David M. Brown's Blog, page 103

June 6, 2012

Armchair BEA: Networking

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We want you to share your positive experiences of using your blog to get involved in your community.  This can involve partnerships with the local literary scene, attending author events and signings, or getting together with bloggers in your area.  We want to hear it all!

Donna and I have only recently joined forces – merging our blogs to form Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dave. Donna previously ran Book Bags and Cat Naps while I ran The World According to Dave. Donna’s blog was primarily book and cat driven, whereas mine was mostly entertainment in the form of games, films, music and books, with some cat anecdotes thrown in. Having a house with six cats, it’s difficult not to mention them from time to time.

Both our prior and current ventures have seen us warmly welcomed into the indie community on the likes of Twitter and Facebook. As well as running Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dave, Donna was the founder of the Indie Exchange where all involved in the indie world are welcome – authors, book bloggers, editors etc – to post and share articles, advice, anything of interest and benefit to the other members.

Donna is also a key member of the Book Bloggers’ Collaborative, a clique of book bloggers of which I am also a proud member despite my daily ridicule for being a fan of dragons. Despite the insults, BBColl is made up of a fine selection of book bloggers who will promote you as much as you promote them. BBColl’s members support one another in their respective book blogs and in sharing posts on the BBColl site as well. It’s a truly great group to be a part of.

The majority of our associate book bloggers and authors are based overseas while we have to make do with our humble island that is the UK. While The Indie Exchange and BBColl allow us both to maintain close ties with our fellow authors and book bloggers, Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dave opens its doors to guest posts, interviews, excerpts and book trailers, anything to do our bit in the indie community. There’s the added bonus of meeting new talents and savouring great books as well.

If all of that isn’t enough, Donna is also on the panel for BBColl’s weekly radio show along with Coral Russell and Kriss Morton where brave authors are interviewed by the trio. I have yet to face the inquisition myself but I know it’s only a matter of time. We may be somewhat restricted here in the UK but our previous blogs and our current one have enabled us to still be a part of the online communities. We’d relish the opportunity to meet our fellow authors and bloggers in person but until we win the lottery and visit everyone in turn we’ll have to be content with being immersed in the community through Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dave, The Indie Exchange and The Book Bloggers’ Collaborative.

Armchair BEA: Networking | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave

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Published on June 06, 2012 15:28

June 5, 2012

Armchair BEA: Best of 2012 (so far!)

[image error] Today’s suggested posting topic is Best of 2012

“Share some of your favorite books so far this year, and/or the the books being promoted at BEA that you hope will end up among your favorites for the year!”

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Donna

One of my favourite reads of 2012 has been Magnus Opum by Jonathan Gould. I also enjoyed After the Fog by Kathleen Shoop and The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan.

Obviously I’m also very excited about A World Apart by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave’s very own ‘Dave’: as Mr B is both a sponsor of the amazing Armchair BEA and the fantastic giveaway on Girl Who Reads you might be able to snag your own copy!

Dave

Like Donna, I loved Magnus Opum and it has definitely been my top read of 2012 so far!

What’s been your top 2012 read?Which books are you excited about?

Armchair BEA: Best of 2012 (so far!) | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave






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Published on June 05, 2012 06:46

June 4, 2012

Armchair BEA: Introductions

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We’re pleased to be taking part in Armchair BEA this week – how exciting! As part of the kick-off, introductions are key, so here goes…

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?

We are Donna and David Brown and we live in Yorkshire, UK, with our 6 rescue cats. Donna has been blogging for about four years and David for three.  We set up our combined blog – Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave – last month.

What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012?

Donna – I’m currently reading The Violinist’s Thumb

David – I’m currently reading Crime Fiction for Beginners

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.

We have a joint dream to live in Cologne,  Germany

What is your favorite feature on your blog (i.e. author interviews, memes, something specific to your blog)?

We both love the fact that even though it’s our blog, there’s new content for us both every day when Donna reads David’s posts and vice versa.

Where do you see your blog in five years?

Hopefully a strong platform with lots of great entertainment news and features!

Which is your favorite post that you have written that you want everyone to read?

Donna – ‘7 Things That Make Me Hate Review Requests‘ – I worried it would be too negative but people thanked me for writing it.

Dave – ‘Top Ten Novels: Norwegian Wood‘ – I love that book so it was great to feature it

If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?

Stephen Fry – he’s such a good writer, with such a wonderful grasp of the English language and how to use it perfectly. He’d make an amazing dinner guest!

What literary location would you most like to visit? Why?

It’d be quite cool to visit the hotel from The Shining – but very spooky and we’d have to avoid room 237!

What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years?

We love the way everyone works together to support one another and drive traffic for each other.

Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?

Not really, although we probably embrace variety a little more and also have discovered many more indie/self-published authors than we were aware of previously.

PS. We answered all the questions because there’s two of us!

Why not leave a link to your Armchair BEA introduction?

Armchair BEA: Introductions | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave






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Published on June 04, 2012 13:18

Book Excerpt and Giveaway: The Possibilities of Amy – Jaye Frances

Today Jaye Frances, author of The Kure returns to the blog to share an excerpt from her new title,  The Possibilities of Amy.

Introduction: Jaye Frances

Thank you, Donna, for hosting me today on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave. I really appreciate the opportunity to share a sneak peek at my new romance novella, The Possibilities of Amy!

When I think back to my high school years, some of my fondest memories are those of spending time with friends at the start of the day. Meeting in the quad just before class, we traded everything from gossip to lipstick while making plans for the weekend. That half-hour was a special time, one without parents, adult responsibility, or surprise geography tests. And being young, curious, and sometimes a little daring, we often let speculation and fantasy fuel our imaginations—and our libidos.

Holding their own meetings with fraternal gusto, the guys were no different. Planning and scheming, they boasted over past conquests—real and imagined—while disguising their true feelings with postured bravado.

In the following excerpt, the main character, David, a high school senior, provides a glimpse into the hormonally-charged male adolescent psyche that, in this case, is overflowing with testosterone-laced fantasy.

Excerpt: The Possibilities of Amy

Mark always arrived first. An anomaly of sorts, he was a contradiction in both appearance and personality. His boyish face barely balanced his heavy-lidded blue eyes and paling complexion. And with his slight build teetering on the frail, he gave the impression of a young child who was aging much too rapidly. Mark could display a quick wit, and at times turn surprisingly intense and even philosophical about issues too distant for me to consider important. But his shyness made him a social cripple, often leaving him moody and far too serious. Other than my parents, he was the one person who insisted on calling me David, instead of Dave. But that was Mark—thoughtful to the point of being somber. Seldom offering much in the way of subject matter for our discussions, his input was usually limited to interjecting an occasional, “Yeah, you’re right,” to confirm his participation.

Pete was the complete opposite of Mark. Stocky and barrel-chested, he insisted that his 5 foot, 10 inch frame set him at above average height. He often claimed his dark brown hair—which always stuck up straight and thick at the crown—was his best feature. My electrician father told me it resembled a multi-stranded cable plug, and had once offered to insert it into a 220-volt socket to ‘clear the shit out of Pete’s brain.’

Constantly seeking to reaffirm his manhood, Pete had tried to grow a beard over the summer (to go with his deep-set brown eyes, he’d said), but had only managed to produce a dozen dark strays on the very tip of his chin. Even so, he saw his daily encounter with the razor a ritual confirmation of his maturity, and he foamed and scraped every morning, usually cutting little more than an occasional chunk of his own skin.

Unlike Pete or Mark, I was tall and lanky, desperately waiting for a healthy ratio of fat and muscle to fill out my frame. But no matter how much I ate or exercised, my metabolism seemed determined to keep me skinny and athletically undeveloped. I thought my face to be rather unremarkable—the kind that was easy to recognize and just as easy to forget. And although I liked the color of my sandy-blonde hair, I religiously backcombed it, keeping its unappreciated curl under control.

In spite of the absence of any glaring physical irregularities, I secretly believed I had far less to offer than the more popular guys, who always seemed to have a never-ending supply of pretty girls to date.

Pete thought of himself as our unofficial leader. Being the most outspoken of the group, he always tried to control our conversations. He usually started things off by updating The List—twenty of the school’s arguably most attractive girls, hand-picked by Pete as the most deserving of his attentions. Every morning, he re-ordered the priority—deciding who should be asked out first and who would have to wait—based on recently changed hairstyles or which ones had been seen talking to some of the jocks.

Pete’s master plan was to date every girl on The List before the end of the school year. But Mark and I knew the truth: Pete’s preoccupation with The List was little more than an adolescent substitute for real sexual contact. We knew because of Pete’s notorious past attempts to engage the fairer sex. Most had found him annoying and irritating, and certainly not someone they would consider going out with.

But even though most girls held him in unmistakable disfavor, Pete still thought of himself as a real cocks-man. He even carried a picture of the girl who he swore had given him his first blowjob. He claimed she had seduced him while standing in line at Taco Bell, insisting they do it behind the building in the parking lot. Several years later, I found out he’d made up the story, cutting the picture from his older sister’s high school annual in an attempt to convince us of his advanced sexual experience.

So why did I put up with him? Because in spite of Pete’s hollow boasting, in spite of the obvious pretense of his list, I knew they were mere by-products of a mutually shared obsession—and the main reason for our daily meetings:

Watching.

It was why we chose the quad. An open area roughly half the size of a football field, it was choked with waves of arriving students, moving from buses to lockers, and then to first period classes. There was no better spot from which to watch.

And we did. Constantly.

Short, tall or the ever-coveted medium, it didn’t matter. Observing the female form was our art, and we practiced it every day—rain or shine—between eight and eight-thirty. Vigilantly attentive, we collectively gawked at every curve and contour, delighting in tight, muscled legs and the exquisite prominence of nubile teen-age breasts.

By the third week of school we had memorized the wardrobes of our cherished favorites, sometimes offering a silent prayer of thanks when a preferred dress or sweater came into view. And when we were lucky—when they passed close enough—we would inhale deeply, reveling in the intoxicating mixture of Shalimar, Breck, and Ivory soap.

With each of us contributing to a constant narrative of the passing scene, we talked about touching them, holding them, and exchanging gallons of bodily fluids with those we imagined to be willing. Like most guys without dates, we brazenly planned our next conquest, wondering aloud if Wednesday was too late in the week to call our first choice and ask her out.

But the truth was devastating: Despite our insatiable appetites for the earthy, our sexual posturing was purely theoretical. True to traditional high school hierarchy, only the jocks and party boys could actually speak in the past tense about their sexual triumphs. If there was one thing our little group genuinely shared, it was the knowledge that our collective carnal experience was limited to a few kisses sideswiped from an unsuspecting cheek as we attempted a nervous goodnight.

The three of us had met as freshman. Now in our senior year, there was an emerging and unmistakable sense of competition—to see who would be the first to touch a naked breast, or to feel the special dampness waiting a few inches below the waistband of a pair of tight Jeans.

There had been predictions of who would be second and third, but only after each of us had selfishly proclaimed to be the most likely candidate to make the first score. But in reality, we were three guys without prospects, making it impossible to guess who would win the race to claim his manhood.

About The Possibilities of Amy (2012)

[image error]Amy is the ultimate trophy girl—gorgeous face, killer body, and a vivacious personality. But there’s something else about her, something that makes her even more special. Amy is new. A transfer student from out of state, she’s starting her senior year without knowing a soul. And that means she’s up for grabs, available.

Infatuated from the moment he sees her, David is determined to meet Amy, and if the fates are willing, to spend the rest of his life with her. But his shyness prevents him from approaching her—until his friends devise a contest to determine who will be the first to prove their manhood by seducing her.

Amazon US Amazon UK Goodreads

About Jaye Frances

[image error]Jaye Frances is the author of the paranormal-occult romance novel The Kure, the first book in The Kure series, and The Cruise-All That Glitters, a romantic comedy about a shipboard romance. Her upcoming work, scheduled for a Summer 2012 release, is titled The Beach, a sci-fi fantasy about a man who is given the opportunity to receive his ultimate wish and lives to regret it. She is also a featured columnist for the NUSA SUN magazine. Born in the Midwest, Jaye readily admits that her life’s destination has been the result of an open mind and a curiosity about all things irreverent. When she’s not consumed by her writing, Jaye enjoys cooking, traveling to all places tropical and “beachy” and taking pictures—lots of pictures—many of which find their way to her website. Jaye lives on the central gulf coast of Florida, sharing her home with one husband, six computers, four cameras, and several hundred pairs of shoes.

WebsiteBlogFacebookGiveawayJaye is kindly offering a Kindle copy of her new title, The Possibilities of Amy. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, the kindle reading app is available for your cloud reader, computer, Smartphone, and tablet—FREE from Amazon.

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Book Excerpt and Giveaway: The Possibilities of Amy – Jaye Frances | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave






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Published on June 04, 2012 02:00

June 3, 2012

Techy Summer Giveaway: iPad3

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave are proud to be part of the iPad3 ‘Techy Summer’ Giveaway, hosted by Iowa Mom, Techy Tribe and MumbleBee Inc. There are 50 blogs involved in this huge summer event, running 4-18 June, so if you’re 18+ and in the US or Canada, please do enter and you could win a wonderful techy prize and be enjoying your summer entertainment in style!

About the Techy Summer event

iPad3button 300x300 Techy Summer Giveaway: iPad3 Have you heard? We are having a Techy Summer over at Mom to Bed by 8, theIowa Mom and want to help you get your sunsational summer started off right by offering you a chance to win an iPad 3 (technically term the Apple iPad 3rd generation).

Special thanks to our lovely co-hosts TechyTribe, Mumblebee Inc, Surf and Sunshine, Giveaway Bandit and Giveaway Scoop for their support in bringing this gadgety giveaway to life!

Giveaway Scoop has gone and jazzed up giveaways by featuring only the best giveaways with big image based tiles and making all the giveaways just one click away. Visit them every day to get your daily dose of awesome giveaways and free stuff!

About the Apple iPad Apple iPad Wi Fi 16 GB 300x225 Techy Summer Giveaway: iPad3 Apple iPad Wi-Fi 16 GB – 3rd generation

Pick up the iPad and suddenly, it’s clear. You’re actually touching your photos, reading a book, playing the piano. Nothing comes between you and what you love. To make that hands-on experience even better, they made the fundamental elements of iPad better – the display, the camera, the wireless connection. All of which makes the third-generation iPad capable of so much more than you ever imagined. Everything you do with iPad, you do through its large, beautiful display. And when the display is better, the entire iPad experience is better. The Retina display on the iPad features a 2048-by-1536 resolution, 44-percent greater color saturation, and an astounding 3.1-million pixels – in the same 9.7-inch space. That’s four times the number of pixels in iPad and a million more than an HDTV. Those pixels are so close together, your eyes can’t discern individual ones at a normal viewing distance. When you can’t see the pixels, you see the whole picture. Or article. Or game. In ways you never could before.

iPad3 300x225 Techy Summer Giveaway: iPad3

Product Features9.7 Retina Display; 2048 x 1536 ResolutionApple iOS 5; Dual-Core A5X Chip with Quad-Core Graphics5 Megapixel iSight Camera; 1080p Video RecordingWi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n); 16 GB Capacityes: 1 x Headphones – Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x Docking / port replicator – 30-pin dock connectorUp to 10 Hours of Battery Life; 1.44 lbsGiveaway

Giveaway ends on June 18th. Open to US and Canadian residents only, ages 18+.

Please use the rafflecopter form below to enter to win an Apple iPad Wi-Fi 16 GB – 3rd generation sponsored by Mom to Bed by 8. Good luck to all!

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Disclosure: We received no compensation for this publication. Our opinions are our own and may differ from those of your own. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment.  

Techy Summer Giveaway: iPad3 | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave






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Published on June 03, 2012 21:01

Film Review: Deadly Swarm

About Deadly Swarm (2003)Deep within the jungles of Mexico lies a secret. A secret known only to local Indians, a secret they call the “black fire”, is an aggressive species of wasps. Risking life and limb they extract out of the rain forest. Schroeder pays a truck-driver to smuggle the nest over the border and into America, where his company can study it in their lab. But trouble ensues when the truck runs off the road and crashes into a ravine, the nest still in the cargo hold.

Starring: Shane Brolly, Kaarina Aufranc and J. Patrick McCormack

Directed by: Paul Andresen

Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes 

IMDBReview: Deadly Swarm

Mrs B is on a mission to find any potentially awful horror film and insist I watch and review it for the blog. I assumed after making me suffer Anaconda III that I would be granted some reprieve but sadly it was not to be. Deadly Swarm offered me a swarm of killer wasps that attack an isolated town in Mexico. In facing the film I grabbed some insect spray and prepared myself for what would hopefully be a good film.

The film begins in Guatemala where Dr Schroeder (J. Patrick McCormack) forces a group of natives at gunpoint to take him to some ancient ruins where a nest of deadly wasps awaits. Despite the ruins being rigged with booby traps the nest is successfully boxed and Schroeder pays for a cargo truck to take the wasps across the border into Mexico. Partaking of a spot of road rage straight out of Spielberg’s Duel our driver ends up crashing his truck. A local policeman arrives on the scene and releases the wasps which proceed to work their way through the population of a local town. It is down to entomologist Daniel Lang (Shane Brolly), local police officer Commandante Alvarez (Pepe Serna) and nosy author/journalist Sandra (Kaarina Aufranc) to warn the town of the danger and help stop the wasps.

This is your usual disturbing things in nature that really should be left alone. The natives that Dr Schroeder meets at the start are wary of what lurks in the forest and don’t want to help the curious visitors. It’s only when Schroeder threatens to kill one of the children in the village that the natives relent and guide the men to the ancient ruins. After acquiring the nest of wasps and placing them in a crate, Schroeder entrusts them to a cargo driver that asks no questions and is also transporting cocaine in his truck. Really nice man! Journalist Sandra witnesses the truck being inspected by a border patrol and one of the guards opens a box and removes a bag of cocaine for himself before waving the driver across the border. Sandra gives chase, sensing a story but gets more than she bargained for. After the accident in Mexico we’re given a fine display of law enforcement and a sense of emergency. The local police officer finding the crashed truck seems to take an age to report the incident and despite a wounded driver lying in the wreckage he chooses to climb into the trailer and open the crate with the wasps in. It’s not a clever thing to do as you can probably imagine!

After the opening segment we’re in the company of Daniel Lang who is no longer welcome in the town having left it overrun with mosquitoes though his purpose in combating disease spread by the insects has proved successful. The discovery of the dead policeman seemingly stung to death has Lang scratching his head and his friend Commandante Alvarez isn’t much brighter considering he’s part of the law. His favourite phrase seems to be “what do we do now?” which is hardly inspiring given the magnitude of the wasp crisis. Sandra is a nosy journalist who tries to use her femininity to keep Lang sweet and get information out of him. Of course love conquers all even with all the wasps getting in the way but it’s not remotely interesting. Finally, Dr Schroeder makes an appearance in the town and has some rather interesting revelations about the wasps and indeed the accident that brought them to the town.

Deadly Swarm isn’t especially scary and the wasps in question are made up of some pretty poor effects. The entrance of Dr Schroeder as the film’s villain promises to offer some excitement but sadly it doesn’t. Perhaps the most embarrassing part of the film is how the swarm of wasps are dealt with at the end. It all seems very convenient and the film declines to explain how Sandra, who is stung at one point, manages to survive whereas other people do not. Love overcomes a wasp’s sting it seems but I just wasn’t convinced by the time we got to the end credits and the hint that this could be open for a sequel fills me with dread.

Deadly Swarm is a very poor horror film which offers nothing new. The effects are terrible, the characters aren’t especially interesting and even some good acting wouldn’t have brought much depth to them. Mrs B continues to torture me with films like this and I pray that I will be blessed with something that has a degree of quality about it when I next face a film.

Verdict: 1/5

(Film source: TV)

Film Review: Deadly Swarm | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave






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Published on June 03, 2012 07:00

Book Review: The Crimson Pact: Volume Two – Paul Genesse (Ed.)

About The Crimson Pact: Volume Two (2011) [image error] The Pact is back and demons are as devious as ever in The Crimson Pact Volume 2.

Read 28 original stories (over 500 pages in print!), including many sequels to stories in volume one. Suzzanne Myers’s powerful flash fiction piece, “Withered Tree” continues with the exceptional short story, “Seven Dogs.” Chanté McCoy’s “Inside Monastic Walls” is followed by the literally gut-wrenching follow-up short story, “Body and Soul.” Urban fantasy mayhem is off the charts with rising star Patrick Tomlinson’s “Monsters in the Closet” and D. Robert Hamm’s “Karma.” Steampunk your thing? EA Younker’s steampunk apocalypse tale “Stand,” Sarah Hans’ sequel about professor Campion, “A More Ideal Vessel,” and Elaine Blose’s steampunk Western “Wayward Brother” will whet your appetite.

The dark fantasy and adventure continues in “Dark Archive,” Sarah Kanning writes how Danielle from “Hidden Collection” must deal with the lingering effects of being possessed by a demon. Volume two mixes sequels from Gloria Weber, Justin Swapp, and Isaac Bell with new stories from Lester Smith, K.E. McGee, Adam Israel, Valerie Dircks, T.S. Rhodes, Elizabeth Shack, Daniel Alonso, and Nayad Monroe.

New York Times Bestselling author and Campbell award nominee Larry Correia presents an exclusive short story, “Son of Fire, Son of Thunder” co-authored by Steven Diamond, about an FBI paranormal investigator and a bad ass marine who knows the exact moment of his own death. Travel to the alternate history Earth of the “Red Bandanna Boys” by Patrick M. Tracy and find out how ruthless you have to be to survive the slums of St. Nikolayev. Follow “The Trail of Blood” by Alex Haig, a horrifying Western about a bounty hunter who wants vengeance, not money. Hunt for Nazis in a disturbing 1950’s America in “Hunters Incorporated” by Kelly Swails. Patrol the steaming jungles of Vietnam with a squad of soldiers in Lon Prater’s “Last Rites in the Big Green Empty.” Then enter the mind of a godlike demon in Donald J. Bingle’s ambitions tale, “Dark Garden,” or visit the creepy shadow world created by Richard Lee Byers in “Light and Dark.”

Amazon USAmazon UKB&NGoodreadsReview: The Crimson Pact: Volume Two

Although not every story appealed to me in the first volume of The Crimson Pact, I felt it was a good collection overall with plenty of variety. Volume Two promised more of the same but this time with the added bonus of sequels to some of the stories from the first volume.

Just to recap, The Crimson Pact compilations are inspired by the story The Failed Crusade where a battle between good and evil sees demons seemingly wiped off the face of the earth only for revelations to come forward that they have escaped into other worlds. The Crimson Pact is bound by duty to hunt down and destroy the demons wherever they encounter them. It was down to the writers that have contributed here to come up with their own takes on the theme.

As before, the stories take place in a variety of different periods and locations. I felt there was more of a futuristic feel to many of the stories while the first volume had some stories with something of a medieval feel to them. Some of the sequels work better than others but the ones that followed from some of my favourite stories in volume one were most welcome. There are new voices here too of course with a range of battles against demons, demon possession, bots and even a little romance amidst the carnage though not for long as the demons are always itching for a fight.

My favourite stories in Volume Two were The Long Run; Cats, Caves and Dynamite; Karma; The Merging; Trail of Blood; Red Bandana Boys, and Seven Dogs. The best of the bunch was probably Red Bandana Boys with young teenagers fighting one particularly nasty demon in a seemingly post-apocalyptic world where America has been wiped out and the story’s setting is in Africa. The setting was well conveyed in this particular story and the tragedy of the Red Bandana Boys and the fragility of life was the most memorable. It was one of the longest stories in the book, but probably the best.

There are 28 stories in all and plenty here to keep you busy. As with the previous book, Volume Two has such a variety of stories that not all of them will appeal to readers. There were some stories I enjoyed more than others but if you’re a big fan of tales of demons and the battle between good and evil then there should be plenty to discover and enjoy here.

The Crimson Pact: Volume Two is narrowly inferior to its predecessor but there are still an assortment of good stories here with the slums of Red Bandana Boys being the most vivid for me. If you enjoy short story collections then this second volume should keep you busy for a while.

Verdict: 3/5

(Book source: reviewer received a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review)

Book Review: The Crimson Pact: Volume Two – Paul Genesse (Ed.) | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave






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Published on June 03, 2012 07:00

All Aboard for the Discover Fantasy Tour

[image error]Roll up, roll up, for the Discover Fantasy Tour. Step right this way…

I’ve always loved the fantasy genre and I am delighted that it continues to prosper and find new fans every day. When I started writing in 1999 it was an easy decision for me to write fantasy and the likes of Tolkien and Goodkind were big inspirations. However, I wasn’t content in being a fantasy author writing a similar book to The Lord of the Rings. Those kinds of stories will always have a long shelf life but I do believe that fantasy can go much further. It needs to be for a bigger audience and to be taken more seriously by readers who may dismiss the genre.

The Discover Fantasy Tour is a celebration of doing something different with the fantasy genre. I am proud to be taking part in this event and I am joined by two of the best indie authors around, who are both doing their bit to make the fantasy genre more accessible to a wider range of readers. Jeremy Rodden, author of Toonopolis, and Jonathan Gould, author of Doodling and Magnus Opum, will be joining me throughout July to share our respective works, our thoughts about the fantasy genre and how we prefer to approach it.

While my novels set in the world of Elenchera are quite dark, Jeremy’s Toonopolis is humorous with a cartoon feel and is accessible to many readers, while Jonathan’s books are weird and wonderful compositions. I’ve read both authors’ work and admire them greatly.

We hope that readers, writers and bloggers will all take part in July. Book bloggers can sign up to the event and host any of the three authors or all of them together if they wish. Places are filling up fast though so don’t delay too long!

Over the month I hope that you will enjoy learning about our respective works and our love and views of fantasy. I can’t speak for myself, but I can assure you in Jonathan and Jeremy that you have two very talented and funny indie authors who I believe have great success ahead of them.

I can speak for us all by saying that we are very much looking forward to the Discover Fantasy Tour.  Will we see you there?

 All Aboard for the Discover Fantasy Tour  All Aboard for the Discover Fantasy Tour  All Aboard for the Discover Fantasy Tour  All Aboard for the Discover Fantasy Tour  All Aboard for the Discover Fantasy Tour  All Aboard for the Discover Fantasy Tour

All Aboard for the Discover Fantasy Tour | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave






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Published on June 03, 2012 01:00

June 2, 2012

Book Excerpts and Giveaway: The Night Watchman Express and The Devil’s Kitchen – Alison DeLuca

Excerpt: The Night Watchman Express

[image error]“Oh, come on,” he said, pushing past the heavy desk and large chair to where she stood. “What have you got there, behind your back? I won’t tell on you; I just want to see what you’ve got.” Miriam twisted away from him, but Simon managed to get an arm around her and grab the paper.

“Ha ha!” he said, releasing her and holding the paper above his head. “Success!” He put a hand out and grabbed her arm. “No, hold on, don’t leave; I just want to see…”

His voice died out as he stared at the letter. For an instant, he was frozen in disbelief. Then he looked up at her, mouth hanging open. “What on earth?”

“Well, don’t think that I had anything to do with it!” Miriam cried out.

“Yes, but-”

At that moment, they heard Theodosia’s voice at the front door, demanding that a servant come to take her parcels. Simon held the paper out to Miriam, and she thrust it back it him as if it were a live snake. He looked around the study and pushed it under the corner of the blotter. They retreated from the desk, escaped from the room and, as if with mute accord, ran for the back door as quickly as they could.

Outside, Simon took a deep breath and blew it out. He laughed a bit, feeling a certain exultation at avoiding his mother.

Miriam, leaning against the house and feeling her own heart thud in her chest, laughed as well. The next moment she opened her eyes and realized where she was. She was standing there with Simon, alone.

“Um, just realized. I must be off. ’Bye,” she announced hastily.

Simon frowned and reached out a hand to grab her arm again, but she slipped away and disappeared back into the house. He dropped his hand and started after her.

Neil came up behind him and grabbed his collar. “Hey, you abandoned me! Where’ve you been?” he demanded. “Did you find the string we needed?”

“What?” Simon turned to him and blinked.

“What’s the matter with you? You look like you just saw Old Harry himself. Where’s that string, idiot?”

Simon appeared to recall where he was. “String, right. String.” He squared his shoulders and marched away. Neil was left behind, scratching his head.

About The Night Watchman ExpressEach night, thirteen-year-old Miriam hears the eerie whistle of the Night Watchman Express. The sound of the train gives her visions of an underground factory and a terrifying laboratory… Miriam has only her guardians’ son for company, and she and Simon dislike each other from the start. But they must find a way to trust each other, or they will end up on the sinister Night Watchman Express. Full of danger, suspense, betrayal, and a hint of romance, this steampunk adventure is for readers of all ages.Excerpt: The Devil’s Kitchen

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The Headmistress entered the cell and looked down at her. It seemed as though the woman never stood in full light. From that angle, her light eyes gleamed like ice in the center of two black puddles.

“Stand up when I address you,” she said after a long moment.

Miriam stood and looked up at the woman. “Why am I here?” she asked. “When can I go home?”

There was a pause, and the Headmistress responded, “You will not talk to me unless I ask you a direct question.”

Miriam felt a rush of anger. Once, at a dinner party that her father had given, she had been allowed to squirt some soda water from a large siphon into a glass and taste it. Some had gone up her nose in her haste to drink the unexpected treat, the prickling, stinging sensation in her nostrils was just like the fury that she felt now.

“You will work for the factory here,” the Headmistress said. “Mrs. Siddons will show you your duties tomorrow. You will start at the very bottom of the task list and, if you do as you are bid, you might possibly work your way up to a better position. Do you understand?”

Miriam gritted her teeth. She’d be damned before she gave this woman the satisfaction of an answer.

About The Devil’s KitchenIn The Night Watchman Express, Miriam and Simon were kidnapped and thrown on the strange train… Now in Book Two of The Crown Phoenix series, they arrive at the terrifying destination known as Devil’s Kitchen. There they will face human experiments in a laboratory known as The Infirmary. There Miriam will be forced to work in an underground factory. There Simon is held in a luxurious prison by jailers who are as beautiful as they are deadly… And their courage will be tested to the breaking point.About Alison DeLuca

Alison DeLuca is a writer of urban fantasy for young adults. She was born in Arizona and has also lived in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Mexico, Ireland, and Spain. As a teacher she taught every grade level in every kind of school district possible.

She wrestles words and laundry in New Jersey.

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Book Excerpts and Giveaway: The Night Watchman Express and The Devil’s Kitchen – Alison DeLuca | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave






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Published on June 02, 2012 21:00

Game News: New Screenshots for Omerta – City of Gangsters (Kalypso Media)

Kalypso Media have revealed new screenshots for upcoming release Omerta – City of Gangsters, which will be available on Xbox 360 and PC in Autumn 2012.


Screenshots: Omerta – City of Gangsters


 Game News: New Screenshots for Omerta – City of Gangsters (Kalypso Media)  Game News: New Screenshots for Omerta – City of Gangsters (Kalypso Media)  Game News: New Screenshots for Omerta – City of Gangsters (Kalypso Media)  Game News: New Screenshots for Omerta – City of Gangsters (Kalypso Media)  Game News: New Screenshots for Omerta – City of Gangsters (Kalypso Media)  Game News: New Screenshots for Omerta – City of Gangsters (Kalypso Media)  Game News: New Screenshots for Omerta – City of Gangsters (Kalypso Media)  Game News: New Screenshots for Omerta – City of Gangsters (Kalypso Media)  Game News: New Screenshots for Omerta – City of Gangsters (Kalypso Media)





About Omerta – City of Gangsters
Omerta – City of Gangsters is a simulation game with tactical turn-based combat. Taking the role of a fresh-off-the-boat immigrant, with dreams of the big life, the player will work his way up the criminal hierarchy of 1920’s Atlantic City, New Jersey. Starting with small jobs, his character recruits a gang and expands his empire by taking territory from other gangsters. Eventually he establishes his own crime syndicate and becomes the de facto ruler of Atlantic City.


The player strategically manages his business and his minions in a real-time format, slowly but steadily increasing his influence over the city. The player sends his henchmen out on missions ranging from assassinating an informant, to raiding a warehouse, springing a friend from prison, robbing a bank or attacking a rival gang’s hideout. Nobody is above the law in Atlantic City, so it always helps to have a little cash handy to bribe a policeman or pay off a politician.


The turn-based combat in Omerta – City of Gangsters focuses on the tactical command of “The Boss” and his henchmen. Cover and stealth are essential parts of any shootout in the game. Finding the best vantage point to gun down an enemy, while taking cover from a hailstorm of bullets, can be just as satisfying as sneaking quietly behind a foe and taking him down.


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About Kalypso Media
Founded in 2006 in Germany by industry veterans Simon Hellwig and Stefan Marcinek, Kalypso Media is a global, independent developer, marketer and publisher of interactive entertainment software with 120 employees world-wide.


Along with Headquarters in Worms, Germany, the company has offices in the United Kingdom and the United States.  Kalypso Media also enjoys very strong global digital distribution through its Kalypso Media Digital Ltd. Subsidiary, and owns three development studios – Realmforge Studios GmbH, Gaming Minds Studios GmbH and Noumena Studios GmbH – and works with multiple leading independent developers.


Kalypso Media‘s titles include the critically acclaimed Tropico 4, Sins of a Solar Empire, and Dungeons. Upcoming multi-platform titles include Port Royale 3, Omerta – City of Gangsters, DARK and The Dark Eye – Demonicon along with Legends of Pegasus for PC. 



Game News: New Screenshots for Omerta – City of Gangsters (Kalypso Media) | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave






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Published on June 02, 2012 16:12