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Cover Reveal Party PULSE

June 22, 2015 Leave a Comment

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About the Book

 Pulse (Cover)

Title: PULSE

Author: L. Hayes

Genre: New Adult

Disclaimer: This work contains explicit sexual content, language, and delicate subject matter. It’s intended solely for mature readers.

At twenty-two-years-old, Mia Holloway’s life is up in the air. Her graduation from UCF is looming over her head like a bad hangover. Her long-term boyfriend has up and left her for some Tinder fling, and when sudden chest pains send her straight to the ER – that’s just icing on the cake.

At thirty-two-years-old, Cardiologist Dr. Alex Greene has what most would call a perfect life: respect, money, and a sleek high-rise loft in the city. But since the departure of his unfaithful Ice Queen of an ex-fiancée, Alex also secretly longs for the one thing he’s been missing – connection.

When Dr. Greene and Mia meet, as patient and doctor, something undeniable clicks. Forbidden, dangerous, foreboding. The kind of uncontrollable lust that threatens to tear both their worlds apart.

Pulses will rise. Hearts will be broken.

Because an affair like this doesn’t happen in real life.

Until it does.

Author Bio

L. Hayes is voracious reader and lover of words. When not immersed in pages, she’s usually writing them.

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Book Review: All Doors to Hollywood and How To Open Them by Anne M. Strick

September 18, 2012 Leave a Comment

12795028Title: All Doors to Hollywood and How To Open Them
Author: Anne M. Strick
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Createspace
Publication Date: August 20th 2011
Goodreads | Author Website | B&N | Amazon

This book is for anyone interested in a job in films or television, and for those movie buffs who want to know backstage secrets, and how movies are really made. It is a book of interviews with those indispensable behind-the-screen people – the electricians, grips, truck drivers, scenic artists, make-up artists, graphic designers, carpenters, construction workers, seamstresses, costumers and special effects wizards – who make movie magic actually happen. This book tells what they do, how they do it, how they got their jobs and what adventures they’ve had. It is a book for all those fans who want inside stories about their favorite actors and the films they’ve made. It is a book for all those who dream of joining the Hollywood world and have the everyday skills required to work in the industry – which, surprisingly, most of us already do. In short, this is a book for everyone.

All Doors to Hollywood and How To Open Them offers a guide into the world of Hollywood. If you’ve ever wondered who works behind the scenes on a movie or TV Series, then this book is for you. If you ever wanted to work in Hollywood but just didn’t know who to contact or what kind of jobs you could work as, this book is for you as well. If you’ve never really wondered about either, but are just generally interested in Hollywood or movies, then you should give this book a try as well.

The book is build up out of several interviews with professionals in the film industry. The author herself has experience working in the film industry, and it shows. She has an unique insider’s perspective on the world behind the scenes, and her knowledge shows through the interviews. She asks the right questions, and the answers are definitely enlightening. I often wondered, while looking through movie credits, what the heck all these different people could be doing. For me, it usually was director, camera personnel, make up artists, costume and scene designers, and actors. But there’s so much more to making a movie than just those few people!

Another thing I enjoyed thoroughly about this book was it’s light-hearted approach. With that, I mean there’s no infodumping or gigantic heaps of text. The information is provided without going into way too much detail or using complicated, Hollywood-specific terms. Even a total newbie to movies – like me – could easily follow along with what was being said. I sometimes find that non-fiction books are too technical and assume an amount of knowledge beforehand, but not with this one.

All Doors to Hollywood and How To Open Them is one of the first non-fictions books I read this year, and I definitely enjoyed it. It’s not too industry savvy, and it has a very fun, interview-like approach. If you want a book that describes all the jobs in Hollywood (or at least, a large chunk of those jobs) and that gives you insider’s tips on how to get such a job, then this book is for you. It’s not too long, and it’s a quick read. Recommended to all movie fans.

Giveaway

The author was kind enough to give away an eBook copy of All Doors to Hollywood and How To Open Them to one lucky winner on this tour stop.

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Book Review: A Vampire’s Deadly Delight by Liv Rancourt

February 7, 2012 2 Comments

13438160Title: A Vampire’s Deadly Delight
Author: Liv Rancourt
Genre: Vampires, Paranormal, Clicklit, Novella
Publication Date: January 11th 2012
Publisher: Black Opal Books
Rating: 3,5 stars
Review copy thanks to Bookish Snob Promotions.
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She’s a quiet, unassuming bookstore owner by day, but by night…
Kristen has a deadly secret—when she smells a vampire, she turns into Jai, a beauti-licious babe who makes vamps permanently dead. To a vamp, Jai is like ambrosia. They can’t resist her. She uses this attraction, plus her super strength and her trusty blade, Mr. Sticky, to end their undead lives. The thrill of wearing miniskirts without worrying about cellulite stifles any qualms Kristen might have about killing the undead. Being Jai is the most fun she has ever had—until they come up against the one vampire Jai can’t kill. If he and Jai have a history, as he claims, Jai can’t remember it…or him.
But when her work catches the attention of some old enemies—who won’t hesitate to destroy Kristen if it also means the end of Jai—this vampire may be their only hope. Can Kristen and Jai learn to tell the difference between good and evil in time to defeat Jai’s ancient nemesis? Or will being Jai’s hostess cost Kristen more than just a little sleep?

I’m not a big fan of chicklit, and A Vampire’s Deadly Delight is definitely chicklit. But surprisingly enough, I found myself enjoying the story. It’s a bit short, hence why it’s a novella of course, but this time I wasn’t too bothered with the fact that it was a short book. It’s like you realize from the start that this is meant to be a novella. It’s light-hearted, funny and cute, and just a light read for a casual winter afternoon.

This book actually has two heroines. Tricky part? They both share the same body, which of course leads to hilarious circumstances and events. The body apparently belongs to Kristen, one of these two heroines, and is sometimes inhabited or possessed (whatever term you prefer) by Jai, our other heroine. To help keep things simple, Kristen and Jai’s POVs are in different fonts. They both talk in first person, and they’re actually surprisingly easy to relate to. I found myself likin both Kristen and Jai, and finding it hard to decide who I should like more. Kristen is a shy, quiet and calm book store owner who, duh, loves books. That’s why I could relate to her almost instantly. But then, as soon as she smells the undead, she morphs into Jai, vampire slayer extraordinaire, who reminded me a lot of Buffy, my favorite heroine ever. So deciding between a fellow bibliophile or a kick-ass vampire slayer was a bit too hard, so I settled to like them both.

Of course there are enough hot guys to make this story interesting, and the wit and humor of both the author and characters kept me turning page after page. However, this isn’t just some brainless chicklit. There’s actually a story behind all of it, as Jai’s powers seem to be taning and an old arch nemesis of hers resurfaces. Kristen and Jai have to team up to fight him, and they’ll have to learn how to put their differences aside – something which sounds easier than it is. If you’re looking for a light read that will bring a smile to your face, and sometimes even cause you to burst out laughing, then A Vampire’s Deadly Delight is a great choice.

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Author Interview with Liv Rancourt and Giveaway

February 7, 2012 Leave a Comment

The Book

13438160

Author Interview Questions

1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

When I was in about the fourth grade, I tried to re-write Little House on the Prairie. I’m not sure how successful I was, but my mother grabbed onto the idea that I was going to be a writer. She encouraged me, and so did a couple high school teachers, so I kind of figured I’d be a writer, too. Some day. Then when I was in college I took a creative writing class and the instructor didn’t like the main character in my big final project. And just like that, I decided I wouldn’t be a writer. Because when you’re twenty, you’re kind of crazy. Like that.

Then a couple years ago it dawned on me that, while I’d always thought I would grow up to be a writer, I was running out of time. I’m going to be fifty on my next birthday, so it was pretty much ‘now or never’. I bought a thumb drive to save my stories on and got to it. And here I am.

How long does it take you to write a book?

It depends. I try for about five thousand words a week, and many times I meet that goal. It took me about two months to write the first draft of A Vampire’s Deadly Delight, and it’s just over forty thousand words long. On the other hand, I have another piece that’s about twice as long and I’ve been working on it since January of 2010. Don’t know when that one will be done, because I have to learn more about writing to get it to where it needs to be. I’m better at writing short stories, because out of necessity you have to tighten the plot and narrow your focus. I can crank out a short story in a week to ten days, unless real life gets in the way.

What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

Writing quirk? Hmm… The dialogue I write is often a pretty accurate reflection of the internal monologue that’s going through my head, although I’d NEVER say the stuff out loud. It’s pretty kooky in here, guys, and writing’s the best way I know to let some of the crazy bits out in a socially acceptable way.

How do you come up with the idea for A Vampire’s Deadly Delight?

I read a lot of paranormal fiction, and found myself frustrated with vampire characters who are such sexual superheros that any mortal woman they meet basically drops and spreads her legs without putting up a fight. I got to thinking about what would happen if there was a character that vampires found irresistible, but who could destroy them the same way they destroy mortal women. And thus, Jai was born. She’s the alter-ego of my main character Kristen, and she takes over whenever Kristen smells vampire. It’s sort of a Buffy meets Spiderman kind of thing.

Who would you consider your favorite author and why?

Okay, that’s the toughest question I’ve ever been asked. Just one? Can I tell you about three? I like Octavia Butler because she never let the language get in the way of telling a good story. I like Charlaine Harris because she can sketch a living breathing character in twenty five words or less. Okay, maybe fifty words, but you get the idea. And right now I’m lovin’ Richard Kadrey, because his Sandman Slim character is such a baaddd boy.

Are you working on something right now? If so, what?

Absolutely! I just finished editing a short story, “Tangled Dreams” that will appear in an anthology, Bites: Ten Tales of Vampires edited by Rayne Hall, and I’m editing another short story, “Temptation’s Touch”, that will appear this March in an anothology for Still Moments Publishing. I’ve written the synopsis for another short story that has an end of February deadline, and I have the first three chapters drafted of a novel (novella?). I’m researching this last piece, doing character sketches and working on the outline of the plot. I’m not real rigid about the groundwork, but I like to have some idea where I’m going before I really get into the work of writing.

Author Bio

Liv Rancourt is a writer of speculative fiction and romance. She lives in Seattle with her husband, two teenagers, two cats and one wayward puppy. Writing stories that have happy endings is a good way to balance her work in the neonatal intensive care unit, and she is thrilled to be publishing her first novella with Black Opal Books. Liv can be found on-line at her website, her blog, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

Giveaway

Author Liv Rancourt agreed to give away one eBook copy of A Vampire’s Deadly Delight on I Heart Reading.

She’s also giving away a copy of the cover art to one lucky winner at the end of the tour. Please visit her website to find out more.


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Book Tour

This blog post is part of a book tour organized by Bookish Snob Promotions.
The next tour stop is on February 8th, on The Wormyhole.

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Book Review: Ghost Island by Bonnie Hearn Hill and Giveaway

January 4, 2012 6 Comments

51V9gCJ1RiLTitle: Ghost Island
Author: Bonnie Hearn Hill
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Horror, Ghosts, Young Adult
Publisher: Black Opal Books
Publication Date: August 29th 2011
Rating: 4 stars
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Review copy provided by Bookish Snob Promotions. See the full tour schedule.

Is Aaron a dream or something much more deadly?
Livia Hinson has just begun a Seminar at Sea when a storm hits their yacht. Now, she is stranded with the other students on an island off the coast of California. Far away from her foster home and her heartbreak, Livia finds Aaron, the perfect love. But the only way they can be together is in her dreams.
The other students are having tempting dreams of their own, and Livia begins to realize that the storm has blown in more than rain. Is Aaron flesh or spirit? Can he come to her world, or will he pull her into his? Together, they explore the blurred territory between love and illusion on a dangerous journey that will force Livia to make the most important decision of her life.

Ghost Island is one of those books that grabs you and doesn’t let you go. Seriously, it doesn’t. I was supposed to be studying – I have that a lot, that I’m “supposed” to be studying – and I thought that I could read a chapter of this book during my break. Well, yes, that definitely didn’t happen. I didn’t read a chapter. I read the entire book. Result: study plans, gone entirely. Even from page one, I was intrigued by this book. I wanted to know what was going on, what it was all about, and more importantly, what secret our main character was supposedly hiding. And boy, was I in for a surprise.

Livia has a secret she desperately wants to hide from the other pupils who joined her on this trip. Ms. Gates, one of the chaperones, is the only ones who knows about her secret and still threats her the same. Mr. Freeman, the other chaperone however, behaves towards her like most people do: with caution, condescending and sometimes downright awful. When Livia manages to become friends with Grace, one of the rich girls whose parents sponsored this trip, she knows that if she wants their friendship to last, she’ll have to guard her secret with her life. But once they arrive on Avalon, everything turns out to be different than expected. With a storm brewing, they are trapped on the island for days. Ghostly spirits communicate with them in their dreams, and Livia doesn’t think these spirits are benign. In fact, they might be a threat to their very lives. But who will believe her, especially when the truth about her comes out?

It’s obvious that this isn’t Bonnie Hearn Hill’s first book. It’s way too good for that. The writing is sublime, the way the characters talk is spot-on the way regular teenagers talk. The writing itself is fluent and it doesn’t linger too long on descriptions. The setting is amazing. The island, Avalon, is both atsmospheric and eerie at the same time. On the island of Avalon, the lines between the world of the living and the world of the dead – the spirit world, if you will – are blurring. With a storm racing around the island, our main character are trapped like animals in a cage. There’s no way to escape Avalon until the storm lies down. This reminded me a lot of another paranormal horror book I read recently, Dead Sky Morning by Karina Halle. It has the same setting – a haunted island – and the same tension and atmosphere – the main characters can’t possibly escape the island until the storm lies down. I’ve seen this same setting in a number of horror movies as well, and I’m surprised by how well it works every single time. The sense of dread and despair is instant, the feeling of terror continuous. In Ghost Island, this happens as well. Bonnie Hearn Hill takes the most out of the setting of the novel, and uses atmospheric elements to her utmost example. The result is stunning and terrifying and just the way I like it.

Livia is an intriguing character. She has a very defensive personality, because of the secret she’s hiding. She’s also very much on edge througout the entire story, stressed and leaning towards depression. You would think that these traits don’t make her a very likeable character, but that’s hardly the truth. There’s another side to Livia we meet later on as the novel progresses. She’s caring and protective over her new-found friends, Grace, Johnny and Charles, and she’s not afraid to rebel against the rules to protect them. She is brave and clever, and although I found her a bit naive when it comes to Aaron, the boy she sees in her dreams, I could understand why she’s attracted to him and the promise of real love, especially after what happened with her ex-boyfriend. However, I’m a much bigger fan of Johnny, the potential other love interest.

The side characters are great. I loved Johnny. He was funny and cute and smarter than I initially gave him credit for. Grace was a complicated, but intriguing character. It’s like on the one side she wants to be friends with Livia and she’s level-headed enough to understand what’s really going on, but on the other hand she has the potential to break easily. One of the most interesting things about these characters was that they each had a very distinct personality. On top of that, we also learn their greatest fears and passions, since that’s what the ghosts initially use to lure them into the haunted theater/casino. Talking about ghosts and passions, I find it very original that the ghosts have the ability to find out the character’s greatest desires and use those against them. I’ve never heard or read anything of the kind before, and I thought it was new, refreshing and scary.

The storyline evolved enough to keep me entertained till the very end and, as I already mentioned, the writing was flawless. The pacing is fast and the plot twists are unexpected and unpredictable. I loved the characters and I enjoyed the story. I would definitely recommend this to all fans of paranormal mystery and paranormal romance out there. Since the story ends on a cliffhanger, I can’t wait to read the next part in this series.

This book counts towards the Speculative Romance Challenge, Go Indie Challenge and the Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge.

About the Author

Bonnie Hearn Hill worked as a newspaper editor for 22 years, a job that, along with her natural nosiness, increased her interest in contemporary culture. Prior to her new Star Crossed series from Running Press/Perseus Books, she wrote six thrillers for MIRA Books, as well as numerous short stories, nonfiction books and articles.

An interest in astrology along with her close friendship with Cosmo Magazine Astrologer Hazel Dixon-Cooper inspired the Star Crossed series: Aries Rising, Taurus Eyes, and Gemini Night.

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Giveaway

THIS CONTES IS OVER. THE WINNERS HAVE BEEN PICKED.

Filed Under: Book Tours, Bookish Snob Book Tours, Horror, Paranormal Romance, Reviews, Young Adult Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

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