Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Tuesday Talk: Immortal Voyage Review & Interview

Title: Immortal Voyage
Series: A Terra Stellar
Author: C. G. Powell
Publisher:
Desription: Before the time of the great pyramids, there was a place like none other, a city of glass and metal rising from the depths of the ocean. Shrouded in mist, the island of Hy-Brasil and its capital Atlantis lay hidden from the rest of the world by its people, a race of long lived, interstellar nomads.

What secrets would you keep to save your kingdom? On the Queen’s deathbed, the sonless King Aldric is force into a promise to allow his five daughters to marry for love. A promise he wished he had never made, and one he will have to break, to save the kingdom from his squabbling, incompetent son-in-laws.

The youngest of five daughters, Jael, spent most of her time at her father’s side learning to run a kingdom. Believed to be the King’s favorite, Jael is shocked when he betroths her to a longtime friend of his, Prince Sarik of Hy-Brasil. Soon she will learn that world is full of secrets and one of them is her very own birth. Will the secret that bonds her to Sarik be the ultimate downfall of a kingdom?

Review: C.G. Powell has taken a very interesting perspective in the city of Atlantis in this story about how aliens and humans can co-exist. The truth about Atlantis is a secret though, so shhhhh! This story is primarily about a family who rules a portion of the world called Eir. The queen dies during childbirth of their fifth baby girl, but leaves behind no sons. As her last dying wish, she makes the King promise to let their daughters marry for love. It's a pretty big deal since now the king has to rely on a daughter to marry a man who is capable of running the kingdom without getting to groom him for the position. It is entirely possible each daughter would marry someone completely incapable of being the next king, but he swears to her as she dies that they will marry for love.

Seventeen years later, the king has married off two daughters and one has married a man that could rule, but no one wants him in a position of power. The other appears to be a complete idiot whom no knows much about at all. King Rowe is on a mission to marry off the other three as he is getting older in age. During this time he has had the chance to groom one man to take over in hopes that one of his daughters would indeed fall in love with him. It's a gamble that you will definitely enjoy reading about. His other chance of leaving the kingdom with an heir is to break his dying wife's wish and betroth Jael, the youngest. You will learn that Jael is different from her sisters and Rowe has a very good reason for the betrothal other than finding an heir. It's a mystery that has surrounded Jael since her birth and will leave you shocked at the end. Rest assured that the story has a happy ending and leaves an opening for a second book. I thoroughly enjoyed this and even though I typically avoid aliens, this is well worth the read. Especially since it is C.G. Powell, an author I thoroughly enjoy.

Interview with the author, C.G. Powell:

What made you decide to write about Atlantis and aliens?

I’ve always been fascinated with Sci-fi and Fantasy. Rather than magic without explanation, I felt the need to write a logical reason for gods and magic. I also love the lure of Atlantis. There is something about it that makes me want to write more about its people (aliens).
What made Jael's mom decide to have Rowe let their girls marry for love when she knew the clan had no heir?

During the time period marriages were made for power, not love. Mila did not want to subject her daughters to a loveless marriage. She also believed she carried a son, it was one of the reasons she agreed to the insemination, although it was never mentioned in the book.
Can you tell us a little more about Tam and his background? He's such a mystery even though he obviously has been apart of Rowe's family life for a long time.

Rowe and Tam’s father Kale were best friends. When Mila died, Kale’s wife Fe became segregate mother to Rowe’s daughters. Tam and Ugis grew up as brothers to the girls. In some ways Tam was the son Rowe never had, he was raised to rule until Jael became old enough to learn the ropes. Tam is so good natured, even though he was raised to rule he never felt it was owed to him.
What made Jael actually fall in love with Sarik? It seemed like she fell suddenly and I wonder what was the specific trait or event that triggered it.

In the beginning she was put off by his arrogance, but once she got to know the real man behind the prince facade she couldn’t help but fall in love with him. I think being raised by a father in a powerful position and no mother, made Sarik very indifferent towards love. It wasn’t until Jael came along that he found his humility and his heart.
What happened to Wren? The epilogue makes me think the next story will be taking place many years later and that Wren might be forgotten about. Where did she go? What did she do?

Honestly I don’t know...I haven’t given it much thought, but something in the back of my mind said don’t kill her yet. Maybe there will be more at a later date.
What are you plans for the rest of this series? Will you be covering more varying mythology through out it?

Rather than a series, I have chosen to write standalone books in side of the realm of Terra Stellar. I have 5 books so far planned. I will go back in time to Salima’s past, you will find out more about Tam and the house of Tintagel, Tal and Fairen have their own love story, I also plan to write the story of Helen and Beck before Mae, plus how Io and Nilus met. All of them have a certain amount of mythology in them and some will take us to their home worlds, where dragons and mermaids are the norm...ever wonder where the stories came from?

Purchase the book:
Amazon - Immortal Voyage on Amazon Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/165948

Tour Stops:
July 2 Olivia Hardin, Writer Review
July 2 Literary Sweet Excerpt
July 3 Generations of Savings Review
July 3 Pretty Opinionated Guest Post
July 5 Reading it All Review
July 5 Book Hoarder Mom Excerpt
July 6 eReading on the Cheap Interview
July 6 The Shopping Duck Review
July 9 Nikkis Book Corner Review
July 9 WUTBW Guest Post
July 10 Lisa Rayns Review
July 10 Lisa is a Book Worm Excerpt
July 11 Dana Square Review
July 11 The Kids are Grown Excerpt
July 12 Carfty Life Review
July 12 Sweeping USA Excerpt
July 13 Adventures of a Frugal Mom Review
July 13 Mom Does Reviews Guest Post
July 16 Mom To Bed By 8 Excerpt
July 16 Elite Mama Review
July 17 Luv Saving Money Review
July 17 Cuzinlogic Guest Post
July 18 Delphia Reads Too Much Guest Post
July 18 Adventures in All Things Food Review/Interview
July 19 Insightful Minds Reviews Excerpt
July 20 Home and Garden Cafe Guest Post
July 20 Day by Day in Our World Review
July 23 Frugal Mommies of 2 Excerpt
July 23 Midwestern Moms Review
July 24 The Review Wire Excerpt
July 24 Mommy Reads Too Much Review
July 25 SaraLee Deals, Steals & Giveaways Excerpt
July 25 Ordinary Aunt Review
July 26 Matter of Cents Excerpt
July 27 Dr. Pepper Diva Review
July 27 More From More Excerpt
July 30 My Devotional Thoughts Review
July 30 Gustosa Giveaways Excerpt
July 31 Identity Discovery Review/Interview
July 31 Pynk Nymphette Guest Post
August 1 Bibilophiles Thoughts on Books Review
August 1 Tawdra Kandle Author Excerpt
August 2 My Mommys World Review
August 2 My Charmed Mom Excerpt
August 3 Couponing with Boys Review
August 3 Taking Time for Mommy Review
August 6 UpState Ramblings Review
August 6 Tiannas Cafe
August 6 Doctors Notes Guest Post
August 6 BlondiezBabbles Review

This book tour is brought to you by Promotionalbooktours.com

Monday, July 30, 2012

Free Blogger Opp: Beezer Playhouses Giveaway

Free blogger sign-ups for the first 100 bloggers! Join us for this fun summer giveaway for Beezer Playhouses and get a FREE Facebook entry.

Click here to sign up!

Be sure to tell them that Identity Discovery sent you!

Free Blogger Opp: Bounciest Giveaway Event Ever!

The BOUNCIEST GIVEAWAY EVER hosted by Mom Powered Media

Prize: BounceLand Castle Bounce N' Slide

The event dates: 8/13 - 8/27

Sign-Up Here - Bloggers Wanted

I have signed up to help promote this event, but be warned...I want to enter too! Doesn't this just look amazing!?!

Be sure to tell them that Identity Discovery referred you!

$1000 Mom Blogger Scholarship

Would you like some financial assistance in creating your blog or to improve an existing blog? Are you a mommy blogger? Well this scholarship is for you then! You just have to share it a bunch and tell them why you want it. I have already entered in hopes of hiring someone to professionally redesign my blog. I like all of you so much though that I want you to have an opportunity as well! Just click the image above to apply!

Monday Motif: Interview with Belinda Boring (Forget Me Not author)

As you well know, I love to do author interviews when I write up book reviews. I am not always able to get the authors to respond, which is ok because we all hope they are just too busy working on their next masterpiece. Other times they respond, but truly they are just too busy. Since my questions tend to be thought provoking and dig into the meat of the story (or I try to at least), I am not bothered by them not being able to answer me. However, I love when I do finally get a response. In some situations it is better late than never. During the Forget Me Not book tour, Belinda Boring was preoccupied and I did not get my interview in time for my tour spot (which you can read here: http://www.identitydiscovery.net/2012/07/wordy-wednesday-forget-me-not-review.html). She just recently was able to get my interview questions answered, and I am pleased to pass it on to you! First, let me remind you about the book that is the focus on my interview!

Title: Forget Me Not
Series: The Mystic Wolves, Book 2
Author: Belinda Boring
Publisher: Moonstruck Media
Desription: Only a fool would think they could steal from a werewolf …

Anticipating a quiet night alone with the man she loves, Darcy’s world is sent into a spin with the arrival of someone from the past—Mason’s. She is further shocked by the intruder’s claim she may not even be the true mate of the Mystic Wolves Alpha. Accusations start to fly, leading to her new enemy being granted asylum, and this is just the beginning of trouble.

Relying on the reassurances of Mason and the support of her friends and Pack, Darcy soon falls under attack. Suspicions are raised, and with no other choice, she must flee with Devlin to safety where hopefully they can untangle the lies hidden behind the use of magic. Time is quickly ticking away, leading to a showdown where everything is on the line.

They need to uncover the truth before it’s too late, or once again, Darcy will need to fight to hold onto her dreams.

Interview with Belinda Boring, author of Forget Me Not!

Darcy and Mason have been waiting a long time for their mating ritual and we learned in this book that it is because of some prophecy. Can you tell us a little about the prophecy or will it be in book 3?

The prophecy is something that will be explained in greater detail in the fourth book. For the moment, all we know is that Vivien had a vision, something that occurred at Darcy’s birth that made it vital she remain pure until she married her future mate, Mason. She instilled the importance strong enough that Darcy never questioned it, believing and trusting in the lead witch’s words. It wasn’t until during this past year with Mason that her promise to remain a virgin has been tested. Everything will revealed though *winks* It’s one of those lovely twists and turns I love to include in each story.

Will Amber have a big part of book 3?

Amber will definitely be in Testing Fate. She is fixated on making Mason hers and will stop at NOTHING to get rid of Darcy. A good portion of the book will be Darcy going through a series of tests (hence the name) given by the Fates so she can finally silence Amber once and for all. You’ll need to read the book to find out how that goes.

How was it that Amber could perform magic, but didn't know that Mason's wolf could protect him?

***SPOILER TO THOSE WHO HAVEN’T READ FORGET ME NOT***

Good question. Amber doesn’t hold the magic herself and instead relies on the magic of the witch she hires. She uses bought spells without a really good grasp on the intricacies that are involved. You need to understand, Amber has become obsessed in Mason, she’s wanted to be his mate for a long time, and now she is desperate. She has “tunnel vision” when it comes to accomplishing her goals and with that kind of focus, she doesn't take everything into account – like Mason’s wolf. All she sees is if she performs the spell, Mason will be hers. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve caught myself in the same mindset during my life. We become so intent on one thing we fail to look at all possible outcomes – even the simple ones.

Will we ever learn more about Devlin's past? Will he get his own book/series?

Devlin is AH-MAZING and readers will definitely get to learn more about him. There are three more books in the Mystic Wolves series and Devlin features in all of them. He’ll be Darcy’s companion in Testing Fate and be forced to make a risky decision in Book #4. Everyone will learn more about his past, his relationship with Darcy, and how he became a vampire.

As for his own book or series? ABSOLUTELY!! I could write Devlin forever *swoony sigh* so as long as there’s a story to be told, readers can have all the sexy Enforcer they want. Certain things need to happen first though, but I already have a few ideas stirring in my mind.

Tell us more about Daniel. Will he ever find his true mate?

Isn't Daniel hilarious? I love him so much and as a hopeless romantic, I won't rest until he gets his own happily ever after. She hasn’t revealed herself yet – who she is and her story – but I do have a name and a certainty she’ll be everything and more for Daniel. I think about how loyal he's been to Mason, always there to protect his best friend and Alpha. He's devoted to Darcy, proving there's nothing he won't do for her either. I always imagine him as the glue that keeps his friends together when everything is falling apart. He supports without question, defends without thought. There's a very special mate for him and he will fall head over heels for her.

I love giving my readers a look at what's coming. Care to share something about book 3 or some of your other works?

Well, Testing Fate is the next book in the Mystic Wolves series and whenever I think of it, it feels HUGE. The story line has a lot of things happening in it – a roller coaster of emotions and action that will have you on the edge of your seat. Darcy has been whisked away by the Fates and will be given the chance to perform a series of tests to remove all doubt of her claim in being Mason's true mate. I don't want to give away too much, BUT you can expect plenty of twists and turns … and the ending? Even I gasped. I have the last sentence written and it’s a doozy! I can't wait to share this book with everyone.

I'm about to release a novella called Enchanted Hearts and it's part of the A Midsummer's Night Fling anthology with Lacey Weatherford and Kamery Solomon. It tells the story of Aithne, who has grown up daydreaming about the Fae. Through a chance encounter she meets Hadrian, a Fae prince, and falls under his enchantment. It's everything she ever imagined, but life gets complicated when a childhood friend, William, steps forward and reveals his love for her. Aithne's left with the choice – mere moments with a man straight from her fantasies, or a lifetime of moments with a man who can give her a future filled with love and laughter. I LOVE this story and had so much fun writing it … in fact here's a small teaser –

"Have you thought of me since yesterday?" Hadrian bent forward and placed a feathered kiss over my pulse. His mouth brushed over it, his breath warm, and it caused my skin to tingle. He reclined, and smiled as the blade of grass started its teasing again. "Judging from the way your heart is racing, yes." He caught my gaze, and his eyes seemed to smolder as he whispered. "Aithne, you have been the sole focus of mine . . . I am bewitched."

"But I don't have any magic," I uttered, my mind split between watching his lips move and the pleasure he was creating with his touch.

"Oh, but you do."

And finally, I'm about to finish the first book in a new series called Broken Promises. I've been working on this story for over a year, but put it aside when I started the Mystic Wolves. Poor Bree and Quinn have been waiting patiently, and I can't wait to see what everyone thinks. It's an urban fantasy, and book #1 in the Brianna Lane series. Here's the blurb to tease you –

All Bree wanted to do was spend her Friday night with the man she loved and adored. Planning to watch a movie together, she never would've believed leaving her home would result in her relationship with Quinn being tested beyond its limits.

Unbeknownst to her, the Fae have been organizing to invade Earth, and their devious plans are culminating now, colliding with Bree's very existence. Using a powerful glamour, the Fae trigger each person's violent tendencies, turning the streets into a battleground and strangers against each other.

In a crushing blow, Quinn becomes affected and Bree finds herself battling to save her lover from himself as he stalks her relentlessly, taunting her at every turn. In a game of cat and mouse, Quinn can't decide whether he wants to seduce her or kill her, breaking her heart further with each encounter.

But fighting for her love isn't her only worry. As the battle ensues, Bree discovers a startling truth about her own heritage that she must come to terms with. Determined to bring balance back, she teams up with others to drive the Fae back across the veil, only to find herself in way over her head. Bree has no other choice but to fight, leading her to a confrontation that will change her world forever - and threaten to leave her with broken promises.

The Lust Garden Book Tour Starts Today!

The Lust Garden

With her perfectly tousled blonde hair and pink, pouty lips, Gianna Salvani is the girl everyone loves to hate. She has it all - fame, fortuneand unrivaled beauty. But behind the seductive smile is an insecure girl who still grieves for the father she lost years ago. With a controversial new film in the can, and the release of her debut album looming, Gianna ispoised to take center stage. But when a shocking secret leaves her exposed, her fame will bring her face-to-face with a nightmare she never saw coming. Because lurking in the shadow of her spotlight is an obsessed killer with plans of his own for Gianna.

Ignited by his first conquest, Gianna's greatest admirer begins a brutal hunt to claim her as the ultimate trophy in a string of look-alike murders. Motivated by envy, he forces himself into her seemingly untainted world and threatens to ruin everything she's built by revealing a hidden tie that binds them. And if you knew his secret, you'd want to kill her too.

Kindle / Paperback

Billy Jolie graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Mass Communications. He lives in the Tampa Bay area.

Follow him on Facebook / Twitter / Blog / Goodreads

Follow the Tour

Promotional Book Tours and Billy Jolie are giving away a $50 Amazon Gc and 5 autographed copies!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

This book tour is brought to you by Promotionalbooktours.com

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Free Blogger Opp: Diamond Candle Bonanza!

Who doesn't love diamonds? Many readers have requested a worldwide Diamond Candle Giveaway and so Starting August 3rd, Rita Reviews along with some blogger friends, will be hosting a Diamond Candle Bonanza Giveaway Event. We will be giving away a set of 5 Diamond Candles ($100 Value!) Diamond Candles are these really cool earth-friendly soy candles that are made in the USA and contain a surprise in them. You see, in each candle there is a ring worth anything from $10 to $5,000! That's right, you could have a diamond ring worth $5,000 inside of your candle! So mark your calendars, you don't want to miss it! If you are a blogger and want to participate in this event and potentially earn thousands of new followers, you can sign up HERE

Be sure to tell them that Identity Discovery sent you!!!

Free Blogger Opp: The Nexus 7 Giveaway Event

The Nexus 7 Giveaway Event hosted by Mom Powered Media

Prize: Nexus 7 Tablet

I have been very interested in the Nexus 7 and soooo want a tablet or iPad. When I saw this blogger opportunity, I thought that my wonderful readers and blogger friends might be just as interested! So I will be participating in this and I hope you do too!

Tell them Identity Discovery referred you!

The event dates: 8/16 - 9/6

Sign-Up Here – Bloggers Wanted

Bride of Fae Release Day Party on July 31st! #BrideOfFaeRelease

A love more powerful than magic or time.

Beverly Bratton has a safe, mundane life. No drama. No magic. Since her parents died, she’s cared for her little sister Marion and worked at the Tragic Fall Inn. When a fairy’s charm sends Beverly a hundred years into the past–and into the path of a banished fairy prince–nothing will ever be mundane or safe again.

The regent of the Dumnos fae is turning the court from light to dark, and there's nothing the rightful king, Prince Dandelion, can do about it. The mystical coronation cup which he needs to become king has fallen into human hands. When he meets a human woman with access to the cup, everything changes. Beverly is fascinating as well as useful–but of course Dandelion doesn’t love her.

Love for a fairy is rare. Love with a human, impossible. But when Beverly and Dandelion are thrown together in a battle against both wyrd and fae, they learn that in Dumnos the impossible happens every day.

Event page (Party starts at 11AM PST or 2PM EST if you live near me) http://www.facebook.com/events/471663176178149/

Prizes

2 of these awesome roll on shimmer shadows

2 of these fun sparkle shadows

2 of these pretty lip glosses

4 of these beautiful handmade book marks made by The Book Swag Shop

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Saturday Cinema: ParaNorman Movie Trailer

PARANORMAN - Opens in 2D and 3D theaters everywhere on Friday, August 17, 2012!

Story: The new 3D stop-motion comedy thriller from animation company LAIKA, reteams the company with Focus Features after the groundbreaking Academy Award-nominated “Coraline.” “ParaNorman” is, following “Coraline,” the company’s second stop-motion animated feature to be made in 3D. In “ParaNorman,” a small town comes under siege by zombies. Who can it call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee), who is able to speak with the dead. In addition to the zombies, he’ll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst, of all, grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul whisperer may find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits.

Directors: Sam Fell (“The Tale of Despereaux,” “Flushed Away”) and Chris Butler

Writer: Chris Butler

Voice Cast: Casey Affleck, Tempestt Bledsoe, Alex Borstein, Jodelle Ferland, John Goodman, Bernard Hill, Anna Kendrick, Leslie Mann, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Elaine Stritch

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.Paranorman.com

FACEBOOK PAGE: www.Facebook.com/Paranorman

TWITTER: www.Twitter.com/ParaNorman, #ParaNorman

Theatrical Trailer

Making of ParaNorman

Free Blogger Opp: Halloween Giveaway worth $500

Halloween - There's something better than candy waiting for you this year!

Giveaway $500 Paypal Cash - World-wide 1 Lucky Winner

This event is brought to you by Pregnancy Forum & Joys Of Life

Blogger Sign Ups - July 16 to September 28.
HTML code will be sent out on September 30.

Required:
You will have to publish this giveaway sign up announcement on your blog and put the $500 Halloween Giveaway button on your blog sidebar (grab the button above) to claim your 2 FREE links or pay $5 without the announcement post and button.

You will publish the giveaway html code on your blog once the giveaway is ready to be live and promote it at least 3 time daily.

Sign up HERE

Saturday Musings: The Green Book Excerpt #CharismaMedia

Title: The Green
Series:
Author: Karly Kirkpatrick
Publisher: DarkSide Publishing
Desription: How far would you go to save your dream?

Seventeen-year-old Ariceli Pisa is a senior at the prestigious Cambridge High School and has her sights set on Northwestern University. She's a cheerleader, a member of the National Honor Society...and a drug dealer. That's not the only secret she has to keep from her best friend Naomi--she’s also madly in love with Naomi’s ex-boyfriend, James Bartlett. Trying to balance her life at Cambridge High with her new demanding job keeps her teetering on the edge of disaster.

Excerpt:

Purchase the book:
Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/The-Green-ebook/dp/B006XZS16Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1339032478&sr=8-2

Barnes And Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-green-karly-kirkpatrick/1108255287?ean=2940013762183

Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/125119

Want to win an ecopy of The Green by Karly Kirkptrick?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Stops:
July 22 - excerpt - Tammie Pankuch - http://tpankuch.blogspot.com/
July 23 - Review/Giveaway - Rachel Simons - http://StressedRach.co.uk
July 24 - excerpt - Liz - http://devotedmommyof3.blogspot.com
July 25 - Review - Jacinta - http://jacintaz3.blogspot.com
July 26 - GA/Rev/Int. - trista/brit - http://blondiezbabbles.blogspot.com
July 27 - reveiw, giveaway - Susan Peck - http://coziecorner.blogspot.com
July 28 - excerpt, giveaway - Phaedra - http://identitydiscovery.net
July 29 - review - Stephanie - http://beautybrite.com/
July 30 - excerpt, review, giveaway - Ruth Hill - http://mydevotionalthoughts.com

This book tour is brought to you by Charisma Media

Friday, July 27, 2012

Feature Friday: The Odd Life of Timothy Green #TimothyGreen

When Timothy Green unexpectedly shows up in Stanleyville, he changes the lives of the people he meets forever. Inspired by that, Disney has created an application (http://di.sn/MagicalMoments) that allows fans of THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN to upload and share photos of magical moments from their own lives. When a photo is submitted, it becomes a part of our Magical Moments Photo Collage:

In addition, the application is hosting a sweepstakes where users can enter to win the grand prize - a Frigidaire Affinity washer and dryer! 25 first-place winners will receive a promo card for a photo book from Shutterfly!

“Like” THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OddLifeMovie

Follow THE OFF LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/#!/OddLifeMovie

THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN is now on Pinterest at: http://pinterest.com/disneystudios/the-odd-life-of-timothy-green/

THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN opens in theaters everywhere on Wednesday, August 15th!

Free Blogger Opp: Pregnancy Forum Sweepstakes - $5000 Cash

Pregnancy Forum announces an awesome sweepstake in appreciation of 16k followers in less than 3 months of period. This event is hosted by Pregnancy Forum & Joys Of Life.

Prize - $5000 Cash OPEN WORLD-WIDE

Blogger Sign Ups - July 24 to October 30. - Receive 1 FREE Link of choice either Facebook/Twitter, with announcement post or $5.00 without announcement.

Event Dates - November 3 to December30. I will send html out on November 2.

Please, read and submit the details correctly. Double check your form before submitting - so that you do not confuse yourself and myself of course, by accidentally checking the option you do not want to.

Sign up at http://pregnancyforum2.blogspot.com/2012/07/5000-cash-sweepstakes-free-bloggers.html

Got questions? Contact Pregnancy Forum via their contact form.

Friday (Non)Fiction: Taming the Wolf Review

Title: Taming the Wolf
Series: The Anna Avery Series, Book 1
Author: Stephanie Nelson
Publisher: Stephanie Nelson
Desription: Attacked by a wolf while hiking, Anna Avery's life just got a little hairier. Living in the Big Horn mountains in Wyoming, with a group of werewolves who are more animal than human, Anna must try to hold onto her human side. It's not easy when the alpha continues to persuade her into his bed, while another wolf is chomping at the bit to become her mate. To top it all off, dead bodies are showing up and it just so happens that Anna was the last to see them alive. She'll have to work to prove her innocence and taming the wolf who bites first and asks questions never.

Review: I so love werewolves. I dare say that Stephanie Nelson has written a book that I might like as much and maybe more than Patricia Brigg's books (which are what started my love of werewolf stories). The start of this book explains how Anna Avery is turned into a werewolf. I have read some stories where werewolves cannot be made, only born, but this takes on your standard idea that if you are bit by a werewolf, you just might turn into one. I say might because the magic in the bite might not find you worthy and you will probably die instead of be turned. Anna is attacked while out running and Adam, alpha of her new pack, finds her almost dead on a mountain. Being the newest wolf in the pack, Anna is the bottom of the totem pole and given the daily chores that are necessary to keep the pack running smoothly as well as hidden from human society. She struggles with dealing with humans for no known reason and is therefore isolated from all human society as a safety for them as well as her. The biggest issue that Anna has is that she cannot bring herself to be completely submissive to Adam. She finds herself daring to look him in the eyes which no one is supposed to do. He catches her doing time and time, but doesn't punish her for it. Curious? I think so. Anna struggles with other acts of submission because she actually feels that she is equal to her alphas when she has only been in the pack for three months. She attributes this to her youth and that she just hasn't learned her place yet. Eve, the alpha female pretty much treats her that way too, but takes it as her place to put Anna in her place. This is the source of conflict in the story. I am not going to say how the conflicts takes action, but lets just say that Adam's fondness of Anna is at the source. It was an amazing book that I read in less than 24 hours. I just couldn't put it down and I really can't wait to see book two! The characters are fantastic and Stephanie Nelson's descriptions of the pack's lives leaves you with such a clear picture of what is happening that you will be so engrossed in the story that you will feel like you're a part of the action. LOVED IT!

Interview with the author, Stephanie Nelson:

What do you think makes your werewolves different from other author's werewolves?

I haven't read a ton of other werewolf books, but the ones I have read you don't get to see the inner working's of the pack like you do in Taming the Wolf. I wanted the reader to feel like they got a peek inside an actual werewolf pack. I wanted the story to be from a wolf's perspective, and what it means to turn into something so wild.
Will Elle find a chante or (like Adam's book said) do chantes only exist for male/female pairings?

As far as finding her chante, I'm not sure. It's very rare to find your soul mate. I do hope she and Sawyer will find someone to share their lives with though. I, of course want my characters to be happy.
Is everyone's chante mark the same or do different chante pairs have different marks? If each pair is different, what does Adam and Anna's mark symbolize?

That's a great question. Since the bonding of wolves is rare it's hard to say. I'd like to think that each bonded pair receive their own markings. Adam and Anna's marking is what looks like a four leaf clover with an infinity symbol in the middle. When the idea of marking them came to me, I had no clue what the mark would be. For some reason the clover and infinity design popped into my head. To me, it means luck & love forever. Though once I get further into the series it could turn out to mean something else.
During the fight at the end, other than the obvious ones, who all did not make it? How will the pack adjust to the change in their female alpha?

The Everwood pack lost a couple, and that will be explained in the very first chapter of the second book. As will Anna's ascent to alpha female. Since Anna is a made wolf instead of born, there will be some problems.
What is the significance in Anna's wolf's coloring?

We'll learn more about that in the second book as well. In the first book she talks about it having to do with her destiny and how she'll do great things. Of course she doesn't believe it, but there is some truth to it.
Where do you see the series going? Care to share an excerpt or teaser? I am sure we will all love whatever tidbit you are willing to give.

I never have a clear outline for any of my books. The story lines come to me once I sit down to write them. I'm hoping to keep writing about Anna and the gang for awhile, meaning a longer series.

As for book 2, it's still very raw but a summit is called and trouble is sure to ensue. Anna meets Adam's parents and let's just say they don't like their purebred son bonded with a mutt aka made wolf.

Great interview questions again, Phaedra! So happy you enjoyed the book! And I'm so excited that you're planning on writing one too!

Purchase the book:
Amazon.com - Taming the Wolf on Amazon
Barnes And Noble - http://bit.ly/N1IaTb

Tour Stops:
July 23 Promo Blast
July 24 Generations of Saving
July 24 Nikkis Book Blog
July 25 Home and Garden Cafe
July 25 My Mommy and We Like it
July 26 Midwestern Moms
July 26 Intriguing Reads
July 27 Identity Discovery
July 27 SAHM & TW
July 30 Crafty Life
July 30 SJ Clarke
July 31 Mommy Reads too Much
July 31 This Authors Life
August 1 Sweeping Me
August 1 Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books
August 2 Living at the Whitehead Zoo
August 2 Lisa Rayns, Author
August 3 Dana Square
August 3 Reading it All
August 6 My Mommys World
August 6 Taking Time for Mommy
August 7 Dephina Reads too Much
August 8 Pretty Opinionated
August 8 My Couportiera
August 9 Cross Road Review
August 9 Olivia Hardin Author

This book tour is brought to you by Promotionalbooktours.com

Thursday, July 26, 2012

An Amazing Deal from Fort Rapids

Great Deal from Fort Rapids and US Family Guide! Save $50 off Overnight Stays OR $12 off Day Passes!: http://www.usfamilycoupons.com/coupon.php?regionid=460&bid=10777&dealid=937

Fort Rapids is central Ohio's largest indoor water park resort. They are the perfect family fun travel destination where 60,000 square feet of wet and wild fun is waiting for the whole family. Come relax and unwind in one of our guest rooms or family style villa suites, then zip down 12 unique water rides, float in the lazy river, get drenched by the 1,000 gallon tipping bucket and win big at the 5,000 square foot Gold Rush Arcade.

This coupon is valid for Overnight Stays or Waterpark Day Passes! -Mention this coupon when booking an overnight stay to get $50 off instantly! (Present this coupon at check-in, valid on new reservations only. Some blackout dates may apply.) -Present this coupon to receive an All day Waterpark Admission Pass for ONLY $17.95! (Good for up to 4 passes at the discounted rate. Regular price is $29.95, some blackout dates may apply. Call ahead for occupancy and availability.) Call 877-33-SPLASH for more info.
Expires: 06/30/2013

Free Blogger Opp: $2500 Giveaway One Big Christmas & New Year

$2500 Giveaway One Big Christmas & New Year - World-Wide

3 lucky winners

Grand Prize - $1000 Paypal Cash - First 2 winners
Third Prize - $500

First, I thought of 2 tickets each for 1st and & 2nd prize but could not come up with a good choice of destination, and went back with our easy option of paypal cash. Cash is awesome!

Required:

You will have to publish this giveaway sign up announcement on your blog and put the $2500 One Big Christmas & New Year Giveaway button on your blog sidebar (grab the button above) to claim your 2 FREE links or pay $5 without the announcement post and button.

You will publish the giveaway html code on your blog once the giveaway is ready to be live and promote it at least 3 time daily.

Complete the form located by following this link!

Thursday Climax: The Black Shard Review & Giveaway

Title: The Black Shard
Series: Book 2
Author: Victoria Simcox
Publisher: Two Harbors Press
Desription: Kristina's stay at summer horse camp is horrible to say the least, and it's all because Hester and Davina are there as well, making her life miserable. When Hester's cruel prank goes terribly wrong, it's actually what sends the three girls back to the magical land of Bernovem. In Bernovem, Kristina is very excited to see her former friend, Prince Werrien. When he invites her to sail with him on his ship to his homeland Tezerel, putting it simply, Kristina can't refuse.

Reunited with her gnome, dwarf, animal, fairy friends ... and best of all, Werrien, things seem like they couldn't get any better for Kristina. But when Werrien becomes fascinated with an unusual seeing stone, the ''Black Shard'', Kristina is haunted by a ghostlike old hag. Struggling against suspicion, guilt, illness, and ultimately the one who wants to possess her soul, Kristina will see it's in her weakest moment that she will encounter more strength than she has ever known.

Review: The Black Shard is the sequel to The Magic Warble (check out my review at http://www.identitydiscovery.net/2012/05/magic-warble-review-giveaway.html). Both stories are labeled as being for ages 9-13, but being that I am much older than that, I can honestly say it is wonderful read for 9 and up. It's 255 pages with two pictures per chapter. I found nearly every picture to enhance the story tremendously. What I mean by that is that the pictures seemed to be about and place at points where I might otherwise have trouble picturing what was being described. I am pretty good at picturing what is happening, but a younger reader will definitely love having the pictures to help them along.

About the story itself...Kristina is once again sent to Bernovem but she really has no idea how it happened this time. One minute she is falling down a hill and the next she is caught by her old (and dead I might add) bus driver in Bernovem. She is shocked and delighted when she sees Werrien standing in front of her. Is has been two years and five months since Kristina saw Werrien last, but it has only been a year in Bernovem. Prince Werrien is seventeen and more handsome than Kristina remembers. The majority of the story surrounds three things: Kristina's growing love for Werrien, her unusual sickness, and her apparent hallucinations. You will be left wondering what is really happening to Kristina and who is behind it all. I was guessing that pretty much everyone except the royal family could have been behind what was happening to her, but I was still shocked during the reveal at the end. My only complaint about this book is that it ended in a cliffhanger and I have no idea what's going to happen next! It was so well written that you will really be itching to get the next book to learn more. I know I am!

Interview with the author, Victoria Simcox:
Purchase the book:
Amazon.com - The Black Shard

Barnes And Noble - http://bit.ly/PDEGby

Want to win a ebook copy of The Black Shard? Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Free Blogger Opportunity: Juno Lucina Diamonds!

Baby Dickey is hosting a giveaway for a Juno Lucina Signature Pendant . It’s 14k white gold with 2 diamonds, valued at $499. Juno Lucina is the Roman goddess of childbirth and this pendant symbolizes her hands cradling and protecting the heads of mother and child. It’s the ultimate "push present!"

The Rules:

To be included in this group promotion, you’ll be REQUIRED to blog about the giveaway and include the Rafflecopter form on your post. All text/html will be emailed to you before the giveaway begins. (Dates TBA).
You can have ONE link included in the Rafflecopter form for free – your choice of twitter or facebook.
A SECOND link can be added for $2, please send payment via paypal to erdickey@gmail.com
Details: the entries on the RC form will not be mandatory, but bloggers will be grouped together and rotated to the top of the form throughout the giveaway to ensure everyone gets equal coverage!
There is a BLOGGER REFERRAL PRIZE! It will be measured two ways: by how many bloggers you send to sign up here AND by how many people you refer to actually enter the giveaway once it’s live. THE WINNER? Gets their own $299 diamond pendant!

Please visit Baby Dickey to sign up and be sure to tell them that Identity Discovery sent you!!!

Craved by Stephanie Nelson Free on Amazon Today!

Title: Craved
Series: Gwen Sparks Series, Book 1
Author: Stephanie Nelson
Publisher: Stephanie Nelson
Desription: Gwen Sparks just wants to live a peaceful life in the supernatural town of Flora, but from the moment she read about the first murdered witch, all hope of peace was abandoned. Possessing the rare ability to read the memories of dead, she volunteers to help catch the culprit behind the string of drained witches. Gwen has to team up with the one man who broke her heart, deal with a ghost who pulls her into the deathly realm at will, and a fight off the advances of sexy but frustrating vampire who not only craves what runs through her veins—he wants her heart.

This is a full length novel and contains adult content, not recommended for readers under 18 years old.

Check out my review of Craved (Book 1) and Deceived (book 2) HERE.

Download Craved from Amazon for Free Today!

Wordy Wednesday: Life in Death Author Spotlight

Today I am hosting Harlow Drake, author of Life in Death. At the end of the post there is a giveaway where Harlow is giving away 3 autographed paperbacks and a $15 Amazon Gift Card. Check out this great novella and enter to win!

Title: Life in Death
Series: A Kari Marchant Series
Author: Harlow Drake
Publisher: Wine Not Publishing

When a girl that social worker Kari Marchant places in foster care is brutally murdered, she’s compelled to learn why. Her quest for the truth pits her against friends and coworkers. As Kari works to solve the horrific plot, more people die. How far should she go to learn the truth—even if it threatens her life?

Trailer:

Would you like to read an excerpt from the book? http://lifeindeathparty.blogspot.com/p/excerpt.html

Author Bio:

Author Harlow Drake was born in Kansas City, MO, but grew up in Denver, CO. She relocated to North Carolina five years ago with her husband, two dogs, and 16-year old twins.

She shares a birthday with the notorious Napoleon Bonaparte. In keeping with his legacy, she is currently working on taking over the world. Harlow's positive attitude and fresh take on life are her tools and conquest is certain. She spends her free time writing, dancing, traveling and defending mailboxes from her 16-year-old twins’ driving.

Her debut novel, LIFE IN DEATH, is a murder mystery which pulls from real-life situations from her own family history. She felt compelled to share her story with the world while offering a thrilling, entertaining, and amusing escape for readers.

In keeping with her commitment to improving the lives of children, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of her book will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club in her home state of North Carolina.

Social Media Connect with Harlow Drake:
She loves to connect with her readers and can be found on Twitter, her blog, or on Facebook.

Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Social Media Party Hop 7/25 #CharismaMedia

Welcome to the Social Media Party Hop brought to you by Charisma Media!

Are you ready to party?! This party does not require an invitation because everyone is invited! Are you looking to improve your social media reach? Looking to make new friends and fans? Why not link up to our 4 way social media hop! While you're here, why don't you check out some of my giveaways and book reviews. I read a lot of paranormal stories, but there are other genres as well.

Title: Black Diamond Jinn
Series:
Author: Mary Hughes
Publisher: Mary Hughes
Desription: Have sex, avert doom, save the world.

The Mayan Doom is real. Government witch Amaia Jones has the spreadsheet to prove it.

Amaia is a desk-bound research wizard, living uncomfortably in the shadow of her famous Venus-magic parents. Then she discovers the world is ending. Tonight. But her bulldog of a boss not only refuses to believe her, he won't give her the secret to calling the one force powerful enough to help--the jinn.

She turns to her mental guardian angel, Rafe, the darkly handsome presence who has comforted her since her parents died.

Rafe has a secret of his own. He's a black diamond jinn, one of the deadliest and most powerful of his kind. He's detected an enemy ruthlessly using blood sacrifice to stoke Y12 public panic. Rafe needs to get into the human realm to stop the Doom, but he can't unless Amaia calls him, and she is threatened by his scorching sensuality.

Amaia's guardian angel is a stunning jinni and suddenly her job is far more complicated. Jinn take their pound of flesh in exchange for magical help, but the only flesh Rafe wants is hers, taut with delight. Sounds great, except Venus magic is what killed her parents' love. But her alternatives are rapidly dwindling, and with four hours to go on humanity's darkest night, the only alternative to surrendering her flesh may be surrendering her life.

This title contains explicit sexual language and may not be suitable for all readers.

Black Diamond Jinn is a short, hot, science fiction/fantasy fusion with sex, emotion and great T-shirt lines.

Review: If you want a story that really jumps right into the climax (haha), you will find it right here! The story begins with a witch, Amaia Jones, discovering that the Mayan Doom is actually real. Yes I am referring to the day that the Mayan calendar ends which happens to be December 21, 2012 (i.e. this year). In this world though, witches are known and in the employment of the government. The entirety of their jobs is unknown to the reader, but you get the idea that they combat other witches and wizards to prevent major worldwide disasters. They also research artifacts that have imbued magical powers. Amaia is a research witch that has been put on the project Y12 to help spread world peace and prevent the Mayan Doom from occurring if indeed it is real.

Amaia discovers mathematical evidence to prove that all their peace efforts are failing. In other words, if enough people believe the Mayan Doom is real, it will become real. What she did not know was that even without the world believing it, it was going to happen because a witch or group of witches was ritualistically sacrificing other witches in order to foster their magic to release the nightmare gods. Other than creating such horrendous nightmares that all of humanity is paralyzed until their death, I don't know what else would happen if the catastrophe happens. The only way for Amaia to stop it is to call upon a Jinni and evoke venus magic. Venus magic is magic created through climaxing. You can guess the kind I am referring to. There are some very steamy scenes demonstrating the power of Venus magic that definitely are worth reading.

I don't want to give away much more than I already have, but will leave you with saying that I read this book in about five hours. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and Mary Hughes writing style.

Interview with the author, Mary Hughes:

What gave you the idea to focus on the Mayan Doom? Do you believe in it?

I love all things both Indiana Jonesy and computery, so Ancient Mayans plus astronomical calendar plus Internet meme? I'm so there. The odd thing about December 21, 2012 is that the Mayans actually don't predict an end-of-world for that day. True, their calendar completes a Long Count, but for the Mayans, an end of period was simply a time of bad luck. My personal view is that no one knows the day or hour, not even the angels in heaven--in other words, if someone tells you the world will end on such-and-such a day, you can rest assured it won't.

Do all Jinn have black diamond eyes or was Rafe special? I assume that the name of the book comes from his eyes, but correct me if I am wrong.

A novella didn't let me go too far into it, but Rafe gets his power from black holes, one of the strongest forces in the universe. That power shows in his eyes. Now, black holes crush everything with overpowering gravity, so they're pretty nasty. But I particularly like when good things come out of bad, and heavy gravity also compresses carbon into diamonds. So with Rafe, I have that crushing power showing as diamond eyes, good coming out of bad. In my universe (again, not mentioned in the novella), all jinn who get their power from black holes have black diamond eyes. A jinni who gets power from a red giant star would have ruby eyes, jinn who draw from blue dwarf stars would have sapphire eyes, etc. And you're right! The title does come from Rafe's eyes, and the type of jinni he is.

Where did you get the idea for Venus magic?

My Biting Love series are all red-hot romances, and though this is more a fantasy romance I didn't want to wander too far. Sex magic is as old as humankind (did I mention my interest in archaeology?) everything from fertility goddess rituals to the Kama Sutra as a guide for virtuous and gracious living. My particular take for this story equates magic with karma, or the feedback the universe gives to human acts. Positive acts generate positive magic, and what's more positive than good sex?

If Rafe hadn't backed off from Amaia for #5, could they have actually saved the world without killing the wizards responsible?

Oh, good question. And spoilers ahead, LOL. There were three factors head-butting at that point: strong and determined bad guys; Amaia and Rafe's Venus magic; and the world's fear of the Doom. Venus magic could have worked if the world hadn't given into the fear and the bad guys hadn't been so determined. I do think if Rafe and Amaia had gotten #5 in, the bad guys might have taken extreme measures to bring about the Doom, and everything would have ended up where it did anyway.

Now that Rafe and Amaia are tied together for all eternity, is Rafe more human? Will he be able to come to her without being called?

Absolutely, Rafe is much more human because he's tied to Amaia, and because he truly loves her. More spoilers! He's still a jinni but he's got a part of Amaia inside him that will anchor him and lead him to wherever she is on the physical plane. So he'll definitely be able to come without being called.

Do you have any other stories in the works or want to share something about what you already have written?

Currently I'm working on Beauty Bites, Book 6 in the Biting Love series of red-hot vampire romances. It's the story of human Synnove (looks like a Scandanavian model, wants to be a doctor, and is all about substance) and vampire Ric (tousled blond hair, knockout blue eyes, a smile that ranges from brilliant to deadly, and all about style). Oh, and August 14 Biting Oz, Biting Love Book 5, releases! I'm thrilled to be touring with Promotional Book Tours August 20-31!