Debra L. Martin's Blog, page 257
December 3, 2013
#Excerpt: FOREVER JACK by Natasha Boyd

“I’m sorry,” he said. Nothing. I felt nothing. “It doesn’t cut it,” he went on. “I realize that. But I’m sorry.” Jack left the wall, braced his hands on the island, and hung his dark head for a second, before looking back up at me. “You have to understand something, I didn’t stay away because I wanted to. I stayed away because I had to.” Jack gritted his teeth and winced imperceptibly. “I know that doesn’t mean much to you, and I know you are dating someone else now, but I just needed you to know that. That’s all. That’s all I came to say.”I gripped my glass of water tighter at his mention of me dating someone else. I’d been about to lift it and take a sip and his words stopped me cold. I guess he and Colt really did have a big old pow-wow on the side of the highway. Nice. “I guess you spoke to Colt?” I was neither confirming, nor denying. But as I watched Jack carefully, and took in his tension and the way his hands gripped the counter, I realized I was admitting it. At least as far as he was concerned.Jack nodded and cleared his throat. “He’s a good guy. Cares for you. A lot. That’s good.” “I know,” I said simply and watched Jack’s throat bob as he swallowed. This was fascinating. “It’s a pity for him,” he said with an even voice, “that I won’t be walking away anytime soon.”
Book & Author Details:
Forever, Jack by Natasha Boyd(Eversea #2)Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Synopsis:A feisty small-town girl and the Hollywood star who broke her heartAn all-consuming love threatened by fameOne last chance at FOREVER
Keri Ann Butler’s life changed on the night she met movie star, Jack Eversea. She thought she knew a Jack that was very different to the man adored by fans the world over. In the wake of his betrayal and abandonment, Keri Ann has had to pick up and move forward with the life she was supposed to live and has put off far too long.Suddenly Jack is back, and his explanations for why he left seem more and more plausible, and his declarations more seductive. But being Jack’s latest tabloid accessory isn’t on Keri Ann’s career agenda, no matter how much she is attracted to him. And how can she can ever trust him again?
Jack knows he let the only ‘real’ thing that ever happened to him slip through his fingers. And his hands have been tied to try and stop it. Until Now.
Jack is now fighting to save his relationship with Keri Ann, even as his crazy life threatens to tear them apart. Again. The question is, can he convince her she can have it all? And have him? Forever?
Read how it all began in “Eversea “…
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18077900-forever-jack?ac=1
Purchase:—Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Jack-Eversea-Natasha-Boyd-ebook/dp/B00GXKW1D0

Contact Info: https://www.facebook.com/authornatashaboydhttp://pinterest.com/lovefrmlowcntry/twitter @lovefrmlowcntryhttp://www.natashaboyd.comhttp://eversea.tumblr.cominstagram @lovefrmlowcntry

Blitz-wide giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Published on December 03, 2013 05:00
December 2, 2013
#Review: THE BLOOD THAT CRIES IN THE GROUND by Gregory Bellarmine


When Father Dante dies, the young monk Antonio feels something is amiss. When he sees a shadow, he's convinced that Father Dante is still alive. He refuses to give up and when he catches up with the supposedly dead Dante, he's in for more than he bargained for. Antonio suspects that Dante is the famed St. Nicholas. In exchange for his silence, Dante/Nicholas agrees to tell his life story.
This is a dark retelling of St. Nicholas' life and begins at the beginning - when sorcerers ruled Kings in the Dark Ages. The story flows through history and engages the reader throughout. There were some parts of the book that were too elusive and cloaked in mystery and I was lost as to what the author was trying to convey. I reread some parts and still didn't get the references. Sometimes an author can be too subtle in the details and relationships and this was a criticism I had for this book. It is an excellent historical fantasy, but when I wanted the writing to be perfectly clear, it wasn't. Despite this, the author does a fantastic job of fleshing out the character of Nicholas.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.


Follow the tour:

Published on December 02, 2013 05:00
#Excerpt: DRAGON CRAVING by Livia Olteano

Book & Author Details:
Dragon Craving by Livia Olteano(Otherworlds Summons #2)Publication date: Late November 2013Genres: New Adult, Paranormal Romance
Synopsis:The world holds few secrets for Oracle Elana Anderson, or as her fans know her, Ela Deville. Successful author of paranormal romance, Ela, has a secret: not all her paranormal characters are quite that fictional. She hardly expected she’d trigger a chain of events that might bring about the end of the world via a pesky dragon. Rendered blind to visions of him, Ela’s only way to save her world is to keep the dragon close…very close.
Obitus, the only awake dragon in the Otherworlds, is determined to get back the magic that was stolen from him and secure his position for a good thousand years. Becoming Akai’s new guardian after getting rid of the current one is the best way to it. But that means getting Ela on his side. He’ll bargain and maneuver his way there if he has to, but ends up tormented by the desire to have her for real.
In a game of deals, half-truths and irresistible cravings, does one heart have to break in order for the other to save the world?
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18521661-dragon-craving
Purchase:—Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Livia-Olteano/e/B00DRDJ2K6—B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/livia-olteano

She believes stories are the best kind of magic there is. And life would be horrible without magic. Her hobbies include losing herself in the minds and souls of characters, giving up countless nights of sleep to get to know said characters, and trying to introduce them to the world. Sometimes they appreciate her efforts. The process would probably go quicker if they'd bring her a cup of coffee now and then when stopping by. Characters--what can you do, right?
Stop by www.liviaolteano.com or the blog, http://blog.liviaolteano.com, for the latest news and rants of glory.
Website: http://www.liviaolteano.com/Blog: http://blog.liviaolteano.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LiviaOlteanoFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiviaOlteanoGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/11350038-livia-olteano



Published on December 02, 2013 02:00
November 30, 2013
ENTWINE by Rebecca Berto

Entwine by Rebecca Berto
Publication date: November 25th 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
Synopsis:Sarah Langham’s life was the epitome of normal until her dad slept with another woman when she was sixteen. It ripped her family apart.
Twenty-two-year-old Sarah has it together, though.
Waiting at the train station to go home from her first day of her first proper job out of university, she spots a man.
He is an enigma to her. She’s drawn to him, with his square jaw; buzz of hair; and his tall, solid frame, seen under the contours of his business suit. And he’s been looking at her, too. Fate pulls them together that night on a whirlwind date, exceeding anything Sarah’s experienced before. He’s even more into her than she’s into him. Finally, she wants to trust a guy for the first time since she was sixteen.
But then they discover something.
Something that meant they were never two strangers at a train station.
And it threatens to tear their future apart before it, really, ever begins.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18467906-entwine?ac=1

Purchase:--Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Berto/e/B00AF3E52Q--B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/rebecca-berto
----

Rebecca Berto lives in Melbourne, Australia with her boyfriend and their doggy.
Author Links:Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter
GIVEAWAY Blitz-wide giveaway Prizes (open internationally):
3 eBooks
2 bookmarks
a $15 Amazon giftcard
a Rafflecopter giveaway



Published on November 30, 2013 05:00
November 29, 2013
We’re More Alike Than You Think by Raphyel M. Jordan

When I wrote my very first novel, “Prossia”, I introduced readers to a seventeen-year-old alien girl getting drafted into a galactic war. Beyond having to cope with leaving her home, meeting different races and species, and trying to stay alive on the battlefield, she seemed ready to take the call to arms, no matter what the cost would be. So, here was the question many probably asked after reading the novel: Just what sort of upbringing shapes a person, like this alien, to face such situations?
“Evaluations of the Tribe” was written to answer that. Throughout the original “Prossia” novel, Aly and her best friend, Catty, made numerous references about their childhood, from that one time Aly struck Catty in the face with a Goolian dankerball, to the moment when Catty was finally told about Aly’s special “condition.” Readers of “Evaluations” will be able to go into further detail about such events and more as we unravel the world that shaped these two dynamic characters into the teenage soldiers that can handle themselves during wartimes.

“Evaluations of the Tribe” is a celebration of that stubborn unwillingness youth seem to have when it comes to giving up, much the way its predecessor, “Prossia,” is. Let’s travel to a place untouched by human beings, where the people of the planet are green, agile, and capable of firing plasma from their hands. Does it sound out of this world? You bet! Still, the creatures on this planet aren’t much different from us. They want to be held in the arms of the ones they love. They want their children to return home, safe and sound, as they watch them head off to school. They hope they’ll be accepted by those in their inner circle. Oh yeah, and of course, they love desert.

Author BioLike drawing, Jordan has written stories as far back as possible. In this case, it was once he was able to form basic sentences, around the age of 6 or 7. Back then, his stories were very short “graphic novels,” composed of roughly ten to twenty panels of illustrations with dialog.
However, his stories became more elaborate with age. Once he reached middle school, most of Jordan's stories were fan fiction and were still in a comic or graphic novel format. However, the conflicts in his adventures were becoming more complex, as was his character development. It was only when he reached high school that he made his first attempts at writing adventures without the aid of pictures. Unfortunately, such ambitions were still a little too far-fetched for him at the time, having never finished anything beyond the first chapter.
Then came college, what he refers to being his "personal my age of Renaissance." Jordan learned the basic foundations to creating a story during his first year, and once he had to take a break from classes -- due to financial reasons -- he had tons of time to work on a craft he still considered to be unfamiliar with. So, when he was 19, Jordan started to write a story about a young alien girl who was drafted into a galactic war. However, unlike previous attempts at writing a novel, Jordan kept coming back to the keyboard, longing to get to the next scene, and the next, and before he knew it, two years had passed, and he had completed the first draft to a manuscript. Fast forward three years later, that manuscript became "Prossia," his first published novel.
Now Jordan browses through a list of outlines and drafts to numerous adventures just waiting to be published.

.goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; background: white; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget img { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0 !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0; color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:visted { color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:hover { color: #660; text-decoration: underline !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget p { margin: 0 0 .5em !important; padding: 0; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink { display: block; width: 150px; margin: 10px auto 0 !important; padding: 0px 5px !important; text-align: center; line-height: 1.8em; color: #222; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; border: 1px solid #6A6454; border-radius: 5px; font-family:arial,verdana,helvetica,sans-serif; background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... background-repeat: repeat-x; background-color:#BBB596; outline: 0; white-space: nowrap; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink:hover { background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... color: black; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; }
Goodreads Book Giveaway

See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win

Published on November 29, 2013 03:40
November 28, 2013
DYSTOPIAN WORLD BUILDING by Rhiannon Frater

Purchase:—Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Bastion-Living-Futuristic/dp/1475206313—B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-last-bastion-of-the-living-rhiannon-frater/1111816742—iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/last-bastion-living-futuristic/id539018755?mt=11—Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/books/The-Last-Bastion-Living-Futuristic/sbxmm07xnUGfzUbKDP91rQ


Published on November 28, 2013 23:00
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wishing everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. Be safe if you're traveling this holiday. Bad storms are predicted all along the East Coast. Enjoy the time with your family and friends!


Published on November 28, 2013 04:10
November 27, 2013
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A SOULKEEPER by G.C. Chang

Soulkeepers…
1. Do the right thing, even when it’s hard.2. Feel a responsibility for others3. Accept others for who they are4. Accept themselves for who they are5. Take action for the greater good.
With that in mind, and since we are closing in on the holidays, I thought I’d take a moment to be thankful for three real-life Soulkeepers.
Malala: She took a bullet to the head to stand up for what she believed in. I find this modern day Rosa Parks inspiring and know that her work to give girls in Pakistan the right to an education has made a world of difference. Every time I see her picture, I am thankful for being born in a country where it is legal for girls to go to school. Learn more about Malala at http://youtu.be/gjGL6YY6oMs.
Jack Andraka: At the age of fifteen, after the death of a family friend, Jack researched and developed a rapid test to detect pancreatic, ovarian, and lung cancer in its early stages. Just to find a lab to test his protocol, he wrote to 200 professors at John Hopkins and the National Institutes of Health with a plan, a budget, and a timeline. He received 199 rejections before the one acceptance that made all of the difference. Jack won the 2012 Gorden E Moore award, the grand prize of the Intel International Science and Engineering fair. You can watch Jack’s story at http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50157066n
Ian Somerhalder: While Miley Cyrus was twerking, Lindsey Lohan was making another visit to rehab, and Robert Pattinson was brooding over…Does he ever stop brooding?...Ian was running the Ian Somerhalder foundation. Yes, at the peak of his popularity, this celebrity isn’t self-destructing but making an effort to improve the world. The Ian Somerhalder foundation focuses on mobilizing youth toward animal rights and environmental causes. Looks like he’s more than just a pretty face. Learn more about the Ian Somerhalder foundation here http://www.isfoundation.com/welcome
So, readers, do you know any Soulkeepers? Who else do you think belongs on this list?
Lost Eden
(The Soulkeepers #5)
Publication date: November 18th 2013
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Synopsis:Rules. Balance. Consequences. War.
When Fate gave Dane the water from Eden to drink, she did more than save his life. She changed his destiny.
Since the beginning, a compact between God and Lucifer has maintained a tenuous peace, balancing Soulkeepers and Watchers and the natural order of things. Dane upset that balance the day he became a Soulkeeper. Fate broke the rules.
Now, Lucifer is demanding a consequence, requiring Fate to pay the ultimate price for her involvement. God intervenes on the immortal’s behalf but in order to save her soul must dissolve the compact and with it the rules, order, and balance that have kept the peace. A challenge is issued. A contest for human souls begins. And the stakes? Earth. Winner take all.
The Soulkeepers are at the center of a war between Heaven and Hell, and this time, nobody, anywhere, is safe from Lucifer’s reach.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18324346-lost-eden?ac=1
Purchase: AmazonBarnes and NobleiTunesKobo

Author Links:
Website: http://www.gpching.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/GP-Ching/254188694618137
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gpching
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4666971.G_P_Ching



Published on November 27, 2013 05:00
November 26, 2013
Blog Tour Blast: THE BLOOD THAT CRIES IN THE GROUND by Gregory Bellarmine


by Gregory Bellarmine"The Greatest Myth Ever Dispelled" Italy. A tough master of novices, Father Dante encounters the bold young priest Antonio who challenges his identity and accuses him of being the Saint Nicholas. But despite the Father faking his death, a determined Antonio discovers a rather alive Dante arrayed in kilt and armor. In return for Antonio’s silence—and to protect the town from attracting all manner of darkness—Dante agrees to tell his life story. Without explanation, Dante orders Antonio to meet him at night in the abandoned Cathedral, the site of a former battle that the Church has kept secret for a generation. Until today. The Criskindl. Ice Steeds. The Unborn. Saint. From the Dark Ages’ when Poet-Sorcerers ruled kings, to the Holy Land when a new civilization was rising, to Revolutionary France where love is lost and gained, Father Dante pursues the one responsible for both his master and his mother’s deaths: Black Peter, his brother.
“The Blood That Cries in the Ground will grab the reader by the throat with a death grip from which it is impossible to break free.” -Reviewed by Bil Howard for Readers' Favorite
Add to your TBR pile on Goodreads | Check out the book trailer!
Buy on Kindle | Paperback
About the Author

Follow Gregory:Blog | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads
Publishers Website: Christian Books Today


Published on November 26, 2013 05:00
November 25, 2013
Interview with Alison Neuman

Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?Yes, I sent my first novel Ice Rose – A Young Adult Spy Novel out to agents and publishers.
How long before you got your offer of representation/your first contract? Was it for your first novel?It took me two years and over 100 rejections for my first novel.
What factors influenced your decision to go with a particular agent or publisher?Fireside Publications believed in Ice Rose, had enthusiasm, and permitted me to be a part of the process. I was consulted on the cover and shape that the final printed book took.
If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?I made a suggestion of my vision for the cover. My publisher had a graphic designer make two prototype covers. My publisher and I both agreed on which to use.
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?First, I like to let my stories work themselves out in my mind. I need to have an idea of where the story is going before I start. Second, I take the story events and lay them out in the three act structure. This keeps me focused and serves as my roadmap for my characters’ and story’s journey.
Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?I always have an editor review my manuscripts before publishing. There are always errors that a writer misses. After reading, editing, proofing and staring at the same work, sometimes better words or phrases and errors are overlooked. An editor is an invaluable set of eyes and can help the writer in polishing the work to be the best it can be.
Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?It is a challenge to juggle my time between marketing Searching for Normal - A Memoir and writing Hindsight. Without an audience to read a book, my success of having subsequent books published would be in jeopardy. It takes time management to ensure that there is time set aside for both activities. That said, the actual writing process is rewarding and rejuvenates my energy.
Besides writing, do you have any other passions?Dance is one of my other passions. I use a wheelchair to navigate the world. I’m proud to be a performer with CRIPSiE (The Radically Integrated Performers Society in Edmonton). http://www.cripsie.ca/
What’s next for you?I’m working on my next YA novel Hindsight.
Blurb:Olivia falls for David who has a secret that cannot be exposed to the world. A secret that when revealed will threaten not only her life but also her family. Will she be able to accept his secret and evade the danger that is trying to extinguish everything David cares about?


Published on November 25, 2013 05:00