K.J. Chapman's Blog, page 80
February 25, 2016
EVO Nation Quote #4
Review: EVO Shift by K. J. Chapman (ARC)
Thank you to Sarina over at Cookie Break for agreeing to be an advanced reader for EVO Shift. Check out this shiny review. I love love love this!
EVO Shift is available for pre-order from Amazon Kindle. Release date: March 1st.
HOWEVER, book one in the series, EVO Nation, is just £1.49- get your copy today!!!
EVO Shift will be out for your eBook devices 1st March 2016. Scroll down for details.
“She killed him, but did it make a difference?
Her kind has been exposed, abused, and segregated, and now Teddie Leason is Britain’s most wanted EVO at just nineteen. Teddie has to decide whose side she is on, what she fights for, and whether it’s worth her life.
How can she protect the man she adores, the Uncle who has taken her under his wing, and her unfaltering friends, when she can barely take care of herself? Dealing with new power and a history that has long since been forgotten, has rendered the world’s most powerful EVO vulnerable and at risk.
When will she be dealt a winning hand? Could a clandestine, renegade group of EVO change not only her fate, but that of everyone affected by this unprecedented war? And how does Teddie fit in…
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February 24, 2016
Review: The Notebook by Agota Kristof
The Notebook by Agota Kristof 3.5/5
Blurb:
Sent to a remote village for the duration of the war, two children devise physical and mental exercises to render themselves invulnerable to pain and sentiment. They steal, kill, blackmail and survive; others the cobbler, the harelipped girl who craves love, the children s parents are sucked into war s brutal maelstrom. The Notebook distils the experience of Nazi occupation and Soviet liberation during World War II into a stark fable of timeless relevance.
Review:
This book masterfully walks the thin line between entrancing and disturbing. The main characters- the twins- recount events during the second world war with a vivid, yet detached tone that reflects their amoral, almost inhuman approach to life. The boys train themselves with various exercises to be emotionally void.
The narrative is linear, but this is a bare bones, skeletal book with little place for relationship development. Each chapter is short, and is dedicated to a particular event. Each event is recounted in an impersonal, stoic manner, and although this is intended to remain in keeping with the emotionless personalities of the twins, it kept me at arms length, rather than fully submersing me.
Kristof’s portrayal of the war and the horrors faced by Claus and Lucas are explicit and real. There isn’t any pussy footing in the prose and that should be highly commended.
The opinions expressed here are those of K.J.Chapman and no other parties.
All books reviewed on this blog have been read by K.J.Chapman
K.J.Chapman has not been paid for this review.
February 23, 2016
The Playlist Shuffle Tag
A massive thank you to Claire over at Art and Soul for tagging me in the Playlist Shuffle Tag, and for the great EVO Shift release date shout out. I’m more than a little keen to partake in this tag. I love the idea of having a peek at what my fellow blogger’s have on their playlists because I am nosey like that. Check out Claire’s playlist here.
The rules of this tag:
Put your music playlist on shuffle and list the first 15 songs to play (no cheating), then tag 10 others to do it as well.
I am going to use my Youtube playlist for this tag, so here it goes:
My Chemical Romance: Desolation Row
Panic! At The Disco: Emperor’s New Clothes
Muse: Psycho
Paloma Faith: Picking Up The Pieces
ACDC: Thunderstruck
Newton Faulkner: She’s Got The Time
Jamie T: Sticks and Stones
John Newman: Losing Sleep
Artic Monkeys: Mardy Bum
Rihanna: Russian Roulette
Lady Gaga: You and I
Ella Henderson: Yours
Eminem: Space Bound
Ray Lamontagne: Trouble
Frank Turner: Heartless Bastard Motherfucker
Some of these songs are on my playlist because they’re my favourites, some because they have been inspiration for my EVO Nation Series.
The rules say to tag 10 others, but I have seen quite a few of my blogging community have already been tagged in this tag before. If my tags have been tagged already- oh well.
My Tags:
Brianna
Al
Jasmine
I look forward to having a sneaky peek at your playlists. Have fun!
EVO Nation Quote #3
February 22, 2016
EVO Shift! The Countdown Begins…
EVO shift is set for release in just seven days! I can’t believe my labour of love shall be uncaged in a mere week.
EVO shift is the second instalment in my EVO Nation series, and is available for pre-order from Amazon Kindle.
Blurb: She killed him, but did it make a difference?
Her kind has been exposed, abused, and segregated, and now Teddie Leason is top of Britain’s most wanted list at just nineteen. Teddie has to decide whose side she is on, what she fights for, and whether it’s worth her life.
How can she protect the man she adores, the Uncle who has taken her under his wing, and her unfaltering friends, when she can barely take care of herself? Dealing with new power and a history that has long since been forgotten, has rendered the world’s most powerful EVO vulnerable and at risk.
When will she be dealt a winning hand? Could a clandestine, renegade group of EVO change not only her fate, but that of everyone affected by this unprecedented war? And how does Teddie fit in a world bracing for a shift of unfathomable magnitude?
EVO Shift’s advanced readers have highly praised this instalment. Check out an advanced reader review here!
You’ve not read book one yet? No need to fret because… EVO Nation is FREE until Feb 24th!!! Get you FREE copy here!
Need more encouragement? Why not have a gander at some 5* reviews for EVO Nation?
Get your FREE copy of EVO Nation today! Go on! It’s free- no money- no loss- lots of gain! And why not pre-order EVO Shift while you’re at it?
GIFs sourced from GIPHY.COM
EVO Nation is FREE!!
For the next three days, EVO Nation can be downloaded for FREE on Amazon Kindle. This offer comes in the run up to EVO Shift’s release on March 1st 2016.
If you haven’t read EVO Nation, why not get your FREE copy and crack on in time for book two? Get your copy here.
Reviews: Check out these 5* reviews for EVO Nation:
Take a peek at a couple book blog reviews here:
aliasfaithrivens.wordpress: EVO Nation Review
sarinalangerwriter.com: EVO Nation Review
Written works and images are the property of K.J.Chapman
February 21, 2016
What’s Your Name? Letter J
Each week, I work alphabetically through my naming book, and randomly pick a name from the first page of each letter. I close my eyes, point my finger, and then create a short story using that name.
This week’s ‘J’ name randomly selected from the first ‘J’ page in my naming book is:
Jack: A masculine diminutive form of John, now used independently. Other diminutive forms are Jackie, Jacky.
Jack
I don’t remember my birth name. I remember the storm, the lightning, the fire in the thatch. I remember feeling the most unbelievable sense of grief that has never been matched since. I believe it was for my mother. Her face is not an image I can recall. The sound of her voice is non-existent in my catalogue of half memories, but my soul knows she died in the fire that night. My memories are full of holes, my name being one of them.
The boys named me when they found me- Jack. I am Jack. I had to say it to myself over and over. Now, I really am Jack. The little boy I was died in the fire with his mother, and Jack rose from the ashes.
Written works are the property of K.J.Chapman
Fan of writing exercises? Why not check out K.J.Chapman’s ‘Prompt Me’ ebook? Jam packed with 150 original writing prompts, Prompt Me can be your font of inspiration. Purchase ‘Prompt Me’ here.
February 20, 2016
Author Interview: Brianna West
This is my first author interview for this blog, so who better to interview than an author I greatly admire, whose work I love, and who is fast becoming a valued friend of mine? I first discovered Brianna West’s Promiscus Guardians Series via Twitter. I read the first book in mere days, and loved the engaging, easy to read writing style, the creative narrative, and the well developed characters- (check out my reviews of Awakening and Metamorphosis .)
After learning of my love for her first series, Brianna offered me an advanced reader copy of the first novel from her spin off series, Guardians in Love. Victor was released February 13th 2016, and I can vouch for the awesomeness of this spin off. I read Victor in one day! I just had to know everything about one of my favourite guardians. (Check out my review for Victor.)
So, without further ado, I would love to introduce Brianna West. I hope you are ready to delve into the world of Angels, Demons, Vampires, hunks, and kick-ass heroines?
Can you describe your Promiscus Guardians series in ten words or less?
Well, I’m always up for the challenge. Action-packed, sexy, intriguing, hilarious, intense, powerful, supernatural hunks everywhere!
What can readers expect from Awakening and Metamorphosis (books one and two in the series)?
They can expect a whole lot of hunks. I pack them in there like I’m worried they’d go out of style. Everything must go! Just kidding.
Izzy goes through a period of wonder, of frustration, and let’s-get-down-to-business. This world is pretty big. It’s packed with mixed-breeds, supernatural oddities that you’ve heard about, but everything has its own spin. The romance is slow building in the first book, but it’s hot, hot, hot. And then when you get to book two, Metamorphosis, there are twists and turns that you’d never have seen coming. Izzy and Lucas are tested in their relationship and the Guardians deal with a new flavour of foe.
Where did the inspiration for the Promiscus Guardian’s Series stem from?
To be honest, it really just sort of wrote itself. I was bored, rather, I was in the mood for a supernatural hunk of my own devising to do things with that would probably get me arrested in real life, and this story sort of unravelled from me. So I guess we can thank my own desperation for crazy hot muscle-infused hotties.
Your character’s have been described as ‘very real’ and ‘mysterious’- I’m going to throw out some character names and I would love for you to describe them in just three words.
Izzy: Sassy. Comical. Tenacious.
Lucas: Headstrong. Leader. Formidable.
Pavel: Perverse. Sexy. Playboy.
Is there an excerpt from your Promiscus Guardians Series that you would like to share with us?
“If you insist,” he said smirking in a way that caused my body to warm treacherously. “I shall stay in the room to ensure you do not lose consciousness.”
“You’re joking,” I stated with a lax jaw. He had to be. He had incredible senses and didn’t need to be in the room to know if I had lost consciousness. “What are you playing at?” I questioned angrily.
“Nothing at all, pet,” he replied with a sensual grin, giving everything and nothing away.
This was a new Lucas; a Lucas I would have initially fantasized about—that I would most likely fantasize about after this. What had gotten into him? I shook off my bemusement.
He took this opportunity to close the distance between us. Fingers stroked down the length of my neck, causing my body to quiver and betray me. I could feel the core deep heat in my belly and knew that the situation I now found myself was a dangerous one.
“Did you take something?” I asked softly as I drew backwards, stalling only when my backside met the cool touch of a glass shower door.
Lucas eased forward without hesitation, imprisoning me between the shower door and his body. And what an incredible body it was. Every edge was both smooth and powerful. The dark clothing only highlighted his overall masculinity as it hugged every curve, every contour of his massive shape.
I was already victim to the power of his eyes, drowning in them. His full lips were still drawn up into a grin that made my toes curl and thighs quiver. Dark black silk hung from his head in the space between us, which I noted was no space at all. Honestly, if I even angled upwards our lips, bodies, and lower halves would assuredly touch.
I thought I wouldn’t be fooled, but it would seem otherwise. My body was responding in every womanly way it possibly could. I felt the heat spread first from deep within my stomach, and soon my entire being was consumed with it. Shivers ran through me like hot wires. I was trembling but not out of fear. Definitely not out of fear.
My words were caught in my throat even though I should be spitting fire at Lucas for even insinuating that I needed his watch. Instead, I was losing my ability and will to fight back at all.
What compels you to write in the paranormal/ supernatural genre?
Because I love it! Can’t get enough of it. Something about being with the one you love for all eternity makes my girly heart palpitate, especially if said love is with a super hot, super muscly devil like the love interests I write. Delicious.
Are you a plotter or a pantser? Describe your writing routine.
I’m a panster for the most part. I do have a plot that I would like to obtain with my writing, but most times, my characters have a tendency to go the other direction if I tell them to do anything. My routine is just as chaotic. I write when I feel like it. There are mad moments, as if I’m a crazed scientist and an epiphany has just hit me, where I have an idea, go to my computer, and don’t look up from it for another three hours. Otherwise, I write pretty much all day, every day.
Your new series, Guardians in Love, is a spin off from your Promiscus Guardians series. What was your motivation behind the spin off?
To see more hunks. Well, and to also give the readers a taste of a standalone romance from the epic world I’ve created. If they are like me, they may enjoy that “falling in love” romance feeling; the initial meet-and-hump. Also, I crave variety. I like to see many, many hunks and their interesting heroines. So I thought this would offer those who are like me and opportunity to fall in love with one of the other hunks in my world.
Victor is the first book in the new series. Can you describe the book in ten words or less?
Angels! Vampires! Clumsy heroine. Smoking-hot angel boss. Incredible chemistry.
What can readers expect from Victor, book one of the Guardian’s in Love Series?
They can expect to see the world I’ve created through another set of eyes. Lilly is very different from Izzy, so it will offer my readers and opportunity to know a great more things than they would with Izzy, who is still fairly new to this world and learning them herself. Lilly has been integrated in this world for her entire life. Also, there is a lot of mystery about Victor in the main series, so this gives the reader an in depth look at the man who leads the group of Guardians in my main series.
The same as before, I am going to throw out some names and I would love for you to describe the characters in just three words.
Lilly: Clumsy. Dedicated. Kind.
Victor: Gentlemanly. Powerful. Mysterious.
Pius: Dark. Overconfident. Elusive.
Can you single out your favourite line/ paragraph/ dialogue from Victor and share it with us?
The quote speaks for itself, but this is Victor speaking to Lilly:
“There is no denying that these feelings have begun to overpower sense. I should not feel so strongly for you, my charge. Forbidden as it may be, I am left with little else but burning desperation to have you for my own.”
One last question… What are your plans for your next book? Can you give us some juicy tidbits? Pretty please?
Well, I will say that the next book is over a quarter way written! And that it is the next book in my main series!!! There is a lot of heavy, heavy stuff going in this book, but during this, there is light humor and enough funny team dynamic to keep you satisfied. Bonds are tested in this book. Foes defeated. It will be a book that satisfies the craving to know more.
Thank you to Brianna West for sharing insight into her highly praised supernatural romance novels. If you haven’t hit Amazon for your own copy of these books, then why not?
Permission to use any excerpts or quotations must be sought from the author, Brianna West.
February 18, 2016
Review: Dead Man Talking by Roddy Doyle
Dead Man Talking by Roddy Doyle (Quick Read) 2/5
Blurb:
Pat had been best friends with Joe Murphy since they were kids. But years ago they had a fight. A big one, and they haven’t spoken since – till the day before Joe’s funeral. What? On the day before his funeral Joe would be dead, wouldn’t he? Yes, he would…Roddy Doyle’s first book for the Quick Reads programme to support adult literacy is fast, funny and just a tiny bit spooky.
This book was published for the Quick Reads programme. Quick Reads is designed to get adults reading. Various authors offer short stories to the series and Dead Man Talking was Roddy Doyle’s offering. The books are just £1.00 and easy to read in mere hours. I love the concept of the Quick Reads Programme, but not this book.
Review:
What the hell just happened? That was how I felt after reading this quick read. It’s a novella that can be read in hours, but that shouldn’t detract from plot, character development, or for the story to be, well, interesting. It was easy to guess where the story was headed, yet still didn’t fully offer a satisfying conclusion.
The writing style is not my cup of tea. It felt stilted annd unnatural. It jarred with me as I read; I hoped that I would get passed that within a chapter or two, but no, it continues until the end of the book.
I understood the meaning behind the story, and Doyle makes a disturbing point that we must be careful how we treat people in life or it may come back to bite us- over and over again. That aspect is what garnered my 2/5 rating.
Some reader’s rave about this book, but others feel the same way as I do. It’s definitely a ‘Marmite’ kind of book.
The opinions expressed here are those of K.J.Chapman and no other parties.
All books reviewed on this blog have been read by K.J.Chapman
K.J.Chapman has not been paid for this review.
