Category Archives: Book Spotlight

Secrets and Lies (Cassie Scot Book 2) – Book Spotlight & Giveaway

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Image from Pump Up Your Book

Image from Pump Up Your Book

 

Title:  Secrets and Lies

Author: Christine Amsden

Publisher: Twilight Times Books

Genre: Paranormal Mystery

Pages: 270

Click here to buy Secrets and Lies (Cassie Scot) from Amazon

 

 

Cassie Scot,still stinging from her parents’ betrayal, wants out of the magical world. But it isn’t letting her go. Her family is falling apart and despite everything, it looks like she may be the only one who can save them.

To complicate matters, Cassie owes Evan her life, making it difficult for her to deny him anything he really wants. And he wants her. Sparks fly when they team up to find two girls missing from summer camp, but long-buried secrets may ruin their hopes for happiness. Book 2 in the Cassie Scot Mystery series.

Excerpt:
 

“I faced my former father for the first time since he had announced his intention to disown me. He looked just as he always had, with straight dark hair, brown eyes, a long, angular face, and a wide, curving mouth – curving downward into a frown, that is.

If Victor was the last person I had expected to see in the diner that morning, then my former father was the last person I wanted to see. Even now, with Victor explaining my part in his unusual scheme for revenge, I didn’t want my former father nearby. I didn’t want his help. I only hoped Nicolas and Juliana hadn’t broken their promise and told him about the life debt, or I would never hear the end of it.

The air crackled with visible tension. Sparks of shimmering red fire danced around my father’s head. Behind the counter, Mrs. Meyers twisted her hands together anxiously, as if afraid her diner might burn down. Her fears were not unjustified.

I stepped boldly between them, facing my father. “What are you doing here?“

“We need to talk,“ he said.

“I have nothing to say to you. You disowned me, remember?“

The color seemed to drain from his face as he stared past me, at his oldest enemy.
Victor raised his water glass in a mock toast. “I’ve known for some time. If it makes you feel any worse, so does everyone else in town who hasn’t been asleep for a week. Or at least, they guess.“

“I don’t care what you think you know. Stay away from my daughter.“With that, he grabbed my arm with a hand hot enough to leave a reddened imprint on my skin, and dragged me through the kitchen to the employee room at the back. Only then did he release my injured forearm.”

About the Author:

Christine Amsden has been writing science fiction and fantasy for as long as she can remember. She loves to write and it is her dream that others will be inspired by this love and by her stories. Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but great speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. Christine writes primarily about people and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone.

At the age of 16, Christine was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Disease, a condition that effects the retina and causes a loss of central vision. She is now legally blind, but has not let this slow her down or get in the way of her dreams. (You can learn more here.)

In addition to writing, Christine teaches workshops on writing at Savvy Authors. She also does some freelance editing work.

Christine currently lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and the key to her success. They have two beautiful children.

Connect with Christine here:

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

 

Enter to win a Kindle Fire HD!

Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one Kindle Fire HD.
  • This giveaway begins November 11 – February 28.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on Monday, March 3, 2014.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.

 

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Mommy Couldn’t Find Her Eyelashes Book Spotlight & Giveaway

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Image from Pump Up Your Book

Image from Pump Up Your Book

 

Title: Mommy Couldn’t Find Her Eyelashes
Author: Mary Jane Fizer
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: Biography/Memoir
Pages: 110

Purchase at iUniverse

No one knows how unpredictable first graders can be better than a first-grade teacher. In Mommy Couldn’t Find Her Eyelashes, retired elementary educator Mary Jane Fizer shares excerpts from written papers and some of her favorite amusing and poignant conversations with her first-grade students, providing an unforgettable glimpse into the innocent, often uncensored minds and imaginations of children.

Fizer relies on more than forty years of experience in a classroom environment to offer a diverse compilation of funny sayings and heartfelt moments she experienced with her students. From the student who said he wanted to be both the President of the United States and a forklift operator to the boy who announced that he needed to see the nurse because he thought he had head lights, Fizer recalls the unpredictable moments of every day she spent in front of a classroom serving not only as a teacher, but also as a role model, stand-in mother, and a source of information who had to somehow find a creative answer to every creative question.

Mommy Couldn’t Find Her Eyelashes is a delightful collection of quotes from children that encourages all of us to find the pure happiness in every day—even when we are all grown up.

Pump Up Your Book and Mary Jane Fizer are teaming up to give you a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:

  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • Two winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Amazon Gift Certificate or Paypal Cash.
  • This giveaway begins November 11 and ends November 22.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on Monday, November 25, 2013.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.

 

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MCFHE Blog Tour

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Becoming Alice Book Spotlight & $25 Giveaway

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Image from Pump Up Your Book

Image from Pump Up Your Book

Title:  Becoming Alice

Author: Alice Rene

Publisher: iUniverse

Genre: Memoir

Pages: 284

Click here to purchase at iUniverse

 

“Strongly recommended a deftly written memoir that will hold the reader’s rapt attention from beginning to end.”
-Midwest Book Review

“Her ability to authentically capture the bewilderment and pain of dislocation through a child’s eyes – including the disharmony in her immediate family – makes for engaging reading that will resonate with young adults everywhere.”
-Beth B. Cohen, Ph.D., author of Case Closed: Holocaust Survivors in America, 1946-1954

Six-year-old Ilse watches Nazi soldiers march down her street in Vienna, Austria. It is the beginning of an odyssey that will take her to Riga, Latvia, and finally to Portland, Oregon. Becoming Alice chronicles her Jewish family’s harrowing escape and struggle as immigrants to fit into the American landscape. The added problems of growing up within a troubled family cloud her childhood and adolescence.

Ilse changes her name to Alice. Not until she moves into a boarding house in Berkeley, surrounded by girls from a patchwork of cultures, does she make peace with her true identity. Becoming Alice brilliantly showcases Rene’s triumph over adversity, identity crisis, and the sometimes debilitating power of family ties.

 

Enter for your chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:

By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.

Two winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Amazon Gift Certificate or Paypal Cash.

This giveaway begins November 11 and ends November 29.

Winners will be contacted via email on Monday, December 2, 2013.

Winner has 48 hours to reply.

 
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Image from Pump Up Your Book

Image from Pump Up Your Book

Ex Umbris: Step Into the Light; Book Spotlight and Giveaway!

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Image from author's facebook page

Image from author’s facebook page

Title:  Ex Umbris: Step Into the Light

Author:  Gregory Peterson

Published:  February 28, 2013 by BookBaby

Genre:  Science Fiction, Fantasy

Click here to buy Ex Umbris: Step Into the Light from Amazon.com

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

Ex Umbris is a story that follows Arro, an angel of death tasked by the Fates of ancient Greece with bringing a small girl’s life to an end. When Arro becomes fed up with the constant death that consumes his life, he goes on the run with the very girl he is supposed to kill. Both learn from each other and a wide array of characters from various mythologies and religions. Arro must learn to stand up to his masters while vowing to protect his new friend. With an army of angels of death on their trail, Arro disobeys orders from the Fates, and seeks guidance from other outcasts from mythologies around the world. (Taken from Amazon.com)


Preface

Since the beginning of time I have known one thing. Death. Death is all that defines my kind. The torture of this knowledge runs deep within my veins. We were created for that one morbid purpose. We have always been here, lurking in the shadows. Every creature’s biggest fear. We have gone by many names: reapers, death bringers, angels of death. Every culture knows and fears us. Gods and religions have come and gone, but we remain, ever vigilant of our duties. We serve death, culling the flock when called upon. To say one does not fear death is a lie, a lie almost as dreadful as myself. I lie here in the darkness awaiting the next calling. Waiting, thinking, yearning for release.  The darkness bites at me like a winter frost. My limbs are numb. I do not know how much time has passed since I was last released into the night. Days…months…years. I hear the writhing and growling of the others, restless as I am with this torturous existence. This cold, dark hell in which we were born unto.

I can feel it in my bones. The rage in me grows little by little. Release will come soon, and I will perform my duty with deadly precision. The gathering of the souls will commence. The ones chosen by our masters will be brought to their knees, their souls harvested. Such is the way of life. Life for all mortals. A life in which I would give anything for. Release from this torture. I crave it. I am unlike many of the others who have embraced this cold existence, reveling in the culling. The path they walk has delved them into a maddening bloodlust. They create unique and disastrous ways to kill, relishing each soul as a trophy. Our kind has fallen from grace over the years. We were once proud, understanding of our role. We are a dark necessity on an otherwise bright world. How far we have fallen.

The cold night air calls to me. My whole body shudders in anticipation. The shadows surrounding my body writhe in the darkness. I need to stretch my wings. As my vision turns from black to red, I lick my lips in anticipation. I do not take joy in killing. Not yet anyway. That is a darkness I hope to never experience. I do what I must, as it is the way of things. The hunt and kill is the price I must pay for one night, one night of freedom. Soon enough, I will stretch my wings and soar under the moon. The bite of the cold night air against my skin is invigorating. I will collect my souls and return to the void where I make my home. Waiting. Thinking. Hoping. One day. One day I will step into the light. This is my existence and that small shred of hope is all that I possess.

The time for dreams is done now. I will spread my wings and join the night sky. I will hunt my targets and fulfill their destiny. These unfortunate souls have completed their journeys on this world, and I must keep the story moving. The call is placed. Their voices fill my head, echoing throughout my skull. It is time.


About the Author:

Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

Gregory has always enjoyed reading and writing. Since he was very little, he would read books on Greek and Egyptian mythology. Focusing his degree in cultural Anthropology,Gregory used his background to write Ex Umbris: Step Into the Light. Gregory also has many works of poetry published, and is currently working on a sequel to Ex Umbris. Gregory has also acted and written many short films. He also won the “Best Use of Character” award for the New Hampshire 48 Hour Film Project for his work on the short “Anatomically Incorrect”. Gregory has always been interested in mythology and ancient religions from around the world and plans on incorporating more cultures and stories into the second Ex Umbris book.

 

Connect with Gregory!

Facebook     Goodreads     Greg’s Blog


GIVEAWAY

Greg is giving away 5 Kindle copies of Ex Umbris:  Step Into the Light!

Terms and Conditions

You must be 18 years old to enter.

This contest runs from October 31, 2013 to November 15, 2013.

The winner has 48 hours to reply.


Click here to enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway

Book Spotlight: Trust Me?

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Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

When Jenifer Taylor, a young woman from the big City of Mornington Vale California starts her day, it turns from bad to worse, when on her way to work she is in a chain collision. Little does she know that this accident will set off a chain of events transforming her dull life, filling it with love and heartache.

Aiden O’Connell, a young, attractive, and rich businessman sparks her trust issues as he starts his pursuit of her.

Jeni admits her feelings for Aiden; only to find out he is being investigated for a serious crime. Her trust issues spark as she goes through a journey of self-discovery. She must decide once and for all whether she trusts the man she loves, when she’s asked the ultimate question.

“Do you trust me?”

This is book one in a series of three. Book two “Love Me?” coming soon.

 

EXCERPT
I run through some paperwork when I hear someone clear their throat to get my attention. I look up angrily to see the man who crashed into me this morning. It’s the idiot who enhanced my bad day.
“Jeni, I presume?” he asks with a quirky smile on his face, which is unexpectedly attractive.
I sit in silence as I stare at him with my mouth slightly open in surprise.
He speaks again. “I’m sorry about this morning. I see you managed to get that stain mostly out of your top. I’d like to pay for some new clothes and the damages to your car, if you’ll let me.”
I squirm in my seat as the attractiveness of this man is suddenly apparent. How did I not notice his gorgeousness this morning? He’s, quite frankly, one of the most attractive guys I’ve ever seen. In spite of his outrageously good looks and cheerful persona, I start to get angry with him all over again.
“No, you don’t need to pay for new clothes or for my car. My manager has told me that they will fix it for me and then charge the insurance company. So, like I said this morning, I don’t want or need your charity, thanks.”
He looks at me in surprise. “That’s no way to talk to a customer.” Again with a mischievous grin.
“Urgh.” I want to slap him in his smart-ass, gorgeous face.
“Sorry,” I say with extreme sarcasm. “Can I have the details of your car please, Mr. O’Connell?”
“If you won’t let me buy you some new clothes or fix your car, how about lunch then?”
There’s that grin again. I quickly gather myself together and reply hastily.
“It’s after two, Mr. O’Connell. I’ve had lunch, thanks.” I’m feeling quite pleased with myself as I stand up. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, the details of your car?”
He looks at me puzzled.
“I didn’t mean today. I meant tomorrow or the next day or the weekend. Whenever you’re free?”
With that, his gorgeous smile crosses his face again, and I begin to melt. Is it hot in here? I can feel my cheeks burning. I look down, pretending to sort out paperwork on my desk so he can’t see the redness spreading across my face.
“I don’t think I can do lunch. I’m pretty busy you know.”
He looks like he’s thinking hard about what to say next and he tilts his head slightly.
“Dinner then?”
I let out a little laugh but quickly gather myself together.
“I could use the details of your car, Mr. O’Connell?”
He grins again.
“Jeez, you’re a tough one to crack, Jeni.”
I try not to smile.
“Okay, how about this? If you give me the pleasure of having dinner with you on Friday night, I’ll give you the details of my car.” He looks very pleased with himself, grinning from ear to ear.
I sigh, considering his deal.
“Oh, um, I don’t know. I mean you’re a customer. Surely there is some sort of rules about customers and employees dating.”
He laughs; the sound is delightful to my ears.
“I won’t tell if you don’t.”
I stand there in shock, contemplating what to say next. I mean could this amazingly handsome man want to take me out to dinner? Really? I’m not anything like the type of girl I’d imagine he would be into. I try to think of some witty comeback, but before I know what’s happening, I sputter, “Fine! Friday for dinner, if it’ll get you to co-operate. Please tell me the details of your car.”
I take a deep breath and wait for him to reply.
“Great, Friday it is. I have your details from this morning. I’ll call you with the restaurant and time.”
I sit back down on my chair in a dazed shock.
“Is that okay with you?”
I shake my head with disbelief.
“Sure, why not?” is all I can mange.
His smile reappears like he has overcome a huge obstacle and triumphed.

 

About the Author

K E Osborn is the Adelaide based Author of the Trust me? Trilogy, a romance series with love, laughter and plenty of lust!
http://www.keosbornauthor.com/

K E Osborn was born in September 1984 and raised in Adelaide South Australia. She had a love of writing throughout High School but went down a different path to Design instead. It wasn’t until she had a vivid dream about a three car pile up that the characters of her first book came to life.

Aiden and Jeni are the amazing couple from the Trust me? Trilogy and they were born into the world through the imagination of K E Osborn in 2012.

Connect with K E Osborn

https://twitter.com/froggy585
https://www.facebook.com/KEOsborn
https://www.facebook.com/trustmetrilogy
http://www.goodreads.com/KEOsbornAuthor
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/KEOsbornauthor

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