WINNER of my Scary Good Giveaway!

And the winner of Anna Dressed in Blood, Rot & Ruin, and Frost is . . . sablelexi at Reading is Dreamy!! Congratulations and enjoy your books!

The winner will be notified by e-mail and will have 72 hours to claim their prize before a different winner will be chosen.

Thanks to ALL who entered. It was a great first giveaway, and I look forward to many more :-)

*Winner was chosen using random.org*

Review: Rex Rising by Chrystalla Thoma

Synopsis:
In a world where parasites create new human races, Elei leads a peaceful life — until a mysterious attack on his boss sends him fleeing with a bullet in his side. Pursued for a secret he does not possess and with the fleet at his heels, he has but one thought: to stay alive. His pursuers aren’t inclined to sit down and talk, although that’s not the end of Elei’s troubles. The two powerful parasites inhabiting his body, at a balance until now, choose this moment to bring him down, leaving Elei with no choice but to trust in people he hardly knows. It won’t be long before he realizes he must find out this deadly secret – a secret that might change the fate of his world and everything he has ever known – or die trying.

Review:
First off, I want to address the cover of this book. I pretty much love it. It's got a cool looking guy and makes you wonder why he looks that way. Plus, it is one hundred percent perfect for the story and the character it's portraying.

Now, the story in Rex Rising is like nothing else I've read. The idea is that if a person is infected with a parasite it changes how their body functions, and it also changes how they look. Elei grew up on the streets and lived through two of the toughest parasites infecting his body. The two fought and eventually came to a sort of stasis within him. He has lived with them for so long that he wonders if the person he has become is really who he is . . . or if he's only a product of the parasites within.

Elei is caught up in a fight between the ruling (not to mention all female) Gultur and the ones fighting to break free from their increasingly hostile methods of rule. The first we see of him, he is shot, bleeding out and running for his life. He has something the Gultur want, but he has no idea what it is. The pace doesn't slow throughout the entire story as he finds help in unexpected places, but also finds out that not everyone is what they appear.

A cool and unique idea. I can't wait to see where the story takes Elei, and all the rest, in the next book!

Publication Date: August 11, 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Sci Fi, Dystopian
Source: Thanks to author Chrystalla Thoma for my review copy!

Feature and Follow Friday 10/28

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read. It's a great way to meet other bloggers!

This week:

Q: If you could have dinner with your favorite book character, who would you eat with and what would you serve?

A. I would want to have dinner with Lan from Wheel of Time. I would do my best to steal him from Nynaeve over the course of our meal . . . Sorry, Nynaeve! I don't much care what we'd be eating. Maybe some sort of manly meat and potatoes meal, haha.

What's your answer?

Review: If I Tell by Janet Gurtler

Synopsis:
Jasmine Evans knows one thing for sure... people make mistakes. After all, she is one. Jaz is the result of a onenight stand between a black football player and a blonde princess. Having a young mother who didn't raise her, a father who wants nothing to do with her and living in a small-minded town where she's never fit in hasn't been easy. But she's been surviving. Until she sees her mom's new boyfriend making out with her own best friend. When do you forgive people for being human or give up on them forever?

Review:
If I Tell hooked me in from the very beginning. The style of writing, the characters, story. It was all so addicting to read, and I had a hard time putting it down. I don't normally read a lot of contemporary fiction, but this book makes me think I might be missing out.

Beautifully told, the story pulls you in and makes you really care about Jasmine. She's had a rough life and learned to deal with it in her own way. After being betrayed by people she loves over and over, she finally reaches a breaking point. Her journey to forgiveness is twisted and painful, but her eyes are opened to a lot of truths about others and about herself.

A touching story of family, love and forgiveness

Publication Date: October 1, 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Realistic, Contemporary
Source: Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley.com

Review: Big Boys Don't Spy by K.E.M. Johnston

Synopsis:
Set in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, with the CIA Headquarters around the corner, 12-year-old Will Wand, Agent 003.5, has his first assignment - to save the world, or at least to uncover the mole in his mother's advertising company. Will strongly suspects his bossy, annoying cousin Penelope, visiting from the U.K., is a double agent, and when he finds he diary written in code, he knows he's onto something ... but if you hear any more, he'll have to kill you (or at least confiscate your Star Wars walkie-talkie).

Review:
I can't say enough good things about this book. Big Boys Don't Spy is the ideal book for any Middle Grade boy or girl. Full of the whimsy of childhood and the real-life hardships that many families experience, it is a fun and relatable read.

Will Wand is an imaginative and eccentric middle child. He is obsessed (to put it mildly) with all things SPY. His father died two years ago and he lives with his busy mother, distant older brother and can't forget his Monster of a younger brother, Tristan. His British cousin Penelope (Pen) comes to visit him for a few weeks in the summer. He is most certainly not looking forward to it . . . until they find common ground when it comes to their interest in the art of spying. During their covert adventures they end up forming a great friendship that was wonderfully developed. I truly loved this book!

My kids aren't old enough to read this one yet, but it is one that I will for sure be reading to them in the future. I think it is appealing to boys AND girls (and parents as well). A lot of the quirky, weird things that kids do was portrayed perfectly throughout the story. The more serious issues of loss and sadness were addressed in an appropriate and understandable way for younger readers.

I highly recommend this one!

Publication Date: December 1, 2010
Genre: Middle Grade
Source: Thanks to author K.E.M. Johnston for my review copy!

Character Interview: Jessie Hendrix from The Sanction Chronicles

I am happy to have the intriguing Jessie here today to answer a few questions. She currently attends a very unique and...diverse high school in the town of Sanction. All the students that attend Wind Haven High School are paranormals of some kind. All except for Jessie.

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My Tower of Books: You are the only human attending Wind Haven High School. Have you ever wished you were more than human?

Jessie: No, I just want out of this town. Then if I can attend a real HS I won't be the only human. If you can't join them leave them.

- Off the record, may have wanted to - this is embarrassing - I may have wanted to be a vampire when I was a child. Though the idea of blood juice boxes has always grossed me out.

MToB: You and Marcus Vittori have an interesting relationship. How did you two first meet?

Jessie: There was no meeting. My first memory is playing with him in the garden. I cut my finger and he said. "Kiss it and make it better." the way my mom used to. Then he bit me. I was born on the Vittori estate just like Marcus was.

MToB: Most vampire girls at Wind Haven would give a fang to live in the Vittori house with Marcus. How did you and your mom end up there?

Jessie: I don't like to talk about that. Everyone asks when they hear about us. All of the supernatural jerks say things like, "Where did you find this damaged piece of humanity, the side of the road?" Mom can't hide her scars, and she has come to grips with it, but one fool said that in front of Maximus. He was dumped outside of Sanction, on the side of the road every finger, arm, and leg bone broken.

MToB: Why?

Jessie: Probably because he was too close to the truth. Marcus's mom was pregnant and they were driving back to Sanction to have the baby. That's when they found my mom, on the side of the road, where my dad dumped her after he beat her. She was pregnant too and that was enough to gain their vampire sympathy. They took her back to Sanction hoping one of the witches could heal her, but it was too late to prevent the scars.

MToB: A paranormal community and High School are strange settings to grow up in. What are your plans for the future, after school?

Jessie: Get the hell out of Sanction. After being here my whole life I just want a taste of normal. Maybe California. Hollyweird has nothing on Sanction New Hampshire!

MToB: Would you ever date someone that wasn't human?

Jessie: Are you asking me if I am racist? I don't discriminate. I would I guess, if they would. The "isn't human" part of the equation is more likely to have an issue. I am stuck here for at least the next four years though, so yes I am willing to date someone here. Why do you ask...

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

And we'll leave it at that for now, everyone! Thanks, Jessie, for stopping by!

Review: Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Synopsis:
Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

Review:
This book pretty much blew my face off it was so good!!! Ahhhh!

First of all, I love Archer Cross. The way he first shows up in this book had me acting a darn fool while I was reading it. He is just perfectly great. And Sophie is one of my favorite characters to read in any book. There are things that she says that I literally was laughing and looking around for someone to share in the hilarity.

I was OMG-ing for most of this book, and I am anxiously awaiting the next one because the end of this one was just . . . well, it was great. But now I need to know what happens!

If you haven't read this series yet, you are missing out!

Publication Date: March 22, 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Source: Public Library

Review: The Sanction Chronicles - Welcome to Sanction

The Sanction Chronicles - Welcome to Sanction by Dylan Strickland, Terry Kate, and Ashley Renee
Synopsis:
Welcome to Sanction, the 3rd largest all paranormal town in the USA and Wind Haven High School accepting students from the werewolf, witch, and vampire community.

September 1: The Hawthorne Academy of Witchcraft is burned to the ground leaving the teens from Sanction's three biggest powers with only one place to go... Now if the Witches can avoid Non-Witches, the Werewolves don't tear anyone apart, and the Vampires keep their mouths shut Wind Haven High School might survive. IF...

Review:
The Sanction Chronicles has two major things going for it. A cool story told from three different perspectives, and it is being written and published in a unique way. But I will get to that in a minute.

Let me start with the actual story and characters. There's Hope, Nate and Jessie. Witch, Werewolf and Human. These three characters give a glimpse into the different perspectives of the students attending Wind Haven High School. The school year begins badly for the witches when Hope discovers the Hawthorne Academy of Witchcraft burning to the ground. The witches are forced to join the werewolves and vampires at Wind Haven High School.

Hope is a witch with two witchy sisters. She finds herself on the outs with them when her powers start manifesting in a different direction. Jessie, the only human, is kind of the odd man out, and she just so happens to be living with the influential Vittori vampire family. She's got a smart mouth and isn't good at filtering what comes out of it. She might be my favorite :-) Nate is living under the heavy weight of his father's disapproval. As the new werewolf in town he is constantly under scrutiny by the whole werewolf community.

This is the first book in this series. It starts off in September when the school year is starting. It's going to be put out in monthly installments, and each book takes the reader through a month of the school year at the Paranormal Wind Haven High School. I think this is a very appealing way to put out a story. Almost like a monthly magazine that you look forward to getting in the mail.

Publication Date: September 13, 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Source: Thanks to author Terry Kate for my review copy!

Welcome To Sanction - The Sanction Chronicles - Year One Volume One

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Adventures in Audiobooks

Well, it's time for me to fess up. Since starting this book blog back in June, I have let a few things around the house go to crap. Mmmm, maybe more than a few. During the day I'm supermom (a really bad, unorganized, not as annoying version) and in the evening I have to portion out some kind of time for my husband. The rest of my night is spent reading or blogging and hopefully sleeping in there somewhere :-)

This schedule hasn't left much room for cleaning or organizing. Since I have three small children running (and screaming and fighting) around my house, it's hard to do much housework during the day. And honestly I'd rather spend it doing stuff with them anyway. So I used to just keep up with any cleaning or laundry after they were all soundly sleeping.

That used to work fine, but now I'm reluctant to give up any reading time to do any boring old housework. Who would rather iron a two foot high pile of laundry instead of read? Uh, not this girl!

Now, I realize I'm late to the whole audiobook thing, but I recently got this little bookmark thing at my library talking about loading audiobooks onto your iPod. And that's when it hit me!! I could do gross, annoying (but totally necessary) housework . . . while listening to somebody read me a book on my iPod! Yes!! Now all my problems are solved, right? :-)

They had a very respectable and current selection of books on my library's website, and the audiobook I picked first was:

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

It took some getting used to, and I'm not sure if the lady reading the book is annoying, mediocre, or good. I will have to make a final decision once I've listened to some other narrators. Then I'll have something to compare her to. I also felt kind of lost at first without having the actual book in my hands. But I think it will work out nicely!

Does anybody else like audiobooks? When do you listen to them?

Follow Friday!!

Follow Friday is a fun way to meet new bloggers. Check out how to join in on Parajunkee's View or Alison Can Read!

This week:

Q.What superhero is your alter-ego?

A. I don't know if this superhero is my alter-ego, but I would love to have Hiro's powers from the show Heroes. I loved that show and always thought that time travel would be a pretty awesome ability to have.

Of course, if I could be Catwoman . . . would that mean I got to hang out with Christian Bale as Batman?? Just wondering!

What's your answer?

Review: The Crystal Facade by Debra L. Martin and David W. Small

Synopsis:
Royal Otharian twins Darius and Dyla Telkur have a big problem: they know too much about a secret sect of their countrymen living on the forbidden planet Earth. During a previous trip to Earth they traced the sect's lineage back to the Arthurian legends of Merlin and Lady of the Lake, but a run-in with a local crime boss forced them back to Otharia before they could unravel the mystery.

Now Dyla is dreaming again. Her dreams of the London crime boss portend an imminent threat to her family and she has no choice but to secretly return to Earth to find out what they mean. What’s the crime boss' connection to Otharia and why does he bear a striking resemblance to the Otharian Grand Duke?

What the twins don't realize is they're walking into a conspiracy involving a centuries old interplanetary smuggling operation. Will they be able to capitalize on their superior PSI powers to get the answers they need before they fall victim to a telekinetic assassin that has followed them across the galaxy?

Review:
After reading the first book in the 'Rule of Otharia' series, I was looking forward to reading this book. The end of book one ties the whole storyline into the myths of King Arthur. I've never really explored all the tales of King Arthur, but this series shines new light on them.

The story picks back up with the Telkur twins, Dyla and Darius. Darius is finally the ruling Duke of Telkur, but this hasn't solved all their problems. While on Earth, they uncovered some disturbing mysteries that have them questioning who they can trust back on their own planet.

I was really impressed by some of the twists and outright surprises in this book. There was more than one occasion where I thought I knew what was going to happen and ended up being totally wrong . . . which I like! Sometimes terrible things happen to innocent people, and sometimes the bad guys will win. It was nice to see that truth played out in the storyline.

Grand Duke, Janus Vogdo, reprises his role as Master Manipulator in this book. He's pretty snakey and pretty slimey and he hides it all behind a benevolent smile. All in all, a great bad guy. His go-to assassin, Nils, is a character I really enjoy reading. He adds a lot of flavor. As for romance, Dyla and Eclair are getting pretty cozy. I like how clueless Eclair can be at times, but he can always be counted on when things get tough. His angry, protective side was a nice development. I find that very appealing in the right situations.

I am really looking forward to The King's Last Word. I can't really say what I'm looking forward to because I don't like putting in spoilers . . . but I'm very interested to find out how everything goes down in the final book.

Publication Date: March 28, 2010
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Sci-fi
Source: Thanks to author Debra L. Martin for my review copy!

Author Interview with Daniel Arenson

About the Author:
Born in 1980, Daniel Arenson is an author of fantasy fiction, from epic to dark and surreal.

He began his career writing short stories. He sold his first story, "Worms Believe in God", in 1998. Since then, dozens of his stories and poems have appeared in various magazines, among them Flesh & Blood, Chizine, and Orson Scott Card's Strong Verse.

Five Star Publishing, an imprint of Gale, published Arenson's fantasy novel Firefly Island in 2007. Since then, he's written the fantasy novels The Gods of Dream, Flaming Dove, Eye of the Wizard, and Blood of Requiem.

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My Tower of Books: I haven't read many books with dragons as the main characters. What gave you the idea to not just have dragons in your story, but humans that can shift into them for your Song of Dragons series?

Daniel: So many fantasy novels feature humans riding dragons. Those are fun stories, but I didn't want to just write another dragon rider book. So I decided... humans who can turn into dragons. I had never heard of anyone else writing this type of story. I'm sure it's been done before -- most ideas have been done -- but I still don't know of any similar books.

I think it makes the whole story more fun. If anything is better than riding a dragon, it's being able to turn into one at will.

MToB: I always have a favorite character in the books I'm reading. Did you have a character that you just loved writing? If so, which one?

Daniel: I enjoyed writing about all the characters. If I thought they were boring, I wouldn't write about them. That said, I think my favorites are the younger characters: Kyrie, Agnus Dei, and Gloriae. They each have distinct, strong personalities, and they were lots of fun to write. The adult characters in this book are serious, thoughtful, reflective; their children tend to be more outrageous.

MToB: Did you know when you started the first book, Blood of Requiem, that this would be a trilogy or did the story take on a life of it's own?

Daniel: The original idea was very different. At first, I wanted to write a story based on Mozart's Requiem. It would be similar to Disney's Fantasia -- an attempt to craft a story to classical composition. I had planned fourteen chapters, one for each movement of the Requiem. Each chapter would try to match the tone of its movement. I'd invite the reader to listen to the music as he or she read.

But... it didn't work. Readers wouldn't have access to the music. Or they wouldn't be able to synch the music with the appropriate chapters. It was all a bit too arty and pretentious.

So I scrapped that idea, and went back to square one. I already had some ideas I liked -- humans who can turn into dragons, warfare against griffins, and a story full of tragedy and love and death and adventure. I decided to rewrite this story as an epic fantasy series.

It was a strange evolution... but I think it worked out!

MToB: I know that some writers have a special spot or location they go to when they write. Do you have a specific place that you go when writing?

Daniel: I travel a lot. I'm often on the road. I write on trains, in coffee shops, at subway stations, and really anywhere I can pull out my netbook. Someday I'd love to have a quiet place and steady routine!

MToB: Writers aren't always writing. What are some other things you enjoy doing in your free time?

Daniel: Free what now?

Thanks to Daniel for doing this interview! It has been great learning more about your process.

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

Check out my reviews for Blood of Requiem and Tears of Requiem in the Song of Dragons series. Find out more about Daniel Arenson on his webpage or Goodreads. Connect with him via Twitter and Facebook as well!

Follow Friday 10/14

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Head over to one of their blogs, check it out and join in!

This week:

Q. If you could have characters from a particular book meet and form an epic storyline with characters from a particular TV series, which would you choose and why?

A. I had a hard time answering this. The only thing I came up with is kind of stupid. Definitely not epic. Oh well! I thought, what if Edward Cullen (Twilight) and Jim Halpert (The Office) met? In my head it went something like this . . .

Edward is being all broody and vampirey.

. . . and there is good old Jim in the background looking at him like 'Dude, really??'


Haha! I told you it was kind of stupid :-) And I actually really like the Twilight movies, btw!



What was your answer?

Review: Tears of Requiem by Daniel Arenson

Synopsis:
The nightshades cover the land. Demons of smoke and shadow, they fear no sword or arrow. They suck the souls from all who live, like a glutton sucking marrow from bones. The world falls under their darkness.

But the nightshades crave more than random ruin. The souls of mere humans will not sate them. They seek dragons.

Requiem's last dragons, a mere scattering of survivors, have fought off men and griffins. But how can they fight the nightshades, creatures they cannot cut or burn?


Review:
This is book two in the Song of Dragons series. I have to say that it doesn't disappoint. If anything, it only gets better.

At the end of the first book, Blood of Requiem, I was left with some questions and uncertainties. I won't get into details because I don't want to spoil book one for anybody. I will say that the main nemesis is ultimately the same but with different, not to mention stronger and creepier, allies.

Dies Irae returns as the main force trying to extinguish the last reminaing Vir Requis once and for all. To do this, he enlists the help of some truly terrible creatures and in the process becomes something less than human himself.

The action and tension are non-stop almost from the first page. The Vir Requis are forced to run and hide to save their souls from being shattered. They have met their match in the Nightshades and must seek forgiveness and help from their past enemies.

As far as romance goes, I was thrown some great surprises. Kyrie and Agnus Dei have their love tested by distance, hardship and outside forces. They have a fiery relationship to begin with, and it just gets more complicated as a result of their trials.

A satisfying follow up, Tears of Requiem kept me on the edge of my seat, rooting for the good guys.

Publication Date: August 18, 2011
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Thanks to the author for my review copy!

Teaser Tuesday:Tears of Requiem by Daniel Arenson

Teaser Tuesday is hosted at Should Be Reading. To join in, just open up your current book to a random page, choose two sentences to share, and no spoilers allowed!

My Teaser this week:

"Even if we do find a book about nightshades, what's the use? It would probably just tell us that Dies Irae, ten feet tall with muscles of steel, single-handedly tamed the nightshades over breakfast, using nothing but his butter knife."

Page 85, Tears of Requiem by Daniel Arenson

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

Don't forget to check out my Scary Good Giveaway for a chance to win hardcovers of Anna Dressed in Blood, Rot & Ruin, and Frost!

Author Interview with Debra L. Martin!

About the Author:

Science fiction and fantasy author who started writing with co-author, David W Small in 2006. Writing with a co-author is challenging in itself, but when 1 author lives on the East Coast and 1 lives on the West Coast, the challenges are a bit more daunting, but because we live in an electronic world of email, Instant Messenger and Skype, the partnership is totally workable. What makes the partnership even better is that David is my brother. We love the same types of books and that love naturally evolved into writing our own books.

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

My Tower of Books: The plot of Quest for Nobility ties into the tales and legends of King Arthur. Have you always been interested in those tales?

Debra: Yes, I've loved the legends of King Arthur, Merlin and the Lady of the Lake since I was a teenager. My father gave me a copy of "Mists of Avalon" one year for my birthday and it's been one of my all time favorite books. I still have it on my bookshelf. I also enjoyed the "Once and Future King" and, of course, loved the movie, "Excalibur."

MToB: I think the first few pages in a book are very important, and your prologue grabbed my interest right from the start. How difficult is it for you to start writing those first pages?

Debra: The prologue went through many renditions both at the beginning of writing "Quest" and also when we finally finished the book. It was quite long to begin with and included a fight scene, but it was getting out of control. A prologue is supposed to give you a glimpse of what had come before, not retell the tale. In the end, we cut everything out except for a few pages.

MToB: Writing can be very difficult when there is only one person telling the story. Do you think writing with a partner makes it more difficult or is it helpful? maybe a little of both?

Debra: As authors know, it is hard work coming up with ideas for a new book, putting those ideas to paper and then editing those words into a book that is ready for public consumption. Having two authors trying to accomplish this takes extra effort and it means leaving egos at the door. Every idea must be vetted and our reasoning is “if you can’t justify why it should be included, out it goes.” We do extensive outlines for the world we are creating, the plot lines and the characters. We found out with our first book that it is imperative to do all this background work first. It certainly saves a lot of editing at the end.

Writing with Dave is an absolute pleasure and I'm always excited to receive chapters or edits from him. Having another opinion on a scene sometimes leads to fantastic new threads. Of course, we have to be careful to stay pretty close to the outline so all of the threads in the book come to a satisfying conclusion. I live on the East Coast, Dave lives on the West Coast and we both work full-time so we each must dedicate a portion of a day to writing. My best time to write is first thing in the morning and Dave likes to write at night. This schedule actually works out well because I can edit what Dave writes and he gets to read new lines most days. We don’t impose a word quota on each other; sometimes one of us writes a paragraph and the other finishes the rest of the chapter or we each write a few paragraphs. Because of our hectic schedules, it usually takes a year to finish a book. We are currently working on a new fantasy involving assassins, witches and the Stone of Prophesy. If all goes according to plan, we should finish this story by the end of 2011.

MToB: Your character, Avikar, is extremely unlikeable. Do you find it easier to make the reader dislike a character, or relate to them?

Debra: It was easy to write Avikar. He's a little weasel of a guy who wanted everything that didn't belong to him. I think readers can relate to characters like that. I think it is infinitely harder to have the reader relate to a hero/heroine. You want your main character to shine, but not in an unrealistic way. Giving Darius his dark brooding type personality brought him closer to being a teenager no matter what planet you're from.

MToB: This feels like a very traditional type fantasy novel . . . aside from it taking place on another planet. What gave you the idea to set your story on a different world?

Debra: Both Dave and I very much wanted to use PSI powers (empathy, telepathy and telekinetics). We wanted it to be part of the mainstream story and not a fluke for one or two people. It was easier to create the world of Otharia with these abilities inherent in most of the royals and also in many commoners as well.

MToB: The second volume, "The Crystal Facade", of your "Rule of Otharia" series, is already published. When can readers expect the third and final volume? Can you give us any hints about the plot line?

Debra: We plan to start outlining the third book, "The King's Last Word," as soon as we finish with our current project. It is another fantasy, "Assassin's Curse," which should be published in January 2012. After that is published, we will start outlining "King." This is the culmination of the storyline between Janus Vogdo and the Telkur twins, Darius and Dyla Telkur. Every duchy on Otharia will have to take sides in the war to come and not everyone will survive. How's that? Is that enough of a hint for now? Dave and I are excited to start on "The King's Last Word," in the new year and hope to have it published late in 2012.

Jackie, thank you very much for hosting me on your blog. Opportunities to introduce your readers to our books are always greatly appreciated.

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

Thanks, Debra! It's been great working with you!

You can find out more about Debra and her co-author, David, on their Blog and Amazon. Or you can connect on Twitter or Facebook.

Round Two: E-book Deals 3.99 and Under!

Who doesn't love a great e-book deal? Here are some great ones for $3.99 or less!

Half Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
$3.99

B&N or Amazon

Blue Bloods (Blue Bloods #1) by Melissa De La Cruz

$2.69

B&N or Amazon

Boneshaker (The Clockwork Century #1) by Cherie Priest
$2.99

B&N or Amazon

The Demon Trapper's Daughter (The Demon Trappers #1) by Jana Oliver
$2.99
B&N or Amazon

Happily Never After by Jeanine Frost (Note: This is not YA)
$1.99
B&N or Amazon

Enjoy your new books, everyone!

Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Synopsis:
Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

Review:
Holy crap! This book slayed my soul. But in a good way. The descriptions are so painfully meaningful and poetically written. After finishing it, I am dumbfounded and it is consuming all my thoughts.

The premise is that love is a disease. Lucky for the whole population, a cure was found and can be administered at the age of 18. Lena has gone through life longing for the cure. After she meets Alex (ahhh . . . Alex) she sees the world in a completely new way. She realizes that the cure is really just a shroud of apathy that helps everybody conform to the lifeless world around them. Love breathes new life into her and she can never be the same.

Alex is so sweet and achingly real. I'm kind of in love with him ;-)

I think I might have died a little when I realized I have to wait until March for the next book. Although sometimes the wait makes it even better, right?

Publication Date: February 1, 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance
Source: My own tower of books.

Review: Quest for Nobility by Debra L. Martin and David W. Small

Synopsis:
The idyllic life of royal twins, Darius and Dyla Telkur, from the planet Otharia takes a horrifying turn when their parents are murdered. With their cousin appointed as Regent until Darius comes of age, it doesn’t take the twins long to figure out that he’s bent on stealing their throne one way or another. To escape their cousin’s wrath and a trumped up murder charge, they flee to the only safe place they know – the forbidden and quarantined planet Earth.

...Everything is connected, but time is running out for the royal pair. They must find the traveling crystal and open a portal home soon before their cousin is crowned the next Duke of Telkur and their lives are forfeited.

Review:
Quest for Nobility is a fun read with alot of interesting plot twists along the way. The origins of the tale of King Arthur get a makeover in this story.

The book starts on the planet of Otharia. This planet is divided into duchies and the Dukes on the Ruling Council keep things running smoothly, but one Duke has his sights set on being King. He will stop at nothing to gain the crown. Darius and Dyla Telkur are unknowingly thrust into the center of this plot. Framed for murder, they must flee to the planet Earth to find a way to clear their names.

I would describe Otharia as a version of Earth with elements of medieval times with some crude technology and PSI powers thrown in. In the second part of the story Dyla, Darius, and their friend travel to a modern day Earth. It was fun to see them thrust into a strange(to them) landscape. As the twins try to find a way back to their home planet, we get a new view of King Arthur, Excalibur and the Lady of the Lake.

An interplanetary Amazing Race with some very high stakes.

Publication Date: March 28, 2010
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Thank you to author, Debra L. Martin for my review copy! For more from the author check out her Blog, Facebook or Twitter.

Scary Good Giveaway!

Ghosts, zombies and possessed houses! Oh my!

In honor of one of the funnest holidays of the year, I am hosting my very first giveaway!

Here are the details:

The giveaway will run from October 3rd until October 29th at 11:59pm. The big Winner will be announced on Halloween!

The winner will be chosen through random.org and the books will be shipped through the Book Depository. Which means, yes, it's international! This person will be notified by e-mail and will have 48 hours to reply.

The Loot!
One lucky winner will receive a hardcover copy of ALL of the following:

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake Rot & Ruin (Benny Imura #1) by Jonathan Maberry

Frost by Marianna Baer