C.M. Brown's Blog, page 24

EXPRESS YOURSELF

HOSTS:Dani @ Entertaining Interests&Jackie @ Bouquet of Books

What is the biggest challenge you face socially?

I am always late! I know it isn't very appropriate, and quite bad manners, but I am always five to ten minutes late to appointments, meetings, work and meeting up with friends.

 No matter how hard I try, I just cannot get there in time! 

I think I just have so many things I try to pack into my day, I am just too busy to be puntual!
 

TEASER TUESDAY

 
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by
http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/of Should Be Reading.Anyone can play along!Just do the followingGrab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE ANY SPOILERS!
Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others

 1303 - The Dragonslayer (The 13th Floor series, #3) byChristine Rains 
BLURB:
On the rooftop of neighboring building, dragonslayer Xanthus Ehrensvard fires at his target, Governor Whittaker. How he missed the shot, he doesn't know, but fleeing the scene, he picks up an unwanted passenger. Gorgeous reporter Lois King saw Xan's face, and she believes it's the story to make her career. Except he can't let her walk away knowing what he looks like. Xan has to show her the Governor is a bigger threat to the world than he is.

Xan knows dragons never went extinct. They evolved with human society, taking on mortal forms, and slithered their way into positions of great influence and power, just like the Governor. But it's no easy chore proving to someone that dragons still exist, and even more so, they're disguised as famous people. Xan must convince Lois or find another way to silence her. An option, as he gets to know her, he likes less and less.

After all, dragonslayers are no longer celebrated heroes but outlaws. Just as the dragons wish it. But this outlaw must make a plan to slay the dragon or risk its retribution.
MY TEASER:
  Xan rammed the knife into the dragonkin’s abdomen and jerked it upward. Just silver in his bloodstream would be enough to kill him, but Xan wanted him dead fast. Black blood gushed forth, steaming and hot against his flesh. He hissed as it reddened his flesh with burns. The body dropped with a wet thud to the floor. Xan ran at the second dragonkin who tossed Lois into the kitchen like a used tissue.

Christine Rains (0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00). 1303-TheDragonslayerKindle2 (Kindle Locations 236-239). Kindle Edition.

 
 

CHRISTINE RAINS THE GHOST BLOG TOUR

Today, I am hosting, Jeremy Emeerson, 
from Christine Rain's new release, The Ghost
the last book in the 13th Floor series.

I have read the first two stories in this series and am at the moment reading the third. I have found them to be exciting, well written stories, dealing with paranormal beings who because of their unfortunate situations, find refuge on the 13th Floor of a mysterious apartment building in the Mid-west city of Carmine, halfway between Indianapolis and Chicago.
  I extend my congratulations to Christine on this release, 
and welcome Jeremy, to my blog. 
It is a pleasure to have you pay a visit! 

I hope The Ghost is a great success, Christine!


MEET JEREMY EMERSON
Do you have a cigarette? Yeah, not like I can smoke it, but standing around chatting like this makes me want to have something in my hand. A drink's equally unlikely. I haven't learned how to touch anything in the physical world yet. Sometimes it really sucks being a ghost.
I've been told to watch my language talking to you. Though cutting back on the cussing seems like a minor worry when you have a monster out to eat you. I mean, literally. It drinks your life energy, drains your very soul. That's freakin' terrifying! All I am is my soul now. Not that it's a pretty thing like Chiharo's. She shines bright as a star. We can't see the fiend, but I bet it's drooling every time it sees her.
Not that I can blame it. Chiharo is gorgeous. She might look delicate, but she's so strong. And I'm not just talking about the fact she can move stuff in the physical world. I've never met a girl like her. The last girl I dated in life had her head half shaved and hair dyed purple. Or was it green? I don't know. It doesn't matter. She didn't affect me like Chiharo does.
Now if only I could convince Chiharo to help me kill the vampire. The bastard murdered me. Left me in a sewer. Yet she goes on about how he's changed and redemption and all that crap. I don't know. Maybe people can change. I've never seen the world before as I do when I'm standing with her. Man, that sounded corny. You can see why I need that cigarette.
 
The Ghost 
(The 13th Floor series, #6)
By Christine Rains  Genre: paranormal romance
Release date: July 13th, 2013

Amazon Barnes & Noble  SmashwordsKobo





Blurb:


Chiharo Black lives with six supernatural tenants in a haunted building's mysterious thirteenth floor. Of course, no one knows she's there except the cats. Being a ghost can be a bit frustrating and lonely, but it isn't as bad as her mother made it out to be.

Until another ghost intrudes on her territory. Jeremy Emerson wants revenge on the vampire that killed him and won't stop until he has it. To top it off, a nightmarish shade sneaks in and leeches the energy from the building's residents before setting its sights on Chiharo and the thirteenth floor. She can't decide which one is more frightening: the one wanting to eat her soul or the one who might win her heart.

Chiharo must convince Jeremy to stand with her against the hellish parasite. If they cannot work together, the greedy fiend will not only drain their energy but everything that supports the thirteenth floor's existence.


Author Bio:

Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not writing or reading, she having adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. The 13th Floor series is her first self-published series. She has seven novellas and twenty-one short stories published.


Website: http://christinerains.net/
Blog: http://christinerains-writer.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorchrist...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@CRainsWriter
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

WRITER'S 4 WRITER'S (W4WS)

Stephen Tremp   Christine Rains M.Pax and (myself), C. M. Brown Writers helping other writers to succeed.
Twitter hashtag: #W4WS
Find us on Facebook An initiative to promote writers and their books (that’s you)!Our Mission:• Help writers bring awareness of their book(s) to tens of thousands of new people• Help writers reach Amazon Top 100 in at least one category (i.e., suspense, free, etc.)• Increase sales of their book(s) after the promo is over• Drive new traffic to their blog and increase following• Create verbal and viral buzz.W4W's is held the third Monday each month!

How it Works: The spotlighted author will choose a social media avenue, such as Twitter or Facebook (or both). Then, the good people of Blogdom will promote the author’s book to their Twitter followers or Facebook friends, that is, incredibly large new audiences the author could not reach on their own.Facebook: The writer posts an image of their book along with a short blurb and a link to Kindle on their blog. Visitors simply click the Facebook page, then share the link with their FB friends. https://www.facebook.com/Writers4WritersTwitter: The author posts pre-written Tweets on his/her blog. At your convenience, simply copy and paste Tweets into Twitter. Or go to #W4WS on Twitter and Retweet.W4WS Now Open To The General Public! W4WS has been very successful. So much so that many people have asked if they can post links to their books on the W4WS Facebook Page. So we’ve decided to open it up for anyone and everyone the first ten days of March and see what happens. If it works out, then we can repeat this every month moving forward. No sense letting the W4WS FB page lay idle for all but a few days each month. But please, no spamming!
To sign up, join the Linky List HERE!  This month our selected authors are: Brinda Berry @ YA Fiction &Catherine Stine's @ IDEA CITYPlease support these two lovely ladies by tweeting and re-tweeting the tweets they have posted on their sites,orvisit the W4W's Facebook pageand like /or / and leave a comment on their posts!   

I AM JOINING UP WITH ROY HUFF FOR A RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY!

Roy Huff is the author of Amazon's #1 international bestselling epic fantasy novel, Everville: The First Pillar. He is a man of many interests including science, traveling, movies, the outdoors, and of course writing teen and young adult fantasy fiction. He holds five degrees in four separate disciplines including liberal arts, history, secondary science education, and geoscience. Roy Huff's background includes work in art, history, education, business, real-estate, economics, geoscience, and satellite meteorology. He was born on the East Coast but has spent more than half his life in Hawaii, where he currently resides and writes his epic fantasy sagas.

The City of Worms  (Everville #2) Expected Release Date: 28th August, 2013 byRoy Huff  Blurb: College freshman Owen Sage has just started to understand the darkness that has tried to overtake Everville and the earthly realm. With the help of The Keeper and the Fron army, Owen has managed to buy some time, but new problems have already emerged, new secrets need to be revealed, and the race against time to stop Them from conquering both dimensions has only just begun. The Keeper, Owen Sage, and his friends at Easton Falls University must now battle threats from within. To do it, they must reunite with familiar creatures and join forces with new ones as they navigate their journey to the truth that awaits them in Everville
  As part of the celebrations for the release of the second book, 'City of Worms', in his Everville series, Roy Huff, a #1 best selling Amazon author, has invited me to team up with him to simply give bloggers the opportunity to 
WIN  KINDLE versions of 
'The First Pillar,' 
book One in his Everville series 
and   'He Came For Me' 

book One in my Protector Series
All you need to do to win, is complete the Rafflecopter giveaway entry form below. 
Rafflecopter Giveaway will close 20th August, 2013.
 But first, here are the blurbs to both books.
The First Pillar (Everville #1) byRoy Huff

Blurb:
Owen Sage is the emblematic college freshman at Easton Falls University. With all the worries about his first year in college, he was not prepared for what would happen next. His way of life was flipped upside down when he mysteriously crossed into another dimension, into the beautiful land of Everville. His excitement was abruptly halted when he discovered that there was a darkness forged against both the natural world, which he knew well, and the new land which he discovered, Everville. He must devise a plan to save both worlds while joining forces with the race of Fron and The Keepers, whom both harbor hidden secrets he must learn in order to gain power over the evil that dwells in The Other In Between. With a race against time to save both worlds, his short time at Easton Falls did not quite prepare him for the evil, dark forces he must fight in order to conquer The Other In Between.

He Came For Me (The Protector #1) byCarolyn Brown

Blurb:
Jazz, lives on the beautiful Sunshine Coast, in Queensland, Australia. She leads a normal teenage life busy with friends, TAFE College, a part time job as a waitress, surfing and searching for a boyfriend!
Until one day driving on her way to TAFE she is passed by a red Mazda Rx7. The driver holds her attention and as they both wait at a set of traffic lights to change to green, a sexual tension passes between them.
In the days that follow she finds that this guy moves into her life as she befriends him, his friends and family! But are Seb and his friends what they seem to be?
Attacks by groups of boys targeting girls Jazz's age are becoming noticed by the media. Eyewitnesses to the attacks state that these youths seem to possess abilities no normal human would be capable of. Is it drugs or is it something else?
Jazz finds that Seb, seems to be stalking her. What is his purpose? Is he really a friend or is he actually a foe?
A fantasy novel revolving around a love story between two young people, who should not by rights, come together. Crossing the dimensions of two worlds, this story embarks on a journey of love, duty and togetherness as the two young lovers fight to be together and keep each other safe. Overcoming many obstacles while fighting to protect one another this story will leave the reader intrigued and wondering what will happen next!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UPDATE FOR THIS WEEK

Hi everyone, and welcome!
This week is going to be big!

Firstly,

For the rest of the week, you can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card by entering the Rafflecopter Giveaway for  The Apocalypse Blog Hop and while you are there spend a little time and read an excerpt from my WIP - 'Forces of Mist!'



Monday is of course W4Ws!



I share responsibility of hosting this monthly meme with Steven Tremp, Christine Rains and M. Pax. I hope you are able to join us to help Brinda Berry @ YA Fiction and Catherine Stine's @ IDEA CITY to promote their books and gain great results! To find out more about W4Ws click HERE.

 Also on Monday, I am joining up with Roy Huff, (a #1 Amazon best selling author), to help promote his series 'Everville,' an epic Fantasy! (To learn more about this series visit Goodreads)

A kindle version of 'The First Pillar,' (the first book in the Everville series), along with an ebook copy of 'He Came For Me' the first book in The Protector Series, written by myself, C.M. Brown, will be the prizes for one lucky winner in a Rafflecopter Giveaway, which will be running from tomorrow until August, 29.

I will post blurbs and purchase links for both books on Monday.


Tuesday, I am hosting the MC from 'The Ghost', by Christine Rains! Yes, Jeremy Emerson, is stopping by to fill us in about his part in this last book of Christine's, 13th Floor series! If you haven't read any of these short reads, I suggest you do! I am up to book 3 and have found each of them captivating! Congrats to you, Christine!


For Teaser Tuesday this week, I thought I would feature a teaser from 'The Dragon Slayer' the third book in Christine's, 13th Floor series, which I am currently reading.



Also, from Monday through to Thursday there is Jackie and Dani's, Express Yourself Weekly Meme. This week, participants have been asked to reveal their biggest challenges they face socially. A very personal question to answer, one I am sure will bring about some fun and unique reveals!

 The winner's for the  Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop  wereEntry #210Lu A.Entry #4Nurmawati D.



They have both been contacted and  prizes have been arranged!  Congrats to both entrants!

APOCALYPSE BLOG HOP

Apocalypse! An eight day blog hop hosted by Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings, Maja@ The Nocturnal Library and Christy@ Love of Books.  The event will include a giveaway hop along with a whole lot of apocalypse-related interviews, guest posts etc.

For my part in the Apocalyptic blog I have decided to post an excerpt from a book I'm am writing, titled 'The Forces of Mist'. I hope you like it!

I will be awarding a $10 Amazon Gift Card to the lucky winner who enters the Rafflecopter Giveaway at the bottom of the excerpt.

You will also find the Apocalypse Blog Hop List at the end of this post! I wish you the best of luck!

The Forces of Mistby Carolyn Brown
Excerpt
 

Standing atop the edge of the embankment, Sarah looked across the landscape lying below her, once known to be the city of Sydney, sadly, she remembered how it looked only a few short years ago. The land lush and green filled with wildlife. Sydney, the city had stood majestically at the edge of its pristine harbour, gleaming in the sunshine. The harbour itself, filled with boats and ships floating upon the crystal waters, enjoying a freedom that was to be short lived.
She could remember a time she shared with her parents, a short holiday where they had hired a sail boat and spent the daylight hours skimming across the harbour, enjoying the sights along the river bank. A tear fell from her eye and she wiped it away thinking of how much her life had changed. 
The invaders came, landing in mass, huge space craft engulfing the skies, landing secondary craft in their thousands, large contingents of an invincible army streaming from them, demolishing everything without mercy. Killing randomly, without conviction, humans, animals, anything which stood in their path, all annihilated.She remembers watching small children being cut down without hesitation, adult males and females slaughtered. There had been no discrimination, no moral judgement. No hesitation in their rampage.
Buildings were set alight and within a few short days humanity had almost been obliterated.
She had survived and so had her parents. They were some of the lucky ones. Her father was posted at the nearby army headquarters, a commander greatly needed to quickly lead a force to engage the confrontation.
Sarah and her mother, along with other family members of the contingent had been safely secured in underground bunkers, kept hidden from the onslaught. Their survival paramount in keeping humanity alive to combat the attacking force. She had grown up learning combat strategies and martial arts with the few teenagers who had also survived the initial attacks.
Although the alien technology with their advanced weaponry had overtaken Earth, they had learned their enemies’ vulnerabilities and succeeded in holding on. She had learned what was necessary to survive in this now harsh, dangerous world.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

  get the InLinkz code

INDELIBLES - INDIE LIFE

What is Indie Life?
How: Sign up on the Linky at the bottom of this page
When: Post on the second Wednesday of the month (starting 1/9/2013)
What: Write anything indie related: something that will inspire or help a fellow indie; something that celebrates a release or a milestone; something that talks about the ups and downs, joys and heartaches of Being Indie.
Grab: The banner above to include in your posts!

 Wow, the months are just flying by!

This month has been a great one for me, my writing is progressing well and I have found new beta readers and another critique partner.

Not boasting or anything(well not much), but I was excited to be a winner in  the Thrill of It All Blogfest, hosted by Tara Tyler and Heather M. Gardner. I posted a short excerpt from one of my current WIP's, a sci-fi set in an apocalyptic Sydney, Australia, ten to twenty years in the future. 

I encourage new and experienced writers, to enter blogfests and competitions, such as these because they help writers, especially Indie Writers, to gain encouragement from peers while allowing followers to taste your work. Reading the comments left by visitors, gives authors an insight into whether the story being developed will be interesting to others or not. The more positive the feedback you receive, the more your spirit is uplifted, encouraging the continuation of the story to be written.

I think it is important for Indie Writers to have opportunities like these to learn if they are hitting the mark with their writing or not, and if not, be able to work to rectify where needed. We should not feel discouraged by negative comments, but take on the advice and grow from it to improve. 

Although I have not received many negative comments, I know how it feels to receive one. I know it is a hard thing to do, but writers should try not to take them personally, but use them as tools to improve their writing.

Indie Writers rely on their network of blogger peers and other followers more than traditional writers to gain feedback on their writing and if they are unwilling to take on comments received, to improve their work where necessary, I believe they will stagnate and not grow.  

TEASER TUESDAY

 
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by
http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/of Should Be Reading.Anyone can play along!Just do the followingGrab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE ANY SPOILERS!
Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away!


You don't want to ruin the book for others

 
Wilde's Fire  (Darkness Falls #1) byKrystal Wade

 Blurb:
 "There is no pain in this death, only peace, knowing I am going to die with the one I love the most." - Katriona Wilde. Katriona Wilde has never wondered what it would feel like to have everything she's ever known and loved ripped away, but she is about to find out. When she inadvertently leads her sister and best friend through a portal into a world she's dreamed of for six years, she finds herself faced with more than just the frightening creatures in front of her. Kate's forced to accept a new truth: her entire life has been a lie, and those closest to her have betrayed her. What's worse, she has no control over her new future, and it's full of magic and horrors from which nightmares are made. Will Kate discover and learn to control who she really is in time to save the ones she loves, or will all be lost?

My Teasers:

I nod. In the short time I’ve been here, I have noted all of these things: the darkness, the smell, the tired look on everyone’s faces. How can I be from this world? Why hasn’t Mom ever shared any of this with me? Why would she let me live a lie? My life, and everything I’ve ever wanted to be, have all been fake— and Mom knew it.

Wade, Krystal (2012-05-12). Wilde's Fire (Darkness Falls) (p. 56). Curiosity Quills Press. Kindle Edition. 

The way Arland looks at me, as if I’m some sort of zoo animal he’s never seen before, drives me crazy. He expects me to save the world. Like, magically, I will somehow know what I’m doing, but I don’t have a clue. I’ve never held a sword before. This thing is half my size, and heavy. I can’t fight— and I certainly can’t kill anything. Only one thing will happen here today: everyone will find out what an ass I can make out of myself. At least, when we finish, Arland won’t expect much of me anymore.
Wade, Krystal (2012-05-12). Wilde's Fire (Darkness Falls) (p. 76). Curiosity Quills Press. Kindle Edition.

EXPRESS YOURSELF

HOSTS:Dani @ Entertaining Interests&Jackie @ Bouquet of Books


Being an Australian, the 4th July is not a celebration day for me, but I am on holidays from work, so this is something to celebrate. I am spending the time catching up with the doctor, the mole screening clinic, the hairdresser, and having the car serviced, all the things I usually don't get time to do when I am working.

I am also spending some time catching up with the blogging world and of course working on my writing.

Any spare time will be spent shopping, watching movies and just relaxing.