Maria Hammarblad's Blog, page 26

Book review: Saving Casey by Liza O'Connor

Cass Goldman is at the end of her life, and decides to end it for both herself and her dog. Right there I decided not to like her. If you want to move on to whatever's after this life that's fine, but leave the dog out of it. As the story moved on, I still couldn't help but love her.

Cass is re-born into the body of Casey Davidson, and calling Casey a troubled teen would be an understatement. Cass not only has to adapt to being a teenager with all that comes with it - raging hormones, school, parents, and homework - but she must also learn to navigate the darker undercurrents of Casey's life, a task much more complicated than it appears at first sight.

Liza O'Connor has a knack for creating believable characters, even when they end up in the most fantastic settings. They come across as real people, with real people's hopes, fears, victories, and failures. This book touches on some serious subjects, but O'Connor keeps it light and humorous.

Blurb:

Having been diagnosed with cancer, Cass Goldman decides to opt out of any futile medical care and end her life. While she has some thoughts on afterlife, she never expects to reincarnate into the body of a seventeen-year-old girl named Casey Davidson.

When she awakens in a hospital, Cass discovers two disturbing facts: One, she is now inside the body of a troubled teenager, and two, the former owner of this body committed suicide, but only Cass knows that. Everyone else believes Casey has survived, but suffered a complete memory loss. Cass has two choices: to take on Casey’s life and turn it around, or to confess the truth about her reincarnation and end up in a mental asylum. Given this second chance to life, Cass decides to take on the future life of Casey—the frightening ghoul-faced teen with short, black, spiky hair.

Every person around Cass has an ulterior motive and discovering the truth of Old Casey’s life is more complicated than the “new math” she is forced to learn in school. In addition, Cass has to contend with raging teenage hormones and the prior crimes of Old Casey, which she might not remember, but everyone else certainly does. However, her biggest frustration concerns her feelings for her father’s rugged security specialist who sees her only as a teenager and doesn’t want to explore the mutual attraction between them.

Will her second chance at life prove to be worth the struggles she has to overcome?

 See the book on Amazon!

A day in the life of the Internet

This is an intriguing infographic presented by the cultureist.com. The numbers boggle the mind!

SFR Brigade Presents: Shadow of a Man

The SFR Brigade Presents is a blog hop where sci-fi romance authors present snippets of their work. I want to share an excerpt from my novella Shadow of a Man.

This is book number XII in Desert Breeze Publishing's Borealis series, written by different authors and with different main characters, but in the same setting.

Check out the other participating authors as well! =)

~~~~~~
The fabric between her fingers distracted her enough to bump into a stranger, and she glanced up with an apologetic smile. An enormous man looked down at her, and he did not seem happy.

"I'm sorry. I should watch where I'm going."

Her smile made the ominous wrinkle between the stranger's eyebrows deeper and the look on his face caused a hoard of Oralinian flutterbugs to set flight in her stomach. Something was wrong, but she couldn't figure out how to set it right. She had made a mistake, but she apologized. What else could be expected from her?

A moment later, Geo had his arm around her shoulders and pulled her away.

"I apologize for my sister. She's unaware of the local customs."

The stranger didn't follow and Geo whispered, "Stop smiling. I know you're a nice person, but Galiadians see smiling as an insult."

"You're joking?"

"Not at all. Didn't Dominic tell you anything about this place? Be careful with smiling and be careful with looking at people. Ranierans tend to dismember anyone who stares."

"Dismember? You don't really mean that, right?"

"Unfortunately I do. Be careful."

He was too close and his words too bizarre. She would have a hard time believing a person could tear someone else's arms off for staring at the best of times. With him touching, keeping her mind on gruesome matters was nothing short of impossible.

 ~~~~~~
Shadow of a Man

There might be a place Theresa fears more than Borealis, but she can’t think of one. The old and decrepit station houses all sorts of cruelty, and to make it better, this is where her husband Dominic was imprisoned, drugged, and tortured. He returned a mere shadow of his old self, scarred by abuse and Uudon withdrawal.

Borealis is the last place Theresa wants to go, and the only one she can’t escape. Dominic’s apparent madness does nothing to alleviate her fears. Her once sweet husband has turned into a womanizing monster, and will destroy anyone who gets in his way.

Geo, her faithful and all too handsome bodyguard, appears to be the only one on her side. He once helped rescue Dominic, and pays for the insurrection with a lifetime on the run. This might be a situation not even he can handle, and Theresa fears none of them will make it out alive.

Character interview with Gar from Ghost Lover by Liza O'Connor!

Maria: Hi, I’m headed to Earth. England to be precise. I’m to interview Gar Durran, one of the many characters in Liza O’Connor’s upcoming book, Ghost Lover. For some reason Liza arranged for me to interview him instead of the heroine’s fiance, which would seem the logical choice. She wouldn’t tell me why, but hopefully we’ll figure it out.

Yikes! I may have gone through a time warp, because that looks like a freaking castle. I like castles, but let me text Liza, because I do not want to tangle with angry knights… Ah, she says the the Durran castle has existed since the 12th century, but if there are more than three towers, then we are on time.


 She also claims it’s cram full of ghosts in the spring time when the garden is in bloom. Naturally, she sends me here in the fall.


* Arrives at the massive, carved wood door and knocks ** Butler takes Maria directly to the library. *
Maria: Wow, is this a nice library, there must be thousands of books in here. If you like, I can digitize them and insert a microscopic implant in your brain so you access them whenever you want.

Gar: *stands, causing what sounds like a cat to yowl.* Miss Hammarblad, welcome to my home. And I’ll pass on the implant. I’m an old fashion fellow. I like to view actual paintings of art and hold books as I read.




Maria: *shakes hand with him* I suppose that’s why Liza painted you instead of buying pictures as she did for everyone else.

Gar: I suppose I should be grateful she took the time to paint me, but I wish she would have bought oils and canvas and done it properly. Instead, she somehow managed to paint it on her computer.

Maria: Well, you know starving authors and all.

Gar: *motions for her to sit on the leather couch as he sits in the chair across from her.* May I get you something to drink and perhaps a light snack. I’m sure you must be tired from your journey.

Maria: I'd love some coffee. Lots of milk but no sugar. And maybe a cookie or something...

Gar: *stares at the desk in anger, then jumps up and rushes towards it, grabbing a teacup just before it falls off the edge. Then he speaks in a soft, but very angry whisper* I’m warning you, Mr. Finch!

Maria: Mr. Finch, the ghost cat? Is he here? Is that who complained when you stood up?

Gar: *Sighs heavily then returns to the couch, the teacup safely in his hand.* Liza told you about Mr. Finch?

Maria: Yes. Was she not supposed to?

The butler enters. “James, please see this cup is cleaned and put away. And serve Miss—

Maria: Just call me Maria

Gar: Maria a coffee and a pour me a brandy.

James: Yes, sir.

Maria: And a saucer of milk for Mr. Finch.

*Purrs resonate through the room*

Gar: Never mind the milk. And fix my brandy now. *Once James left, Gar spoke.* Sorry, but Ghosts do not drink or eat. All Mr. Finch would have done was walk through milk leaving pawprints all over the room. While he is invisible to the human eye, he remains substantially here in this plane of existence.

Maria: Exactly what does that mean?

Gar: If he deigns to greet you, you will notice. He weighs nearly two and three quarters stones.

Maria: Sorry, I have no idea how much a stone weighs.

Gar: About 17 1/2 kilograms.

Maria: What’s that in pounds?
Senna: *speaks from the door* Mr. Finch weighs about 39 pounds, which is very large, even for an ocelot. In fact, if Guiness would allow ghosts to compete for their records, I’m pretty sure he’d go in the record books as the heaviest ocelot ever. 

*She hands Maria her drink and then sits by Gar, handing him his brandy with a loving smile*

Gar: Why are you serving the drinks? That’s James’ job.

Senna: *grimaces* The servants have their hands full right now.

Gar: *takes a deep gulp of the brandy* What has my brother done now.

Senna: *places her hand on his leg* You don’t want to know. It will only put you in a bad mood and then Mrs. Hammarblad—

Maria: Call me Maria.

Senna: And I’m Senna. Then Maria will think you are ill-tempered instead of being the nicest man she has ever met.

*Gar’s arm flew upward.*

Gar: Finch! Watch what you’re doing! *He turns to Senna.* Did I douse you in brandy?

Senna: *pets air above her lap* Not enough to fret over. I’m fine.

Maria: So Mr. Finch is in your lap right now?

Senna: Mr. Finch, may Maria pet you? She’s come all the way from a different galaxy in her spaceship to met you.

*Senna stops petting and sighs.*

Senna: I’m sorry. He seems to have left.

Maria: Jumps as a crushing weight drops across her lap. Tentatively she lowers her hand and makes contact with a hard furred body.

Mr. Finch’s purrs resonate through the library.

Maria: This is fabulous. I wish I could see him.

Senna: He’s always invisible, but Lassier created two paintings of Mr. Finch. One when he first bought him from a sailor and later in his prime. Let me get them for you.

*Senna leaves the room.*

Maria: I like her.

Gar: She’s the finest woman I’ve ever known. *He sighs and stares at his hands wrestling one another*

Maria: I think you love her.

Gar: *nods once* With all my heart, but she is engaged to my brother, so nothing can be done. Lassier tried to fix matters, but it hasn’t worked.

Maria: Lassier?

Gar: He’s the most troublesome ancestral ghost in the castle. Renoir Lassier, the famed artist who is renowned for his sexual escapades both when living and in his afterlife.

Maria: You mean—

Gar: He’s a ghost lover and has been consoling unhappy Durran wives for centuries. I suppose he’ll be doing the same for Senna when she marries my brother. *He tosses the remainder of his drink down his throat*

*Senna renters the room* Here are Lassier’s paintings of Mr. Finch.



Lassier says as a kitten, Mr. Finch would not be still, so painting him was nearly impossible, but once he matured, Mr. Finch was a perfect model and thus the likeness was excellent.

Gar: *smiles at Senna* Where on earth did you find these?

Senna: They showed up in my room one day.

Gar: *grips her hand and kisses it, then looks at Senna* I can speak for the entire staff, Brendon and I, plus all the ghosts when I say I am so glad you’ve become a part of our family.

Senna: I’m not really part of the family yet. You haven’t agreed Brendon and I may marry yet.

Gar: Senna you became a part of this family from the day you arrived. Never doubt you belong here.

Maria: *lifts the invisible cat on her lap and gently places it on the couch.* Well, I think I’ve enough for my blog now. Thank you so much for your time. *She glances down at the indent on the couch* I am honored to pet you, Mr. Finch. *She then smiled at Senna* And you Senna. Knowing Liza, your future will be difficult, but in the end, things will work out, so never give up. *glances at Gar* Either of you.

 And thus ends Maria’s interview. Hope you enjoyed it.



Ghost LoverBy Liza O’Connor
Contemporary Romance with a touch of paranormal
Blurb:
Two sexy English brothers. One irresistible ghost. Who would you choose as your lover?

Completely broke and with a criminal record to boot, Senna Smith is one day from eviction from her apartment when Brendon, her promiscuous roommate from London, suggests she go to England, marry him, and manage his fortune. With few other options, she agrees to an open marriage. But she’ll never, ever, have sex with him, knowing if she falls in love with him, he’ll break her heart.

As trustee of Brendon’s family fortune, there is no way Brendon’s older brother, Garrison Durran, is going to let him marry a self-professed American gold-digger. As Senna tries to embrace castle life and English society for Brendon’s sake, Gar discovers Senna is the perfect woman for him--beautiful and intelligent, kind and caring. Now, if she wasn’t already engaged to his brother…

The ancestral ghost of Durran Castle has to intervene if the Durran brothers have any chance of an heir. He can’t leave them to fix matters on their own. They are useless buggers when it comes to love. As counselor to Gar, matchmaker for Brendon, and lover to Senna, a ghost’s work is never done.


CONTENT WARNING: Allergy warning: Ghost cat in book.


Excerpt
Brendon moved to the window and stared out. “I don’t think you realized how bad things became for me when Nan died. I’d lost the only person who cared for me. I had no one left. The million dollars I lost on a roulette wheel wasn’t done just to get rid of the cook. I did it to get your attention. While you didn’t give a shit about me, you’ve always loved money. And it worked. You finally noticed me.”
“And sent you away,” Gar said with remorse.

“Yeah.” Brendon turned and gave him a faint smile. “Not exactly the response I’d hoped for, but it turned out all right. I met Senna and since then life keeps getting easier with each day. Now I find I even like you most of the time.”

“Well, the feeling is mutual. You’re still eccentric, but you’ve a good heart and good intent, and I’m proud you’re my brother.”

Suddenly the door opened and Senna walked in looking at both men with concern. “Are you two having a fight?”

“Not at all.” Brendon smiled. “In fact, Gar told me he’s proud I’m his brother.”

Senna’s eyes filled with appreciation as she grinned at Gar.

Her smile almost broke Gar’s heart. God help him, but Brendon had nailed the truth. He did love Senna, and more than anything, he wanted her to be his wife.


Author Info


About Liza O'Connor



Liza lives in Denville, NJ with her dog, Jess. They hike in fabulous woods every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Having an adventurous nature, she learned to fly small Cessnas in NJ, hang-glide in New Zealand, kayak in Pennsylvania, ski in New York, scuba dive with great white sharks in Australia, dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, sky dive in Indiana, and raft a class four river in Tasmania. She’s an avid gardener, amateur photographer, and dabbler in watercolors and graphic arts. Yet through her entire life, her first love has and always will be writing novels. She loves to create interesting characters, set them loose, and scribe what happens.



FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUTLIZA O'CONNOR



  Liza's Blog and Website   Facebook   Twitter 


To Be Released December 2, 2013  Click Here for More Information   



FREEBIE!!!!  To One Lucky Commenter,  I’ll give away one copy of Worst Week Ever  


What do you get when you put a hardworking, can-do middle-class young woman together with an egoistical, outrageous, billionaire boss, then throw in the worst week of disasters imaginable?

A humorous disaster romance of epic proportions.

Just leave an email address in your comment  

Bah! Humbug, by Jackie Leigh Allen

The holidays are coming up with alarming speed. If you need something to read during Thanksgiving, why not try some new authors through free reads? That way you will know if you like their work, and if you want to buy a full-length book.

I wrote about Bah! Humbug last Christmas. I still love it, and I recommend that you check it out. =)

Contemporary
     Could Santa Claus be the man who's been right under your nose all year?

Heather Fisher Black's third man of the year has just exited right when she needs a date for Christmas dinner. The whole gang from Win's War will be there and everyone will have a partner, even Win's grandfather.

To download this book, please follow this link.
My review:
I haven't read Win's War - yet - and the blurb had me a bit confused. I still liked the title Bah! Humbug and the premise, so I plunged in. This is a very enjoyable read that had me chuckling at times. Like, when the heroine forgets the name of "Jerk number three" - even though she used to hope he would propose. 
The book is easy to get into, and the characters are likeable and seem real. It's a perfect story to curl up with in a cozy corner, shutting the world out for a while. I've read a number of novellas in a short period of time, and this one sticks with me, popping into my mind from time to time. :-)

Bewitching Book Tours Hot Holiday Giveaway!

Nov 15 - Dec 15

Giveaways:
1 Kindle Fire HD 8.9 inch or equivalent value Amazon Gift Card

3 Bewitching Prize Packs full of books and book swag goodies - open to US Shipping - prize packs may contain print copies of The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle, Would Be Witch by Kimberly Frost and Earth Angel by E Van Lowe, Paranormal Pleasures by Roxanne Rhoads, Tasty Christmas Treats by Roxanne Rhoads- books will be distributed among the 3 prize packs

1 e-book set of the first three books in the Seven Seals Series by Traci Douglass

1 Release, book 3 of The Angler series by Annie Nicholas

1 ebook copy Murder on Mars A New Orleans Mystery by MM Shelley

1 Ebook giveaway Hollow’s End by Marianne Morea

1 Ebook copy of Tigress by JE Taylor

1 ebook copy of In Flames by Jessica Jayne

1 copy of River Road by Suzanne Johnson

1 ebook copy of Visionary- Unleashed by N Dunham

1 copy of each Bleeding Hearts and Blood Rush by Ash Krafton

1 ebook copy of Soul Meaning (Seventeen Book 1) by AD Starrling

1 ebook copy of Blaze Ignites by JL Madore

1 e-book copy of Operation Earth by Maria Hammarblad

1 Earth’s Requiem. Print if in the U.S., an e-copy otherwise.

1 ebook copy Silent Oath (Book 2 of the Locked Within Trilogy) by Paul Anthony Shortt

1 Ebook: Five Golden Rings by Jeffe Kennedy from the Season of Seduction Carina Press erotic holiday anthology

1 eBook: An Unexpected Bride (The Bride Series, Book 1) by Shadonna Richards

1 eCopy of Divine Destiny by Joanna Grace

1 Ministry Protocol: Thrilling Tales of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences

1 Ebook giveaway. "Beautiful Stranger" by Katalina Leon

1 ebook copy of Chasing the Star Garden by Melanie Karsak

1 ebook copy of Cleaning Up by Jophrael L Avario

1 One e-book copy of Haven by Celia Breslin

1 one e-book copy of Dragon Fire by Dina Von Lowenkraft

1 ebook copy of Hex and the Single Witch by Roxanne Rhoads

1 one kindle copy of Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective by Christine Amsden

1 One ecopy of Cursed Ever After by AC James

1 copy of The Miss Education of Dr. Exeter by Jillian Stone

1 ecopy of Catwalk:Messiah by Nick Kelly

1 ecopy of Wucaii by Pembroke Sinclair

1 ecopy of The Bottom Line by Shelley Munro

1 Ebook copy of Dangerous Pursuit by Margaret Daly



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SFR Brigade Presents: Brand New World

The SFR Brigade Presents is a blog hop where sci-fi romance authors present snippets of their work. This week, I would like to share an excerpt from my book Brand New World.

Brand New World is the first book in my Embarkment series, and they're a bit different from all my other books. They're written in first person, and not meant to be taken all that seriously.

Check out the other participating authors as well! =)

~~~~~~

The world was a bank of fog that came and went like waves on the sea, interrupted occasionally by the blackness of night, or maybe death. My confused mind couldn’t determine which. At times the fog was thinner, and revealed a world so surreal it must be feverish dreams or visions in a coma. Soon, these brief images appeared real, and life as it had been resembled a dream.
When consciousness returned it came painfully and I gasped for air, overwhelmed by a flood of impressions. There were memories that must surely be dreams, dreams appearing much too real, and sounds and smells I didn’t recognize.
A light came from above, much too bright for my eyes, and I squinted, trying to make out anything besides abstract shapes. My body was too heavy, and moving my head completely impossible.
“Look who’s awake. Welcome back.”
The female voice sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place it, and I couldn’t see her.As my eyes adjusted, I saw bright cones hanging from the ceiling. The walls were slightly curved, and the shapes of shadows from objects outside my view stood much too tall and distorted. Was I in a hospital? Maybe I’d been in an accident. The thought was logical, and much more appealing than the alternatives.
Another voice spoke. “Doctor Ima to the Captain, our time traveller is conscious.”
That comment didn’t make any sense at all. I hadn’t been on a boat, so why would there be a Captain? Time-traveller? Maybe I was still unconscious after all, trapped in a weird dream.
~~~~~~

Brand New World
When Alexandra wakes up in an unknown environment, populated by a cat-like woman with a tail and a hologram of a rockstar, she knows she has to be hallucinating. Maybe she hit her head, or finally suffered that nervous breakdown. It doesn't get any better from finding out she died and was taken into the future by the elusive Adam, whom she can't remember, or from people telling her she's on a spaceship.

The last year or so is gone from her memory, and she has no choice but to try to adapt. As days go by, her new environment becomes more and more unnerving. She finds herself helpless, and completely dependent on a man who isn't even human.

I need your help

This post is not about books or writing, but I need your help. I need you to sign this petition. These two beautiful Aussies, who have worked as therapy dogs and saved their owner from an attacker, have been held by Manatee County - my county - for nearly a year. 


Photo by Karen ErskineBuck and Bill are denied vet care, they have been dragged out of a vet's office, their owner is no longer allowed to see them, and she lives in uncertainty if her furry babies will be allowed to live or not.

This is not acceptable.

What did they do to deserve this treatment? They allegedly snuck out of the yard, chased a kid on bike, and pounced on him. He was scratched. Some rumors say one of the dogs nipped at him, others that nothing happened. Either way, he wasn't severely hurt, and any dog would have done the same thing. None of the things that happened means that Buck and Bill are vicious dogs.

To read more about Buck and Bill, please see this article in the Examiner, this article at lifewithdogs.tv, and this Facebook page. There is also a page to donate. The lawyers are working for free, but that in no way means that navigating the justice system is cheap.

Please, sign the petition and share this information. We need to show the powers that be that people are watching, and that they need to treat citizens and pets fairly.

I absolutely understand that two dogs chasing you when you're on a bike can be traumatic. I understand that falling or being jumped on can scare the daylights out of a person, especially if you're not used to dogs. That, however, doesn't make tormenting the dogs and their owner right.

This can happen to anyone. This could have been my dogs, or your dogs if you're a pet person.

I'm featured in the Bewitching Book Tours Magazine!

I am delighted to see that my guest blog on world building made it to the Bewitching Book Tours Magazine! Check it out! =D

Book Review: Oh Stupid Heart by Liza O'Connor

After reading Worst Week Ever (A Long Road to Love) I had high hopes for "Oh Stupid Heart." Liza O'Connor did not disappoint. 

Her books are well-written, well-edited, and depicts the lives of her characters - which might very well be real - in witty prose and dialogue. Oh Stupid Heart had me snarling at my family's attempts to interrupt my reading. Seriously, I'm spending time with a good book, why would I want to make dinner? Look in the fridge, I'm sure there's something there.

Oh Stupid Heart is both funny and cute, and the only thing wrong with it is that it ended. Luckily, it's part of a series, and I look forward to O'Connor's next release.

I like to think that I normally write more eloquent reviews, giving a recap of the story, characters, my reaction, and so on. I'm unable to do that with these books, because I only have one thing to say about them: Read them. They're funny. You won't regret it!

Blurb:

Carrie Hanson is in love with a different species: Trent, a pampered, uber-rich socialite who’s also her boss. Everyone keeps telling her it’s a train wreck looking to happen, but her heart wants what it wants. Despite the billion and one reasons not to, Carrie commits to this inter-species relationship.

While she's off being trained for her new job responsibilities, a beautiful ex fiancée is working hard to get Trent back and Carrie fired.

See the book on Amazon!