Author Guest Post: "Two-Fisted Tweets" by James Hutchings

Today, I have James Hutchings, the author of Two Fisted Tweets. He is talking about his book
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Two-Fisted Tweets is a collection of thirty short stories. Each is less than 140 characters (the length of a Twitter tweet).

I've always been more interested in short stories than in novels, both writing and reading. However, if I hadn't discovered the Nanoism and PicFic websites, who publish tweet-length writing, I don't think I ever would've written anything that short.

I've been surprised how much you can get into a tiny number of words. This is especially true in science fiction, fantasy, and horror, where there are common plots that you can suggest by mentioning one or two elements.

I think I'm partly reacting against the tendency towards huge 'doorstop' novels, where every story has to be 1000 pages long and part of a series. It seems to be especially severe in fantasy, I guess because of the long shadow of Lord of the Rings

I don't want to write a blurb that's longer than the book, so I'll stop there. If you're interested, the homepage for the book is Smashwords, and my blog

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Thanks for stopping by James.

This guest post is a part of BLB Ebook Tour. You can check another schedule here.

Review: Monster Story By McCarty Griffin

Synopsis From GoodreadsChristy McCauley has returned to West Virginia at last, but her homecoming quickly turns into a surreal nightmare. In the deep hollows and woods of rural Augusta County, something unspeakable is slaughtering people in the dark of night. Authorities don't know if its human or animal, or how to stop it. Christy and her friends only know they must hunt it and destroy it, before it kills again

My Thought
I did enjoy this book. Unfortunately when I was in the first page of the book, I found it difficult to get what the author try to say. The word choice that I got in the first few pages were difficult enough. Actually this book was written well. it described thing in a nice way. Let's blame it to my limited vocabulary. I was little bit afraid that I was not able to read till the last page. But I did not know why I just could not leave it.

I started to focus when the story brought me to the first scene when the slaughter took place. I kept searching for the next chapter which told me the same thing. Fortunately, there were a lot. Even when I felt enough with bloody scene. It was getting frightening. The creature that finally revealed as werewolf was so creepy. I could easily got the pictures of everything he did. Those dreadful chapters were so real. It looks like watching horror movie. I kept asking who would be the next victims and who would stay till the end. Another big question that haunted me, how to kill this monster.

Talk about the characters, I think the author wrote too many of them. I was annoyed by some of their appearance. From all of them I liked Graeme. I loved all his jokes. I caught myself giggling each time he said something. But I liked the relationship between them. Tess, I also adored her. Because from all of the characters, the only emotion that I could really feel were hers. Especially when she was so scared.

I have not read lots of book about werewolf. It made me wonder if all the werewolves out there were as vicious as the creature in this book.

Cover
I think it is fit enough with what the reader will find inside. The darkness is revealed just by looking at those red eyes.

4/5

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Author: McCarthy Griffin; Check her Facebook, Twitter, and Website

ebook, 315 pages

Published November 4th 2010 by McCarty Griffin, via Smashwords

You can buy Monster Story at

Barnes and Noble

Smashword,

Sony Ebookstore,

Diesel

Apple

Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of the Book Lovin' Bitches E-book Tours and a copy was provided by the author. I did not receive any payment in exchange for this review nor was I obligated to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist or the readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Giveaway : Insight by Jamie Magee (Closed)

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Before that fateful summer night, Willow had balanced the insight of emotion, and the vivid images. That night, the figure in her nightmare marked her wrist with a star, giving her father no choice but to tell Willow a family secret that would abruptly change life, as she knew it, forever. Before Willow had time to absorb the shock of her father's secret, her soul mate that had shared every stunning dream with her, found her, and darkness captured her closest friends. In order to save them, she must weave through broken myths and the undeniable power of the Zodiac. In the end, Willow discovers that at the moment of our birth we are all given a divine gift

As a part of Book Lovin' Bitches ebook Tour, the author of Insight, Jamie Magee, giveaway one printed book and one ebook. So there will be two winner. Both of them are open internationally.

All you have to do is leaving you name, your country and a valid email address (so I can contact you if you are the winner) in the comment below.

It ends March 26th and the winner will be contacted and announced on Monday, March 28th, 2011.

The winner will be choosen via random.org

Goodluck!

Review: Beloved of the Fallen by Savannah Kline

Synopsis from Goodreads

When the young and beautiful Kira Castelmaine arrives in Washington, D.C., to serve her first term in Congress, she is swept off her feet by Valentin Ashford, a distinguished political consultant. But the relationship soon turns the political idealist's moral world upside down. Unaware that Valentin is actually an agent of Lucifer sent to help bring world destruction, Kira falls wildly in love. Named to a seat on the powerful House intelligence committee, Kira eventually holds the swing vote on authorizing a covert action against a country in the Middle East that has recently obtained nuclear weapons. This covert attack threatens to be countered with an apocalyptic response, and it could trigger a wider conflict that could seal disaster for the human race. Trapped between passion and the salvation of mankind, Kira and Valentin must find redemption in each other if they hope to thwart Lucifer’s diabolic plot.

My thought

I was so excited when I found Beloved of the Fallen because it was the first book about angel that I read. I have a big expectation for this book and it did not fail me. At first I thought it would be full of romance. But I was wrong. It was not that shallow.

Although the prologue was boring, its 28 chapters hooked me. It was a fast paced novel. The mystery inside kept my nose buried in it. I loved the idea that the author brought. She mixed little fantasy and some political issues. The last part was my favorite. It was written very well. Even if the angel or demon were not there, I think it still would be interesting to read.

Kira, the main character, was a beautiful, smart and strong young woman. It was not difficult to like her. The author wrote about her in sequence. So I could keep the track of her life. From her childhood, high school till she was involved in politic. I liked the chapter which told me about her relation with his father. And talk about Valentin Ashford, the fallen angel, I really want to like him. Unfortunately till the end of the book, I just could not connect to him. There was a big hope for more awesome things that he could have shown. This book is supposed to be about angel. But he did not play his role.

If you are into political novel, you might want to read this book.

Cover

I wish I could see the other edition. I liked the White House background but I'd love to see Kira in front not Valentin.

4/5

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Author: Savannah Kline ; Website ; Twitter

Format: ebook, 248 pages

Paperback, 336 pages

Published October 1st 2010 by Ulysses Press

You can buy the book on Amazon or Barnes & Nobel and the ebook here

Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of the Book Lovin' Bitches E-book Tours and a copy was provided by the author. I did not receive any payment in exchange for this review nor was I obligated to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist or the readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Guest Post and Giveaway : Heartsblood - Carolyn McCray

Today I have a guest post. She is Carolyn McCray, the author of Heartsblood. Keep reading it because she is giving away one free ebook of Heartsblood for you. All you have to do is just leaving a comment and a valid email address before February 28, 2011. As simple as that.

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I like vampires. No, actually I love vampires.

However, I didn't want to write about them.

Whenever I write a book I want to bring something fresh and unique to the genre and after the sparkling thing that ship had pretty much sailed.

But I did love the essence of the mythology. Blood as a potent force and the sensuality of the bite. I didn't want to be tied to the over-worked nocturnal/silver hating/immortal thing.

I wanted something seeped in fable yet new.

Allowing this idea to percolate for a few weeks, my muse finally created Praxis. Blood Magic.

Depending on a person's emotions at the time of the the blood letting, their blood held varied properties. Love, hate, and fear all take on new meaning when used by someone skilled in Praxis.

I then toyed with the notion that any technology advanced enough appeared to be magic.

Was Praxis magic or a science so complex we simply cannot understand it.

From those humble beginnings sprang HeartsBlood.

A tale set in present day San Francisco entwined with an ancient magic that turns out to be nothing as it seems.

HeartsBlood.

Here is a sample of my novel. If you enjoy it, leave a comment below to be entered in a free eBook give away of HeartsBlood!

Excerpt

“Maria!” Sal yelled, remembering it all. How could she have forgotten that this man had nearly killed her friend?
“Leave,” he growled.
Despite her body wanting to do exactly the opposite, Sal found her feet turning back toward the stairwell. While she tried to rationalize that it was her desire to get to security, Sal knew that it was his word, his commanding tone that forced her feet to move. Nothing else mattered but following his edict.
In obeying, Sal’s path brought her past the blood bank’s door. She caught the sight of red. Her feet stopped.
“No!”
Before her lay a bloodbath. Literally. Two inches of the sticky fluid covered the floor. The blood bags had been ripped to shreds, their contents spilled. And a single body lay in the middle, slashed open like a wild animal kill. White innards spilled across the crimson sea.
Sal stood stunned, then caught sight of a blonde streak. Blonde bangs against blue-black shorn hair.
Maria!
Her best friend’s eyes lay open, glazed over with death. A wrenching nausea threatened to topple Sal, then his hand was on her shoulder.
His hand. The man who had done this. The man who’d killed Maria.
Her feet took over, reeling her backwards, propelling her away. She had seen a phone. It was halfway to the stairs. Running, Sal found the phone and jerked it from its hook. “Security!”
But it was dead. Not even a dial tone. She dropped the handpiece and went to run for the stairwell, but a strong hand caught her jacket.
Sal tried to scream, but his hand grabbed her throat, choking her, picking her up off her feet and slamming her back against the wall.
He brought his face so near that stubble raked her cheek. “Hold.”
As much as Sal wanted to squirm from his grasp, she could not. The man lowered her to the ground, then ever so slightly released the pressure against her trachea. She took in a harsh breath, then coughed.
His grip cut off her windpipe again. “You draw him!”
From under his coat, he drew his knife, the same blade she had seen earlier. The thin steel glistened at its impossibly sharp tip. Sal flailed as the light from the blood bank suddenly extinguished, leaving only inky black.
This was it. She was going to die like Maria. Here alone in the dark.

Review: Immortyl Kisses by BK Walker

Synopsis From Goodreads
"You are a Warrior, you just don't know it yet."
~Jin Cao

Raine was an average girl with an average teenage life. Always loving anything to do with vampires, she never expected they would be real. When a Rogue vampire hunts her, she not only learns that vampires are real, but that the two boys that her heart is caught between are in fact a vampire and a werewolf.

As both boys vow to keep her safe, Raine learns of her true destiny...she is a Shijin Warrior born to win the war against an evil Warlock named Fala. Fala is creating half vampire half shape shifting creatures to take out all of immortal kind.

Will Raine be able to fulfill her destiny and save immortals, or will her hearts desires make her lose everything in the end?

~~~

It was nice to find various stories about vampire and werewolf. Each book has its own words and Immortyl kisses gave me another one. In its world, those two creatures could live side to side without any hatred. That become one big question in my mind. How come they could live in peace? There were still many questions that popped up as I turn the pages.

The plot was flowing too face. Kept running even when I have not been into the characters. It did not made me wait. Surprised by surprised appeared everywhere. Something to be noticed, I found too much conversation and lack of description. I am not a reader who fond of details. But I think this book needs it.

Raine, Tristan, Logan, were three characters who helped me understand the story inside. That was what I liked from this book. I got not only one but three points of view in a row. At first, I thought that I would fall for one of them, sadly I was not. I felt no emotional bond.

If you want to find something different from vampire or werewolf, you can read this book.

Cover
I found some pictures inside this e-book. I think one of them is cool enough to replace the recent cover.

2/5

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Author: BK Walker; Facebook, Blog, Book Website ; Author Website
Format: Kindle Edition
Publisher: Lulu; December 24th 2010
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English

You can buy the e-book here

Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of the Book Lovin' Bitches E-book Tours and a copy was provided by the author. I did not receive any payment in exchange for this review nor was I obligated to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist or the readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.