Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Happy Book Birthday to Kristal Shaff and The Emissary!!

I am absolutely thrilled to help spread the word that my very dear friend Kristal Shaff's book, The Emissary, is FINALLY here!!! I absolutely loved this book and can't wait for book 2! Check it out!! Here are the deets:

For hundreds of years, dark clouds covered the skies of Adamah, and an ageless king ruled. Those who emerged with one of six extraordinary Shay powers were forced into the king's army, an un matched force with inhuman Strength, Speed, Accuracy, Perception, Empathy, and Healing. With the army at his side, the king—a man who wields all six abilities—was invincible and unquestioned in his rule.

To most, serving the king was an honor. And for some, it was a fate worse than death. When seventeen-year-old Nolan Trividar witnesses the transformation of his brother from kind to cruel after entering the king’s army, he vows never to follow the same path. So when his own power—the Shay of Accuracy—comes upon him at the Tournament of Awakening, Nolan conceals his emergence instead of joining the king’s ranks.

For years, he traitorously hides his power, pretending to be a gifted scribe. But when Nolan comes face -to-face with a deserter, the man discovers his secret. To evade detection and a death sentence, Nolan escapes with the deserter and flees into a night filled with dark creatures who steal both powers and souls.

Nolan joins a resistance, a village hidden deep in the forest, filled with others who secretly wield a Shay. But his peace is short lived when they discover that the dark clouds, the undead creatures, their own decreasing powers, and even the king, are all connected.

Amazon | B&N



She also has an awesome book tour going on, so be sure to check out all the stops for great interviews and guest posts and a chance to win a copy of her book!

My Thoughts:

I’m not usually a huge fantasy reader so I wasn’t sure how much I’d like this book, but I absolutely loved it! The Shay powers were just cool and I (being a history buff) really loved the medieval setting. The characters are what make this book truly fantastic. Nolan, the main character, decides to hide his Shay power of Accuracy so he can avoid having to serve in the evil king’s army. The journey he takes from someone who hides who and what he is to being a main force behind the rebellion against the king kept me glued to the pages. The other characters in the book are well fleshed out and an integral part of the story, not just there as filler. Alec, Megan and Emery in particular I absolutely loved. Between the magical elements, the rebellion against a psychotically evil king, the group of rebels who band together to become a family of sorts who fight and sacrifice for each other, amazing fighting scenes, truly creepy zombie-like creatures who add even more danger to the game, and even a bit of romance, this definitely goes on my “must read” list – I highly recommend!  

Monday, September 22, 2014

In Which My Cat Takes It Upon Himself To Dictate My Parenting...At 5 AM

I really do not know what is up with this cat lately. For the last month or so, he comes into my room every morning between 5:30 and 5:45 am and meows. And continues to meow until I get out of bed. If I show sign of movement, he'll go out. But if I am not completely out of bed and following him down the hall, he comes back until I am.

I don't have to be awake until 6:45-7:00 so you can imagine how I feel about this early wake up call.

The first time he did this I thought it was one of those "Timmy's in the well" moments and all those stories about cats that had woken their owners and saved them from fires or alerted them to a child in distress, etc ran through  my head. Especially since it was obvious he wanted me to follow him.

So I got up and followed. He went into my son's room and then came right back out, and then went into my daughter's room, jumped up on the bed, and laid down on her pillow (where he sleeps every night).

And that was it....

And now every morning, he does this. Wakes me up. Refuses to stop waking me up until I follow him into each child's room to do a kid check. And then he lays down and goes back to sleep. Why he thinks I need to do this an hour before my alarm goes off, I have no clue. It would be sweet if it wasn't for the whole waking-me-up-an-hour-early thing.

He IS apparently aware of when I'm actually supposed to be awake, because the last two days, when I attempted to sleep in past my usual wake time of 7:00, he came in and meowed until I got up. THAT I wouldn't mind so much since my phone does occasionally crap out on me and the alarm doesn't go off.

But that 5:45 am child check really needs to stop :-)



Monday, September 8, 2014

Dierdra Eden's Knight of Light (The Watchers book 1) - and a Giveaway!!

I'm excited to help Dierdra Eden celebrate the release of her new book, The Watchers Book 1: Knight of Light. Take a peek at her awesome book trailer and be sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy of her book and $100 Amazon gift card!!

The Watchers Book 1: Knight of Light


 In England, 1270 A.D., Auriella (pronounced yurr-ee-ella) flees her village after being accused of witchcraft. Pursued by nightmarish creatures, she struggles to accept the truth about her humanity. Filled with fairies, dwarves, pixies, dragons, demons, and monsters, Knight of Light is an enthralling tale that will capture the imaginations of readers young and old.
The Watchers Series has been described as Braveheart meets Supernatural. The mythology for the series is based on many theological texts from dozens of sects with correlating themes. Ancient writings include The Dead Sea Scrolls, The Traditional Apocrypha, The Pearl of Great Price, and The Kabbalah. “The Watchers” are supernatural beings in human form whose duty it is to protect and guard mankind from the armies of darkness. Unfortunately, as the Book of Enoch mentions, some of these Watchers go bad. Although the mythology is based on these texts, Deirdra Eden’s The Watcher’s Series is written in a traditional fairytale style with a young girl’s discovery of incredible, but dangerous powers within herself, a cast of humorous side-kicks, a quest for greater self-discovery and purpose, and villains of epic proportions
About the Author
"My goal in writing is to saturate my books with intrigue, mystery, romance, and plot twists that will keep my readers in suspense. I want to see fingerprints on the front and back covers where readers have gripped the novel with white knuckles! Aside from writing, I enjoy jousting in arenas, planning invasions, horseback riding through open meadows, swimming in the ocean, hiking up mountains, camping in cool shady woods, climbing trees barefoot, and going on adventures." -Deirdra Eden Find Deirdra Eden and The Watchers Series online on AmazonDeirdra's websiteFacebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Wattpad, and Pinterest. a Rafflecopter giveaway