Friday, November 30, 2012

Blog Tour: Under the Eye of God by Jerome Charyn

This virtual book tour is presented by Tribute Books.
Official tour site is HERE.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature Jerome Charyn and his book, Under the Eye of God.


Jerome Charyn's Bio:
Jerome Charyn (b. 1937) is the critically acclaimed author of nearly fifty books. Born in the Bronx, he attended Columbia College, where he fell in love with the works of William Faulkner and James Joyce. After graduating, he took a job as a playground director and wrote in his spare time, producing his first novel, a Lower East Side fairytale called Once Upon a Droshky, in 1964.

In 1974 Charyn published Blue Eyes, his first Isaac Sidel mystery. Begun as a distraction while trying to finish a different book, this first in a series of Sidel novels introduced the eccentric, near-mythic detective and his bizarre cast of sidekicks. Charyn followed the character through Citizen Sidel (1999), which ends with his antihero making a run at the White House. Charyn, who divides his time between New York and Paris, is also accomplished at table tennis, and once ranked amongst France’s top Amazon10 percent of ping-pong players.



Under the Eye of God Book Summary
After decades of madness in the Bronx, Isaac Sidel visits the craziest state in the country.

Isaac Sidel is too popular to be America’s vice president. Once the New York Police Department commissioner, he became the most beloved mayor in the city’s history—famous for his refusal to surrender his Glock, and for his habit of disappearing for months at a time to fight crime at street level. So when baseball czar J. Michael Storm asks Sidel to join him on the election’s Democratic ticket, the two wild men romp to an unprecedented landslide. But as the president-elect’s mandate goes off the rails—threatened by corruption, sex, and God knows what else—he tires of being overshadowed by Sidel, and dispatches him to a place from which tough politicians seldom return: Texas.

In the Lone Star state, Sidel confronts rogue astrologers, accusations of pedophilia, and a dimwitted assassin who doesn’t know when to take an easy shot. If this Bronx bomber doesn’t watch his step, he risks making vice-presidential history by getting killed on the job.

Amazon buy link
http://www.amazon.com/dp/145327099X?tag=tributebooks-20

Barnes and Noble buy link

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-the-eye-of-god-jerome-charyn/1112412821?ean=9781453270998




Review to follow!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Blog Tour: Blood and Moonlight by Moira Keith (Giveaway)

This blog tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.
Click HERE to see the tour schedule.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature Moira Keith and book one of the Moonlight Trilogy: Blood and Moonlight.

 Moira has joined us for an interview:

? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?
          About seven I think, and they range from Sizzler hostess to banking.

? How long does it take you to write a book?
          It really depends on the book. My first book I wrote and contracted within six months. Blood and Moonlight took me about a year and a half to two years due to life interferences.

? Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?
          Not really. As a single mom, I have to take advantage of every spare moment available for writing, so there isn't typically time for routines to set myself in the mood to write. I just have to seize the time and run with, sometimes on very little notice.
         
? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?
          Some of it comes from the people I'm closest with. Reese from Blood and Moonlight is a prime example of that. She is a culmination of all the friends that I'm close with and hold dear. The type of friend who has a smart response (sometimes when you least want it), is there to back you up, and is always trying to push you to reach for more than you think you are capable of.

? How do you decide what you want to write about?
          Usually the idea comes to me and I either run with it because it is fully formed, or I have to let it stew for a while. The ones that seem fully formed are usually the first I focus on. The others end up on the back burner until they start to build into something more tangible for me.

? What is the first book you remember reading by yourself?
          The first book I remember reading was Superfudge. I loved that book and still try to convince my lil zombies that they need to read it.

? What are you reading right now?
          Currently, I'm reading two very different books, a romance by Selena Robbins called What a Girl Wants, and a gothic thriller by Brian Ruckley called Edinburgh Dead.

? What do you like to do when you are not writing?
          Bake cupcakes, watch stand-up comedy or catch up on shows like Dexter and the Walking Dead, hang with my family and friends, and cook with my dad.

? What is your favorite comfort food?
          My mom's homemade chicken enchiladas. I can never get enough of them and they are something she doesn't make often.

? What do you think makes a good story?
          Characters that a reader can see a bit of themselves in or that you can connect with on some level. I find that you can have the best story in the world, but if your characters can't touch your readers on some level, then the story falls short.

? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?
          Vicki Pettersson hands down, holds that coveted spot for me at the moment. First off I think her stories are unique and completely engaging. Second the way she interacts with her fans. I love an author who actually responds to comments made by those who support their work.

Fun random questions: 
·        Dogs or cats?
Can I say fish or birds? No? Alright then, dogs. Grew up with dogs so I have more experience with them.
·        Coffee or tea?
Coffee all the way. I do enjoy a cup of tea once in a while, but I'm a total coffee junkie.
·        Dark or milk chocolate?
I'm a recent convert to dark chocolate. I can't get enough of that stuff.
·        Rocks or flowers?
Depends on what type of rocks...as in gems? If not then flowers.
·        Night or day?
Night. Everything seems more peaceful, or if I'm out and about, more lively because don't most cities seem to come alive at night?
·        Favorite color?
Kelly Green
·        Crayons or markers?
Markers
·        Pens or pencils?
Pens (though they aren't so mistake friendly)

More About the Author:
     Moira Keith has a penchant for men in kilts, is a lover of shoes, Celtic mythology, connoisseur of Guinness, baker of cupcakes and overall complete mess! As an author of paranormal, urban fantasy and contemporary romance, Moira writes stories that are often filled with the magic of love and the mayhem that ensues, threatening to keep her couples apart.
     Currently, Moira resides in Las Vegas with her twin zombie sons, their beta fish, and a turtle. 
Website – Blog – Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads – 

Blood and Moonlight: Book One of the Moonlight Trilogy 
by Moira Keith
Though she shares the bloodlines of both Fae and Wolf, Kiara Morrigan O’Conaill refuses to claim her place in the Fae courts or submit to the animal within. Witnessing the murder of her Fae mother two years ago drives her back into those worlds, to search for answers and revenge.

Devlin McClure lives for one thing—the Pack. When their leader, the Cadeyrn, disappears, desperation sends Devlin to the last person he should be asking for help—the Cadeyrn’s estranged daughter, Kiara.

Kiara and Devlin are drawn to each other by fate and destined to embrace the very thing that threatens to rip their worlds apart. Now, Kiara will have to decide which is stronger, blood or moonlight?

Excerpt:

"Thanks for nothing!" I slammed down the phone, then picked it back up and screamed into the handset once more. "Asshole!"
As if on cue, the office door opened and Reese breezed in like a tornado, the local paper tucked under her arm. Her hair, the perfect shade of cotton-candy pink, trailed down her back in a waterfall of curls from the taut ponytail atop her head. The dagger strapped to her thigh was the only indication there was more to the woman than met the eye. Perching herself on the corner of my desk, she studied me with eyes flecked with shades of midnight, turquoise, and powder blue. She was a beautiful representation of full-blooded fae and my best friend.
"I take it the lead was a dead end."
"The elusive white fucking rabbit." I rested my head on the edge of the desk. Today marked the second anniversary of my mother’s death and the blame I felt for her absence was overwhelming.
"Tá grá agam duit," Reese softly professed her love for my mother as she kissed her finger and touched the photo of the woman who’d given me life. Her picture held a prominent place on my desk and served as a constant reminder of the pain and loss I’d suffered. After displaying her reverence, she put the photo face down on my desk and looked at me. "Kiara, maybe you aren’t meant to solve this puzzle."
"Perhaps, but considering we keep getting the same canned response I think we’re on to something here." I spun my mother’s ring, which now sat on my finger and sighed.
"You want answers. Need them so you can move on. I get it." She turned her head slightly. "You look like hell."
"The visions are getting worse." I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to fight them even as they pushed their way into my consciousness. Haunting screams, wolves with feral eyes and the constant feeling of unease flooded my mind.
"They won't cease until there's closure. I'm exhausted." The only reason we were in this godforsaken city of sin had to do with my hellish visions.
"Or until you stop carrying around that damn letter. Isleen promised you answers in that note and we’ve heard nothing from her since." Reese shifted slightly on the desk. "Did you drink the tea I made you?"
"Of course I did, but you know none of your fancy concoctions work on me."
"Yeah, well I keep hoping I’ll hit the magic combination one day and all of your sleeping woes will disappear." She bit her bottom lip and her brow furrowed. "You are the only person who’s unaffected by anything I whip up. I just don’t understand it."
"Blame the wolf blood in my veins." Silence fell like a heavy cloak over the room and I quickly changed the subject. "Anything new in the paper?"
She unfolded the paper and placed it in front of me without commenting. I prepared myself for what I would read, knowing the headlines would reveal nothing good. I glanced down, not surprised to see the mayor’s latest showgirl-flanked appearance took top billing. Unfortunately, the headline beneath the fold didn’t hold much shock value either:
Local Pack Loses Another.
I’d followed the story since it first broke but I ignored the temptation to pick it up, not wanting to feel the pain I didn't want to feel or even admit existed. It came as each new story or detail surfaced. One day I feared the news would offer confirmation that my visions were accurate and the names listed would bring my search for answers to a tragic end. I rubbed at my temples.
This was too much. Reality and vision meshed in a mix of macabre surrealist imagery that often left me feeling sick. It was difficult to explain, even to Reese. To her credit, she never pushed.
"Why don’t we discuss what’s in the lobby asking to speak with you." Excitement laced her voice as she fanned herself. Often, she could be read like a book. Whatever waited in the next room would be, at the very least, a nice piece of eye candy. Hopefully, the tantalizing feast would be interested in a nice art piece, but years of friendship and studying Reese’s body language told me otherwise.
"What, exactly, is waiting in the other room?" The faint musk of wolf trailed from the direction of the door. There was something familiar about it but it was so subtle, I couldn’t place it. Every inch of me screamed danger, while at the same time something called to a part of me I tried to forget existed and never could. Not good. Nearly every shifter encounter I’d faced ended in the battle scars that now marred both my mind and body. In a deliberate attempt to mask my unease, I snatched up the paper, leaned back in the chair and kicked my feet up on the desk. The steaming cup of coffee on the blotter would have helped, but I didn’t trust my hands to remain steady enough to allow for spill-free drinking.
My nervously twitching foot drew Reese’s gaze to my recently purchased Louboutin heels and her eyes glimmered, but even shoes weren’t enough to divert her attention from the man in the other room. "Nice try, Kiara, but your mastery in the art of distraction will not work this time. Just smile and be polite."
"You take away all of my fun."
"We’ve been living in this neon jungle for months now, yet you spend all of your time here. If this is fun—" She dramatically waved her arm around the office—"Then I’m seriously misinformed."
I stuck my tongue out at her. A soft knock sounded on the door and Deanne, our secretary, stepped into the office.
"Miss Morrigan?"
The masculine scent, laced with spicy undertones, wafted through the door more strongly, more enticing, more…
When Reese nudged me slightly, I glanced up to see them both watching me. Damn it. "Sorry, you were saying?"
"There is a gentleman here, insisting he speak with you. He says he is here on behalf of a Mr. O’Conaill."

My thoughts:
What a wonderful story!  I enjoyed every page.  Moira Keith's story is unique, original and creative.  She has created fantastic characters and set them in a world of intrigue and deception.  I loved the fae/wolf bloodline heritage of Kiara and all that went along with it.  Kiara is a strong heroine who pales only by comparison to her counterpart Devlin.  He is the kind of man we are all looking for.  
All of the characters have been created with personalities and characteristics that make them easy to invest in and leave the reader wishing there were "real" people who could compare.  The exception of this of course are the "bad" guys; equally well-developed and as easy to dislike.  
We are taken on a roller coaster of emotion as Kiara strives to figure out her place, her family, her future, her past, and her destiny - all while battling herself and her mixed blood and fearing who to trust.
Artfully written, engaging and entertaining.  A must read - I can't wait for the rest of the trilogy!

Tour giveaway 
10 ebook copies of Blood and Moonlight and one $25 giftcard to Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Review: Dangerous Shift by Jill James

Dangerous Shift by Jill James

Amazon Product Description:
HE IS MR. BY-THE-BOOK, WITH A SECRET... 
Shapeshifters live among us but remain unknown to most people except for the highest echelons of law enforcement, the military, science, and medical fields--until now. 

SHE IS A LOOSE CANNON WITH AN ATTITUDE... 
When a fatal virus strikes Shapeshifters all over the West coast, including members of the Shapeshifter Task Force in San Laura, California, reinforcements are called in from around the United States. 

TOGETHER, THEY JUST MIGHT CATCH A KILLER. 
Lt. Nikki Hill of Missouri comes to San Laura and is partnered up with Lt. Sean Evans. They quickly butt heads on everything from proper police procedures to the moral ethics of euthanasia. They can?t seem to get a lead on the serial killer even as members of their own families are stricken with the virus. In their grief they turn to each other and hope they have time to discover if their relationship stands a chance or if they might just be the next victims of the species extinction disease.

My thoughts:
Interesting and original. 
       Jill James has created a story based on a type of shifter I have not encountered before; female/male dominated shifters who can shift between their own female or male form but have lost the ability to shift into animal form.  
     Into this would be bright, California set story, the author has brought some of the worst of our "real-world" problems: racism, sexism, bias, bigotry, fear and hatred.  But she hasn't forgotten to include a host of fantastic characters armed with love, dedication, honor, courage, and hope to counteract those problems.  
      Jill James has added science, ingenuity and a deadly, terrifying virus to this mixture of characters and emotions .  The story that swells from this combination is clever,  insightful, and unique.       
     

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review and participation in the blog tour presented by Bewitching Book Tours.
You can see the blog tour post and author interview by clicking HERE.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Blog Tour: River Road by Suzanne Johnson (Giveaway)

This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.
Click HERE to see the tour schedule.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature Suzanne Johnson and River Road
Suzanne has stopped by for an interview:
? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
In high school I was in the premed track—I was good at math and science—but now I look back and realize I always wrote. I co-founded the high school’s literary magazine, started a newspaper, wrote bad poetry…REALLY bad poetry. I don’t ever remember not writing. So I went into journalism. I only began writing fiction about three years ago.

? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?
I still have a day job. I worked a few years at a daily newspaper, covering first crime and then features, but most of my career has been spent in higher education. I’ve worked on magazines at six universities in five states. The fiction writing is a new wrinkle, and now I’m totally hooked!

? How long does it take you to write a book?
Since I have that full-time day job, I have to write in the evenings and on weekends. If I’ve done a good job outlining a book, I can write two or three a year. Four or five months on average.

? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
I write in layers—I don’t really know how quirky that is. A novel averages about 90,000 words. My first draft is usually about 60,000 words long and is really bare-bones. I call it “draft zero” because it’s too stripped down to even qualify as a first draft. Then I go back through it and add description and emotion and reaction. On the final pass, I work on individual word choices, getting the voice right. If I’m not staring down the barrel at a deadline, I’ll take it though yet another pass. I can tinker endlessly, left to my own devices.

? Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?
I usually read through the last three or four pages from my last writing session, which gets me back into the character and scene, and also since I edit as I go, it means even my draft zero is pretty clean in terms of typos and such. I have a playlist for each book, and will listen to music off and on while I’m revising and layering—but not for the first draft. No music for that one.

? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?
I honestly don’t know—it’s one of the wonderful, mysterious things about writing fiction. Where do these people in my head come from? I’m sure they’re a mélange of myself and my friends and the guy down the street, but it’s not a conscious process for me. I usually think of the type of person I need, put that person in my setting, and see what happens.

? How do you decide what you want to write about?
I have a pretty elaborate plotting process based on relationships between characters. So before I start writing, I know the beginning and end, I know how my characters’ relationships are going to change, I know what the major twists are going to be. Those ideas can come from anywhere. A major location for the third book in this series was inspired by seeing a YouTube video shot at the old New Orleans Six Flags that was abandoned after Hurricane Katrina. I got the idea for a paranormal romance series that I write under a different name by driving through the countryside near my home while I had the flu. So you never know!

? What books have most influenced your life?
Authors more than specific books, I think. Stephen King has been a favorite since I was a kid. I loved those massive multigenerational gothic stories by Susan Howatch, like Cashelmara and The Wheel of Fortune. In my genre, probably Jim Butcher’s Dresden series has most influenced me. Rick Bragg’s memoir books, All Over But the Shouting and Ava’s Man, helped me find my voice.

? What is the first book you remember reading by yourself?
Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. I adored that book. I probably re-read it a dozen times. It was also the first book I owned (as opposed to library books); a family friend gave me a hardback copy when I was about seven or eight, and it was my greatest treasure.

? What are you reading right now?
I’m slogging through Stephen King’s Dark Tower series for an online read at tor.com. I do a chapter a week, and we’ve been at it for more than a year—just started book five, Wolves of the Calla. I also just began the new Kim Harrison Hollows book, Ever After, which comes out in January. (Yes, be jealous—I got an advance review copy!) I love that series.

? What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I have a shameful backlog of DVR’d reality shows, including 18 unwatched episodes of Billy the Exterminator and 12 episodes of Alaska the Last Frontier. Unfortunately, I’m all caught up with my favorites, Swamp People and Ice Road Truckers.

? What is your favorite comfort food?
Ice cream. I’m such a sucker for ice cream.

? What do you think makes a good story?
Characters who get under your skin as a reader, who feel real and whose lives bring out emotions in you—laughter, tears, jitters, even anger. That’s a hard thing to do as a writer and I’m still trying to learn it.

? What book, if any, do you read over and over again?
Stephen King’s The Stand. It’s probably still my all-time favorite book.

Fun random questions: 
·        Dogs or cats? Dogs—I have two, an Irish terrier and a chow-rottweiler-golden retriever mix.
·        Coffee or tea? Coffee…looooove coffee.
·        Dark or milk chocolate? I’m not a huge chocolate fan, but I’d say milk chocolate.
·        Rocks or flowers? Flowers
·        Night or day? Night
·        Favorite color? Teal
·        Crayons or markers? Markers
·        Pens or pencils? Pens


More about the author:
Suzanne Johnson writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance from Auburn, Alabama, after a career in educational publishing that has spanned five states and six universities.  She grew up halfway between the Bear Bryant Museum and Elvis' birthplace and lived in New Orleans for fifteen years, so she has a highly refined sense of the absurd and an ingrained love of SEC football and fried gator on a stick.



Book Description:
Hurricane Katrina is long gone, but the preternatural storm rages on in New Orleans. New species from the Beyond moved into Louisiana after the hurricane destroyed the borders between worlds, and it falls to wizard sentinel Drusilla Jaco and her partner, Alex Warin, to keep the preternaturals peaceful and the humans unaware. But a war is brewing between two clans of Cajun merpeople in Plaquemines Parish, and down in the swamp, DJ learns, there’s more stirring than angry mermen and the threat of a were-gator.

Wizards are dying, and something—or someone—from the Beyond is poisoning the waters of the mighty Mississippi, threatening the humans who live and work along the river. DJ and Alex must figure out what unearthly source is contaminating the water and who—or what—is killing the wizards. Is it a malcontented merman, the naughty nymph, or some other critter altogether? After all, DJ’s undead suitor, the pirate Jean Lafitte, knows his way around a body or two.

It’s anything but smooth sailing on the bayou as the Sentinels of New Orleans series continues.


An Excerpt:
The minute hand of the ornate grandfather clock crept like a gator stuck in swamp mud. I’d been watching it for half an hour, nursing a fizzy cocktail from my perch inside the Hotel Monteleone. The plaque on the enormous clock claimed it had been hand- carved of mahogany in 1909, about 130 years after the birth of the undead pirate waiting for me upstairs.
            They were both quite handsome, but the clock was a lot safer.
            The infamous Jean Lafitte had expected me at seven. He’d summoned me to his French Quarter hotel suite by courier like I was one of his early nineteenth-century wenches, and I hated to destroy his pirate-king delusions, but the historical undead don’t summon wizards. We summon them.
            I’d have blown him off if my boss on the Congress of Elders hadn’t ordered me to comply and my co-sentinel, Alex, hadn’t claimed a prior engagement.
            At seven thirty, I abandoned my drink, took a deep breath, and marched through the lobby toward the bank of elevators.
            On the long dead-man-walking stroll down the carpeted hallway, I imagined all the horrible requests Jean might make. He’d saved my life a few years ago, after Hurricane Katrina sent the city into freefall, and I hadn’t seen him since. I’d been desperate at the time. I might have promised him unfettered access to modern New Orleans in exchange for his assistance. I might have promised him a place to live. I might have promised him things I don’t even remember. In other words, I might be totally screwed.
            I reached the door of the Eudora Welty Suite and knocked, reflecting that Jean Lafitte probably had no idea who Eudora Welty was, and wouldn’t like her if he did. Ms. Welty had been a modern sort of woman who wouldn’t hop to attention when summoned by a scoundrel.
            He didn’t answer immediately. I’d made him wait, after all, and Jean lived in a tit- for- tat world. I paused a few breaths and knocked harder. Finally, he flung open the door, waving me inside to a suite plush with tapestries of peach and royal blue, thick carpet that swallowed the narrow heels of my pumps, and a plasma TV he couldn’t possibly know how to operate. What a waste.
            “You have many assets, Drusilla, but apparently a respect for time is not among them.” Deep, disapproving voice, French accent, broad shoulders encased in a red linen shirt, long dark hair pulled back into a tail, eyes such a cobalt blue they bordered on navy. And technically speaking, dead.
            He was as sexy as ever.
            “Sorry.” I slipped my hand in my skirt pocket, fingering the small pouch of magic-infused herbs I carried at all times. My mojo bag wouldn’t help with my own perverse attraction to the man, but it would keep my empathic abilities in check. If he still had a perverse attraction to me, I didn’t want to feel it.
            He eased his six-foot-two frame into a sturdy blue chair and slung one long leg over the arm as he gave me a thorough eyeraking, a ghost of a smile on his face.
            I perched on the edge of the adjacent sofa, easing back against a pair of plump throw pillows, and looked at him expectantly. I hoped what ever he wanted wouldn’t jeopardize my life, my job, or my meager bank account.
            “You are as lovely as ever, Jolie,” Jean said, trotting out his pet name for me that sounded deceptively intimate and brought back a lot of memories, most of them bad. “I will forgive your tardiness— perhaps you were late because you were selecting clothing that I would like.” His gaze lingered on my legs. “You chose beautifully.”
            I’d picked a conservative black skirt and simple white blouse with the aim of looking professional for a business meeting, part of my ongoing attempt to prove to the Elders I was a mature wizard worthy of a pay raise. But this was Jean Lafitte, so I should have worn coveralls. I’d forgotten what a letch he could be.
            “I have a date after our meeting,” I lied. He didn’t need to know said date involved a round carton with the words Blue Bell Ice Cream printed on front. “Why did you want to see me?”
            There, that hadn’t been so difficult—just a simple request. No drama. No threats. No double- entendre. Straight to business.
            “Does a man need a reason to see a beautiful woman? Especially one who is indebted to him, and who has made him many promises?” A slow smile spread across his face, drawing my eyes to his full lips and the ragged scar that trailed his jawline.
            I might be the empath in the room, but he knew very well that, in some undead kind of way, I thought he was hot.
            I felt my face warming to the shade of a trailer- trash bridesmaid’s dress, one whose color had a name like raging rouge. I’d had a similar reaction when I first met Jean in 2005, two days before a mean hurricane with a sissy name turned her malevolent eye toward the Gulf Coast. I blamed my whole predicament on Katrina, the bitch.
            Her winds had driven the waters of Lake Pontchartrain into the canals that crisscrossed the city, collapsing levees and filling the low, concave metro area like a gigantic soup bowl.
            But NBC Nightly News and Anderson Cooper had missed the biggest story of all: how, after the storm, a mob of old gods, historical undead, and other preternatural victims of the scientific age flooded New Orleans. As a wizard, I’d had a ringside seat. Now, three years later, the wizards had finally reached accords with the major preternatural ruling bodies, and the borders were down, as of two days ago. Jean hadn’t wasted any time.

Giveaway!
Tour Wide Giveaway

1--Choice of Kindle Paperwhite or Nook Simple Touch (or $100 gift card for Amazon, B&N, or Book Depository)
5--$10 gift cards for Amazon, B&N or Book Depository






Saturday, November 24, 2012

Winners!

Much delayed...
Congratulations to these Winners!

Winner: Mary P

Winner: Betty R
Winner: Erin B

Thanks for entering - thanks for following!!!!  
Happy holidays - Happy reading.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Book Blast: Finding the Baby Jesus by Kimball Fisher

Finding the Baby Jesus by Kimball Fisher

After being forced to wear lederhosen for the annual holiday card picture, twelve-year-old Chris thinks that the least his parents can do is get him the Tony Hawk skateboard he wants for Christmas. But when he recovers the hand-carved Baby Jesus that everyone thought had been destroyed in a fire the year his Grandma died, Chris realizes that some gifts are even more important than skateboards. 

When the author had to discontinue a cherished tradition of reading Christmas stories out loud with his family and holiday guests each week in December, he wrote Finding the Baby Jesus. He had been unable to locate enough meaningful stories that could be read in a single sitting with wiggly children.

What people are saying:

“Tender and true, this warm Christmas tale brought tears to my eyes.”–Heather Vogel Frederick, author of the much-beloved Mother-Daughter Book Club series and Oregon Book Award winner for The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed

“A touching story that speaks to the importance of family, giving, and the true spirit of Christmas.”–Matthew Kirby, author of Icefall, winner of the Edgar Allen Poe and the Pen Center USA Literary Awards for Children’s Literature

“Deeply moving. Poignant.”–Deborah Halverson, former editor at Harcourt Children’s Books and author of Honk If You Hate Me, a Gayle McCandliss Literary Award Winner

The Blog Tour presented by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer will run November 22 - December 21, 2012.
There will be a tour wide giveaway for a $25 Amazon Gift Card.
Click HERE to see the tour schedule.



Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Blog Tour: All I Want for Christmas is You by Lisa Mondello

This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.
Click HERE for the tour schedule.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature Lisa Mondello and her book
All I Want For Christmas Is You.
About the Author:

Lisa Mondello (a.k.a. LA Mondello) has held many jobs in her life but being a published authors is the last job she'll ever have. She's not retiring! She blames the creation of the personal computer for her leap into writing novels. Otherwise, she'd still be penning stories with paper and pen.  Her first book, All I Want for Christmas is You, was the winner of the Golden Quill contest for Best First Book and to date has had over 400,000 downloads worldwide.

She is currently the author of 14 novels under the name Lisa Mondello and LA Mondello. You can find more information about Lisa Mondello at http://www.lisamondello.blogspot.com
www.LisaMondello.blogspot.com    
@LisaMondello
http://www.facebook.com/lisa.mondello.1


Lisa has stopped by for an interview:
 When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

As soon as I knew what to do with pen and paper the stories just started coming. They never stopped.

 How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?
I can’t count. I’ve done everything from be a car hop, work in a library, manage a rock band, sell Pampered Chef and work at a school in special education.

 How long does it take you to write a book?
It depends on the research needed for the book and what’s going on in my life at the time. Of course, if I’m on a deadline, all bets are off and I have the amazing ability to kick into gear. Of course, my housework suffers greatly.

 Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?
I create a soundtrack for all my books. I use that sound track to get into the mood. When the kids were younger and I’d cart them around, that soundtrack was playing on the stereo in the car. My kids hated it. But it made it easier for me to be interrupted during writing and get back into it when I sat back down at the computer. My head is a jukebox for the times I can’t have a stereo on.

 Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?
Everywhere. I know it’s cliché, but it’s the truth. I’ve been in a restaurant when an idea hit me. I’ve been playing with the kids. At Fourth of July fireworks. You name it. Ideas just come. When they stop coming I’ll worry.

 How do you decide what you want to write about?
That is so hard. Read the last question and answer. I’m full of ideas. So wrestling with them and deciding what to give my focus to is hard. I do it, but I often work on multiple projects at the same time.

 What is the first book you remember reading by yourself?
Justin Morgan Has a Horse. It amazes me we never forget our first book read for sheer pleasure.

 What are you reading right now?
Soul of the Dragon by Natalie Damschroder

 What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I’m always writing. So anything else of enjoyment gets fit in between.

 What is your favorite comfort food?
Coffee. Can I count coffee? I always have a cup of coffee nearby.

 What do you think makes a good story
Characters and plot that make me forget I’m a writer. Writers are the hardest critiques. If I’m reading and I paying attention to style or the way an author did something, I’m reading like a writer. I want to enjoy a book by reading like a reader. I want to get so involve that I stay up way into the night and can’t stop reading.

 What book, if any, do you read over and over again?
I really don’t read books over again. I love books, but there are so many to read that I usually only read them once. Movies I can see over and over again though. I love movies. And if I love a movie, my family usually hides the DVD on me because they don’t want to see it again.

Fun random questions:

• dogs or cats? Both.

• Coffee or tea? Please…coffee.

• Dark or milk chocolate? Milk chocolate

• Rocks or flowers? flowers

• Night or day? Both

• Favorite color? Red

• Crayons or markers? both

• Pens or pencils? Pens. I like the feel of a good pen in my hand.


All I Want for Christmas is You
Fate with a Helping Hand Book One by Lisa Mondello

Book Description:

Sometimes fate needs a little hand...

Santa Claus is going to have a rough season... Lauren Alexander is raising her daughter alone. Abandoned by her family for her decision to keep her daughter Kristen, she has done a pretty good job for the last six years. Or she thought she had. That's why she is crushed when little Kristen gives up her wish for a toy or goodie and instead asks Santa for a present for her mother. She wants Santa to bring a Daddy. Delivering Daddies isn't Santa's bag. 

But this Santa has a plan... 

Kyle Preston knows what it is like to be abandoned too. Luckily he found the support of loving adoptive parents and has turned himself into one of the most successful Real Estate developers in town. 

Building a house is easy. Building someone's trust is a whole other story. But with a little helping hand, a little Christmas magic can make all the difference in the world.

An Excerpt:

"You don't have to be afraid. This will explain it all. I promise you." He smiled warmly and Lauren wanted to trust him if only to believe in simple kindness.

With shaking hands, she took the piece of paper, warm from being in the pocket close to Kyle's body. She held it up straight so that she could see Kyle while reading the words on the paper.

"Dear Santa..." she read out loud, then read the next part silently. "Oh, no," she groaned.

"I know. That's just how I felt."

Lauren shot him a skeptical glance. "How did you get this?"

"Kristen gave it to me."

"That's impossible. Mrs. Hopkins just helped her with it this afternoon and-"
"And she gave it to me in the Mall," Kyle finished for her.

She looked at him quizzically, still trying to comprehend the course of events leading up to his seizure of her daughter's precious note.

"It's not that hard to figure out, Lauren," Kyle said warmly.

His dark eyes gleamed with the light from the lamppost. He wore no hat to protect his head from the falling snow. Now his hair was filled with powdered flakes, matting it down.

His grin was bright and wide as he informed her, "I'm Santa Claus."

Fate with a Helping Hand Series includes:

Book 1 ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU
Book 2 THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT
Book 3 THE KNIGHT AND MAGGIE'S BABY

My Thoughts:

      I have never read a Lisa Mondello story that I didn't love.  She creates strong characters who are easy to invest in.  The world she puts those characters in is always well thought out and the plot is clever.  
     I opened this book planning to love it - but...I got a little worried at the start where a little girl is wanting a daddy for Christmas.  Lisa Mondello created the perfect Christmas scenario. 
     As a single mom, my heart bled for both the mother and the child with the opening scenes of the book.  I was all in from there and read the book through in one sitting.  
     The characters are fantastic.  There isn't a character in this book that I didn't connect with.  The storyline is remarkable and wonderfully done.   The level of emotion is the story is incredible.  The themes running strong throughout the book are family, love and belief.  Every person should have the kind of family that Kyle is offering to share with Lauren and Kristen.  Fantastic read filled with love, laughter, dedication, forgiveness, and hope.