Cindy C. Bennett's Blog, page 36

The Experiment: Excerpt 3

In conjunction with the blog tour for The Experiment, I'll be posting an excerpt daily from the book. You can see the schedule for the tour here. Here's today's excerpt:

Emiah
“Where are we going?” Jules asked, walking beside Brax.“To Barrington,” Brax said.“What’s that?” I asked, coming up behind them.“You said you wanted to find your parents. The Trolls would hold your parents in the Brighton prison. Barrington is a place close to Brighton that we can hideout in,” Brax said.We’d never heard of the city. “How far is Brighton?” Jules asked.“It’s at least twelve days if we can walk twenty miles a day,” Brax said and eyed us with his big grin. “With you guys, we better call it a twenty day hike.” He was getting back to his playful self and it seemed to loosen the tension between us. “But it’s not an easy hike, Blondie. On the way here, I ran into two brazzles and you wouldn’t believe the number of Troll stations.” Surprisingly Jules let the “Blondie” nickname slide. “Don’t worry, Brax,” I said and patted the knife in my pocket. “Me and my little friend will keep you safe.”Brax doubled over laughing and the girls tried to keep a straight face, but lost control and laughed along with Brax.
“Ouch. Now that really hurts,” I said and laughed with them.
Read the Prologue and first 3 chapters here. Come back tomorrow for another excerpt.

Get your copy of The Experiment today at these retailers:


       

The Experiment: Excerpt 2

In conjunction with the blog tour for The Experiment, I'll be posting an excerpt daily from the book. You can see the schedule for the tour here. Here's today's excerpt:

Juliet
“Why do you hate me?" Brax asked. "I mean, I’m a good guy. Fun. Friendly. Easy going. And if I do say so myself, I’m easy on the eyes.” I spun to look into his sexy eyes, shocked at his arrogant insolence.“Go ahead, agree with me. Point out how sexy my dimples are. Or how soft my hair is. I know you want to run your fingers through it.” He stepped closer, studying my mouth. He reached out to me and ran his hand over my hair. Oh, yeah, I was a goner. He leaned in to kiss me. And I was going to let him. Until he added, “I’m every girl’s dream, and you know it.”I punched him instead.“You are an arrogant, cocky jerk. I’d rather kiss a crimson eagle with lice than kiss you.” I smirked proudly as he rubbed his chin. I may be a girl, but I knew how to land a punch. I spun back toward the cave, secretly rubbing my knuckles as I walked. No one ever tells you how much it hurts you to punch someone.
Read the Prologue and first 3 chapters here. Come back tomorrow for another excerpt.

Get your copy of The Experiment today at these retailers:


       

DiSemblance Book Blast

  DiSemblance Jason Tanner’s life has always been different from the ordinary citizen’s. It started when he was an infant and his parents were only teenagers. A computer science prodigy, Lloyd attended MIT but left a pariah in the eyes of the school’s dean—but a computer physics genius in the eyes of his primary investor. Then his theories and ideas created a holographic machine and their world shrunk as contact with the outside world became less and less frequent. A computer prodigy now himself, Jason is about to learn that the world never waits for you if you have the ability to change it: it will come for you. Detective Bruce Durante has been handed the case of the Comfort Killer, a serial killer so named because he appears to abduct terminally ill patients before returning their corpses to their families in refrigerated coffins. When he picks up the trail, it leads straight to the home of Lloyd Tanner. Jason has been living life through the world of Lloyd’s invention and wishing he could carry on a relationship with Boston, the beautiful girl next door. When his father is murdered and framed as the Comfort Killer, he is brought back to reality in a hurry. He is forced to destroy all of the planted evidence—and finds he is being targeted as the killer’s new fall guy. But the secrets of his father’s invention run deep and Jason, his brother Isaac,Boston, the Comfort Killer, and Detective Durante hurtle towards one another on a deadly collision course that leaves everyone’s life hanging in the balance.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Author Shanae Branham I am a professional writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and a minor in grammar. I have also attended several years of classes and workshops in screenplay writing at the Los Angeles Screenplay writer’s Expo. I love suspense thrillers and am a master at plot and character development. I enjoy stories with happy endings. I promise all my readers that when they put one of my books down or walk away from one of my movies, they will be enthused with excitement and joy. This does not mean there will not be some sad parts, because you have to feel the bitter in order to understand the sweet. In fact, I have struggled with Dyslexia my whole life, so you can imagine how overjoyed I was when DiSemblance won a Silver metal in the fantasy/science fiction category at the eLit awards in 2012.  
Website * Twitter * Facebook 
Tour Schedule  BookBlast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 9/13/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.   a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: Arms Wide Open

Coming Friday, September 6--Arms Wide Open: a novella 
Lauren Brooks is in a rut, and her roomie is determined to yank her out of it by convincing her to participate in a local coffee shop's 5-in-5 speed dating event. Once she agrees, it takes her about 30 seconds to realize if there's an oddball out there looking for love, he'll find her. And creep her out. She confronts one weirdo after another until someone she used to know winds up in the same place, and she has to decide what she wants more: to make a break for it, or embrace the possibilities of another chance.

Fun Facts about Arms Wide Open:

Lauren Brooks is based on a real person...a real survivor.
Although the author doesn't name a city as the setting, she imagined it happening in a little shop by the pier in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

The eyeball guy, Rico Suave, and the amorous hipster are all based on actual dates the author suffered through.

Check out Arms Wide Open, a novella about taking a chance on love! 

About the author: Juli Caldwell is also the author of Psyched , a YA paranormal novel, and Beyond Perfection , a latter-day romance. She lives near the shores of the Great Salt Lake with her husband, two bookworm daughters, and a dog who sheds too much. She will love you forever if you like her facebook page and follow her on Twitter. Check her blog often for updates on upcoming books, contests, and giveaways from her and other amazing authors!

Day One of The Experiment Blog Tour

Thanks to some amazing bloggers and authors, we're able to take a trip around the world, spreading word about The Experiment , a new novel I've co-written with Sherry Gammon and Jeffery Moore.

Yesterday, which was day 1, the book was featured on three blogs. They are:

Getting Your Read On
Reading, Eating, and Dreaming
Author Kimberly Patterson

Aimee at Getting Your Read on was kind enough to read and review the book for us as well. Here's some of what she had to say:

I really enjoyed this book.  The plot was always forward moving and didn't drag at all.  The characters were all distinct and definable.  They are on a quest to save their parents and along the way they discover more than they ever thought possible.  There is romance, adventure and intrigue all set in a futuristic other world but a world full of oppression and inequality  which are things we all can relate to.

You can read the rest of Aimee's review here.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the tour today!

Get your copy of The Experiment today!

The Experiment: Excerpt 1

In conjunction with the blog tour for The Experiment, I'll be posting an excerpt daily from the book. You can see the schedule for the tour here. Here's today's excerpt:

Cilla
Impressive. Brax carried Juliet’s squirming form for a few miles. He held her in front of him, one arm behind her back and the other beneath her knees, through the rugged jungle terrain without even breaking much of a sweat. This might have had something to do with the night’s cold settling in. Juliet calmed and if I didn’t know any better, I’d suspect she enjoyed the ride. Otherwise, I might have stepped in and forced him to let her go. Of course, our pace would have slowed drastically if he weren’t carrying her.Brax led us deeper into the depths of the jungle. I was nervous, but not for the usual reasons. Normally I’d be scared of all the creatures I knew inhabited the area, but instead I was nervous about something happening that would force me to change. Em wanted me to tell Jules, but I couldn’t. Fear she’d think me the mutant I was kept me silent. I couldn’t handle that now.       It was important to me, what they thought of me. The rest of the world saw me as this flighty, flirty, brainless chick. But my family knew me, the real me. They knew that the way I acted was just a cover. Em easily accepted this newest freaky thing because it had saved us twice. But I couldn’t guarantee how Jules would feel about me. She was the one always telling me to be who I am rather than who I pretend to be. Would she feel the same if she knew I was a felit? If she knew I was a nightmarish creature that skulked in the night, a fearless beast that attacked and killed people, would she look at me differently? Or would she see me, as Em said, as a powerful guardian protecting the ones it loved?

Read the Prologue and first 3 chapters here. Come back tomorrow for another excerpt.

Get your copy of The Experiment today at these retailers:


       

The Experiment Blog Tour

Welcome to the kick-off of the blog tour for my latest novel, The Experiment , co-written with the amazing and talented Sherry Gammon and Jeffery Moore!
Join us every day for the tour for the chance to win your own copy of The Experiment  and read some reviews from the fantastic bloggers who are helping us out. You can check back here daily to see who's on tour, or you can see the schedule here.


The Experiment , a new novel from the imaginations of Cindy C Bennett, Sherry Gammon, and Jeffery Moore!

Time is running out for the Collaborative's oppressive rule of the remote world Senca One. The government attempts to suppress the escalating riots, even while seeking to further their experiments. When their parents are taken, triplets Juliet, Cilla, and Emiah Tripp set out to locate them, and soon discover they are at the center of a hunt to capture them.

Evading the Collaborative across Senca One’s harsh terrain, they’re confronted with the trials of survival. They also discover something that changes the very core of their reality: they’re morphs. Struggling to adapt to the strange new ability, they question what they really are . . . and why. Are the rumors of experiments done on children true? Did their scientist parents have anything to do with it?
Their quest brings them to the capitol city of Brighton, which is on the verge of revolt. While searching for information about their parents, the Tripps align themselves with the very people fueling the rebellion. They unwittingly spark the revolution they want no part of and discover something more dangerous than they suspected.

Read an excerpt of the prologue and first 3 chapters here. Also, daily I'll be posting other excerpts for the duration of the tour.

Read More on The Experiment Blog or on The Experiment Facebook Page

Get Your Copy Now at These Retailers:        

About the Authors


Jeffery Moore
Moore was born in Germany. As a military brat, much of his childhood was spent abroad, growing up in Germany on military installations. He subsequently enlisted in the military and served for ten years as an army pilot. While in the military, he lived in Italy and South Korea and deployed to many European countries. He has traveled to Australia, Japan, Singapore and most European countries. His experiences and contact with many different cultures helps form some of the elements in his stories. He currently works for a global IT company and lives in Massachusetts.


Find more about Jeffery and his work at  www.jefferyemoore.com

Sherry Gammon
Unlovable was Gammon's debut novel and quickly rose to many top seller lists on Amazon. She is pleased to announce that Unlovable is currently being made into a movie. She has added two more novels to her body of work. Not so Easy, book one of the Souls in Peril series, is the poignant story of Max Sanchez who is on a journey to help the struggling JD Miller survive high school, and Pete & Tink, a fun, light-hearted novella of a manga-loving geek and a five-and-a-half inch fairy. Gammon and her husband, along with their children and a couple of crazy dogs, call Upstate New York home. It is where she spends her nights writing instead of sleeping.

Find more about Sherry and her work at  www.wordpaintingsunlimited.com

Cindy C Bennett
Bennett is the YA author of several books, including Geek Girl, Rapunzel Untangled, Enchanted Fairytales, and Heart on a Chain. She lives in Utah and has six kids (two of which are daughters in-law). She loves gooey cookies, dark chocolate, and cheese popcorn. She hates housework and cooking, and has no plans to become a domestic goddess. She occasionally co-hosts a geek podcast with her son, called Geek Revolution Radio. Her favorite pastime is riding her Harley.

Find more about Cindy and her work at  www.cindycbennett.com

Pretty Darn Funny: Budget Cuts

It's time once again for Pretty Darn Funny's latest video, "Budget Cuts". You can watch it below, then read my thoughts on the video.


My thoughts: This one was probably my favorite so far, because saving money for something useless is something we can all relate to. Plus, the way they're cutting corners to save money for the family photo are so ridiculously funny simply because they're actually fairly feasible (and no, I don't think family photos are useless - you'll have to watch to see what I'm talking about). I laughed aloud when she unveiled the family photo. Deliciously silly.
This week, Pretty Darn Funny's sponsor Deseret Book has offered a copy of Josi Kilpack's Rocky Road to one lucky winner. Simply sign in to the Rafflecopter below to be entered to win.
It was supposed to be a girls’ weekend in scenic St. George, Utah that would include shopping, trying out the local cuisine, and participating in a breast cancer fundraiser. The fact that one of the organizers of the fundraising event, a local doctor, disappeared two months ago was not supposed to be Sadie’s problem. In fact, she refuses to participate in the grassroots investigation her friend Caro, and Caro’s cousin, Tess, have put together prior to her arrival. But then she meets the ex-wife of the missing doctor. How could she not ask a few questions . . . that lead to a few more questions . . . that lead to a small town and yet even more questions. Before she knows it, Sadie is in the middle of yet another murder investigation and trying to piece together a convoluted trail of good intentions, hidden motivations, and philanthropy turned big business.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Movie Week

Over the past several days I've seen three very different movies. One was about a whale named Tilakum that killed his trainer, another about a girl who discovers she's a shadowhunter, and the third about a woman with a Jane Austen obsession. So, which would I recommend? Let me give you my thoughts on them, then I'll tell you.

Black Fish


This is one of the most interesting, eye-opening, heartbreaking documentaries I've seen. This is not a fictionalized version of a horrible event, and has no actors, only people who've been involved with whales or this case in particular. Dawn Brancheau was the trainer of Tilikum, an Orca, or killer whale, at Sea World. This documentary goes back 40 years to find the answers as to why he killed her (she's the third death he's responsible for, not the first). I feel bad that I ever gave a single dollar of my money to Sea World based on what I learned from this movie. Orca's are extremely intelligent, emotional, and family oriented. Calfs live with their parents for their entire lives. And yet Tillikum, as well as many other whales in now captivity, were captured and ripped from their mother's sides (and even still calves are taken from their moms to be sold to other marinas). Then they're forced to live their lives in unnaturally small tanks with other whales who are not only strangers, but who don't even speak the same "language" as one another. Black Fish is enlightening and heart wrenching.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones


I read this book quite some time ago. In fact, it was long enough ago that I didn't remember much from the book. I remembered the basic storyline, but not specific details. I liked the movie. Other than Lily Collins' distracting eyebrows (can someone get that girl a pair of tweezers, please?), I thought she did a good job and captured the spirit of Clary. Jamie Campbell Bower, probably best known as Caius from the Twilight movies, is sexy and mysterious as Jace is supposed to be. Simon was pretty different than I remember him from the books, but I thought the actor playing him (Robert Sheehan) was a perfect balance of nerdy and hot. I have a bit of a crush on Jonathan Rhys Meyers so I'd be hard pressed to find anything wrong with him. The movie had far more action and fight sequences than I remember the book having, but not to the point of distraction. Overall, a really good movie.

Austenland


I'm ashamed to admit I haven't read Austenland by Shannon Hale, in spite of the fact that I'm a fan of hers (love Goosegirl). Therefore I wasn't really sure what to expect when I walked into this movie. I kind of expected a cute romantic comedy - and I ended up getting so much more. This movie is hilarious. I should have known based on Shannon's particular sense of humor, and the fact that it's directed and co-written by Jerusha Hess (Napoleon Dynamite). Not to mention that it co-stars the always funny Jennifer Coolidge, who's at the top of her game here. Keri Russell is charmingly obsessed with all things Jane Austen, and books a trip to Austenland, where women go to slip back in time and basically live a Jane Austen novel. Unfortunately she's given the faux moniker of Jane Erstwhile, and is booked into the servants quarters (she only purchased the basic package). There were times in the movie when I couldn't hear some lines of dialog because the audience was laughing so much. JJ Field and Bret McKenzie are both swoon-worthy, and Georgia King and James Callis are hilarious side characters. And can someone please tell me how Jane Seymour still looks so beautiful at 62? I can't wait for this one to come out on Blu-Ray.

Recommendation
I promised I'd give you my recommendation for which of these to see, and here it is: I recommend all of them. If you can't swing seeing them all (movies are ridiculously expensive at $10 per person) then here's what I say:
If you want to see something deep, moving, and thought-provoking, then see Black Fish.
If you want to see something dark and mysterious with lots of action, then see City of Bones.
If you want to see something lighthearted and funny that will make you leave the theater with a smile on your face, then see Austenland.

Still can't decide? Then I'd recommend Austenland, simply because it makes your day a little happier.

Release Announcement: Left by T.R. Graves

Left (Still Standing, #1) by T. R. Graves Series:Still StandingGenre: Contemporary New Adult Disclaimer: 18+ profanity/sexual situations/violenceLength: 315 pagesRegular Price: $3.99Summary:
A naive Baylee loves Colt, her boyfriend of four years, more than she ever thought possible. After a little snooping, she's convinced she's well on her way toward hearing an once-in-a-lifetime proposal and starring in the wedding-of-the-year event. Instead, she's blindsided by a very public breakup and the crushing news that Colt is marrying someone else... someone more befitting him and the role his father expects him to take in his law firm.
Baylee may have spent years resenting Ariana, her mother, and her suicide, an intolerable show of weakness in Baylee's opinion, but after Colt leaves her just short of the altar, Baylee sees the world through her mother's eyes. She sympathizes with Ariana's actions and realizes that some things—soul-deep aches—can irreparably damage you and make moving on nearly impossible.

At least that's how she feels until she meets Ryker. With his help, Baylee discovers there is life after Colt, and she prepares to move on by pulling herself up by the bootstraps, holding her head high, and standing on her own two feet. Unfortunately, a new jealous and hateful Colt has his own plans for her, and they are plans no one—especially Baylee—ever saw coming.


Pre-release purchase link: Smashwords
Left (Still Standing, #1) Kindle Fire Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Goodreads 5 Book Paperback Giveaway:

.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 Left by T.R. Graves Giveaway ends October 01, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win