Archive for the ‘Blitz’ Category
A Horse Named Dog by Theresa Oliver ~ Blitz and Giveaway
Posted: November 16, 2015 in Blitz, Children's books, Contemporary Literature, giveawaysTags: A Horse Named Dog, Author Theresa Oliver, chilren's contemporary, giveaway, YA Bound Book Tours
Time to go to work Yancy ~ Wendigo Rising ~ Release Day ~ Series Reviews
Posted: November 4, 2015 in Blitz, Release day, reviews, urban fantasyTags: Author James A. Hunter, reviews, The Yancy Lazarus Series, urban fantasy, Wendigo Rising
I was beyond happy dancing when I got my hands on Wendigo Rising.
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I love Yancy Lazarus.
For today, I’m sharing reviews for all three books in the series.
Come on in and stay for a while.
Wendigo Rising:
A Yancy Lazarus Novel
Episode Three
James A. Hunter
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Shadow Alley Press
Date of Publication: November 3rd, 2015
ASIN: B0163REPD6
Number of pages: 400
Word Count: 110,000
Cover Artist: Dane EbookLaunch.com
My Review
A Sasquatch! Yancy Lazarus meets Big Foot. How could I not love this book.
Yancy has charmed me from the very beginning. Not by his looks, he’s okay. Not by his smoking and drinking, does way too much of that. And definitely not because of his behavior. But, in spite of it.
Now, he’s teamed up with a sasquatch who needs his help. Seems one of his kind has gone off the rails, munching on flesh, cannibalizing his own species, and liking it too much.
Now, these beings like their privacy. They’ve managed to stay secluded, with everyone believing they don’t exist. One rogue sasquatch could put them on the front page and here comes the hunters. Not good at all.
In comes the big bad Wendigo. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another, and the state of Montana may be one big ghost town if Yancy doesn’t take care of it.
If that isn’t enough, Yancy’s still trying to stop the supernatural beings and their plans for armageddon.
When I wasn’t snortin with laughter, I was talking out loud. Cheering Yancy on. The poor guy just wants a break. Some time off to smoke, drink, and jam some blues. Not today, Yancy
As with the first two books, I ate this up. The author kept the suspense ramped up, threw in some new supernatural beings, put Yancy through the wringer, and continued to make me laugh.
I’ve been thinking about who should play the part of Yancy if there were a movie. I’m going with Russell Crow or Gerard Butler. Picture them in Gladiator and The 300.
Still lovin Yancy Lazarus, and still wanting more.
5 Stars
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Synopsis
Bigfoot is real. Yancy Lazarus—mage, bluesman, and rambler—knows because there happens to be a nine-foot-tall, walking myth standing in the road, flagging him down.
Yancy just can’t escape his reputation as a supernatural Fix-it man even when cruising through the forgotten backwoods of Montana. Turns out Bigfoot has a serious problem on his hands: one of his own has gone rogue, developing a taste for the flesh of humans and Sasquatch alike. A greater Wendigo has risen for the first time in thousands of years and if Yancy can’t stop the creature it could be a slaughter for the residents of a rural Montana town.
But even with the monstrous threat looming on the horizon, Yancy has bigger fish to fry. He’s working as an agent of Fate, attempting to put the kibosh on a nefarious scheme, aimed at upsetting the tenuous balance between the supernatural nations. When your boss is Lady Luck, however, nothing is ever left to chance, and his two cases may have more in common than it appears. If he can’t figure out the missing link it could usher in a new world order: an age of inhuman creatures and walking nightmares … one where Yancy Lazarus doesn’t exist.
Available at Amazon
Enjoy The Excerpt:
Bigfoot is real. I know the existence of this nigh-mythical figure is pretty controversial in a lot of circles; tons of drunken bar brawls and fistfights have started over this very topic. Money, religion, politics, and Bigfoot: these are the things best avoided in polite conversation. Unless, of course, you want someone to punch you in the nose or call the men in white jackets. Don’t believe me? Next Thanksgiving, ask your assorted family members their thoughts on Bigfoot and see where the conversation goes. It’ll be entertaining, that much I can promise.
Me, though? I’ve never been one for polite conversation, and I’d love to see the crazy-police try to haul my ass in.
Plus, this isn’t some delusional, government-conspiracy, paranoia thing. I know Bigfoot is real. There was one standing in the road, flagging me down.
Jeez, my life.
I’d glimpsed one years ago and at a distance. A rare encounter. The creatures—Chiye-tanka, for those in the know—are elusive as hell and covet their privacy like paparazzi-weary celebs, evidenced by the fact that no one has ever managed to get much on ’em despite what basically amounts to a nationwide ape hunt. They’re monstrously big and about as inconspicuous as a pro wrestler sporting a neon pink tutu, but they’re also faster than the Road Runner high on speed, uncannily quiet, and boast some crazy-impressive skills with illusion and glamour constructs.
Apparently, the creature standing in the road was the slow kid in the class, the one sitting in the corner with the dunce cap, because this big, hairy roadblock was taking approximately zero percent of the usual Bigfoot evasive precautions. Might as well have been wearing a road guard vest and waving a friggin’ hand flare.
He was colossal, nine feet easy, all mud-colored hair and muscle. Lots and lots of muscle—heck, his muscles had muscles with their own gym membership. He was built on the same scale as a gorilla, only bigger. Much bigger. His face was leathery black and flat, surrounded by flecks of silvered hair. He had deep recessed eyes of brilliant green, which regarded me with a strangely thoughtful expression.
He didn’t look particularly pissed off, which was good since I was sure he could throw me into orbit with those big ol’ monkey arms. Either that or put an asteroid-sized dent in the hood of my ’86 El Camino—part car, part mobile home, and one hundred percent badass—the worse of the two options in my book. I braked since there was no point in trying to run the walking carpet over. With my luck, a collision would level my car without putting so much as a dent in Kong. I slowed to a crawl, the engine rumbling beneath me as I tried to decide what in the hell to do. I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel.
Dammit.
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Strange Magic
A Yancy Lazarus Novel
Episode One
My Review
Yancy’s having one of those days, weeks…. Starts out innocently enough and then goes to s!#t.
It all started with a simple phone call from a friend in need. Now Yancy’s in a world of hurt and it ain’t gonna be getting better any time soon..
“I’d been pumped full of tranquilizers,busted a hole in the back wall of The Full House, got shot in the ass, and had, eventually, passed out in a dog pee under a car. Right?”
“So, how’d I end up Saran-wrapped to a table in white-picker suburbia?”
Yancy Lazarus (AKA The Fixer) He drinks too much. Smokes too much. And gambles too much. Or so they say. He just likes to live large.
He can do magic, using the VIS – Latin word meaning force or energy. Yancy’s neat trick is he can manipulate energy, using things like water and fire. But a big gun comes in handy too when he comes face to face with the Rakshasa, their face kind of like a hyena, with a mouth full of shark teeth, beady eyes, over long arms and gray flesh. Nasty things.
He’s 65 and looks 45 due to the longevity the Vis gives him. The FBI has his mug on a Most Wanted poster for domestic terrorism and murder, among other things. Sure, he’s killed, but most were of the non-human type.
Ya gotta love Yancy. He’s a shit-kickin, blues lovin, rambler and gambler, playing piano for drinks, gambling to feed himself, and living out of the back of his precious El Camino. A true nomad and bad ass.
From the first paragraph –
“The piano keys bobbed and danced under the pressure of my fingers. Music – low, slow, and soulful – drifted through the club, merging and twirling with wandering clouds of blue-gray smoke. So many places have no-smoking laws these days, it seems like there’s nowhere in the country where a guy can take a drag from a cigarette in peace. Everyone is so worries about their health, they make damn sure you stay healthy by proxy.”
to the last I had a rip snortin time and can’t wait to see what kind of Hell Yancy winds up in next.
Strange Magic is Author James A. Hunter’s debut novel. They say a writer gets better with each books he writes. If this is true, I can’t imagine what he has in store for this series.
5 Stars
***
Synopsis
Yancy Lazarus is having a bad day: there’s a bullet lodged in his butt cheek, his face looks like the site of a demolition derby, and he’s been saran-wrapped to a banquet table. He never should have answered the phone. Stupid bleeding heart—helping others in his circles is a good way to get dead.
Just ask the gang members ripped to pieces by some kind of demonic nightmare in LA. As a favor to a friend, Yancy agrees to take a little looksee into the massacre and boom, he’s stuck in a turf war between two rival gangs, which both think he’s pinch-hitting for the other side. Oh, and there’s also a secretive ass-hat with some mean ol’ magical chops and a small army of hyena-faced, body- snatching baddies. It might be time to seriously reconsider some of his life choices.
Yancy is a bluesman, a rambler, a gambler, but not much more. Sure, he can do a little magic—maybe even more than just a little magic—but he knows enough to keep his head down and stay clear of freaky-deaky hoodoo like this business in LA. Somehow though, he’s been set up to take a real bad fall—the kind of very permanent fall that leaves a guy with a toe tag. Unless, of course, he can find out who is responsible for the gangland murders, make peace in the midst of the gang feud, and take out said magical ass-hat before he hexes Yancy into an early retirement. Easy right? Stupid. Bleeding. Heart.
Available at Amazon
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A Yancy Lazarus Novel
Episode Two
My Review
Once again, Yancy Lazarus is on the job.
He’d like nothing better than to enjoy some good blues music, chain smoke some cigarettes, and throw back some shots, chasing them with a few beers. But nope. Instead he has to rescue some kid who’s been kidnapped and dragged below to the Winter regions.
It’s no pick-nick there. lots of tunnels, bitter cold, and some really nasty Fae that want to eat him for dinner.
Known as the Fix-It man, it’s just another case and with a few bumps and bruises, and spilled blood, Yancy takes care of business. Except, it doesn’t stop there.
Things are hinky. Others are scheming to open the supernatural gates, inviting in all manner of beasts. Can’t be good for mankind, or Yancy. It’s gonna get tricky without his VIS, his powers.
Aah, Yancy. You can’t help but love him. He’s not a good catch. Smokes too much. Drinks too much. And kind of lazy. And he’s a lot older than he looks. But there’s something about him. Once you get past his smart mouth, you find he has a large heart, even though he tries to hide it behind a cavalier attitude. I’m thinking a lot of you men can relate with Yancy.
Like the first book, the action is wild, the beings are out of this world, in more ways than one, and Yancy charms you yet again.
Sorry Mom. I know you warned me about the bad boys. But, I just love Yancy.
And I love this series. I sure you hope you give it a try. It’s all good.
5 Stars
***
Synopsis
Yancy Lazarus just wants to be left alone. He wants play his blues music, smoke a few cigarettes, and otherwise leave the supernatural world to fend for itself.
He especially wants to be left alone by the Guild of the Staff—the mage ruling body—where he used to work as a Fix-It man. But when a little kid gets nabbed by an ancient Fae creature from the nether regions of Winter and the Guild refuses to set things right, he just can’t seem to heed good sense and leave things be.
Nothing’s ever easy though. Turns out, the kidnapping is just the tip of one big ol’ iceberg of pain and trouble. It seems some nefarious force is working behind the scenes to try and unhinge the tenuous balance between the supernatural nations and usher in a new world order. So now, if Yancy ever hopes to see the bottom of another beer bottle, he’s gonna have to partner up with an FBI agent—an agent who’s been hunting him for years—in order to bring down a nigh-immortal, douchebag mage from a different era. And to top it off, Yancy’s gonna have to pull it off without his magical powers … Boy, some days just aren’t worth getting out of bed for.
Available at Amazon
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About the Author:
Hey all, my name is James Hunter and I’m a writer, among other things. So just a little about me: I’m a former Marine Corps Sergeant, combat veteran, and pirate hunter (seriously). I’m also a member of The Royal Order of the Shellback—‘cause that’s a real thing. And, a space-ship captain, can’t forget that.
Okay … the last one is only in my imagination.
Currently, I work as a missionary and international aid worker with my wife and young daughter in Bangkok, Thailand. When I’m not working, writing, or spending time with family, I occasionally eat and sleep. Strange Magic is the first novel in the Yancy Lazarus series—the third, full-length novel, Wendigo Rising, just released on November 3rd, 2015.
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Until the next time….
Thanks so much for visiting fuonluknew!
Stay cool!
Zombies aren’t the only thing you have to worry about ~ Life After The Undead ~ Review and Two Giveaways
Posted: October 30, 2015 in apocalypse, Blitz, giveaways, horror, New Release, reviews, YA, ZombiesTags: Author Pembroke Sinclair, Horror, Life After the Undead, post-apocalyptic, YA, zombies
Life After The Undead by Pembroke Sinclair
Published by: Booktrope Publishing
Publication date: October 27th 2015
Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult, Zombies
Published by: Booktrope Publishing
Publication date: October 27th 2015
Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult, Zombies
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My Review
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I’ve become fascinated by zombies and apocalyptic stories. I love The Walking Dead and the show has helped me to visualize lots of scenes. From funny to gruesome.
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The author yanks you right into the apocalypse. Barely time to breath before they are everywhere.
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While I love the zombies, what really grabbed me in this story was the group dynamics. Ever seen the movie The Postman with Kevin Costner?
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Similar to the movie, you have opposite sides on the apocalypse. Those who want to help others and those who want to use others to save themselves. It comes as no surprise that some people choose to force their will on others, even to the point of killing.
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Krista lost her parents to the zombies and was out there alone. When she does find a safe haven, she feels lucky, even though she’s assigned a job as a maid to one of the top governing families. Anything is better than being out there, right? And the zombies don’t like the humidity and heat of the south, so there aren’t many around.
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She can’t believe her luck when she finds she has a living relative. He’s an officer in the military, if you can call it that anymore, and she jumps at a chance to go with him and fight for her new world.
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This is where the dynamics come in. Either place might have been safe for a while. But with leaders who are looking out for themselves first, trying to lord it over everyone else, and practically relegating them to slaves, there’s bound to be some discontent. And sooner or later something has to give.
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There’s plenty of zombie action and intrigue to keep the story moving quickly. Genuine characters that you’ll like or loath. And a satisfying ending. Not that it’s really the end. The author wraps up this chapter, but from the conclusion, I figure there will be more stories to come. I sure hope so.
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4 Stars
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Synopsis:
Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Krista must quickly figure out how she’s going to survive in the zombie-destroyed world. The one advantage humans have is that the zombies hate humid environments, so they’re migrating west to escape its deteriorating effects. The survivors plan to construct a wall at North Platte to keep the undead out, and Krista has come to Nebraska to start a new life.
Zombies aren’t the only creatures she has to be cautious of—the other survivors have a dark side. Krista must fight not only to live but also to defend everything she holds dear—her country, her freedom, and ultimately, those she loves.
Join Krista in her quest to survive in this thrilling apocalyptic novel by Pembroke Sinclair.
Purchase: Amazon
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About The Author
Jessica Robinson is an editor by day and a zombie-killer by night (at least in her books). Since the first time she watched Night of the Living Dead, she has been obsessed with zombies and often thinks of ways to survive the uprising. In addition to her nonfiction book, under the pen name Pembroke Sinclair, she has written YA novels about zombies and the tough teens who survive the apocalyptic world. She has also written nonfiction stories for Serial Killer Magazine and published a book about slasher films called Life Lessons from Slasher Films.
You can learn more about Pembroke Sinclair by visiting her at:
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There are two giveaways.
The First Giveaway
Win an eBook copy of Life After The Undead.
To enter, please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win and answer this question:
“Are you ready for the zombie apocalypse?”
The Second Giveaway
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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!
To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!
Conguise Chronicles #1 ~ The Rise Of The River Man by L.S. O’Dea ~ Author Guest Post & Giveaway
Posted: October 30, 2015 in Blitz, giveaways, Paranormal or fantasy, Release dayTags: Author L.S. O'dea, Paranormal Fantasy, Release Day, The Rise Of The Riverman
I’ve featured other books by this author on my blog and the title for this book had me curious. I was imaging something like a serial killer in the bayous.
Well, when I caught a glimpse of the cover, I had to rethink that.
Wait until you get a look! So cool! Let me know what you think?
Please enjoy the authors guest post.
Check out the excerpt.
And don’t forget to enter the giveaway.
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Enjoy the author’s guest post. L.S. O’Dea shares her advice for new authors.
There is actually quite a bit of advice that I’d give to a new author. First, I’d tell them to write. Don’t worry about getting it right or perfect, just get it down. You can go back and revise later. Just push through and get the entire story down because some of those sections that you are slaving over, the sections that just won’t come out right, are going to get tossed anyway.
The second piece of advice I’d give to a new author is to learn proper grammar. It is very expensive to hire someone to line edit your work and most authors don’t have that kind of cash. They already have to pay someone to design the cover and if they want anyone to read their story, they will have to throw loads of money at marketing the book. I see a lot of stories out there that have potential but the grammar is horrible. If there are a lot of grammatical mistakes, no one will read your book – no matter how brilliant it is.
The third suggestion I have is for them to grow a thick skin. Someone somewhere is not going to like their story and they need to accept that. There is no revenge allowed. It only causes the author trouble. Plus, everyone is entitled to have and voice his/her opinion.
The last piece of advice I have is to have patience. Getting your book out there and noticed is not an overnight occurrence. There is no guarantee that you will make money on your book or even break even from advertising. The lucky few who have made it big did not do so overnight. It may have seemed fast to those of us, but most of them had years of writing under their belts before the money truck pulled up to their door.
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The Rise of the River Man
Conguise Chronicles
Book 1
Author – L.S. O’Dea
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
Publisher: LSODea
Date of Publication: 10/30/2015
ISBN: 978-1-942706-04-5 / ASIN: B014I7M82I
Number of pages: 108 pages / Word Count: approx. 27,700
Cover Artist: Vincent OCampo
Synopsis
Obedient monsters are hard to create.
Mutter was sure that his pending execution at the Guards’ Shelter was the worst thing that could happen to him, but that was before he met Professor Conguise.
Now, he is living in a laboratory and the Almightys are giving him shots. He fears that they are attempting to mutate him into some kind of monster like those in the other cages. The creatures in the other cages are unnatural. Things that he can’t believe exist. Things that shouldn’t exist and if he doesn’t escape, soon he will become one of them.
Available at Amazon
Excerpt:
MUTTER WAS IN TROUBLE. No one wanted a Guard like him. He was too big and too strong and too ugly. He stretched out on the concrete floor and winced. He definitely had some broken ribs, but he’d fought and won with broken bones in the past. He started coughing. It was this sickness that had cost him the match. He sat up; the coughing subsided. He’d pleaded with Vickers, his Almighty master, not to make him fight but the money had already switched hands. He leaned his head against the bars of the cage. He’d lost the fight and now he’d lose his life. Vickers did not give second chances.
The door opened and a male Almighty around thirty years old with blond hair entered the room followed by Satcha, the House Servant who ran this establishment. The Guards’ Shelter didn’t allow visiting at this hour but Almightys did whatever they wanted. He didn’t even bother to stand up. No one wanted him. It was a bit embarrassing, but he’d tried to find a new home his first few days here. He’d even trimmed his beard, but it had done no good. Every time that he’d run to the front of the cage and had smiled at the Almightys, he’d smelled the fear on them as they’d passed. Most tried not to look at him, but he was big and scarred and hard to ignore.
They stopped in front of his cage.
“Ableson, this is the one I told you about,” said Satcha. “Looks like he was a fighter, so he should be used to obeying. He does have a bad cough, but I thought he might work for you.”
The Almighty remained quiet, his blue eyes sizing Mutter up.
“Come here,” said Satcha.
Mutter wanted to stay where he was to annoy the Servant but Guards like him didn’t get many chances for a home. He slowly stood, letting the Almighty get used to his size and appearance.
“How old are you?” asked Ableson.
“Not sure. Been around for a while but not too old.” That was the safe answer. He had counted nineteen winters but that might be too old or too young. He never could tell what an Almighty wanted.
“By his teeth and body we estimate around twenty-five to thirty years,” said Satcha.
Ableson twirled his finger. Mutter understood that signal. Before the fights started, when the betting happened, he was often sized up by the gamblers. He turned in a circle, slowly, giving the Almighty time to study him.
“I’m strong and healthy.” That was a lie but he would be healthy again. He just needed a little time and food.
“Does have that cough, that I mentioned.” Satcha sent him a glare.
“Just a little. From this damp, rotten place.” He hated Servants. They didn’t know when to keep their big mouths shut.
“I need an obedient Guard.” The Almighty’s eyes roamed up and down his frame.
“Won’t find one more obedient than me.”
“Let’s see if that’s true.” Ableson walked down the aisle. “Is there another Guard who he’s close to?”
“Him?” Satcha laughed, following the Almighty. “He’s so big and ugly even the other Guards stay away from him.”
Ableson stopped in the hallway. “Take this one out.”
The Servant opened the cage and slipped a rope over a young Guard’s neck. Mutter’s chest pinched. Typical. The Almighty’s always chose the young ones. His only chance was gone. They would walk out and soon he’d be executed. He started to sit back down, when the three of them stopped in front of his cage.
“Put her in with him,” said Ableson.
“Ah, we keep the younger ones separate from the older ones, especially the older males,” said Satcha.
The Almighty didn’t say a word, but his look was enough. The Servant muttered an apology and opened the door shoving the young Guard into Mutter’s cage.
He glanced at the little Guard who stood as far away from him as possible. She couldn’t have been older than nine. She had russet hair and large, frightened, brown eyes.
“Hit her,” said Ableson, his tone conversational.
“Wait,” said Satcha. “That one’s young and attractive. I can find a home for her. Let me get—”
“I’ll pay for both.” The Almighty’s eyes never left Mutter.
Mutter kept his face a mask but his stomach clenched. He didn’t want to do this. He’d fought females before but they were all older, experienced fighters. This wouldn’t even be a fight.
“I need an obedient Guard,” reminded Ableson.
The girl trembled in the corner, tears streaming down her soft, round cheeks. “Please, don’t hurt me.”
Pleading didn’t do any good. It didn’t change anyone’s mind. He knew the game and it would be her or him. He stared into the girl’s scared brown eyes. “Bruised, broken or dead?”
“Just hit her. I’ll tell you when to stop.”
Mutter stepped forward. The girl curled in a ball on the floor, pleading and crying. He grabbed her by the shirt. She weighed next to nothing, all skin and bones. He punched her in the gut, making the blow look harder than it was, but the girl was so small she gasped and coughed. He hesitated, waiting for the Almighty to stop this, but no words came. He hit her again. She yelped in pain. He shifted his stance, stalling again and praying for the words that would allow him to quit, but the only sounds were the yells of the other Guards in the nearby cages. Most screamed for him to stop but some cheered him on. If the Almighty wouldn’t end this, he would. His next punch caught her upside the head, knocking her out. He let her slide to the floor.
He walked toward the Almighty.
“I didn’t say stop.” Ableson’s blue eyes challenged him.
He stared at the girl on the floor. Only in the roughest fights, those to the end, did they hit opponents when they were down.
“Forget it. He won’t work.” Ableson turned and headed for the door.
His only chance was leaving. He’d be dead tomorrow if that Almighty walked out the door. The girl’s tiny frame was about the size of his arm. She was still breathing. “Wait.”
Ableson walked back to the cage, a smug smile on his face. “Obey or I leave. This is your one warning.”
He nodded. His heart thudded as each footstep moved him closer to the little female. The other Guards had fallen silent. He grasped her by the back of the shirt. Her head lolled to the side, her eyes closed. His supper churned in his stomach. He stared at the tears on her cheeks as he punched her over and over, trying to hit non-vital parts but it was difficult. She was tiny and his fits were big.
“Enough,” called the Almighty.
He lowered her to the floor. Her breath was ragged as blood trickled from her lips. His eyes burned, but no wetness came. He hadn’t cried since he’d lost his mother. It didn’t do any good. He wiped the girl’s blood on his shirt as he faced the Almighty.
Ableson smiled at him and handed an envelope to the Servant. “I’ll take him.”
Satcha looked in the envelope. “Ah, the price for the girl…”
Ableson frowned at the Servant but dug in his pocket and handed Satcha a few more bills. The Servant stuck them in his pocket and opened the cage door, putting a rope around Mutter’s neck. He fisted his hands, fighting the urge to kill both of them, but he’d never make it out of the shelter if he did that.
“Come.” Ableson yanked on the rope.
“What about her?” asked Satcha.
“Do what you want with her.”
“But…you already paid….”
“If she lives, sell her again, or kill her. I don’t care.” Ableson walked toward the door.
Mutter refused to look back at the girl, the sacrifice for his freedom.
About the Author L.S. O’Dea
L.S. O’Dea sees things a bit differently than most people. This is probably a bi-product of being the youngest of seven children in a time when TV was only worth watching in the evenings or Saturday mornings and there were no computers. Back then, kids had to amuse themselves and being five years younger than her closest sibling she was often the unwilling entertainment.
Since she was so much younger than her siblings, it was only reasonable that they knew how to do many things that she could not, such as read and write. One day, before she started kindergarten, she really wanted to learn how to spell her name. Her mother was busy cooking or cleaning (she had seven children to care for), so her brothers were instructed to help their baby sister.
After she learned how to spell her first and middle name (Linda Sue), she raced into the kitchen to share this new knowledge with her mother. She was so proud, standing tall and reciting the letters of her name. L-E-M-O-N H-E-A-D.
Her mother was not happy with her brothers and stopped what she was doing to teach Linda the correct way to spell her name. L. S. still receives a box of Lemonhead candy every year for Christmas.
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads
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ZIA, The Teenage Zombie & The Undead Series by Angela Scott ~ Blitz and Giveaway
Posted: October 28, 2015 in Blitz, giveaways, New Release, YA Fantasy, ZombiesTags: Author Angela Scott, YA Fantasy, ZIA The Teenage Zombie * The Undead Series
I loved Angela’s Zombie West series and jumped at the chance to share her newest series release.
Come on in and check out ZIA. Read a teaser from the book.
And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
ZIA, The Teenage Zombie & the Undead Diaries
by Angela Scott
Release date: September 20th 2015
Summary from Goodreads:
Zia would give anything to be a typical teenager… again. Heck, she’d settle for being a vampire or smelly werewolf, but a member of the walking dead? The lowliest of all the monsters? No way! Nothing is worse than being a skin-sloughing, limb-losing, maggot-housing, brain-craving undead girl. Nothing.
It wouldn’t be so bad if humans didn’t insist on “Living Impaireds” wearing bands to keep their insatiable appetites in check. And if LIs want to coexist with humans, then rules must be followed, no matter how ludicrous they might seem. Why do undead teenagers have to go to high school anyway?
Zia does her best to blend in and go unnoticed, but when a new group of LIs are bused in from another school and she finds herself part of a growing horde, all bets are off.
Besides, rules are meant to be broken—especially when an unbeating heart is pulled in two different directions.
Buy Links:
Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo │iTunes
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Enjoy this teaser from the book.
Dear Diary,
I wish I’d been given the casket and burial plot kind of funeral instead of no funeral at all. I even know the type of headstone I’d like. Not the ones that lay flat on the ground. No one sees those. They get mowed over and stepped on. It would be nice to have an upright one in the shape of a heart with a built-in vase for a nice flower or two. Preferably a daisy—my favorite.
My headstone would say my name, Zia Evans, and my birth date—the day I actually came into the world and not my “rebirth,” as many call it: April 16, 1999. And of course, the day I died—July 26, 2015.
Sing a song. Cry a little. Let me go to the great beyond. But no, none of that for me.
The day I died has come and gone and isn’t recorded anywhere. I still walk the earth and do everything the same as before but with a “handicap”—my word for it—and no one cares when I died anymore.
I remember, though.
Because the day I died was also the day I became a part of the walking dead.
And also the day my life totally began to suck.
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Author Angela Scott
I hear voices. Tiny fictional people sit on my shoulders and whisper their stories in my ear. Instead of medicating myself, I decided to pick up a pen, write down everything those voices tell me, and turn it into a book. I’m not crazy. I’m an author.
For the most part, I write contemporary Young Adult novels. However, through a writing exercise that spiraled out of control, I found myself writing about zombies terrorizing the Wild Wild West—and loving it. My zombies don’t sparkle, and they definitely don’t cuddle. At least, I wouldn’t suggest it.
I live on the benches of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains with two lovely children, one teenager, and a very patient husband. I graduated from Utah State University with a B.A. degree in English, not because of my love for the written word, but because it was the only major that didn’t require math. I can’t spell, and grammar is my arch nemesis. But they gave me the degree, and there are no take backs.
As a child, I never sucked on a pacifier; I chewed on a pencil. I’ve been writing that long. It has only been the past few years that I’ve pursued it professionally, forged relationships with other like-minded individuals, and determined to make a career out of it.
Author Links:
Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook
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Event organized by YA Bound Book Tours
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A second chance…. The Wishing Stone by Tegon Maus ~ Virtual Tour and Giveaway
Posted: October 26, 2015 in Blitz, giveaways, Science FictionTags: Author Tegon Maus, soft sci-fi, The Wishing Stone
I recently showcased Tegon Maus and the first book in her Eve Project Series, Machines of the Little People.
I’m thrilled to be sharing the second book, The Wishing Stone.
Come on in.
Check out the awesome cover art.
Enjoy the peek inside The Wishing Stone.
And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
The Wishing Stone
The Eve Project Book #2
by Tegon Maus
Genre: Soft Sci-Fi
Synopsis
The last time we used it was at the hospital the morning she died.
On that day, all three of us made a silent wish, certain the others had wished the same. Kate died that afternoon and I never thought about it again. It was the last time I believed in magic, in love or… in the existence of God… and then, after three miserable, lonely years… the unthinkable, a second chance… Warwick.
Enjoy the excerpt!
In the middle of the room stood a large machine of some sort. Six large, blue cylinders, with thick cables and several hoses protruding out of their tops, made up the bulk of the apparatus. At the bottom, each narrowed almost to a point, terminating in a black plastic square. A rainbow of braided wire, jutted out of one side of the square before being taped to the side of each cylinder. The wires trailed along the thicker cable until they connected to the back of a dull aluminum box. More cables, attached to a computer, were tied to the opposite side of the aluminum box. Below the cylinders was a flat, slanted table.
Roger stood with his hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped, staring at the contrivance.
“I’m sorry, my friend,” Digby said softly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I fixed it.”
“Got it to work at last then?” Roger asked. His voice held a sorrowful tone.
“I wish it had been in time,” Digby said, patting him.
I didn’t understand what was going on. What was this machine? What did it do?
“It looks… complicated,” I offered trying to think of the right thing to say.
“It was Roger’s design. Digby finished it when Kate went into the hospital for the last time,” Marcie answered, coming to my rescue.
“What does it do?” I asked, running a curious hand over the metal cylinders.
“It doesn’t do anything… it makes,” Digby said, lightly slapping my hand away from the apparatus.
“My mistake… what does it make?”
“Skin,” he returned.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Skin,” he repeated.
“Skin like…” I couldn’t think of the right words to convey my curiosity.
“Yes, skin… people skin… like yours, like mine, like hers,” he said with disinterest, pointing at Marcie.
“Well, not like my skin,” Marcie countered.
“Oh, you’re right. I hadn’t thought about that… wouldn’t that be interesting. Yes?” Digby exclaimed, covering his mouth with his fingers. He stood for a moment looking to the ceiling, his fingers drumming over his half open mouth.
Author Tegan Maus
I was raised pretty much the same as everyone else… devoted mother, strict father and all the imaginary friends I could conjure. Not that I wasn’t friendly, I just wasn’t “people orientated”. Maybe I lived in my head way more than I should have, maybe not. I liked machines more than people, at least I did until I met my wife. The first thing I can remember writing was for her. For the life of me I can’t remember what it was about… something about dust bunnies under the bed and monsters in my closet. It must have been pretty good because she married me shortly after that. I spent a good number of years after inventing games and prototypes for a variety of ideas before I got back to writing. It wasn’t a deliberate conscious thought it was more of a stepping stone. My wife and I had joined a dream interpret group and we were encouraged to write down our dreams as they occurred. “Be as detailed as you can,” we were told. I was thrilled. If there is one thing I enjoy it’s making people believe me and I like to exaggerate. Not a big exaggeration or an outright lie mine you, just a little step out of sync, just enough so you couldn’t be sure if it were true or not. When I write, I always write with the effort of “it could happen” very much in mind and nothing, I guarantee you, nothing, makes me happier.
Amazon / B&N / Tirgearr Publishing
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The Beat On Ruby’s Street ~ Blitz and Giveaway
Posted: October 22, 2015 in Action/Adventure, Blitz, Children's books, giveawaysTags: Author Jenna Zark, giveaway, middle grade adventure, The Beat On Ruby's Street
Welcome to the blitz tour for The Beat on Ruby’s Street by Jenna Zark! This is a middle grade novel and is now available for sale!
About the Book:
The last thing eleven-year-old Ruby Tabeata expected to happen on her way to a Jack Kerouac reading was to be hauled to the police station.
It’s 1958 and Ruby is the opposite of a 1950s stereotype: fierce, funny and strong willed, she is only just starting to chart her course in a family of Beat Generation artists in Greenwich Village. Ruby dreams of meeting famous poets while becoming one herself; instead, she’s accused of trying to steal fruit from a local vendor and is forced to live in a children’s home. As Ruby struggles to return to family and friends, she learns her only choice is to follow her heart.
Join Ruby’s journey as she finds unexpected friendships, the courage to rebel against unjust authority and the healing power of art in this inspiring middle-grade novel by Jenna Zark.
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About the Author:
Jenna Zark is a columnist, lyricist, playwright, and novelist. Her play A Body of Water was published by Dramatists Play Service and produced regionally after its debut at Circle Repertory Company in New York. Other plays were produced in the Twin Cities, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and St. Louis. As a former staff writer at Scholastic Choices magazine, Zark wrote extensively for middle school and junior high students. Columns, poetry, essays, and articles have been published in TC Jewfolk, Stoneboat literary magazine, Minnesota Bride and numerous other publications. Zark is also a member of a lyricist’s collective in the Twin Cities that performs at local cabarets. She’s still trying to figure out if it’s harder to write a play, a novel, or a song. To share your thoughts on that or to learn more, please visit jennazark.com.
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Giveaway:
One (1) paperback copy of The Beat on Ruby’s Street (US) and five (5) ebooks (INT)
Ends November 5th
Prizing is provided by the publisher, hosts are not responsible.
Click on the rafflecopter link below to enter.
This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.
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To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!
Broken Pride ~ The Broken City Series ~ A Post-Apocalyptic Romance/Adventure
Posted: October 21, 2015 in Action/Adventure, apocalypse, Blitz, RomanceTags: Adventure, Author D.D. Chant, Broken City Series, Broken Pride, post apocalyptic romance
BOOK INFORMATION
TITLE – Broken Pride
SERIES – Broken City
AUTHOR – D.D. Chant
GENRE – Post-Apocalyptic Romance/Adventure
PUBLICATION DATE – 09/20/2015
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 115.600 words
PUBLISHER – Self Published
COVER ARTIST – Kate Lacy
BOOK SYNOPSIS
In a future filled with warring factions, one young woman must risk everything to be reunited with the man she loves.
Despised for the name she bears, and trapped behind enemy lines, she knows her life and the lives of those she loves rests on her choosing her allies wisely.
Yet, in a world where greed is rampant and only the strong survive, how can she find the courage to trust again?
BUY & TBR LINKS
AMAZON KINDLE US
AMAZON KINDLE CA
AMAZON KINDLE UK
GOODREADS
EXCERPT
Suddenly he knew exactly what the next few minutes would bring.They find the first body slumped against the wall of one of the outer buildings. The young man, little more than a boy, is propped up at an awkward angle, his face frozen into an expression filled with so much fear that it was difficult to look at him.
And then there was more.
More bodies, more blood, more horror than Ryder can take in. He feels sick to his stomach and, for a few moments, he is a teenage boy again picking through the dead carcasses that had littered the Kelly compound.
He shakes his head, trying to bring his focus back to the present.
Bodies litter the streets and hang over thresholds. He blinks the sweat running into his eyes away, trying not to dwell on the death that surrounds him. He couldn’t think about the awfulness, about the fact that most of the dead were so young.
They break into the square, yet by then Ryder had known what they would find. Val swears and when Ryder looks across at him it is to find that his sardonic, ever smug half-brother looks like he is going to be sick.
“What the… how the hell did they do this?” Val splutters, lifting his hand to his head and looking around wildly. “How did the Lewises manage to do this? We were right here for goodness sake! How did we not know this was happening?”
Ryder doesn’t answer him. He had no answers, just the sickness that rolled around his stomach. Beside him Connell turns and vomits on to the ground. Ryder isn’t surprised to see one of the hard-bitten Andak soldiers displaying such weakness. He was pretty close to joining him in heaving out the contents of his own stomach. Out of the corner of his eye he catches sight of a movement and lifts his gun warningly. Ian sits in the dust outside one of the hovels the Brownelys called homes. It takes Ryder a minute to realise that it was Ian’s house, the same one he had seen him standing in the doorway of yesterday.
He moves forward, ready to offer assistance. It wasn’t until he was much closer that he became aware of the fact that Ian clutched a lifeless body in his arms.
AUTHOR BIO
Hi everyone,
My name is DeeDee and I live in a beautiful part of Devon, England, with my family. I’ve always loved to read, and I’ve never been picky about which genre I read in. I’m just as happy curled up with a regency romance as I am with a dystopian adventure.
When I first wrote Broken City I had no idea that it would turn in to a series, but Deeta’s story begged to be told. So the stand alone Broken City became a trilogy, and now I know there will be a forth book as well.
I also write in other genres, I have a series of contemporary comedic short stores (The Claire series). I also have a historical romance series (The Lady Quill Chronicles), and a dystopian adventure series (The Chronicles of Discord).
I really hope that you enjoy reading my stories as much as I enjoy writing them!
AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE
WEBSITE / BLOG
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOOGLE+
GOODREADS
SHELFARI
BOOKLIKES
OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES
Book #1 – Broken City
Broken City is #FREE During the Duration of the Tour
BOOK SYNOPSIS
A girl with no future
A man with no past
A little lost boy
And those who seek to find him….
….Welcome to Deeta’s world.
Deeta Richards has never seen the outside world. Before she was born a banking crisis brought civilization to an end and now no one leaves the safety of the compounds unless they need to, but Deeta still dreams of seeing more than the building she was born in.
Tom is in the guard, this group are the only people that the tribal elders allow to leave the compound and Tom knows only too well that Deeta could never survive the harshness that exists outside. Then tragedy strikes and Deeta and her Sister Jan find themselves captured by a hostile tribe. Why does Tom know so much about these people? And why do they know so much about him? As this mystery draws to a climax, they discover that their friend Tom is not quite what he seems…
BUY LINKS
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Smashwords
Barnes & Nobles
Kobo
Book #2 – Broken Truce
BOOK SYNOPSIS
Life isn’t turning out the way that Deeta thought it would. With the Lewises defeated and peace between the tribes, she had believed that the dark times were a thing of the past.
But troubles between the tribes continue, and the Andak council have selected Tom as their ambassador and spokesman to the other tribes.
Deeta knows that there is still much resentment against the Andak, and that Tom is in danger every time he leaves the safety of Andak City.
Struggling with her own complicated feelings against the tribe that she is now a part of, Deeta tries to ignore the changing attitudes growing within her.
But when Tom is betrayed and they are thrown into great danger, Deeta finds that reality can’t be ignored forever…
BUY LINKS
This tour was organized & hosted by
Until the next time….
Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!
A world gone mad ~ Alice Through Blood-Stained Glass ~ Virtual Tour and Giveaway
Posted: October 12, 2015 in apocalypse, Blitz, giveaways, horror, ZombiesTags: Alice Through Blood Stained Glass, Author Dan Adams, Zombie apocalypse
If the cover art doesn’t grab ya, the synopsis will!
Come on in and check this out!
And don’t forget to enter the giveaway.
Alice Through Blood-Stained Glass
by Dan Adams
Blurb
Alice is minding her younger sister when the Zombie apocalypse hits. She has to find safety but is thwarted at every turn – by a strange man, by two stoners. The world has gone mad and she doesn’t know who to trust.
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Check out this thrilling excerpt!
Alice registered the confused look on her sister’s face and traced her line of sight along her outstretched arm to her finger that pointed to a man racing along the edge of the park. The sight was peculiar, if nothing else. Unlike the joggers Alice noticed on her way to and from school, who ran the circuit daily, this man was dressed in a fine grey suit. The perspiration had soaked all the way through the jacket, leaving a dark stain that was clearly visible even from this distance.
The man was running toward them and Alice instinctively stood and moved in front of her sister, resting her hands on her hips in an attempt to look as intimidating as possible. Last term she had adopted the same stance in the playground when Susie P had stormed up to her and accused her of snitching. She had held her ground then and Susie was a proper bitch — this guy looked like he had nothing on a pampered schoolgirl.
‘Oh dear, oh dear,’ he muttered as he saw them, huffing between words to catch his breath.
Alice didn’t know what he meant by that but even her little sister had risen, and now stood behind her, clutching her book to her chest like a makeshift shield.
He slowed, glancing over his shoulder, then to his phone, then back over his shoulder again before slowing and changing his direction to come their way. Behind him the street was empty, and the air hung heavy with static, a shimmering haze warped the road in the distance.
‘What are you doing outside?’ he asked in disbelief.
Alice thought it was none of his business and told him as such.
‘Didn’t you see the news?! It’s been all over the television and radio.’
‘Do you see any of either of those around here?’ she retorted, indicating with the wave of her hand the open expanse of the park.
He looked at her like she hadn’t heard a word he had said. ‘The infection … it’s been all over the news. They are telling everyone to remain indoors and people who display symptoms are … dangerous.’
‘What do you mean infection?’
The man was clearly getting frustrated, ‘The fatal kind.’
Alice’s sister let out a whimper behind her. It probably wasn’t as bad as he was making out. People died all the time from diseases.
At the sight of her questioning raised eyebrow, the man elaborated. ‘It’s worse than just death. Once they die, they get back up and start feeding on the closest human. If you don’t believe me check out YouTube. I’m sure someone’s posted something by now.’
Alice skimmed her finger along the screen of her phone, quickly thumbed in her password without taking her eyes from his face. He was looking nervous; his fingers were shaking and he kept looking back in the direction he had come from.
A moment later she had opened a browser and was skimming through videos labeled ‘zombie outbreak’, ‘woman eats child’ and ‘The apocalypse is here’. She clicked on the first and tapped her foot impatiently as the video loaded. The screen opened and was filled with a woman cradling a man in her arms, both covered in blood. At first it looked nothing more like some horrific accident, and the woman was grieving the loss. Until the woman leant down and tore a chunk of flesh from the man’s chest, ripping her head back and Alice could clearly see meat dangling from her mouth, her jaw moving up and down as she devoured it.
Alice put the back of her hand over her mouth to stop herself from vomiting. The video panned down the street behind the meal and a crowd of blood-covered monsters were shuffling toward the filmer’s location. Then someone muttered ‘Oh fuck’ and the video cut off abruptly.
Alice’s face was drained of colour as she slowly put her phone away. The man, who had stood patiently while she discovered the horrid truth for herself, was now jumping from foot to foot, scanning the distance.
‘Ok, I believe you now.’
‘Finally. They are evacuating the city at four different points. We’re closer to the south exit, at the school on Williams street. Do you know where that is?’
‘Yeah, I know.’
The man pulled his phone back out of his waistcoat pocket and looked at the time. ‘We’ve got 20 minutes before they quarantine the city and no one else gets out. The army will probably fire bomb the city if ground troops can’t deal with it.’
Alice wondered if he had formerly been in the military or if he was just repeating what he had heard on the news. It didn’t really matter, but she was curious, if only for a second. She was about to ask him when the sound of smashing glass resonated in the distance followed a split second later by a wailing car alarm. Then there was the high-pitched scream.
‘Fuck it, let’s go! I don’t want to be late,’ the man ordered, before turning and racing off south.
Alice looked at her sister then back at the man. She grabbed Elizabeth by the hand and raced after him, risking a glance back over her shoulder. She immediately knew she shouldn’t have. The first wave of the walking corpses came around the corner where the man had come from and her heart leapt into her throat.
Alice fixated on the man at the front of the pack. Perhaps ‘man’ was a loose description now.
Half his face was missing, exposing the whiteness of the jaw and teeth underneath the skin and muscle. Blood dripped from the remains of his dark goatee and covered the front of his white shirt. His head hung to one side and he seemed to be dragging his left foot along with each labored step of his right.
‘Don’t turn around sis, just keep your eyes focused on the man in front of us, the man in the waistcoat,’ Alice pleaded, making a bigger push to catch up to him.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Dan Adams is a Sydney-based writer. When he’s not penning kick ass war stories, he’s working on his guns – the arm variety, rather than the weapons featured so prominently in his books. He loves slushies and always finds himself climbing too many stairs on Wednesdays. Follow him on Twitter at @DanAdamsWriter
NOTE: Book is only $0.99
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~~~~~
Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!
To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!