Meradeth Houston's Blog, page 6

After Reading: CITY OF DARK MAGIC Series by Magnus Flyte

Once a city of enormous wealth and culture, Prague was home to emperors, alchemists, astronomers, and, as it’s whispered, hell portals. When music student Sarah Weston lands a summer job at Prague Castle cataloging Beethoven’s manuscripts, she has no idea how dangerous her life is about to become. Prague is a threshold, Sarah is warned, and it is steeped in blood.
     
Soon after Sarah arrives, strange things begin to happen. She learns that her mentor, who was working at the castle, may not have committed suicide after all. Could his cryptic notes be warnings? As Sarah parses his clues about Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved,” she manages to get arrested, to have tantric sex in a public fountain, and to discover a time-warping drug. She also catches the attention of a four-hundred-year-old dwarf, the handsome Prince Max, and a powerful U.S. senator with secrets she will do anything to hide.

***
In this action-packed sequel to City of Dark Magic, we find musicologist Sarah Weston in Vienna in search of a cure for her friend Pollina, who is now gravely ill and who may not have much time left. Meanwhile, Nicolas Pertusato, in London in search of an ancient alchemical cure for the girl, discovers an old enemy is one step ahead of him. In Prague, Prince Max tries to unravel the strange reappearance of a long dead saint while being pursued by a seductive red-headed historian with dark motives of her own.

In the city of Beethoven, Mozart, and Freud, Sarah becomes the target in a deadly web of intrigue that involves a scientist on the run, stolen art, seductive pastries, a few surprises from long-dead alchemists, a distractingly attractive horseman who’s more than a little bloodthirsty, and a trail of secrets and lies. But nothing will be more dangerous than the brilliant and vindictive villain who seeks to bend time itself. Sarah must travel deep into an ancient mystery to save the people she loves. (Goodreads)

Dang have I been bad about blogging this summer. I wish I had a good excuse, but I really don't. Just been busy, and struggling to find the time, or energy. Well, focus on the latter, really. Anyhow, I have still been reading :)

This series is pretty dang fun! I ran across them randomly at one of my favorite local used book shops and am glad I snagged them. There's all sorts of lovely intrigue and strange happenings, and wonderful cities that I loved visiting, even if just on the page. Sarah was an interesting character--one whom I could identify with on certain things (especially on the academic side of things), but there were a few one-offs that I struggled with. Her background was portrayed as very humble, but it didn't seem to play out well in her character, and I did wonder a few times at some of her...exploits. Maybe I'm a prude, but I kinda went 'uhhh, okay...?' at a few encounters that seemed a little over-the-top ;) Anyhow, I did enjoy learning more about Beethoven and Prague, as well as Vienna. I always love a little fun information. The science in the book itself was...sketchy at best, but done in a way that I was at least able to ignore the parts that were more silly that science. Anyhow, overall, a good book series that I really enjoyed. Honestly, if there were another in the series I'd snatch it up in a heartbeat!

Someone Else's Soul Official Book Trailer

I've waited really impatiently to share this and am SO excited to have it go live this morning :) What do you think? I know Someone Else's Soul doesn't release for a good while, but this is a super fun teaser!

Cover Reveal: SECOND STAR by J.M. Sullivan

Second Star
J.M. Sullivan
Published by: Bleeding Ink Publishing
Publication date: March 5th 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Peter Pan has never been one to follow the rules. Abandoned as a child, he was adopted by the renowned Captain Hooke to join the crew of the starship Jolly Roger. But when Peter finds out that the elegant Captain is not as upstanding as everyone believes, he has no choice but to sabotage the ship, alienating him from the crew, the fleet, and the only family he’s ever known.
Wendy Darling has worked her entire life to rise through the ranks of the prestigious Londonierre Brigade. Now as a Captain, she has everything she’s always wanted, including a ship and crew of her own. But when the Brigade receives a strange transmission from the legendary James Hooke, lost a hundred years earlier in uncharted space and presumed dead, Wendy is willing to risk it all to rescue her hero from the planet known only as Neverland. 

But there is more to Neverland than meets the eye, and more to Hooke than what was written in history books. When Wendy crash lands on the ominous planet, she quickly discovers Neverland’s dark secret; a malevolent being known as The Shadow that’s looking for a host body to escape its eternal prison. To fulfill her mission, Wendy must decide whether to trust the dashing Hooke or the mysterious Fleet mechanic who goes by the name of Pan–and she has to decide quickly… 

Before the darkness consumes them all.

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Author Bio:

An avid reader and hopeless fangirl, J.M. Sullivan shamelessly fantasized that this was, in fact, her AUROR bio, but has since determined AUTHOR bio to be the next best thing. An almost Arizona native, she was raised in Phoenix, but when asked, she will tell you her formative years were really spent in the land of make-believe, where she passed countless hours with her favorite characters in their own worlds, Wonderland included. 

Eventually, society informed her that she had to grow up, so she experimented in retail, music, and business careers before realizing her passion for kids. She now works in Abu Dhabi as a middle school science teacher who fosters a love of science, literature, and learning in her students. 

Although known to dabble in adulting, J.M. is a big kid at heart who still believes in true love, magic, and most of all, the power of coffee. When she isn’t busy writing or caught in a daydream, she spends her time at home with her husband, their two cats, three kids, and a whole lot of madness. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

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After Reading: THE MOON IS DOWN by John Steinbeck

Originally published at the zenith of Nazi Germany's power, Steinbeck's masterful fable explores the effects of invasion on conquered and conquerors alike.

Occupied by enemy troops, a small, peaceable town comes to face-to-face with evil imposed from the outside--and betrayal born within the close-knit community. As he delves into the motivations and emotions of the enemy commander and the quisling traitor, Steinbeck uncovers profound, often unsettling truths about war--and about human nature. (Goodreads)

My family decided that we need to be reading more books together, and this is our first pick for the adventure. We're all Steinbeck fans, which probably has a lot to do with being from California and having many of his novels set in locales we visited many times while growing up. So, this felt like a wonderful place to start, and honestly, it was far more moving than I anticipated. The writing, of course, was beautiful. Steinbeck has a way with cadence and word choice that sets up a scene very simply, but with wonderful emotional impact. And the story in this, well, it resonated on a powerful level. I only get political on here rarely, but the climate in the USA right now is dreadful. Things that are happening make me despise our leaders and actively resist. Things that are happening cannot be undone--to the world, and to human beings. I see photos and read the news daily and cringe. But this novel, well, it gave me hope. As our nation descends into something far from a democracy, reading this gave me hope that in the end, even at great cost, democracy and truth will win out. In many ways, I really needed to read this, and be refreshed in the sense of what I, and so many others, fight for. Because I have devoted my life to teaching and helping others understand the essence of what makes us ALL human is not a definition that can be extended to one group or population and not another. Because I firmly believe that we cannot be a great nation without the huddled masses we have sheltered in the past and should continue to do so. Because I know what bravery looks like, and true service to the greater good. For these things, it is necessary to fight, even in the small ways day to day, and I am grateful to have had been lifted up by this novel. 

Cover Reveal for SOMEONE ELSE'S SOUL by ME! #amreading #amwriting #coverreveal

You all, I really have to say that first of all, I LOVE THIS COVER! It's amazing and totally beyond my wildest dreams for this book. Especially the tape for the SOUL part--that fits the story so well I can't even tell you :) You'll have to read the book to find out why, though, hehe. Also, my cup is so full today because I seriously have the best publisher ever. Really, everyone, I am so incredibly grateful. Did I have to do anything for this cover reveal? Nope. I mean, other than spread the word and such. I know that may sound a little strange, but generally I have to do all this myself and I never feel like I'm doing it justice. Not now--I have a team that I know has my back and is working their tails off to get this book off the ground. Which means, well, I have time to write!! So honestly, a major shout out to the incredible people at Bleeding Ink Publishing, and my fab agent Cristi Marchetti for landing me there! And especially a huge THANK YOU to all the amazing people sharing my cover today! Now, take a look at this cover:

Someone Else’s Soul
Meradeth Houston
Published by: Bleeding Ink Publishing
Publication date: May 7th 2019
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Suspense

There are 14 strangers who share her face, and one company is determined to erase them all.

Everyone has secrets, and it’s Diana Kane’s job to know them. It’s a talent–being able to see into someone’s life from the scuffs on their shoes to the way their hold their hands–a talent that sets her apart from everyone. When a mysterious stranger drops into her life dangling the possibility of something she’s longed for, a real connection with someone who might actually understand her, she’s too intrigued to refuse.

But when David Addington shows up to their date knowing too much about her, and the top secret agency she works for, Diana realizes their meeting was anything but coincidence. David has more than his share of surprises, including an impossible claim about Diana’s past and photos of an inexplicable woman who shares her face.
When her life begins to unravel around her, Diana has no choice but to put her faith in the mysterious David and the man he claims is his father. As she struggles to piece together the truth about where she came from, she’s forced to face the reality that her entire life has been manufactured, along with fourteen other women who share her exact same DNA. Confronted with the troubling reality that she’s nothing more than a research experiment that’s pushed the boundaries of science and ethics, Diana must rescue the others like her before the company can erase them as mistakes. She will have to put all her skills to the test in the ultimate game of survival…

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Cover Reveal: THE REVOLUTION OF JACK FROST by KM Robinson

Ohhhh, I'm EXCITED to share this!! My publishing house, Bleeding Ink Publishing, has some amazing covers and it's a treat to get to share them with everyone. Mine's coming up, too! (If you want to get in on that fun, check it out!) So, here's their first cover--tell me what you think) :)


The Revolution of Jack Frost
K.M. Robinson
Published by: Bleeding Ink Publishing
Publication date: November 6th 2018
Genres: Dystopian, Fairy Tales, Retelling, Young Adult

No one inside the snow globe knows that Morozoko Industries is controlling their weather, testing them to form a stronger race that can survive the fall out from the bombs being dropped in the outside world—all they know is that they must survive the harsh Winter that lasts a month and use the few days of Spring, Summer, and Fall to gather enough supplies to survive.
When the seasons start shifting, Genesis and her boyfriend, Jack, know something is going on. As their team begins to find technology that they don’t have access to inside their snow globe of a world, it begins to look more and more like one of their own is working against them.
Genesis soon discovers Morozoko Industries is to blame, but when a foreign enemy tries to destroy their weather program to make sure their destructive life-altering bombs succeed in destroying the outside world, their only chance is to shut down the machine that is spinning out of control and save the lives of everyone inside the bunker–at any cost.

Add to Goodreads—The World Portal for The Revolution of Jack Frost has just been opened up on www.kmrobinsonbooks.com with behind-the-scenes info, exclusive looks at characters, there will be interactive choose-your-own-adventure games, facebook filters and frames, videos, artwork, and more coming soon, and the information is changing every few days, so if you want to catch it all, you have to keep checking back for all the exclusives. There may even be bonus scenes and other freebies on the site as well!—

Author Bio:
K.M. Robinson is a best selling storyteller who creates new worlds both in her writing and in her fine arts conceptual photography. She is a marketing, branding and social media strategy educator who is recognized at first sight by her very long hair. She is a creative who focuses on photography, videography, couture dress making, and writing to express the stories she needs to tell. She almost always has a camera within reach.
Get free excerpts of her books at excerpt.kmrobinsonbooks.com and check out her website www.kmrobinsonbooks.com
Connect with her on social media at @kmrobinsonbooks on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. You can view videos and live replays on Youtube too!
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

GIving up the fight

A short post today, because it's been a long school year, and somehow an even longer semester. So many things have left me angry, seriously just mad, frustrated, and with a fuse about the length of my pinky nail. As I work my tail off, with barely any breaks (and most "breaks" are actually still just more work), I just need some time off. Before I teach summer school, write papers, and tackle my massive amount of lab work that I have this summer...and about a million other things.

This may not be so bad if I weren't living in constant fear of what's going on at my university, where cuts are starting to hit home (ie, me, or at least potentially me, and that's scary AF, and also just makes me mad--how can I have wasted so much effort and my life at a place that doesn't give a single f*ck?). So, yeah, I'm just drained and done. I apologize for the random blog posts that have been spotty and pitiful. Don't even get me started on how bad I feel about not having been visiting other's blogs more regularly. I just don't have it in me. Maybe this'll change. Maybe I'll get a better job somewhere else. Maybe I'll just run screaming into the woods and never return ;)
I hope spring has found you wherever you are and life is treating you well! Hopefully I can work out of this funk soon, before it entirely consumes me.

After Reading: VERACITY by Laura Bynum #amreading

Harper Adams was six years old in 2012 when an act of viral terrorism wiped out one-half of the country's population. Out of the ashes rose a new government, the Confederation of the Willing, dedicated to maintaining order at any cost. The populace is controlled via government-sanctioned sex and drugs, a brutal police force known as the Blue Coats, and a device called the slate, a mandatory implant that monitors every word a person speaks. To utter a Red-Listed, forbidden word is to risk physical punishment or even death.

But there are those who resist. Guided by the fabled "Book of Noah," they are determined to shake the people from their apathy and ignorance, and are prepared to start a war in the name of freedom. The newest member of this resistance is Harper -- a woman driven by memories of a daughter lost, a daughter whose very name was erased by the Red List. And she possesses a power that could make her the underground warriors' ultimate weapon -- or the instrument of their destruction. (Goodreads)

How about a normal ol' book review for today? It's been a while :)

So, this was a random pick for me to nab, as I don't generally read a whole lot of adult dystopian. Maybe that's because it can often depress me, or just make me angry (at the world in the book, not in general!). But, something about this made me curious--mainly the fact that the world is basically erasing words from the inhabitants. Shrinking their vocabulary down to the sparsest necessities. This drives home the fascinating fact that words are powerful, and that knowing a word with its accompanying concept is vital for freedom. I really enjoyed that concept and the way it was handled by the author. The story itself was okay--not great, but engaging enough to keep me going. Harper's naivete and weakness throughout most of the story, despite the opening where she seems incredibly driven and motivated, was a bit frustrating (although probably more honest in how a woman in that predicament might really act). The romance line was tossed in a little haphazardly and I wish it had been fleshed out more, as I think it would have benefitted Harper's characterization.

Another thing that I kept circling back to while reading this, and a topic that I've thought about before with other novels set in a post-pandemic world, is the loss of population base. We live in a world that needs a whole lot of people doing lots of little things to keep the whole operation moving. To lose them, or in this novel's case, to indiscriminately kill off wide swaths of people, means losing a great deal of infrastructure and ability to maintain many systems. This result was not really addressed at all, other than there being areas that were mostly uninhabited. Anyhow, what it boils down to is that in a world where there are fewer people, I honestly don't think killing off your enemies is the way people would go about keeping the population in line. There are definitely fates worse than death, and that's fearful enough, and then you still have working hands to keep things running. I don't know, just something random I was ruminating on :)

Do you have a favorite dystopian novel?

Mis-Mash of Random :) #authorlife

So, I didn't get a chance to blog last week because, well, it was my birthday and I was out skiing and decided that it was just going to have to be okay to skip ;) This week I'm a bit at a loss as to what to write about, as honestly things have been a bit nuts around here, so it's going to be a list of utter random. Yay!

Content edits on Someone Else's Soul are pretty much done. Woot! I really enjoyed digging into this novel again, but am still paranoid that I left some glaring error somewhere.I have a giant conference coming up this week with a crazy amount of work to do there. I will be SO glad when this is done and over and all my presentations (5! I am seriously masochistic!) are over. At least I get to get out of Missoula for a few days!My lovely little pups have been majorly needy of late. I seem to be the pillow of choice (I'm trying to write this with one on my lap and the other laying across my feet). I love them both so much! Even when they wake me in the early morning by puking in my bed... That's me under there somewhere, being "loved" by my pups!Spring is tantalizingly close--except for the random blizzard we had last Thursday. I can't wait for summer (mostly because classes will be over and I can actually get some work done!). That, and we bought kayaks and going out on the nearby lakes or rivers is one of my favorite things on the planet and I can't wait to take them out and do it!So that's a taste of my random life at the moment. Mostly just a whole lot of work and staring at a computer screen, or working with my students and wrangling their needs and projects and stuff like that. 

After Reading: THE PROMETHEUS MAN by Scott Reardon

A man with no identity... hunting a man without limits.

When a pile of bodies is found in Paris, CIA Agent Tom Blake hustles his way onto a major case: tracking a man with enhanced abilities, the test subject of a secret government program. 

There's just one problem: the man using Agent Blake's identity is not Agent Blake. He's Tom Reese, a man without a family or a home. 

Reese is searching for his brother's killer. He stole Agent Blake's identity two months ago and has bluffed his way onto the team investigating his only lead. But his time as a CIA agent is accelerating toward its expiration date.

Soon the CIA will find out that Agent Blake is in two places at once. Soon the augmented man will come looking for him. And soon both will discover that Tom Reese carries a secret even he doesn't know about.
He is the last test subject of Project Prometheus. (Goodreads)

I've been really enjoying a good thriller/spy novel lately, and the faster the pace, the better. They're a great escape, and I find them super fun and the perfect way to unwind. Reardon's novel was a decent example in this genre, and I did enjoy it. There were some clunky aspects to the pacing, characters, and plot, but in general the book kept me interested enough to keep going and overlook little issues. There did seem to be an inordinate number of correlaries with the Jason Bourne series, but of course it's hard to tell a story in this general vein without having a good deal of potential commonalities crop up. I'm also grateful that the author shied away from a lot of the science, because honestly, it was clear from the get-go that there was basically no actual science to explain what had been done to the test subjects. Okay, well, there were some attempts at explaining things, but I found myself skipping them and rolling my eyes. Sorry, stem-cells don't actually work that way... Anyhow, overall, a decent read, and though I've read better, it kept me interested enough to get to the end!