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From the Cover: MARYJANICE DAVIDSON “Tall, Dark and Not So Faery”
Scarlett is not your typical pint-sized faery. At six feet, four inches tall, she’s an unlikely candidate for a match made in heaven. But when she ventures to Cannon Falls, Minnesota, on royal orders to survey its extraordinary residents, she stumbles upon the one man who just may measure up to size....
Scarlett is faery on a mission from the King of the Faeries, to count. It's what faeries do best. But Scarlett is OCD about counting....she wants to count, needs to count, WILL count. First, she must get by the Violent Faery's front door and the menagerie that makes up Violent Faery's household. As Scarlett takes 'count' of her surroundings, she discovers that Violent Faery's 'family' consists of: a faery, a dryad, a vampire, a werewolf, a human, and a ghost.
Judith is a SUV, a Ford Escape to be exact. She's been cursed into the SUV by a former boyfriend, who knew you shouldn't cheat on an archmage? Judith is suspicious of Scarlett. Is she here to break up her happy family?
Judith takes matters into to her own hands and decides her mechanic, Coffey Ray, is just what Judith needs to solve her problems. And Coffey Ray knows her secret, she knows his as well. He's safe to bring to the house, and may be the answer to the problem of Scarlett. Now the question remains, will Scarlett count and return to her King brother or can Judith convince her to stay?
Tall, Dark, and Not So Faery by MaryJanice Davison is a sweet tale of the unusual kingdom of Faery. When Scarlett is sent to count Violent Faery, she really tries to succeed in her quest. But, truthfully, she rarely leaves the kingdom and doesn't know what to expect. She's frighten of most mechanical things, and Judith at first terrifies her. Judith is worried that Scarlett will drive her family apart. This story is about Scarlett, but Judith plays a pivotal role in this story as well. Without Judith's intervention, Scarlett may have never found her one true love. Without Scarlett interruption of their lives, Judith would have never succeeded in her quest for freedom and love. The heroes in this story turns out to be the ADD mechanic, Coffey Ray and Owen, the werewolf. Coffey Ray lets Scarlett realizes that dreams come true and Owen allows Judith her freedom.
This is such a cute little story which reflects the humor that infects everything MaryJanice Davidson's creates. People are terrified of the gentle ADD mechanic, but don't see anything wrong with a houseful of supernatural creatures. I think MaryJanice Davidson's goal is to create novels and novellas that bring joy, hilarity, and fun back into your life. Tall, Dark, and Not So Faery is just pure fun. Usually when you hear about a faery story, you think of a tiny little firefly creature, but not in this story. It was a fast, fun read that I read twice to enjoy it a second time. For more information about MaryJanice Davidson or her books, please visit her blog or her website.
I found this beautiful rendition of Betsy Taylor by Jesse Cutler, of Melbourne, Australia on MJ's website. Too Cool.
The Lie by Fredrica Wagman Publisher: Zoland Books / Steerforth Press Pages: 214
From the Cover: Coming of age in 1940s and 1950s America, Ramona Smollens takes her cues about female sexuality from Hollywood movie stars. None is more voluptuous than Rita Hayworth, the redhead who knows how to please a man and becomes a volcano of passion at her lover's touch, whose image inspired American flyers on their missions in World War II and even graced the first atomic bomb tested at the Bikini atoll. Ramona marries young and escapes her mother's house shortly after the death of her father. She takes with her a dark family secret, the sort of secret one simply did not talk about and that would stalk her as she matured into her role as wife and mother, remained a devoted daughter to her aging mother, and secretly harbored an obsession with the iconic Hayworth.
The fictional story Wagman tells of one woman's struggle with the conventions of her day is a bold literary achievement. Underpinning it all is the sad, unspoken truth of the real-life, flesh-and-blood Hayworth, the woman whose father sexually abused her. "Men go to bed with Gilda," She used to say, "but wake up with me." During Hayworth's lifetime, the public had no understanding of the depth of mean, and pain, behind Hayworth's seemingly self-effacing words. To Ramona, and millions of women like her, Hayworth's on-screen persona seemed the ideal, but was in fact "the lie." With this novel, Wagman realizes Kafkas famous dictum that "a book must be the axe that breaks the frozen sea within us."
Ramona Smollens is sad, misunderstood young woman who just wants someone to love and to be loved back. She see her life through the eyes of the fascination with her idol, Rita Hayworth. Her father who was abusive and detached from his family has dropped dead and her mother is a worn out woman who gets her jollies by making Ramona feel bad; about herself, about her choice in a man, and about life in general. Ramona is a young woman who was used to the abuse of an uncaring and unfeeling family.
The man she chooses to marry, is the man her mother disparages over and over again. Ramona's true fascination with her future husband, started with his hands and his fingers, as well as with her fascination with sex. Not that she enjoys sex, but she feels there is a need for sex. But she figures, that's okay. After all, the sex bomb goddess herself, Rita Hayworth, was married five times. As Ramona goes through life with her unsuccessful marriage and her quest for satisfaction that is never fulfilled, she continues to compare herself to Rita Hayworth.
The Lie by Fredrica Wagman is a story that follows lead character, Ramona, through her life. She has based her life on what she assumes it must have been like to be Rita Hayworth. It is a tale of an unfulfilled life with no idea how to achieve what is important all related to her need to escape the abuse that she has lived through. Ramona's constant comparison to Rita Hayworth to the point of sometimes using Rita as her name is almost scary. Her detachment from reality and her inability to seek happiness, takes the reader on a journey that is not for the faint of heart, but a worthy one. The Lie will be revealed by the end of the tale for those willingly to complete the journey. If you'd like more information about Fredrica Wagman or her books, please visit her website at http://www.fredricawagman.com/ .
Cecile and I were chatting the other day, and she mentioned that she hadn't seen Gerard Butler in Dracula 2000. This all started when the wonderful Ms. Amanda McIntyre had a post this weekend for preferences between scruffy or sharp dressed, Gerard Butler has no problem fitting into both categories, his scruffy is sharp.
In this incarnation of the Dracula franchise, Gerard Butler comes across as the super sexy scary bloodsucker like no one has before.
There have been plenty of scarier vampires,
like Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker's Dracula (for Ms. Charlotte Featherstone)
or Frank Langella first as young Dracula, then the older Dracula (for Ms. Marta Acosta).
Then there are always the vampire couples like Anita Blake and Jean Claude (this is for me, I love Anita and Jean Claude),
Louis and Lestat from Interview With The Vampire (for Ms. Moonlight)
and Queen Akasha and Lestat in Queen of the Damned (for Ms. Moonlight)
Bella and Edward (for all the Twilight fans out there, which I am one),
and Henry Fitzroy and Vicki from Bloodties (for Chris, I too loved Bloodties)
Mick St. John and Beth/Mick St. John and Coraline (again for me and for my sweet blogger buddy, Lea)
Buffy and Angel/Buffy and Spike (again for Ms. Marta Acosta, wow, Angel and Spike),
Jessica and Hoyt (who knows how this is going to end, could be bad for Jessica), or
Sookie and Bill/Sookie and Eric (we had to know where this is going to end or where we'd like this to end, if they follow the books even a little).
Or vampire groups like The Lost Boys (again for me, hot scary teenage vamps).
But none look like Gerard Butler as our sexy scary addition in Dracula 2000 (these are all for Cecile and Ms. Amanda McIntyre).
I dug up these clips of fan made videos because the music was so fitting to the performances in the movie.
I loved this song put to the scenes from the movie, again fan made.
And finally, the actually movie trailer.
So, everyone knows of my love for vampires, the good, the bad, the sparkly, and the anime. I love reading vampire novels, watching the movies and TV shows, and writing short stories about them. Does anyone else have an opinion??
I hope everyone as a beautiful Thursday, only one more day until the weekend!!!
John at Grasping for the Wind has just completed the newest update to the SF/F/H Reviewer Linkup Meme. This is a list of many of the best speculative fiction review blogs on the internet. You can get the HTML code from John's blog or add your own website to the list if it is not already included.
I've never thought of myself as a 'Sam' before, I usually feel more like a Sookie, lol! I guess I could get used to the shifting, but the fleas? I don't think so.
Tara at Zeitg Host Media.com provided me with information about a new author, Christopher Ransom.
This is exclusive, previously unreleased material for the new supernatural thriller from St. Martin's Press, "The Birthing House" by Christopher Ransom.
(Release Date: 8-4-09)
From the Cover: When Conrad Harrison impulse-buys a big old house in Wisconsin, his wife Jo doesn’t share his enthusiasm, reluctant at the idea of leaving their LA life - so Conrad is left to set up their new home as she ties up loose ends at work. But Conrad’s new purchase is not all that it seems. Soon Conrad is hearing the ghostly wailing of a baby in the night, seeing blood on the floor and being haunted by a woman who looks exactly like Jo. With his wife away, Conrad becomes obsessed by the pregnant girl next door, Nadia, who claims to be a victim of the evil in the house. The crying leads him to a bricked-up body, and the mystery of the Birthing House unravels, pulling in Jo, Nadia and leading Conrad to a nightmarish conclusion…
The Birthing House sounds like my kind of read! Who doesn't love a good ghost story? If you like to take a peek at the first two chapters, click here.
To visit Christopher Ransom's website, click here.
Here's what Publisher's Weekly has to say:
“A blend of supernatural horror and psychological thriller, Ransom’s impressive debut chronicles a couple’s descent into madness after they purchase a 140-year-old Victorian house in rural Wisconsin . . . this addictively readable ghost story will keep readers up all night, with the lights on, of course.”
Here's a peek at the book trailer:
This sounds like a fantastic read. Thanks to Tara and Christopher Ransom!
I'm thinking expanding my flash fiction from the Dames' contest, considering, playing with ideas, but I'm not sure about it yet. I'm thinking Demons and Angels, fallen angels to demons.....maybe.....thinking.....
I so happy for all the bloggers out there that were nominated for BBAW awards. Congrats and Good Luck!!!
Leontine has been having a Karen Marie Moning review week, KMM's Highlander Series. My favorite of course is Dark Highlander. I'm also partial the Kiss of the Highlander. The twins, Drustin and Daegus, are too sweet for words. And boy, howdy, do they know how to treat the ladies.
Thanks for so much to Teddyree at The Eclectic Reader for my newest award. The Bingo Award for 'g' for gorgeous blog. Thanks Teddyree!
Thanks to everyone for making my blogging experience great!!!
If you want to catch up on some 'hot' reads, you might want to check out Erotic Horizon's blog. Check out her interview with Jenna and Bryce from Hot in Here by Sophie Renwick. It's priceless! EH does the best reviews of some of the hottest read in the blogosphere. Go check out this fun site.
Contests from another the blogosphere.
Lea, Barbara, Chris, Amy are all out in force promoting 'The Great Western Drive' and who doesn't love a good western. So, pony on up, and check out this great contest!
From Lea's blog:
Kristie from Ramblings on Romance Etcetera, Etcetera; Sybil from the Good, the Bad the Unread, and Wendy of The Misadventures of Super Librarian have banded together in a very worthy cause this week to promote Westerns called "The Great Western Drive".
It seems Westerns have waned in popularity in recent years and these lovely ladies are putting forth a concerted effort to bring attention to this situation and promote said sub-genre. After all "Cowboys Need Love Too"..
Cowboys do need love and it's been a long time since I've read one, I think it's high time that I give one a try.
Now, it's Wendy at The Misadventures of Super Librarian who's hosting the contest for four copies of A Reason to Live by Maureen McKade. Here's the information directly from Wendy's blog: {click on Wendy's name to enter}
Contest Alert!
Because she is the coolest, smartest, most awesome duck in the pond, Sybil landed four copies of A Reason To Live by Maureen McKade on a recent shopping excursion. Better still? She's giving me all four copies to give away on my blog! I will draw four winners from random commenters on any of my recommendation posts. (The one you just read, Tuesdays or Wednesdays). Winners will be announced Wednesday, August 26 (contest is open to non-US readers as well).
Go to Wendy's site to enter!
Doug at SciFiGuy is giving away Bleak History by John Shirley (there's several contest for this book around the blogosphere)
Roxanne from Fang-tastic Books has created a book trailer for Mr. Darcy, Vampyre.
Roxanne is also having a free book friday contest. It's for Child of the South by Joannna Catherine Scott.
From the Back Cover:
Joanna Catherine Scott author of the acclaimed Civil War novel The Road from Chapel Hill, returns with a gripping tale in which loyalty, duty, and love collide in a devastated South---where the war is over but conflict lives on.
Eugenia Mae Spotswood endured years of hardship and toil during the Civil War. Now she has returned to Wilmington to find out who her mother is---the white woman she called Mama or her father’s slave. Her search falters when the ongoing forces of racism and hatred almost break her spirit...until she is befriended by Abraham Galloway, the most powerful Negro leader in the North Carolina Senate.
Also driven forward by the tides of peace are the strong-minded ex-slave Tom and his former enemy and captor, Clyde Bricket. Tom spent the last years of the war working for the Union as a spy. Clyde, crippled from battle wounds, watches as his family farm slowly dies. Only when they work together do they discover that something good can be made of the chaos around them. But as these four struggle to create a greater future. others struggle to bring them to destruction...
If the Civil War is your cup of tea, go check Roxanne's blog out.
This is also your last chance to get into the drawing for Sophie Renwick's contest for an ARC of Highlander's Christmas.
and check her new book, Velvet Haven, Book One of Immortals of Annwyn Series, available March 2010 from NAL, a paranormal hot romance.
From the Cover: Hidden from mortals for all eternity, Annwyn, the Otherworld, is home to shapeshifters, wraiths and dragons. But in a nightclub called Velvet Haven, desire brings humans and immortals together…
Built atop the mystic passageway to Annwyn, the gothic nightclub Velvet Haven has seen its share of lost souls—both mortal and immortal. It is here that Bran, the shapeshifter king of the Sidhe, searches for his brother, who is ensnared by a centuries-old curse. When a vision foretells his own death, he knows his time to find Carden is running out.
For help he must turn to Mairi, a mortal woman with an unusual aura. Bran has never liked humans, other than using their sexual pleasure to restore his magic energy. But with Mairi everything is different. Her lush curves and teasing caresses enflame him like no Sidhe has ever done. He has no idea that the woman he’s falling for holds the key to his destruction – or his salvation.
Amy at Romance Book Wyrm is having a contest for G.A. Aiken's Dragon Actually (Amy's throwing in this copy) and What A Dragon Should Know (copy provided by the fabulous Ms. Aiken). Hurry over and enter this great contest! A great fantasy read! Contest ends 8-24-09.
Here's a peek at some fabulous fantasy art from Amy's blog! It's beautiful!
Ms. Moonlight is having a guest post and contest today too with Enid Wilson! Click here to check it out. Here's whats up for grabs. Contest ends 8-31-09.
One of my favorite authors, Jocelynn Drake, is having a couple of contests, she's giving away a copy of Rachel Vincent's Prey. She's also having a flash contest for Unbound, as well as Nightwalker and Dayhunter. All fantastic reads each and every one; really get thee over to her site! Ends this weekend, hurry to enter!
Remember to check under my banner and on the right sidebar for other contests. There are so many going on around the blogosphere. Dark Hunger, Dark Time....and so many more!
I think that's everything I have for today my lovelies! Everyone have a wonderful weekend and a happy Friday in case you're not around this way for the weekend!!!
From the Cover: As a dark rivalry between two kingdoms threaten to erupt into war, a willful princess must decide between duty and desire.
Obligated to wed her father's choice in successor to the throne, seventeen-year old Princess Alera of Hytanica believes that she is being forced into worst of all possible fates--a marriage to the arrogant and hot-temptered Steldor. When the attractive and mysterious Narian arrives from enemy lands bearing secrets and different ideas about women's roles in the world, Alera's private desires threaten to destroy the kingdom. The discovery of Narian's shocking past plunges Alera into a shadowy world of palace intrigue and ancient blood feuds, leaving her unsure of what to believe in, or whom to trust.
Alera is a princess in dire need of a white knight to save her. Alera is Princess to the Kingdom of Hytanica and must be wed by her eighteenth birthday. As our story opens, Alera has just had her seventeenth birthday. And her father, King Adrik, is demanding that she marry the suitor of his choice. There are very stringent rules for the suitor to meet, and presently, one only suitor fulfills his desires, the insufferable Steldor. Alera is a romantic soul and needs not only to be cherished, but understood; she is a modern woman living in a Medieval society. She doesn't see Steldor for the man he could be, only has the man he is now, and he doesn't give any idea that he is capable of change. Lord Cannan, his father and Captain of the King's Guards, seems to believe that he will, but he is his mother's son as well.
Steldor thinks very highly of himself and sees himself as a lady's man, with many conquests under his cap. He is arrogant and unthinking, choosing to please himself and not understanding why Alera has a problem with his attitude. He is used to the ladies falling at his feet, yet Alera seems immune to his many attempts to win her heart. What Steldor cannot understand is that Alera needs to be valued for who she is and not what she will be. Although he is three years her senior, he possesses an immaturity in regards to women. It doesn't help that Hytanican society does not value women as equals to men. It could be it's ultimate down fall.
Hytanica was been involved in a century old war with the neighboring Kingdom of Cokyri. Legend has it that Cokyri was visited by an ambassador from Hytanica to talk about a trade agreement. The ambassador refused to speak with the ruling High Priestess, rudely demanding to speak with the ruling King. This was his death sentence as she was the highest ruler in the land. With his death, came a war between the two nations. Cokyrians believe that women are to be valued and are strong leaders to be followed; while in Hytanica, women are demanded to be subservient to men, bending to their master's will. The war has lapsed for the past sixteen years, but now it's raising it's ugly head and threatening Hytanica once more.
Cokyri has been beastly in the war. Poisoning, slaughtering men, women, and children are just a few of it's crimes. Perhaps the most unspeakable is the kidnapping and murder of the infants sons of the nobles some sixteen years previous to the time of our story. One infant son was not returned murdered, but now he has come home, a man trained in the ways of the Cokyrians. Narian can be either Hytanica's savior or it's destroyer, which will he choose?
Legacy by Cayla Kluver is a story of intrigue, love, and Medieval society. It's a great historical fantasy where two kingdoms are the exact opposite of each other; both unwilling to forgive the offenses of the other. The offenses of each are horrible, but then isn't that the object of war? Our young heroine, Alera, is being forced into a marriage by her father that neither pleases her heart or her sensibilities. Young Steldor is hot-temptered, drinks too much, and is arrogant, but King Adrik has had his fill of ruling Hytanica and wants nothing more than to pass the ruling power of his kingdom on the younger man. I believe it is the hope of King Adrik that Alera and the responsibilities of ruling the kingdom will bring maturity to his years. I can see the man that Steldor could be if he chooses to become that individual, but as presented in the story, he does not see that this maturity is needed. Narian, the other young man involved in the story, is mature beyond his sixteen years. He has been raised and trained as a Cokyrian, and only found out the truth of his birth by accident. When he realizes his true identity, he doesn't want to become the instrument that the High Priestess and her brother, the Overlord (a wielder of black magic arts), wants him to be. He escapes to his homeland of Hytanica, but he is not trusted there. Cokyri demands his return, but he refuses. There is a legend surrounding the young man that brings fear to the Hytanicans.
Legacy is a beautiful told tale that speaks to the reader. It speaks of the blossoming young love between Alera and Narian that stirs the reader's heart. It is a romantic historical in the purist sense; with kings and queens, tournaments and young men trying to proved themselves. Alera wants and needs to be valued, a woman before her time in the Medieval society. I loved the story and the pictures that young Ms. Kluver was able to paint. The book has a wonderfully design cover and is beautifully printed with calligraphic letters and designs at the begin of every chapter, a nice touch not often seen in today's novels. It is one of the best YA novels I have read, and I'm happily wanting for Allegiance, the second book in the series, soon to be released. If you are a lover of fantasy, this is the book for you. If you are a lover to sweet young romance, this is the book for you. If you are a lover of historical fiction, this is the book for you. There is black magic art yet to come, so lovers of the mystical might like to take a look as well. I recommend this book and series, wonderfully entertaining and it has won a place in my heart. For more information, Cayla Kluver can be friended on Facebook, visited on her website, or followed on her blog.
Here is a peek at an interview with Cayla Kluver. It's a bit lengthy, but interesting.
Nah, Tink has him wrapped around her little finger!
Buffy VS Edward --- You all know I love Edward, Right? But this is too funny!
Thanks EOS Books for sharing the video!
Realtor and Sister----Tanya Roberts
TANYA ROBERTS REALTOR RE/MAX PROFESSIONALS (217)899-9097 / (217)787-7215 tanya.roberts@comcast.net ...... Oh, by the way, (I LOVE REFERRALS!), if you know of anyone, family or friends looking for great service buying or selling real estate, call or e-mail me their name and business number, and I will take really good care of them!
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From the Cover: MARYJANICE DAVIDSON “Tall, Dark and Not So Faery”
I found this beautiful rendition of Betsy Taylor by Jesse Cutler, of Melbourne, Australia on MJ's website. Too Cool.
