Book/ARC Swap?

I have these books for swap; send me an email in the contact form on the right side of my blog to swap:
(I will trade for ARCs from the same timeline as well as paperbacks/hardcovers)

Moth and Spark by Anne Leonard: Review and Guest Post

A prince with a quest. A commoner with mysterious powers. And dragons that demand to be freed—at any cost.

Prince Corin has been chosen to free the dragons from their bondage to the Empire, but dragons aren’t big on directions. They have given him some of their power, but none of their knowledge. No one, not the dragons nor their riders, is even sure what keeps the dragons in the Empire’s control.

Tam, sensible daughter of a well-respected doctor, had no idea before she arrived in the capital that she is a Seer, gifted with visions. When the two run into each other (quite literally) in the library, sparks fly and Corin impulsively asks Tam to dinner. But it’s not all happily ever after. Never mind that the prince isn’t allowed to marry a commoner: war is coming to Caithen.

Torn between Corin’s quest to free the dragons and his duty to his country, the lovers must both figure out how to master their powers in order to save Caithen. With a little help from a village of secret wizards and a rogue dragonrider, they just might pull it off.

Goodreads Summary

Fantasy readers looking for a good story need to look no further. "Moth and Spark," contains captive dragons, an approaching war, and a romance with magic powers. This has all the right ingreedients for an epic adventure that will captivate you and keep you reading all the way through.

A fantasy novel with a bit of romance mixed in is not that common these days and this story blends these two flawlessly. On top of that Leonard does a great job of focusing on the other aspects of the two main character's lives. Not only are they drawn to each other, but they feel a strong duty to carry out their own responsibilities and this creates a great tension. Both are well developed characters that many can relate to so this will definitely capture a broad audience of readers. Let the dragons roam free and uncover the answers behind this great fantasy.

*Reviewed by Chris*


Guest Post:

When I’m Not Writing

Everyone knows what authors do when they’re writing, right? They stare at screen or paper, periodically move their fingers, curse at the phone, snack, get on Twitter, pet their cats, snack, stare at screen or paper . . . For this post, I’m giving you a glimpse at the Secret Life of Writers – what do I do when I’m not writing?

Much of what I do is kind of obvious. I spend a lot of time reading and thinking about writing. I pick my kid up at school and make dinner if it’s my night. I talk to my husband and take walks. Sometimes we go to a movie or a museum. I rarely watch TV (we have neither cable nor reception, so the only TV I see is via Netflix), I’m not athletic, I don’t make a study of obscure languages or collect rocks.

But when I’m not being a writer or a family member or leading my ordinary life, I travel with my camera. I’ve taken photographs for at least as long as I’ve been a writer, probably longer. My father, his brother, and their father all did photography, and my very first camera was a Brownie that I got when I was 7 or 8, handed down from one of them. I still have some of the pictures I took with that camera – a few of them are nicely composed, but from the vantage of a short person, so they look quite odd to adult eyes. I’ve gone through various cameras since, including a few point-and-shoots for things like parties where I didn’t care much about the actual quality of the photo, and now use a Canon EOS. (For photo geeks: I have two – an older Rebels Xsi and a somewhat newer 60D.)

Since I graduated from law school, I’ve gone off for a few days every year for a private retreat, wherein I went out and took pictures during the day and then wrote in the late afternoons and evenings. I’ve gone to Santa Fe, New Mexico; Joshua Tree National Park; Yosemite Valley and the Eastern Sierra; and Annapolis, Maryland. The year prior to that we took a family trip to northern Baja California. This is the first year I haven’t planned an expedition, because of all the business associated with the book release.

I take very few pictures of people. I like landscapes, buildings, and up-close shots of plants and insects. I pay attention to textures and to the play of shadows and light. I play around on Photoshop, but most of the pleasure I get is from the actual act of taking the picture. Photography has been criticized for causing people to worry so much about the picture that they forget about the experience the photo is recording, and I can understand how that’s true at times, but for me the act of framing the picture is an act of seeing what I would not otherwise see. I note the lines, the shapes, the colors. I watch the light.

This all plays out in my writing, of course. I use precise details in my descriptions, and this comes from having trained my eye to see the small things: the pollen on the bee’s back, the raindrops in a cobweb, the smear of rust on an old lock. My scenes often have descriptions of the light: the way it falls, the color, the sharpness and brightness, and so on. I can imagine things with photographic detail because I look at the world that way.

It also plays out in specifics at times; the final scenes in the mountains in Moth and Spark were written directly after the Yosemite trip, when I saw the granite, volcano remnants, and cliffs of the Sierra Nevada. Looking at those mountains and photographing them not only helped me describe the details of the mountains scenes but also gave my mind an imaginative jolt that it needed for the last stretch.

In some ways, writing fiction is like taking a picture – there’s all this stuff in my head jostling for attention, and I have to focus on some of it to the exclusion of other things. It has to be framed properly. Rewriting a scene can be like zooming in or out. When I’m done with a draft, there are a lot of superfluous or too-similar shots that need to be excised before being presented to an audience. Writing and taking pictures are by no means identical creative acts, but for me they engage usefully with each other. So in that sense, even when I’m not writing, I am.

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

The Warrior Laird by Margo Maguire: 250+ Book Giveaway!

Haunted by horrors of his childhood, Dugan MacMillan has sworn to protect his clan at any cost . . . even if he must search for a rumored treasure and kidnap a beautiful thief to do it.

The MacMillan laird has never crossed paths with anyone quite like Lady Maura Duncanson. After he saved her from certain death, the comely vixen had the audacity to disappear with his treasure map, his only key to restoring his clan. Dugan has no qualms about taking Maura hostage, especially when he learns she is to wed a wealthy old baron who will pay him a fortune in ransom . . . a fortune his people desperately need.

But, of course, Maura has no intention of returning to her despicable fiancé. And the longer Dugan spends in the bewitching hellion’s presence, the less willing he is to surrender her to any man . . . at any price.

Goodreads Summary


Author Summary:

Since 1999, when Margo Maguire's first book, The Bride of Windermere, was released, she has sold more than five novels to Harlequin -- all historicals. She is writing full-time now, and enjoying the flexibility in her schedule -- something she didn't have while nursing. With three teenagers at home, and lots of family activities, she likes to be available for whatever comes up. And she likes the fact that she's indulging her artistic side once again.

Find this author here!

Enter the big giveaway here!

GIVEAWAY:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ask Me Anything, Lord: Opening Our Lives to God's Questions by Heather C King

When God calls you to make an impact, feelings of fear, doubt, and insufficiency seem to automatically show up. As a matter of fact, they have been making appearances since the beginning of time in the lives of people like Adam and Eve, Elijah, Peter, and many others. And during those times:

• God asked Adam and Eve, "Where are you?" as a checkpoint for their relationship with Him.
• God asked Elijah, "What are you doing here?" to bring him out from the places of depression and frustration.
• Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me?" to restore their relationship.

Summary

This book was very introspective and provided a means to look in on oneself.  I really liked the four categories the author focused on: Make it Personal, Make it Connect, Make it Real, and Make it Last.  These four points make for excellent talking points and provide a good stopping point to really think about the message the book has to offer.  The book isn't overly emotional in tone or pushy about religion.  This book isn't the fastest read I have experienced, but I never expected it to be.  The reader may come away from this book feeling as if he/she learned something precious.  I loved the personal stories and how I felt I got to know the author through this book.  

The book had just enough interactive bits to it.  The tidbits here and there of advice and helpful hints were sweet and meaningful.  This book is definitely aimed at religious readers and recommended to them.

4 Stars

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

Tease by Sophie Jordan: Promo and Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sophie Jordan is an international and New York Times bestselling author whose books include historical romances and the Firelight series. When she’s not writing, she spends her time overloading on caffeine (lattes preferred), talking plotlines with anyone who will listen (including her kids), and cramming her DVR with true-crime and reality-television shows. She lives in Houston.

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

Unforgotten by Jessica Brody: 250+ Book Giveway! (INT)

After a daring escape from the scientists at Diotech who created her, Seraphina believes she is finally safe from the horrors of her past. But new threats await Sera and her boyfriend, Zen, at every turn as Zen falls prey to a mysterious illness and Sera’s extraordinary abilities make it more and more difficult to stay hidden. Meanwhile, Diotech has developed a dangerous new weapon designed to apprehend her. A weapon that even Sera will be powerless to stop. Her only hope of saving Zen’s life and defeating the company that made her is a secret buried deep within her mind. A secret that Diotech will kill to protect. And it won’t stay forgotten for long.

Packed with mystery, suspense, and romance, this riveting second installment of Jessica Brody’s Unremembered trilogy delivers more heart-pounding action as loyalties are tested, love becomes a weapon, and no one’s memories are safe.

Goodreads Summary

Author Bio/Links:
Jessica Brody knew from a young age that she wanted to be a writer. She started self "publishing" her own books when she was seven years old, binding the pages together with cardboard, wallpaper samples and electrical tape.

After graduating from Smith College in 2001 where she double majored in Economics and French and minored in Japanese, Jessica later went on to work for MGM Studios as a Manager of Acquisitions and Business Development. In May of 2005, Jessica quit her job to follow her dream of becoming a published author.

In four short years, Jessica has sold nine novels (two adult novels to St. Martin's Press and seven young adult novels to Farrar, Straus, Giroux.) THE FIDELITY FILES, her debut, released in stores (in real binding) in June of 2008 and the the follow-up, LOVE UNDER COVER in November 2009. THE KARMA CLUB, Jessica's debut young adult novel released in April of 2010 and her second YA release, MY LIFE UNDECIDED just recently hit bookstores in June 2011.

52 REASONS TO HATE MY FATHER (which was recently optioned for film) will be out in Summer 2012 and UNREMEMBERED, (also optioned for film), the first book in a new teen sci-fi series, will be released in early 2013.

Jessica's books are published and translated in over twelve foreign countries including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Russia, Brazil, China, Portugal, Israel, Indonesia and Taiwan. 

Jessica now works full time as a writer and producer. She currently splits her time between Los Angeles and Colorado.

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unrememberedtrilogy?fref=ts
or Twitter: @JessicaBrody

Enter the big giveaway here!

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Art of Being Rebekkah - ebook by Karoline Barrett: 250+ Book Giveaway! (INT)

When talented Jewish artist, Rebekkah Gelles finds out her husband has a frightening dark side, she wants out of her marriage; but her life gets complicated when she moves back to her parents’ home in Park Slope, Brooklyn and falls for the charming Italian detective who’s investigating her estranged husband. Convinced he’s all wrong for her—he’s not Jewish for one thing—Rebekkah struggles with love, faith, family, and a surprise pregnancy.

Author Bio/Links:

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/KAROLINE-BARRETT-AUTHOR/349301685084168
or Twitter: @KarolineBarrett

Enter the big giveaway here!

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Catch - ebook by Tracy Ann Lord: 250+ Book Giveaway! (INT)

Maddie Chilton, the reigning queen of Miami's hottest PR firm, has been dethroned. Now she's roughing it at a fishing camp on a lake in the middle of rural Maine. This is what her co-workers chose as a going-away present? Maddie is not a "showers optional" kind of gal. Not only is she surrounded fish, but also a lot of fishy characters. There's Flo, the opera-loving/customer-loathing cook, and Wayne, the too-handy handyman. Fortunately there's also Cal Boretti, her handsome, skinny-dipping fishing guide. Appearances, of course, can be deceiving, and Maddie soon discovers that the camp and its residents are about so much more than fishing. Between budding romance and an exciting new business opportunity, Maddie's dim view of Lake Mooselookmeguntic is beginning to lighten up. She may not have a knack for fishing, but Maddie is about to make the good catch of a lifetime.

Author Bio/Links:

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djccommunications
or Twitter: @DJC_comm

Enter the big giveaway here!

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Headmaster's Wife by Thomas Christopher Green: 250+ Book Giveaway

An immensely talented writer whose work has been described as “incandescent” (Kirkus) and “poetic” (Booklist), Thomas Christopher Greene pens a haunting and deeply affecting portrait of one couple at their best and worst.

Inspired by a personal loss, Greene explores the way that tragedy and time assail one man’s memories of his life and loves. Like his father before him, Arthur Winthrop is the Headmaster of Vermont’s elite Lancaster School. It is the place he feels has given him his life, but is also the site of his undoing as events spiral out of his control. Found wandering naked in Central Park, he begins to tell his story to the police, but his memories collide into one another, and the true nature of things, a narrative of love, of marriage, of family and of a tragedy Arthur does not know how to address emerges. Luminous and atmospheric, bringing to life the tight-knit enclave of a quintessential New England boarding school, the novel is part mystery, part love story and an exploration of the ties of place and family. Beautifully written and compulsively readable, The Headmaster’s Wife stands as a moving elegy to the power of love as an antidote to grief.
"A truly remarkable novel, I read the second half of The Headmaster’s Wife with my mouth open, my jaw having dropped at the end of the first half. Thomas Christopher Greene knows how to hook a reader and land him." --Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Empire Falls

"An accomplished and artful storyteller, Greene has surprises in store as he unspools a plot that becomes as poignant as it is unpredictable." --Wally Lamb, New York Times bestselling author of The Hour I First Believed

"Greene’s genre-bending novel of madness and despair evokes both the predatory lasciviousness of Nabokov’s classic, Lolita, and the anxious ambiguity of Gillian Flynn’s contemporary thriller, Gone Girl (2012)." --Booklist

Goodreads Summary

Those of you who have dealt with grief or are currently dealing with a tough situation in life will definitely find a deep connection to this story. Greene tells a three part story here from two different points of view. The first part is called Acrimony and it is told from the point of view of the headmaster, and the second two parts Expectations and After are told from a different point of view. The first part leaves you thinking a lot and the second and third parts help you make sense and figure out the events that unfolded. Overall the story is very well written and explores the aspects of the good and bad points of the relationships we encounter in life.

The aspect of this book that really makes it shine is its mastery of weaving the multiple points of view into a great story. You are left thinking a certain way for a good part of the first half of the book and then you are hit with a curve ball that leaves you baffled. This book really gets you thinking in all the right ways and is truly hard to put down once you start. The character Arthur and the circumstances that lead to the person that he became are sad but so interesting at the same time. You want to get to the bottom of the purpose behind his actions because of how messed up his head seems initially. "The Headmaster's Wife," is definitely an intruiguing and artistic story that is worth checking out.

4 Stars

*Reviewed by Chris*


GIVEAWAY:


a Rafflecopter giveaway This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

A Touch of Darkness - ebook by Tina Moss and Yelena Casale: 250+ Book Giveaway! (INT)

Cassie’s working for a tightwad boss at a pretentious NYC diner, dealing with paralyzing pain that doctors can’t diagnose, and trying to hide her hands that glow purple whenever she ...well, whenever. 

So, when a mysterious stranger walks out of her dreams and into her life to spout some nonsense about her being a mythical creature, she chalks it up to one more crazy thing to add to her it’s-a-crappy-life list. Yet, when the stranger’s predictions start to come true, she discovers a world that could shake up her humdrum existence.

Author Bio/Links:

Tina Moss

Tina Moss is an author of urban fantasy, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, and New Adult novels. She lives in NYC with a supportive husband and alpha corgi, though both males hog the bed and refuse to share the covers. When not writing, she enjoys reading, watching cheesy horror flicks, traveling, and karate. As a 5'1" Shotokan black belt, she firmly believes that fierce things come in small packages.

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tina-Moss/126390774082870

Yelena Casale

Yelena Casale writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance. She was born in Kiev, Ukraine and came to New York at the age of 13, which gave her a great perspective into two very different cultures. Yelena believes that the world of vampires, shifters, angels and demons is a wonderful way to escape and let her imagination run wild. In Yelena’s ideal world, she would be a full time writer and travel as much as possible, experience various cultures. She’s also a second degree black belt and an instructor of Shotokan karate. She is represented by Literary Counsel.

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Yelena-Casale/253292294718229?fref=ts
or Twitter: @Yelena_Casale

Enter the big giveaway here!

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Seduction of Miriam Cross - ebook by Wendy Tyson: 250+ Book Giveaway! (INT)

Miriam Cross, author, feminist and philanthropist, disappears from her Philadelphia home. A year later, a lonely recluse named Emily Cray is brutally murdered in her bed in a small Pennsylvania town. Miriam and Emily are one and the same. As Delilah and her staff of female detectives - a militant homemaker, an ex-headmistress and a former stripper - delve into Miriam’s life, they become submerged in an underworld of unfathomable cruelty and greed with implications that go far beyond the gruesome death of one woman or the boundaries of one country. Eventually Miriam’s fight for justice becomes Delilah’s own...until Delilah’s obsession with finding the truth may prove just as deadly.

Author Bio/Links:

Wendy Tyson wrote her first story at age eight and it’s been love ever since. When not writing, Wendy enjoys reading other people’s novels, traveling, hiking, and playing hooky at the beach – and if she can combine all four, even better. Originally from the Philadelphia area, Wendy has returned to her roots and lives there again with her husband, three kids and two muses, dogs Molly and Driggs. She and her husband are passionate organic gardeners and have turned their small lot into a micro farm. Killer Image is Wendy’s first novel in the Allison Campbell mystery series. The Seduction of Miriam Cross is her first Delilah Percy Powers mystery.

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendy.tyson.165?fref=ts
or Twitter: @WendyTyson GIVEAWAY: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Delivering Death by Julie Kramer: 250+ Book Giveaway! (USA/CAN)

The most appealing mystery heroine since Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, TV reporter Riley Spartz is a star investigative journalist for Channel 3—and no stranger to the seedier side of her hometown. But when she receives a package of smelly human teeth in the mail at work, she’s quickly embroiled in a homicide investigation that spirals into one of the odder cases the Minneapolis police force has ever seen. Though the cops try to keep certain grisly details quiet, this murder has a strange twist—it seems that the killer wants the crime publicized.

Is it a revenge killing, or something more? Riley’s investigation takes her inside a lucrative identity theft ring that links low-life crooks like now-dead Leon Akume to white-collar opportunists like once-wealthy Jack Clemens. Despite a prime motive for murder, Jack also has the ultimate alibi: he's behind bars. While Riley pushes to keep the homicide in the news, her boss is convinced that coverage of the Mall of America’s unique version of a royal wedding is key to the station winning ratings. As the stakes continue to rise for her job and her life, Riley must outwit the killer in a trap that could leave yet another person dead...

An irresistible suspense novel that will keep readers turning pages until the stunning conclusion, Delivering Death brings the humor, intrigue, and twists and turns Julie Kramer’s fans have been waiting for.

Author Bio/Links:

Julie Kramer has moved from journalist to novelist. She writes a mystery series set in the desperate world of television news—a world she knows well from her career working as a freelance news producer for NBC and CBS, as well as running the acclaimed WCCO-TV I-Team in Minneapolis.

Her thrillers, STALKING SUSAN, MISSING MARK, SILENCING SAM, KILLING KATE, SHUNNING SARAH and soon to come - DELIVERING DEATH (January 7) - take readers inside how newsrooms make decisions amid chaos. She's won the Minnesota Book Award and the RT Book Review's Best First Mystery. She has also been a finalist for the Anthony, Barry, Shamus, Mary Higgins Clark, Daphne du Maurier, and RT Best Amateur Sleuth Awards.

Julie grew up along the Minnesota-Iowa state line, fourth generation of a family who raised cattle and farmed corn for more than 130 years. Her favorite childhood days were spent waiting for the bookmobile to bring her another Phyllis A. Whitney novel. An avid reader, she tired of fictional TV reporters always being portrayed as obnoxious secondary characters who could be killed off whenever the plot started dragging, so her series features reporter Riley Spartz as heroine.

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julie.kramer?fref=ts

Enter the big giveaway here!


GIVEAWAY:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Compliance by Maureen McGowan: 250+ Book Giveaway! (INT)

Haven Equals Safety.
The slogan is emblazoned on the minds of every Haven employee. But for Glory, life inside the domed city is anything but safe. 
After rescuing her brother, Glory returns to Haven as a double agent to locate and save fellow Deviants. Far from her family and from Burn, Glory faces danger at every turn as she trains to be a Compliance Officer--to track and subdue her own kind--while she works undercover to rescue as many Deviants as she can. 
When people she trusts turn against her and a powerful member of Management takes her under her wing, Glory questions everything she believes and can no longer tell her allies from her enemies. A Deviant, a member of the secret police, a double agent--Glory fights to save others, but can she save herself?

Author Bio/Links: 

Maureen has always been making up stories, but side-tracked by a persistent practical side, it took her a few years to channel her energy into writing novels. After escaping a previous career in finance and accounting, she hasn't looked back.

Aside from her love of books, she's passionate about films, fine handcrafted objects and shoes.

She lives and writes in Toronto, Canada.

Enter the big giveaway here!

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaureenMcGowanBooks?fref=ts
or Twitter: @MaureenMcGowan

GIVEAWAY:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Deviants by Maureen McGowan: 250+ Book Giveaway! (INT)

In a post-apocalyptic world, where the earth is buried by asteroid dust that’s mutated the DNA of some humans, orphaned, sixteen-year-old Glory must protect her younger brother and escape the domed city that’s been her entire world.

Outside in the ruins, they’re pursued by the authorities and by sadistic, scab-covered Shredders who are addicted to the lethal-to-humans dust now covering the planet. Glory’s quests to transport herself and her brother to safety make up the thrilling and fascinating first volume of The Dust Chronicles.

Author Bio/Links: 

Maureen has always been making up stories, but side-tracked by a persistent practical side, it took her a few years to channel her energy into writing novels. After escaping a previous career in finance and accounting, she hasn't looked back.

Aside from her love of books, she's passionate about films, fine handcrafted objects and shoes.

She lives and writes in Toronto, Canada.

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaureenMcGowanBooks?fref=ts
or Twitter: @MaureenMcGowan

Enter the big giveaway here!

GIVEAWAY:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Murmurings by Carly Anne West: 250+ Book Giveaway! (USA)

Everyone thinks Sophie’s sister, Nell, went crazy. After all, she heard strange voices that drove her to commit suicide. But Sophie doesn’t believe that Nell would take her own life, and she’s convinced that Nell’s doctor knows more than he’s letting on.

As Sophie starts to piece together Nell’s last days, every lead ends in a web of lies. And the deeper Sophie digs, the more danger she’s in—because now she’s hearing the same haunting whispers. Sophie’s starting to think she’s going crazy too. Or worse, that maybe she’s not….

Author Bio/Links:

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarlyAnneWest?fref=ts
or Twitter: @CarlyAnneWest1

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Purple Girl by Audrey Kane: Promo and Giveaway!

BLURB:

CAUTION! Violet lives within the pages of this book. And her purple spreads to everything she touches…

Violet lives behind garden walls. Is she magical? Is she the devil’s child—or simply cursed? When the lonely thirteen-year-old embarks on a dangerous journey to find the one boy that dared to befriend her, she travels at night...in the dark...to keep people from seeing her purple skin. But no one is more surprised than Violet when she unlocks her mysterious gift.

Excerpt One:

This is how the story was told to me.

           

When the midwife brought me into the world, she let out a scream. Hands trembling, she swaddled me in a white blanket, leaving only a small opening so I could breathe. She refused to let my mother see me until my father appeared and stood by her side. Purple mist seeped through the white blanket, staining the midwife’s fingers.

           

“God help us all. This baby is cursed!” the midwife cried, thrusting me into my father’s arms. She grabbed a rag and tried to scrub the stains off her hands.

           

As my father unwrapped me, the color drained from his face. My mother, weak from the delivery, reached toward him...or perhaps to me.

           

“What’s wrong?” After a moment, he held me up.

           

My mother wailed when she saw her purple baby.

           

My father turned away from her and laid me in the cradle, far from my mother, his fingers shaking as he bundled me in the plum-colored blanket. He remained silent, wiping his purple stained palms on his pants. The stains wouldn’t stay on him forever... only a few moments...but he didn’t know that then.

           

“Oh, Samuel,” my mother sobbed. “How did this happen?”

           

My father gazed into my eyes, and when he finally spoke, his voice broke.

           

“We’ll call her Violet.” He stroked a tuft of my lavender hair and sank to his knees.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

As a writer, and also a designer of tapestries with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Georgia, it is only natural for Audrey to weave visual stories. When she is not designing tapestries, she is busy conjuring up characters that find themselves in extraordinary situations. Between carpools and design work, she is plotting, scheming, writing, and revising. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, their three children, and her unruly dog, Rascals. Audrey's favorite time to write is in the early morning while her family sleeps. With Rascals sprawled out snoring beside her, it only takes one oversized cup of coffee to get her mind moving.

Audrey is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. She loves traveling, museums, and blackberry-apple pie. Actually, she loves all kinds of pie. And she especially loves her family. They have put up with Violet and Waxy for a long time. You can visit her at: www.audreykane.com.

website: www.audreykane.com

facebook: www.facebook.com/audreykaneauthor

buy link:  amzn.com/0991028317

GIVEAWAY:

Audrey will be awarding a $20 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn host.

Ava and Pip: Promo and Guest Post!

I love writing from a kid's point of view. It lets me get back in touch with the childlike feelings inside me, from delight and wonder to jealousy and rage. As adults, we have to be circumspect and careful with our words. But a kid confiding in her very own diary? She has free rein! She can let it pour out.

There are several reasons why I am still able to get in the head of a kid. I've been the "Dear Carol" advice columnist at Girls' Life for twenty years so I've been getting letters from girls (and hearing their voices and concerns) for decades. I'm a mom of daughters so I had a chance to relive my childhood when they were younger. And finally, my own Inner Child is alive and well and vocal. In fact, I kept diaries as a girl and I've just took a photo in my office of all my diaries. I still have them! Do you see them? 

They are on the top shelf -- my books are on the bottom shelf. (They include Girltalk, which was translated into many languages; The Diary of  Melanie Martin series about a ten-year-old traveling girl named Melanie and her brother Matt the Brat; and now (drumroll please) AVA AND PIP which comes out March 4. Ava Wren is a fifth grader with a painfully shy big sister. Ava is a good kid who does a bad thing. And she wants to be a writer when she grows up and has a passion for palindromes, which are words that are spelled the same backward and forward. Like huh. And wow. (H-U-H. W-O-W.) Here's a long palindrome: Dog doo? Good God! (D-O-G-D-O-O-G-O-O-D-G-O-D.) I hope you like my new series. The sequel is already in the works. It's called AVA AND TACO CAT. 

preorder my new book AVA AND PIP

(or support your favorite indie bookstore!)
visit my website
watch my youtubes

like me on  facebook

and you are invited: 

Mar 4 6 p.m. Corner Bookstore NYC

Mar 9 2 p.m. BookCourt Brooklyn

Mar 11 5:30 p.m. New York Society Library

Mar 21 10:30 a.m. Politics and Prose DC

Mar 29 2 p.m. Watchung Montclair

April 5 2:30 p.m. BankStreet NYC

April 13 2 p.m. Thurber Center Col's OH

April 14 6 p.m. Lennox B&N Col's OH

April 23 6:30 Wild Rumpus MN... 

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

Mafia Girl by Deborah Blumenthal: 250+ Book Giveaway! (USA/CAN)

What's in a name? Everything if you have my name." At her exclusive Manhattan high school, seventeen-year-old Gia is the most hated/loved girl in school. Why? Her father doesn't have a boss. He is the boss--the capo di tutti cappi, boss of all bosses. Not that Gia cares. But life gets complicated when she meets a cop she calls "Officer Hottie" and feels a suprising chemistry. Then Vogue magazine wants to feature Gia in a fashion spread about real-life bad girls. On top of this, she's running for class president. Can Gia step out from under her dad's shadow and show everyone there's more to her than "Mafia Girl?

Author Bio/Links:

Deborah Blumenthal is an award-winning journalist and nutritionist who now divides her time between writing children's books and adult novels. She has been a regular contributor to The New York Times (including four years as the Sunday New York Times Magazine beauty columnist), and a home design columnist for Long Island Newsday. Her health, fitness, beauty, travel, and feature stories have appeared widely in many other newspapers and national magazines including New York’s Daily News, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Woman's Day, Family Circle, Self, and Vogue. 

Blumenthal lives in New York City.

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deborah.blumenthal?fref=ts
or Twitter: @Deborahblu

GIVEAWAY:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Broken Hearts, Fences, and other Things to Mend by Katie Finn

Summer, boys, and friendships gone sour. This new series has everything that perfect beach reads are made of!

Gemma just got dumped and is devastated. She finds herself back in the Hamptons for the summer—which puts her at risk of bumping into Hallie, her former best friend that she wronged five years earlier. Do people hold grudges that long?

When a small case of mistaken identity causes everyone, including Hallie and her dreamy brother Josh, to think she’s someone else, Gemma decides to go along with it.
Gemma's plan is working (she's finding it hard to resist Josh), but she's finding herself in embarrassing situations (how could a bathing suit fall apart like that!?). Is it coincidence or is someone trying to expose her true identity? And how will Josh react if he finds out who she is?

Katie Finn hits all the right notes in this perfect beginning to a new summer series: A Broken Hearts & Revenge novel.

Goodreads Summary


Wow! I haven’t even ever imagined being this evil. Eleven year-old “evil, goateed” (in her guilty imagination) Gemma is pure Machiavelli, except he wouldn’t have been stupid enough to write his plans in a notebook and leave it where the victim could find it. Gemma’s plots and plans are very “mean girls”. The reason that she enters her dark plotting is sad – her parents’ break-up.  Her dad suffers long-term effects from her plotting that summer too.

At sixteen, her attempts at redemption through do-gooder, cheating, boyfriend Teddy seem sweet but insincere. Back in the place it all began for the summer - the Hamptons (“the scene of the crime”), Gemma’s efforts to make things right with her victim Hallie seem genuine.  Of course, masquerading as another person to hide her former identity somehow limits the good she can do to make up for her prior meanness to Hallie. Gemma gives Hallie cupcakes and volunteers to cover for her when she has to leave in the middle of a baby-sitting job. I began to suspect that Hallie really did remember Gemma, but I wasn’t sure. Five years is a long time and Gemma turns up in the Hamptons unexpectedly, but Hallie is hilariously creative in the revenge camp too. Complicating everything are the friendship and crush that develop between Gemma and Hallie’s brother, Josh.  You’ll like him!  He’s the most honest, straight-forward character in this story.

Gemma’s friend Sophie says, “I came here to escape all the drama.” If the deceitful, mischievous goings-on don’t make you squirm, there’s no escape from drama and comedy in this fun, beach, revenge, redemption cliff-hanger.

Four Stars
*Reviewed by Colleen*

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.

Seams Unlikely: the Inspiring True Life Story of Nancy Zieman by Nancy Zieman

Millions of women learned to sew while watching the inimitable Nancy Zieman on public television's, Sewing with Nancy. Many of them have Googled phrases like "stroke Nancy Zieman" in an effort to discover the reasons behind the partial paralysis of Nancy's beautiful face. Viewers purchased products Nancy used through Nancy's Notions, followed patterns she created for McCall's, and enjoyed meeting distinguished guests via the show. While today's Christian women read of Lydia and the Proverbs 31 woman and wonder how we can ever practice our faith so well in today's harried existence, Nancy Zieman was quietly living out her faith in Wisconsin. Her large Lutheran family ordered their lives around the farm, the seasons, and the church. As Nancy wrestled with the difficulties borne by the Bell's palsy, she also learned to rely heavily on God and believe that He had a purpose for her, a life lived to honor Him. Little did she realize that God would take a woman with half a paralyzed face and bless her with the longest running sewing show on North American television. For the first time, Nancy shares openly about the Bell's palsy that not only affected her appearance, but also her esteem and physical abilities. Readers learn about the growth of Nancy professionally: from addressing catalogs at the kitchen table to growing a multi-million dollar notions business - and personally: marrying Rich, then growing a family through birth and adoption. Through it all, the picture emerges of a hard-working woman of staunch faith who overcame various and varied obstacles to become what she is today: successful, humble, skilled, gracious, grateful and loved by millions of viewers. For any woman who has wondered how God could possibly build a purposeful life from one so unlikely, Nancy Zieman serves as a beautiful example of a life lived one step at a time, as He allows.

Goodreads Summary

My grandma and mom taught me to sew; helping me make dresses and skirts from age 8 until I was hopefully proficient on my own.  I never became a very good seamstress, but I do admire people who are.  I know I’ve seen a few of Nancy Zieman’s sewing instruction episodes on public television at some time.  Just like her book, they may be interesting and helpful...but are a little slow for a general audience. 

Reading about Nancy Zieman’s 1950s childhood on her family’s dairy farm is similar to reading Laura Ingalls Wilder.  We, who grew up in the suburbs and cities, have no clue about life in rural Wisconsin.  Maybe we would all have benefited from working more closely with our families as children.  Zieman says, “We learned their character, were witness to those challenges that concerned them, and learned how to manage as adults by watching them.”  As a child, I didn’t understand what type of work my dad did or where he went all day until I was well into high school.  Quotes from friends and family members pepper the margins of the pages with homegrown wisdom.  Nancy’s mother says, “We never felt poor.  We just didn’t have much money.”

I enjoyed reading about the daily routine and chores, about the disciplined life, about making meals and especially about participating in 4-H projects.  Later, I admired Nancy’s persistence and developing business acumen.  This girl from a rural farm negotiated contracts, coached production crews on camera angles, wrote books, created patterns for McCalls, and started a sewing notions company – leading it to great success, via catalog and storefront.  Her husband and family worked with her and supported her every effort.  She writes her story with honesty, humility, and appreciation for the joys in her life.  Physical illnesses never slowed her down – although she relates how she struggled through them at times.  I know I saw her program a few times, but I never noticed the childhood Bell’s palsy that affected one side of her face.  I think it’s because she is such an attractive, confident, capable teacher.

Would-be seamstresses, entrepreneurial spirits, and those who like to read an account of farm life will enjoy this autobiography.

Four Stars 

*Reviewed by Colleen*

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.