Pages

October 29, 2014

Fractured Legacy by Skye Callahan ~ Blog Tour: #Review


Title: Fractured Legacy
Series: Fractured Legacy #1
Author: Skye Callahan
Publication date: October 2013
Publisher: Createspace
Genre: Paranormal Urban Fantasy
Source: Copy for review






FRACTURED LEGACY is FREE for a Limited Time Only! 


Purchase: Amazon US | Amazon UK      Amazon CA | Amazon AU | B&N | Kobo | Scribd. 



Kaylyn Anderson's fascination with abandoned places and dark creatures kindled her work as a paranormal investigator. But when dreams begin to distort reality, she questions what is real and pulls away from everyone she trusts. The opportunity to investigate the Teague Hotel - a long-abandoned landmark that has always piqued her curiosity - provides a chance to redeem herself. Unraveling the hotel's secrets won't be easy, but Kaylyn soon finds herself the target of a dark entity that has been trapped in the building for decades. 

If Kaylyn stands any chance of defeating the spirit, she'll have to accept that her fears are real and convince fellow investigators that she hasn't lost her mind. 



Shiver-inducing, creepy-crawly, and spine-tingling all best describe how I felt while reading Fractured Legacy. This is the perfect time of year to read about a young paranormal investigator with an entity targeting her. I wasn't expecting to get freaked out while reading this novel, but with all the lights off and only the screen softly glowing, I definitely did. And I love that feeling! 

Kaylyn and her sister, Cole, are paranormal investigators at the same agency. They walk into work one day to find they have a new boss, and his name is Jonah. Right away, Kaylyn and Jonah grate on each other's nerves, but also a sort of attraction is there as well. It was fun to see them interact - Kaylyn doesn't take crap from anyone, not even her boss. Sometimes I slightly cringed since you should be somewhat respectful with the person who has the power to fire you, right? ;)

Kaylyn and Cole are assigned to investigate possible paranormal activity at the Teague Hotel. First of all, how awesome would it be to get paid as a paranormal investigator?? I'd like to think I'd be super brave but can't help thinking I'd most likely be too afraid to go searching for otherworldly happenings! However Kaylyn is plagued by nasty nightmares, and they only become more frightening after she's stepped foot in the hotel. 

Kaylyn, Jonah, and Cole make a terrific team. The dynamics between them make for some entertaining situations they get themselves into. They just work well together, and it only took them getting through their irritation with each other to reach that point. 

My only issue with Fractured Legacy, which is a small thing that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book overall, was that Cole assumed Kaylyn's problems were due only to a breakup. The possibility of something otherworldly going on never entered her mind, and for someone who is a paranormal investigator and supposed to know her sister so well, I thought that was strange. It took some time warming up to Cole; she was more concerned with how Kaylyn's behavior affected herself rather than how it was affecting Kaylyn.  

With the above set aside, Skye Callahan kept me guessing in Fractured Legacy - I couldn't read quickly enough! There were secrets that came out which I never saw coming, and I couldn't believe those revelations. I'm hooked on this series and am ready for the next novel! 

My Rating:




~ Book Two ~
My review coming tomorrow! 




Despite unanswered questions about the nameless entity that tried to steal her life, Kaylyn returns to the only kind of normal life she knows and takes on a new paranormal case. 

After investing everything they have in a farm, an unsuspecting family discovers that their problems run much deeper than the poor upkeep of the house and land. Can Kaylyn and the other investigators uncover what's behind the growing malicious activity? And how will they all deal with new warnings from beyond the divide? 




Skye Callahan is an Ohio-girl who has spent a lifetime chained to the imaginary worlds of the characters who live in her head. In elementary school she began writing down these characters' stories to share with her friends and teachers. Although the paranormal was always her area of focus, she has recently followed her interest in BDSM and dark romance to venture into other realms. 

When she isn't spending time with the voices in her head, she loves spending time with her husband and two ferrets. 



October 28, 2014

#ACLFest Bands I Saw, the Ones I Missed, & My Wishlist for 2015


Photo taken by me :D


Woo, I went to the Austin City Limits Music Festival again this year!!! I thought it'd be fun to do a post about bands I was able to see compared with the bands I was actually able to see for both this year and last year, plus I made a wish list for next year. 

Click here to be taken to the official website and see the entire lineup for the weekend.

I have more posts about ACL Fest coming up including lessons I learned from going last year (like take water with you on the walk to the festival!!! can't stress that enough), and posts for each day describing the bands I saw with some pics. So this is just the first of a series of ACL goodness. ;D


There's something about going to a concert where I feel at one with everyone around me. After a Green Day concert when they were touring for their American Idiot album, my husband commented that going to a concert is almost like having a religious experience, and I think that's a perfect way to describe it. 


Now imagine getting THREE DAYS of that feeling, and you'll get an idea of how awesome the ACL Fest is. I feel like I spend all year preparing for it, lol. It's so worth it!! Here are my lists below! 



~ Bands I Wanted to See ~ 
ACL 2014

  • Pearl Jam
  • Beck
  • Outkast
  • Skrillex
  • Foster the People
  • Spoon
  • The Head and the Heart
  • Interpol
  • CHVRCHES
  • St. Vincent (never thought I'd list this one, lol)
  • Phantogram
  • AFI
  • Icona Pop
  • Jenny Lewis
  • Real Estate
  • Bleachers
  • Cults
  • Miniature Tigers
  • Black Pistol Fire
  • Childish Gambino - (Did you know that Donald Glover from the TV show Community IS Childish Gambino?? Me neither!)


~ Bands I Saw ~
ACL 2014

  • Pearl Jam - caught the beginning 
  • Beck
  • Outkast - caught the end 
  • Skrillex
  • Eminem - caught the beginning, lol
  • Foster the People - heard them across the way while waiting for another band
  • Belle & Sebastian
  • Spoon
  • Interpol
  • CHVRCHES
  • St. Vincent
  • AFI - caught the end 
  • Caught part of Icona Pop - the bass was BOOMING - I was far, far away buying t-shirts, & my ears were suffering in a major way!
  • Caught the last few songs of Real Estate
  • Bleachers
  • Cults
  • Lana Del Rey
  • Major Lazer - on the TV in the VIP area but could hear them live on stage nearby
  • Lorde - on TV, but could hear her on stage close by
  • Chromeo - on TV but stage nearby



~ Bands I Wanted to See ~
ACL 2013 

  • Depeche Mode
  • The Cure
  • Muse
  • Atoms for Peace
  • Phoenix
  • Wilco
  • Vampire Weekend
  • Passion Pit
  • Queens of the Stone Age
  • Arctic Monkeys
  • Fun.
  • Franz Ferdinand
  • Tame Impala
  • Silversun Pickups
  • The Joy Formidable
  • Grouplove
  • The Black Angels


~ Bands I Saw ~
ACL 2013

  • The Cure
  • Muse
  • Atoms for Peace
  • Passion Pit
  • Queens of the Stone Age - heard them while waiting for Muse
  • Arctic Monkeys - heard them while in the VIP area
  • Fun.
  • Franz Ferdinand - saw them side stage!!
  • Local Natives
  • Tame Impala
  • Silversun Pickups
  • The Black Angels - heard them from the VIP area

~ My Wish List for ACL 2015 ~

  • Alanis Morissette
  • Green Day 
  • U2
  • Radiohead
  • Weezer - shocking I've NEVER seen them live!
  • R.E.M.
  • Coldplay
  • MGMT
  • Foo Fighters
  • Lady Gaga
  • Eels
  • Delta Spirit
  • Florence & the Machines
  • Arcade Fire
  • Geographer
  • Animal Collective
  • Alcoholic Faith Mission
  • M83
  • Imagine Dragons
  • Passion Pit - would it be too much to ask to see them again??
  • Sleigh Bells
  • Generationals
  • The Temper Trap
  • Kasabian
  • The Knife
  • Goldfrapp

Don't worry...I'm going into detail in my next posts - one for each day of the festival. These lists are helping me get organized for those posts. Plus, I've been wanting to make a wish list forever! I'm also going to post about what I did in Austin besides go to the festival. I stayed a few extra days this year and got to see and do some more stuff. 

And I'm totally going back next year. Already saving up for the trip. :D Until next time party people...
  

October 27, 2014

When Life's Kicking Your Butt, How About a Theme Song? #2 #ACLFest


I'm feel pretty giddy this month because a couple of weeks ago, I got to go to Austin City Limits Music Fest again in Austin! This was my second year going, and it was so much fun as it was last year.

So I asked Robyn @ robgirlbooks if we could make the ACL Fest part of this month's theme song challenge, and she agreed! I also have a series of posts about my time there coming up on the blog, so keep an eye out for those! I swear this year I'm posting about it - I never did last year! :P 

It was SO hard to pick just one song, but here's my selection:

 

Click on the link above to see Robyn's pick in honor of ACL Fest! <3

October 25, 2014

My Flash Friday Entry #6


Hey guys! Here's my entry for this week Flash! Friday hosted by Rebekah Postupak!!!  

If you'd like to participate, click the link above for the rules and come join us next Friday! 

Today we were required to do the following: 

  • Use the below photo
  • Include bankruptcy
  • Word count between 140-160

Here's the photo prompt:


Title: Mr. Hydrick, county supervisor, and Mr. Melody Tillery examining mouth and teeth of his mare, which has mule colt. Pike County, near Tray, Alabama. Public domain photo by Marion Post Walcott 


~ The Loss ~

"We lost," Greg said firmly. "How did we lose? That bet should've been a sure thing." 

"You know your wife is going to disown you now, right?" I shuffled nervously, my hands glued into my pockets from the unbearable heat. 

Greg frowned at me. "I'll find a way out of this mess. Somehow, some way. I don't want to lose her. I CAN'T lose her." He began mumbling and sweating profusely.

Worried about him, all I wanted to do was reassure him. The words stuck in my throat - I felt like we were out in the Sahara. I was out a lot of money, too. But I didn't have a wife - I only had myself to worry about. 

Pacing back and forth, Greg looked too pale for being out in the sun all day. I looked up - and saw his wife marching our way. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

Not my best work, but I was in a hurry, eep.

Would you like to participate in Flash! Fridays? 
Let me know so I can cheer you on! 


October 22, 2014

Losing Track by Trisha Wolfe ~ Blitz: Excerpt & Giveaway!


Losing Track (LivingHeartwood #2)
Release Date: 10/15/14


Sometimes you have to lose your way before finding the right track.


The roar of a bike engine. The vibration between her thighs. The feel of cool darkness kissing her skin as she coasts along twisty back roads at night—Melody Lachlan lives for these things. Ever since Mel and her best friend Darla escaped their small, backwoods town, they’ve traveled the countryside in search of fast rides, tatted bikers, and good times.


A self-proclaimed poet and lover of all things free, Mel views her life as one long bike ride—with pit stops along the way to numb the pain. But she never saw herself as a junkie. Party as hard as you ride. That’s her motto…until a tragic night steals her soul. Then she’s forced to delve below the surface, to where her demons rage.


When she meets recovered drug addict Boone Randall, she’s more likely to deck him than kiss his dimple-adorable face. She doesn’t want his help; doesn’t want to own up to her part in that night. She just wants to do her time and keep her promise to her friend. Yet Boone challenges Mel, and soon she doesn’t mind sharing the road. Only when Boone’s own secret demons threaten their newfound, fragile security, Mel’s course becomes rocky, and she must decide if letting her well-worn track marks fade is worth finding a new path. 


Told from Dual point of view from Melody and Boone, this is a New Adult Contemporary Romance intended for readers seventeen years of age and older.



 



Only $.99 for a limited time only!



Companion to:


The Darkest Part (Living Heartwood )
by TrishaWolfe
Release Date: 08/06/13



Pressing the boundaries of both the psyche and the heart, Sam and Holden embark on a dangerous journey that will test the limits of love.


Sam Wintry’s life used to be almost perfect. She was engaged to her childhood best friend and high school sweetheart, Tyler Marks, planning an amazing cross-country honeymoon during her college break. But after a hit-and-run leaves her in ruin, she begins seeing Tyler’s fractured, ghostly presence, and her family believes she’s losing her mind. Not until she completes their journey, stopping along the way to scatter Tyler's remains, will Tyler be able cross over. Only...is Sam ready for him to leave her?

When the black sheep of the Marks' family, Holden Marks, returns to check on Tyler's case, Sam convinces him to give her his brother's ashes. Despite their shaky history, she needs him...plus, he owes it to Sam and his brother. What she doesn’t count on is Holden’s relentlessness to go on the trip.

On the road, Holden realizes just how unhinged Sam has become. Dealing with her psychosis forces him to confront his dark past, making it harder to keep secrets hidden that should remain buried. Especially from Sam, the only woman he’s ever loved. And as Sam starts to unravel the truth, she begins to question if the brother she's unwillingly falling for again is in an even darker place than her.

New Adult Contemporary coming this year.




Only $.99 for a limited time only!


Melody

"Your friend doesn't like me very much," Boone says, interrupting my weird thoughts.

I shrug. "Jesse's like that. Don't worry about it." 

"I wasn't, really." He ducks his head to find my eyes. "But I am concerned that he seems to think you're his property."

My insides rage. "I'm no one's fucking property," I bite out. "And you don't know him. You don't know the MC. It's just their way...to like, look out for me and shit." 

Boone holds his hands up in defense. "Take it down a notch, Riz. Not looking for a brawl here."

"Funny. I thought that was your MO, fight club." 

This earns me a full-on smile, and my anger takes a dive. "Fair enough. Truce?" He extends his hand. 

With a forced sigh, I take his hand and shake. But he doesn't release it. Instead, he subtly twists his hand so that our fingers align, palm-to-palm, then laces his fingers through mine. My traitor heart kicks my rib cage. 

"How ill am I going to be watching you out there?" he says. 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you won't be on a bike you're used to, right? I'm assuming whoever's bike you're going to race is one of the guy's from down there." He nods toward the pit. "Not built for a woman." He eyes me. "A petite one, at that."

"I resent the fact that you think I'd have to ride a chick bike." 

He looks me over slowly, from head, to body, to toes, sending a flood of new heat everywhere. "What did you ride before?"

I attempt to hide my smile, doing a terrible job. "A Breakout, okay?" His smile widens, and I'm tempted to punch him in the shoulder. "I know...I know. But you have to admit that like, even though technically designed for chicks, it's still bad ass." I shrug. "I need a lower model, being vertically challenged and all." 

"I get that. And it is a badass ride. I'm sure it was modded all to hell, too."

"Damn right," I add.

"So what are you riding tonight?"

I nod toward the track, to where Jesse is getting ready to take off down the strip. "Forty-Eight." 

Boone's gaze follows mine to Jesse and his new hog. I take a quick peek at his face, see his brows pull together, before he says, "No. No way."

"Huh?"

"No offense. I'm sure you're an excellent rider...but I can't in good conscience let you drive that beast." 

"It is a beast," I say, having to agree with him. But then my feminine hackles raise. This is the second time in two days that a guy is telling me what's good for me. First, Jesse and his jealous ol' man act, when he reiterated again and again how he didn't like me hanging out with some backyard brawler. And now, Boone's laying it on pretty thick. Though in all fairness, I am taking more than a gamble with Jesse's hog. 

"Ride mine," Boone says.

Surprised, I look him straight in the eyes. "Are you serious?"

A moment of hesitancy pales his face, but to his credit, he checks it quickly. I know how much work he's put into his Bonnie. And I'm sure he doesn't trust me enough not to trash it on the track - he's never even seen me ride.

"I'm sure," he says. "It sits low, and it's also a bobber, very lightweight. It rides pretty close to a Breakout, and you'll handle it a hell of a lot better than that tank down there."

This is actually true. His bobber is customized for speed, and it does sit low, lower than a Breakout, actually. But one thing: "It's not American," I say. "I cannot ride non-American."

He cracks a smile. "How did I know you'd say that?" He gives my hand a pump, reminding me we're still holding hands, and it scares me a little how right it feels, how normal. "I'm serious, Mel. You need to ride my bike if you're going to do this. Don't let your stubbornness get you hurt."

A few weeks ago, him saying something like that would've ended with me telling him where to stick it. That it's none of his business - which really, it's not. But as I look down at our linked fingers, then up into his face, the light bruise covering one cheek, the cut above his eye, I know he also understands pain. Stubbornness. Determination. Want, and everything else I battle.

And truthfully, today is not the day I want to end up careening out of control. Whether on the track or off. 

"Do you know how special you are, that I'm even offering you the chance to ride my baby?" His hand sends another pulse to mine, and it's like a lifeline - his energy, his assurance, flowing from him to me. 

I don't think I would've offered him the same in return. I know what a huge thing it is to let someone else ride a machine you've put so much of yourself into. Really, I could get all misty on him in this moment. Instead, I palm his large hand between both of my small ones. "I'm going to hear so much shit for racing a Triumph." 




I’m the author of the YA Steampunk DESTINY'S FIRE (Omnific Publishing), ASTARTE'S WRATH NA Historical/Supernatural, and the upcoming YA Utopian FIREBLOOD from Spencer Hill Press, October 2013. My NA Dark Fantasy OF SILVER AND BEASTS available May 2013.

I’m the creator of YA Bound, a promotional site for the Young Adult genre. Also a member of SCWW and The Apocalypsies.

A proud business owner, I'm partnered with my partner, my husband. When I’m not busy doing all of the above, I’m a wife and the mother of a gorgeous teen boy who's the sounding board for my male characters.




 photo iconwebsite-32x32_zps1f477f69.png  photo icongoodreads32_zps60f83491.png  photo icontwitter-32x32_zpsae13e2b2.png  photo iconfacebook-32x32_zps64a79d4a.png  photo icontumblr-32x32_zps959818ca.png  photo iconyoutube-32x32_zps18f50985.png  photo iconpinterest_zps6fcf02a7.png





Book Blitz Organized by:

October 21, 2014

The Girl Who Came Back to Life by Craig Staufenberg ~ Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

thegirlbanner

Welcome to my stop on The Girl Who Came Back to Life Blog Tour hosted by CBB Book Promotions. The Girl Who Came Back to Life is a Middle Grade Fantasy (fable/fairytale). Click here for the full tour schedule.

TheGirlWhoCameBackToLife_Cover_FrontOnly


Title: The Girl Who Came Back to Life 

Author: Craig Staufenberg
Publication date: April 16th 2014
Publisher: Createspace
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy (fable/fairytale)
Source: Copy for review







Purchase: Amazon | B&N



A book about love and loss, and how to live in a world filled with both...

When you die, your spirit wakes in the north, in the City of the Dead. There, you wander the cold until one of your living loved ones finds you, says "Goodbye," and Sends you to the next world. 

After her parents die, 12-year-old Sophie refuses to release their spirits. Instead, she resolves to travel to the City of the Dead to bring her mother and father’s spirits back home with her. 

Taking the long pilgrimage north with her gruff & distant grandmother—by train, by foot, by boat; over ruined mountains and plains and oceans—Sophie struggles to return what death stole from her. Yet the journey offers her many hard, unexpected lessons—what to hold on to, when to let go, and who she must truly bring back to life.
  


Lately it seems like I'm reading books back to back about life and loss. I believe I'm drawn to those topics especially at this time of year when the vibrancy and liveliness of summer gives way to the unforgiving bleakness of winter. The Girl Who Came Back to Life is about both - how do you keep on living after losing loved ones? 

Since Sophie lost her parents, she's decided to find a way to the City of the Dead and bring them back with her, thinking everything can go back to the way it was. Sophie's grandmother has taken in her in, but she isn't emotionally available to Sophie. Since Sophie's grandfather died, her grandmother sleepwalks through life. The only times she allows the sharp edges of her personality to fade are when she reads a mysterious letter that seems to give her comfort. 

I find the idea behind this story oddly comforting, and I say oddly because I like knowing the souls still exist but you don't know what the next plane of existence will be. But you know they're going somewhere. I'm also not sure I could let go. What if you didn't want to Send your loved ones? What if you wanted them to stay with you rather than allowing them to move on to the next stage? 

Once I heard there are some who believe if you don't "let go" of your loved ones and move on from their death, their spirit will remain here and be prevented from going on to Heaven or wherever you believe your soul goes. That always horrified me because I didn't want to let go of them, but I didn't want to prevent them from going to where they could be at rest. The Girl Who Came Back to Life had me thinking about all of this, and I like to think about it as morbid as that might sound. 

I was glued to this book - I couldn't wait to find out if and how Sophie would make it to the City of the Dead and what she would ultimately do when/if she arrived there. And her grandmother intrigued me with the way she has emotionally closed herself off. The sacrifices Sophie makes to get to the City touched me. I'd like to think I would have done the same as she did. She's clever and quick thinking. I'm not sure how much I'm like that, or if I'm like that at all.

The Girl Who Came Back to Life is an amazing story. The pacing was a bit slow for me at times, but I believe it's a personal preference. I think I was impatient, wanting to find out what was going to happen next so badly. Other than this minor issue, I loved reading Sophie's story. 

My Rating:






Craig Staufenberg is a writer and filmmaker living in NYC.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads    





3 signed copies of The Girl Who Came Back to Life by Craig Staufenberg (US)

3 ebook copies of The Girl Who Came Back to Life (INT)