Friday 56 #36 & BB #13 – Dinosaurs Eat Paris by Mark Douglas Stafford

Posted on January 16, 2015 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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I have been reading and reading and reading.

I finish one book and immediately begin on another.

I can’t seem to stop myself long enough to write the reviews.

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DINOSAURS EAT PARIS by Mark Douglas Stafford

The World Fair 1889 ~ an alternate history.

What a wonderfully fun cover.

I couldn’t help but pick it up when I saw it was FREE on fuonlyknew.

This is a fun book for all ages.

What do you think of the cover?

(page 56% on Kindle)

“Look. Look. There are dinosaurs down there.

Can you believe it, Monsieur?

Dinosaurs. In Paris…”
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(Book Beginnings)

Dinosaurs were the last thing on Dante Righi’s mind as Maria Shiaparelli tucked him into bed, with all the love and devotion of a mother…

It was a warm night in Paris the day before the Exposition Universelle, the World Fair of 1889, officially opened. The day before Professor Augusto Righi, Italy’s greatest living expreimental physicist, would unveil his creation to the world: the Finestra Temporale, a window in time.
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MY REVIEW

Be sure and check out the author. His bio is almost as interesting as the book. LOL

I saw this FREE book on fuonlyknew and had to have it. Who doesn’t love dinosaurs?

Once I started reading, I could not put it down until I turned the last page!

This is a children’s book that can be enjoyed by all ages. I loved it. Dinosaurs Eat Paris was fast paced and easy to read, taking me from the 1889 World Fair in Paris, back in time to the Late Cretaceous period, about 70 million years ago.

The Exposition had all the latest inventions ~ Professor Augusto Righi’s time machine is only one of them. Thomas Edison is there and so is Alexander Graham Bell, Annie Oakley and her husband Frank, along with Wild Bill Hickok, are some of the most notable. The phone, cars, steam and electrical advances are showcased.

You can step from Paris to Egypt to Paraguay to Uruguay to Hawaii and so many other countries, but no one expected to be able to step back in time until the Professor and Thomas Edison disappeared through the Finestra Temporale, when the lightening struck. Maria jumped through, because she could not let the Professor go without her. The Professor will be very happy that she did. 🙂

I was looking for a different type of dinosaur video, but when I saw this, it cracked me up.

Did you laugh?

.

Everyone could see into the portal as if it was a movie, but is it a door instead? If they went in, could they come back out? Would the dinosaurs come with them? What do you think? 😉

It’s a wild ride and Dante is the hero. He’s just a boy, but he is super smart and feels responsible for ridding Paris of the dinosaurs that came through the doorway opened up by his father’s invention.

“What about the dinosaurs? Shouldn’t we do something before they eat Paris?” asked Annie Oakley.

Are scientists more open to the impossible? Were they able, along with Dante, and Annie and her gang able to come to the recuse because of their sense of adventure? They showed no fear, just did what needed to be done and seemed to have a grand old time doing it.

I loved riding with Dante and Annie ~ racing, taunting and distracting the dinosaurs. This would be a roundup of a different kind. As if that isn’t exciting enough, Mark takes it to a more adventurous level as they become “better acquainted with the dinosaurs.” I can see the adventure unfold as if it was a movie and Dante is the star.

I would love to tell you so much more, but the adventure is in the reading and I would spoil it for you if I shared.

It made me think of Night of the Museum, Jurassaic Park, even Star Wars.

This was a fantastic, fast paced romp through 1889 and the Cretaceous period and I would highly recommend it.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 5 Stars – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

SYNOPSIS

It’s a warm night in Paris, the day before opening day. The day before Dante’s papa, Professor Augusto Righi, Italy’s greatest experimental physicist, will unveil his creation to the world: the Finestra Temporale, a window into time. But things don’t go according to plan, not at all. And it’s up to Dante to set things straight, if he can, before it’s too late, before dinosaurs eat Paris.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark Douglas Stafford’s early years were spent building cubbyhouses, writing computer software on some of the world’s first computers and blowing up things in the garage.

After high school he began with a teaching degree and finished with a business degree. He established then sold his first business in 2005 after which he embarked on a career in senior management, running various technology companies in cutting-edge fields.

Mark writes particularly for the children’s and young-adult segment but his highly imaginative and original stories are enjoyed by readers of all ages.

He draws inspiration from the fables of Gabriel García Márquez, Oscar Wild and Hector Hugh Munro. As an aficionado of science fiction he is especially fond of the classics, like Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Series which harks back to a time when it was still fashionable to be optimistic about the future.

He is excruciatingly happily married and lives in the hills of northern Sydney, Australia with his wife and four rambunctious children, all of whom are fierce book critics; which helps.

Mark won ‘Highly Commended’ in The Port Stephens Examiner Literature Awards 2013 for his short story ‘The Interview’.

Read more about him at: Goodreads / Website / Facebook

Click on the cover to get your FREE Amazon copy.

I LOVE creature stories. How about you?

What’s your favorite kind of creature?

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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

Was this review helpful? If so, please consider voting for it on Amazon or like it on GoodReads.

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Flury: Journey of a Snowman by Tony Bertauski Giveaway

Posted on November 19, 2014 by fundinmental

I was excited to find that Tony Bertauski has finished the third book in the Claus series.

I have enjoyed these fantasy tales of the holiday characters we all know so well.

I hope you will take the time to read and get to know them too.

Be sure and enter the giveaway at the end of the post.

Check out these awesome covers!

Through Prism Book Tours.

We’re celebrating the RELEASE of
Flury: Journey of a Snowman
By Tony Bertauski

An Introduction to Flury

Frosty had a magic hat.

There was no explanation, just a special hat that turned a pile of snow into a walking, talking best friend. Flury is more than that. And doesn’t smoke.

Born on the North Pole, Flury was created by an ancient race of elven that evolved during the Ice Age and continues to live in the polar ice today. Technologically advanced, they sustain themselves with innovation and wisdom. But even the most peaceful settlements encounter danger, such as polar bears. That’s why they invented abominables.

What we call snowmen.

The life of an abominable doesn’t magically spring from a top hat. The heart of an abominable is a metal orb—an intricately carved sphere that generates an electromagnetic field and builds a body of snow around it. Abominables are intimidating and selfless. They run, they fly. Above all else, they protect.

In the late 1800s, Malcolm Toye was part of an arctic voyage that ended in disaster. The survivors of the expedition never saw him again. Malcolm had wandered into the snowy landscape to be saved by a patrolling abominable he would come to know as Flury.

His rescue, however, became more of a curse than a blessing when the elven refused to allow him safe passage back home, insisting they remain secret from humanity. Malcolm was destined to live out his days among the elven, pining for home.

Longing for his wife.

Malcolm escaped by stealing the metal orb of Flury. Quietly, he arrived back in the United States to settle down and resume a normal life. But there was nothing normal about it. As the years went by, his estate becomes shrouded in mystery and rumors.

A hundred years will go by before the mystery is solved.

Oliver Toye, a teenage type 1 diabetic, will discover the magic hidden on his grandmother’s property. He’ll read about Malcolm Toye’s journey when he finds a set of leather bound journals. He’ll see the snowman trapped on the property, and the other things that haunt the forest. Most importantly, he’ll uncover Malcolm Toye’s master plan to harm others. And why he wants to.

Flury will come to Oliver’s rescue more than once.

Flury: Journey of a Snowman
(Claus #3)
by Tony Bertauski
YA Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Holiday

Life hasn’t been kind to Oliver Toye.

As if juvenile diabetes isn’t enough, he’s forced to live with his tyrannical grandmother in a snow-bound house. He spends his days doing chores and the nights listening to the forest rumble.

But when he discovers the first leather-bound journal, the family secrets begin to surface. The mystery of his great-grandfather’s voyage to the North Pole is revealed. That’s when the snowman appears.

Magical and mysterious, the snowman will save Oliver more than once. But when the time comes for Oliver to discover the truth, will he have the courage? When Flury needs him, will he have the strength? When believing isn’t enough, will he save the snowman from melting away?

Because sometimes even magic needs a little help.

Amazon – Barnes & Noble

About Tony Bertauski

During the day, I’m a horticulturist. While I’ve spent much of my career designing landscapes or diagnosing dying plants, I’ve always been a storyteller. My writing career began with magazine columns, landscape design textbooks, and a gardening column at the Post and Courier (Charleston, SC). However, I’ve always fancied fiction.

My grandpa never graduated high school. He retired from a steel mill in the mid-70s. He was uneducated, but he was a voracious reader. I remember going through his bookshelves of paperback sci-fi novels, smelling musty old paper, pulling Piers Anthony and Isaac Asimov off shelf and promising to bring them back. I was fascinated by robots that could think and act like people. What happened when they died?

I’m a cynical reader. I demand the writer sweep me into his/her story and carry me to the end. I’d rather sail a boat than climb a mountain. That’s the sort of stuff I want to write, not the assigned reading we got in school. I want to create stories that kept you up late.

Having a story unfold inside your head is an experience different than reading. You connect with characters in a deeper, more meaningful way. You feel them, empathize with them, cheer for them and even mourn. The challenge is to get the reader to experience the same thing, even if it’s only a fraction of what the writer feels. Not so easy.

In 2008, I won the South Carolina Fiction Open with Four Letter Words, a short story inspired by my grandfather and Alzheimer’s Disease. My first step as a novelist began when I developed a story to encourage my young son to read. This story became The Socket Greeny Saga. Socket tapped into my lifetime fascination with consciousness and identity, but this character does it from a young adult’s struggle with his place in the world.

After Socket, I thought I was done with fiction. But then the ideas kept coming, and I kept writing. Most of my work investigates the human condition and the meaning of life, but not in ordinary fashion. About half of my work is Young Adult (Socket Greeny, Claus, Foreverland) because it speaks to that age of indecision and the struggle with identity. But I like to venture into adult fiction (Halfskin, Drayton) so I can cuss. Either way, I like to be entertaining.

And I’m a big fan of plot twists.

Website; – Goodreads; – Facebook

I have read the first two books in the unique and original Claus series and would like to share them with you.

MY REVIEW

Click on the covers to get your copy of a Tony Bertauski novel today.

BLITZ GIVEAWAY

– $25 Amazon gift card and ebook of Flury: Journey of a Snowman (open internationally)
Ends November 22nd

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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

Thank you for visiting fundinmental!

Tales From Feyron by Diana L Wicker Tour Giveaway

Posted on November 3, 2014 by fundinmental

The Realm of Feyron has always been…

Publication Date: November 2, 2012

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Coming of Age

The Realm of Feyron has always been. It is the origin of all things magical, the axis point where all the worlds meet. Once, in days gone by, there were many gateways within the Temple of Pyli connecting the Worlds Beyond seeded with magic to their home. Now many gateways have flickered out, and Feyron weakens as the magic fades and the Guardians are lost.For the first time in over three hundred years a Dreamweaver has come of age and is tasked with contacting the Guardians. When she awakens in the night after a vision of her best friend lost and alone, injured in the snows at the top of the Crystal Mountains, she seeks out the Sacred Fire in the Temple in an attempt to call forth more information. A voice calls out from the fire, “Dreamweaver, you are summoned.” An image appears of an ancient path through the Mist Shrouded Forest leading to a hidden gate into the Crystal Caverns below the mountains. The Guardians have summoned her on a quest that will take her to the four realms of light within Feyron in search of answers and aid.

GoodReads

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | iBooks | Kobo

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EXCERPT

The Dreamweaver’s Journey

Watching the full moon over the garden, she heard the call of a night bird and smiled. The warmth flowed through her, surrounding her, and as the halo of gold faded, a hawk swooped unnoticed from Soifra’s bedroom window, streaking across the garden and into the forest, following the cold breeze back towards its source in the Crystal Mountains. Once she was sure she was well enough away from the small homes that fanned out from the manor, she rose above the trees in her favorite form: the black dragon. In her elation, she began to sing, and somewhere ahead of her, something answered back.At first there was just one call off in the distance, and she wasn’t quite sure if she had heard it, or imagined it, or if it was an echo in the breeze, but then it came again, strong and sure, and it seemed closer. Soifra flew higher, calling out again, and this time she was sure she heard more than one song. The songs called to her, pulled her, filling her with elation, and she followed them higher and farther. She knew she had to see them, the real dragonkin, the guardian children. If she just saw them, she could go back and tell her grandmother the Guardians were real. They simply had to go to the mountains to find them.

She reached a height where the clouds were thick, and her world went grey, consumed by the cold mists around her. After trying to follow the songs for a short while, twisting and turning as different voices called from different places, she could no longer tell left from right, up from down, and she began to feel afraid. Heart racing, she could no longer think clearly, and in her panic she picked one call and began to follow it, faster and faster, desperate to leave the clouds, to be able to see. The calls suddenly stopped. She had begun to turn her head this way and that, straining to hear any sound, when she slammed into the side of the mountain with a bone crushing thud, and fell unconscious to the cold, crystal ledge far below.

Publication Date: May 10, 2013

The Guardians have awakened after the Time of Sleep and returned to renew the magic with the clans of Faie. At the request of the Guardian, Lord Grypos, Keeper of Knowledge, the Master Scholar travels through the Outer Gateway with craftsmen and apprentices to coordinate the repairs of the once great oasis that houses the ancient archives of knowledge known as the Island in the Sands.

As the summer wanes and the oasis begins to return to its former glory, the Guardian calls the Master Scholar to the meditation room in the wee hours of the night to discuss a journey. In the fire an image flickers of the red desert sands speeding past, a land of grey beyond the desert, and a cavern of twilight behind an obsidian wall. “Arwyn and Shyamal are to go there for me to seek out that which was once mine.”

What starts as a seemingly simple journey becomes an adventure with life threatening consequences as the two are unexpectedly joined by their friends on a journey far from home beyond the realms of light in a realm that few within the clans of Faie knew could even be reached.

GoodReads

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | iBooks | Kobo

Publication Date: December 20, 2014

Old relics and have stories of their own. Sometimes they contain adventures waiting to be sparked and journeys bursting to begin.

The Box of Melodies was left with Clan Caris by Lady Oyisha, daughter of the mists, for care and keeping. A series of visions revealing the last desperate moments of a forgotten clan – the loss of their gateway to Feyron and the escape of a lone traveler holding the box – spurs a handful of adventuresome youth on a trek through the Lesser Forest where they inadvertently cause a ripple through the mists with unintended consequences.

A few of the youth find themselves on an unexpected journey to a World Beyond, lost in mist and shadow, where misunderstanding and suspicion lead to danger and darkness. Forgotten histories are discovered, clan secrets are revealed, and old alliances are remembered as the families of the lost seek to discover where the youth have been drawn by the memories within the Mists of Time.

GoodReads

Amazon | Barnes & Nobles | Smashwords | iBooks | Kobo

Diana lives in the balmy climate of the US south with her husband, two children, two dogs, two cats, and a cantakerous rabbit. She enjoys reading, sewing (clothing, costuming, and experimental toy making), and RPG games. (She grew up with the old school paper/pencil style of gaming, but has transitioned happily to the highly interactive world of video games.)

The idea for Feyron started with a map, a place for her daughter to tell stories and live out storytelling role playing adventures with her friends. The lore grew around the map, for every world needs lore if you are going to “live” there. The idea for a series, Tales from Feyron, grew out of the lore, for if you’re going to invent a world, you may as well play there too. The stories are continuing to grow through the various historical ages of Feyron and may yet “ripple” outwards to the Worlds Beyond touched by magic.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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Zoe and the Demon Slayer by Neel Kay Book Blitz Giveaway

Posted on October 16, 2014 by fundinmental

ZeoDemonSlayerBlitzBanner

Welcome to my stop for Zoe and the Demon Slayer by Neel Kay

The cover and title both intrigued me and seeing it is the season for spooktacular reading, I wanted to share this with you.

Be sure and check out the excerpt and enter the giveaways.

Yep, there’s two for you!

Add ME to your Goodreads reading list.

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Book & Author Details:

Zoe and the Demon Slayer by Neel Kay
Publication date: October 6th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult

SYNOPSIS

Twenty-four year old book worm and blogger Zoe Graves was looking forward to the fourth and final instalment of her favourite book saga – The Augustin Chronicles. The evening was meant to be spent in line at the local bookstore with hundreds of other fans, getting the book, maybe even meeting the author, and ultimately spending the night with the dreamiest hero of them all, Lucien de Forest and the love of his life Noomi Augustin.

But somewhere someone thought otherwise.

Confused and hurt after a mugging by the bookstore, Zoe is somehow transported to another world, and suddenly finds herself in a snow-covered landscape witnessing a bloody fight far away from the English summer, and is left to rely on the help from the rather reluctant Matis, who just happen to be out to kill none other than Zoe’s favourite hero and heroine, Lucien and Noomi.

Although convinced she might be in some sort of limbo or maybe even in a coma, Zoe figures that her role in the story is to prevent Matis from killing her all-time favourite fictional couple.

Purchase: Amazon / B&N / ibooks / Kobo

EXCERPT

Zoe and Thora found a pocket right of the entrance shielded by a few large rocks that protected them from straying eyes. There, Thora washed and re-dressed, and now it was Zoe’s turn.

Zoe stepped out of her dress with a relieved sigh. Finally, she was free of the nagging, coarse wool, and even though it was only temporary, it felt so good.

“I know,” Thora said as she brought Zoe a pot of water, warm from the fire. “They itch like crazy, don’t they? But they keep you warm in the winter cold.” When she put the pot down on the ground, she gasped as her eyes trailed over Zoe’s back. “My goodness, you’ve got bruises all over. Are you sure there’s nothing broken, like a couple of ribs or something?”

“I’m alright.”

“But Zoe…?” Thora brushed her fingertips over a particularly nasty-looking black bruise above Zoe’s left hipbone. Zoe twitched, and Thora quickly retracted her hand. “I’m sorry,” she said. “She really wanted to kill you, didn’t she?”

“No need to feel guilty then,” Matis’ voice sounded from the fireplace.

“It’s not nice to eavesdrop, Matis,” Thora shouted back, laughing. But when Zoe shot her a tight smile, her laugh quickly died down. “What’s wrong?”

“This is not my world,” Zoe whispered.

Thora nodded. “I’m sure you can go back as soon as we find Olander and the book.” Her eyes flickered and she had trouble remaining eye contact. Apparently, even Thora had a feeling that that would take a while.

“I have a family,” Zoe said. “They’ll be wondering where I am.” She crouched down to the pot and filled her palms with the lukewarm water, splashing it against her face, rubbing her neck, and dipping her hands back into the pot.

“Husband?” Thora inquired tentatively.

“I’m not married. I have parents, though, and a sister.”

“What’s her name?”

Zoe glanced up at Thora who looked genuinely interested.

“Um, her name is Emma.”

“Older or younger?”

“Older. She’s married and has twin boys.”

“So you have nephews.” Thora smiled. “Any suitors?”

Zoe scoffed. “You sound just like my sister.” She splashed some water on her shoulders allowing it to trickle down her back. “No, no suitors. And you? Do you have any family? Any brothers and sisters?”

“No. I’m an only child. It’s very rare, actually.” She winked and shot Zoe a naughty smile, making Zoe see flashes of rabbits humping vigorously in her mind’s eye. “But my mother was very small and weak, and she wouldn’t have survived a second pregnancy.” Thora laughed. “You’re finding it hard to believe that I come from the womb of such a woman, but my father was a big man, and all of this, this is pure muscle that I’ve worked really hard for.” She flexed her biceps and flashed Zoe her strong white teeth.

“I imagined all Kraquars were strong.”

“Well, how could you think otherwise, when the only Kraquar people you’ve met are the three of us? No, my mother was a potion-maker. She didn’t need the muscle power.”

“Your parents aren’t alive anymore?”

“No. I only have remote relatives like the ones living in Eldgaard. The ones we never made it to before you got yourself caught by Noomi’s guards.” She smiled. “No, Silas and Matis’ family is my family now.”

Zoe gaped at Thora, pointed a discreet finger in the general direction of the other inhabitants of the cave, and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Wait? Those two are related?”

“Not by blood, no. But they grew up together. Silas’ family took in Matis and his brother when their parents died just a few months apart. It was a long time ago, though. If you ask them, they are brothers.”

Thora shook Zoe’s dress, before offering it back to her. “You’re shivering. Here, put this back on.”

Zoe sighed, her eyes fixed on the purple dress. She stroked the coarse fabric with her fingertips. “Oh well, I suppose it’s better than freezing to death.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Neel Introvert, creative, awkward.

Neel Kay lives with her husband and two kids in rural surroundings in the south of Denmark, not far from the German border. She’s a trained milliner, studied English at university, and now works a day job as a web editor. But she’s been writing always.

Love coffee, scarves and sea views. Oh, and butt-kicking heroines who know how to swing a sword and aren’t afraid to get a little dirty.

Author Links: Blog / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY

My giveaway – one (1) ebook copy of Zoe and the Demon Slayer by Neel Kay

Click the Invent Your Own Option for your free entry.

ENTER MY GIVEAWAY HERE

TourWide Giveaway

A pair of book earrings (Image attached)

ENTER TOURWIDE GIVEAWAY HERE

Ends October 28, 2014.

earrings

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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

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This will only need to be done once.

Blitz Giveaway for Krymzyn by BC Powell

Posted on October 4, 2014 by fundinmental

KrymzynBlitzBanner

The eyes on the cover of Krymzyn by BC Powell are intriguing.

They make me wonder what secrets she is keeping.

Read on to get a glimpse inside through the excerpt below.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaways , that’s right, there are two.

Add ME to your Goodreads reading list now!

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Book & Author Details:

Krymzyn by BC Powell
Publication date: October 4th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Science Fiction

SYNOPSIS

Chase was twelve the first time he arrived in a strange land where dark, ominous clouds never move, ancient trees violently spring to life during Darkness, and people seem to live without emotion. Doctors tell him they’re hallucinations, but he knows his visits are real. She’s there-Sash-and she’s more real than anyone he’s ever known.

His visits stop but, as years pass, the memories haunt Chase. Without warning, the young man suddenly finds himself again in a world called Krymzyn. Arriving during Darkness, he’s rescued from death by the extraordinary, beautiful but terrifying young woman he first met when he was twelve.

When Chase is thrust into the war of balance against vile creatures who threaten all who live there, Sash helps him understand his purpose in Krymzyn. A dark secret from the beginning of time reveals he might be able to stay there forever. To prove he belongs in Krymzyn and be with the only woman he can ever love, Chase will have to risk his own life in the ultimate battle.

Purchase: Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo

EXCERPT

“Murkovin!” a roaring male voice echoes through the hills.

Rain plummets from the sky, blackened storm clouds churn in place, and my eyes try to adjust to Darkness. I spin to the shout behind me, immediately knowing I’m on the same hill as I’d been when I was twelve. There’s not a doubt in my mind.

Needles race up my spine when I see the shirtless creature crouched at the base of the hill. Tall with black veins bulging from ghostly white skin, the beast of a man scans the terrain. Wearing only black leathery pants, firm ridges of muscle lining his stomach and chest, he wildly swings a metal spear in one hand.

His head snaps to me. Long black hair twined with white whips across his face while his empty hand slashes the air in front of him. When his eyes touch mine, shadowy sockets flare blood red. The brute charges up the hill at me.

I lurch the other way and sprint into the meadow below. A torrent of rain slams against my skin as deafening creaks pierce the air. I see the flailing tree in front of me and try to stop, but my bare feet slip across the slick wet grass.

A glowing red limb lashes at me, slams into my chest, and hurls me to the ground. As the branch smashes into me again, I jerk my hands up in defense. Blood instantly spurts from gashes torn into my face, neck, and arms. Rolling across the grass, I frantically try to get out of its reach.

When I stop a few feet away, landing flat on my back, I stare straight up. A monstrous bough high above flexes into a fisted hand. I try to jump to my feet but a blur scoops me from the ground. As we speed away from the tree, silky wisps of black and scarlet brush across my face. A thunderous slam vibrates from behind us, the wooden fist pounding into the ground where, a moment earlier, my body would have been.

Into the valley we race until we’re outside the range of groping limbs. After we slide to a stop, I’m gently set on the grass. I look up to see the girl I met when I was twelve standing over me—the girl called Sash.

Her thin arms are barbed with muscular detail as she tightly grasps her spear. Metallic points, steel spikes sticking out the top of a pack slung over her shoulder, flash from behind her head. She peers down at me through radiant amber eyes.

“Are you injured?” she growls, silver raindrops beading down her hair.

AUTHOR BIO

BC Powell is a fantasy author from Los Angeles, CA. “Krymzyn” is his debut science fiction fantasy novel, the first book in a series titled “The Journals of Krymzyn.”

Powell has a diverse background, having held several creative positions in the entertainment industry, including executive roles at ABC-TV and Technicolor. In recent years, he’s authored several non-fiction works, primarily educational books and training programs for trading the financial markets. He dual majored in journalism and philosophy at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Writing fiction has been his lifelong passion and goal. “Krymzyn” is his first published novel and represents, in his words, “finally finding the story I want to tell with characters that are able to bring that story to life.” He’s an avid reader and lists Ernest Hemingway, Frank L. Herbert, Stephen King, Jane Austen, and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. as his favorite authors.

Brad, as he prefers to go by in personal communication, lives with his longtime girlfriend, three sons from a previous marriage, and their rescue dog and cat. He enjoys hiking, ocean kayaking, spending time at Southern California beaches, movies, and reading.

Author links: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Click on the cover below to get your Amazon copy of Krymzyn by BC Powell.

GIVEAWAYS

taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and Photos

Individual giveaways:

Each blog participating may host a giveaway for one (1) ebook copy of Krymzyn. Open internationally. The prize will be sent out after October 30th.

Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)

100$ Amazon gift card

“What did you like most about the post?”

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Giveaway ends Oct 14th.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

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Cover Reveal for Shinigami Eyes by Cheree & Adam Smith

Posted on September 15, 2014 by fundinmental

Shinigami Eyes

Shinigami Eyes #1

by Cheree & Adam Smith

Cover Design by Silvia Paoletta

Coming October 31st, 2014.

Just in time for Halloween!

Synopsis

Most children hope to grow out of their imaginary friends.

17-year-old Rin Waters’ only hope is that hers doesn’t kill someone, especially when said imaginary friend puts a boy in a coma. Finding herself shipped half-way around the world—to Japan, of all places—she is forced to live with grandparents she hasn’t seen for ten years and a cousin she can’t even remember.

Rin would rather just forget about the one night that ruined her life and pretend her imaginary friend doesn’t exist—if it was only that easy. When manga-obsessed otaku, Matt, won’t stop pestering her about a manga that sees the future and the tragic accident she’ll be involved in if she doesn’t listen to him, pretending becomes quite a challenge.

Suddenly mysterious accidents begin to happen to students in her school, and Rin has to wonder what length Matt is willing to go to prove his manga is real. Is it all a sham or is there really something that wants to see Rin and her new friends dead?

Author Cheree Smith

Cheree Smith

Cheree Smith lives in a country town in Australia as a high school English teacher where she writes paranormal, horror and dark stories for young adults. She enjoys listening to and learning about legends and myths, watching scary movies and dreaming up new worlds where monsters can come alive. When she is not in her writing cave she can be found listening to music, even dabbling in the occasional writing of music or reading.

Website ~ Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

Author Adam Smith

Adam Smith

Adam Smith has always loved the Japanese culture, which began with his love of anime and manga. This helped him accomplish his goal of moving to japan to become an ALT (assistant language teacher) in I wate, Japan. When he’s not reading, writing or speaking Japanese, he is working on paranormal, horror and dark stories for young adults with his sister, Cheree.

Goodreads

Host List

Shinigami Eyes Hosts’ list:

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FREE Short Story – Raker by Christopher A Gray

Posted on September 15, 2014 by fundinmental

A while back, I hosted a blog tour for Christopher A Gray’s novel Dark Nights.

Since then he has written a short story follow up, RAKER, which is available for FREE on Amazon.

Some of the characters in Dark Nights make an appearance in the short, but RAKER was written as a stand-alone, without you needing to have read the novel first.

However, if you like the short story, you may be intrigued enough to read Dark Nights.

MY REVIEW

Do you like science fiction fantasy?

Do you have five minutes or so to spare?

Pick up this free short story about a technologically advanced android and what happens when an immovable object (the android) comes in contact with a human police force that desires to take him into the station while investigating an altercation.

Plato’s primary mission is to act as bodyguard to Dr. Norman Stravinsky.

The Doctor had sent him on an important mission.

A standard Raker has a handler, but Plato is special. He is as close to sentient as he could be, without being human.

On the return trip, Plato comes across a crime in progress.

What would he do? He is only a machine, but…..

How would you feel about an artificial intelligence that could, more or less, eliminate poverty and religious fanatics?

What would you give up?

Your privacy?

You freedom of choice?

Technology has become such a part of the human world, that most people, whether they realize it or not, have given up their privacy.

Raker is an interesting glimpse into a world where technology makes the world a better place, but at what cost.

How can you convince human beings, that a machine capable of destroying them, can be trusted to ‘make the right choice?’

I really enjoyed this short story and at times I feared for Plato. I related to him as if he was human, not a machine.

3 Stars – Would Recommend To Others

SYNOPSIS

RAKER
1. noun

Remote Armed Kinesthetic Engagement & Reconnaissance android, used primarily by Fire Departments and Police Departments in the United States. RAKERs are deployed for rescue, bomb disposal, and other tasks which are deemed too dangerous for humans. Some models are being manufactured for the armed forces to serve as offensive battlefield weapons.

Christopher A. Gray’s RAKER follows an incident one evening when Dr. Norman Stravinsky sends his RAKER android out to deliver a sensitive file to a colleague. When it encounters a crime in progress, the android must decide whether to interrupt its primary duties as bodyguard to Stravinsky in order to prevent the crime from continuing. The decision results in a confrontation between itself and the Seattle Police Department.

Click on the Amazon cover to get your FREE copy of Raked, or the novel, Dark Nights, by Christopher A Gray.

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The Reaper is Here – Call Me Grim by Elizabeth Holloway Tour Giveaway

Posted on September 9, 2014 by fundinmental

Call Me Grim by Elizabeth Holloway is a paranormal/supernatural novel about Aaron, the local Grim Reaper and Libbi, the girl he saves.

Sounds very interesting to me. That is why I wanted to share Call Me Grim with you.

Be sure and enter the giveaway at the end of the post for a chance to win a copy for your very own.

GUEST POST

Welcome, Elizabeth to fundinmental. I am so happy to have you here and sharing your thoughts for my readers.

I am curious how authors relate to their characters and think this guest post is a real hoot. How about you? Be sure and read to the end and let Elizabeth know if you have any suggestions of your own. ^_^

Call Me Grim- The Author’s Dream Cast

I admit it! I have gazed off into space when I should have been writing (don’t tell my editor) and dreamed of the actors that should play my characters, in the remote chance my book is made into a movie. My only defense is I’m not the only author who’s done it, and I probably won’t be the last.

Since I’ve obviously thought about this far more than I should have, I might as well share my dreams with you fine folks.

Libbi Piper

Physical description: Petite but curvy, dark-brown wavy hair, bright green eyes, round face

Libbi’s a hard character to cast. Obviously, I need to think about her physical appearance, but she’s also smart, snarky, and not afraid to stand up for the people she loves, or something she believes in. That’s why I picked Emma Roberts to take the lead as Libbi Piper.

For an image, follow the link: http://www.fabulous-emma.com/photos/displayimage.php?album=1892&pid=71497#top_display_media

Aaron Shepherd

Physical description: Tall and lean, black hair that falls over his forehead, deep blue eyes, pale skin, a little shadow of scruff on his cheeks and chin

I’m not gonna lie. I’ve had this actor pegged to play Aaron ever since I saw him in Warm Bodies. Granted, he doesn’t say a whole heck of a lot in that film, but I love his ability to express so much in the subtlest of gestures and grunts. Aaron is wordier than that, obviously, but he still holds a lot back. I think Nicholas Hoult would play him beautifully.

For an image, follow the link: http://nicholashoultfan.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=237&pid=8095#top_display_media

Kyle Dennis

Physical description: muscular drummer’s build, blond wavy hair, dark-brown eyes

Kyle Dennis is probably more difficult to cast than Libbi. He has so many layers and wears his (often intense) emotions on his sleeve. The actor who plays him not only needs to look the part, he needs to have the ability to play a wide range of emotions. I’d love to see a young Alex Pettyfer in the role. Never mind the fact that Emma Roberts dated him at one point and they probably wouldn’t want to work together. This is a fantasy cast, after all.

For an image, follow this link: http://alex-pettyfer.net/photos/displayimage.php?pid=3498#top_display_media

That’s enough of my dreaming. If anyone has read, or is planning to read Call Me Grim and would like to give me your dream cast suggestions, I would love to hear them. Leave them in the comments here, or tweet them to me @eholloway300.

Excellent guest post, Elizabeth. Thanks so much for sharing your dreams!

Call Me Grim by Elizabeth Holloway

Publication date: September 9, 2014

Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.

SYNOPSIS

The truck should have turned Libbi Piper into a Libbi Pancake — and it would have, too, if Aaron hadn’t shown up and saved her life. The problem? Aaron’s the local Grim Reaper… and he only saved Libbi’s life because he needs someone to take over his job. Now, Libbi has two days to choose between dying like she was supposed to, or living a lonely life as Death Incarnate. Talk about a rock and a hard place.

And the choice goes from hard to sucktastic when her best friend shows up marked: condemned as a future murderer. Libbi could have an extra week to stop the murder and fix the mark… but only if she accepts Aaron’s job as Reaper, trapping herself in her crappy town forever, invisible and inaudible to everyone except the newly dead. But, if she refuses? Her best friend is headed straight for Hell.

ABOUT ELIZABETH HOLLOWAY

Elizabeth Holloway is a registered nurse living in Southern Pennsylvania with her two teen children, Bam-bam the dog, and Tinkerbell the cat. CALL ME GRIM is her first novel.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Click on the cover below to get your Amazon copy of Call Me Grim by Elizabeth Holloway.

GIVEAWAY

Five (5) digital copies of Call Me Grim by Elizabeth Holloway (INT)

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Follow the tour by clicking on the banner below.

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To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

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Friday 56 #22 – Did you say Aliens? A Human Element by Donna Galanti

Posted on August 22, 2014 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find any sentence, or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

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A HUMAN ELEMENT by Donna Galanti

Book I of The Element Trilogy

This beautiful cover tells me there are some surprises waiting for me to discover them.

Is it alien? Is it supernatural?

I have heard great things about A Human Element from my sister, Laura @ fuonlyknew and I am excited to begin reading.

This glimpse into the story has me curious. How about you?

(page 56% on Kindle)

“It was a spaceship that crash-landed at Coopersville Lake almost thirty years ago. You were right to think so.”

“It cam from the planet named Elyon.”

“How did these beings from Elyon get here Felix? And how is it possible they can reach us?”

“…they’ve discovered how to operate on a non-physical plane, unlike us on Earth.”

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SYNOPSIS

Evil comes in many forms…

One by one, Laura Armstrong’s friends and adoptive family members are being murdered, and despite her unique healing powers, she can do nothing to stop it. The savage killer haunts her dreams, tormenting her with the promise that she is next.

Determined to find the killer, she follows her visions to the site of a crashed meteorite in her hometown. There, she meets Ben Fieldstone, who seeks answers about his parents’ death the night the meteorite struck. In a race to stop a madman, they unravel a frightening secret that binds them together.

But the killer’s desire to destroy Laura face-to-face leads to a showdown that puts Laura and Ben’s emotional relationship and Laura’s pure spirit to the test. With the killer closing in, Laura discovers her destiny is linked to his, and she has two choices—redeem him or kill him.

Click on the cover below to get your Amazon copy of A Human Element by Donna Galanti.

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What are you reading?

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A Tag Team Event – Beware of her Wrath – Fanged Princess by Elisabeth Wheatley

Posted on July 27, 2014 by fundinmental

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Welcome to my Tag Team Events!

Laura and I are the Tag Team Bloggers.

You can find Laura at fuonlyknew.

We Tag Team an author and publish our posts at the same time.

Whether it’s for a cover reveal, giveaway, review, interview, or something more, the author will be tagged by us and you will be alerted to go to Laura’s blog or mine to see additional content. It’s really fun to see how differently we view the same book and you get an extra chance to win with our giveaways!

Elisabeth Wheatley’s Fanged Princess series are vampire fantasy novellas that had me racing through the pages as I was drawn into Haddassah’s journey of love, sacrifice, revenge and suspense. I could not quit reading until the last page was read in Fanged Outcast.

I was left hanging off the cliff by my fingertips. I have a feeling all will be well (^_^), but I have to know how.

Fanged Princess is now officially free on all venues.

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I would like to take a moment and introduce you to Elisabeth Wheatley.

She is an outstanding young author that loves fantasy.

Welcome Elisabeth.

How my central Texas upbringing plays into writing about a girly vampire

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Okay, so maybe Haddie isn’t what you’d call “girly.” She doesn’t do much makeup and she’s been known to hotwire cars. However, she does like her ankle boots and designer jackets (who doesn’t?) and landing in Texas, where most of the story takes place, is more than a little adjustment for her.

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It just so happens I grew up around diehard rednecks of central Texas (though as far as I know, none of them hunted vampires). For the record, there really are girls who wear cowboy boots all over the doggone place and environmental lawyers who carry shotguns in their trucks and belong to the Sierra Club. That part of the series I haven’t made up.

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I know all about what it’s like to run through the underbrush of the Texas woods because I did it on more than one occasion as a tomboyish little country lass. I might not be a vampire, but I have gotten second degree sunburns because I was too vain to go without a tan.

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Though I grew up around the cowboy culture, so to speak, I must admit I often feel as out of place as Haddie at rodeos and livestock shows. Let’s face it, horses are awesome—but pigs, cows, sheep, and just about everything else is dusty, dirty, noisy, and more or less disgusting.

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Somebody once said “write what you know” and while I generally scoff and roll my eyes at that advice (has Joss Whedon ever taken a trip on Serenity?), it seems in this case I have followed it.

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Thanks for having me by on your blog of über-awesomeness and helping spread the word, Sherry!

It is my pleasure to have you here today Elisabeth. I would like to thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.

I love the beautiful cover. She looks so sweet, doesn’t she? Beware of her wrath.

Fanged Princess by Elisabeth Wheatley

MY REVIEW

OMG. I was completely engrossed in this fantastic fantasy of love, sacrifice, revenge and suspense!

The cast of characters comes alive on the pages and Elisabeth creates some surprising alliances as they struggle to survive. At one point I am leaning forward in my chair as I breathlessly read the words flowing off the page.

Haddie is an enforcer, A Kaiju, a vampire. She had never killed anyone to feed and because of her own experience never would.

Damian, her brother is in love with a human, Madelyn.Haddie knew her father would not let the relationship continue. After all, he had ended the relationship she had with the human, Fletcher.

The trio are on the run from Haddie’s father and she will do whatever needs to be done to let them have a life together, the life she was deprived of. But they can’t do it alone. Who would help them?

Yeah, this might have been shades of Twilight, but it is so much more than that and I really enjoyed Twilight.

My feelings about Madelyn grow and change as the story unfolds and her love and loyalty shine through.

Chase – Hmmm. What can I say, except I can hardly wait to get to know him better.

I think short stories must be some of the hardest stories to write. How do you pack so much into such a small package and keep the reader at your mercy.? Elisabeth did that splendidly and I can’t wait to read more of Haddie’s story in the Fanged Outcast.

The three humans survey me with apprehension. A fanged princess in their midst.

I received Fanged Princess from the author in return for an honest review.

5 Stars – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

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I will not let my brother suffer the same loss…

Hadassah’s father, the Vampire King, punished her harshly for her choice to love a human. Now her brother, the only person in the world who still matters to her, has fallen for a human girl. Determined to keep the girl safe, the three of them flee from their home in New England and find themselves cornered with their father’s minions closing in. If they want to escape, their only hope may be to join forces with the mortal enemies of their kind…

Be ensnared in this dark tale of enduring love, revenge, and suspense from teenage author, Elisabeth Wheatley.

Kindle / Nook / Smashwords / iBooks.

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You can read Laura’s, at fuonlyknew, review HERE.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elisabeth Wheatley is a teen author of the Texas Hill Country. When she’s not daydreaming of elves, vampires, or hot guys in armor, she is wasting time on the internet, fangirling over indie books, and training her Jack Russell Terrier, Schnay.

Stalk Elisabeth Wheatley. She doesn’t bite, or does she?

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Blog / Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter / Pinterest / Tumblr

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To grab a copy of Elisabeth Wheatley’s books, simply click on the cover below.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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