Laurisa White Reyes's Blog, page 4

WRITER 2 WRITER: PROUD TO BE A BOOK ADDICT

Keeping it short and sweet today.

I am a book addict. I don’t know how else to describe the inexpressible pull I feel toward books or my compulsive need to keep buying them. I read about 30-50 books a year, usually three or four at the same time. I own more than a hundred books that I haven’t yet read but have every intention of reading “some day”.

Last year, in an effort to break myself of this habit and to declutter my house, I gave away eight boxes (BIG boxes) full of books to my local library, friends, and a needy school. I estimated there were at least 200 books in those boxes, maybe more. The value was over $2,500. Many were new books I’d purchased but never read.

I continue to donate about 100 books a year to schools and libraries. And I keep buying more. When my monthly Barnes & Noble coupons arrive in the mail, it feels like Christmas.

There are books I have read that I’ve loved so much I refuse to part with them, even though I will never read them again.

I love the texture, weight, smell of a new book. Better than chocolate. To me, each book is a treasure. A gift.

I am an not ashamed of my addiction.

If you share my addiction to books, send me a message and tell me which book you just finished along with the last sentence of the last page.

$20 GIVEAWAY - THE SAGA OF INDIAN EM'LY by Sara Harris

The Saga of Indian Em'lyBooks 1-4by Sara HarrisGenre: Historical Adventure 
Twelve-year-old Wind That Knocks Down Lodges loves his little sister, Cactus Flower, and the wildness of the desert canyonland the Apache call home. But in one night of misunderstanding and mistakes, Knocks Down and Cactus Flower’s innocent world is shaken as they find themselves locked in the nearby fort with the pale face soldiers and their mother’s lifeless body. With no one to lean on but each other, Knocks Down and Cactus Flower must make their way as children of The People in the pale face world—pale faces who have now become the enemy.

After finding themselves at the mercy of the Army, far from Apache Territory and well on the trail to Colorado, Knocks Down must bring himself to trust the soldier, Pale Face Joe. But Joe disappears, and when ordered to dispose of the children or else, the other Army soldiers waste no time in depositing them at the nearest Catholic orphanage.
They manage to escape the evil orphanage along with a new pale face friend, Kid McCoy. But they are set upon by a gang of murdering claim jumpers who steal Cactus. With Kid McCoy’s help, Knocks Down goes after her. When they encounter a soldier who was responsible for their mother’s death, they realize he’s set on seeing them dead, as well. How can a boy defeat a battle-hardened soldier? Just when Knocks Down is about to give up, the biggest surprise of all changes everything…


Goodreads* Amazon

Sara is a mother of four, animal lover and advocate, and conservationist. Little House on the Prairie, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, and Lonesome Dove are among her favorite shows/movies and books. Sara holds her B.A. in History and is the author of the historical romance series, An Everlasting Heart, from 5 Prince Publishing and recently debuted into the children's book realm with Chunky Sugars (5 Prince Kids), written for her own chunky baby.



Website* Facebook * Twitter * Instagram* Amazon* Goodreads

Follow the tour HEREfor exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

$25 GIVEAWAY - THE SECRETS OF HAWTHORNE HOUSE by Donald Firesmith

The Secrets of Hawthorne Houseby Donald FiresmithGenre: Teen Paranormal Mystery

Matt's life changes forever when a family of druids moves into the dilapidated Victorian mansion next door. The story of an unlikely friendship, the clash of two completely different cultures, secret magic, and a search for the lost Hawthorne treasure.Fifteen-year-old Matt Mitchell was having the worst summer imaginable. Matt’s misery started when a drunk driver killed his mother. Then his father moved him and his twin sister to the small town of Hawthorne in rural Indiana, as far as his grieving father could take from the ocean that Matt's mother had loved. At the new high school, three bullies are determined to make Matt miserable. And to top it off, Matt learns that the recluse who lives in the 'haunted house" next door is none other than Old Lady Hawthorne, the town’s infamous witch and murderer. Matt’s terrible summer is turning into an awful autumn when something quite unexpected happens. Old Lady Hawthorne’s niece and her three children arrive, and Matt meets Gerallt.

Add to Goodreads Amazon* Apple* B&N* Kobo* Smashwords
A geek by day, Donald Firesmith works as a system and software engineer helping the US Government acquire large, complex software-intensive systems. In this guise, he has authored seven technical books, written numerous software- and system-related articles and papers, and spoken at more conferences than he can possibly remember. He's also proud to have been named a Distinguished Engineer by the Association of Computing Machinery, although his pride is tempered somewhat by his fear that the term "distinguished" makes him sound like a graybeard academic rather than an active engineer whose beard is still slightly more red than gray.

By night and on weekends, his alter ego writes modern paranormal fantasy, apocalyptic science fiction, action and adventure novels and relaxes by handcrafting magic wands from various magical woods and mystical gemstones. His first foray into fiction is the book Magical Wands: A Cornucopia of Wand Lore written under the pen name Wolfrick Ignatius Feuerschmied. He lives in Crafton, Pennsylvania with his wife Becky, and his son Dane, and varying numbers of dogs, cats, and birds.


Website * Facebook* Twitter * Bookbub* Google+ * Amazon * Goodreads

Follow the tour HEREfor exclusive content and a giveaway! a Rafflecopter giveaway

$25 GIVEAWAY - STORM OF THE GODS by Amy Braun

Storm of the GodsAn Areios Brothers Novel #1by Amy BraunGenre: Urban Fantasy 
Thirty years ago, the gods of Greek legend returned to the world. Their return restored their powers, which had been spent in a cataclysmic battle with the Titans. With the ancient deities imprisoned in Tartarus, the Olympians now reside in Néo Vasíleio, formerly known as California.

Twenty-four-year-old Derek Aerios is a war scion, a descendant of Ares, the God of War. He and his brother, eighteen-year-old Liam, capture mythological creatures and rogue scions as part of Ares's elite military force. As he struggles to cope with his violent powers and the scars of a traumatic childhood, Derek tries to keep the two vows he has made: protect his brother, and never kill a human again.
But when Ares forces him to hunt and kill four rogue scions under Athena's control—by threatening Liam's life—Derek chooses to go after the scions in order to save his brother and keep his promise to himself.
Yet the closer Derek gets to the scions, the more he realizes that his orders are part of a deeper conspiracy that put him at odds with his mission and his conscience. Athena may not be the enemy, a traitor could be in their midst, and the Titans could be closer to freedom than ever before.


Add to Goodreads Amazon* B&N* Kobo

Amy is a Canadian urban fantasy and horror author. Her work revolves around monsters, magic, mythology, and mayhem. She started writing in her early teens, and never stopped. She loves building unique worlds filled with fun characters and intense action. She is an active member of the Weekend Writing Warrior community.

When she isn't writing, she's reading, watching movies, taking photos, gaming, struggling with chocoholism and ice cream addiction, and diving headfirst into danger in Dungeons & Dragons campaigns


Website* Newsletter * Facebook* Twitter * Instagram * Amazon * Goodreads

Follow the tour HEREfor exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway! a Rafflecopter giveaway

$25 GIVEAWAY - THE IMPROBABLE WONDERS OF MOOJIE LITTLEMAN by Robin Gregory

The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littlemanby Robin GregoryGenre: Fantasy, Magical Realism

Early 1900s, Western America. A lonely, disabled boy with a nasty temper and uncontrolled mystical powers, Moojie is taken by his father to his grandfather's wilderness farm. There, Moojie meets an otherworldly clan of outcasts that he wants to join. Following a series of misadventures--magical and mystical--he is summoned by the call to a great destiny ... if only he can survive one last terrifying trial.

Having won a number of awards, Robin Gregory's The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman is being lauded as a classic. A haunting, visionary tale spun in the magical realist tradition of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude and Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, the profoundly unique voice and heart-stirring narrative recall great works of fiction that explore the universal desire to belong.


Goodreads* Amazon


ROBIN GREGORY is a devoted wife and mother, and student of mystical teachings. Born in Pensacola, Florida, she grew up in California, accompanied by seven siblings, and surrounded by horses, real cowboys, and the occasional rattlesnake. She has always been drawn to helping others, a trait that began, to her mother’s horror, with bringing home swallow chicks stricken from their nests. She has worked as a journalist, lay minister, and infant massage instructor for mothers and babies at risk. Her studies include Literature and Creative Writing at University of California, Santa Cruz and Stanford University’s Writer’s Workshop. She lives with her husband and son in a Carmel cottage old enough to make you sneeze. “The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman” is her first published novel.

Website* Facebook* Twitter * Amazon* Goodreads

Follow the tour HEREfor exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

BOOK BLITZ: THE CRYSTAL KEEPER SERIES by Laurisa White Reyes

 
 Hosted by: Ultimate Fantasy Books  Blurb: Books 1-3 Exile, Betrayal & Vengeance Jayson lives among the shadows of Hestoria, his sole purpose for staying alive – to protect his half of the Seer’s crystal. Exiled from his homeland for loving the king’s daughter, Ivanore, Jayson is now pursued by two opposing factions: the Vatéz (League of Magicians) who intend to use the crystal for their own selfish gain, and the Guilde, the ancient guardians of the crystal. Meanwhile, Ivanore flees from her father to Hestoria in search of Jayson. As the Seer, she is plagued with visions of him being tortured and is determined to rescue him. When the Vatéz capture her, however, she unwittingly jeopardizes everything Jayson has vowed to protect. He must now make a terrible choice: Should he save Ivanore or save the crystal? 
↓Buy Links↓https://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Keeper-Laurisa-White-Reyes-ebook/dp/B00RR6H440   Books 4-6 Hidden, Defiant, and Fallen
Ivanore the Seer lives under lock and key in the castle of Auseret, a reluctant captor of her brother, Arik, now the Minister of Hestoria. Unwilling to use her powers to assist him in locating the crystal or the missing Guardians, Arik schemes to trick her into leading him right to the enemy's lair.Meanwhile, the Guardians live peaceably with Jayson on a sprawling farm outside of the Vatéz's realm. But Jayson is not the man he once was. Broken and beaten down by years of separation from his beloved Ivanore, Jayson must find the will to keep the Guardians safe in an increasingly violent land. When the unthinkable happens, both Ivanore and Jayson battle their own demons to protect the crystal from falling into Arik's hands—and to keep all of Hestoria safe from the Vatéz. 
 ↓Buy Links↓ https://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Keeper-Laurisa-White-Reyes-ebook/dp/B07MFK5YSC 

  
Author Bio: Laurisa White Reyes wears many hats these days: Editor-in-Chief of Middle Shelf Magazine, published author, professional editor, educator, and homeschool mom to five kids. She has a Master's Degree in English and is the founder of Skyrocket Press. Visit her website at: www.LaurisaWhiteReyes.com To find out more about Laurisa White Reyes you can visit her at: Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/Laurisa-White-Reyes/e/B006IL8HUK Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Laurisa-White-Reyes/148553665188339 Website: https://www.laurisawhitereyes.com/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5244611.Laurisa_White_ReyesTwitter: https://twitter.com/lwreyes 

WRITER 2 WRITER: THE VOICE THAT COUNTS

As a teen, I often entertained grandiose visions of becoming a best-selling novelist one day. I spent most of my spare time writing anything that came to mind: poetry, plays, short stories, journal entries. Then all my dreams were shattered in a single moment.

Ms. Danson was a tall, imposing woman who looked more like a football player than a schoolteacher. She prided herself on the fact that she knew every spot on campus where students could ditch class and hide. She should know because she had graduated from our school only a few years earlier. This was her first teaching job and I was unlucky enough to get her for English that year.

Now, as a student I was not anything special. However, I excelled at English. The only thing I loved more than writing was reading. I had fallen in love with literature during my freshman year thanks to Thelma Chapman, a vivacious English teacher with a delightful British accent. Due to my nearsightedness and my love of English, I always sat in the front row, but Ms. Danson seated her class alphabetically, and since I was the only “W” in class, I was relegated to the corner seat in the last row.

Our reading assignments that year included The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I was sure Mark Twain himself would have slept through Ms. Danson’s lectures. To make matters even worse, we were to write a term paper on it. I was pretty good at poems and stories, but I wasn’t so good at term papers.

One afternoon Ms. Danson called me into her office. She slid my paper across her desk and instructed me to open the cover. I did so and found a big ‘D-’ scrawled in red ink on the title page. Ms. Danson proceeded to flip through the pages detailing all the mistakes I had made, from the lack of transitional phrases to putting my commas on the outside of my quotation marks. Red marks adorned every page. All I saw was red, and that ‘D-’ seared itself into my brain like a branding iron.

Then I did something that took Ms. Danson by surprise. I started to cry. I put my head down on her desk and wept like a heartbroken child. Though Ms. Danson had not said the actual words, what all those red marks told me was that I was a failure.

Perhaps if my experiences with writing had ended there, I might never have picked up a pen again. Fortunately, tenth grade ended and the next year I was assigned to Elizabeth Rose for English.
I had heard rumors about Mrs. Rose, that she was unusual, and perhaps she was. She was a tiny woman with long, straight platinum blonde hair. She wore four-inch heels, short skirts, and a lot of make-up. She was animated, moving her hands and her head when she talked so that her hair bobbed up and down against her shoulders. But her most distinctive feature was how much she loved teaching. It was evident in everything she said and did. Red marks were few and far between. Instead, she covered her students’ papers with rubber stamped images – she had hundreds in her collection.
When Mrs. Rose read a story, the words jumped right off the page. I often sat with my elbows on my desk and my chin propped in the palms of my hands as I listened to her read Rebecca, Gone with The Wind, or The Haunting of Hill House. I fell in love with literature all over again that year, and thanks to Mrs. Rose, I picked up that pen and started to write again.

Unlike Ms. Danson, Mrs. Rose accentuated the positive. Instead of a term paper, she put us in groups and told us to write “Gone With The Wind – 10 Years Later.”  She told me I had talent, that I was a writer at heart and should pursue my dream. Now, having spent more than a decade as a professional writer, I am living that dream every day.

What made the difference for me? The answer is simple. Someone believed in me. Someone took the time to focus on my positives and let the negatives take care of themselves. I wasn’t a perfect student, but Mrs. Rose saw potential where Ms. Danson saw flaws. In time, I learned how to use punctuation correctly and how to write a proper bibliography. More importantly, I learned how to organize my thoughts and put them on paper. That would never have happened if I had never learned to see the qualities in myself that Mrs. Rose saw in me.

The point I want to make is that as a young writer I was vulnerable to criticism. Not that learning proper grammar and punctuation wasn’t important, it was. But for a short time I listened to the criticisms of others and allowed them to crush my dreams. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to find someone who helped me discover my own worth as a writer and to get back on track toward fulfilling those dreams.

Writers always receive criticism. Whether you’re a novice just starting out or a famous novelist getting bashed by book critics, there will always be someone more than willing to point your flaws. The trick is to keep your eye on your dreams. Listen to those whose comments and suggestions are meant to help you improve your writing, and ignore those whose only intent is to see you fail. If you dream of being a writer, don’t let anything or anyone stop you. And remember, the most important voice to listen to is your own.

$25 GIVEAWAY - SPELLS, SALT & STEEL by Gail Z Martin& Larry N. Martin

Spells, Salt, & SteelSeason Oneby Gail Z. Martin & Larry N. MartinGenre: Comedic Horror
“When all else fails, the ass end of a carp makes a damn fine weapon.”
Your new favorite monster hunter has arrived! Bubba the Monster Hunter has some competition in this horror comedy collection from best-selling author duo Gail Z. & Larry N. Martin!By day, Mark Wojcik can be found elbow-deep in engine grease, making cars and trucks safe for the highway. By night, he can be found traipsing through the wilds of Pennsylvania, making the world safe for humans. He’s more than just a mechanic, he’s a New Templar Knight. He travels the backroads and byways fighting weresquonks, ningen, selkies, ghosts, and…gnomes? Is that gnome…naked? (sigh).


Season One collects the first four novellas in the Spells, Salt, & Steel series –Spells, Salt, & SteelOpen SeasonDeep TroubleClose Encounters


Goodreads* Amazon 



Gail Z. Martindiscovered her passion for science fiction, fantasy and ghost stories in elementary school. The first story she wrote at age five was about a vampire. Her favorite TV show as a preschooler was Dark Shadows. At age 14, she decided to become a writer. She enjoys attending science fiction/fantasy conventions, Renaissance fairs and living history sites.
Larry N. Martinis the author of the new sci-fi adventure novel Salvage Rat. He is the co-author (with Gail Z. Martin) of the Spells, Salt, and Steel/New Templars series; the Steampunk series Iron & Blood; and a collection of short stories and novellas: The Storm & Fury Adventures set in the Iron & Blood universe. He is also the co-author of the upcoming Wasteland Marshals series and the Joe Mack Cauldron/Secret Council series. The Martins have three children, a Maltese, and a Golden Retriever.


Website* Newsletter* Facebook* Pinterest *Twitter* Twitter * Goodreads* Goodreads* Amazon

Follow the tour HEREfor exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

$25 GIVEAWAY - THAT WHICH GROWS WILD by Eric J. Guignard

That Which Grows Wildby Eric J. GuignardGenre: Dark Fantasy, Short Stories
That Which Grows Wild collects sixteen dark and masterful short stories by award-winning author Eric J. Guignard. Equal parts whimsy and weird, horror and heartbreak, this debut collection traverses the darker side of the fantastic through vibrant and harrowing tales that depict monsters and regrets, hope and atonement, and the oddly changing reflection that turns back at you in the mirror.

Discover why Eric J. Guignard has earned praise from masters of the craft such as Ramsey Campbell (“Guignard gives voice to paranoid vision that’s all too believable.”), Rick Hautala (“No other young horror author is better, I think, than Eric J. Guignard.”), and Nancy Holder ( “The defining new voice of horror has arrived, and I stand in awe.”)
Stories include:
• “A Case Study in Natural Selection and How It Applies to Love” - a teen experiences romance, while the world slowly dies from rising temperatures and increasing cases of spontaneous combustion.
• “Dreams of a Little Suicide” - a down-on-his-luck actor unexpectedly finds his dreams and love in Hollywood playing a munchkin during filming of The Wizard of Oz, but soon those dreams begin to darken.
• “The Inveterate Establishment of Daddano & Co.” - an aged undertaker tells the true story behind the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, and of the grime that accumulates beneath our floors.
• “A Journey of Great Waves” - a Japanese girl encounters, years later, the ocean-borne debris of her tsunami-ravaged homeland, and the ghosts that come with it.
• “The House of the Rising Sun, Forever” - a tragic voice gives dire warning against the cycle of opium addiction from which, even after death, there is no escape.
• “Last Days of the Gunslinger, John Amos” - a gunfighter keeps a decimated town’s surviving children safe on a mountaintop from the incursion of ferocious creatures… until a flash flood strikes.
Explore within, and discover a wild range upon which grows the dark, the strange, and the profound.  



Add to Goodreads Amazon* B&N* Kobo

Eric J. Guignard is a writer and editor of dark and speculative fiction, operating from the shadowy outskirts of Los Angeles. He's won the Bram Stoker Award, been a finalist for the International Thriller Writers Award, and a multi-nominee of the Pushcart Prize. His stories and non-fiction have appeared in over one hundred genre and literary publications such as "Nightmare Magazine," "Black Static," "Shock Totem," "Buzzy Magazine," and "Dark Discoveries Magazine." Outside the glamorous and jet-setting world of indie fiction, Eric's a technical writer and college professor, and he stumbles home each day to a wife, children, cats, and a terrarium filled with mischievous beetles.

Website* Facebook * Facebook Page * Twitter * Amazon* Goodreads

Follow the tour HEREfor exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

$20 GIVEAWAY - HOUSE OF MADNESS by Sara Harris

House of Madnessby Sara HarrisGenre: Paranormal Thriller
Can You Ever Truly Put the Past Behind You?Tim and Adelaide Smithfield are haunted by memories of loss too raw to forget, and too painful to remember. Their 11-year-old daughter, Michaela, has her own set of sensory processing challenges, not to mention an overwhelming sense of guilt that she might be at the root of her parents’ problems.The sprawling ranch house on the outskirts of the quaint West Texas town of Big Spring promises a fresh start for a young family on the verge of collapse.But the house is haunted by memories of its own… and a guilt that West Texas’ famed thunderstorms can’t wash away.



Goodreads* Amazon

Sara is a mother of four, animal lover and advocate, and conservationist. Little House on the Prairie, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, and Lonesome Dove are among her favorite shows/movies and books. Sara holds her B.A. in History and is the author of the historical romance series, An Everlasting Heart, from 5 Prince Publishing and recently debuted into the children's book realm with Chunky Sugars (5 Prince Kids), written for her own chunky baby.



Website* Facebook * Twitter * Instagram* Amazon* Goodreads

Follow the tour HEREfor exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway