Heidi Angell's Blog, page 13
May 23, 2017
Teaser Tuesday- An Angell's Life of Bookish Goodness is Coming!
Hello Lovelies,It has been a crazy busy couple of months! In case you have not heard, I have created a Patreon account. "What is this magical thing?" you ask. Well, Patreon is a subscription-based service that allows you tosupport your favorite creatives. It was originally picked up by the Youtube community as a way for fans to be patrons of the arts at a reasonable price, and for Creatives to be able to get paid for their content and be able to focus on improving that content. Pretty nifty, right?
Mine isAn Angell's Life of Bookish Goodness. It is a conglomeration of all the goodies shared on the blog, my booktube channel, my Bookstagram, and the random bookish goodness I share on Facebook Twitter, Pinterest and Goodreads. All my bookish goodness in one location for you to access when you see fit. Also, my kiddos are getting in on the action with summer internships and will be providing more of their own content as well.I know what you're thinking. "But I can access all of that FOR FREE!" Yes, you can. And you will still beable to moving forward so long as I have time. But I spend a lot of time and money on this content for you. As an author myself, I realized that I felt guilty getting free books from authors all the time to review. Also, with Amazon's policy changes, my reviews were in danger of being removed if I didn't pay for the books. Yeah, I do the reviews for your readers, but I also do it to support fellow authors. I've been buying books for quite some time now to offset that issue.
As some of you may know, I work from home to take care of my son with high functioning autism. I am on a very limited budget, and work from home is very... ephemeral. We have over $200,000 in medical debts and student loans, and that amount keeps increasing. Some months I make just enough to cover our cost of living, other months we live on ramen. It's tough. When our car died earlier this year, we couldn't get a loan for a new vehicle because my income was too unpredictable. We haven't had cell phones in almost two years, and if my laptop dies tomorrow (A distinct possibility, as it is almost four years old.) then I will not be able to pay for a new one and won't be able to work at all. Unfortunately, my "business" is not one that can get a loan from a bank. Too high risk.The Patreon community would be a way to provide a little stability to my income levels and would allow me to set up regular payments on all that debt, instead of dodging collectors on the months where we only have enough to cover the bare necessities. Hopefully it will also allow for some upgrades that are needed for us to continue to grow as a business. (And, hey, I know, some of you are in very similar straits. The economy is tough for many of us. If you can't commit to a monthly subscription rate, I would also appreciate a tip in thetip jarof whatever you feel that you can offer.)
I tried to keep the Patreon simply priced. I'm not looking to get rich! The donation levels are between $1 and $6 a month. I also have community goals that will allow me to share even more bookish goodness in the form of monthly book giveaways! When I hit 100 subscribers we will do monthly e-book giveaways. Your donations will allow me to buy from the authors, supporting their efforts as well. When I hit 500 subscribers we will add paperback giveaways to the e-book giveaways. And at 1,000 subscribers I will add a "book crate" to the monthly giveaways. These will be custom-designed by me and will include cool things themed around the book. (Similar to the Harry potter crates offered by Loot Crate.)If you want to learn more and get a taste of what all this Patreon subscription will offer, please join myBirthday Bash and Bookish Goodnessparty on Facebook May 31st from 4 pm to 7 pm MST. We have some wonderful authors who've donated copies of their books for giveaways, and we have some other cool special prizes! Now, go share the bookish goodness with all your bookish friends!Until next time,Keep Reading!
Mine isAn Angell's Life of Bookish Goodness. It is a conglomeration of all the goodies shared on the blog, my booktube channel, my Bookstagram, and the random bookish goodness I share on Facebook Twitter, Pinterest and Goodreads. All my bookish goodness in one location for you to access when you see fit. Also, my kiddos are getting in on the action with summer internships and will be providing more of their own content as well.I know what you're thinking. "But I can access all of that FOR FREE!" Yes, you can. And you will still beable to moving forward so long as I have time. But I spend a lot of time and money on this content for you. As an author myself, I realized that I felt guilty getting free books from authors all the time to review. Also, with Amazon's policy changes, my reviews were in danger of being removed if I didn't pay for the books. Yeah, I do the reviews for your readers, but I also do it to support fellow authors. I've been buying books for quite some time now to offset that issue.As some of you may know, I work from home to take care of my son with high functioning autism. I am on a very limited budget, and work from home is very... ephemeral. We have over $200,000 in medical debts and student loans, and that amount keeps increasing. Some months I make just enough to cover our cost of living, other months we live on ramen. It's tough. When our car died earlier this year, we couldn't get a loan for a new vehicle because my income was too unpredictable. We haven't had cell phones in almost two years, and if my laptop dies tomorrow (A distinct possibility, as it is almost four years old.) then I will not be able to pay for a new one and won't be able to work at all. Unfortunately, my "business" is not one that can get a loan from a bank. Too high risk.The Patreon community would be a way to provide a little stability to my income levels and would allow me to set up regular payments on all that debt, instead of dodging collectors on the months where we only have enough to cover the bare necessities. Hopefully it will also allow for some upgrades that are needed for us to continue to grow as a business. (And, hey, I know, some of you are in very similar straits. The economy is tough for many of us. If you can't commit to a monthly subscription rate, I would also appreciate a tip in thetip jarof whatever you feel that you can offer.)I tried to keep the Patreon simply priced. I'm not looking to get rich! The donation levels are between $1 and $6 a month. I also have community goals that will allow me to share even more bookish goodness in the form of monthly book giveaways! When I hit 100 subscribers we will do monthly e-book giveaways. Your donations will allow me to buy from the authors, supporting their efforts as well. When I hit 500 subscribers we will add paperback giveaways to the e-book giveaways. And at 1,000 subscribers I will add a "book crate" to the monthly giveaways. These will be custom-designed by me and will include cool things themed around the book. (Similar to the Harry potter crates offered by Loot Crate.)If you want to learn more and get a taste of what all this Patreon subscription will offer, please join myBirthday Bash and Bookish Goodnessparty on Facebook May 31st from 4 pm to 7 pm MST. We have some wonderful authors who've donated copies of their books for giveaways, and we have some other cool special prizes! Now, go share the bookish goodness with all your bookish friends!Until next time,Keep Reading!
May 22, 2017
Meet the Author Monday with Rhonda Smiley
Hello Lovelies,We have a fun interview with multi-genre author Rhonda Smiley who lives in Southern California with her oft-writing partner, James Hereth, and their bossy dog, Jojo. She discovered her passion for writing while majoring in Film Production at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Since then, she has written for many shows, including Ninja Turtles, Tarzan, Born Free, Totally Spies, and Kuu Kuu Harajuku. When not writing for television, she’s tackling her own projects, like her debut novel, Asper.Welcome to An Angell's Life of Bookish Goodness. What is the current book you’re promoting?
I just released Asper, which is a young adult fantasy that crosses into our world and back again. Milla, a 16-year-old sorceress, sets out for vengeance when her father is killed, and ends up uncovering a web of secrets that shatters everything she thought she knew.Ooh, sounds awesome! Who is your least favorite character and why?Haha. Who do I love to hate most? That’s easy. Hailey without a doubt. Even more than the blood-thirsty queen! There’s nothing scarier than a conniving jealous ex-girlfriend who wants her boyfriend back.Those were the kind of girls who made me hate girls in high school! What is your next project?I’m working on a graphic novel right now, and loving every minute of it. It’s a sci-fi action crossover called Blowback. I wrote the script with my screenwriting partner, and we’re now in the art stage, which means we get to see our vision come to life from our talented artist and colorist. Very exciting. It’s a lot of work and a long process, but we’re looking forward to publishing it in 2018.That sounds awesome. My 16 year old is really getting into graphic novels right now. I bet he'll love that! Where do you come up with your stories?I’m of two minds when it comes to writing. Because I’m a screenwriter for a living, sometimes I just sit down and purposefully think – what would make a good story for this show or this character? But when I do my own stuff, the not-for-hire writing, I’m fascinated with the complexities and uniqueness of people and the way they handle their circumstances. I love the resilience to tackle hardships – win or lose, it’s inspiring. So, overhearing snippets of conversations, noticing simple things like postures or expressions, even visiting different neighborhoods can spark my imagination.A people watcher! I'm guilty of this as well. It's so fun! What is one great lesson you learned as a writer?Your voice, your point of view, what you have to say isn’t going to appeal to everyone, and that’s okay.So true. Thanks for joining us today!Are you interested in learning more about Rhonda? Go check out herwebsite. Want to learn more about Blowback? Check out thewebsite. Want to know what Rhonda likes to read? Follow her onGoodreads!Until next time,Keep Reading!
I just released Asper, which is a young adult fantasy that crosses into our world and back again. Milla, a 16-year-old sorceress, sets out for vengeance when her father is killed, and ends up uncovering a web of secrets that shatters everything she thought she knew.Ooh, sounds awesome! Who is your least favorite character and why?Haha. Who do I love to hate most? That’s easy. Hailey without a doubt. Even more than the blood-thirsty queen! There’s nothing scarier than a conniving jealous ex-girlfriend who wants her boyfriend back.Those were the kind of girls who made me hate girls in high school! What is your next project?I’m working on a graphic novel right now, and loving every minute of it. It’s a sci-fi action crossover called Blowback. I wrote the script with my screenwriting partner, and we’re now in the art stage, which means we get to see our vision come to life from our talented artist and colorist. Very exciting. It’s a lot of work and a long process, but we’re looking forward to publishing it in 2018.That sounds awesome. My 16 year old is really getting into graphic novels right now. I bet he'll love that! Where do you come up with your stories?I’m of two minds when it comes to writing. Because I’m a screenwriter for a living, sometimes I just sit down and purposefully think – what would make a good story for this show or this character? But when I do my own stuff, the not-for-hire writing, I’m fascinated with the complexities and uniqueness of people and the way they handle their circumstances. I love the resilience to tackle hardships – win or lose, it’s inspiring. So, overhearing snippets of conversations, noticing simple things like postures or expressions, even visiting different neighborhoods can spark my imagination.A people watcher! I'm guilty of this as well. It's so fun! What is one great lesson you learned as a writer?Your voice, your point of view, what you have to say isn’t going to appeal to everyone, and that’s okay.So true. Thanks for joining us today!Are you interested in learning more about Rhonda? Go check out herwebsite. Want to learn more about Blowback? Check out thewebsite. Want to know what Rhonda likes to read? Follow her onGoodreads!Until next time,Keep Reading!
May 19, 2017
Poetry Corner- The Deer
The deerSteps from the woodsTo the river she goesFor a small furtive sip to takethen back.
May 18, 2017
The Ghoul-Poet
“On a far-future, exhausted Earth, a ghoul--an eater of corpses--explores the ruins of one of its greatest cities in hopes of discovering what it was that made its inhabitants truly human.” Thus began my first answer inHeidi’s interview of me on January 9, introducing my novel scheduled for June from Elder Signs Press, Tombs: A Chronicle of Latter-Day Times of Earth. But let’s hear the word from this ghoul-poet himself:
Death was what ghouls ate.But was that not itself a poetic thought, the Ghoul-Poet wondered, one based on abstracts? That one that eats corpses--because that's what ghouls did. Ghouls were the world's scavengers. That one who does that then in some way consumed death too?The ghoul looked about him, at buildings fallen, at others still standing but long ago emptied. In what had once been a vibrant, bright city, not like the ruins that ghouls had always lived in. This was the New City, a stronghold of humans, but humans all deceased. . . .(and, later)Yet he continued on, reading. Devouring. Another poetic thought, that one might eat words. The abstracts behind them.The legends he picked out, the themes repeated in tale after tale, history after history. The power of love. The joinings together. And yet of death also--there was even, here, a legend about ghouls! And of a great storm, but how both human- and ghoul-kind survived it. And of the great world beyond even the river that separated New City from the Tombs, there where all New Cityers strove, in time, to go.The above are from the openings of Sections I and II, respectively, in the novel. There are five sections in all, each introduced by more of the Ghoul-Poet’s own tale, joined by an Entr’Acte between Sections III and IV that offers a snippet of an even earlier history. The hoped for effect should be that of an “ubi sunt,” or “where are they now,” story set generations in the future of the “Tombs” stories proper, but interwoven among them to act as a “glue” to bind them together (much as, in the tale of “The Beautiful Corpse,” a chapter-story from the first section, a Curator speaks of a “balance” that binds the parts of the soul and the body together in life, that “That is what death does . . . [I]t sunders this balance, sometimes at the slightest of disturbances”). Thus the unity, first within the sections themselves (that is, loosely by theme), then of the sections into a novel.And so the ghoul, who might seem an unlikely choice to be a poet from his own admissions, at least apparently understands one thing, going back all the way to Aristotle. That a work of poetry, or prose, needs a certain unity. In fact that’s something I touched on myself in my discussion here on structure and the“novel-in-stories,” citing Edgar Allan Poe, on February 9. But there’s another kind of structure alluded to just above, which the poet seems to sense as well. This has to do with the choice of legends to be presented and, equally important, the order they will be presented in.
The themes of each section are patterned on what’s sometimes called “Five-Act Dramatic Structure,” that of classical plays like those of Shakespeare (if the “Contents” page of Tombs itself should happen to look a bit like a playbill, this is the explanation), of “Exposition,” “Rising Action,” “Climax” or “Turning Point,” “Falling Action,” and “Resolution.” Thus in Tombs: A Chronicle of Latter-Day Times of Earth we have (along with our Entr’Acte) “The Founding of Legends,” “Life, Death, and Love in the World of the Tombs” (warning: as decadence is a part of this, some actions may be of an “adult” nature), “Intimations of Future Disaster,” “The Future Becomes Near” (as far-off catastrophes start to impinge), and“Approaches Toward Reconciliation” (as individuals seek their own hopefully satisfactory conclusions), with the Ghoul-Poet helping us out by acting as sort of a guide.Do you love what James is laying down? Followhis blog,join him onFacebook, and subscribe to his author pageon Amazon to find out when he releases new books.Don't forget that Tombs is available forPreorder.Grab your copy today!Until next time,Keep Writing!
Death was what ghouls ate.But was that not itself a poetic thought, the Ghoul-Poet wondered, one based on abstracts? That one that eats corpses--because that's what ghouls did. Ghouls were the world's scavengers. That one who does that then in some way consumed death too?The ghoul looked about him, at buildings fallen, at others still standing but long ago emptied. In what had once been a vibrant, bright city, not like the ruins that ghouls had always lived in. This was the New City, a stronghold of humans, but humans all deceased. . . .(and, later)Yet he continued on, reading. Devouring. Another poetic thought, that one might eat words. The abstracts behind them.The legends he picked out, the themes repeated in tale after tale, history after history. The power of love. The joinings together. And yet of death also--there was even, here, a legend about ghouls! And of a great storm, but how both human- and ghoul-kind survived it. And of the great world beyond even the river that separated New City from the Tombs, there where all New Cityers strove, in time, to go.The above are from the openings of Sections I and II, respectively, in the novel. There are five sections in all, each introduced by more of the Ghoul-Poet’s own tale, joined by an Entr’Acte between Sections III and IV that offers a snippet of an even earlier history. The hoped for effect should be that of an “ubi sunt,” or “where are they now,” story set generations in the future of the “Tombs” stories proper, but interwoven among them to act as a “glue” to bind them together (much as, in the tale of “The Beautiful Corpse,” a chapter-story from the first section, a Curator speaks of a “balance” that binds the parts of the soul and the body together in life, that “That is what death does . . . [I]t sunders this balance, sometimes at the slightest of disturbances”). Thus the unity, first within the sections themselves (that is, loosely by theme), then of the sections into a novel.And so the ghoul, who might seem an unlikely choice to be a poet from his own admissions, at least apparently understands one thing, going back all the way to Aristotle. That a work of poetry, or prose, needs a certain unity. In fact that’s something I touched on myself in my discussion here on structure and the“novel-in-stories,” citing Edgar Allan Poe, on February 9. But there’s another kind of structure alluded to just above, which the poet seems to sense as well. This has to do with the choice of legends to be presented and, equally important, the order they will be presented in.The themes of each section are patterned on what’s sometimes called “Five-Act Dramatic Structure,” that of classical plays like those of Shakespeare (if the “Contents” page of Tombs itself should happen to look a bit like a playbill, this is the explanation), of “Exposition,” “Rising Action,” “Climax” or “Turning Point,” “Falling Action,” and “Resolution.” Thus in Tombs: A Chronicle of Latter-Day Times of Earth we have (along with our Entr’Acte) “The Founding of Legends,” “Life, Death, and Love in the World of the Tombs” (warning: as decadence is a part of this, some actions may be of an “adult” nature), “Intimations of Future Disaster,” “The Future Becomes Near” (as far-off catastrophes start to impinge), and“Approaches Toward Reconciliation” (as individuals seek their own hopefully satisfactory conclusions), with the Ghoul-Poet helping us out by acting as sort of a guide.Do you love what James is laying down? Followhis blog,join him onFacebook, and subscribe to his author pageon Amazon to find out when he releases new books.Don't forget that Tombs is available forPreorder.Grab your copy today!Until next time,Keep Writing!
May 17, 2017
Book Review- Fire's Love by Alex E. Carey
Genre:Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal RomanceSynopsis: Kira thought she was leaving her demons behind when she left for college. She quickly discovers demons are everywhere, and can be good or evil. Not only are they real, but they’re protecting her; that is, except for the ones who want her dead. Kira's parents want to reveal things about who she is, but a strange phenomenon prevents them from explaining. Before they can try again, her mother and brother die and her father disappears. Afterward, Kira finds a mysterious book in her parents‘ belongings. Although the book confuses her, it comforts her too. She's sure it holds the answers she seeks. One of Kira’s new friends, Lowell Hew, is also an earth demon named Ulric the Wolf Thief. Lowell tries to help Kira solve the mysteries involving the book, her parents, and the elements they wanted her to know. Although Lowell has a crush on Kira, he’s not looking for a relationship, or so he keeps telling himself. Meanwhile, Lowell introduces Kira to his best friend, Pyre, a fire demon with a fiery temperament and a troubled past. Pyre closed off his heart years ago, while deep inside he yearned to belong. For Pyre, learning to love again comes with tremendous risk, especially when the girl he loves is human, and his best friend has thoughts of his own. Things go well until an eerie presence threatens Kira and her new friends, and they can only speculate as to who it may be. While her friends protect her and try to uncover the enemy’s identity, Kira must adjust to the challenges of being human with demon friends. Will she bask in the warmth, or be consumed by the flames of Fire’s Love?My Take:I was expecting more urban fantasy, though I did know that the romance part plays a very key role in the story. Obviously. It is definitely more paranormal romance, in my opinion. Generally, I'm not a huge fan of that genre because... well, romance. However, I liked the approach the author took. Yeah, there was kind of a love triangle, but not really. Yeah, there's insta-love, but not really. I suppose for true fans of the genre, it could be frustrating being teased with these elements that they love, but I love that they weren't shoved down my throat. I loved that even though Pyre and Kira have the insta-love connection, there is actual development of the relationship. I love that the girl isn't being wishy washy about her feelings and all the drama of a love triangle are mostly removed. To me, those two elements in a book never made sense before now. How can you be soul mates with this one, but have feelings pulling on you for that one? It made no sense. But this author makes it make sense.The romance is clean, and sweet. My 13 year old really wants to read this, and based on the reviews I've seen for the others, I feel fairly comfortable letting him start the series, though to be sure I will be reading each book before him. Which, I don't actually mind, so YAY!I would've liked to see more development of some of the side characters, but I absolutely adore Kira, Lowell, and Pyre, so there's room for the other characters to develop more. I think my favorite part about this book is that I found a female romance character who I can actually relate to and that was so nice! Kira is like a mini version of me and I loved that so much. She's a good, kind person who isn't really into makeup and girly things. She isn't judgy and she knows her own mind. No one is going to force her into something she doesn't want, or keep her away from something she does want.Also, I enjoyed the author's approach to demons. At least, so far, there isn't this whole religious bent that I keep seeing in other YA books about demons. It's more like the Lost Girl Series, in that there are dark fey and light fey, but that isn't linked so much to morality as to survival. There are demons who are more discreet and less of a threat to humans because they are simply trying to protect their existence in our world, not because of a moral imperative. Then there are others who are more reckless and follow their natural instincts, without concern for the exposure. I will say that this was a bit simpler a read than I was expecting, but I chalk that up to a first-time author as it looks like the other books are thicker. Kind of like Harry Potter!Anywho, if you are interested in learning more about Fire's Love, check it out onAmazon.Until next time,Keep Reading!
May 16, 2017
Teaser Tueday- Bookish Awesomeness this week
Hello Lovelies,So there's a ton of awesome bookishness out there this week. Firstly, just a quick reminder of theFacebook launch Party for Shark Baitby Nancy E. Miller this is Friday and Saturday and it looks like there are a ton of awesome authors who will join this event, so you can bet there will be tons of goodies and giveaways!
James Dorr, who's been our guestt quite a few times this year with awesome discussions about shortstories, hasTombs: A Chronicles of Latter-Day Times of Earthon preorder for the paperback. Grab your copy today!It had been a time when the world needed legends, those years so long past now. Because there was something else legends could offer, or so the Poet believed. He didn't know quite what—ghouls were not skilled at imagination. Their world was a concrete one, one of stone and flesh. Struggle and survival. Survival predicated on others' deaths. Far in the future, when our sun grows ever larger, scorching the earth. When seas become poisonous and men are needed to guard the crypts from the scavengers of the dead. A ghoul-poet will share stories of love and loss, death and resurrection. Tombs is a beautifully written examination of the human condition of life, love, and death, through the prism of a dystopian apocalypse.
Author A.F. Stewart is giving away a copy ofRuined Citythrough Instafreebie. I grabbed a copy, you should too!In the Northern Pass stands the city of Elowen, the glittering guardian between the Empire of Aloquis and the Kingdoms of Immra. It exists proud and prosperous, never dreaming its dark past was coming to call...On a bright winter’s day a stranger arrives in Elowen, bearing a secret. From this man a dark blight of ruin descends over the great city and henceforth the day becomes known as Winter’s Bane.The day the world changed for the people of Elowen.The day their existence turned into a recurring nightmare.Read of the aftermath of revenge through the eyes of a shopkeeper, a child, ghosts, a blacksmith, a guardsman, an innkeeper, and even a King.Twelve Stories, One Evil.
Joshua Robertson's Anaerfellis on sale through May 31st for only 99 cents. I grabbed my copy and can'twait to read it!The Blood of Dragons: Book 1A Novel You Cannot Put DownDrast and Tyran might be considered a bit black-hearted, or even immoral. Drast is cunning but reckless, hunting for admiration. Tyran is calculating but tactless, searching for affection. When the two brothers set aside their ambitions to fulfill their father's desire for immortality, they readily discover many opportunities for redemption. Now, while wielding a powerful magic that drains their life, Drast and Tyran will embark on a maddening quest, facing skin-switchers, dragons, and the God of the Dead.
Today is the last day to getFirst There Was Fearby Regina Puckett. Grabbed this one too!It’s just another day at work until the dull calm is shattered by a spacecraft that blackens the sky as far as the eye can see.Glimmer of Steel by K.E. Blaski has a Goodreads Giveaway and looks like an awesome Sword and Sorcery tale. Stories will save her soul, but not her heart
Damen has a plan to save the life of his childhoodfriend before she’s forced to marry the evil Noble Tortare: switch her soul with some other girl and let the other girl die in her place. Only he didn’t count on the other girl’s determination to live, he certainly didn’t count on her soul coming from a different planet—Earth, and falling in love? No, he never planned on that. Told from alternating viewpoints: Damen, a truthsayer from Astrune, and Jennica, the soul snatched from Earth.Like Scheherazade from 1001 Nights, Jennica, the bride with the Earth girl soul, tells tantalizing stories about her planet so her beastly husband will keep her around past the wedding night. But Noble Tortare is no Arabian prince. He’s a monster from the tip of his metal tail to his penchant for sucking the souls from his wives.Damen must be present while Jennica speaks to Noble, to verify she isn’t lying. As Noble’s faithful servant, he does what Noble asks. Only he didn’t plan to spend so much time with Jennica, and he certainly didn’t plan to care about her so deeplyIn the Northern Pass stands the city of Elowen, the glittering guardian between the Empire of Aloquis and the Kingdoms of Immra. It exists proud and prosperous, never dreaming its dark past was coming to call...On a bright winter’s day a stranger arrives in Elowen, bearing a secret. From this man a dark blight of ruin descends over the great city and henceforth the day becomes known as Winter’s Bane.The day the world changed for the people of Elowen.The day their existence turned into a recurring nightmare.Read of the aftermath of revenge through the eyes of a shopkeeper, a child, ghosts, a blacksmith, a guardsman, an innkeeper, and even a King.Twelve Stories, One Evil. he can think of no one else. Now Damen needs a new plan: free Jennica from Noble’s clutches, free himself from a life of guilt for stealing Jennica’s soul, and free his heart to love—all without telling even the tiniest of lies on a world where deception is like oxygen.If only that Earth girl wouldn’t have so many plans of her own: like keeping Noble Tortare’s soul trapped on Astrune, because after listening to her stories, Noble craves something more than Jennica’s soul—Noble wants to go to Earth.
The Zodiac Turner: The Five Trials by Serena Winteralso has a goodreads Giveaway. Let me tell you the tale of the lone Zodiac Turner who changed the fate of the universe.The girl who was spoken to have eyes reflecting the fire of an inferno and the strength of a thousand men rested in her hands; the unexpected runt, almost, as her power had spread across the world of Gardian's tales in one sweep.Now she wasn't just the girl you could go skipping past like a deer.This girl would stare you down, drowning your thoughts in only one look shot like daggers from her eyes. You'd know immediately if you were gazing at the Scorpio; she was able to tell your true intentions to the world in one glance, no looking back. She was extraordinary, alright, but her power went unnoticed for sixteen years, and when it finally was revealed to her trusted ones, let's just say they no longer were trusted.The girl... she was spoken of in a prophecy millions of years before everyone had managed to forget it, after the legendary Zodio War that tackled the last remaining strand of DNA for Zodiac Turners. The war that changed all fates of zodios in each Union and the rest of humanity and every living being, as the course of even time was shifted backward. The Conviction and Societal Unions clashed like two tigers in a pin, with the Scorpios fiercely defending their identity while Gemini lashed out at their power. Gemini, of course, had won due to their wealthiness and ever last Zodiac Turner was killed.Many years later was the prophecy and power reborn into a young, expecting girl.But even with her fiery soul,and the power of the ancient Zodiac Turners,she has the story of how she struggled and fought through an inferno of a prophecy.Those are the deals I found this week. Do you know of any deals? Let us know in the comments below.Until next time,Keep Reading!
James Dorr, who's been our guestt quite a few times this year with awesome discussions about shortstories, hasTombs: A Chronicles of Latter-Day Times of Earthon preorder for the paperback. Grab your copy today!It had been a time when the world needed legends, those years so long past now. Because there was something else legends could offer, or so the Poet believed. He didn't know quite what—ghouls were not skilled at imagination. Their world was a concrete one, one of stone and flesh. Struggle and survival. Survival predicated on others' deaths. Far in the future, when our sun grows ever larger, scorching the earth. When seas become poisonous and men are needed to guard the crypts from the scavengers of the dead. A ghoul-poet will share stories of love and loss, death and resurrection. Tombs is a beautifully written examination of the human condition of life, love, and death, through the prism of a dystopian apocalypse.Author A.F. Stewart is giving away a copy ofRuined Citythrough Instafreebie. I grabbed a copy, you should too!In the Northern Pass stands the city of Elowen, the glittering guardian between the Empire of Aloquis and the Kingdoms of Immra. It exists proud and prosperous, never dreaming its dark past was coming to call...On a bright winter’s day a stranger arrives in Elowen, bearing a secret. From this man a dark blight of ruin descends over the great city and henceforth the day becomes known as Winter’s Bane.The day the world changed for the people of Elowen.The day their existence turned into a recurring nightmare.Read of the aftermath of revenge through the eyes of a shopkeeper, a child, ghosts, a blacksmith, a guardsman, an innkeeper, and even a King.Twelve Stories, One Evil.Joshua Robertson's Anaerfellis on sale through May 31st for only 99 cents. I grabbed my copy and can'twait to read it!The Blood of Dragons: Book 1A Novel You Cannot Put DownDrast and Tyran might be considered a bit black-hearted, or even immoral. Drast is cunning but reckless, hunting for admiration. Tyran is calculating but tactless, searching for affection. When the two brothers set aside their ambitions to fulfill their father's desire for immortality, they readily discover many opportunities for redemption. Now, while wielding a powerful magic that drains their life, Drast and Tyran will embark on a maddening quest, facing skin-switchers, dragons, and the God of the Dead.Today is the last day to getFirst There Was Fearby Regina Puckett. Grabbed this one too!It’s just another day at work until the dull calm is shattered by a spacecraft that blackens the sky as far as the eye can see.Glimmer of Steel by K.E. Blaski has a Goodreads Giveaway and looks like an awesome Sword and Sorcery tale. Stories will save her soul, but not her heartDamen has a plan to save the life of his childhoodfriend before she’s forced to marry the evil Noble Tortare: switch her soul with some other girl and let the other girl die in her place. Only he didn’t count on the other girl’s determination to live, he certainly didn’t count on her soul coming from a different planet—Earth, and falling in love? No, he never planned on that. Told from alternating viewpoints: Damen, a truthsayer from Astrune, and Jennica, the soul snatched from Earth.Like Scheherazade from 1001 Nights, Jennica, the bride with the Earth girl soul, tells tantalizing stories about her planet so her beastly husband will keep her around past the wedding night. But Noble Tortare is no Arabian prince. He’s a monster from the tip of his metal tail to his penchant for sucking the souls from his wives.Damen must be present while Jennica speaks to Noble, to verify she isn’t lying. As Noble’s faithful servant, he does what Noble asks. Only he didn’t plan to spend so much time with Jennica, and he certainly didn’t plan to care about her so deeplyIn the Northern Pass stands the city of Elowen, the glittering guardian between the Empire of Aloquis and the Kingdoms of Immra. It exists proud and prosperous, never dreaming its dark past was coming to call...On a bright winter’s day a stranger arrives in Elowen, bearing a secret. From this man a dark blight of ruin descends over the great city and henceforth the day becomes known as Winter’s Bane.The day the world changed for the people of Elowen.The day their existence turned into a recurring nightmare.Read of the aftermath of revenge through the eyes of a shopkeeper, a child, ghosts, a blacksmith, a guardsman, an innkeeper, and even a King.Twelve Stories, One Evil. he can think of no one else. Now Damen needs a new plan: free Jennica from Noble’s clutches, free himself from a life of guilt for stealing Jennica’s soul, and free his heart to love—all without telling even the tiniest of lies on a world where deception is like oxygen.If only that Earth girl wouldn’t have so many plans of her own: like keeping Noble Tortare’s soul trapped on Astrune, because after listening to her stories, Noble craves something more than Jennica’s soul—Noble wants to go to Earth. The Zodiac Turner: The Five Trials by Serena Winteralso has a goodreads Giveaway. Let me tell you the tale of the lone Zodiac Turner who changed the fate of the universe.The girl who was spoken to have eyes reflecting the fire of an inferno and the strength of a thousand men rested in her hands; the unexpected runt, almost, as her power had spread across the world of Gardian's tales in one sweep.Now she wasn't just the girl you could go skipping past like a deer.This girl would stare you down, drowning your thoughts in only one look shot like daggers from her eyes. You'd know immediately if you were gazing at the Scorpio; she was able to tell your true intentions to the world in one glance, no looking back. She was extraordinary, alright, but her power went unnoticed for sixteen years, and when it finally was revealed to her trusted ones, let's just say they no longer were trusted.The girl... she was spoken of in a prophecy millions of years before everyone had managed to forget it, after the legendary Zodio War that tackled the last remaining strand of DNA for Zodiac Turners. The war that changed all fates of zodios in each Union and the rest of humanity and every living being, as the course of even time was shifted backward. The Conviction and Societal Unions clashed like two tigers in a pin, with the Scorpios fiercely defending their identity while Gemini lashed out at their power. Gemini, of course, had won due to their wealthiness and ever last Zodiac Turner was killed.Many years later was the prophecy and power reborn into a young, expecting girl.But even with her fiery soul,and the power of the ancient Zodiac Turners,she has the story of how she struggled and fought through an inferno of a prophecy.Those are the deals I found this week. Do you know of any deals? Let us know in the comments below.Until next time,Keep Reading!
May 15, 2017
Meet the Author Monday with Nancy E. Miller
Hello Lovelies,This weekend I am participating in a launch party for Shark Bait on Facebook(Come join us!) so I thought it would be great to meet the author!
Nancy E. Miller, is the romantic suspense author of Shark Bait and Crystal Unicorns, lives near St. Louis with her husband and three dogs, pygmy goats, chickens and a cranky rooster named Ketchup. Her degree is in Psychology and Sociology. She has worked in education and mental health as a case manager and crisis counselor.Let's jump right in! Welcome to An Angell's Life of Bookish Goodness! How are you?Doing well, thank you. I’m exciting and anxious about my new book.Says every author ever when they're being honest! What is the current book you are promoting?My new romantic suspense, Shark Bait. I have my first Romantic Suspense, Crystal Unicorns, already on Amazon. This one is being published by OWSINK as both an ebook and paperback.Sounds like a fun read. Who is your favorite character in your book and why?Two characters. Penelope and Charlie, the Chihuahuas. They provide comic relief and also help telegraph the two main character’s emotional states.Pets are often my favorite part of books. What inspired this book?My dream agent wrote in an interview that she loved tiger sharks and would jump on a book that included her beloved tiger sharks. I took the idea and ran with it. She turned it down.That's a bummer, but at least you got an awesome story out of the deal, right? What is your next
project?Another Romantic Suspense, Desperate Overtures. If you chase a serial killer long enough, he will catch you. Unless you have a great team at your side.What is one place you would like to visit and why?Ireland. I have a book based there and would love to go for the beauty and research.Ooh, Ireland is on my list of places to visit too! How do you write your books?I daydream a great deal. Then I start writing down the daydreams, create a rough outline so I know where the story ends up, and then start writing.What is one great lesson you have learned as a writer?If you have a question, there’s an answer out there. You just have to do the research. If there isn’t one available, make it up. It’s called fiction for a reason.Great advice! If you could never write again, what would you do?Paint, quilt, crafts.What is your favorite word?My least favorite is Inappropriate because it suggests one should not go against the established rules. My favorites all go in my books.I like that. Did you love learning more about Nancy Miller?Don't forget tojoin usthis weekend at the launch party. There will be tons of bookish fun.Want to get to know Nancy better? Check out herwebsite.Want to keep up with all her romantic suspense awesomeness? Follow her onFacebook, Twitter@NEMiller_Author,InstagramandLinkedIn.Want to know what Nancy like to read? Follow her onGoodreads. Want to get notification of her next book release?Follow her on Amazon.Until next time,Keep Reading!
Nancy E. Miller, is the romantic suspense author of Shark Bait and Crystal Unicorns, lives near St. Louis with her husband and three dogs, pygmy goats, chickens and a cranky rooster named Ketchup. Her degree is in Psychology and Sociology. She has worked in education and mental health as a case manager and crisis counselor.Let's jump right in! Welcome to An Angell's Life of Bookish Goodness! How are you?Doing well, thank you. I’m exciting and anxious about my new book.Says every author ever when they're being honest! What is the current book you are promoting?My new romantic suspense, Shark Bait. I have my first Romantic Suspense, Crystal Unicorns, already on Amazon. This one is being published by OWSINK as both an ebook and paperback.Sounds like a fun read. Who is your favorite character in your book and why?Two characters. Penelope and Charlie, the Chihuahuas. They provide comic relief and also help telegraph the two main character’s emotional states.Pets are often my favorite part of books. What inspired this book?My dream agent wrote in an interview that she loved tiger sharks and would jump on a book that included her beloved tiger sharks. I took the idea and ran with it. She turned it down.That's a bummer, but at least you got an awesome story out of the deal, right? What is your nextproject?Another Romantic Suspense, Desperate Overtures. If you chase a serial killer long enough, he will catch you. Unless you have a great team at your side.What is one place you would like to visit and why?Ireland. I have a book based there and would love to go for the beauty and research.Ooh, Ireland is on my list of places to visit too! How do you write your books?I daydream a great deal. Then I start writing down the daydreams, create a rough outline so I know where the story ends up, and then start writing.What is one great lesson you have learned as a writer?If you have a question, there’s an answer out there. You just have to do the research. If there isn’t one available, make it up. It’s called fiction for a reason.Great advice! If you could never write again, what would you do?Paint, quilt, crafts.What is your favorite word?My least favorite is Inappropriate because it suggests one should not go against the established rules. My favorites all go in my books.I like that. Did you love learning more about Nancy Miller?Don't forget tojoin usthis weekend at the launch party. There will be tons of bookish fun.Want to get to know Nancy better? Check out herwebsite.Want to keep up with all her romantic suspense awesomeness? Follow her onFacebook, Twitter@NEMiller_Author,InstagramandLinkedIn.Want to know what Nancy like to read? Follow her onGoodreads. Want to get notification of her next book release?Follow her on Amazon.Until next time,Keep Reading!
May 12, 2017
Poetry Corner- Faces
Human faces smile.
All around us, humankindHide their sins in guile.
All around us, humankindHide their sins in guile.
May 11, 2017
Thoughtful Thursday- Midway to New Year's Resolution Check In
Hello Lovelies,Anyone else out there still working on their new year's resolutions? I haven't reported since thefirst week of the new year!
I have been really great about working on mine, but not always so great about tracking/ reporting. As a matter of fact, it's been so bad that I realized that I never even told you all my goals for the blog! Woops. The only thing I mentioned was my reading goal of at least 50 books for the year. That one's not going as well as I'd like. I'm only up to 7 so far...Here are the other goals I listed and forgot to tell you about, and how they're going.1. Read every day.This one has been going pretty well. I may have skipped a few weeks around launches, but other than that, I have been pretty good about it. I have it set up for at least 1 chapter at bedtime. However, given how far behind I am with my reading goals, I am upping my reading frequency. I am now reading at least 3 chapters a day, reading during breakfast and lunch, and at bedtime. Hopefully this will help me get caught up on my reading goals.2. Increase blog community.I started the newsletter middle of the year last year, but didn't really know how to increase our community. That was a big goal this year. It's going pretty well. The newsletter membership has almost quadrupled this year (From about 280 to 896) and engagement has increased as well. (currently at a 26.9% open rate, and a 4.3% CTR) I've seen the number of visitors on the web analytics increase as well. Last year, the average view per post was in the teens, now we are in a happy several hundred! I would like to see that keep growing. Do you know anyone who you think would love our group? Invite them to join us! That would be great!3. Figure out how to monetize the blog-For the first five years on the blog, I monetized by using Amazon associates on the book links. Unfortunately, in five years I have not made enough money in click through purchases to pay for a cup of coffee each month (let alone buy more books)! Sure, I'm not sharing all the bookish goodness with the goal of getting rich, but this blog takes up the equivalent of a part time job. I need to do what I can to pay for more books! I am sure most of you have seen that I've added aTip Jarto the blog, allowing people to leave a tip when they are grateful for the content I provide. This tip can be as much or as little as they like, and is a one-time payment. I've also begun a Patreon account for monthly subscribers and combining all the bookish content I create from Instagram posts to booktubing, and posts from the blog and guest posts I do on other blogs. I've created several different levels for convenience of my fans. Anything from $1 a month to $15 a month, based on your budget. The part I am most excited about with the Patreon account is that it will allow me to share the bookish wealth, by providing books to my patrons. Once I hit 100 members, I will do monthly e-book giveaways, at 500 patrons I will add paperbacks to the e-book giveaways, and when I get to 1,000 I will start doing monthly bookcrates! I will also keep doing the Amazon Associates, and have been adding ads to my booktubing account as well. These have all been set up in the last couple of months, and hopefully it will take off soon.4. Add more books to my TBR.This has really blown up. I started the year with 50 books on my TBR. Now I have 186 on Goodreads, and more than twice that many on my Amazon wish list. (That's the best place to make sure that they end up purchased for me for holiday gifts.) I look forward to this list continuing to grow!!So there's my check-in for my New Year's Resolutions for An Angell's Life. How are your resolutions going? Can I help? Let us know in the comments below!Until next time,Keep Reading!
I have been really great about working on mine, but not always so great about tracking/ reporting. As a matter of fact, it's been so bad that I realized that I never even told you all my goals for the blog! Woops. The only thing I mentioned was my reading goal of at least 50 books for the year. That one's not going as well as I'd like. I'm only up to 7 so far...Here are the other goals I listed and forgot to tell you about, and how they're going.1. Read every day.This one has been going pretty well. I may have skipped a few weeks around launches, but other than that, I have been pretty good about it. I have it set up for at least 1 chapter at bedtime. However, given how far behind I am with my reading goals, I am upping my reading frequency. I am now reading at least 3 chapters a day, reading during breakfast and lunch, and at bedtime. Hopefully this will help me get caught up on my reading goals.2. Increase blog community.I started the newsletter middle of the year last year, but didn't really know how to increase our community. That was a big goal this year. It's going pretty well. The newsletter membership has almost quadrupled this year (From about 280 to 896) and engagement has increased as well. (currently at a 26.9% open rate, and a 4.3% CTR) I've seen the number of visitors on the web analytics increase as well. Last year, the average view per post was in the teens, now we are in a happy several hundred! I would like to see that keep growing. Do you know anyone who you think would love our group? Invite them to join us! That would be great!3. Figure out how to monetize the blog-For the first five years on the blog, I monetized by using Amazon associates on the book links. Unfortunately, in five years I have not made enough money in click through purchases to pay for a cup of coffee each month (let alone buy more books)! Sure, I'm not sharing all the bookish goodness with the goal of getting rich, but this blog takes up the equivalent of a part time job. I need to do what I can to pay for more books! I am sure most of you have seen that I've added aTip Jarto the blog, allowing people to leave a tip when they are grateful for the content I provide. This tip can be as much or as little as they like, and is a one-time payment. I've also begun a Patreon account for monthly subscribers and combining all the bookish content I create from Instagram posts to booktubing, and posts from the blog and guest posts I do on other blogs. I've created several different levels for convenience of my fans. Anything from $1 a month to $15 a month, based on your budget. The part I am most excited about with the Patreon account is that it will allow me to share the bookish wealth, by providing books to my patrons. Once I hit 100 members, I will do monthly e-book giveaways, at 500 patrons I will add paperbacks to the e-book giveaways, and when I get to 1,000 I will start doing monthly bookcrates! I will also keep doing the Amazon Associates, and have been adding ads to my booktubing account as well. These have all been set up in the last couple of months, and hopefully it will take off soon.4. Add more books to my TBR.This has really blown up. I started the year with 50 books on my TBR. Now I have 186 on Goodreads, and more than twice that many on my Amazon wish list. (That's the best place to make sure that they end up purchased for me for holiday gifts.) I look forward to this list continuing to grow!!So there's my check-in for my New Year's Resolutions for An Angell's Life. How are your resolutions going? Can I help? Let us know in the comments below!Until next time,Keep Reading!
May 10, 2017
Book Review- Riders by Veronica Rossi
Genre:Urban FantasySynopsis:A new fantasy adventure from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Veronica Rossi.For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can't remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen--Conquest, Famine, and Death--are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.They fail.Now--bound, bloodied, and drugged--Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he's fallen for--not to mention all of humankind--he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.But will anyone believe him?My Take:My oldest absolutely loves this book and has been pestering me since January to read it. I wanted to love it too. It's a really cool concept! But I didn't LOVE it. And it wasn't until almost 2/3 of the way through that I really caught my stride and started to enjoy it. Why? Well, part of the struggle was the choice of storytelling format. The story starts in the present during a "debriefing" of sorts. Gideon pretty much tells most of the story. Not only was it a bit confusing because he kept thinking about characters we haven't met in his story yet, and it was very scattered with a lot of "But I'll tell you more about that later." type scenes.One of the other things that drove me nuts was that Gideon constantly ended sentences with blah, blah, blah, so. The author was consistent in the format, only using it with Gideon, which I appreciated because it indicated that it was an idiosyncrasy of his, not that the author didn't know better. Still, it was incredibly grating on my nerves, particularly because of the frequency. I kind of hated Gideon just because of this. Well, not just because of this, but A LOT because of this. Why else didn't I like him? Well, the insta-love/bickering/ flippity-floppity relationship he and Daryn have going on was really frustrating. 18 year old me would have given Gideon the boot for being so dang annoying. Seriously, I don't know how Daryn puts up with him.What did I like? I liked the concept (as I said.) I absolutely love Bas. He reminds me a lot of many of my guy friends from that time in my life. Much more chill and less obnoxious. I would've liked to see more of Marcus, he felt so one-dimensional and insignificant, which Death should never be. Jode also kind of got the shaft, as far as scene time. Which is a shame, because he was my son's favorite.The "international incident" seemed kind of lame and anticlimactic, and the twist didn't surprise me at all, which was a bit disappointing.Would I read this again? Nah. Would I read the next book? Only if it's told from one of the other characters' perspectives. Then it might be worth reading. Shhh, don't tell my son I said this!Would you like to learn more?Here's Riders on Amazon.Have you read Riders? Share your thoughts in the comments!Until next time,Keep Reading!
