Monday, October 30, 2017

Halloween Horror Month Book Review: "13 Ways to Midnight Book Two (The Midnight Saga 2)" by Rue Volley



Once upon a time, there was a girl who didn't believe in monsters.
Until now.

Echo Midnight Navarri has reached her seventeenth birthday--alone.
It's been well over a year since her twin, Midnight, slipped from her hand into a ravine shrouded in blue mist deep in the Brazilian jungle.
The locals refer it to as the veil.
Echo believes it is a nightmare
One that she can't seem to escape.
Her parents, world-famous archaeologists, Peter and Alice Navarri, stayed behind after sending Echo to live with her aunt in a rainy little town at the edge of the world known as Port Royal.
The search continues, but the mystery remains.
Echo continues to dream as the memories of the events leading up to that fateful night start to reveal themselves to her.
Piece by piece, bit by bit.
Exposing the truth and forcing in the light where once there was only darkness.
Despite everything, she has made friends, even a new boy named Asher Tiberious Westbrook the third, a self-proclaimed warlock who doesn't mind that Echo tends to shy away from anyone who wants to be close to her. 
But she fears intimacy after losing her sister, especially with him.
Not Asher. 
Thorn Vega
A boy whose terrifying secrets may outweigh her own.

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

What. The. Fuck.
I just finished 13WTM2 at 9:15 this evening, just three hours before release, so I could make sure to get my review in. Things got busy, so I read 40% in one breathless sitting. And I do mean breathless.
So, please read 13WTM (book one) before reading this, or you'll be hopelessly lost with this book. If you already read book one, you're going to need this book immediately.
So we have our cast of characters from book one (the whole Navarri family, the Vega family, Mattie, Bri, and Daniel, as well as some other minor characters), but we also have a new character to contend with: Asher Westbook the Third. Asher might be the fly in the ointment for Echo and Thorn, or he could be the person Echo needed in her life. Time will tell.
As usual, Persephone Vega (the sexy Thorn's aunt) is a real C-U-Next-Tuesday, and on the opposite end of the spectrum, Echo's aunt Luna is so delightful, she's a ray of bright sunshine in a very dark narrative. She has her own past that's explored a bit more here in this book, and that is just a little heartbreaking. But it was great knowing more about my favorite character! And Eyota...is it sad that I'm kinda crushing on him?
I want to talk so much about Echo and Thorn. But I can't. Because once I get started talking about a book I love I get all spoilery, and I don't want to do that to you. Thorn is so dark, so mysterious, and yet so vulnerable. I still can't figure out if he's a hero or could be Echo's downfall. Or...could she be his?
I like Asher, I hope he sticks around a while. He's kind, childlike, but magical (literally!). I think he'd be a great friend to Echo.
I loved that Bri and Mattie's relationship got some page time, too, and hope to see a lot more of them in the series.
Now, the plot twist. Oh my God the freakin' plot twist! Actually, there are many twists. But THE twist, literally the very last sentence of this book. Just...I don't have words. I'm still processing the book right now, so forgive me if I sound unprofessional at all.
I honestly think that these books are the best things to happen to young adult literature since Harry Potter. I'm invested in each and every character, even the ones I hate (looking at you, Persephone). The emotions are so raw and real, I felt like I had fallen through the book like Alice down the rabbit hole. Rue Volley's words grip you into their spell and don't let you go, even after the book is closed. This world is so real, so tangible, so darkly beautiful, I want to stay there forever.
So beware when you enter Port Royal...you might not be able to escape.

5/5--ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!

Saturday, October 28, 2017

RELEASE BLITZ: "Damsels of Distress" a Vamptasy Publishing Anthology





16 authors. 1 anthology. Just $1.

Forget helpless princesses and ingenues with stars in their eyes. CHBB Publishing, the leader in small press fiction, brings you an anthology that is all about the strong women who bring the world to its knees. Rulers, villains, heroes: women of all walks of life bringing or fighting horrors unimaginable. Compiled and edited by award-winning and bestselling author Lily Luchesi.
Featuring these 16 authors:
Kathy-Lynn Cross
USA Today bestselling author Deliaria Davis
Sara Dobie Bauer
Poetry from A. Giacomi
SK Gregory
Mirren Hogan
Lily Luchesi
Poetry from Xtina Marie
P. Mattern
SL Perrine
Tianna Scott
TL Travis
EM Whittaker
Jay Michael Wright II
Simone Young
A novella from USA Today bestselling author SJ Davis




























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Thursday, October 26, 2017

RELEASE DAY: "Sandgirl's Dream" by Chrissy Moon



Hi, everyone! I’m Chrissy Moon, and I am very excited to tell you about my fourth novel release, my first in two years!

It’s called Sandgirl’s Dream, and it’s the sequel to my teen fantasy book, DayDreamer. Written as a standalone, it can definitely be read without reading its predecessor.


What was really fun for me in the creation of this book was taking the main characters from DayDreamer and rounding out their personas. I crafted layers to their backgrounds as well as that of their parents, and it can get pretty intricate. There’s so much selfishness and jealousy in Greek mythology that I pretty much had this vast playground to work with.


I have to say that this book isn’t as happy-go-lucky as DayDreamer. It’s still suitable for teens and pre-teens. It’s still devoid of cursing, adult situations, and drugs, and still has an overall light and sometimes funny tone to the narration. But this time around we see that some of our main characters aren’t always perfect or even good, which makes them a little more complete in my eyes.


As always, I enjoyed writing about Kayla’s adventures, and I hope you have fun reading it!

*Excerpt - Edited for brevity. The words in red below you can omit (and it’d still make sense for the most part, lol) if you want to make this shorter.

One of the biggest slaps to the face that afternoon was that, after my parents’ disappearance and learning they were probably just taken by relatives for an emergency meeting, and after the mind-numbing education of the difference between Hades and the Ante-Kingdom, we still had to go to school. Well, at least according to Hale.
At this moment though, I was experiencing a different sort of challenge. I was struggling with that uncomfortable question we all have to face at some point in our lives.
Which direction should I burp in?
I didn’t see a whole lot of solutions to my little problem, but I’d just have to improvise.   
We’d stopped by a fast-food place on the way to school when we saw that we probably wouldn’t get back in time for lunch. Feeling especially thirsty and hungry that day, I asked for an extra large soda, and to show off in front of the guys, I finished it in less than 5 minutes.  
I don’t know what in the world made me think that guzzling down a carbonated, sugary beverage at the speed of light would impress them. I don’t even think they noticed, so all it really did was make me terribly uncomfortable for my first class of the day, which was fifth period.
Anyway, to make matters worse, I wasn’t in Government anymore with Howard Strayke, a great teacher and friend who couldn’t care less if you talked while you worked or cussed out loud, since he himself had been known to drop f-bombs during lectures. That semester had ended and my many classmates and I were now in Economics. There was a teacher shortage so we had to merge into one giant student lump for that class.
I didn’t have anything against the idea of an economics class. I understood that it was important to learn how to handle money, or something. But my econ teacher was Mr. Jolston, and he was the opposite of Mr. Strayke in so many different ways.
First, he was one of those teachers who was so strict and controlling, he wrote everyone’s names on their test sheets and gave them to us that way, instead of passing out blank test sheets and have everyone write in their own name, like we’d all been doing since we were kindergarteners. He was the kind of teacher who would tell us where exactly to place our backpacks and what items were allowed on our desktops. When we raised our hands to participate in class, our arms had to be sticking straight up with our hands flat and not curled, and our other arm had to be on top of our desks.
Collin got in trouble when he flat-out asked the teacher, “Will we also need your express written consent to scratch our own butts?” Only he used a more colorful word in place of butts. Mr. Jolston had kicked him out of the class for the rest of the day, but as far as the rest of us in class could tell, that was more reward than punishment.  
Little bubbles of air kept wiggling up my throat every couple minutes as I sat in class now, trying my best to look like I was paying attention. So far, I’d been successful in swallowing these belches away, but they kept coming back with a vengeance. At times like this, I was very happy that I was in the back where at least not everybody in the junior class could see me or in this case, smell me.
Still, there was someone sitting directly in front of me and kids sitting all around me. Mr. Jolston managed to fit about 40 desks inside his room and have ample space between rows, but as I’ve learned, regurgitated air that contained the combined smells of cola, hot dogs, and stomach acid can unfortunately travel pretty damn far.
“Now, it seems as though nobody discussed the subject of investment to my satisfaction in yesterday’s homework. I won’t lie – I’m disappointed. To highlight this matter for you all, I’ve made another work sheet for homework tonight, and this time I want more discussion from each of you.”
There were a lot of groans, which made Mr. Jolston frown, and at that point, the groans promptly stopped.
I put my head down on the table and released a tiny burp toward the floor, figuring that was the only place it would remain undetectable. I waited a few moments, my ears sticking out like antennae, listening for sounds of disgust from the people around me. Satisfied that I hadn’t been found out, I slowly picked my head up and tried to pay attention in class.
Oh god. Another little gas bubble was already shooting its way up my esophagus.
“Ms. Isbethrie?”
God, no. Not now.
He nodded at me, which for him was almost the same thing as a smile. He didn’t have a reason to hate me yet, as I don’t typically mouth off to a teacher unless I have a perfectly good reason to. “Mr. Howell doesn’t seem to know, so I’m hoping you can save the day. What’s the difference between a bond and a share?”
I immediately glanced at Miran Howell, who looked flustered and a little embarrassed. Miran was super nice and extremely cute, but he had some days that made you think he’d fallen out of the stupid tree and hit every branch on the way down.
Of course, I had my dull moments, too.
“Uh…a bond is something that you…get…from a bank. Like a loan?” I tried to swallow down a burp, praying I would at least be half-correct in my response. More importantly, I hoped Mr. Jolston would take his eyes off me and leave me to belch in peace.
I heard a laugh being stifled, and looked out of the other corner of my eye to see Ellington stuff his fist in his mouth, trying not to crack up. Then he shot his hand up in the air to volunteer to answer the question.
Mr. Jolston sighed. Ell was definitely brilliant, close to genius I’d say, but our teacher didn’t like him because of his tendency to cause trouble. He didn’t like any of the guys, to be honest. If I were fearless, I would tell Mr. Jolston to stop picking on the guys just because he was jealous that he was obviously never cute, popular, or maybe even liked very much at all.
I watched Mr. Jolston’s inner turmoil as he apparently struggled with the choice of letting Ell answer the question correctly, or torturing more students who obviously didn’t know the difference between a bond and a freaking share. After a moment, he sighed again and said, “Yes, Mr. Burke?”
Ell put his hand down. “A bond is when the government borrows money from you. It can take up to 30 years but you will get your money back regardless. A share is when you invest in a company, so the money you get depends on how well the company does, which is obviously riskier than a bond.”
Mr. Jolston pursed his lips together in acceptance. “Thank you, Mr. Burke.” He walked around for a moment with his hands behind his back. “I think it’s pretty obvious that most of you are not learning anything or living up to your potential. Now, listen carefully, class. Do a lot of reading tonight in your textbook and convince me in your homework that you understand the review questions at the end of the chapter.” He paused to look at Miran, then glared at me. “This means you, Ms. Isbethrie.”
I nodded and opened my mouth to respond, but a deafening belch punched out of me instead.
Everyone laughed. I put my hands over my mouth and gasped, looking at Mr. Jolston and terrified as to what he was going to do. “I’m sorry! I meant to say, yes…Mr. Jolston.”
His head moved a little bit as if he’d chuckled, but it didn’t show in his face. “Thank you for that…enlightening speech, Ms. Isbethrie.”
I bit my lip and slouched down in my seat. When all eyes were off me, I grew bold and looked up at Hale, but as usual I could only see the back of his blond head. I wondered how this little incident would affect any future conversations about me that he would have with his friends.
Hale’s friend: Hey, Hale. I want to tell you about my new girlfriend. She has almond eyes, soft brown skin, hair that smells like a summer breeze, and a singing voice that’ll knock your socks off. Aren’t you seeing a new girl too? What’s she like?
Hale: Oh, you mean Kayla? She’s real gassy. Thanks for asking.
So many times I wished I were more feminine – shorter, for starters. Being clumsy didn’t help either. I’ve seen those dainty girls who walked around school as elegantly as if they were accepting an Academy Award. Tripping on your own feet and falling butt-first on the cold hard ground wasn’t quite the same.
And lastly, this gassy stuff has got to go. I’ve had enough of it. My mom used to tell me it was my food choices that did it.
Oh. My mom. I missed her already.


***
*Book blurb


17-year-old Kayla lives in a town of cryptic identities, old mythological family backgrounds, and hundreds of secrets. Like most teens in Idyllwild, California, Kayla is Lyzicc – a human-looking child of two mythos beings, and a generation away from the darkness and magic of ancient lore.
   
Her mother, a former siren who sang men to their death – as well as her father, Der Sandmann of folklore – are inexplicably sucked into a sand sculpture one morning, leaving Kayla worried and confused.


Hale, the boy she’s seeing, and his fraternal twin, Collin, invite her to stay with them in their vast underground kingdom during her parents’ absence.


Added to this is an estranged best friend, an adopted little sister with a secret even she doesn’t even know about, a possibly-insane mythos grandfather (Father Time), and the fact that her new boyfriend’s mother wants to kill Kayla because of an ancient pact, you can bet her junior year in high school will finish with heartache, enchantment, and maybe even love.

*One-sentence summary - For anyone with lack of space or time


A teen daughter of two mythological beings moves to a temporary, Hades-like residence and uncovers family secrets about her friends, after her own parents are magically kidnapped in front of her.


*Author bio


Filipino American Chrissy Moon is passionate about learning languages, American history, and ancient civilizations.


A mom to a grown son as well as an 8-year-old son, Chrissy loves absorbing stories of all kinds, whether they’re from television or video games, and ranging greatly in genre.


Referred to as ‘bubbly’ by her author pals, she loves reading her friends’ fiction books as well as nonfiction related to women’s rights and civil rights.

*Social media links


Official website: www.chrissymoon.com










*Other novels by Chrissy Moon


Surreal Ecstasy (paranormal romance/ women’s fiction) http://www.amazon.com/Surreal-Ecstasy-Chrissy-Moon-ebook/dp/B00BERR240/


A young woman is in the aftermath of an abusive relationship and ecstasy use. Forced to find the strength in herself, Morgan Constantina stumbles across a group of people from the God Generation - angels, demons, and gods born as humans with limited power. She also discovers that the man she's falling in love with is her Living Guardian Angel. How can she have a relationship with someone who knows her deepest secrets?


Surreal Enemies: Angel City (paranormal romance/ women’s fiction) http://www.amazon.com/Surreal-Enemies-Angel-Chrissy-Moon-ebook/dp/B016U11RBS/


Morgan Constantina is recovering from dating violence and ecstasy addiction has a fresh start with a semi-famous, former-guardian-angel boyfriend, and encounters friendship, pregnancy, jealousy, childbirth, old wounds, enemies, and death as expected of someone associated with the unpredictable God Generation.




16-year-old Kayla is Lyzicc, meaning that her birth parents are ancient mythological creatures who are hiding on Earth in human disguises. She's discovered that she has a power - the ability to see other people's daydreams. Two boys at school compete for her attention and time - Hale, who is Lyzicc but doesn't want to talk about his background; and Collin, whose family has a strange obsession with everything Lyzicc.

*Short stories by Chrissy Moon


“Loralee and the Green” in Linger (psychological thriller): http://www.amazon.com/Linger-Kat-Daughtry-ebook/dp/B00G2TT57W/


“Mabel’s Promotion” in Awethology Dark (horror): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016RDV1RE/


“Bettina” in Gems of Strength (post-apocalyptic): https://www.amazon.com/Gems-Strength-Sisterhood-Book-ebook/dp/B01CDJ784G


“Sharliss” in Gems of Gratitude (chick lit): https://www.amazon.com/Gems-Gratitude-Sisterhood-Book-ebook/dp/B01L7KT06Q


“Bettina’s Battle” in Gems of Freedom (post-apocalyptic): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XZ7H3KN

*Poetry by Chrissy Moon




Tuesday, October 24, 2017

STARGATE COMES TO LOS ANGELES COMIC CON

STARGATE COMES TO LOS ANGELES COMIC CON

Stargate: Past, Present, and Future Panel Featuring Special Guests from Across the Stargate Universe Confirmed for Saturday, October 28th

WHAT: The Stargate franchise is coming to Stan Lee’s LA Comic Con! Special guests from the franchise will come together for the Stargate: Past, Present, and Future panel to discuss favorite moments from the franchise’s history and give a glimpse into the upcoming series, Stargate Origins. Beyond the panel, the Stargate Command team will be on-site all weekend long at the official Stargate Command booth and photo experience, giving fans a chance to score free giveaways, check out the new digital platform, grab a photo right on the ramp to the stargate, and interact with fellow Stargate fans.

WHEN: Saturday, October 28th at 12:00PM PT

WHERE: Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con, Spotlight Room at the Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, California 90015

MORE:   It’s been 20 years since Stargate SG-1 premiered, and nearly 25 years since viewers took their first trip through the Gate to an ancient world with the original film. Now, Stargate is officially back with the new Stargate Command digital platform and upcoming original mid-form series Stargate Origins. Go through the gate with Damian Beurer (Host, Legion M co-founder), Chris Judge (Emcee & Actor, SG-1), Mercedes Bryce Morgan (Director, Stargate Origins), and Ellie Gall (Catherine Langford in Stargate Origins) to revisit the franchise’s iconic history and look forward to an exciting new chapter. With exclusive sneak peeks, these key players in the Stargate universe—new and old—will dial home to celebrate its storied past and share behind the scenes insights into the highly anticipated new series.

Supergirl, Arrow, And American Gods Stars Take It Off For A Good Cause


FIRST LOOK IMAGES: TJ SCOTT’S IN THE TUB VOLUME 2 BOOK

Hollywood October 24, 2017---Today, we get a glimpse of Award-winning TV director TJ Scott’s (Gotham, Orphan Black, Longmire, Star Trek, Bates Motel, The Strain) upcoming highly anticipated new Coffee Table Book IN THE TUB Volume 2 with a series of exclusive First Look Images.  

TJ Scott decided to wage his own war on Cancer by creating this visually stimulating new book with the profits going directly to raising breast cancer awareness. He donated his artistic eyes and all of the 160  actors, musicians and celebrities who participated, donated their time. For this book, TJ has teamed up with F*ck Cancer, a charity focused on awareness and support as the official charity partner. Actress Laura Vandervoort (Supergirl, Smallville) braces the cover of book.

The First Look photos from the book feature: Bitten’s Laura Vandervoort (Cover), Stef Dawson from Hunger Games, Katrina Law from Arrow, Natalie Halcro from Wags, actor Ricky Whittle from American Gods.

Each celebrity was photographed in their own unique manner in the tub and the results are breathtaking IN THE TUB Volume 2 will officially launch on December 2 with a Red Carpet celebration at the Cinematic Pictures Group Gallery in Hollywood featuring the artists and celebrities profiled in the book and a variety of special guests. Pre-orders are available starting today and can be purchased at: www.inthetubbook.com.

All High Res Artwork from the First Look Photos from the book are available for download here: In The Tub 2 Press

FIRST LOOK PHOTO #1.


Caption: Laura Vandervoort (Supergirl, Bitten, Smallville, V) on the cover of TJ Scott’s IN THE TUB Volume 2.


FIRST LOOK PHOTO #2

Caption Stef Dawson (Hunger Games Catching Fire and Mockingjay)

FIRST LOOK PHOTO #3

Caption Katrina Law (Spartacus, Arrow)



FIRST LOOK PHOTO #4



Caption: Actor Ricky Whittle (American Gods, The 100) photographed in TJ Scott’s IN THE TUB Volume 2.


Some of the 160 celebrities photographed and featured in the book include: Jonathan & Drew Scott (Property Brothers),Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica, Burn notice, Lucifer), Dean Cain (Supergirl, Lois & Clark, Las Vegas), Stef Dawson (Hunger Games Trilogy, The Paper Stone), Katrina Law (Arrow, Training Day, Spartacus), Jewel Staite (Firefly, Serenity, Stargate: Atlantis, Blindspot), Jinxx Ferguson (Musician: Black Veil Brides), Zach McGowan (Black Sails, Terminator Salvation, Agents of SHEILD, Shameless), Sarah Carter (Falling Skies, Rogue, Hawaii Five-0) and many more.

'Breast Cancer affects one in 8 Women in America. TJ’s Scott goal was to create something with impact and do something to help fund Breast Cancer  Awareness, so he created the 'IN THE TUB' Book series - Portraits of Actors Recording Artists, Models, all using a Bathtub as a common setting.TJ Scott embarked on this journey after his Mother's third round of Breast Cancer found its way to her bones & lungs. He created IN THE TUB' Volume 1 in 2013 and the book continues to have a tremendous following.
About F*ck Cancer
F*ck Cancer aims to prevent, detect and unite against cancer.  F*ck Cancer looks at things differently, creates change and impact around preventing and finding cancer before it happens in addition to supporting those who have already been diagnosed. Through digital media, programs and events, FCancer believes its community will be the generation that ultimately improves health outcomes. For more information, visit LetsFCancer.com or follow @letsfcancer.
Follow IN THE TUB Volume 2  and FCancer on social:
  • @cinematicpix
  • @letsfcancer