Book Review: Seeking a Scribe by Marsha A. Moore

This is an 'enchanted' world and a fun, action-packed adventure.
Seeking a Scribe: Enchanted Bookstore Legend One (Enchanted Bookstore Legends)

by Marcia A. Moore

• File Size: 494 KB
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007JVYSSI

Genre: Fantasy Romance
My Rating:  4.25 of 5.0

Book Description

Publication Date: March 12, 2012

Lyra McCauley is a writer and loves fantasy novels, but until she opens a selection from bookstore owner Cullen Drake, she has no idea he’s a wizard character who lives a double life inside that volume…or the story’s magic will compel her from the edge of depression to adventure, danger, and love.

His gift to Lyra, the Book of Dragonspeir, was actually her copy, misplaced years ago. Lost in her pain following divorce and death, she fails to recognize him as her childhood playmate from the fantasyland. Friendship builds anew. Attraction sparks. But Lyra doubts whether a wizard is capable of love. She’s torn—should she protect her fragile heart or risk new love?

Opening the book’s cover, she confronts a quest: save Dragonspeir from destruction by the Black Dragon before he utilizes power of August’s red moon to expand his strength and overthrow the opposing Imperial Dragon. Lyra accepts the challenge, fearing Cullen will perish if evil wins. Along with magical animal guides, Cullen helps her through many perils, but ultimately Lyra must use her own power…and time is running out.

Review:

Lyra returns to her home town for the summer to help take care of her last living relative, Aunt Jean, who is going through cancer treatments. Lyra has been saddened and depressed in the past year by the death of her parents and her unhappy divorce. She hopes to find peace and quiet but soon finds adventure, danger and romance instead. Lyra plans to write a book during the summer... and has no idea how true that will be. I liked how Ms. Moore used Lyra’s efforts to write a book to merge into her adventure as a scribe for the magical world of Dragonspeir.

Lyra walks into a ‘new’ bookstore in town and meets Cullen Drake who seems familiar to her. Cullen claims to have a special book for her and it turns out to be her own childhood journal of magical, enchanted visits made 25 years before. Now Cullen asks her to open the book again and step through to Dragonspeir where she has a special quest to save the realm from the evil Black Dragon. She must journey to meet the Black Dragon, write her experiences and have one person read the story before the deadline of the Red Moon.

There are wonderful friends with magical abilities: owls, deer, squirrels, fairy sprites, talking tree guardians and many more. There are also some strange friends and associates who Lyra isn’t sure can be trusted. Of course there are fearsome enemies too including sea monsters, poisonous dragons and other creatures with glowing eyes in the dark.

I loved the band that helps Lyra on her quest and I especially like the pseudodragon, Noba, and the dragon hatchling, Yasqu. They are sweet and playful. I want my own pet dragon!!  I’d love to read more of Noba and Yasqu. And I liked Sheridan too, the cicada in Drake’s bookstore who put Lyra off by his rather brash and leering introduction.

The story moves along at a good pace for the most part. There is a slower section near the end where Lyra deals with a death, funeral and grief. I at first wondered what this added but then thought it has a two-fold purpose. It shows that life in the “real world” goes on and must be dealt with. Also, it gave reason for grief that could distract Lyra and cause her to struggle to get the story written within the deadline.

Throughout the adventure Lyra and Cullen grow together in caring and sensual attraction. I liked that both the wizard and Lyra were shown with frailties that they had to overcome. There is a bit of repetition of Lyra’s longings to have a life with Cullen and wondering if it is possible. I thought the kissing scenes to be a bit amateurish, or perhaps I just found them awkward in what would otherwise be a wonderful story for young folks. In my thinking the sexual intimacy could have been left to the imagination and the reading base for the story would have been expanded.

Ms. Moore has created a marvelous, lush, magical, visual feast. I have to admit that the story of evil threatening to overtake the good in the magical land reminded me a bit of The Neverending Story due to its rich descriptions and fantastical creatures. But this is a wonderful, imaginative story of its own merit. Although this story had closure, there are several mysteries remaining for more adventure including secrets of Lyra’s heritage and more threats by the Black Dragon.   I recommend this story to those who love magical worlds of adventure but caution that not all scenes are appropriate for younger readers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An example of the fine descriptions:

The light wind twirled the foliage around and caused it to whistle softly. The shade and breeze refreshed the exposed skin of Lyra’s face and shoulders, overly warm from the hike.
“That’s a lovely chorus with each leaf playing a different note,” she said.  Location 550.

Finding the dragon baby in her computer document:

Closer inspection revealed the beast to be a dragon, covered in small, translucent, glodenbrown scales with a row of now white spines along its neck, back and tail. It shimmered with a haze of gold. Location 988.

Thank you to the author and Bewitching Blog Tour for the book to read and review. Don't miss the author's guest post and the Giveaway link at the bottom of that post.

Read the author guest post with a link to Giveaway at the end. 
Find the full blog tour list here or at Bewitching Book Tours post HERE.

Bewitching Books Blog Tour: Seeking A Scribe

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Book Review and Feature: The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing - Bewitching Blog Tour

This book is a wonderful resource for current reviewers and a must read for anyone who is contemplating  becoming a reviewer.
E book ON SALE FOR BLITZ DAY ONLY!

On March 19th, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing will be on sale for that day only for $2.99 instead of the regular price.  The purchase links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Slippery-Art-Book-Reviewing-ebook/dp/B004OL2JTQ

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/slippery-art-of-book-reviewing-mayra-calvani/1100069609

The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing

by Mayra Calvani and Anne K. Edwards

Publisher: Twilight Times Books
http://twilighttimesbooks.com/
ISBN: 978-1-933353-22-7
Genre: Reference/Writing
Format: Trade paperback
Price: $16.95 print, $4.99 ebook
Pages: 180
Chapter excerpt:
http://twilighttimesbooks.com/SlipperyArt_ch1.html 

Description:

Are you passionate about books? Do you have the desire to share your thoughts about a book with readers, yet are unsure about what makes a good review? Are you curious about the influence reviews have on readers, booksellers, and librarians?

If you’re an experienced reviewer, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing will serve as an excellent reference tool and amalgam of resources. If you’re a beginner, this book will show you how to write a well-written, honest, objective and professional book review. It will also teach you:

·        How to read critically

·        How to differentiate the various types of reviews

·        How to rate books

·        How to prevent amateurish mistakes

·        How to deal with the ethics and legalities of reviewing

·        How to tell the difference between a review, a book report, and a critique

·        How to start your own review site

·        How to publish your reviews on dozens of sites and even make money while you’re at it, and much more

If you’re an author, publisher, publicist, bookseller, librarian, or reader, this book will also bring to light the importance and influence of book reviews within a wider spectrum.

Amazon                               BN

Awards:

ForeWord Best Book of the Year Award Winner under the Writing Category!

2011 Global Ebooks Awards Winner for Nonfiction/Reference!

*US Book News National Best Book Award Finalist!

*Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist!

*EPPIE Award Finalist!

*Used for reviewing course at 3 US universities and 1 university in the Netherlands.

For more information, visit Amazon or Twilight Times Books.

Authors’ bios:

Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. She’s had over 300 stories, articles, interviews and reviews published both online and in print, in publications such as The Writer, Writer's Journal, Acentos Review, Bloomsbury Review, Mosaic, and Multicultural Review, among many others. A reviewer for more than a decade, she now offers numerous book reviewing workshops online. She also offers workshops on the art of picture book writing. She's represented by Mansion Street Literary and Savvy Literary. Visit her website at www.MayraCalvani.com  

Anne K. Edwards is an award-winning multi-genre author, reviewer and editor of Voice in the Dark Ezine. Her latest novel is the suspense thriller, Shadows Over Paradise, published by Twilight Times Books. Visit her website at www.AnneKEdwards.com

 

Genre: Non Fiction; Resource
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Product Description (from Amazon)

This book was written not only with the aspiring reviewer in mind, but also for the established reviewer who needs a bit of refreshing and also for anybody--be they author, publisher, reader, bookseller, librarian or publicist--who wants to become more informed about the value, purpose and effectiveness of reviews.

2011 Global eBook Award Winner in the category of Reference Non-Fiction 

MBS Review:

The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing provides a lot of information in easy to read and follow chapters. The text is divided into three parts and the presentation flows well.

The longest section, and most “hands on” helpful, is Part One: The Art of Reviewing. The authors first identify five important keys to becoming a good reviewer: command of language; clarity of thought; honesty; objectivity and tact. The authors then discuss the parts of a book that may be covered for a careful and objective review. These elements to be aware of include: plot, setting, writing, characterizations, construction, point of view, “showing v. telling”, the mood of the book and the audience for the book.  The length of the review, the reviewer and the site instructions for where the review is to be posted will effect which elements are included. 

I like how the authors lay out steps and elements and then present specific formats for short or in-depth critique reviews.  They also give guidelines and examples of positive, negative, overly praising and inappropriate 'slamming' reviews. There are tips for specific types of reviews including audio, technical or non-fiction reviews and more. The authors discuss the different entities who might seek reviews, such as publishers, authors or publicists, as well as when and where reviews may be posted.  Ms. Calvani and Ms. Edwards even have a chapter comparing Reviewers and Bloggers, acknowledging that there are varying levels of formality or informality in reviews.

Part Two of the book provides information on The Influence of Book Reviews.  Many different points of view from various sources are discussed. I found the details and poll results interesting.

Part Three, Resources, contains very little narrative but provides an extensive listing of specific sites that can be researched for print, online and even paid reviews. This portion is useful for looking up sites for specific genres or purposes. 

There is a lot of very good information provided in this book. I believe that there were some updates added in 2010 to the original 2008 manuscript.  I was surprised however that sites like Goodreads, particularly but also Library Thing and Shelfari were not discussed but it seemed that the links were added as after thoughts in the resource section. One completely missing site for reviewers that I thought was a glaring error is NetGalley http://www.netgalley.com/.

Although I felt the book may have been missing some up-to-date data, it is still an excellent learning and resource tool.  I plan to use a brief checklist of the tips to help keep me on track with my own reviewing. This is a book that any existing reviewer could glean from for improvement and anyone interested in reviewing would want to read for guidance and insight.

Thank you to the authors and Bewitching Books Blitz Tour for providing the pdf for review.

Practical Advice to Remember When Reviewing

By

Mayra Calvani

•           Keep your writing style concise, direct and reader-friendly. Don’t try to impress readers with fancy words.

•           Whenever possible, try to specify the intended readership. Some books are specialized and appeal to only one group of people.

•           Stay away from clichés like “A real page-turner!” “Un-put-down-able!” It’s a pity, but even big newspaper reviewers sometimes use these expressions. You see them on the back of paperbacks all the time.

•           Don’t let a few typos affect your review if the book is good. Even books published by major houses sometimes have small errors.

•           Be advised that the most commonly preferred tense when writing a review is the present.

•           Read different types of reviews to get a feel of what a review should be like. Soon you’ll be able to differentiate the well-written reviews from the mediocre.

•           Try not to review books from family members, friends or people you know. The less you know about the author or publisher, the less chance of conflict of interest and the more freedom you have to be honest.

•           If you read all kinds of books, then review all kinds of books, but if you mostly read books in one genre, then it’s more sensible to only review books in that genre. Your reviews will have more insight, more ‘meat’ when you’re familiar with other authors and books in that particular genre.

•           Try to review books in the order in which you receive them. This will help in keeping up with deadlines and is only fair to the person who submitted it.

•           If you plan to review books in all categories, make sure you understand the various types of genres and subgenres. It’s embarrassing to complain in your review that a story has highly improbably situations if the story in question happens to be a parody!

•           Don’t be prejudiced. Don’t assume that a self-published or small press book will be poorly written. Give it a fair chance and let it speak for itself. Likewise, never assume a book published by a major NY house has to be good.

Book Review: Keeper of My Heart by Darcy Flynn WITH Giveaway

This is a warm, sweet romance good for a good light read.

Keeper of My Heart

by Darcy Flynn

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 362 KB
• Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing (February 7, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00775ITM2

Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Product Description

Katie McCullough doesn’t know it, but Max Sawyer, the over confident, insufferable thief who outbid her for the lighthouse property, is none other than her mystery lighthouse sailor. The one man who captured her heart five years earlier, the one man who has since been the plumb line for every other unsuspecting male who has crossed her path. Unfortunately for Max, he doesn’t measure up either.

Still reeling from losing the property she’d planned to call home, sparks fly when Katie assumes Max is turning her beloved lighthouse compound into one of his “Serenity Spa Resorts.” Outraged, Katie sets out on a mission to dismantle the property…and his plans.

Except Max’s plans have absolutely nothing to do with hotels and everything to do with winning Katie’s heart.

Review: 
I don’t know why but I am drawn to stories about lighthouses. Even though that isn’t the heart of this story it is a beautiful element.

Katie McCullough loved the lighthouse station since she was a young girl. She had lost her parents young and then lost her brother to a car accident when she was only 16. A young naval officer friend of her brother’s found her in the lighthouse tower and comforted her after the funeral.  She never saw his face or got his name but he became “my sailor.” They corresponded for a couple of years and then the letters stopped. During those years Katie lived with her bitter aunt.  Katie has struggled to put herself through school and work two jobs saving money so that she can purchase the lighthouse property from the city when they auction it. She plans to move in with her adopted grandfather, “Pop”, who was once the keeper. At the last minute, an out of town developer steps in and outbids her.

Max Sawyer is a successful developer who has converted other properties into lush spa resorts. But he has special plans for the lighthouse in Paige Point, Maryland. He planned to purchase the property for the girl he comforted and who won his heart five years ago. It doesn’t take long for him to find the girl but she instantly turns out to be hostile and difficult. He doesn’t reveal his connection to her but tries to befriend her in spite of her clear antagonism which he doesn’t understand.

Katie won’t reveal her heart break over losing the property she cherished. That doesn’t mean she has to like the man who bought it even if he seems to be nice to her and “Pop.”

This story has a bit of “Kiss Me Kate”/“Taming of the Shrew” features and even has the movie as a town summer program which is a fun irony. Katie’s actions are rather shrewish and immature as she refuses to be straightforward about her family possessions in the property and instead sneaks in to take them - pieces at a time. Max is wonderfully patient and romantic. The characters have nice development so that their motives and actions make sense even if I was sometimes shaking my head saying "what are you doing?" to Katie.

The story is sweet and heartwarming and the writing has an easy, light flow. This is a quick read and solidly entertaining. This book brought my attention to the author and the publisher and I will be looking to read more from both.

~~~~~~

I enjoy when the writing connects to the setting or title like the quotes below.
Katie:
She felt an inward pull toward him, like a float on a wave being brought to shore. Buoyant, but helpless. Location 544.

Max:
“She was my keeper girl until her wicked aunt tried to keep us apart.” Location 2053.

Thank you to the author and Bewitching Blog Tour for providing this book. Click on the link to see the full tour stops with guest posts and interviews.

BIO-Darcy Flynn

Darcy was born into the rich culture of New Orleans, La.  As a city filled with colorful historical intrigue and broad creative energy, her natural bent to the arts coupled with her love for one of the most romantic cities in the world has been the inspiration and anchor of her artistic multi-dimension endeavors. Darcy was always compelled by the need to express herself and like her mother’s famous gumbo, her previous expressions included a little bit of everything - art, music, acting and dance.

 

Although, published in music, art and the Christian non-fiction market under another identity, it was the empty nest that turned Darcy to writing romantic fiction. A lover of lighthouses, Darcy’s first novel, Keeper Of My Heart, unfolds in a small Maryland fishing village on the Chesapeake Bay.

Darcy, a former Mrs. Tennessee, continues to be surrounded by all things creative in Music City and when not in writing in her London flat, lives on a beautiful horse farm in historic- Franklin, Tennessee with her husband, son, two English Setters and a calico cat.  Darcy enjoys stargazing, raising rare breed chickens and gardening.

Visit Darcy at www.darcyflynnromances.com

Interview with Laura Lond, Author of My Sparkling Misfortune - With Giveaway!

Today please help me welcome Laura Lond, Author of My Sparkling Misfortune.
Hello Laura-
I have to say that I am glad I read the book before I prepared these questions. You have a wonderful sense of humor that comes through in the book.

Q1.  What inspired you to write for publishing?

A: I wanted to be a writer as long as I can remember. Even as a young child I knew I wanted to write books, and not just as a hobby. I knew I wanted to do it for a living. How a young child would get such an idea, I don’t know, but there I was, writing my first “book” with a pencil, in huge all caps, shortly after I had learned my letters.

That sounds like fun and good practice. :-)
Q2.  It appears that you have had experience with traditional publishing and now self-publishing. Could you share some brief thoughts on why you chose to self publish My Sparkling Misfortune?

A: My Sparkling Misfortune was actually my last attempt to go the traditional publishing route. I had completed the book and, as usual, wasted well over a year querying agents and publishers. After 150+ rejection letters I signed with a small publisher, mostly out of desperation. I knew they were new and inexperienced. I decided to take the risk, and I had paid for it. They’d botched the nice, professionally drawn cover I had ordered and paid for. They’d botched the text. They’d botched the formatting for Kindle. Having wasted another year or so trying to get them correct all that, I pulled the book from them and re-released it independently.

 I am glad that an unpleasant experience turned into something good for you.
Q3.  What was the best piece of advice you received regarding your writing career?

A: Write the books you want to read.

There is some succinct, good advice!
Q4.  If you were to start over what might you do differently?

A: If I were to start over right now, I would release books to Kindle and other e-platforms and follow up with paperback and audio versions -- independently, never worrying about agents or publishers. There was no such option back when I was starting out. You either worked with a publisher or paid hundreds, if not thousands, to self-publish a paperback with very limited distribution options. Thank goodness things are so different for authors today.

It seems you learned from tough experience.
Q5.  I am inclined to think that marketing a book is much the same for traditional and self-published unless you are a really big name author. Do you find this to be true and what is your favorite part of marketing/promotion?

A: Yes, unless you are a big name it’s pretty much a one man show -- or a one woman show in my case. :-) You have to find ways to spread the word about your books, all by yourself. My favorite part is interaction with readers. It is always fun to hear from my audience, see what they like and dislike, what they want to know, what they expect from the upcoming books. Another recent favorite is working with voice artists to create audio versions of my books.

I think My Sparkling Misfortune would be a fun audiobook to listen to.
Q6.  Do you have a least favorite part or most difficult element of writing/publishing/promoting?

A: Writing itself can be and usually is difficult, but it is certainly not my least favorite part; it’s what I was born to do. Publishing, now that I do it independently without having to wait for months or years, isn’t a problem, either. Promotion… Yes. I am no social butterfly, I’ve never liked being in the spotlight; for someone like me, there’s little to like about it. The worst part? Radio or TV interviews. I have done them in the past, and it’s just too stressful. “Never say never,” I know, but right now my stance on it is, Never Again. :-)

Hmm - I wonder what trick you could use to help relax for interviews. Maybe practice with a friend?
Q7.  When you started My Sparkling Misfortune did you intend a series and did you have each book plotted out before you started the first one or did the subsequent book(s) flow from the first book?

A: I thought it was going to be just one book. As soon as I had completed it though, I began to suspect there was more to the story. Readers’ feedback had confirmed that suspicion right away: virtually everyone who had read it wanted the second book.

There are certainly questions left open at the end of book one that call for more!
Q8.  Is there an ancillary character in My Sparkling Misfortune you had the most fun with?

A: That would be Tulip a.k.a. Jarvi, of course. The way he keeps driving Lord Arkus, the main character, up the wall is something I wish I could do more often in my books.

It had to be Jarvi! He is so much fun.
Q9.  Who did the illustrations for the book and cover and did you get to input a lot with that?

A: The artist is Alla Alekseyeva, she usually does covers and illustrations for foreign language editions of my traditionally published books. I had hired her directly to work on this series, and she has done an excellent job. I had discussed the main characters with her before she started, so we both knew exactly how they should look. The rest was up to her. I just told her I wanted one illustration per chapter, letting her choose what parts of the story she wanted to capture. Having seen her work before, I could fully trust her with that.

Alla did a wonderful job bringing the character views to life and your trust was well place.
Q10.  Do you have a favorite mentor or author that you have learned from?

A: I have learned from many authors and books and I continue to learn. It is hard to name one, but if I absolutely have to, I’d pick C.S. Lewis. He wrote what he loved to write, and he wrote in a magical way.

Yes, C.S. Lewis did write in a magical, gifted way. Thinking of Lewis, your villain profile reminds me a bit of Screwtape. :-)
Q11. If you could ask the readers to finish a question, what would it be?

A: A global question: “I love reading because … ?”

Thank you for sharing and for offering a book copy!

Laura: I’d be happy to provide a Kindle-compatible copy of the book.

Take a peek at my review on the previous post and check the blog tour here.

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for a Kindle Compatible copy provided by the author: 

1. Visit the author's website and tell me something of interest you found there.
This is required for entry.

2.  For two extra entries, comment on this interview and answer the author's Q in paragraph 11.

3.  For two extra entries, comment on my review (one post back).

4.  For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

5. For two more entries, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.
(Eight total entries possible.)

THERE WILL BE ONE WINNER!

* This contest is open WORLDWIDE.

* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on March 2, 2012.
The winners will be randomly selected from all entries and announced on March 3 with 72 hours to complete the winners form.

Book Review: My Sparkling Misfortune by Laura Lond

This is a fun, fast read with lovely illustrations; good for adult or young readers.

My Sparkling Misfortune 

by Laura Lond

• Paperback: 126 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (March 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1460922360
• ISBN-13: 978-1460922361

Gernre:  YA, Fantasy

My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2011

***1st place Reader Views Literary Award 2010 winner in the Young Reader category***

Lord Arkus of Blackriver Castle readily admits that he is a villain and sees no reason why it should stop him from being the protagonist of this book. After all, Prince Kellemar, an aspiring hero, has defeated him in a rather questionable way. Bent on revenge, Arkus attempts to capture a powerful evil spirit who would make him nearly invincible, but a last-minute mistake leaves him with a Sparkling instead--"a goody-goody spirit that helps heroes, watches over little children, and messes up villains' plans." Bound to Lord Arkus for five years of service and sworn to act in his best interests, the Sparkling is not easy to get rid of, and of course his understanding of "best interests" is quite different from what Lord Arkus has in mind.

Review:
Lord Arkus loves being a villain known as Arkus the fearsome and Dreaded Lord. Prince Kellemar is a neighboring enemy and would be hero.  Kellemar flatters and tempts Arkus to steal a gold stash. The plotting Prince has set a trap so that just as Arkus is about to retrieve the prize he is faced with the beast that is set on killing him. Arkus usually escapes the beast by running to the white towers where the beast won’t go but Prince Kellemar has destroyed the surrounding towers! Arkus runs far away to escape.

Prince Kellemar claims that he killed the infamous Lord Arkus and Arkus wants revenge. But Arkus can’t return until he heals and finds a way to stay protected from the beast. Arkus decides to capture an evil spirit, a mighty Gormak, to give him power. Instead the creature he captures is a “sparkling”, which is a good spirit who only helps heroes. Arkus doesn’t think he can use the help of the sparkling, whom he names Jarvi, until Arkus discovers that Jarvi can be very helpful by preforming three miracles each day. The trouble is that Jarvi cannot do any evil or harm.

Jarvi finds a way to twist Arkus’ evil intentions to something good and suddenly, against his own wishes, Arkus rescues the local Princess and becomes a hero known as the Lakeland Knight. The ambitious Prince Kellemar appears as the fiancé of the Princess and tries to expose Arkus as a villain. With a twisted irony, Kellemar is now becoming a villain while Arkus remains a hero. When Kellemar kidnaps Arkus friend, the young prince of the local royal family, Jarvi offers his special sword to help Arkus. Arkus may be able to use the sword to defeat the Kellemar and the ever hunting beast, but his victory may cause great injury to Jarvi.

The story is told by Lord Arkus in a first person account of his life and adventures. It is quickly clear that Arkus is a likable villain and you wonder what set him off on the path of misdeeds. There are hints of an event where he lost a childhood friend but the details are not revealed in this book. It is heartwarming to watch as Jarvi shows Arkus how to trust and do good. Jarvi is an absolutely adorable character. He is a cross between an angel and a genie with a joking, prankster attitude. I have to say he almost steals the spotlight from Arkus, although he doesn’t mean to.

This is a good book for an older child and it is entertaining for adults too. My only disappointment was the ending which seemed very abrupt, leaving open questions  which can only be answered by the next book.

Arkus' comments on villainy:

There are no heroes without us villains. Location 51

Arkus' thoughts when Prince Kellermar says "Arkus, you are despicably wicked."

Blatant flattery, I noted. He must want something. Location 70.

I received this book to review as part of Bewitching Blog Tour.
Please learn more about the author in the Interview with a Giveaway in the next post. 

I will add this to my ARC and New Authors challenges.

Check the blog tour here.

Purchase links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JXVYR2

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-sparkling-misfortune-laura-lond/1103787180?ean=2940012086907

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/38174

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/my-sparkling-misfortune/id418425922?mt=11

Sony: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/laura-lond/my-sparkling-misfortune/_/R-400000000000000340276

BooksOnBoard: http://www.booksonboard.com/index.php?BODY=viewbook&BOOK=1149022

DriveThruFiction: http://www.drivethrufiction.com/product_info.php?products_id=97527

The 'R' Word: Guest Post by Chris Karlsen - with Giveaway!

The ‘R’ Word

by Chris Karlsen

As a writer, one of the questions I am most often asked about is: research—the ‘R’ word. I’m asked how much do I do and how do I go about finding what I need to know.

Love research, hate it, or resigned to it, for many of us, it is necessary. Personally, I enjoy research. In addition to books in my personal library, I keep three-ring binders of research material for all my stories.

I start my research before I start the book. For my first book, “Heroes Live Forever,” I began three months ahead and continued to do research throughout the writing of the different drafts. I found as I read, that new information sometimes led to a new scene in the story or new conflict. Part of that story is set in 14th Century England and France. The Battle of Poitiers is the setting for the prologue. Another setting was a Norman-style castle in Norfolk. I needed to know about medieval armor of the period for the battle, weapons, and also tactics. My research continued as some of this same information would be used again in the sequel, “Journey in Time,” much of which is also set in 14th Century England.

One source, which I’ve had modest luck with, is emailing an expert. In “Heroes Live Forever,” the issue of armor weight was a factor in one scene. I had the late Ewart Oakeshott’s series of books on medieval armor and weaponry. He was considered an expert in this field. As luck would have it, after I wrote my scene, the History Channel ran a program on medieval armor, which stated a completely different weight, substantially different. I wanted clarification. I emailed the curator of the Royal Armouries at the Tower of London. (It was a shot in the dark. I wasn’t at all confident the busy curator would respond.) I received an email back the next day verifying the weight I used and clarifying why the difference. Another time, I needed to know how to drain a moat using medieval equipment and manpower. Again, it was a shot in the dark, but I emailed the Army Corps of Engineers. Not only did I receive a quick reply with two solutions but the person who responded commented on how excited their group was to solve such an unusual problem. They found it “fun.”

If I know I am going to use information again and again, I will purchase books for my library. This can be expensive, I know, but for me it’s more practical. I’ve gone back dozens of times to various books I own. As I read them or consult them, I use color sticky tabs to mark off the different sections for faster referral.

I don’t bother buying books for some bit of information but search out archived articles on the topic at magazine sites like: Archaeology Magazine, Smithsonian, National Geographic, American Journal of Archaeology. Those articles I printout and keep in the binders. Since “Journey in Time,” is a time-travel I wanted to include a possible theory for the opening of the time portal. For that I sought out articles from Omni, Scientific American and Nova. I also purchased two books: one written by several theoretical physicists and one written by an astrophysicist.

Because my books are set outside the United States I like to include a fair amount of information regarding the area. In my opinion, there’s no point in using a foreign setting if you as a writer are not going to give the reader a real flavor of the place. I’ve traveled to England and France often so I could write from memory and use personal photo albums when I wrote “Heroes Live Forever” and “Journey in Time.” My next book to be released in mid March is set in Turkey. Again, I have traveled there a number of times and could use my experience. What I didn’t know very much of personally in spite of my travels, was flora and fauna, or sometimes little details about a region, or the ingredients in a popular dish and how to prepare it. This is especially true when I wrote the Turkish setting.

I go to the official online sites for gardens in the region open to the public as they often list the different seasonal exhibits. The same is true for zoos that feature local wildlife. A commercial guidebook, like Fodor’s or Frommer’s will mention both popular and not so popular local places to visit. Most libraries have guidebooks available. For cuisine, I find archived articles related to different countries in various food magazines.

Speaking of the History Channel, I found many excellent and informational DVD’s from the various specialty channels are sold in their online shops. Foreign newspapers are also a good source for articles and the Op-ed sections offer some revealing insight into how the people of the country feel about local and global issues.  

Yes, I am a research geek who’s easily amused by a dear writer friend who tears her hair out whenever she’s forced to do research.

Chris is giving away 10 ebook sets of Journey in Time and Heroes Live Forever.

If you have any trouble entering the form below, here is the direct Link:

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You can find the full blog tour list at Bewitching Blog Tours.

Blog Tour Guest Post by Jennifer Harlow, Author of Mind Over Monsters

See below for Tour wide Giveaway chance.
Doesn't this look like a fun read for October and Halloween?!

The Soundtrack to Our Lives (Or a Book) by Jennifer Harlow

I don’t do silence. I can’t. I grew up surrounded by chaos instrumented by three demons by the names of Ryan, Liam, and Trevor, my three younger brothers. These were not, and still aren’t, studious, well behaved darlings who liked nothing better than to sit down with a good book or play with her dolls like their angel big sister. No, these boys had enough energy and testosterone to supply an entire Starbucks and bodybuilding gym with some still left over to attempt to “kill” or “wrestle” their sister and each other. Screams, whining, and loud bangs on the television were staples of my youth. So when I moved out on my own, I soon discovered I needed the noise. There is always a television or radio on, even as I fall asleep. This is true when I’m writing as well. I can write pretty much anywhere (if you have a strong desire to stalk me, see the acknowledgments page of my book Mind Over Monsters to see where I write), but the one thing that helps get my creative juices flowing the most is music. The right song can make or break my scene, even inspiring me on some occasions.

As I was writing Monsters, I found that certain songs really helped pump up the visuals and mood. They helped me get to a place where I needed to get inside my head to convey what was going on in my imagination and translate that to the page. Music just adds so much more to the experience. So I started compiling playlists for the books. Like the book, the soundtrack has a narrative flow in line with the book. You don’t have to like all the songs, I have eclectic taste, but at the very least if you sample them, you’ll get a feel for the book. So here it is:

MIND OVER MONSTERS: THE SOUNDTRACK

1.     Magic to Do- Ben Vereen from the musical Pippin

2.     Edge of the Ocean- Ivy

3.     Cold- Annie Lennox

4.     If It Wasn’t For Bad-Elton John & Leon Russell

5.     Shadows of the Night-Pat Benatar

6.     Four Minutes – Madonna fet. Justin Timberlake

7.     Tainted Love – Soft Cell

8.     Say It Right – Nelly Furtado

9.     Fields of Gold – Sting

10.  Ordinary World – Duran Duran

11.  Savin’ Me – Nickelback

12.  Precious – Depeche Mode

13.  Home – Depeche Mode

Please download legally. All songs are available on iTunes.

Jennifer Harlow is the author of the paranormal mystery Mind Over Monsters, the first in the F.R.E.A.K.S Squad series. You can read her blog “Tales From the Darkside” at her website www.jenniferharlowbooks.com. Also friend her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter at jenharlowbooks.

Mind Over Monsters
A F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad Investigation
By Jennifer Harlow

ISBN-10: 0-7387-2667-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-7387-2667-0
US $14.95 • CAN $16.95
Trade Paperback Original • 53/16 x 8 • 288 pp.
October 2011

Paranormal heroes take on zombies in this funny and thrilling debut.

Very few people know the truth about Beatrice Alexander. She’s no ordinary schoolteacher with a fondness for classic movies. Beatrice can move objects with her mind, an embarrassing and dangerous skill that she’s never learned to master — or embrace. After nearly killing her brother by accident, she joins F.R.E.A.K.S. The Federal Response to Extra-Sensory and Kindred Supernaturals is a top-secret offshoot of the FBI that “neutralizes” ghouls, trolls, and other monsters threatening humanity.

Beatrice has no desire to become Buffy the vampire slayer. But F.R.E.A.K.S. offers training to control her power. Also, she doesn’t feel like such a freak next to the other supernatural members, including a cute former detective who’s a werewolf and an unbearable vampire determined to seduce Beatrice. Despite a natural instinct to flee from hideous, bloodthirsty zombies, Beatrice must prove herself on her first mission to find a cunning necromancer.

Praise for Mind Over Monsters:

“A wonderful debut! Jennifer Harlow has written a gritty, dramatic police-procedural with a compelling heroine and a fascinating group of sidekicks. Looking forward to the sequel!” —KAREN CHANCE, NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF CASSANDRA PALMER SERIES

“Mind Over Monsters is funny, scary, and creepy—and ridiculous amounts of fun!” —KAT RICHARDSON, AUTHOR OFTHE GREYWALKER NOVELS

“Monstrously fun! Monstrously suspenseful! Monstrously good! Jennifer Harlow's debut novel had me laughing and gasping from start to finish!"“ —VICTORIA LAURIE, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE GHOST HUNTER MYSTERY SERIES AND THE PSYCHIC EYE MYSTERY SERIES

See full blog tour list here. Tour and Contest end 10/31.

5 copies of Mind Over Monsters are being given away tour wide:

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