BLOG TOUR/BOOK REVIEW: "Treasure Darkly" by Jordan Elizabeth

Beware a Treasure Darkly…

 (The stunning cover art is thanks to Amalia Chitulescu)

Seventeen-year-old Clark Treasure assumes the drink he stole off the captairead is absinthe…until the chemicals in the liquid give him the ability to awaken the dead. A great invention for creating perfect soldiers, yes, but Clark wants to live as a miner, not a slave to the army—or the deceased. On the run, Clark turns to his estranged tycoon father for help. The Treasures welcome Clark with open arms, so he jumps at the chance to help them protect their ranch against Senator Horan, a man who hates anyone more powerful than he. And he is not alone. His new found sister, Amethyst, thinks that's rather dashing, until Horan kidnaps her, and all she gets is a bullet through her heart. When Clark brings her back to life, she realizes he's more than just street-smart - and he's not really a Treasure. Amethyst’s boring summer at home has turned into an adventure on the run, chock full of intrigue, danger, love, and a mysterious boy named Clark.

 TREASURE DARKLY, book 1 of the Treasure Chronicles The young adult novel is a dark mix of steampunk, the paranormal and romance in a “Wild West” setting. Below is an excerpt from TREASURE DARKLY. You can read more on the Curiosity Quills Press website.

“Looks like he did drink it up.” The general client spoke from the right. “Must’ve interacted with all that bloody hertum. Look at ‘im, he’s bleeding already.” 

“What’s it gonna do to him?” the guard from the morning asked.

“Lots of stuff.” The general laughed. “When he touches the dead, he’ll be able to bring them back, and exchange that life for another. Perfect soldier, huh? We only have one vial ready and I was going to give it to a lucky fellow. Guess it will be this boy.”

“Whatcha gonna do with him?” The guard snickered.

“Have to be a test subject,” the general said. “Sure thought it was that Judy who stole my bottle. Pity I killed her. She sure knew how to make my pecker sing.” 

Judy. Clark’s mother. Clark bolted off the ground and ran. He could hide in the hole under the shed behind the brothel. Mable never found him under there. He might be cursed with raising the dead—he’d already done that to the poor mine worker—but it didn’t mean he’d let them take him for tests.

You can read more about Amethyst Treasure in GEARS OF BRASS, a steampunk anthology from Curiosity Quills Press available now from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Jordan Elizabeth, formally Jordan Elizabeth Mierek, is the author of ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW, available from Curiosity Quills Press. Check out Jordan’s website, JordanElizabethMierek.com, for contests and book signing locales. Jordan is represented by Belcastro Agency and she is president of the Utica Writers Club.

No blog tour is complete without a giveaway. Enter below for a chance to win a paperback copy of GEARS OF BRASS. a Rafflecopter giveaway


My Review:

Have you ever wondered what would happen if SM Reine and the creators behind Pushing Daisies decided to make a steampunk western? No? Neither did I! But I found out after reading this book.

It's an odd thing, at first, because the paranormal elements usually don't mix with steampunk styles, but this book does it well. There are twists and turns throughout the entire book,making you pause, look and say, "what the Hell?" It's not a typical story in any way possible, but it's not so unique that you won't be able to follow it.

The characters are great: especially Amethyst, because she's a character you want to slap at first, especially during her first scene. She's a pampered princess, but when things go sour for her she really steps up.

Clark is a troubled boy with regrets, doubts and a lot of grief. His mother's a prostitute who gets murdered, and the people he thinks are family aren't, not at all. He's also in deep trouble with the army, and has to try and work out these unearthly powers at a very young age. He's inspirational to teens reading this.

At the top of this tower of themes and emotions you have socio-political issues, with senators and military men trying to control those beneath them. It's a ery interesting little twist to things.

All in all, while I'm still not a huge steampunk genre, I really liked this book and it's making me want to delve deeper into it!

4/4---a great tale all around! 

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Richard M. Knittle Jr

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

Well 9 months ago my Son Ryder was taken by his birth mother, I let her into my home after she had been living on the streets of Fort Worth, I bailed her out of jail for theft from her own parents.. She took him one day to use him as a peace offering to her parents... I hit Epic Addiction Proportions and had a mental breakdown, The Battle Lost: Ryder's Birth was from when he was born till I invited her to my home, The Battle Lost Friendships Lost is from where book leaves off... That writing was healing for me, I never even imagined that today I am full Fledged and Popular Writer. Let me say this this Ride that has just begun gives me a High better than any drug can imagine!

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

I was reading at a college level in 4th Grade I read EVERYTHING I could, J.R.R. Tolkien of course, Mack Maloney of the Wingman Series is awesome.

3. What was the inspiration behind your epic poem The Battle Lost: Ryder's Birth?

My son Ryder of course is a special little boy.. I believe he was born to do do much good.. His smile is magic..I love you Ryder..

4. What can we expect from your next poetry collection?

Next is if you can believe Darker and haunting.. a little secrete I wrote the last verse 6 months ago.. It all came true!

5. Why did you decide to write about your reality?

I am not sure I been told that I have a gift, in fact here I have poem that explains better..

This is called "Hope"

Hope

I was sitting alone in the park one day at lunch and I sat on the same bench where Ryder and I used to play we would sing our song and laugh and play while letting the world go by, those were bright and sunny days of just him and I. Then as I looked up it hit me I was staring right at the tree where I carved out our initials for everyone to see, so I got up and I looked but with all the tears that were now falling it was hard to see then I found it I love Ryder and Ryder loves me. All of sudden a terrible pain began in my chest and I fell hard to the ground it hit me so hard that it knocked me to my knees. I looked around and saw that everyone was watching so I threw my fist up into the air and I lifted my head up to God and I screamed as loud as I could why me? Why would you bring him into my life knowing how much I would care? I gave that little boy everything I had left to give in my heart, in my soul, all my strength that had left don’t you understand he was my reason I am still here my will to live.. I hate you God that wasn't fair at all and now I live with all of these memories that play over and over they are stuck in my head and not like I am in a dream, but now my life is nothing but a living nightmare. I look around with nothing but a blank stare I hear his little voice and I call out to nothing there. Then in a whisper I am sorry God I didn't mean what I said I am finished here I just wish you would take me now because I would rather be dead. I hurt so bad every single day from a heart that's broken and it will never heal and a soul that is dying and can no longer feel.. He is my son no matter what they do he is my little man my little bundle of joy and I miss him so very bad. I am tired of hurting from all this sorrow and regret and feeling so damn lonely and sad and I looked down and I cried. Then I remembered that he once had a son, I felt a hand as he placed it on my head then I felt him as my heart filled with so much love he wanted me to know he was listening from his home high above. He lost his one and only son to pay for all our sins. I smiled and I opened up my heart and I let him back in. I still hurt and I still cry for my son everyday but now I know our lord that is in heaven above is watching and he will let me see Ryder one day because it is fate either here on earth or high above at heaven’s gate and that is what I now Pray every night before I go to sleep... in his name

Amen!

6. What role has addiction taken in your life and what encouraging words do you have for those suffering from it now?

Addiction .. I know it can be beat I walked away from it never looking back, Now I write about it.. Your Heart, Your Mind, Your Creator are all you need to outcast that evil Traitor in fact it is the first verse of the next book.

Preview alert.....

Heart Mind Creator

Your Heart Your Mind and Your Creator
are what you need to outcast, the evil traitor.
Addiction, the evil of darkness unknown
infects your family and will find you alone.
It feeds from your anger, your pain, and your sins
that opens a door that invites it right in.
It changes the way you look at creation
and sets you up to live eternal damnation.
The darkness cares not, if your woman or man
as it spreads its evil throughout this great land.
Turning the rich in to beggars, paupers and thieves
while children become orphans our creator grieves.
He sits high above watching down in disgust
as his creations want nothing more
than money, drugs, and lust
Addiction, the evil of darkness unknown
doesn’t care if you’re poor or a king on a throne.
The darkness it spreads and continues without a fight
while we wait on a hero to help bring the light
that hero is here and is being trained as a fighter
that little boy is strong and his name is Ryder!

I say I understand your pain.. I know you will understand this...

Alone in your darkness with many people around
your demons will find you when you want to be found
it is the comfort they offer while your chaos exist
a persuasive proposal one not so hard to resist
creating a crises of conscience as it fights for your soul
it wreaks havoc in your life while it battles you for control
confusion of your emotions never peace in your head
causing reactions in thoughts that you’re better off dead
the choices you choose are out of desperation and despair
now drowning in guilt you find yourself gasping for air
bringing nothing but destruction with both families and alone
this is mankind’s greatest threat that it has ever known
it spreads like no other through cities and small towns
its name is called addiction and it infects with no cure found
the young and rich even old or poor it doesn’t care who
opens that door it only brings sorrow and heartbreak
and death evermore you can try to outrun it even hide
while you can for it infects every inch of our great land.
your family and neighbors even all of your friends can't
hide from addiction it feeds from our loneliness this evil
must end I know because it had me and my friends like Amy, DeAnna,
Stormie and Blue and many others that we all knew it changes
our thinking while destroying our souls all because we wanted to forget our own lives while we rolled and passed the bowl!

-Richard M Knittle Jr.

7. Would you ever consider writing fiction?

Yes I would, in fact. The Battle Lost goes fictional in book 3.. I just happen to have a preview :)

“He is coming let evil know that they are finished with no place to go”

“I refuse to fail or to give up and I will see my son again. I will not fall or lose my faith because I now lead Gods troops into battle for him. I hear him as he cries out for me he now sees me in his dreams our bond we have it never broke or so it seems.” A father, A solider, and A friend to all, not blood nor distance will keep them apart not even the Mother of Thrall, I have been through hell and beyond and death bygone they should know by now.. They will never break this bond or love of this Father and his Son…

The Man!

I used to be happy once with Ryder but now I'm as sad as I can be
I led my troops through battle and conquered evil as for as you can see
The demons that once roamed this land and over hill and dale
Tried to destroy me and tear us apart and they ended all to an epic fail
My lord and father who art into heaven and hallow be thy name
I know this world that was born to me is dying and going insane
Destroying people by the millions addiction now rules throughout this land
It joins with the Evil Dark Family in Emory as it waits to battle Ryder and The Man
Ryder has grown fast while away from The Man he is sad and feels empty inside
He feels like something is missing from him and the Evil Dark Family has something to hide
At night he dreams about this man who searches for him all throughout the land
He is angry and yet sad as he kills the demons and the darkness with just his bare hands
This man is myth, just a made up tale, his mother says this man he never existed
But Ryder knows that she lies and all that crystal she smokes has made her very twisted
Trading herself for poppy seeds with everyone she comes around
for days and weeks she disappears and hardly to be found
the last few nights when he closed his eyes a vision of this man would start
he could feel each and every emotion from this man in his soul and in his heart
he thought I need to find this man I know he must be real for these emotions that I am feeling are know these are for real

9. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

IT I've been working with computers over 30 years and enjoy it, and probably haunting someones dreams..
Poets are dreamers right?... We think with our hearts and listen to ours souls. Especially for the ones that touched both.-Richard M Knittle Jr.

10. If you were to write fiction, what authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

Wow.. Any Poet from 1600's down lol. I would love to actually work with J.R.R. Tolkien or even Hugh Hefner.. :)

11. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

Number 1 would be, you know how you have that one friend that makes everything sexual.. :)
2. would be that I had 5 Bypasses at 41, 5 percent blood flow and no damage to my heart..
3. I want a monkey.. Really I do!

Find Mr. Knittle online via:

Official site (has all other links)

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL BOOK REVIEW: "The Daughter Claus" by D. Thrush

Tina Klaus is just like every other college student. She's pretty, smart and has a crazy family, squabbling about the family business. But her REAL name is Santina Claus and her father? Santa Claus. The family business? You guessed it. Santa is getting on in years and is thinking of retiring, but Tina's brother, Nick Jr., doesn't want to be the next Santa.
Looks like it's up to Tina to save Christmas!

Holiday stories really aren't the same as they used to be. They're better! The Daughter Claus by D. Thrush is a pure holiday delight, whether you celebrate Christmas or just want to be entertained during the holiday season.
The story is thoughtful and inspiring, about family, passion, determination, girl power and following your dreams.
The characters aren't very run of the mill, despite the fame of some of them. Santa isn't so jolly, instead he's a workaholic who never spent enough time with his kids. Mrs. Claus is a health nut. Their kids are a Goth musician and a brainy business major. The reindeer are demanding and rude (and Rudolph likes to sing karaoke while drunk). The elves are part of a union. Christmas is a business, not a jolly fun time.
The characters unique to the story, the Claus kids, the boy-crazy counselor Lisa, North Pole foreman Walter, and the handsome musician George, are perfect for the story, giving its originality a deeper level.
The family dynamics are similar to what many people deal with: an ailing father with reluctant heirs, the son who refuses to have anything to do with the business, the daughter who feels neglected because she's a girl, and the wife desperately trying to hold her family together.
I think a lot of people will see themselves and others they know in them.
The story is not a typical happy Christmas story, but it's uplifting and inspiring. Tina is a spitfire with a great head on her shoulders, and just reading this brings me back to being five or six, watching old Christmas cartoons and thinking how magical that time of year was.
Please treat yourself (or someone else) this holiday season. Buy The Daughter Claus!

5/5--a wonderful, modern holiday tale!

Purchase The Daughter Claus via:

Goodreads

Kindle

Amazon Print

Amazon UK

Booktopia

BOOK REVIEW: "The Bootlegger's Wife" by Terri Lee

Frances Durant is the daughter of a high profile society family in New York in the 1920's. She's wild and reckless, svorning the life her family demands that she live: bored and rich, with a suitable husband and never, ever speaking her mind.
She then meets Frankie Lee, a Marine, and falls deeply in love, but he's poor with no family and her parents don't approve of the engagement...but they don't care.
This is the story of rebellion, true love, struggle, the Depression, prohibition and loss...of more than one kind.

I will give everyone reading this a warning: BUY TISSUES. If you don't cry, I highly suspect that you have no heart.
I have no words for The Bootlegger's Wife. It's the story of a young woman with a heart and soul as bright as the rising sun, who doesn't take no for an answer, who rejects the loveless life her parents have and want to force on her. Frances is one if the most delightful characters and a great role model for young girls today.
Frankie, likewise, is a wonderful leading man, with a lot of heart and sweet personality.
The supporting characters, like Lucy abd Sophia, are lovable, while others, like Lena, are absolutely detestable...but they need to be.
It's about forbidden love and hard-won happiness during a dark time: after WWI and during the Depression. While there were some editing errors, I couldn't find fault in this book. I read it in a day, and want to read it again. It's a sad story, but full of hope. There's no Hollywood ending, there's a real life ending.
I LOVED every word of it and want to read more!

5/5--a tearjerker.

Purchase The Bootlegger's Wife via:

Amazon

Goodreads

Book Trailer

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BOOK REVIEW: "Envious Obsession" by Katie Keller-Neiman

For years Sandy's life has been ruled by her visions. They led her to her soul mate, Eric. They warned her not to trust her childhood friend Aurora. But they were a lie.
She was on the verge of having everything she ever wanted. Just when she was about to have it all, though, it slipped through her fingers.
Sandy is sick. With this revelation, her world crashes in around her. Her visions are written off as hallucinations, symptoms of her illness, not memories of past lives.
But while she may not believe any longer, she is far from safe.
Aurora is not the kind person everyone thinks she is. She is dangerous and obsessed with Sandy, and Todd can't help getting caught in the crossfire.
Protecting his cousin Sandy once seemed so easy for him, but now it threatens to take away everything Todd fought so hard for: his sobriety, his sanity and his future.
The closer he gets to Sandy, the more danger they both are in. Still, he is determined to do whatever it takes to keep Sandy safe.

I loved the first Envious book, with one exception: I didn't think that Ms. Keller-Neiman had explored Todd quite enough. In Envious Obsession, she remedied that, making us go inside Todd's world just as much, if not more than, Sandy's. Todd is one of the most interesting characters I've read about, and his vulnerability and pain make him a relatable and lovable character.
Again, I love that there is such a plain paranormal element to what could have been an excellent story all on its own. But adding in voodoo dolls, animal sacrifices and spells, not to mention past lives, made it so much better! Rarely can you find such a mixture of harsh reality and fantasy that works so we. l and flows so naturally.
Tony and Amelia, characters we also didn't see enough of or at all in the first book, play a huge role in this story as well. This is a truly well plotted tale and the characters could be your friends or neighbors.
The struggles that they all go through are so real and so raw, you'll want to go inside their world and hug them (or slap them, depending). This book and its predecessor could very well be some of the best novels of this generation.
Katie Keller-Neiman's writing is addictive. You won't be able to get enough!

5/5--a wonderful novel!

Purchase Envious Obsession via:

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Envious-Obsession-Katie-Keller-Nieman-ebook/dp/B00QSP3NMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418239772&sr=8-1&keywords=envious+obsession

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Envious-Obsession-2-Katie-Keller-Nieman/dp/1502534541/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1418239772&sr=8-2&keywords=envious+obsession

Website: http://www.katiekellernieman.com/