Rachel Thompson

Jack Canon's American Destiny

Monday, March 11, 2013

Orangeberry Blast Off - Perception & Volition by Lee Strauss

Eternal Life is To Die

For seventeen year old Zoe Vanderveen is a GAP—a genetically altered person. She lives in the security of a walled city on prime water-front property along side other equally beautiful people with extended life spans. Her brother Liam is missing.

Noah Brody is a natural who lives on the outside. He leads protests against the GAPs and detests the widening chasm they’ve created between those who have
and those who don’t. He doesn’t like girls like Zoe and he has good reason not to like her specifically.

Zoe’s carefree life takes a traumatic turn. She’s in trouble and it turns out that Noah, the last guy on earth she should trust, is the only one who can help her.

Want to read PERCEPTION? It’s FREE on Kobo itunes B&N Smashwords and on Amazon!

VOLITION is the exciting continuation of Noah and Zoe’s story from Perception.

What doesn’t kill you …

Zoe Vanderveen is on the run with her captor turned rescuer, Noah Brody. They’re in love. Or at least that’s what he tells her. Her memories have returned but her feelings are dreamlike—thin and fleeting. Her heart can’t be trusted. Just look at what happened with Taylor Blake.

Senator Vanderveen’s new team of cyborg agents are in hot pursuit, and a reward for their capture is broadcast nationwide. Record breaking cold and snow hinder their escape. Someone dies helping them.

And their fight for survival has only begun.

Mark to read on goodreads.

To celebrate Lee Strauss is giving away a $200.00 Amazon, Nook or itunes gift card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author

Lee Strauss writes historical and science fiction/romance for upper YA and adult readers. She also writes light and fun stuff under the name Elle Strauss. To find out more about Lee and her books check out her facebook page. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/elle_strauss To find out about new releases sign up for her newsletter at www.ellestraussbooks.com

Friday, March 8, 2013

Author Interview – Kathleen Shoop

 

 

 

What was the hardest part about writing this book? The hardest part was developing characters and a plot that grew from real experiences and people, but that would work in a fictionalized story. I suppose I could have written non-fiction and included all the ladies I worked with as “characters,” but none of us is that interesting in real life. Same with the kids. I didn’t want anyone to read the book and feel like I exaggerated something, something that was hurtful. I really needed to take the essence of us, of any women just out of college, women new at their jobs, and women figuring out their love lives and friendships and distill them into wholly fictional people. I drew more “true” information from my work in education than I did for the personal plots and characters. Again, it’s wrapped up neater than it would be in real life so it works for fiction, but I needed the realism of classroom issues to be authentic. But while many of the problems at the school are playing out in schools every day, I needed added drama like Klein’s secret and other things like that to raise the stakes. At this point I’d have to draw a map to sort out the kernels of fact that are wrapped in an entire fictionalized experience. That was hard to do…

Will you write others in this same genre? Yes, I have others written…they need to be published (and subjected to all that means!)…

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? Just that life is more complicated than we want it to be. We think solving educational problems is a matter of some money and a plan, but when you dig into people’s lives, their limitations, you find that blanket solutions don’t work. It’s not just that some schools and districts need more money they need a complete transformation in the way kids are engaged in the learning process. When I think of what I do to lay the groundwork for my kids to go to school, to be ready to learn, when I consider how exhausting that is, how some nights I let things slide because I am too tired to press one more thing…and I have no monetary worries, no wondering if I can pay for health care, no roadblocks to providing what my kids need to be able to eventually function in the world, and yet some nights I don’t feel like reading with my kids…how can we look parents who are working two jobs each, struggling to eat and buy clothes, to provide a safe home, and ask them why the hell they didn’t read for an hour with their kid last night…Of course in a perfect world, that’s a perfect question…that’s the point I guess. Nothing works like it should.

How much of the book is realistic? I think I brought the essence of what makes young adulthood, urban education, love and friendship realistic, but it’s not non-fiction by any stretch.

How important do you think villains are in a story? Very, very important… The principal, Klein, and the boyfriend’s sisters are central to developing Carolyn’s character arc. They are there to push her to define herself, to discern what is important to her in life.

What are your goals as a writer? Write tons of books that people want to read.

 

Buy Now @ Amazon & Smashwords

Genre – Women’s Fiction

Rating – PG15

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Kathleen Shoop on Facebook & Twitter

Review: Love & Other Subjects by Kathleen Shoop

Love and Other SubjectsLove and Other Subjects by Kathleen Shoop
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Introduction - I liked that the introduction didn't drag or that the author doesn't give you chapters of happy stuff before finally letting things go downhill for her main character. From the first chapter, you feel how tensed Carolyn is and things get worse by chapter two.

Structure - I liked this book very much. It was easy to understand and made all the points it set out to make from the beginning. Because the book is told from Carolyn's point of view, it got a bit grating for me at some points but overall I liked the book.

Characters - There were quite a few secondary characters in this book. They appear for a short while and you think they are going to have some grand impact on the story but eventually just fade off as a passing moment in Carolyn's life. No complaints about this. Given what Carolyn was going through, I would have probably done the same. i.e. forgotten a few people from my past.

Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours. I was not obliged to write a positive review.

View all my reviews

Orangeberry Book Tours – Love & Other Subjects by Kathleen Shoop

For every woman who wonders if she chose the right career…

In Love and Other Subjects Carolyn Jenkins strives for two things—to be the greatest teacher ever and to find true love. She’s as skilled at both as an infant trying to eat with a fork. Carolyn’s suburban upbringing and genuine compassion for people who don’t fit effortlessly into society are no match for weapon-wielding, struggling students, drug-using colleagues, and a wicked principal.

Meanwhile, her budding relationship with a mystery man is thwarted by his gaggle of eccentric sisters. Carolyn depends on her friends to get her through the hard times, but with poverty-stricken children at her feet and a wealthy man at her side, she must define who she is. The reality of life after college can be daunting, the road to full-fledged adulthood long and unscripted. Can Carolyn take control and craft the life she’s always wanted?

Buy Now @ Amazon & Smashwords

Genre – Women’s Fiction

Rating – PG15

More details about the author

Connect with Kathleen Shoop on Facebook & Twitter

Thursday, March 7, 2013

More Than Magic: Snow Bound ~ Elizabeth Kirke

 
More than Magic Swag Giveaway
 
Chat live with Urban Fantasy author Elizabeth Kirke 
Twitter TODAY at 11 AM EST
use hashtag: #SnowBound
 
 
After learning how to use magic and fighting vampires, anyone would be bored going back to normal college life. Worst of all, Jen misses the friends she made over the summer. Naturally, Jen is all too happy to accept an invitation to go skiing with the gang during winter break.

She gears up for two weeks of snow, magic, and fun. Just when everything seems to be going great, an uninvited guest turns up. Soon the skiers aren’t the only things going downhill. Jen thought that vampires were just about the most dangerous thing the magical world could throw at her. Unfortunately, she’s about to learn that people with no magic at all can be just as deadly...

Buy the Book at Amazon
 
Enter to win a More than Magic Swag Pack:
Signed paperback of Semester Abroad (More than Magic #1)
Limited Edition More than Magic Calendar (filled with exclusive trivia)
2 signed bookmarks
$25 Amazon Gift Card
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A GWR Publicity promotional event paid for by Anchor Group Publishing

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Author Interview – Frederick Lee Brooke

What’s your favorite season/weather? Autumn – crisp mornings and blue sky over Lake Michigan, leaves changing color and piling up in the yard, begging to be raked.

Who or what inspired you to become an author? The authors who have influenced me the most are the ones who have created characters I fell in love with, used language that charmed and hypnotized me, or created a plot so unusual and unpredictable that it burned an image on my mind. They are too many to name, but for example the character of Birdie Kaminski in “Treasure Me,” by Christine Nolfi – you can only fall in love with her, there is no other option. Or the language in Orhan Pamuk’s “My Name is Red,” and this my friends is translated from Turkish into English.

How did you celebrate the sale of your first book? Privately. I attempted high-fives with the cat.

What is your guilty pleasure? When I am in the U.S. I like to go out for breakfast. Clean plate club, and all that.

What TV show/movie/book do you watch/read that you’d be embarrassed to admit? I don’t get embarrassed. What do you mean? What are you implying?

Finish the sentence- One book I wish I had written is…. The one you always wanted to read.

Which authors have influenced you most, and how? The authors who have influenced me the most are the ones who have created characters I fell in love with, used language that charmed and hypnotized me, or created a plot so unusual and unpredictable that it burned an image on my mind. They are too many to name, but for example the character of Birdie Kaminski in “Treasure Me,” by Christine Nolfi – you can only fall in love with her, there is no other option. Or the language in Orhan Pamuk’s “My Name is Red,” and this my friends is translated from Turkish into English.

Favorite places to travel? Turkey … Japan … USA … Italy

Favorite music? I like John Hartford, Bob Dylan and Neil Young, but I also listen to classical music a lot, and blues. Hooray for iTunes.

In your wildest dreams, which author would you love to co-author a book with? I cannot imagine co-authoring a book with anyone. I am patient and capable of compromise in many things, but writing is not one of them. Co-authoring wouldn’t be for me.

 

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Mystery & Thriller / Horror

Rating – PG13

More details about the author & the book

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Mystery & Thriller / Horror

Rating – PG13

More details about the book

Connect with Frederick Lee Brooke on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.frederickleebrooke.com/

Orangeberry Book Tours – March Specials & On-going Giveaways

OB-MARCH-SPECIALS

All special offers are valid on a first come first serve basis until Sunday, 31st March 2013.

OB Power Pack

ALL 3 (THREE) of the Orangeberry packages listed below for only $50

1. ORANGEBERRY PAINT THE TOWN is a 15-day book tour. It consists of 10 blog stops, 2 Twitter Views and 2 Twitter Blasts. (Usual price is $50.00)

2. ORANGEBERRY SPREAD ME sees to it that you and your book receive long-term exposure on the web with 5 blog stops in 5 weeks. (Usual price is $30.00)

3. ORANGEBERRY BOOK OF THE DAY is a sweet tool if you want your book to appear on the same day on at least 50 different blogs. (Usual price is $49.99)

Payment is exclusively via PayPal.

1.Upon sign-up you will receive a starter kit with more details about your guest posts and interview questions.

2. Please sign up HERE

More questions? Email us at info AT orangeberrybooktours DOT com

Next available date - We will need at least three weeks to finalise your book tour.

Strawberry cake

ORANGEBERRY SPREAD ME sees to it that you and your book receive long-term exposure on the web.

What will you receive? 20 blogs will feature your book over 20 weeks.

What will it cost you? It will cost you $50.00 for 20 blog stops (20 weeks)

Payment is exclusively via PayPal.

1.Upon sign-up you will receive a starter kit with more details.

2. Please sign up HERE

More questions? Email us at info AT orangeberrybooktours DOT com

Next available date - We will need at least three weeks to finalise your book tour.

ORANGEBERRY PHOENIX

ORANGEBERRY PHOENIX is a 30-day virtual book tour that offers you and your book an extremely sweet spot at some high traffic blogs.

How will you benefit? - You’ll have the opportunity to share your thoughts, be interviewed, receive book reviews and daily social media presence.

What will it cost you? Special offer for March 2013 – Promoting your NaNoWriMo book or if you are a female author (in conjunction with International Women’s Day)  the Phoenix tour will cost you $75.00 (Usual price is $100.00)

Payment is exclusively via PayPal.

1.Upon sign-up you will receive a starter kit with more details about your guest posts and interview questions.

2. Please sign up HERE

More questions? Email us at info AT orangeberrybooktours DOT com

Next available date – We will need three weeks to finalise your book tour.

Terms & Conditions

*Any sponsorship received from your book tour or the other options listed on the Orangeberry website is NOT refundable.

*We have the right to reject any sponsorship or book tour request for which you will receive a full refund.

*All tours & promos need to be booked at least 3 to 4 weeks in advance. Any tour or promo booked with less than this lead time cannot be guaranteed the number of stops quoted on this page.

Ongoing Giveaways

(click ON image)