Bit to busy to do much writing today. I know that is terrible of me, I should be dragged out in the streets and flogged. I may try to comment more later but it is just one of those weeks. In the mean time. Enjoy some man candy.
Available from Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and TWCS
Éire’s Captive Moon, the first book of Sandi Layne’s Éire’s Viking Trilogy, brings you to the unsettled era of the early Viking raids along the coast of Éire – today’s Ireland.
Red-striped sails make their first appearance on the shores near the village of Ragor and the peaceful life of the villagers is obliterated in one deadly raid. Agnarr Halvardson and his overlord, Tuirgeis, have come to Éire for treasure, honor, and slaves.
After slaying her husbands, Agnarr claims Charis, the healer of the village, as his personal medicine woman – and sex slave. Cowan, a local prince, is captured by Tuirgeis to serve as translator for trading journeys. Leaving the smoking ruins of Ragor and Bangor Monastery behind them – as well as the children Charis had carefully hidden from the Northmen – the invaders sail away.
Cowan, a Christian, is captivated by the pale, widowed herbalist, and finds himself in love with her by the time they reach Nordweg, where they will spend the winter. He is compelled to leave her, however, to serve his master.
The winter brings many trials. An invasion from another village’s warriors throws Cowan and Charis together more intimately than she is prepared to handle equitably. Her own feelings are growing uncertain, though she reminds herself that she has to return to Éire and the children she left there. As winter passes in Nordweg, Charis plans vengeance upon Agnarr even as she learns to see him differently. Beset by accusations of witchcraft, hounded by Agnarr’s betrothed and her slave – a refugee Charis herself healed more than a year before – and having to adapt to the strange language and customs among the people around her, Charis still makes her plans. Will she be able to put aside her feelings and escape when spring returns?
Time to check out another fantastic book blast and book that is coming out. The release for this one is Feb 4th and you don’t want to miss it.
EKHO by Marie D. Jones
Ten-year-old Elvis Jones is tired of being picked on, taunted, and teased by the bullies at his elementary school, so he does what any smart, technologically brilliant kid his age would do: he creates EKHO, the Evil Kid Hunting Organization, a sophisticated network of kid spies and secret agents that utilize a variety of cool gadgets to stay one step ahead of the enemy – the bullies. They hire kids, make them swear allegiance to the organization, and train them as Commandos, Privates, and Elite Spies. As kids rise through the ranks, the missions, posted on an encrypted EKHO website, require more smarts and skill, especially when the bullies form their own counterspy group called DEKE (Destroy EKHO Kids Everywhere).
It’s all in good fun, until the kids of EKHO must put their pretend skills to use for far more serious, and dangerous, missions. As field agents come across evidence of more sinister forces, they now have to deal with the strange, weird, and the unknown as they look for the truth about the bizarre and creepy threats to their school, their families, and their own lives. They experience betrayal, intrigue, infiltration and counter-espionage as well as teachers and adults who act more mysterious with each passing day, which leaves Elvis and his EKHO team wondering: who can you trust when the person standing next to you might not be entirely human?
Coming February 4, 2014
Amazon * Barnes & Noble * The Book Depository
Author Marie D. Jones
Marie D. Jones is a best-selling author with an extensive background in unknown mysteries, metaphysics, science, and the paranormal. She has been featured multiple times on the History Channel in Ancient Aliens and Nostradamus Effect. Marie also served as a special UFO/abduction consultant for the 2009 Universal Pictures movie, The Fourth Kind. She is a staff writer for FATE Magazine and Intrepid Magazine and a regular contributor to Paranoia Magazine and New Dawn Magazine. Marie has been interviewed on hundreds of radio talk shows all over the world, including Coast to Coast AM, and has been featured in dozens of newspapers, magazines, and online publications, internationally. She has lectured widely at major paranormal, new science, and self-empowerment events, and is the screenwriter and co-producer of 19 Hz, a paranormal thriller in development with Bruce Lucas Films.
BookBlast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 2/28/14
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
This is another one hosted over at Should be Reading
I only found one this week though I am behind on my blog reading so there may end up being more.
Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she’ll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters’ laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything – including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?
This one is Hosted at the Booking through Thursday Blog.
Do you do other things while you read? Watch TV? Cook? Brush your teeth? Knit?
Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t it all depends on what is going on and what I am reading. If I am really sucked into a book I will not do anything else while I am reading it and my full attention stays with the book. However if I am not fully snagged on it I will watch TV, Cook and even sometimes Blog and work while reading a page here and there.
Social media is everywhere today in the land of technology. I love social media as many of my loyal readers know. What I am getting into now more and more though is social media apps. I do not mean just the ones that you are used to seeing for Facebook and Twitter like Hootsuite and everything, but applications in which you can branch out and meet more people.
Because I tend to be so busy with freelance work, reviews and many other things I do not get to go out and socialize as much as I used to. Let’s face it these days it is also easier to log in then to go out. Cheaper too! One that I started checking out because a friend pointed me to it can be used at home on facebook as well as on the mobile version; it is called Hot or not. I prefer the mobile app for this one because I am trying to get to be savvier with what I do on my mobile versions.
I am sure the first thing many of my readers are thinking is, what is that sounds a bit odd. Well it is actually kind of fun really and an interesting way to say I want to meet you. The line up is a bunch of pictures and you are presented with the choice, Hot or Not seems pretty straight forward. You do also get a list of things you might have in common so you are not basis on looks alone. If you find them hot you tap the heart if not the close out x and they are sent a message. Pretty easy and you are not sending messages to sling any kind of bad mud or anything, it is all about deciding if it’s a person you want to meet (online) or not. I think it is fun and it is getting me more into the idea of using my mobile apps while on the go. Hot or not is also offering a $1000 sweepstakes if you want a little more incentive on trying the app.
This is another one hosted over at Should be Reading
Public service announcement: “Try Grammarly’s plagiarism checker for students because you will not enjoy the grumpy cat face your teacher makes if you don’t.”
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What are you reading next?
Currently Reading: 
When Ellie Black meets Dan Cooper, she feels as though she’s found her best friend and soul mate. After an idyllic courtship, Dan proposes and Ellie happily accepts. She loves everything about Dan, even his family: his sister, Emma, has become her good friend, and his mother, Linda, might end up being the mother Ellie never had when she was growing up. Ellie’s own family was far from ideal–her alcoholic mother died when she was 13, and Ellie and her father withdrew from each other almost completely. She hopes Dan’s family will become her own, that is, until she gets to know Linda and realizes how controlling and manipulative she can be. Ellie’s resentment toward Linda grows after she gets pregnant and gives birth to Tom. When an accident puts Tom’s life at risk, Ellie’s bottled-up emotions spill over and threaten not just her relationship with her mother-in-law but her marriage itself. Green, best-selling author of Jemima J (2000) and To Have and to Hold[BKL Mr 1 04], is particularly adept at producing engaging women’s fiction, and her latest is a prime example–warm, convincing, and eminently readable. Although at times Ellie’s venomous anger toward her mother-in-law grates, overall, she is a sympathetic heroine.
Recently Finished: 
My Review on that is here.
What’s next..
Again I have nothing planned out. I seem to be just playing wing it for the month of Jan. I am thinking it will probably be Must Love Otters.
Hollie Porter is the chairwoman of Generation Disillusioned: at twenty-five years old, she’s saddled with a job she hates, a boyfriend who’s all wrong for her, and a vexing inability to say no. She’s already near her breaking point, so when one caller too many kicks the bucket during Hollie’s 911 shift, she cashes in the Sweethearts’ Spa & Stay gift certificate from her dad and heads to Revelation Cove, British Columbia. One caveat: she’s going solo. Any sweethearts will have to be found on site. Hollie hopes to find her beloved otters in the wilds of the Great White North, but instead she’s providing comic relief for staff and guests alike. Even Concierge Ryan, a former NHL star with bad knees and broken dreams, can’t stop her from stumbling from one (mis)adventure to another. Just when Hollie starts to think that a change of venue doesn’t mean a change in circumstances, the island works its charm and she starts to think she might have found the rejuvenation she so desperately desires. But then an uninvited guest crashes the party, forcing her to step out of the discomfort zone where she dwells and save the day … and maybe even herself in the process.
Mooncalf by Linda Zern
Over Olympia and Leah’s heads, Americans race the Russians to the moon; on their television sets young men fight and struggle in the mud of Viet Nam; and America holds its breath between heartbreaking tragedies.
But on Miss Brinker’s school bus, in the seat with the rip in the green plastic, Olympia and Leah fall in love, the way children do: immediately, completely, and without knowing or caring why they shouldn’t. Olympia Crooms, with her happy hair, and Leah Breck, with her silly red dog, are two smart girls.
Olympia’s father works other men’s orange groves in rural Central Florida and tells his daughter that school is the best way to reach for the stars. Leah’s father moves his family from the Space Coast to the country where she and her brother can climb orange trees, imagine lions in the tall grass, and learn to feed baby cows milk from a bottle.
At Evegan Elementary, two smart girls find each other and have to decide if they will learn the hardest lessons of all: the false traditions of their fathers.
Praise for Mooncalf
“One of the most admirable things about Mooncalf is that it’s difficult to find a single wasted word in the entire book. Granted the book is short; yet, it is very rare to find a book which treats with such delicacy the choosing of each word–each adjective, verb, and noun. Themes, motifs, and symbols are everywhere throughout Mooncalf, and most impressive of all none of it is discarded. Motifs and themes exist in big and small circles in Mooncalf, circling back in on themselves as well as intertwining themselves with the plot and the characters that inhabit it. And those motifs and themes, those messages and those symbols, don’t go away once you’ve finished the book. They stick with you. It’s hard to forget Mooncalf.”” ~ The Thousander Club
“I never expected to be moved to tears by a book meant for adolescents. Buy it, read it, share it, and let yourself be changed by it.” ~Lacey Smith
Excerpt
Olympia’s voice was a whisper in Leah’s ear.
“I don’t have those things, those cooties.”
“I know. I don’t even care what those things are.”
“Cootie bugs. Miss Rhodes is saying I have bugs crawling and living in my hair and at my house.”
“Miss Rhodes didn’t mean you.” Leah felt icky. “She couldn’t mean you.”
“It’s because I’m one of the poor kids, you know. She said it: sharecroppers.”
Without looking, Olympia pulled her hand out of Leah’s and started trying to flatten the wrinkles out of the crushed paper doily on the valentine. Leah put her hand over Olympia’s, the valentine a ruined mess under their fingers.
“But Miss Rhodes has hair just like yours.”
“No,” Olympia said, shaking her head. “No, Miss Rhodes doesn’t want hair like mine, like she had when she was a little girl. She wants white folk’s hair. That’s what Granny Mac says. ‘Cuz some colored folks like her don’t know who they want to be any more.’”
Leah looked at the neat part in her friend’s black braids, and loved the way Olympia’s barrettes danced when she dropped her head. She saw only the complicated, clever patterns in her friend’s clean black hair.
Leah saw only Olympia.
Author Linda Zern
Linda Zern is a native of Florida where she learned to be moonstruck.
She wrote her first children’s chapter book, The Pocket Fairies of Middleburg, in 2005. Writer’s Digest called “the perspective of these tiny beings [the pocket fairies] refreshing, enchanting, and intriguing.”
Florida Publisher’s Association was kind enough to award her little book the President’s Book Award for best children’s book of 2005.
Mrs. Zern has since published an inspirational book, The Long-Promised Song, serving as both writer and illustrator. Three collections of her humorous essays (ZippityZern’s Uncommon Nonsense) can be found at Smashwords.com, and her award winning essays have been recognized and published at HumorPress.com.
Her current project, Mooncalf, is her first work of historical fiction for Middle School readers. Set in rural Central Florida, the author tells the story of two misfit girls and the hard lessons they must learn about friendship and love from their friends, their families, and their world.
The mystical state of Florida remains an enchanted and delightsome place for both Mrs. Zern and her husband of thirty plus years, and so they continue to make their home among the palmettos and armadillos in the historic town of Saint Cloud.
Website * Blog * Twitter * Facebook * Pinterest
BookBlast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 2/28/14
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
So was chatting with a friend today who only just found health insurance in greensboro and started to wonder, is it still so hard? I mean I know I personally had some issues with the health care website at first but things seem to have ironed out sort of. Not to mention that any big website launch I expect to see some issues when you first start with them, just one of those growing pains thing. However maybe it is a little harder to operate then it seems. Anyone else have some thoughts on that? I am always open to listening to what problems friends, family and readers a like are having.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Lisa shrugs and admits, “I’m not so good at being on my own, and anyway he has positive points.”
“Such as?” I’m still a skeptic. ~ pg. 155 The Other Woman by Jane Green
