Thursday, January 17, 2013

Rebecca Rynecki: the Quests and Perils of a former fake writer: Review: Wildflower by Amy Jones

Rebecca Rynecki: the Quests and Perils of a former fake writer: Review: Wildflower by Amy Jones: Okay, I have to admit it...I am sick. Like, if I didn't have to actually take care of another human being aka my son...I would be upstairs i...

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

A Review for The Haunting Season by Michelle Muto



The Haunting Season by Michelle Muto




Michelle has always loved storytelling. When she was a child, her favorite stories were of monsters and things that lurked in the dark. Telling stories often frightened her classmates and got her into a lot of trouble with her teachers. They had no sense of humor.
As an adult, Michelle traded her love of writing for the corporate life where she was an IT professional. Today, she's doing what she loves best - writing and storytelling.
Michelle grew up in Chicago, but currently lives in NE Georgia with her husband and their two dogs. She loves scary books, funny movies, sports cars, chocolate, dogs, and changes of season.



The Synopsis
Be careful what you let in...
Siler House has stood silent beneath Savannah's moss-draped oaks for decades. Notoriously haunted, it has remained empty until college-bound Jess Perry and three of her peers gather to take part in a month-long study on the paranormal. Jess, who talks to ghosts, quickly bonds with her fellow test subjects. One is a girl possessed. Another just wants to forget. The third is a guy who really knows how to turn up the August heat, not to mention Jess's heart rate...when he's not resurrecting the dead.

The study soon turns into something far more sinister when they discover that Siler House and the dark forces within are determined to keep them forever. In order to escape, Jess and the others will have to open themselves up to the true horror of Siler House and channel the very evil that has welcomed them all.

Due to sexual content and some graphic violence, this book is recommended for 17+

My Review

Are they cursed or gifted?

Jess, Allison, Gage and Bryan possess unique abilities which are incredible, terrifying and beyond anything natural or normal. Jess’s mother thinks she’s crazy. Allison’s entire family fears her. Gage’s parents resent that his gift wasn’t enough… And Bryan, well, he needs to be especially careful about what he wishes away.

Unfortunately, for this crew, their family and friends aren’t the only ones who have taken notice to their exceptional paranormal aptitude. The four young men and women have been invited to participate in a study at the Siler House for an entire month during their summer break. What they come up against when they get there threatens to destroy them.  

This book has everything for the serious ghost-hunter enthusiast.
Ghosts….check!
Demons….check!
Spooky graveyard….check!
A team of paranormal guinea pigs….check, check, check, check!!!!

You get the picture, right?

I visited the Sorrell-Weed House in Savannah, GA about a year ago as part of ghost tour. The house was old and cold and eerie and made my skin crawl even before the tour guide began filling us in on its spook-tacular history and frequent ghost sightings. The Haunting reminded me of this experience. I recalled how uncomfortable the environment made me feel and wondered how Jess, Allison, Gage and Bryan could have survived within the confines of Siler House for an entire month.

Michelle Muto has done exceptional job in creating a suspenseful, action-packed plot and fantastic characterization. The characters in this story are some of the bravest, most selfless and persistent you will ever meet. Jess is my personal favorite. She's curious yet cautious. She has her own ghostly issues to iron out and doesn’t allow anyone stand in her way. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind even when her opinion may not be what others want to hear. She’s a risk-taker. Being a type-A personality myself, I identified with that part of her. 

This paranormal tale of haunting ghosts and demons will leave you on the edge of your seat and peeking over your shoulder. It’s a thrilling and bone-chilling experience!

I give The Haunting by Michelle Mutor 5 Stars!

Purchase The Haunting on Amazon and B&N

Monday, January 14, 2013

Cover reveal for Awaken by Sarah Ross!


Recommended for readers. 15+
Lucy Donovan was supposed to have a weekend of fun in the sun, celebrating her upcoming graduation from college. In a split second, everything changed. A drunk driver ended Lucy's mortal life.

Lucy opens her eyes to a world she never imagined possible and a new destiny: as a Patronus, a guardian of spirits. Adjusting to her new role and abilities while negotiating this confusing realm will test her limits and push her further than she ever dreamed she would go. From wayward spirits who don't want her help to soul stealing vampires, and even a stuck-up British royal, Lucy must brave them all to save one spirit she can't bear to lose.

Further complicating her confusing life is an inexplicable yet growing connection she feels to a member of her team, Max, whose mysterious behavior leaves her both confused and intrigued.
Waking up dead was just the beginning of her problems. Lucy's death is about to become the greatest adventure of her life.


You can by Awaken on Amazon for just $.99! People, that's practically free! I already grabbed my copy! 


Thursday, January 10, 2013

Janine Caldwell Blog Tour!








Author Bio:

Janine was raised in the Bay Area and has a B.A. in English from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. After 30 years in California, she and her husband moved to Arizona and are currently raising their two sons in Anthem. Janine has always had a passionate love for literature—anything from the classics to the hottest YA series. Inspired by her visits to Sedona, she wrote her first YA series (The Vortex Series) based on the romance and mystery of the red rock formations. She is also grateful for the students in her life who remind her what the teenage years are like, good and bad. When Janine is not writing, she’s practicing yoga, spending time with friends, and taking care of her family.

You can contact Janine at the following links: 
Blog
                                       Twitter 
Facebook



In REMATCH, Cassie and Trent’s worlds are about to collide, but not in the way you might normally expect. After a rocky start to their senior year, Trent is determined to hide from Cassie how their lives are supernaturally linked. But when Cassie’s past continues to torment her, she’s soon looking to Trent for answers. Trent must choose between admitting what he is and his role in her past, or running away from her forever.






DOUBLE FAULT is the 2nd book in The Vortex Series where Cassie and Trent’s problems have only just begun as they navigate through a parallel world rot with mind-blowing complexity. With Cassie’s tennis career hanging in the balance, she continues to watch her world crumble while fiercely hiding a secret that might cause her to lose what’s most dear to her heart. 

Character Bio: 
Meet eighteen-year-old Trent Astor, AKA Jeremy. He’s the reluctant hero of this series with an extraordinary secret he must keep hidden from the world for his family’s safety. This secret, involving a supernatural power, forces Trent and his younger sister, Lorelai, to be on constant alert, ready to run again. The orphaned siblings move every six months with a new identity so the ones after his power cannot find him. This makes teenage life almost unbearable. Lonely and ultra private, Trent knows making friends will only put them all in jeopardy. His saving grace is his love for his sister and his music. He’s mastered the guitar and allows himself to perform with local rock bands as long as he keeps them at arm’s length. Trouble is when you have a body and face like Trent, people tend to notice you. But because of the powers he was bestowed with, he knows a normal life will never be in his future. Allowing anyone, especially a girlfriend into his heart, is unthinkable.

Now enter the heroine of this story, Cassie Moore. At eleven-years-old, Cassie was in a horrific shooting that tragically scarred her for life. The once promising tennis prodigy, throws all hope of a future in tennis away, unable to play again after the shooting. As she enters her senior year of high school, she struggles to find herself, her self-esteem at an all time low. When Jeff Tanner, a football god at her school, wants to date, she’s thrilled until he begins to manipulate her and treat her altogether badly. If she could only somehow recover from her past, she may have a chance to get her groove back. She never imagined that could be possible, though, until she meets the gorgeous new student in her PE class, Jeremy.

Friday, January 4, 2013

I've got a surprise planned for Valentine's Day!


You heard correctly, I'm planning to release something new on or near Valentine's Day! 

I've been playing with the idea of a YA paranormal comedy for awhile now. I experimented with different characters and situations and plotted various scenarios trying to figure out how I wanted this idea to bloom into a story. After developing half a dozen different mini-plots I became overwhelmed. I couldn't commit to just one idea because I liked all of them yet I didn't know how to unify the various themes. I was stuck, or at least I thought I was until I realized the answer was staring me right in the face. 


Vampire Valentine will be the first installment in my new YA paranormal comedy short story series, Sucking the Life Out of Me!


Cover Reveal!




Synopsis
How is it that vampires, werewolves and witches always manage to become glamorized in Hollywood? They are forever portrayed as the overwhelmingly gorgeous, record-breaking athletic types with off-the-chart SAT scores! This is such a load of crap. Let’s be honest with ourselves for a minute. It’s never easy being different, even under normal circumstances. Now, factor in the reality that your DNA is something far from human and imagine yourself wandering the halls of an ordinary mortal high school. You still think this would be cool, right? Well, you would be dead wrong (no pun intended). Take it from someone who can claim this miserable fate, it totally sucks!
The name’s Rhapsody Ripper and I am a freshman at Mundane High. Everyone in my school hates me and my two best friends, Hardy Hunter and Samantha Spell. Why? The answer is very simple. We’re freaks of nature, complete outcasts. We’re para-ab-normal misfits and we don’t fit in. Our peers go out of their way to avoid us on a regular basis but today something happened that has never ever happened before.
One of them was nice to me. Actually, he was much more than nice. With only five days remaining until Valentine’s Day, Reese Good, the deliciously warm-blooded star quarterback, invited me to the Sweetheart Dance. Maybe this year I won’t have to spend the holiday invented by a greeting card company alone.

Character Profiles
Rhapsody Ripper – Blond and beautiful, even with crooked fangs, this brace-faced vampire is a hopeless romantic. She’s had her sights set on winning the affection of the handsome star quarterback of the Mundane High varsity football team and has finally captured his attention. Just when she thinks things are going her way her life becomes very complicated.

Hardy Hunter – This werewolf is an asset to Mundane High’s football team as long as he doesn’t get distracted or lose his temper. His loyalty to his friends is unwavering even when he becomes jealous and envious of attention they receive that he doesn’t. More than anything this guy just wants to fit in and be accepted.

Samantha Spell – This witch can’t master her spells or earn passing grades in her classes at Mundane High. Not only does she fail to fit in with the humans but she fears she’ll never get the hang of being a witch. This chick is in dire need of a serious boost in self-esteem.