Reena Jacobs's Blog, page 31
July 20, 2011
Working Wednesday #13
Okay… I've been fairly busy this week… not too busy, but busy enough. 
I'll be honest, I haven't been sticking too much with the goals I set earlier though. Still, let's see what I have done.
I Loved You First
Received the copy back with editing notes from Dave Parker (president of my local PLAG chapter in NC).
Implemented the editing changes
77% done with reading through to make sure no new errors have been introduced after changes
Plan to have ARC ready Saturday, July 23, 2011
Offered ARCs to blog followers and Goodreads friends (if we're not connected through GFC –check out sidebar– or Goodreads, consider hooking up with me so you stay in the know). If you didn't receive an invitation and are interested in an ARC, friend me on Goodreads. I'll probably send out invitations to new Goodreads friends on Saturday, July 23, 2011
Need to send out review requests to Review Blogs – Will send the first batch Saturday, July 23, 2011
Need to do one final read through before publication. This is in addition to the current read-through. Expected release date August 1, 2011
Last day to pledge Saturday, July 23, 2011 – Don't miss out if this was on your list. –character naming, signed copies, S.W.A.G., book acknowledgements, and more– Plus you get to support an author!
31% toward the funding goal
Blog
Restructured the categories
Added buy links to my work (way overdue for that)
Reading Challenge
Behind 2 books
Plan to read 2 books a week to catch up (with the work for I Loved You First coming to an end, I think I can do this)
Reena has read 18 books toward her goal of 60 books.
hide
18 of 60 (30%)
view books
In Other News!!!
Humor/Paranormal Fantasy Giveaway
As I mentioned earlier this month, I'm one of the authors participating in Angel Haze's blog hop for her up coming releases (Bloodletter and Legacies of Talimura). As part of the tour, we'll be doing a giveaway each Saturday featuring a few of the authors, starting today! Woot.
So what's up for grabs this week? Two digital copies each of the following books:
Evolution of Insanity by Haresh Daswani (Short Story Colletion)
Shadow Cat by Reena Jacobs (Paranormal Romance)
Doorway of the Triquetra by Lenore Wolfe (Paranormal Fantasy)
Dark Warrior: To Tame a Wild Hawk by Lenore Wolfe (Paranormal Fantasy)
Enter HERE
Want to sponsor a giveaway? Want to do an interview or guest post. Email me. reenajacobs at reenajacobs dot com
Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.
Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.
July 19, 2011
Tuesday Teaser: The Evolution of Insanity by Haresh Daswani
Angel Haze's Blog Hop Giveaway continues. Today on this Tuesday Teaser we're featuring a work by Haresh Daswani. Name sound familiar? It should. He's giving away a couple of copies of his book The Evolution of Insanity this week. If you haven't already done so, check out the giveaway. But first, a quick video featuring the Evolution of Insanity and an excerpt.
An author having a conversation with his fictional character, or losing control of his character, mind numbing points leading one twists and turns spinning the mind of the reader with hallucinogenic colors, concepts, and eurekas. The short stories begin simplified, and walks together with the author as he takes a personal journey deep within the universe of his own consciousness, dwelling, prodding, dissecting, and creating… This book is a play on different writing styles uniquely conjured by the writer from random inspiration and experimentation with poetry as prior experience. This is a chronological anthology spanning the imagination and sanity of the writer. This book is a collection of humour, satire, and philosophy, with the most unique writing style and twists. This books evolves as one reads, from basic and simple stories of humor, to deeper and more profound satire best savored twice.
White Lines
One not so uncommon opening scene tends to be the hypnotic evening road, and the white… black… white… black… white… lines on the road, uniform and predictable. These lines fall trippy if you are tired from a long day, journeying back home, ready and waiting to surrender to the fate of dreaming, reaching that other state also known as the alpha state, where the road twists and turns and cars turn to fluffy clouds driven by pleasant in-laws (past, present, or future). One tries to sober up again and see that they are not fluffy, and are vaguely seen as pleasant or otherwise, they are just tolerated co-travelers staring on the road, wondering perhaps the same question, "isn't this just the largest cocaine trail for the Gods?"
Pay attention on the road and keep your eyes open for the car in front. Make sure that it is his back you are facing, and not his headlamps, to ensure you are still on the right lane, and as he. It comes to that point in time that it does not matter who is right, but whoever is wrong gets you both in trouble, so your job is to ensure both of you are not wrong for your sake.
This isn't the same driver's ed test you had just a few years back, paranoid, paranoid, and remindful of your phobias of deja vous, and remindful of your phobias of deja vous. Stare away from the distraction of poster models on oversized billboards of women who are only perfect thanks to Photoshop, for even they cannot be that flawless, no one is that ugly as flaws make you beautiful, your stories.
Like your scar on the left knee from falling off the bike and onto your neighbor's bush. Flowers that is, of a myriad of friendly colors that you might have remembered. Such were your pleasant days as it deemed demanding for your neighbor to make it all cheerful again. You were pitied for your wound, and your stupidity forgotten, such were the advantages of childhood.
Nostalgia is but a drug of pleasantries, friendlier times, flowery trees.
Reality sets in, black… white… black… white… black… white…
Left hand on the wheel, right hand on the stereo, change your tune to cruisin' jazz nights with Incognito singin' "Still a friend of mine" and the date you once had beside you might just reappear, or not. Together with your last date was your wallet, which you have consented to giving its contents just for that conversation you would never want to have now, the small talks, gossips, and getting to know quizzes.
It is your nocturnal state of mind, pleasantries, and expectation that the lovely face across continues shy and bubbly, pleasant like smooth Jazz and a well mixed glass of martini, or for others, a twist sour gin and tonic.
But.
It has been a day too long, as the sun witnessed true. This evening too, has proven long, and long long long way back you stare at all your evening drives, staring at God's cocaine line, and the many beautiful women who have sat beside you, chatty, bubbly, quiet, angry, scared, confused, constipated, or otherwise.
To the lonely rides home from a night longer still, and the lines of flaming shots taken in blue, green, orange, brown. Memorable evenings of which you have no recollection, after 3 sambucas too drunk.
You already have the most beautiful woman commit to staying with you forever, sleeping on the passenger seat, tired from the same long night you just went through. Her presence, enough to put a smile on the face, as you travel along.
White… black… white… black… white…
The Evolution of Insanity
by Haresh Daswani is available at:
*************************
About this author
An entrepreneur, environmentalist, racer, wine lover, writer, and many more random things. Haresh has started writing through poetry and upon its mastery (mostly boredom, you cannot truly master writing as it is an evolving process) has shifted to experimenting with essay and short stories.
Haresh's passion in short story lies in being able to dwell within the universe of consciousness and experimenting, dissecting, and in short, exploring and destroying and recreating thoughts, concepts, interjecting hallucinations and twists focused on something deeper, engaging the reader to jump in and explore together.
You can find Haresh Daswani online at: Goodreads and The Fine Line between Genius and Insanity.
Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.
Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.
July 18, 2011
Novel Review: The Last Archangel by Michael D. Young
I finally finished The Last Archangel by Michael D. Young. As you might recall, I didn't finish reading it on time for a review last week. In fact, I'm a book behind on my Goodreads reading challenge. Hopefully, I'll be able to catch up. Blah blah. Back to the review. Before we hit that, how about the blurb from Mr. Young's website:
Doomed to serve as a destroying angel until the end of the world, the fallen angel Xandir sometimes wonders what is taking so long. In thousands of years, he has only cared about one person and he was forced to destroy her along with her entire city in the line of duty.
Then a secret brotherhood approaches him and claims that together they can end the world and reunite him with his lost love. To do so, he must enter an ancient sunken city and emerge with a seed from the noxious tree at its center. With the seed's poison they could construct weapons to bring down the curtain on Earth's final act. Xandir's journey takes him around the world, both above and beneath, sending him rushing in where most angels fear to tread.
I started out very hopeful with this book. The prologue absolutely rocked, and the writing was sound. I have to say, I was quite impressed with the opening. One thing for sure, Mr. Young totally knows how to reel in the reader. If could categorize this work, I'd call it an action fantasy adventure.
Xandir is the main character as every other chapter is in his viewpoint while throwing in various other characters in between. He's a different kind of hero from my normal reads: quick to anger, self-centered, short-sighted, and at times quite reckless. Yet he still has a moral drive which compels him to save every day people. It's quite an odd combination, but in a way, very realistic.
I mentioned other characters. The Last Archangel steps into the mind of quite a few of them: Judy, a college language professor; Jarom, a cherub and Xandir's apprentice; and Eden, an abused spouse. When I first started getting into the different POVs, I expected each to be a catalyst in the story. What I found was, though they played a part in the grand tapestry, they truly were only single threads. The true story is Xandir and the way seemingly unrelated plot lines work their way back to his journey, and eventually his final outcome.
I think the idea of having mini-plots and weaving them together to create a grand finale is an awesome idea. I've seen some wicked movies use that technique. In The Last Archangel, I think it ended up being the weak point.
When I thought about why, I believe it's because the characters didn't have enough interactions to really make me care about their overall predicament, particularly Judy and Eden who seemed to disappear toward the end of the book before reappearing.
In my mind, The Last Archangel was two separate stories which briefly touched. There was Judy and Eden who had their fight–a strong enough plot to stand on its own, but the characters lacked the ability to do much about their situation. With virtually no involvement from Xandir, Judy and Eden's story seemed to be nothing more than filler. Then we had Xandir and Jarom with an entirely different fight–also a strong plot. Really, I believe if the novel only included Xandir and his predicament (with Jarom as his side kick), the entire story would have been stronger.
So was it a bad story? Not at all. It was quite decent, I would say. In fact, if my reading list wasn't a million and a half books long, I'd probably read The Last Archangel again just to achieve a better appreciate for the entire story line.
Overall, Mr. Young did an excellent job creating an alternative world loosely based on Christianity and angels. I wouldn't call it a Christian read because the world he created deviated quite a bit in some areas from the bible and relied on worldly misconceptions. However, it was still quite an interesting interpretation.
The Last Archangel by Michael D. Young is Available at:
I received my copy from the NetGalley
Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.
Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.
July 16, 2011
Special Post: Blog Hop – Humor/Paranormal/Fantasy Giveaway + Winners
Let's here it for copy and paste! As I mentioned earlier this month, I'm one of the authors participating in Angel Haze's blog hop for her up coming releases (Bloodletter and Legacies of Talimura).
As part of the tour, we'll be doing a giveaway each Saturday featuring a few of the authors! Woot.
Before we get to the giveaway, we have some winners to announce from the last giveaway. Quick reminder of what was up for grabs for the Blog Hop YA Fantasy Giveaway:
Angel Haze: two digital copies of Legacies of Talimura: War of the Witch
C.A. Kunz: two prize packs for The Childe
Katie M John: two digital copies of The Forest of Adventures
And the winners are!
Legacies of Talimura: War of the Witch by Angel Haze: Jennifer Wells (Jennifer Wells) & Troy Wiggins (What Do You See?)
The Forest of Adventures by Katie M John: Sarie Grobler & Marlene Botha
The Childe by C.A. Kunz: Roro & Regina Linton (Unsettled)
Congratulations! Emails have been sent.
***Winners have until next Saturday (July 23, 2011) to respond or new winners will be chosen***
*********************
So what's up for grabs this week? Two digital copies each of the following books:
Evolution of Insanity by Haresh Daswani (Short Story Colletion)
An author having a conversation with his fictional character, or losing control of his character, mind numbing points leading one twists and turns spinning the mind of the reader with hallucinogenic colors, concepts, and eurekas. The short stories begin simplified, and walks together with the author as he takes a personal journey deep within the universe of his own consciousness, dwelling, prodding, dissecting, and creating…
This book is a play on different writing styles uniquely conjured by the writer from random inspiration and experimentation with poetry as prior experience.
This is a chronological anthology spanning the imagination and sanity of the writer.
This book is a collection of humour, satire, and philosophy, with the most unique writing style and twists.
This book evolves as one reads, from basic and simple stories of humor, to deeper and more profound satire best savored twice.
*********************
Shadow Cat by Reena Jacobs (Paranormal Romance)
Eric Randall's plan is simple—fix the mess his researchers have created in Malaysia, experience the pleasures the country has to offer, and return to the comforts of America. All it takes is one beautiful aborigine, and Eric finds himself stranded in a world of Malaysian myths and legends.
A novice shaman amongst her people, Berani is free and independent. Yet all is not well in her homeland. Demons prey on her people, pushing them to extinction. When a strange speaking man invades her forest, she has one more worry to add to her already troubled life. Attraction or no, she will fight Eric tooth and claw to maintain her freedom. But will she destroy herself in the process?
If Berani wishes to save her family… if Eric wishes to reclaim his old life, they must stand together against the threats of encroaching wehr-tigers and bloodsucking demons… or perish.
*********************
Doorway of the Triquetra by Lenore Wolfe (Paranormal Fantasy)
When an ancient medallion is passed down to her, Mira is not happy to learn she is the next Jaguar Witch, bound by the blood of the Jaguar, to cross the doorway and learn the Way of the Stone. She must find the Doorway of the Triquetra, but each move she makes only leads her to a deeper mystery, where all of her past lives are bound–to four immortal men.
*********************
Dark Warrior: To Tame a Wild Hawk by Lenore Wolfe (Paranormal Fantasy)
Amanda Kane has always had visions of the man she's destined to marry–a cowboy who will help her save her ranch. But Hawk is no ordinary cowboy. He carries a powerful secret. A secret that leads to betrayal.
As always, entry is easy.
You'll earn 1 point for completing the form.
An additional point for sharing the giveaway and leave the link (Twitter, Facebook, Blog, Linked, MySpace, etc.). *Optional*
You may tweet once per day for the giveaway and/or campaign after your initial entry for an extra 2 points. Use the same form.
Comments are appreciated, but only entries from the form count.
Giveaway ends Saturday, July 23, 2011.
Please read the giveaway policy for the nitty gritty.
Be sure to stop by next Saturday for the winners and more giveaways!
Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.
Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.
Special Post: Blog Hop – Humor/Paranormal Fantasy Giveaway + Winners
Let's here it for copy and paste! As I mentioned earlier this month, I'm one of the authors participating in Angel Haze's blog hop for her up coming releases (Bloodletter and Legacies of Talimura).
As part of the tour, we'll be doing a giveaway each Saturday featuring a few of the authors! Woot.
Before we get to the giveaway, we have some winners to announce from the last giveaway. Quick reminder of what was up for grabs for the Blog Hop YA Fantasy Giveaway:
Angel Haze: two digital copies of Legacies of Talimura: War of the Witch
C.A. Kunz: two prize packs for The Childe
Katie M John: two digital copies of The Forest of Adventures
And the winners are!
Legacies of Talimura: War of the Witch by Angel Haze: Jennifer Wells (Jennifer Wells) & Troy Wiggins (What Do You See?)
The Forest of Adventures by Katie M John: Sarie Grobler & Marlene Botha
The Childe by C.A. Kunz: Roro & Regina Linton (Unsettled)
Congratulations! Emails have been sent.
***Winners have until next Saturday (July 23, 2011) to respond or new winners will be chosen***
*********************
So what's up for grabs this week? Two digital copies each of the following books:
Evolution of Insanity by Haresh Daswani (Short Story Colletion)
An author having a conversation with his fictional character, or losing control of his character, mind numbing points leading one twists and turns spinning the mind of the reader with hallucinogenic colors, concepts, and eurekas. The short stories begin simplified, and walks together with the author as he takes a personal journey deep within the universe of his own consciousness, dwelling, prodding, dissecting, and creating…
This book is a play on different writing styles uniquely conjured by the writer from random inspiration and experimentation with poetry as prior experience.
This is a chronological anthology spanning the imagination and sanity of the writer.
This book is a collection of humour, satire, and philosophy, with the most unique writing style and twists.
This book evolves as one reads, from basic and simple stories of humor, to deeper and more profound satire best savored twice.
*********************
Shadow Cat by Reena Jacobs (Paranormal Romance)
Eric Randall's plan is simple—fix the mess his researchers have created in Malaysia, experience the pleasures the country has to offer, and return to the comforts of America. All it takes is one beautiful aborigine, and Eric finds himself stranded in a world of Malaysian myths and legends.
A novice shaman amongst her people, Berani is free and independent. Yet all is not well in her homeland. Demons prey on her people, pushing them to extinction. When a strange speaking man invades her forest, she has one more worry to add to her already troubled life. Attraction or no, she will fight Eric tooth and claw to maintain her freedom. But will she destroy herself in the process?
If Berani wishes to save her family… if Eric wishes to reclaim his old life, they must stand together against the threats of encroaching wehr-tigers and bloodsucking demons… or perish.
*********************
Doorway of the Triquetra by Lenore Wolfe (Paranormal Fantasy)
When an ancient medallion is passed down to her, Mira is not happy to learn she is the next Jaguar Witch, bound by the blood of the Jaguar, to cross the doorway and learn the Way of the Stone. She must find the Doorway of the Triquetra, but each move she makes only leads her to a deeper mystery, where all of her past lives are bound–to four immortal men.
*********************
Dark Warrior: To Tame a Wild Hawk by Lenore Wolfe (Paranormal Fantasy)
Amanda Kane has always had visions of the man she's destined to marry–a cowboy who will help her save her ranch. But Hawk is no ordinary cowboy. He carries a powerful secret. A secret that leads to betrayal.
As always, entry is easy.
You'll earn 1 point for completing the form.
An additional point for sharing the giveaway and leave the link (Twitter, Facebook, Blog, Linked, MySpace, etc.). *Optional*
You may tweet once per day for the giveaway and/or campaign after your initial entry for an extra 2 points. Use the same form.
Comments are appreciated, but only entries from the form count.
Giveaway ends Saturday, July 23, 2011.
Please read the giveaway policy for the nitty gritty.
Be sure to stop by next Saturday for the winners and more giveaways!
Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.
Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.
July 14, 2011
Who Art Thou Thursday: Aimee Laine
I met Aimee Laine last year while at Scribophile. She even helped me with Shadow Cat, reading and critiquing it from beginning to end. Wonderful person; wonderful critter. This month she had her debut release, Little White Lies. Woot! And today she's joined us for an awesome interview. I haven't read Little White Lies yet, but I know from personal experience from working with her at Scribophile and reading her other works that she's a fantastic writer, so definitely check out her debut release!
Tell us about your most recent publication.
On July 1st, my debut novel, Little White Lies released. While the book blurb really does a great job of summarizing, I'll give the even shorter version. Charley Randall has screwed herself over 3 times by giving up Wyatt Moreland as the love of her life. She has altruistic reasons for doing it, but now, after 200 years as a shape-shifter, she's got a serious choice to make because her time is running out to tell him about herself. If she does, he could leave. Or he could fall in love with her again. So far, everyone that's read it wants them to hook up and luckily for them, I'm a romance writer … so they will … probably.
Which of your characters do you relate to most?
Charley. She's tough. She's the rock of the family. She's logical and caring and wants what's right for everyone. She's the 'mom' but not 'the' mom if that makes sense. She's the one who fails to take care of herself over doing what's best for others. That, unfortunately for her, is what consumes her life and fails to let her experience the true joy of love. I, on the other hand, have that as I've been married to my high school sweetheart for 17 years as of August 2011.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
I have one big, huge, humongous piece of advice. For every story you write, let it sit (in days) for at least half of the number of pages it ended up being. Trust me. I wrote Little White Lies in January 2010. It didn't go anywhere. In October of 2010 after it SAT for a while, I saw why. THEN it got some serious traction. And now, another 8 months later, it's out.
Letting your stories sit is really hard. But it's worth it. So 300 page story? Let it sit 150 days. 2 page story? Don't submit it for AT LEAST 1 day. Give it time to simmer.
Anything special you'd like to say to readers?
Two words: Thank you.
What are you working on now?
Right now I'm working on the next in the Mimics of Rune series! Yes, Cael and Lily are FINALLY going to get it on!! I think by the end of Little White Lies, everyone yells at me for not just making it happen already, but there are reasons. They both have reasons. They are so destined to be with each other but man oh man … she's about to tell him some truths and poor Cael is going to be heartbroken. I gotta get them to their happily ever after ASAP!
When did you first decide you wanted to be a writer?
May 2009. I was sitting in my photography studio kinda hoping for the phone to ring and thought … 'what if…?' and in 60 days from that moment I wrote a story that no one will ever see. Nope. No one. Ever. From that moment on, I wanted to keep at it. I
What is your character development process?
Well, since I'm a total pantser when I write, my characters tell me what they are supposed to do and how to act. I don't develop them, they develop for me … on their own … until they are happy with how they live, breath, love and in some cases die. I love getting to a scene and not knowing how my characters will react and my fingers type stuff and all the sudden tada! It's done! And I swear, I had no idea it would be like that.
What's your favorite writing tool and why?
Scrivener. It's the best thing since sliced bread, and I know that's cliche. But it is. I mean it. I just finished my eight novel and this one was a hard one because I had the plot all worked out in my head. So I would write too much too fast and move scenes to new chapters just by dragging and dropping them. Literally. Push an entire scene out 2-3 chapters by dragging and dropping. It's awesome. It's a writer's dream tool.
How about some quickies!
Pencil or Pen: Pencil
Print or Cursive: Print
Pantser or Plotter: Pantser
Favorite Candy: Mr. Goodbar
Worst habit: I crack my knuckles religiously.
***************************
About the Aimee Laine
Aimee is a romantic at heart and a southern transplant with a bit of the accent (but not a whole bunch). She's married to her high school sweetheart, and with him, she's produced three native North Carolinians, two of whom share the same DNA.
With an MBA and a degree in Applied Mathematics, there's absolutely no reason she should be writing romance novels. Then again, she shouldn't need a calculator to add two numbers, either … but she does.
Check out what Ms. Laine is up to on her Website
Little White Lies by Aimee Laine is Available at:
Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.
Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.
July 13, 2011
Working Wednesday #12 & Kickstarter update at Angel Haze
Today I'm hanging with Angel Haze as part of her International Blog Hop and Giveaway event. I'll be rambling about Kickstarter and altruism. Stop by and say hello.
Also! If you haven't entered the YA Fantasy Giveaway, check it out. Fun! Fun!
If you're looking for my weekly update, I've posted a Vlog over at Kickstarter this week. Your opportunity to see me animated. Yes… it's true. I'm more than just a figment of my imagination… wait a minute. That doesn't make sense. Anwyay. Check out the update.
Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.
Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.
July 12, 2011
Teaser Tuesday: The Watchman of Ephraim by Gerard de Marigny
A few weeks ago, I met Gerard de Marigny, debut author of The Watchman of Ephraim. We exchanged a few emails. I have to say, he's quite the conversationalist. He had a few ideas he plans to share with us next time he's' around. Until, he's sharing a chapter from his novel. Thank you for the goodie, Mr. de Marigny.
Cris De Niro worked his way up to the top of the hedge fund world. Yet, all of his money couldn't protect him from losing his wife on 9/11. 10 years passed since the tragedy. De Niro and his sons relocated to a sprawling ranch near Las Vegas. Turning to his faith to overcome his anguish, De Niro now lives for a higher purpose. From a biblical passage, he reads about the "Watchman of Ephraim," a defender who kept watch over the land. De Niro decides to acquire a lackluster counter-terrorism agency in order to transform it into a modern-day version of The Watchman for the United States but there's not a moment to lose.
Aref Sami Zamani is planning a terrorist attack on American soil – codenamed "Antioch," a plot to detonate a nuke over the city of Las Vegas. The Watchman uncovers a connection between Zamani and a Mexican drug cartel but their agent goes missing before they can learn more. That's because Zamani has a spy working for The Watchman. Strange events start to unfold near the Nogales border crossing. References are discovered to something the Mexicans are calling "Noche Del Espantada" …Fright Night," but can it mean something else?
September 11, 2011 and the sun hasn't risen yet in Las Vegas or Nogales. Antioch is in motion! At the border, Noche Del Espantada has begun and there are intruders at De Niro's ranch. De Niro has to protect his sons and someone new in his life, Dr. Moriah Stevens. She too, lost her spouse on 9/11. Moriah finds herself in love with De Niro but his devotion to his wife is proving too powerful for him, even after 10 years. It's the 10th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on American soil and unless De Niro and his new team are successful, the day will be known as "The 2nd 9/11."
Chapter 1
World Trade Center Mall
New York, New York
8:30a.m., Tuesday, September 11, 2001
(16 minutes before terrorists crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into Tower One)
The shopkeeper smiled at the handsome, well-tailored customer as she finished tying a ribbon around the box of long-stemmed roses he picked out. She noticed his wedding ring and could surmise for whom the flowers were intended. The earthy woman's ruddy cheeks glowed with satisfaction as she affixed the final touch to her handiwork – a big red bow – to the top and center of the lid.
"Will this be cash or charge?"
De Niro handed over his American Express black card as he flipped his cell phone open and hit an auto-dial button.
The shopkeeper raised her eyebrows when she examined the oddly-colored card and read the famous last name embossed onto it. After swiping it through the terminal, her blue eyes sparkled with curiosity as she handed it back to him. De Niro knew the look on her face well. He'd seen it countless times before, and though he bore little resemblance to the legendary actor with the same last name, curiosity got the better of most people.
If I had a dollar for every time someone gibed me with the famous line, "You talkin' to me …" … I can only imagine what it's like to – be – Robert De Niro.
Smiling politely, he answered her question before she even asked it.
"No relation."
Born Cristiano Stephen De Niro, De Niro had long ago given up teasing people by telling them, "We're cousins."
After deciding whether she should believe him or not, the shopkeeper flashed De Niro a knowing glance. Handing him the box, she added a little too loudly for his comfort, "I understand, Mr. De Niro."
De Niro rolled his eyes and with a few curious stares from other customers, made a quick exit from the store.
Located behind the "Twin Towers," the florist shop was nestled in the far corner of the concourse, the largest shopping center in Manhattan. The WTC Mall was also a main stop for a number of trains including the PATH that carried people into the city from New Jersey as well as the N, R, 1 and 9 lines that ran from Brooklyn and Queens to uptown. As he passed the entrance to the PATH train platform heading for the Tower One lobby, De Niro detected the familiar smell of the subway below. It brought to mind his harried youth, when he took the train from Brooklyn to uptown to go to work.
The smell of the subway and over-cooked pretzels will always remind me of Manhattan.
He hadn't been to the Trade Center in awhile but De Niro could see some things hadn't changed – his call wasn't going through – so he disconnected it and tried again. Being there brought back so many memories of when he first met his wife, Lisa. At the time, she worked for Cantor Fitzgerald, the world-famous bond house. Lisa landed her job with Cantor right out of college and worked her way up the ladder, eventually becoming the firm's chief market analyst. Lisa and Cris both knew God had a hand in their meeting despite the fact they didn't get off to the best start.
De Niro blushed with embarrassment whenever he thought about how they met. It was at a cocktail hour that kicked off an investment conference in San Francisco, where they both were scheduled to speak. He arrived late and had just walked into the reception area. Lisa greeted him and introduced herself in her usual, confident manner. He offered his hand to her and began to introduce himself, when she interrupted him with just a touch of sarcasm.
"I know who you are."
Winking, she glanced over his head and walked away. De Niro was perplexed until he noticed that he was standing directly under a ten-foot billboard poster of himself, complete with his name in bold, printed under his picture. Apparently, someone working for the event's promotion department thought it was a brilliant idea to plaster the behemoth posters all over the conference center.
After catching up to Lisa, De Niro asked her to dinner. He remembered it like it was yesterday. Before that, he was used to taking women out who were either interested in talking about themselves the whole night or turning the date into a Fortune magazine interview about his net worth. Lisa, on the other hand, captivated him from the start. She was a total knockout but didn't seem preoccupied with her looks; he liked that in a woman. Unlike the vain model-types that ordered a salad and picked the croutons out for fear of gaining an ounce, Lisa had a hearty appetite.
Not only did she polish off what was on her plate; she asked me if I was gonna finish what was on mine!
When he told her to have at it, she casually reached across with her fork, as if they knew each other forever. Savoring the fish from his dish made her flash that beautiful smile of hers. It beamed as much from her golden eyes as from her mouth and was accented with a dimple she said she inherited from her granddad. She proceeded to talk about everything except the two of them, from sports – they both loved the Yankees; he was an avid Oakland Raiders fan, she hated them, to politics – they were both conservative; she was outspoken and active, he mostly kept his views to himself, to how many kids she pictured having when she married – incredibly, they both wanted four.
De Niro recalled how the entire evening passed and she never uttered a word about what she did for a living. When he asked her why, she simply said, "That's what I do … it's not who I am." De Niro was well aware though, from listening to her speak at the conference, that she knew her stuff. In fact, he teased her that if things didn't work out between them romantically, he was interested in hiring her as a consultant. Without missing a beat, Lisa gibed back that, either way, she didn't come cheap.
Find The Watchman of Ephraim by Gerard de Marigny at:
Barnes & NoblesSigned Hardcovers and Paperbacks
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About the Gerard de Marigny
Gerard de Marigny (pronounced "de-Mar-E-nee") has been a successful musician and entrepreneur and now intends to bring his passion for his faith and writing together, in his novels. During the 1980's and 1990's, Gerard was the lead guitarist for a rock band that sold many thousands of records all over the world. His band won the "Best New Video" award on MTV in1983, but a life-threatening illness (cancer, Hodgkin's Lymphoma) and an epiphany of faith inspired him to leave that lifestyle and devote himself to "living his faith."
Gerard continued writing music for TV and a movie, while branching out and starting his own businesses in the transportation and financial industries. Yet, his lifelong ambition was to bring to life righteous characters that would inspire others.
In 2007, Gerard was awarded the prestigious Fischer Family Scholarship for the Arts from Penn State University, for a 5,000-word autobiographical work he was commissioned to write.
In 2011, he completed his debut novel, THE WATCHMAN OF EPHRAIM, a political thriller which is book one of his WATCHMAN OF EPHRAIM series.
Visit Gerard de Marigny's Website
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Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.
July 11, 2011
Not a Novel Review: The Archangel by Michael Young
Okay… so I've tried to finish The Last Archangel by Michael Young in time, but alas… I don't think it's going to happen. Normally if I thought I'd be late, I'd just post it the next day. Tomorrow is promised to another author though. So we won't be stealing his thunder. Instead, I'll just let you know how this book is going. A quick reminder of what this book is about:
Xandir has been exiled to earth until the end of time. But when his cherub trainee disappears, Xandir makes a deal with rogue angels and giants that could restore life to the mortal woman he loves and end his assignment as a destroying angel in exchange for helping them bring about the end of the world and all of mankind.
Available at: The Book Depository and Barnes & Nobles
I received my copy from the NetGalley
This book has a strong start… very strong, I might add. It starts with Xandir's POV, and the writing is marvelous. The prologue really drew me in.
The plot deals with quite a bit more than just Xandir though and introduces quite a few more POVs. I'd say Xandir is the main character as every other chapter is in his viewpoint while throwing in various other characters in between.
I get the idea that the book starts wide and narrows to a single point. Right now there are so many sub-plots, I'm not sure what's important and what's not. Xandir didn't even come into physical contact with the woman I thought was a key player until the 39% mark. However, now I'm not sure how important she is as she spends most of the story unconscious, and I haven't read a chapter in her POV for a very, VERY long time. Her story is now told from the eyes of another, who doesn't seem very important at all to me.
So I'm about 59% through The Last Archangel now. The verdict is still out on this one, but I'm hoping for a grand finale. We'll see. Expect my review next Monday, July 18, 2011.
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Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.
July 9, 2011
Special Post: Blog Hop – YA Fantasy Giveaway + Winners
As I mentioned earlier this month, I'm one of the authors participating in Angel Haze's blog hop for her up coming releases (Bloodletter and Legacies of Talimura). By the way, yesterday I spent some time at Lenore Wolfe's website where I did an interview. Check it out.
As part of the tour, we'll be doing a giveaway each Saturday featuring a few of the authors, starting today! Woot.
Before we get to the giveaway, we have some winners to announce from the last giveaway. Quick reminder of what was up for grabs for the Birthday Giveaway:
First Prize – Your choice of $15 worth of books from The Book Depository
Second Prize – A book from The Book Depository ($10 value)
Third Prize – A book from my 2011 reviews.
And the winners are!
First Prize: Sarie Grobler
Second Prize: Roro
Third Prize: Donna/BLHmistress from Book Lover's Hideaway
Congratulations! Emails have been sent.
***Winners have until next Saturday (July 16, 2011) to respond or new winners will be chosen***
So what's up for grabs this week?
Legacies of Talimura: War of the Witch by Angel Haze
Debonair, a witch from the Unspoken-of Lands, has meddled in the forbidden practice of magic and created an army of nightmarish proportions. When sixteen-year-old Astanyx and his two best friends return from a hunting trip to find their small town of Polca reduced to smoke and ash, they find themselves thrust into a battle for which they haven't been trained.
With the help of his comrades, including an esteemed warrior, one of the last great wizards and a princess they've sworn to protect, Astanyx must fight to unite the kingdoms of the humans, dwarves and elves. He must ask forbidden questions that no one wants to answer, questions about Talimura's dark history. As Debonair's brutal warriors lay siege to the kingdoms, Astanyx is driven to pursue a fateful quest for a blade powerful enough to defeat the malevolent witch before she destroys the three kingdoms and unleashes an unspeakable ancient evil.
Angel Haze is offering 2 digital copies.
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The Childe by C.A. Kunz
Cat Colvin is pretty much your typical run-of-the-mill teenager growing up in the small port town of Astoria. Sure, she is taller than average, has a mane of fiery red hair that is impossible to tame, is left handed, and has one eye that is sky blue and one that is amber, but that is where the differences end . . . unless you include the "minor" detail of her slow metamorphosis into the Childe.
We all know how difficult high school can be, and for Cat Colvin it is no different. Except for the fact she has the daunting task of trying to hide her budding Childe traits as they begin to reveal themselves at the most inopportune times.
This first book in this coming of age fantasy series follows Cat's life through the twists and turns toward finding out what and who she really is. Come and take the plunge with Cat into a world filled with biting humor, darkness, and yes, a few life lessons as well.
The C.A. Kunz duo is offering two prize packs. See below.
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The Forest of Adventures by Katie M John
For seventeen year old Mina Singer, falling in love with an Arthurian Knight on a white horse was never part of the plan – especially being that she's an ordinary college girl living in the twenty first century.
As Mina finds herself catapulted into a land she believed only existed in the bedtime stories of her childhood, she soon discovers that Fairyland is not quite as innocent as she imagined.
The question is…who will come out alive?
Haunting, beautiful and sexy, The Forest of Adventures, is a dark romantic quest into the land of true and forbidden love.
Katie M John is offering 2 digital copies.
As always, entry is easy.
You'll earn 1 point for completing the form.
An additional point for sharing the giveaway and leave the link (Twitter, Facebook, Blog, Linked, MySpace, etc.). *Optional*
You may tweet once per day for the giveaway and/or campaign after your initial entry for an extra 2 points. Use the same form.
Comments are appreciated, but only entries from the form count.
Giveaway ends Saturday, July 16, 2011.
Please read the giveaway policy for the nitty gritty.
Be sure to stop by next Saturday for the winners and more giveaways!
Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.
Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.
