

9.What is your greatest fear?

To make the same mistakes as before, trusting wrong people, allowing them to hurt me leaving me numb at the end.

10.Name two things on your bucket list.

I always loved horses, always wanted to learn to ride them. The reason I can indulge in a good western. So this year I am planning on accomplishing it.
To see much more of my country.

11.In your field, name an accomplishment. Shout it from the rooftops!!

Published my first book: A Pirate's Wife




3. Blogs I nominate
    1. You may say I'm a Dreamer
    2. Lost to Books
    3. Rainy Day Reads
    4. It is Time to read Mamaw
    5. Insomnia of Books
    6. The Book Galaxy
    7. Coffee Break
    8. Because my Momma says so
    9. Book Blast Promotions 
   10. Girl in the Woods
   11. Dawn and Winnie Book reviews


4. 11 questions for those who are nominated by me.

11.1 Describe your blogging experience in one sentence.
11.2 A word of wisdom for fellow bloggers
11.3 What is the negative side of Blogging?
11.4 What is your favorite genre and why?
11.5 When searching for a good book what attracts you first?
11.6 Favorite character, male or female?
11.7 If you could ask your favorite character anything, what would it be?
11.8 Your favorite author?
11.9 Your thoughts in regards to Selfpublishing and Published Houses.
11.10 What is your newest project?
11.11 Name two things on your bucket list.


Monday, January 21, 2013

#cblspromotions present Finding A Man For Sylvia, Review and Giveaway


Finding A Man For Sylvia
by Margaret Lesh
Contemporary Romantic Comedy/Chick Lit
Published by Musa Publishing
Released on November 23, 2012
Heat Level: Sweet/Sensual
Word Count: 60,000


Note: While this title contains elements of BDSM and light bondage as one of the characters is a dominatrix, please note that there are no graphic sex scenes, only comedic references.



Blurb
A well-intentioned but clueless romantic is determined to find love for her lonely neighbor over her exasperated husband’s objections.

Julia Hawthorne-Florez has the best of intentions, and everyone knows what the road to Hell is paved with. Her husband Javier accuses her of playing God with people’s lives, but Julia is simply a fool for love. (Or maybe just a fool?)

When lonely Sylvia moves in across the street, Julia is determined to find her match. Of course, there are obstacles. Javier, for one, who’s forbidden any further matchmaking attempts on his well-intentioned wife’s part. And there’s the little matter of Sylvia being in love with a man who’s taken a vow of celibacy.

Julia schemes; the hamster wheel in her head spins furiously. Handsome Ted is Julia’s first choice. Except shy Ted happens to be interested in Julia’s best friend, certified dominatrix Lisa. And so it goes. Julia spins her web; Javier laughs at her. But Julia always gets the last laugh in this Latin-infused contemporary romantic comedy.






Available at…









About the Author
California girl Margaret Lesh lives with her husband Steve and son Andrew in a quiet suburb near Los Angeles. Co-creator of StoryRhyme.com, she writes middle grade, young adult, and women’s fiction. When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about baked goods, especially donuts, far too often. She believes tacos are magic. 


Connect with Margaret Lesh


My 4 Star Review

A tongue in the cheek chick lit story about matchmaking from the match makers point of view.
We meet Julia Florez over eager friend and confidant who could not bare that people are lonely, not experiencing love as she did. In her attempts to do so it caused a few problems that put a smile on your face through out the book.
Her insightful wisdom into her friends and co workers lives, taking care of the smallest detail keeps the story entertaining and the plot interesting. The characters involved were Sylvia the main purpose of her self appointed assignment. New neighbor soon to be friend. Lisa her old school friend and get this a professional Dominatrix working her charm on every man she meets but at the end with a longing for a monogamous relationship which of course Julia had to help. Then there were Ted, co worker. Shy accountant at work, virgin at thirty two but barely containing his excitement about Lisa which of course could not work, in her opinion.
Then there were Frank, her father -in-law who just could not find the right woman for himself, Chris her gay brother and priest and Raul, Sylvia's brother.
Sylvia's cause set the whole plot in motion and Javier Julia's loving husband is stuck in the middle making the most amazing dishes to entertain her friends.
A good well written story of love and how it can find you in the most unusual ways. How unusual people can find love when you think it can never work. Delightful read with quirky tones, keeping it light and fast paced.


Prize is a $25 Visa Gift Card. Contest is tour-wide, open internationally and ends Jan 30. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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