Random Acts of Kindness Giveaway Hop 2012! Starts at Midnight

WELCOME TO 2012 RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS GIVEAWAY HOP!

I love my followers and wish you could all win. :-) I know many of you like bigger prizes for one person but I LOVE to spread the joy.  I hope to bring a little cheer to SIX of my followers through this giveaway.

Thank you to the hosts: the fabulous Kathy at I Am A Reader Not A Writer and Read for Your Future.

The hop runs from Friday, February 17th through Tuesday, February 21st.

My Giveaway is for ANYONE who can get books from Amazon, Indie Presses, OR Book Depository. OR if Book Depository doesn't ship to you then I will do a PayPal or other gift card for that winner.  So hopefully this really does include EVERYONE.

There will be six winners total:
Each day I will pick a name from that day's entries (midnight to midnight for 5 days). The winner will get a $5.00 GC or PayPal credit.
At the end of the giveaway Rafflecopter will choose a winner to get a book valued at $10.00 at The Book Depository or $10.00 Gift Certificate from the vendor of the winner's choice.

The book(s) can be any format: ebook, hardback, paperback or even audio for a total value of $10.00.

Rule #1 - You must be a follower of my blog in some form.
Rule #2 - ENTER USING THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM!
Giveaway closes 12:01 AM Eastern on February 22.  Daily Winners to be chosen with Random.org by me; Final Winner to be chosen through the Rafflecopter system.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN HOPPING!

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:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFVwNUtuTDdwWEJtOWxkVkxjWm1zemc6MQ

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

Book Review: Journey in Time by Chris Karlsen

This is a very sensual and interesting time travel read.

Journey in Time (Knights in Time)

by Chris Karlsen

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 574 KB
• Publisher: Books to Go Now (September 1, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005KP18XS

     Genre: Time Travel Romance
     My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Product Description

London attorney, Shakira Constantine finally agrees to spend the day with her handsome client, Alex Lancaster. While riding in the countryside, the couple finds themselves caught in a time warp and transported back to the 14th century-and an England preparing for war. Everyone believes Alex is the Baron Guy Guisard, a baron who died in the upcoming battle.

If they can’t find a way to return to the 21st Century, Alex will have to sail with the army to certain death. Shakira will be left alone to survive in the alien and terrifying medieval world.

Review:
Shakira is a beautiful, detail-oriented, practical London attorney, who plays guitar in a band on weekends. She holds herself aloof from the groupies and avoids involvement. One night at a charity event she is twirled onto the dance floor by Alex Lancaster, a handsome playboy.  Shakira isn’t overwhelmed by Alex’s attempts to charm her but she is intrigued by the kiss he steals.

Once Alex discovers who Shakira is he pursues her in earnest. He decides to hire her to represent him in a malicious sexual harassment case when she expresses complete faith in him. This is good because he’ll get to be near her but bad because her ethics dictate that she not become involved with a client.

Alex finally talks Shakira into a friendly visit and horse ride on his beautiful country estate.  Unexpectedly they are caught in a time warp and find themselves in medieval England. Alex seems right at home as everyone greets him and he easily steps into the life of Baron Guy Guisard.  Shakira is shocked and doesn’t know how she could survive in this strange time without Alex there to help her. But if they don’t return to the present she might lose him as the King plans to send him to France to fight in the battle of Poitiers.  First though, they have to face the King’s plans to marry Alex to a noblewoman and to give his ‘mistress’ to a rich merchant in town.

Alex exhibits extreme, and unwarranted, jealousy and fierce possessiveness.  He does not want to acknowledge any depth of feeling for Shakira and he has vowed never to marry. Shakira suffers physical danger, emotional stress and the pain of falling in love with a man who will never return the sentiment. Both of them make separate plans on how to escape the danger of Alex having to go off to war where he is likely to die. Because they don’t communicate they misunderstand and Alex particularly believes the worst and becomes bitter just when Shakira needs him most.

I liked Shakira as a warm character but Alex was harder to like. Although it seems he cares for “Rocky”, as he affectionately calls Shakira, he also has a cold streak and seems pretty stuck in his  playboy reputation. This story has some action and wonderful depth of period history and description. I always enjoy time travel stories and the paradoxes that exist and the struggle to return to the right time. The primary focus in this story is definitely romance and there are a number of heavily sensual scenes. I didn’t always understand Alex’s thoughts and behaviors but I think the author succeeded in showing differences in the way males and females think and feel.  This is a good read particularly if you enjoy rich, full romances. This was fine as a stand alone but I look forward to reading the first book in the series, Heroes Live Forever (Knights in Time).

This book was provided for review by the author through Bewitching Blog Tour.

Please see the Guest Post and Giveaway in next post.

This will be listed on my ARC and New Author challenges.

Book Review and ARC Giveaway -2 Copies: The Whisperer by Donato Carrisi

This is a psychological thriller that had me holding my breath!

The Whisperer

by Donato Carrisi

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Mulholland Books; 1 edition (January 5, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316194727
• ISBN-13: 978-0316194723

     Genre: Psychological Thriller
     My Rating:  4.5 of 5.0

Book Description

Publication Date: January 5, 2012

A gripping literary thriller and smash bestseller that has taken Italy, France, Germany and the UK by storm.

Six severed arms are discovered, arranged in a mysterious circle and buried in a clearing in the woods. Five of them appear to belong to missing girls between the ages of eight and eighteen. The sixth is yet to be identified. Worse still, the girls' bodies, alive or dead, are nowhere to be found.

Lead investigators Mila Vasquez, a celebrated profiler, and Goran Gavila, an eerily prescient criminologist, dive into the case. They're confident they've got the right suspect in their sights until they discover no link between him and any of the kidnappings except the first. The evidence in the case of the second missing child points in a vastly different direction, creating more questions than it answers.

Vasquez and Gavila begin to wonder if they've been brought in to take the fall in a near-hopeless case. Is it all coincidence? Or is a copycat criminal at work? Obsessed with a case that becomes more tangled and intense as they unravel the layers of evil, Gavila and Vasquez find that their lives are increasingly in each other's hands.

THE WHISPERER, as sensational a bestseller in Europe as the Stieg Larsson novels, is that rare creation: a thought-provoking, intelligent thriller that is also utterly unputdownable.

Review: This is a very engaging thriller!
Mila is a lone outsider who profiles criminals, particularly child abductors and murderers. She has been bought in to join a local team investigating the disappearance of five girls whose arms - one per child - have been located, with nothing else. Adding to the puzzle is a sixth arm of an unidentified child. Mila has been called in because she is known for successfully finding children. That is her focus while the other members of the team search out the clues to find the killer.

Each of the team members has unique skills but they also have flaws. Goran Gavila, a loner and civilian is a renowned criminologist.  He is the fierce and determined leader of the team but sometimes he doesn’t see beyond his own suppositions and perhaps he has some distractions resulting from being the single parent after his wife left him and their son. The eldest agent is Stern, the information officer. He can piece together histories and similarities even if he is coming near to retiring. The 40ish, stocky Sarah is the logistic officer and computer expert. She is brusque, angry and resentful of Mila’s presence. The final team member is agent Klaus Boris, the interrogator who gets answers using many techniques as necessary.  He seems affable enough until rebuffed by Mila.

The kidnapper lays out a trail of the bodies with clues. If the team can decipher the clues they might be in time to find a girl still alive. The pressure is high and the tension thick as the team tries to work together despite chaffing each other. Things become even more intense as it appears the killer knows every step the team makes and is always one step ahead.

The team dubs the killer by the name of “Albert” but as they reveal one suspect they begin to question if they have found the wrong man. They dig deeper and are led to another villain; then another. The author adds a few views of the perpetrator but this becomes a path of misdirection too. Are they tied together? What is the connection?

The author reveals faces of evil while the team begins to crumble as their past and secrets are exposed. There are twists thrown in that are unexpected and wickedly macabre. This is a wonderful puzzle that kept me guessing and questioning to the end. The story presents a criminal mind that is new to me; it is scary and engrossing. If you like your mystery on the dark, psychological side, this is one not to miss!

A Quote:  "Evil generates only more evil. That has always been its chief characteristic."

Thank you to Little Brown & Co. for providing this book for review.

I have TWO ARC copies for giveaway. :-)

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

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY: 

1. I can't really have you comment on the author's website unless you can read Italian! So instead, tell me why you would like to read this book OR tell me if you have a psychological thriller to recommend.
This is required for entry.

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

3. 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.
(Four total entries possible.)

THERE WILL BE TWO WINNERS!

* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.

* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.

* Limit one win per household.

* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on February 24, 2012.
The winners will be randomly selected from all entries and announced on February 25 with 72 hours to complete the winners form.

Happy Valentines! One-Line Humor on Marriage

I plan to post a review and giveaway a later today but until I get time to get that posted I thought you might like a chuckle or two! Our Sunday School teacher shared these great one liners on marriage and had us laughing out loud.

• Love is blind but marriage is a real eye-opener.
• There are two times a man doesn’t understand a woman, before marriage and after marriage.
• A successful husband is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.  A successful woman is one who can find such a man.
• Any married man should forget his mistakes because there is no use in two people remembering the same thing.
• Marriage is an institution where a man loses his Bachelor’s Degree and the woman gains her Masters.
• A husband said to his wife, “No, I don’t hate your relatives.  In fact, I like your mother-in-law better than I like mine.
• A little boy asked his father how much it cost to get married.  The father replied, “I don’t know, son, I’m still paying for it.”
• Don’t marry for money, you can borrow it cheaper.
• Every man should get married some time; after all, happiness is not the only thing in life.
• Marriage is a relationship in which one person is always right, and the other is a husband.
• Shared by Rodney Dangerfield: My wife and I were happy for twenty years.  Then we met.
• After a quarrel, a wife said to her husband, “You know, I was a fool when I married you.”  The husband replied, “Yes dear, but I was in love and didn’t notice.”
• I married Miss Right.  I just didn’t know that her first name was ‘Always.’
• Losing a wife can be a hard thing.  In my case, it was almost impossible at all.
•  Just think, if it weren’t for marriage, men would go through life thinking they had no faults