Archive for January 25, 2013

I can’t wait to tell you about Glory Alley and the Star Riders!

Glory Alley and the Star Riders (The Glory Alley Series, #1)

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According to legend, Wybbils are small hairy creatures who live deep underground in caves. Ancient people both feared and venerated them.  It is said that Wybbils leave their tunnels at night to snatch Tullahn children from their beds and bring them to their lair.

A girl rock collector risks everything for the chance at a better life.

This story takes place on a world very similar to ours. The inhabitants are as human as you and I, just trying to make their way in their world.

Glory and her best friend, Crash, have agreed. They will meet at “the pools” of Queen’s Mesa. There’s got to be some really good stones in the cavern. Glory just knows she’ll find what she’s looking for there.

Glory arrives ahead of Crash and breaks the rules. She enters the cave alone and makes her way to the pools. And there it is. The stone that will save her family. Little does she know that by taking this stone she may be able to save her family, but she could be destroying another world.

This is no ordinary stone. It’s absence wreaks havoc on another world and the guardians have come to take it back. Glory is not a mean girl despite the abuse she receives from her father and her siblings. Since her mother’s death, her family has been dying a little death too and she needs to sell the stone before they foreclose on her home. She stalls the guardians while she tries to find a solution. But time is running out.

This is not my usual genre to read, but I’ve been reading “outside the box” lately and I’ve discovered some wonderful authors and their books.

Glory’s life is not pretty. She’s bullied at school, her older sister has no time for her, her brothers like to torture her and her Dad is in an alcohol induced fog most of the time, when he’s not swinging his fists or his belt The only good things in her life are her best friend, Crash, and her baby brother, George.

I really feel for Glory. All she wants is to have her family back the way they used to be. She’s bold and wise beyond her years. Her connection to her brother George is so sweet. I’ll let the author show you.

Three-year-old George perched on a stool, trying to string white puffs of popcorn. Face streaked with jam, he sat there in a diaper and nothing else. Glory knew from experience that her little brother defied all clothing. He had a stubborn streak, but she liked that about him. His messy hair was in need of a trim and looked like delicate threads of gold when it caught the light. Glory paused in the doorway quietly singing his name.

“Georg-eee.”

He jerked to attention. “Gwo-wee?” A smile of recognition spread across his face until he forgot the task at hand and stabbed his finger with the needle. “Ow?” He held out his injury for her to see. “Gwo-wee?”

Glory carried him to the sink, washing the dot of blood under the faucet. He cried, offering his wounded finger. “Kiss.”

Glory kissed it. “Better?”

“Uh-huh.” He nodded, giving thanks with a runny-nosed peck on the cheek.

Now that’s showing me something! My face broke out in a smile when I read this.  The quality of the author’s writing spills from the pages, taking you deeper into Glory’s story.

You’ll meet a really scary dog-wolf creature, some strange beings, kind of like munchkins, and visit a mysterious, magical world filled with wonders and perils.

Glory Alley and the Star Riders brought some magic to me, like a fountain of youth. I felt the wonder of seeing( or reading)  through young eyes. Kind of like falling down the rabbit hole or going somewhere over the rainbow.

This book is great for all ages. A good, clean, scifi/fantasy. I’ll be following this series.

Oh, even though this is the first book in a series, the author wraps it up nicely and gives you an astonishing ending to this chapter in Glory’s journey.

       

Giveaway

I have one paperback to giveaway!

Entry is easy. Just leave your email address and answer this question, “What would you like to find at the end of the rainbow?”

This giveaway is International. Everyone can enter!

****Please note: The paperback has the older book cover. You can view it below****

Giveaway ends Feb. 4th.

Thank you and Good Luck!

About the author

Image of C. Deanna Verhoff

C. Deanna Verhoff grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She has worked in education, business, insurance and finance. Writing has been an important part of her life since childhood. Her stories usually contain an element of fantasy, science fiction or the paranormal. Currently, she resides in rural Ohio with her husband, two children, a dog, a cat and a goldfish.

Contacts

Website

Goodreads

Facebook

Amazon

Purchase her books by clicking on the covers. Glory Alley shows the old book cover here.

To join in, copy and paste these rules and the above banner into your Fanged Mania post and add your link to this week’s Fanged Mania post at Elisabeth Wheatley’s Blog. Fanged Mania is a Friday meme counting down to the release of Fanged Princess and displaying all things vampire and awesome. Fanged Mania posts can be a review of a vampire book, a quote from the latest Vampire Diaries episode, a showcase of a cool vampire book’s cover, or whatever you like so long as it is vampire related. Don’t forget, participants will be entered in the drawing to win a fanged-abulous prize pack!

The prize pack I mentioned includes Vampire Diaries and Breaking Dawn posters as well as a paperback copy of Erica Steven’s Captured (my review here) and the complete collection of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter stories by Jennifer Malone Wright, in paperback, too! =D

Oh, and the contest is international. And the more Fanged Mania posts you have, the more entries you get! So what are you waiting for? Hop on the bandwagon!

I thought I’d have a little fun with this post and show you some of my favorite Ladies of the Night!

Santanico Pandemonium ~ From Dusk Til Dawn

But this is what she really looks like!

Another vampire that really slithers so sensually is Akasha ~ Queen of the Damned

Never have I seen someone move like this!

And there’s the brides from VanHelsing

They’re not quite so sexy really!

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There are so many more I could show you but then this post would be huge! I love Kate Beckinsale as Selene in the Underworld series. There’s Lucy and her twisted transformation in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Another I really enjoyed was  Sheryl Lee’s role as the prostitute, Katrina, in John Carpenter’s Vampires.

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqxnotMB-Sg]
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These ladies of the night are fascinating. But I still wouldn’t want to be one!

How about you? Do you have any favorites?