Laurisa White Reyes's Blog, page 30

$20 AMAZON GIVEAWAY - RUINS OM STOME HILL by F.P. Spirit

Ruins on Stone HillHeroes of Ravenford Book 1by F. P. Spirit Genre: YA Epic Fantasy
It has been one hundred and fifty years since the end of the Thrall Wars, when the four dread Thrall Masters rained destruction down on the land of Thac. The world has been relatively quiet since, but dark things have started to rise around the little town of Ravenford. 

The town's only hope lay in four newcomers: a fearless young warrior with blades of fire, an elven wizard as deadly to his friends as his enemies, a cynical halfling who might be an assassin, and a quiet gnome whose very touch can heal. Together they set out to face the creatures of darkness. Yet they soon find they are facing more than just a few rogue monsters, for a greater force lurks behind them all.
From eerie woods to underground caves to haunted ruins, they encounter terrifying monsters, creatures of the night, and demonic sorcery. Can the young heroes stand against the forces of darkness, or will they too fall prey to the evil that threatens to destroy Ravenford?


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F.P. Spirit has always loved fantasy. From the moment he received his very first copy of Lord of the Rings back in high school, he was hooked. Today, somewhere between work and family, F. P. manages to write sword and sorcery fantasy fiction. 

His novels,Ruins on Stone Hill, Serpent Cult, Dark Monolith, and Princess of Lanfor are the first four books in the series Heroes of Ravenford. The series chronicles the adventures of a band of young heroes in the dangerous world of Thac. F.P. is currently working on the fifth book in the Heroes of Ravenford series, The Baron's Heart, to be released in 2018.


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$10 AMAZON GIVEAWAY - SO GLAD TO MEET YOU by Lisa Super

So Glad to Meet Youby Lisa Super Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction, RomancePub Date: 7/31/18
"At once bitingly funny and strikingly poignant, Lisa Super's powerful debut touches on grief, identity, and first love, the perfect read for fans of John Green, Mary H. K. Choi and Rainbow Rowell." --Julia Lynn Rubin, author of Burro Hills Daphne and Oliver have almost nothing in common...

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Lisa Super is a brunch enthusiast based in Los Angeles. She's worked on a number of TV shows ranging from pop culture phenomenons (Flavor of Love) to traumedy gold (One Mississippi). While every day in LA is an adventure, traveling with her husband across the globe is her favorite hobby. SO GLAD TO MEET YOU is her first novel.

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$10 AMAZON GIVEAWAY - THE SUMMER SISTERS TRILOGY by Teresa Keefer

Blessed BeThe Summer Sisters Book 1by Teresa KeeferGenre: Paranormal Romance
Alana Summers was quite content with her life. A peaceful farm tucked in a wooded area by the lake with her pets for company. A shop in the small tourist town where she sells a potpourri of items that reflect everything about her. She's at peace. She's Wiccan.

Logan Farmer is the local sheriff. Small town boy who went to the big city and joined the police force. Then he came home where he belonged. He is deeply rooted in his Native American heritage.
Both had grown up knowing that there was more to the world that could be explained or seen. But neither of them knew that their peaceful lives could be disrupted in an instant by a legend long buried. A tale that had been told to them by Logan's grandmother when they were young along with a warning that the ancient legend could replay during their lifetime.
But was it really an ancient paranormal evil come to roost or were the recent events merely the doings of a warped human mind? Or had the human's events shaped the return of the evil?

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ThreefoldThe Summer Sisters Book 2
Teagan Summers has a secret that she thought she had tucked away forever. That is, until she was summoned to her home town of Lakewood to help with banishing an ancient evil that had come to pay a visit to the sleepy town. Then, she was faced with another woman whose secret wasn't so secret anymore.

Devon Brock knew he had to help his friend, Logan Farmer. Logan had helped him out too many times to turn his back and say no. However, he didn't realize that he would be called upon to pull out his law license to defend a poor woman who had killed and mutilated her husband on Halloween night. And he sure never expected to have to deal with spoiled Teagan Summers as part of it.
Devon and Teagan join forces as they work valiantly to not only defend a murderess, but to help Teagan's sisters and Logan Farmer as they battle an unseen evil that threatens to destroy the small town of Lakewood. And as they work together, they also form a tentative truce that they both know could lead to more.

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NamasteThe Summer Sisters Book 3
Riana Summers had spent most of her adult life trying to find herself. The youngest of the three Summer Sisters, she just couldn't resist sowing her wild oats and she had done it across the country. When her sister, Alana, had summoned her to come home to Lakeview because she was needed to do her part to hunt down and destroy an evil entity which had been playing havoc on her hometown, she did so with the intention of returning to her stand-up comedy gig in Las Vegas. She had no idea her brief trip home would turn to months and that she would end up finding out who she really was. Or that she would find herself face to face with a man who could get her to want to settle down.

Eric Michaels had been born and raised to be a farmer. It was what he did best. So, when the opportunity to be the foreman at a farm near a place called Lakeview, he had jumped at the chance. What he hadn't planned on was getting sucked into a paranormal nightmare. Things he couldn't even begin to fathom. Including finding himself deeply attracted to a woman who could create magic with the tips of her fingers.
As the conclusion of the Summer Sisters trilogy comes to an end, will they be able to destroy the force that had unearthed itself from its deep dark grave to destroy them?


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Teresa Keefer is an indie romance author with an avid love of books. She started writing poetry in high school and after encouragement from a dear friend, wrote her first full length romance novel in 2007. Coming Home was finally released as a self-published book in 2011.

Teresa holds an MBA in Human Resources and attended law school for two years. She lives in rural Indiana with a menagerie of animals and enjoys the peace of working in the garden and yard of her home. She has three adult daughters and seven grandchildren and enjoys crafting, cooking, reading, and studying spirituality in her spare time when she's not writing or working at her day job.Her household includes a spoiled dog, three cats, two goats and a stubborn miniature horse. 


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$20 AMAZON GIVEAWAY - MURDER IN PLAIN SIGHT by Nikki Broadwell

Murder in Plain SightSummer McCloud Book 1by Nikki BroadwellGenre: Paranormal Mystery 
Like Stephanie Plum?

Just add ghosts and stir!
Summer is an amateur sleuth with the hots for a cop on the local police force. And Jerry is on her trail, but not because he wants her body.
Summer is a suspect in a murder investigation.
When Summer dons a wig and sunglasses and disappears, her best friend, Agnes, is worried--will Summer end up being another victim?
Meanwhile Jerry is seen on the news asking her to turn herself in.
Will she heed his warning? 
Find out in this fast-paced sexy and humorous thriller by picking up a copy now.
Note to readers: If you are a stickler for police procedures or read a lot of hard-boiled murder mysteries, this might not be the book for you!


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Saffron and SeaweedSummer McCloud book 2
Summer and Jerry’s romantic weekend takes a dark turn when they discover the body of a young woman in the surf. 

When the local police deny the crime and the newspaper prints nothing, Jerry and Summer realize they are on their own. But they have no idea how deep they will have to dig to find out the truth. The murder is only a thread in a web of lies that extends to the furthest reaches of political office.
Are Summer’s visions to be the only clues? Jerry doesn’t think so, his focus on good old-fashioned detective work, but when he doubts her psychic abilities the trust between them begins to crumble.
As the days pass, Jerry and Summer come to understand that not only their relationship, but their very lives are in jeopardy. 

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Black and White and Red All OverSummer McCloud Book 3
A terrible school shooting has the entire sleepy town of Ames in an uproar. Who would do such a thing, and why can’t the witnesses remember any details about the shooter? 

When Summer has a visit from a ghost she’s left wondering...could someone long dead actually heft an assault rifle? 
Along with the furor over the murders, Summer is falling for Jerry again, despite his obvious deranged state of mind. Add to that the upcoming wedding between Sam and Agnes, and include a smattering of ghosts and possible psychopaths to the guest list, and you have a recipe for disaster. 


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Finlay's FollySummer McCloud Book 4
Summer is in Scotland doing an errand for a ghost. But when she comes face to face with her distant past her world turns upside down. 

Finlay Ross McCloud, a ghost in the Ames graveyard, has sent her on this fool's errand, his facts confused. And when Summer discovers the truth she's already in over her head. 
Will she succumb to the charms of the handsome highlander she can picture running across the moors in a kilt, or will she pull herself away before it's too late?
Find out in this fast-paced romantic tale of love and loss.

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The Night of the JaguarSummer McCloud Book 5
A honeymoon without a husband is not so fun.

Akumal is beautiful, but without Jerry, Summer's hopes of sunbathing, margaritas, and rolling around in bed together, are ruined.
But it's the dead body in the cenote that clinches it. Jerry is working on a case that he never mentioned, and Summer is left out-- that is until she decides to do a little sleuthing herself.
Even with the help from ghosts and a jaguar Summer is out of her depth. And when her life is put in in danger it is up to Jerry to save her. Will he make it in time? 
Find out by reading this fast-paced supernatural thriller.

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I graduated with a BA in art and English from Sonoma State University in California. I've been an avid reader since I first learned how and a writer from my early teenage years on. I've had several art related businesses, including greeting cards and more recently a silk painting business. When I began to write in earnest I put aside the art, concentrating only on the writing.

I've traveled a lot over the years, finding inspiration wherever I go. Scotland holds a special place in my heart, hence the setting for "The Moonstone". I had to make a 4th trip there to do research as I was putting the book together!

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$10 AMAZON GIVEAWAY - A GIRL AND HER ELEPHANT by Zoey Gong

A Girl and Her ElephantThe Animal Companions Series #1by Zoey GongGenre: YA Adventure 
All of the elephants wept as one of their own lay dying in childbirth. But Kanita, the daughter of the royal elephant trainer, refused to give up. With her own hands, she helped bring the baby elephant, Safi, into the world, beginning a lifelong friendship between a girl and her elephant. 


But many of the villagers worried about the curse of the white elephant with the red birthmark across her face. 
Raised in the mountains of northern Siam, Kanita’s idyllic life is shattered when she is ordered to marry a much older man and leave her beloved yet cursed elephant behind. But Kanita’s stubborn nature refuses to bow to her parents’ wishes. 
Kanita and Safi flee their village with the goal of redeeming Safi from her cursed reputation and cementing their bond, vowing to never be separated. 
But the jungle is more dangerous than Kanita or Safi could have imagined. 
From new author Zoey Gong, follow Kanita and Safi through the jungles of ancient Siam in a story of friendship, hope, and redemption. 
A Girl and her Elephant is the first book in the Animal Companion series, but each book is a stand-alone novel with new characters and adventures. 

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ZOEY GONG was born and raised in rural Hunan Province, China. She has been studying English and working as a translator since she was sixteen years old. Now in her early twenties, Zoey loves traveling and eating noodles for every meal. She lives in Shenzhen with her cat, Jello, and dreams of one day disappointing her parents by being a Leftover Woman (剩女).
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BOOK GIVEAWAY: LUX by MJ Vieira

LuxThe Veritas Series Book 1by MJ VieiraGenre: Dark Fantasy, Paranormal
After being found, inexplicably, standing over a brutal scene involving a pair of recent murder victims, Jade comes to in a hospital with limited memories. Labeled as paranoid by the seedy medical team and locked up, she seems more a victim than a deviant. Promptly drugged and plunged into sleep, she is submerged into a chronic dreamland that seems controlled by another, she soon gives in to a lavish life with a Malum who seems all too eager to see to her every desire. She awakes in yet another reality with no memories of her past, or even herself. Something is making her forget... and just like that she steps into her new life.

Malum is deeply in love with Jade and is only agenda is to give her the world... Or so he claims. Blindly followed by his people, the Luxans, he works tirelessly to keep them safe from the Rebels, with Jade by his side. Surely his motives are pure... yet, the more time Jade spends with him, the further she seems to fall from herself.
All the while, Jade is plagued by vivid dreams of another life... one she struggles to understand while Malum works to make her forget. As Jade struggles to hold onto her soul and discover her past, Malum seeks to possess all that she is.

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MJ Vieira resides in Southern Maine with her husband, Alan, son, AJ, and their St. Bernard, Roxy. As a child, she traveled around the state with her parents, seeing the vast history the New England state had to offer as well as touring the nation while showing her American Quarter Horse. While traveling, she read many of the great authors of the time including JRR Tolkien, Stephen King, CS Lewis and Ann Rice. It is these writers combined with power of music, mainly hard rock and folk, MJ draws her inspiration. 

In between writing, MJ enjoys reading, collecting music and attending concerts. Lux is the first installment in the Veritas series which is MJ's first published work.

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WRITER 2 WRITER: 4 TIPS TO WRITING BETTER

Over the years that I have been teaching writing, I’ve discovered that the biggest obstacle to writing well is attitude. Negative attitudes about writing start when we are young. But luckily, it is never too late change our attitudes.

Writing is more than letters of the alphabet or words on a page. It is the second most important means by which humankind communicates with itself, the first being speech. In generations past, those who could not communicate effectively with others were considered ignorant, uneducated, and unintelligent. Today, however, poor language skills have become trendy and represent a culture that relies on tweets and instant messages as forms of communication.

The National Writing Project states in their report, Because Writing Matters: Improving Student Writing in Our Schools, “In today’s business world, writing is a ‘threshold skill’ for both employment and promotion.” They explain that American corporations often avoid hiring or promoting those who lack good writing skills, which limits a person’s potential for a successful, well-paying career.
On the other hand, those who speak and write well obtain higher levels of education, earn more money in the workforce, and often become the leaders in our society. According to the College Board’s National Commission on Writing, two-thirds of employees in large U.S. companies are required to write, yet billions of dollars are spent each year trying to improve employees’ poor writing skills.

In addition to increasing our odds in the work force, good writing is also critical to academic success. Already out of school? Think about your kids. Writing helps develop thinking and problem-solving skills, aids in the retention of knowledge, and improves reading comprehension. According to the National Writing Project, “If students are to learn, they must write.”

So, writing matters. But what if you or your child don’t like to write? What if, when faced with a task that requires writing, you say, “I can’t write!” Is it possible to change one’s attitude about writing and to learn the skills needed to write well? The answer is YES!

Here are 4 quick tips to not only improve writing, but to also change your “I can’t” attitude into “I can!”—

1. Learn the Rules – When we feel insecure, our writing suffers. One way to increase confidence as writers is to become comfortable with grammar and punctuation rules. Eat, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss is my favorite book on the subject. It’s funny and informative.

2. Throw Away the Red Pen – Nothing discourages a child (or an adult) more than criticism. In the early stages of writing, focus on the positive rather than the negative. Don’t harp on mistakes. Instead, use them as teaching moments, and give plenty of praise for creativity and effort.

3. Limit Screen Time – The Nemours Foundation states that kids and adults alike spend about 1,000 hours a year in front of the TV and on other electronic devices. Staring at a screen reduces the brain’s capacity for imagination and creativity, both required for good writing. The answer? Turn off the TV.

4. Make Writing Fun – Writing isn’t all about essays and research reports. Try jotting down a story or poem, keep a journal, or write a letter to a friend. Even when an essay is required, allowing kids to choose their own topics increases motivation.

$20 AMAZON GIVEAWAY - DUSK OF HUMANITY by M.K. Dawn

Dusk of HumanityThe Decay of Humanity Series: Book 1by M.K. Dawn Genre: SciFi Thriller, Horror 
An asteroid brought about the destruction of the world…in a way no one thought possible.

After the death of her parents, Sloan Egan left their Montana ranch determined to make a difference in the world. Now a prominent surgeon with an exceptional career in her future, life has turned out exactly as she expected. Until a government summons arrives with an order to report to Fort Hood for a top-secret weekend retreat.
Major Lee Archer’s reassignment as head of military operations at The Bunker felt more like a prison sentence than a promotion. To make matters worse, he’s been assigned to babysitting detail, as a group of the country’s most brilliant young minds come together to test the vitality of the cutting-edge fallout shelter he commands.
But the retreat was nothing more than a ploy. One devised to safeguard the future of humanity, as a catastrophic event renders the world above uninhabitable.
Or so they’ve been led to believe.
Those in charge have a secret. One so horrifying they would do anything to keep it concealed. Because what lurks beyond The Bunker is deadlier than anyone could have ever imagined.
And it’s only a matter of time before it finds a way in.

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As a lifetime reader, M.K. Dawn always dreamed about becoming a writer. Then one day an idea came to her and then a story; so she started to write. And when she started to write, she couldn't stop. Not only does she love to write fantasy, paranormal and dystopia books she can almost always be found with her nose buried deep in them as well.
M.K. lives in South Texas with her husband and two children. When she isn't writing, she is reading, watching her favorite TV shows or dreaming about sitting on a beach somewhere.

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BOOK REVIEW: THE WORLD'S GREATEST BOOK by Lawrence H. Schiffman

THE WORLD'S GREATEST BOOK
Lawrence H. Schiffman and Jerry Pattengale
Museum of the Bible Books
Non-fiction

Adventure-filled narrative untangles the intriguing web of people and events that shaped history's most powerful book. From the earliest oral traditions to ink on parchment and ultimately the printing press, this is the story behind the best-selling book of all time.
Original texts were captured and passed down from generation to generation by elders and leaders, many inked by hand in extreme conditions. Christians and Jews canonized the Christian, Catholic, and Hebrew Bibles over a period of thousands of years. Devoted people dedicated their lives throughout time to put this unique book into the hands of people worldwide. Retrace the passion and intrigue behind the Bible's creation.

MY REVIEW:

I've held a long fascination with the origin and history of the Bible, but I don't claim to be an expert by any stretch of the imagination. These authors, however, are experts. This slim volume packs an abundance of stories not only about how the Bible became the Bible, but also about how this divinely inspired treasure was meticulously preserved and passed down through the ages.

Perfect for the average reader like myself, the language is clear and engaging. Promises to turn anyone into an avid Bible scholar, or at least an awe-filled fan.

BOOK GIVEAWAY - FIREWEED by MJ Vieira

FireweedThe Manjian Chronicles Book 1by M.J. VieiraGenre: Dark Fantasy, Paranormal Adventure 
Fire cleanses and brings new life

In the far off land of Manji, two tribes live in a strained peace- the magic wielding Manjians and the supernaturalVampires. A delicate balance is kept between the two races who depend on one another for survival. This peace is broken however when the fireweed, or Io as it’s called, a mythical plant, grows once again within the cursed land called the Barron. Named in aprophecy that speaks doom for both races, the beautiful plant causes panic within the Vampire community. But the bigger mystery comes when a prisoner, thought dead, is found to be alive and has escaped into the forbidden lands beyond the Vampire’s border.Prince Jarek is sent to retrieve her, only to find his life set on a new course when the true Io reveals herself as both a worthy adversary and lover. Will the species survive her wrath? How much will the fire cleanse?


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MJ Vieira resides in Southern Maine with her husband, Alan, son, AJ, and their St. Bernard, Roxy. As a child, she traveled around the state with her parents, seeing the vast history the New England state had to offer as well as touring the nation while showing her American Quarter Horse. While traveling, she read many of the great authors of the time including JRR Tolkien, Stephen King, CS Lewis and Ann Rice. It is these writers combined with power of music, mainly hard rock and folk, MJ draws her inspiration. 

In between writing, MJ enjoys reading, collecting music and attending concerts. Lux is the first installment in the Veritas series which is MJ's first published work.

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