Book Spotlight: Close Falls (Whispered Echoes #4) by Anne Michaud

Close Falls (Whispered Echoes #4) by Anne Michaud

Publication Date: September 24th, 2015

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

~Summary~

With broken bones and shattered hopes, Alyx escapes to her uncle’s sanctuary, sadly the resident ghost doesn’t care if she recovers or not. 

Soon she learns why her link to Transcend is so strong. 

The last person Alyx wants to see is her uncle and the last place she wants to be is at his island cabin… exactly where she ends up. But wounds need time to heal and at least there she is safe from her boss – for now. Soon she meets the resident ghost and it isn’t long before he reveals information about her family and her link to her employer. Armed with new information, Alyx realizes that she must help this spirit come to terms with his death; even if the revelations link him to her family’s murder, and her own future. 

With her sister and spirit guide by her side, Alyx believes nothing can harm her, but her track record alone should have taught her to double check her facts. Turns out the identity of this ghost did a lot of harm indeed…

Amazon

~Sequel To~

~About The Author~

She who likes dark things never grew up. She never stopped listening to gothic, industrial and alternative bands like when she was fifteen. She always loved to read horror and dystopia and fantasy, where doom and gloom drip from the pages.

She, who was supposed to make films, decided to write short stories, novelettes and novels instead. She, who's had her films listed on festival programs, has been printed in a dozen anthologies and magazines since. She, who always dreamed of making a feature film, is having her novels published.

She who likes dark things prefers night to day, rain to sun, and reading to anything else.

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{Blog Tour Review} I'd Rather Be A Witch by Erin Hayes

I'd Rather be a Witch by Erin Hayes

Publication Date: October 10th, 2015

Genre: New Adult Paranormal

Pages: 120

Format: ebook

Source: Author

Read: October 14th to 15th, 2015

~Summary~

Jordyn wasn’t careful with what she wished for.

After making a reckless choice that destroyed her life and the life of her high school sweetheart, Jordyn fled her small town to be a professional mermaid. Being around water suppresses her earth-based magic, something she desperately needs.

Yet Jordyn can't suppress who she really is - a witch.

When she learns that her mother is dying of cancer, she returns home. But it isn’t until people end up dead and everyone points fingers that she realizes her past is coming back to haunt her. Because her ex-boyfriend Zach has been waiting for her. And he hasn’t forgotten how she brought him back to life that night three years ago.

Jordyn will finally have to embrace being a witch to learn the truth. And it will change her life forever.

** I'd Rather be a Witch is a tie-in with How to be a Mermaid. It uses some of the same characters and can be read as a standalone or a complement to it. ** 

GRAB IT NOW FOR JUST $.99!!!

AMAZON * AMAZON UK

~My Thoughts~

All magic comes with a price....

I was sooo not expecting how dark this book was and I loved every word! Another example why you can't judge a book by it's cover, which is gorgeous by the way! It's what drew me in.

Jordyn brings her boyfriend back to life when she's eighteen and all magic has consequences, it's the reason why she had to leave her home. Three years later, she finds out her mother has cancer and decides to come home. A young couple gets killed and the first person the cops blame is her. When we found out who was truly behind the killings, it just shows how truly dark this novella is! I was NOT expecting who was behind the deaths! My jaw dropped!

I'd Rather Be A Witch was amazing! If I didn't have other stuff to do, I sooo would have read this in one sitting! I just loved the story, the characters, the magic, the DRAMA- I was hooked right away! I am now officially a fan of this author! After all the drama for Jordyn and Luke, I was breathless from happiness that they were able to work things out! My little hopeless romantic heart was on cloud nine after finishing this read! 

This has me wanting to read her story How To Be A Mermaid and excited for her upcoming title, I Do Believe In Faeries      

*Was given a copy from the author in exchange for my honest review*

~The Series~

GRAB IT NOW FOR JUST $.99!!!

AMAZON * AMAZON UK

~About the Author~

Sci-fi junkie, video game nerd, and wannabe manga artist Erin Hayes writes a lot of things. Sometimes she writes books, like the fantasy mystery novel Death is but a Dream, the sci-fi middle grade book Jacob Smith is Incredibly Average, and the Her Wolf paranormal series.

She works as an advertising copywriter during the day, and she moonlights as an author. She has lived in New Zealand, Texas, and now in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, cat, and a growing collection of geek paraphernalia.

You can reach her at erinhayesbooks@gmail.com and she'll be happy to chat. Especially if you want to debate Star Wars.

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Halloween DIY: Bloody Table Cloth

Hey Everyone, looking for a cool but cheap Halloween decoration? Well, look no further.....enter, Bloody Table Cloth!

Okay, so for this project I didn't actually buy anything as I already had everything at home and I'm sure you do too! If not, then I know these items aren't expensive either.

What you need:

An old White Sheet (or just a White Sheet you don't mind getting dirty)

Red Food Coloring

A Bowl

Water

A Tooth brush (non used haha)

What to do:

Fill a bowl with water then make it as red as you want it with the food coloring. Once you get it to the shade you want (I think I did 5 to 10 drops) then go outside and use the tooth brush to make splatter marks on it. We also did Bloody Hand Prints on it, so we dunked our hands in it and placed prints all over the sheet. (Yes, your hands will stain but just wash it with soap and it'll be gone) 

*Again, if you don't mind letting your kids get dirty then this will be something fun for them

What it looked like when it finished drying-

Again, this was another hit, as was the fake Ouija board my bestie (who is a natural at art) made from a piece of cardboard. I wish I could do a DIY for it for you guys but atlas I didn't (not even if I tried) make it haha. People thought it was real and got crept out from it, making a wide space between them and the table haha.

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Halloween DIY: Mummy Head

Looking for cool but cheap Halloween decor, then look no further.....enter, Mummy Heads!

I meant to do a couple DIY Halloween Projects earlier this month but I have yet to do any (sad face). But last year, while putting together a Haunted House with my sisters at my Mom's house, we did a couple and it slipped my mind to blog about them for DIY projects for this year. 

Today we'll be DIY Mummy Heads. Found this on Pinterest and all you need is three items and kids that like to get their hands dirty. 

First, the buy items:

FloraCraft® Wig Head from Michaels (On Sale) $2.99

 Johnson & Johnson RED CROSS® Secure-Flex Wrap (Large) $5.49

Note* The more heads you buy the more wrap you'll need. Since I made 3 heads, I think I bought 2-3 wraps. However, I think I only used 2 Large wraps for all 3 heads

*There are cheaper wraps too but since these are large heads, I bought the largest wrap available

Free items:

Dirt (I'm sure you have dirt around your place, somewhere)

What to do:

It's quite simple, all you do is wrap them the way you want to. Like, I would leave one eye visible or part of the nose and cheek as you'll see in the picture below.

Once you finish wrapping them, grab your kids (if you have any) because this will be fun for them and go find some dirt, letting them make the heads look messy and old. 

Once you're done, it'll look like this-

I got many compliments from parents and kids, they were a hit!

Also, you might even want to get more creative by leaving some wrap loose at the neck, making it look like it's starting to unravel....just a thought

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Throwback Thursday Review: Valentine's Day of the Undead (Megan Berry #2.5) by Stacey Jay

This was my very first review, back in 2011, on my first blog which is now my Author Blog. I thought I'd do a Throwback to it. Enjoy!

Q: What could be worse than spending Valentine's Day alone?
A: Spending it with evil zombies!!

Megan Berry is no stranger to heartbreak, but spending Valentine's Day serving other happy couples hot dogs while mourning the loss of her one true love is almost more than even a highly trained Zombie Settler can handle. So when her recently estranged boyfriend, Ethan, texts her asking her to be his Valentine, she ditches her bodyguard and rushes to his side.

But soon, Megan's dreams of chocolates, flowers, and lingering make-up kisses take a turn of the rotted-corpse-and-maggot variety, and Megan fears that her first Valentine's Day with Ethan may be her last.

My very first book review and I thought I share it with you, (the very few reading this)

Its on the short story Valentine's Day of the Undead by Stacey Jay, who writes amazing YA zombie books. Its her third installment for her Megan Berry series so you'll have to read the first two to understand this little short.

My review:

Okay, I thought I write a review since it hasn't yet received one. If you read the first two,You Are So Undead to Me & Undead Much? I doubt you'll need much encouragement to buy this one. But if you haven't you've got to read the first two or much of this wont make sense to you.

Megan Berry once again lands herself into trouble but you can't blame her, all she wanted to do was to be with him, her one true love. Not wanting to spoil anything for a wannabe reader I'll just say this, there are parts were you want to scream at her, telling her not to go, dont do that but if she dosen't well then there wouldn't be a story, would there?

It's a great continuous to the series. You'll learn more about her just like you did in the second one, though more than she ever wanted to know. You'll love it just like the others. I had to get the kindle for my PC(thankfully its free from amazon) just so i could read and find out what happens next. I hope in the future she'll be able to write more about Megan berry because I just love this series and the whole concept of zombie settlers. I bid her goodluck and encourage you (future buyer) to get this...I promise you, you wont regret it, I sure didn't.

Not only is this my first review but it's the only one for this book. But forth warning it's only available in the Kindle Edition but luckily for you if you want to read this amazon has a free download of a kindle for your computer :)

This makes me want to reread the first two books! Maybe I shall....

Sweet Readings Everyone!

#Letsgetreal: Guns are NOT killers, the people behind them ARE

Now I know this isn't one of my normal posts and it isn't about books so you can ignore this if you'd like, by all means, please do.

So what's gotten under my skin today and something I just have to speak my opinion on the topic was that of a post on Facebook by a famous person I follow. What they said was this,

"My condolences to the family of Officer Randolph Holder, shot in the line of duty. A day of joy turns to a day of mourning because of guns."

Yes, my condolences go to the family and his loved ones but if you blame the gun and not the person holding it, who was a career criminal by the way, then that just blows my mind. Yes, I'm pro gun because I don't blame this inanimate object. This object that doesn't have feelings, doesn't have hatred boiling in it's veins, this thing that doesn't have a brain. That is why I blame the person who shot the gun, who pulled the trigger.

And this is where people say we should ban guns. No, we shouldn't. You'll only be banning them from people who buy them legally. Because this man was a criminal I'm pretty sure he got his gun illegally. Though yes, even some people who get theirs legally may do bad things with them too. And that's when people say we should do better mental checks on people, but guess what, that person may have had the best mental health ever and passed with flying colors but one thing, one tiny little thing can make a good person snap. So no matter how stricter you make the system there is just no way you can prevent some things. 

For example you can't prevent a man finding his wife with another man and then him thinking irrationally and killing the two lovers. You just can't see what's going to push someone over the edge. 

And the truth is, if we ban guns, then if someone who has that much hatred in them that they want to kill someone else, another human being, then they'll find a way. Guns are just the easier choice. And even if you get rid of guns, you can go on Youtube and learn how to build one. Ever heard of the 3D printer? Someone made a gun with it, though it can only shoot once, that one shot can kill someone. So in that situation, will we be blaming the 3D printer or the person that requested the gun to be printed?

If your husband or wife who's in the military, and God forbid, they get shot while over seas- will you blame the gun or the person who pulled the trigger? My husband is a Marine and I sure as hell wouldn't blame the gun if that ever happened to him. So why here in the States do we blame the gun and not the person behind it?

Again, if a man beats a woman senseless, would you blame his fists and not him? If a bomb goes off, would you blame the bomb and not the person who took the time to build it? Would you blame the knife that cut someones throat or stabbed someone and not the person who used it?

No, you wouldn't. You would blame the person behind those acts. So why do we blame guns? And not the person who pulled the trigger. What's different between those scenarios from someone using a gun? 

There's so many choices on how someone can kill someone, guns just seem the easiest and the favorite choice for criminals. Banning them isn't going to stop someone who truly wants one from finding a way to get them. Criminals already do it illegally, so why do you think banning them from good people is going to make things better? From 1920 to 1933 they banned alcoholic beverages and guess what, there were illegal underground bars. You don't think criminals will find a way to get guns illegally? They already do. Some drugs are illegal, you think that's stopping people from buying them off the streets? You know that doesn't, so why do you think banning guns is going to stop someone from getting one and using one?  

So, it honestly blows my mind that people blame the gun, this inanimate object. If you're against guns, that's fine with me. I'm not trying to push my opinion down your throats. I'm just trying to help people understand why some people are pro guns. I'm pro gun because I want to be able to protect myself at night when my husband is working. If we have a daughter, I want her to be able to protect herself too or her little sibling she'll be babysitting one night when she's old enough.

One last thing, do you think cops who take down criminals blame the gun for killing that person? No, instead that leaves a mark on their soul because they killed a person, albeit a criminal, but still another human being. Do the mothers who watch their kids get killed by gangs blame the gun or the gangs? Do you think parents of kids who get killed in school shootings blame the gun or the kid who brought it?

You know my answer to those questions. 

If you have something to say, don't be shy. Whether you're pro gun or against it. Honestly I'm absolutely scared to write down my opinion, my hands are shaking, but I need to express it or it's going to eat me inside if I don't.....

     

{Book Blitz + Giveaway} Portia (Angelbound Offspring #2) by Christina Bauer

Portia (Angelbound Offspring #2) by Christina Bauer

Publication Date: October 27th, 2015

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Romance

~Summary~

Unlike her famous older brother Maxon, Princess Portia isn’t known for killing demons or attracting admirers. The reason why is simple: a spell was cast on Portia, and the magic has marked her to one day transform into a dreaded Void demon. To fight this horrible fate, Portia’s spent her life hiding in libraries and learning magic. But when the Void demons threaten to destroy all the after-realms—and the handsome dragon Emperor Tempest offers his help—then Portia suspects that her future holds more than just a demonic metamorphosis. Fate is calling the bookworm princess onto the battlefield, and it’s a fight against both deadly enemies and her heart’s desires.

May be read as a stand-alone.

Amazon / Barnes

~Excerpt~

Without thinking, I gesture to the man who’s standing right next to the boy, his arm held high in the air.

“How about your question, Sir?”

The guy rises. “Roy Cotter, Purgatory Enquirer.”

At these words, my heart sinks to my toes. This creep is one of those reporter-stalkers who follow me around looking for tabloid headlines. They always print the same stuff—how any second now, I’ll turn demonic, sprout six arms, and kill everyone in sight. How could I have missed him? He’s tall and bony and has a scorpion’s tail. Not easy to forget.

Roy pulls a small white notebook from his pocket. “What demon will you turn into, Princess?”

Gram leans into the microphone. “The Princess won’t be answering that question.”

Roy’s greasy face stretches into a grin. “Hiding something?”

Suddenly, I’m sick to death of concealing everything that I am. The guy wants an answer? He’ll get one.

I set my hand on Gram’s shoulder, guiding her away from the mic. “No, I’ve got it.” I scan the audience carefully before I answer. You could cut the air with a knife, the anticipation in here is so heavy.

“What demon will I turn into?” I ask. “The answer is, none. I’ve been studying magic so that never happens.” I gesture to my eye. “This is a spell. Spells can be broken.”

Roy rocks on his heels in delight. He’s got me on the defensive and he loves it. “Let me ask it another way, Princess. Most times, those marks are on your face signify a certain type of demon. You know, marking what you’ll turn into one day. Might be something harmless. Might not. None of us can read those marks on your face. Surely, with all your research, you’ve run across the answer to this question. Maybe you won’t turn into a demon, fine. But what are you Marked for?”

What a total set-up. If I tell the truth, I’ll be the laughingstock of the after-realms. If I lie, I look like an expert who doesn’t really know anything. No way am I answering.

“Come on,” says Roy. “What will you ‘not’ turn into one day?” He makes little quotation marks with his fingers when he says the word ‘not.’ A few muffled laughs sound from the crowd.

My torso tightens with frustration. I can’t believe this. I spend sleepless nights wondering how long I have left before I turn into a demon. I’ve worked all my life to break the spell that’s cursed me. I’m always the quiet one, the patient one, and the calm one. I never get angry. But my tragedy is somehow funny to my own so-called people? A new sensation boils through my bloodstream.

Rage. Suddenly, there’s only one thing I can do here.

Let loose on Roy.

“I’m Marked for the Void.”

All the oxygen seems to get sucked out of the room. Shocked faces stare at me from every direction.

~About the Author~

Christina graduated from Syracuse University's Newhouse School with BA's in English as well as Television, Radio, and Film Production. Her day job is in marketing for companies like Microsoft, Cisco, and Brainshark. Back in the go-go 90′s, she founded her own software start-up, Mindful Technologies. Christina believes that, upon close examination of Tolkien's text, it's entirely possible that the Balrog was wearing fuzzy bunny slippers.

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