Thursday, May 31, 2012

"My Favorite Reads Giveaway Hop" June 1st to June 6th, 2012!

Let's thank our Sponsors! Thank YOU to I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Rachelle Writes.


 Giveaway Blog Hop  6-1 to 6-6-12 till 11:59pm!


Come on over to this LINK here to see what I have UP for GRABS!
CLICK ON ANY OF THESE WORDS TO GO TO MY GIVEAWAY!

See you there!

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Book Blast! "Frequent Traveler" by Cathy Dixon + 11 WINNERS of AMAZON GIFT CARDS GIVEAWAYS! Also, introducing moonstarluxury.com


Beautiful photo, huh! 


About the book - "Frequent Traveler" by Pandora Poikilos:


From the blue oceans of Antigua to the bustling streets of Vietnam, the racing adrenaline at the Green Hell, the devastating natural disaster in Japan and the stunning architecture in Germany, Cathy Dixon finds herself in a whirlwind of fine dining, plush clothes and sheer extravagance. 

But is perfection a mask for untold disaster? What is Cathy's secret and how will her world change when the world knows? Will her secrets ever catch up with her or will Cathy continue to sail alongside perfection in the world she has created for herself as a Frequent Traveller? 


We invite you to step into the character's NEW WORLD, Cathy Dixon, where more goodies, surprises and a little mystery awaits. 


In conjunction, with the launch of MoonStar Luxury's new website here at this NEW website HERE:  http://moonstarluxury.com! Please com by and visit! We Welcome You! 


***Frequent Traveller***, the first book in the Cathy Dixon series will be free from 31 May to 4 June 2012. Click on the photo below on the left!



Giveaway Details - "11" Winners!


Grand prize 1 x $50 Amazon.com voucher
and 10 - $5 Amazon.com vouchers


Terms and conditions
Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way affiliated with Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.




a Rafflecopter giveaway


This has been a BOOK BLAST sponsored by:
I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, Thanks, Kathy!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

"FREE" 103 Puzzle Quizzes TODAY ONLY and a COASTER???


Another WONDERFUL Puzzlebook by the Grabarchuk Family Puzzles designers! A not-to-miss book! SO enjoyable, you'll find yourself LOST in time!


Book Description from Amazon:

*** #1 Top Rated Puzzles book is FREE for a limited time! (offer ends Wednesday, May 30th, 2012! HURRY! Grab you FREE copy!) ***

This is Volume 4 of the Top Rated Puzzlebook: Puzzle Quizzes series. In this brand-new puzzle collection you will find 103 pictorial, hand-crafted puzzle quizzes in different themes: visual, spatial, counting, geometry, matchstick, coins, searching, and much more. Be sure to check Puzzlebook: 100 Puzzle QuizzesPuzzlebook: 101 Puzzle Quizzes and Puzzlebook: 102 Puzzle Quizzes for more!


Hot News
Over 500,000 downloads for the Puzzlebook series! Discover why thousands of Kindle users are addicted to Puzzlebooks.

Novelty
All puzzle quizzes are original creations by the Grabarchuk Family and delivered exclusively for Kindle.

Interactivity
You can interactively answer and check a puzzle quiz by clicking the respective answer button. Only the correct answer leads to the solution page.

Ranking
The collection is specially created for all kinds of solvers - beginners, skillful, and expert alike. The puzzles are arranged so that you start with the easy (*) puzzles and progress to the hard (*****) puzzles.

Enjoy it in Color Too!
The book is created in full-color. Enjoy a colorful experience playing it on Kindle Fire or in a Kindle app on iOS, Android, PC, Mac, etc.

AND, may I add, a complete "book" I currently did a review on, called "The Big, Big Book of Brain Teasers"! A beautiful, HUGE book! Scroll down to my Archives and you can click on it to see that Review!

Happy Puzzling!

MY TAKE:
5-Stars +!
As an introduction to this 4th book in the series of these Puzzlebooks, you can download this book FOR "FREE" today, 5-30-12, till midnight! 
Don't miss this book! This is an EXCELLENT Puzzlebook made by the "Masters" of Puzzlemaker's, the Grabarchuk Family Puzzles, Serhiy Grabarchuk! I have had the honor to review EVERY ONE of these Puzzlebook's of Puzzle Quizzes so far, and I have LOVED EVERY ONE! I've been challenged by every one of these books, too! If you look in my Archives, you will see ALL the reviews I have done on every one of these books! These are a LOT of fun to solve, and some can really make you think. Sometimes I think that there is NO WAY I could have this answer wrong, so I go back and study it some more, and sure enough, I DID get it wrong! These keep you SHARP! These are drawn professionally, look professional, and ARE professional! These are a can't miss book! It's a great book to have on your Kindle for those times when you are waiting for this and that, or just plain 'ol want to play them! Time has FLOWN by for me at times when I have gotten lost in these books! Oh! To top it off, they even time you! You can go back to any one of these puzzlebooks and redo the puzzles and retime yourself. I like to compete against myself and try to get a better score time! It can become a compulsion! You'll see it becomes that for you, too! I guarantee it!
These are visual puzzles, and after a little research I've done on visual puzzles, it IS proven they help to keep your mind sharp! Each year, starting at the age of 22, we start to lose some of our brain power. By the young age of 27, just 5 years later, it starts to become a significant amount if we don't start using it more and challenging it as well. Well, here you go! This is brain food. Brain food is one food you can never eat to much of!
If you go to Amazon through the link below, you can see '4' of the puzzles in this book, as a sampling. These start out at the beginner level, and get harder as you go along. Some can become quite challenging!
So while the opportunity to grab this book for FREE is here, go over NOW and GRAB it! You won't be sorry! Pretty soon YOU will have the entire set! Down below you will see the Amazon Book Box that will take you directly to the page where you can download this book for FREE today! Until 5-30-12!
FTC REGULATIONS COMPLIANCE LAW:
I received this book for FREE from the Grabarchuk Family Puzzles, through their Book Reviewers Program in exchange to read this book and write a review about it.  It is NOT required for this review to be either positive or negative, but, of my own honest opinion. “Free” means I was NOT provided with ANY MONIES to read this book nor to write this review, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html
Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.


Click on the photo below that says "Puzzlebook 103 Puzzle Quizzes" and it will take you directly 'to' Amazon and you can get the book FREE today as it is the LAST DAY IT IS FREE TODAY!
     SCROLL DOWN TO SEE A COASTER?


Here it is! The "Hanayma" World's Finest Cast Coaster! Designed by Serhiy Grabarchuk!




One day I received the above package in the mail from Amazon! Cool! I opened it up, and inside was "The Big, Big Book of Brain Teasers" by Grabarchuk Family Puzzles, and this Coaster! A coaster? Yes! A Coaster! The Grabarchuk Family sent this to me along with the Puzzlebook! How cool! Thank you, AGAIN!!!
What you are looking at is a really nice, high quality Cast Puzzle! If you look on the lower right side corner of the box, you will see this coaster comes apart! See the three rings? Yes! The coaster comes apart into 3 pieces that are interlocked together, and you have to put them back together again! NOT so easy! There is no way possible to take these apart off the rings individually, either. They are 3 links linked together. I've played and played with this, and I'm almost there! This last Saturday afternoon, I played with this thing for about 3 hours straight! I've played with it many times, but never came as close as I did this weekend! I had the 2 pieces together, and I figured out how I had to weave the third piece in, but I could NOT get it! I got it in, but couldn't weave the last part under or over, and it would fall apart in my hands! UGH! That's okay, though. I WILL get this thing! This takes some patience! 
This is the PERFECT gift for ANYONE! Anyone will enjoy this puzzle! Here's a large photo of the completed coaster!
See how there are ridges as the pieces fit inside one another? I got the two, and now that I found this large photo, if I turn the computer on it's side, I think I will FINALLY be able to weave the third piece in!!! Woo-hoo!!! I just realized this! It's tricky! Yet FUN!
Don't know what to get your boss? Your father-in-law who has everything? You own father? Your brother-in-law? Your brother? Your smarty-pants sister? Here you go! Stump them ALL!
This is a LOT of fun trying to figure out how to put it together! What you could do is carefully take it out of the box and play with it until you figure it out. Oh, you WILL get it! I think I see what I did wrong right now!!! I'm SO excited! After YOU figure out how to put it back together, shine it back up and get your fingerprints off, and give it as a gift! Ha! They will be stumped! You will pick it up and throw it back together in front of then in NO TIME FLAT! HA! You'll leave them stumped and they will HAVE to pick it up and do it themselves! They can't let YOU solve it and not be able to solve it themselves! HA!
I don't think you can go wrong with this puzzle. It's the perfect gift for anyone! There are some other designs, but 'this' design multi-functions as a coaster! At this time of year, those are certainly needed! Have fun! Here is the LINK to buy this puzzle at Amazon!


HAVE FUN! Let me know if you purchase this and how much fun you have!

Monday, May 28, 2012

"Betrayed" by Ednah Walters - $100 Amazon Gift Code UP 4 GRABS! - Book Blast! 5-29 to 6-5-12


This is a Book Blast! Featuring books and getting them out there for YOU to know about them!


This Author is offering "YOU" a $100 Amazon Gift Code for YOU!


First, a little about the book:
Genre: Young Adult


Betrayed
Lil isn't just an average teenager. She's one of the Nephilim--the descendants of humans and angels--which gives her some serious psi skills and a mission for redemption. Just when Lil thinks she's found a balance between her normal life with human friends and her training to become a Guardian, she's warned that someone close to her will betray her. When the boy she loves starts acting strangely and one of her human friends acquires a supernatural ability, Lil begins to realize that someone is manipulating the people she loves... and won't stop until she's been lured to the dark side.



Praise for the Book:

Just like Awakened, Betrayed has risen above all the other books in this genre. She has created such an amazing world for her Guardians & demons where good and evil are not as simple as it seems they should be. ~J. Whitus (Book Junkies) Walking On Bookshelves

I just love a spunky heroine so I was excited to keep reading about Lil, the demon hunter I got to know in Awakened (book one of The Guardian Legacy series). Walters takes the story and world she built so well in Awakened and adds in an intense plot with lots of twists to make for a strong sequel.~ Kelli (I'd So Rather Be Reading)


Lil is one of my favorite female leads, with all of the traits that you want a strong female lead to have. She's smart, strong, loyal and doesn't know how to back down.~ Missy (Missy's Reads & Reviews)

Lil has her work cut out for her in this book and she never failed me once!


There is action in this book as well as a lot of emotional turmoil.~ Cathy Garciahttp://thewritingsonthe.blogspot.com/...

About the Author:  EDNAH WALTERS 

I grew up reading Nancy Drew and Hardy boys mysteries and fell in love with books

I enjoy good love stories, tingly mysteries and epic adventures. When I finished my college and decided to be a stay-at-home mother, I devoured books like they were going out of production, until reading just wasn't enough. So I started to write.

I've written picture books (unpublished), contemporary and romantic suspense (under the pen name E. B. Walters), and finally YA fantasy (as Ednah Walters).

AWAKENED (2010) is the prequel to the YA series about the Nephilim, The Guardian Legacy series. BETRAYED(book # 1) is now available wherever books are sold, HUNTED (book # 2) will be released in February 2013 andFORGOTTEN (later in 2013).

My adult contemporary with or without suspense is about a west coast Irish-American family series. I've published four Fitzgerald books: SLOW BURN (April 5th 2011), MINE UNTIL DAWN (June 29th 2011), KISS ME CRAZY (Sept 25th 2011) and DANGEROUS LOVE (Jan 29th 2012)

When I'm not writing, I do things with my family, five children and my darling husband of 18 years. I live in a picturesque valley in northern Utah, the setting for my YA series.

The review is found on goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/223502567

Where to find the Author:
WEBSITE:
http://www.ednahwalters.com/
BLOG:
http://ednahwalters.blogspot.com/
FACEBOOK PAGE:
https://www.facebook.com/ednahyaauthor#!/GuardianLegacyBooks
YOUTUBE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtkmEprzYaY
TWITTER:
https://twitter.com/#!/yaednah_walters
GOODREADS:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4188120.Ednah_Walters 
GOOGLE+
https://plus.google.com/u/0/113199492695974871853#113199492695974871853/posts
AMAZON:
http://www.amazon.com/Betrayed-A-Guardian-Legacy-Book/dp/1937053180/
B&N
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/betrayed-ednah-walters/1111124607?ean=9781937053185
BOOK DEPOSITORY:
http://www.bookdepository.com/Betrayed-Ednah-Walters/9781937053185



Get the book NOW!




Giveaway Details:
$100 Amazon.com Gift Code
Ends 6/5/12

Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway


This has been a Book Blast from:





Sunday, May 27, 2012

NYT Best Seller List TOP 15


HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

WELCOME
New York Time Best Seller List
Combined Print and Ebook Fiction
The Top 15
Week ending May 26th, 2012

Book Price:   $9.57
Kindle Price: $9.99

What is wrong with this picture? WHY do the KINDLE Editions on Best Sellers, it seems, and even New Releases, the COST MORE?  The Kindle edition is a FILE!!! The Book version is something Amazon will probably have to ship out with FREE SHIPPING! They'll LOSE money on that! AMAZON made the Kindle, they want us to BUY Kindle books, Amazon has the POWER to SET THE PRICE, (this is due to a court settlement in which certain Publishers MUST ALLOW "ANY" Retailer to set the Kindle edition prices for a period of two years.) WHY does it cost more? "START COMPLAINING AND TELLING AMAZON WE WANT A "FAIR PRICE"!! This is the ONLY thing that will help us ALL if we want to read on the Kindle. In MY opinion: KINDLE books should cost LESS! It's a FILE!!! Amazon is pricing the Kindle OUT, IN MY OPINION! I REFUSE to purchase a Kindle Edition when it is priced HIGHER THAN THE PHYSICAL COPY OF THE BOOK!  I'm fed up with this pricing!
I will be listing Amazon's prices of the books. YOU compare them. I've STOPPED PURCHASING KINDLE NEW RELEASES AND BEST SELLERS UNTIL they can LOWER the prices and AT LEAST make it the SAME AS THE BOOK PRICES! Even then, they are MAKING HUGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY! Even with a Kindle book being priced a FEW dollars SHORT of a physical book, I REFUSE TO DO IT! I will NOT PAY $12.99 ACROSS THE BOARD so it seems, for an efile! One other thing. EVERY few months when a slew of New Releases do come out, WHY DOES THE KINDLE PRICE INCREASE BY $2-$3? Since having my Kindle, I have watched them rise from $9.99 to $11.00 and NOW to $12.99! WHY? 
 Sorry, my "rant 'n rave" this week!


   
Book Price:    $9.57
Kindle Edition $9.99 



3. Fifty Shades Freed: Book Three of the Fifty Shades Trilogy (50 Shades Trilogy) by E L James
Book Price:      $9.57
Kindle Edition: $9.99 



4. Stolen Prey by John Sanford
Book Price:      $14.01
Kindel Edition: $12.99  



5. 11th Hour (Women's Murder Club) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Book Price:  $16.79
Kindle Edition - First 70 pages are FREE. 
AFTER the first 70 pages, you NEED TO BUY the rest of the book! Amazon does NOT list the Kindle Edition Price! I searched EVERYWHERE for it! Couldn't find it. It's a nice little trick that James Patterson OR his Publisher, or Amazon - who knows who is doing this, is doing. I don't like it! I would NEVER read this little freebie to get me hooked into reading the entire book! Legally, they really should be UP FRONT WITH THE PRICE and NOT allowed to play this little game that this author's books ALWAYS SEEM TO DO! Think of it this way - do YOU want to pay $16.79 for the KINDLE edition?



6. Fifty Shades Trilogy: Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, Fifty Shades Freed 3-volume Boxed Set by E L James
Book Price:   $28.71
Kindle Price: $29.99



7. The Columbus Affair: A Novel by Steve Perry
Book Price       $16.20
Kindle Edition: $12.99  



8. The Innocent by David Baldacci
Book Price:      $18.47
Kindle Edition: $12.99  



9. The Last Boyfriend (Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy, Book 2)  

Book Price:      $9.60
Kindle Edition: $9.99


10.Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 12) (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood) by Charlaine Harris
Book Price:      $15.15
Kindle Edition: $12.99


11.On the Island by Tracey L Garvis Graves
Book Price:      $11.99
Kindle Edition: $  2.99 



12.The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
Book Price:      $7.99
Kindle Edition: $7.99 



13.The Witness by Nora Roberts
Book Price:      $17.76
Kindle Edition: $12.99 



14.The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst
Book Price:      $9.49
Kindle Edition: $2.99 


15.A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) by George R. R. Martin
Book Edition:   $10.36
Kindle Edition: $  8.86 


There we have our TOP 15 Best Sellers!
Yes, I did get on pricing a little this morning, HOWEVER, according to what I read in a news article, that 3 of the TOP publishers agreed to ALLOW Retailers the ability to adjust Kindle prices, and I have NOT SEEN THIS HAPPEN YET!
I would NEVER purchase a Kindle Edition File Format of a book for my Kindle that costs MORE than the physical /paper edition! Why? A Kindle version is a computer file that can disappear, POOF! ALL GONE! WHY would I purchase something for such a HIGH price when I cannot hold it in my hands? I cannot access it EVER unless "I" have an electronic device! That's 'my' issue with these sky HIGH Kindle prices! My other issue is this: I cannot SEE I have this book! Do you know how MANY books I have on my Kindle? I NEED the Cloud to store them all! I have bought some Best Sellers I have been DYING to read, and I can't remember what the names were now! IF I had the book, that would not be a problem. 
Anyway, when a book and the Kindle version cost the same OR MORE, I get my feathers ruffled! I think we ALL should! Kindle versions should cost LESS. NOT because they are any less than in quality, but the VERSION IS DIFFERENT! 
Remember when VHS Movie tapes came out? Back then you could run into movies that cost $70 or MORE dollars, so we rented them! No one would pay that amount of money for ANY movie! Thus, the Video Rental store was born. Are we now NOT to purchase books in the Kindle file format and 'borrow them from libraries'? I don't think the authors of the books would like this at all. 
What DO we do about the prices of the Kindle books?
This has been the question all along. From the day the Kindle publishing was born and 99 cent books came out. How do we price the Kindle books that makes EVERYONE happy?
If you'd like to leave a comment, I, and the other Reader's, would LOVE to hear what YOU have to say! I hope you do for all of us!
Thanks for reading the Top 15 this Sunday!
Happy Memorial Day! 





Thursday, May 24, 2012

It's HERE! The SPLASH INTO SUMMER GIVEAWAY HOP with a Guest Post about the book: LOVE, LIES AND A BLOKE BY APRIL FIFER AND DANIELLE HYLTON-OUTLAND


I want to thank our Sponsors, I Am A Reader, Not a Writer AND Page Turners Blog! THANK YOU! Without them, this Hop would NOT be possible!

            WELCOME TO THE 
SPLASH INTO SUMMER GIVEAWAY HOP!
      From 5-25-12 to 5-31-12!
     "INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY!"
           "2" WINNERS!!!!


***Featuring the book***
    "Love, Lies and A Bloke" 
by April Fifer and Danielle Hylton-Outland



What is this book about?


Goodreads Synopsis:


Katherine Thomas is a lackluster kind of girl who refuses to bend the rules. Until one day she loses her job and is forced to reevaluate her life. One trip to Australia changes her world forever. Katherine leaves her hometown of Fleming to find herself, however she ends up finding love, lies and a bloke.


Here is a Guest Post from the Authors!

My Favorite Sin… Gluttony

We love it when we hear people say, “I would never put up with that, “ or “I have dignity, I would never stoop that low.” Well, our theory is this. “It’s all in what you can deal with.” You see, in our opinion, human nature revolves around gluttony. We punish ourselves by making the same mistakes over and over again. But something happens in this vicious cycle. Sometimes we are able to step outside of the box and see it for what it really is. And then, we save ourselves. When we decided to write Love, Lies and a Bloke when wanted to do a contemporary romance so we could write about how bad love can really go… as well as how wonderful it could be. Our main character, Katherine, is normal and boring. Her life is not at all what she believes it should be. And when she loses her job, it somehow becomes the perfect wake up call. She was tired of her day-to-day boring life, putting up with a horrible boyfriend and never being able to meet her parent’s expectations. Katherine had been a glutton for far too long. But again, we are human. We looked at Katherine’s behavior in that very manner. She wanted a change, so skipped out of her dreaded life and hopped the first plane to Australia. However, she still just can’t get it right. Katherine thought her escape would be wondrous and fun, but she was her own worst enemy. Gluttony can do that to us sometimes. So the question is, what do you do when you meet the man of your dreams and it’s all a lie?

Thanks so much for having us today!

About the Authors:  April Fifer and Danielle Hylton-Outland



Author Bio’s
Danielle Hylton-Outland was raised in Virginia. She grew up having a huge appetite for daydreaming; always wanting to live in the spectacular worlds she created in her mind. She now lives with her husband and dog where she is pursuing a degree in literature. Danielle is a strong animal activist. She is currently co-writing the second book in the Flesh Series, "Flesh and Flames".

April Fifer grew up in a small town in Virginia, where it was common practice believing that dreams could only be found in stories. At the age of seven she was diagnosed with dyslexia. She was told that she would struggle through life and would never pick up a book to read for pleasure. Although school was hard, she was able to find her way with the help of two teachers who taught her self-discovery. Ignoring what she was taught growing up, she turned it around and found that your dreams could become stories.



How did these Authors meet?
I asked the authors how they met, and here is what they told me! I LOVE this! By the way, I LOVE this photo of the authors! Don't you? It's GREAT!

April and I met at work. We both worked at a local direct mail company. I am usually a very closed off person but when we started chatting one day I realized how much alike we were. We started a 2 person book club (lol). She came to me one day on a cigarette break and asked me not to laugh but she was writing a book. I didn't laugh and in fact I had always wanted to write a book. That night we read the pages she had wrote and then tossed it in the trash. We immediately began writing and perfecting a story that became our child. At first is was awkward to be so vulnerable in front of someone. Letting them read into your mind and personal thoughts but after a few days it became natural. We both could not possibly work without the other one. I am her backbone and she is my legs.
Thanks :-)
Danielle

Author Info/Where to find them!

***This book will be part of our prizes for the SPLASH INTO SUMMER GIVEAWAY HOP! CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE TO GO TO THE PAGE TO ENTER! 2 WINNERS!

Want to know what the PRIZES/GIVEAWAYS ARE FOR THIS HOP? CLICK ON THIS LINK TO FIND OUT!
IF you would like to PURCHASE THIS BOOK, you may do so HERE by clicking on the photo of the book


Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Book Blast!!! Masters of the Veil by Daniel A Cohen + $100 AMAZON GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY!



So, what is this book about?
Life can't get much better for Sam Lock. Popular, good-looking, and with a future as a professional football player. every guy at Stanton High School wishes he were Sam. That is, until his championship football game, when Sam accidentally links with an ancient source of energy known as the Veil and reveals his potential to become a powerful sorcerer. Sam is whisked off to Atlas Crown, a community of sorcerers who utilize the Veil as a part of everyday life. Once there, he trains beside a mute boy who speaks through music, an eternal sage who's the eyes and ears of the Veil, and a beautiful girl who's pretty sure Sam's an idiot. As it becomes clear Sam's meant for power magic-the most feared and misunderstood form of sorcery-people beyond Atlas Crown learn of his dangerous potential. An exiled group of power sorcerers are eager to recruit Sam, believing that he is destined to help them achieve their long-held goal. If they succeed, they could bring about the downfall of not only Atlas Crown. but all humankind.

LOVE THE SOUND OF THE BOOK, WELL HERE ARE . . . 

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS!
So before “Masters of the Veil,” happened, Dan sat down and interviewed some of his characters. We won’t get into the details of how Dan got into Atlas Crown (the magical community where the story takes place), but let’s just say it wasn’t easy.

Super short character bios:
(You need these to understand the Interview Questions a little better!)

Sam Lock: High school football star. Popular, sociable, and knows nothing about magic… yet.

Daphne Sunder: Beautiful, intelligent, and one of the most popular young sorcerers in Atlas Crown.

Cassiella Pyx: Shy, kind, and sort of nerdy. Even though she keeps a low profile, she is also one of the more powerful young sorcerers.

Glissandro Thicket: Glissandro is a young, mute sorcerer who speaks magically through music. He uses the horn of a skull-wolf to create his musical language. He also keeps to himself.

Petir LaVink: Grumpy young sorcerer. He hates outsiders. VERY good at magic.

Rona Rono: Teaches the best young sorcerers in Atlas Crown (Daphne, Cassiella, Glissandro, and Petir). Was a tribal king in Africa before he was brought to Atlas Crown.

May: Liaison from Atlas Crown to the outside world. 

         Here are some of the highlights of the interview

Dan asked: “What’s the most impressive magic you’re ever seen performed?” 

Sam Lock: (Grinning like an idiot) Did you say magic? You mean figuratively, right? Because there was this one-handed catch I had where I dove [rest of answer omitted because of extreme length].

Daphne: One time I was with May in the grow fields and she called like every bird in Atlas Crown. Thousand of birds, every color imaginable, all came and May tossed handfuls of seeds into the air and the birds each caught one and flew away. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful. There was no chaos. The birds all fell in line like a dance. May said that another magical community had lost one of their fields—she never told me how—so she was sending a new one. It doesn’t get much better than natural magic.

Cassiella: I love watching Rona. He can drape anything. He made me a wooden flower that only blooms on the full moon, but when it opens up it gives off whatever smell would make me most happy. Last moon it smelled like honey and nettle-melon. 

Rona Rono: (His eyes darken) If you don’t mind, I’d like to skip that question.

 After the interview, the characters shared their thoughts on meeting Dan:

Sam Lock: He’s kind of small. I doubt he’d be very good on the field. He’s not like the son of a coach or something, is he? Oh. He’s a writer? Yeah, that makes more sense. So why did I meet with him?

Daphne Sunder: I guess he seems nice. Not my type. It’s not his fault though, I just wouldn’t ever date a flathand*.

*A flathand is someone who cannot connect with the Veil.

Cassiella Pyx: I really like blue eyes (at this point in the interview, Cassiella blushes). Don’t tell him I said that!

Glissandro Thicket: He kept mentioning saxophone? What’s a saxophone?

Rona Rono: (Shakes his head) He seems to have the right heart, but She [The Veil] hasn’t chosen him. It’s too bad. I would have loved to teach him. 

***Giveaway Details***

Author Daniel Cohen is offering "one" lucky person a 



"$100 Amazon.com Gift Card!!"

Hurry! The LAST day to ENTER is May 31st!


Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 



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This has been a Book Blast Promotions
which is also through I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

The Big, Big, Book of Brain Teasers by The Grabarchuk Family Puzzles - Review




UPDATE: THIS BOOK IS ON "SALE"!
The price IS fluctuating daily!
ONLY 14 IN STOCK LEFT!
This is as of Saturday night, May 26, 2012
Watch the STOCK AND THE PRICES!


5 Stars +!
Wow! What a book! This is the epitome of ALL other visual Puzzle Books! No other visional puzzle book can stand up to this book! The quality of this book outshines ANY other puzzle book I have seen in any bookstore! The Grabarchuk Family was kind enough to mail this book to me for review, and boy, am I thankful! I've been having a ball!
Size: 8 1/2 x 11 - the exact size of a piece of paper
Quality of the paper used for pages: Extra HIGH Quality! Glossy, Beautiful, thick, and can be used over and over again and again. Will NOT yellow with time at all. Imagine about 5 pages of a magazine for the thickness of ONE PAGE! 
Thickness of the book itself: 3/4"
Weight: I don't know
Amount of puzzles on a page: Varies due to the sizes of the puzzles. Average would be about 5 puzzles per page.
Number of pages: 239.  But, wait! The first 150 pages are pure puzzles to solve. The next set of pages, from page 151 to 210 are the answers to the puzzles! Yes! Answers! You don't always get answers to all puzzle books that are out there. 
The next set of pages 211 - 239 are Super Thick One-Sided Card Stock Paper of puzzles you cut out to put together! These are hands on puzzles from the book for quite a few puzzles!
I have played and played and played with these puzzles and have had a LOT of fun! These puzzles really do help to develop, sharpen and KEEP your perceptual skills. I started wondering why are there puzzle books out there like this? So I did some research online to find out "what" and "why" we should do these puzzles, besides having fun. I know there MUST be some reason why. What I learned was exactly what I just wrote. These types of visual puzzles really do help us to develop, sharpen and KEEP our perceptual skills. In my research, I also learned that by age 22 our brain 'peaks', and by as little as age 27, we start to forget, or lose our perceptual skills. Here is a blog, I believe, that talks about "Visual Skills" and their importance not only for children, but for adults, too. Check it out! http://occupational-therapy-toronto.com/faq/why-are-visual-perceptual-skills-important/  I've also read that the game Tetris, with moderate difficulty, is one of the BEST "video" games out there for visual perceptual games - "video style". I am stressing 'video' games. Those are completely different than this book. Tetris is repetitive, too, so there is also somewhat of an addiction factor to the game, too. (I would find my own mother sneaking in the bathroom to play Tetris!) There is a LOT of great reasons as to 'why' you should play these games in this book! Google it yourself! You'll see!  
Here I am going to insert the photo/LINK from Amazon so you can go to Amazon and see this book for yourself! It's amazing! It says: "Click to Look Inside". DO IT! You get to look at 'almost' ALL the puzzles in this book! Some are not included, but for the most part, you get to see them. NO! You don't get the answers! Sorry!  
The regular price of this book is $14.97, give or take Amazon's price adjustments, but NOW IT'S ON SALE!!! Sale price: $5.97! Wow! You've GOT to get this book! It's cheaper than a puzzle magazine you could buy at a store! Plus, the quality does NOT compare.
Grab this book! Enjoy!
Laurie




I received this book for FREE from The Grabarchuk Family to review their book in exchange write a review about it.  It is NOT required for this review to be either positive or negative, but, of my own honest opinion. “Free” means I was NOT provided with ANY MONIES to read this book nor to write this review, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html
Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Book Blast - Colors Like Memories Giveaway - $50 Amazon Gift Code! Thru May 29th, 2012, till 11:59pm!

Would YOU like to ENTER for a chance to WIN a $50 Amazon Gift Code?
Here's our NEXT "Book Blast!"
Book Blast's are sponsored by Kathy at http://www.Iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com


Colors Like Memories by Meradeth Houston
Julia has a secret: she killed the guy she loved. It was an accident—sort of. 
Julia is a Sary, the soul of a child who died before taking her first breath. Without this 'breath of life' she and others like her must help those on the verge of suicide. It's a job Julia enjoyed, until the accident that claimed her boyfriend’s life—an accident she knows was her fault. If living with the guilt weren't enough, she's now assigned to help a girl dealing with the loss of her mother, something Julia is not exactly the best role model for. If she can't figure out a way to help her, Julia will lose her position in the Sary, something she swore to her boyfriend would never happen.
From now until May 23rd Colors Like Memories is just $1.99.







Author Meradeth Houston


I've never been a big fan of talking about myself, but if you really want to know, here are some random tidbits about me:
  • I'm a California girl. This generally means I talk too fast and use "like" a lot.
  • I have my doctorate in molecular anthropology. Translation: I sequence dead people's DNA and spend a whole lot of time in a lab, which I love.
  • I've been writing since I was 11 years old. It's my hobby, my passion, and I'm so happy to get to share my work!
  • My other passion is teaching. There's nothing more fun than getting a classroom of college kids fired up about anthropology!
  • If I could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because I'm terrified of heights.
Giveaway Details: 

$50 Amazon.com Gift Code

Enter NOW through May 29th, 2012

Open to anyone who can legally enter and can receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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