Happy New Year's, New Book For A New Year!!!

Before I start on a brand new blog, I wanted to just say a very happy birthday to Rae Hachton & Marcus Marbles :). The author of Pretty In Black and one of the characters of the book celebrated their birthdays on NEW YEARS EVE!!! Whoop Whoop!!!

When asked to be a part of the book tour for Pretty In Black, I was ecstatic!!! I never participated in a book tour, and didn't really know how to go about it lol. The moment I recieved Pretty In Black in the mail, I cracked it open once I got it out of the box :). The book pulled me in at the first page, and instantly had a crush on Marcus.

Ellie, a high school student, was on the cheerleading team, popular, had a boyfriend. But she lost all interest until her sisters murder. Her mom lived in a trailor park with a drunk, and her dad left the family shortly after the death of her sister. She met Marcus when she decided to end her life in a cemetary. Ellie thought it was all a dream when Marcus showed up and her wrists weren't covered in blood.

Everywhere Ellie went, Marcus was right there. Throughout the book, Ellie falls more and more in love with Marcus. Well, who wouldn't? He takes her to a private opera, plays the violin, says the right things, and overall very romantic :).

Marus is one of the characters every woman young or old dreams about. I crush him just like I crush Jacob from Jaquelin Frank (did I spell her name right?).

But of course, Marcus has a secret. He is undead. Part of a society Corvidae. And Ellie, found out that she is a Corvidae hunter. It's like William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, a tale of 2 star-crossed lovers.

Marcus is infatuated with Ellie, and Ellie is in love with Marcus. They want to put all the trouble aside in order to be together. But will the Corvidae?

You must check out Pretty In Black and her 2nd book Black Satin (May 28th, 2012) on goodreads.com

You can also check out Rae's blog at http://evermores.blogspot.com/p/welcome-to-nevermore.html

OH!!! And don't forget to "like" her facebook page as well.

A Lick of Frost

Have I ever mentioned that I am a HUGE fan of Laurell K Hamilton's? Well, I'm telling you now: I AM A HUGE FAN!!!
Book 6 of the Merry Gentry Series "A Lick of Frost" was interesting. Something was always happening!!!
So, the main point up until now is that Merry Gentry who is half human half fairy, has a mission: to get pregnant first in order to get the throne. the queen is her aunt, Andais.
So through all these books, you're being introduced to new characters. First she has her wing men (Doyle, Frost, Rhys & Galen (I might be forgetting someone) ). Anyways, she has also brought in a goblin Kitto, Sholto, and also Mistral.
Now, she has bedded these guys plus a couple more. Not only is she trying to get pregnant, but these guys plus the faerie seethen is gaining power. Power that has been taken away centuries ago. (It's like one big soap opera for the housewife . . . hehehe).
Ok, now that I brought you up to date I will go on to the book. Book 5 Mistral's Kiss, Merry's wingmen get charged for rape of a seelie in her uncle's court. While talking to the lawyers, she is also talking to her Uncle Taranis through a mirror. All the lawyers & officers are starting to realize that he isn't all there in the head. And before they know it, Taranis is attacking everyone in the room through the mirror.
Doyle (pronounced Dol) is the one actually injured while others were able get away with some burns and scratches.
She then goes on to make a deal with the Goblin twins (Holly and Ash) to sleep with them so they can gain power.
When they met up (Merry, her men, Holly, Ash & the Red Caps . . . you'll have to read about them :) ) something happens. Frost, Holly, Ash, and the other guys (just some), were knocked out. But Frost didn't recover. He ended up turning into a Stag. Which he didn't really die, he's just in another form. But will return between a few years and a century).
Merry is so upset that she had lost Frost, she goes out to get some air.
And I will leave it at that. But I will tell you this. Yes, she finally does find out she pregnant. WITH TWINS!!! But you will also have to find out about this pregnancy. There's a HUGE twist ;).
Laurell K Hamilton's books are always a page turner. There are Anita Blake fans, and there are Merry Gentry fans. I am a fan of both :).
But coming from someone who is not patient, I am finally happy to find out that she is pregnant and next in line to be Queen. After book 6, and no patience, that goes to show how good of a series this is.
I totally recommend this book if you like mystery, fantasy and sex.

You can check out her other books on her website.
Also, don't forget to "like" her facebook and follow her on Twitter :)

Books to Celebrate Halloween

This morning, while my little one was still sleeping and I was waking up to start the day, I had the TV on the biography channel. What was on? Anne Rice followed by Bram Stoker.
Throughout the day, I was thinking of all my favorite horror authors. Anne Rice. Bram Stoker. Mary Shelley. Oscar Wilde. Emily Bronte. Steven King. So on and so on.
Why do I adore these authors? They were classically written. Let's go down the list. Anne Rice's character Lestat was an overall ass wipe with sum serious issues. But intrigued the reader with his adventure of ups and downs. Even though he was ignorant, he was also loveable.
Bram Stoker's character Dracula was mourning throughout the whole story. Finding someone who looked like the resurrected version of his love. I find Dracula to be an actual love story along with Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights. Why? It's the drama, the horror & the love of someone else.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Even though it doesn't seem like a love story and more horror, let's look at sum of the points: Dr Frankenstein falls in love with his "adopted" sister. He creates a monster. The monster realizes he will never be loved because of his looks. The monster goes after Frankenstein by killing his bride. He forces Frankenstein to bring the bride back to life as a monster as well. Tragic.
Oscar Wilde's The Portrait of Dorian Grey. A guy who pretty much sold his soul to stay young and good looking. His friends die of old age or diseases and he is still "perfect". He then kills himself feeling the loss of life. There is no reason to live after all his friends and loved ones die.
Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights was an actual love story surrounded with horror. Heathcliff being haunted by his loved one Catherine even though they were never together. The feelings between them were mutual, but was never able to happen. Catherine dies, and Heathcliff feels like he is being haunted by Catherine.
And of course, Steven King. By far my fave book from him is The Shining. Book and movie. Twist after twist. No reason to go on with this one, considering probably everyone knows about The Shining.
Tell me what your favorite horror author is. And tell me about their books. Feel free to comment :)
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Fall Leaves and the Black Dragon by Erik Gustafson

Willy was the average 6 year old boy. Playing with little green plastic army men. Playing with his friend Rich in the backyard, the war between the men.
That's when the devastating nightmare started for Willy. A fire started in the backyard where the boys were playing. His mom saved him, but he only knew a certain story about Rich. His parents told him he was in the hospital and can't have any visitors.
Shortly after, Willy and his family move a couple of states away, and Willy made new friends.
That was the story that Willy grew up with. Including the nightmares and the hallucinations. Always dreaming that the army men were after him along with a black dragon (hence the title). Willy was never able to really understand all of this. But along with the nightmares and hallucinations, Willy kept hearing his name being called out, and he doesn't know who it is.
He has all these issues through middle and high school. He finally confides in his friend Kenny. Kenny was the only one about these issues. (He felt like his parents wouldn't understand).
After graduation, his parents finally say him down and told him the truth. Rich was dead. And so was his mom (his mom died trying to save Rich). Willy, of course, was angry at the fact that this was hidden from him.
He then started to put two and two together and figured out Rich was the voice that was always calling out to him.
Willy and Kenny go on their first road trip back to Willy's hometown/state in Iowa, to get to the bottom of all this. Thinking he would get closure from all the hallucinations and the nightmares and the voice.
I'm going to leave it at that without giving to much away. Why? Cause there is a lot that goes on after half the book (yes, I only described the first half lol. I'm leaving out A LOT!!!)
I found the book to be chilling yet emotional. Why? All the nightmares, the chilling voice that haunted Willy all those years, and emotional because of all the stuff that I'm leaving out (cliff hanger . . . MUAHAHAHAHA ;) )
I totally recommend this book if you like heart felt, chilling, mystery, suspense all wrapped up in 1 book.

Follow Erik Gustafson on twitter here
Make sure you "like" his facebook to check out his writings and paintings
And make sure you order his book on Smashwords

Vampire Redemption by Aaron Marcusson

Aaron Marcusson took my breath away with the piece "Vampire Redemption".
I have never read a story of a recipe mixing horror, paranormal and religion. All three mixed together makes a truly dark yet emotional book.
"Akim" was born along with eleven other boys in different tribes. All twelve were conceived by a fallen angel and a human mother. All twelve are the army of Lucifer, going against God during Armageddon.
Akim finds out his wife, Steph, was murdered outside her work place. So he goes on a mission to find her killer. Along his journey he runs into his brothers to get answers. He then goes to find Variel (another brother, more on that later on). While looking for Variel, he gets kidnapped by a Sgt. Smith.
Sgt. Smith goes after Akim, thinking he is the one who murdered his wife, and his daughters. Something so gruesome, will make any parent (like myself) cringe. A vampire who literally put the family's life in Smith's hands. Choosing between his wife or his daughter. And after his decision finds out his wife is pregnant with another girl.
While in this cave, he meets Dr. Jones. A woman who studied Akim while he was in this chamber. Sgt. Smith tries to get answers out of him, and when Akim doesn't give him the answer he wanted, Smith puts him to sleep. For weeks.
While sleeping, he has this dream of his real mother. The mother he had killed while she was giving birth to him. And she tells him this whole story of Adam and Lilith, with God and Satan. (I think we all have heard of the story)
When Akim wakes, he realizes he has this new power, a power to mind control. He saves Jones' life by invading her body to protect her from being raped and/or murdered. And in return, Jones' set him free.
And he goes off to hide from his brother Variel until he is prepared.
I'm only giving bits and pieces of this book, considering there is a lot going on, and I don't want to give away too much. Just the basics.
I really love the writing of Aaron Marcusson. From the very beginning he had me at "hello". This book really makes you think about the stories told in the bible & those that were never in the bible, but has been documented. It makes a whole different story on vampires, almost like the movie "Vampire 2000" but not as cheesy. How it was mixed with the bible, but still had the paranormal/horror take to it. I enjoyed it & I hope u try it & have the same appreciation for this book as I did.

You can order Vampire Redemption on Smashwords here.
And you have to make sure you check out his facebook and Twitter as well to get updates and to get to know him, and love him as much as I do.

Guest Blogger: Taryn Browning

I am so excited to share the book trailer for my YA Urban Fantasy, Dark Seeker, released Oct 2011. Dark Seeker is the novel Dark Beauty was based on. In both stories, the characters are Seekers, a kind of vampire hunter. Only, they are up against a new and stronger vampire/demon hybrid that doesn't follow the same rules as "traditional" vampires, including how they are killed. Check out the book description and trailer for more about both books in the Seeker series. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy the trailer.






Dark Beauty Description:
For fifteen-year-old Seeker, Isabelle Crowe, ridding the Houston streets of the
undead is an inherited duty, passed down from her Cherokee ancestors. During her first night without her mentor, she encounters Abram, a more experienced Seeker from Chicago looking to avenge his cousin's death. Isabelle quickly learns she must work with Abram to protect her city. With one Seeker already dead, Isabelle's love of the hunt becomes a fight to survive.



Dark Seeker Description: For 17-year-old Seeker, Janie Grey, ridding the Baltimore streets of the undead is an inherited duty passed down from her Cherokee ancestors. Seeker Training Lesson #1: Never trust the undead. After her father’s tragic death, Janie creates her own life lesson: Love isn’t worth the risk. Both lessons are easy to follow until she encounters the flawed Kai Sterdam. At first, she believes he is the hybrid she is trained to hunt. But, when he has human traits, she determines she doesn’t know what he is. As Janie’s intrigue over who Kai is pushes her deeper into his mysterious past, she discovers a shocking truth that is even more harrowing than the evil they are up against. It’s a secret Kai wants to keep hidden, especially from Janie.

www.tarynbrowning.com

"Get ready for a new breed of vampire slayers!" —Artist Arthur, author of The Mystyx Novels

"YA fans of fresh, edgy urban fantasy are going to love Dark Seeker." —Kari Lee Townsend, National Best Selling Author of The Samantha Granger Experiment & The Fortune Teller Mysteries

"Taryn Browning is a master writer. Dark Seeker is thrilling and beautiful, and follows only one trend: good story-telling." —Brent Taylor, The Naughty Book Kitties Blogspot

#100blogfest

So this is the deal yeah. I am about seven years old and going to a new school for the first time. At the break or play-time, whichever you used to call it, the boys went into one playground and girls into another. Just as a side point, although it was years before my time, the school had an air raid bunker in the playground (although it had a locked door so we never went in there).
So anyway back to the story. In the playground was a really filthy toiler. If it was in this modern era it would be condemned. Well on my first day or so, I went to the toilet and saw this boy. I was in shock. I ran back into the playground to double check and there he was again. How could this be?
Again I went back into the toilet to find he was still in there. It was almost like an episode of Dr. Who or Star Trek where he kept getting beamed from one spot to the other. So I went to this kid in the toilets mumbling my disbelief at what was happening.
He must have thought I was some lunatic. But after he didn't respond to my garbled conversations, I dragged him into the yard to prove my theory. And low and behold I was right - there were two of him. They must have thought I was some weird nutter when in fact I had never seen twins before.
These blogs are all about fun and sharing. Thank you for reading '#100blogfest' blog. Please follow this link to find the next blog in the series: http://martinkingauthor.com/blog/7094550076