Tamela Quijas's Blog, page 7

Book Review: Notes from An Alien by Alexander M. Zoltai

I've managed to catch up on some of the most thrilling novels in my TBR list!  New ones are coming in every day and I have to tell you I've fallen head first  into the world of Sci-Fi.  I've absolutely LOVED the novels that have passed my desk, involving extraterrestrials intent on world domination, a struggling planets desperately attempting to survive.  The latest Sci-Fi thriller that I've read is Notes from An Alien by Alexander M. Zoltai!

The author, Mr. Zoltai, describes himself as:

I'm a writer with roaring flames in my heart… ~ I've written a novel, Notes from An Alien, and that title was perfect for this blog, since I've felt like I'm from SomeWhereElse for most of my life. ~ In this blog I explore Reading, Writing, and Publishing; some days in a general way, with interesting links to other sites; some days focusing on the journey the book is taking.

You can find Mr. Zoltai's fascinating blog at: https://nfaa.wordpress.com/about/

Notes from An Alien:

Start with a 500-year Inter-World War.

Continue through ecological disaster and the decimation of populations.

Follow the institution of a Worlds' government that helps bring a glimmer of hope.

Discover the challenges and failures of unifying three very different Worlds.

Explore what it takes to give birth to a lasting peace.

This is what reading "Notes from An Alien" promises.

And, this story could help Earth…

Pick up your copy at:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Notes-Alien-Message-Sena-Quaren/dp/1607468220

MY REVIEW:

Zoltai's Notes from an Alien is a thought-provoking trip into alien worlds that makes the reader shudder with the close similarities that are often reflected on our own planet.  The inhabitants of Zoltai's worlds are bent on destruction of other worlds, over such things as greed, religion, and politics.  Worlds are being lost, and civilizations are declining, all because one civilization assumes they are better than the other.

This tale is an interesting and provocative leap into the realm of Sci-Fi.  Using ties that reflect back on much of our own world history, the story is told by the view of a descendant of the first expedition to a new world.  History unfolds rapidly, and the search for everlasting peace in the galaxy is profoundly written.  The characters are finely crafted and the story unfolds with magnificent clarity, worthy of a movie.  These characters, as they live and die, as they walk through time, leave a palpable change in their world.

Notes from an Alien is a must read for fans of the Sci-Fi genre.  In-depth, detailed, narrated by the fabulous Sena, the reader struggles along with each character, slipping into a world that mirrors our own.  Well crafted and, if Sci-Fi novels are among the genres you like to read, definitely add this to your own TBR list.

 4 STARS!

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What's on my reading list this week? Notes from An Alien by Alexander M. Zoltai

I've fallen head first  into the world of Sci-Fi.  I've absolutely LOVED the novels that have passed my desk, involving extraterrestrials intent on world domination, a struggling planets desperately attempting to survive.  The latest Sci-Fi thriller on my reading list is Notes from An Alien by Alexander M. Zoltai!

The author, Mr. Zoltai, describes himself as:

I'm a writer with roaring flames in my heart… ~ I've written a novel, Notes from An Alien, and that title was perfect for this blog, since I've felt like I'm from SomeWhereElse for most of my life. ~ In this blog I explore Reading, Writing, and Publishing; some days in a general way, with interesting links to other sites; some days focusing on the journey the book is taking.

You can find Mr. Zoltai's fascinating blog at: https://nfaa.wordpress.com/about/

Notes from An Alien:

Start with a 500-year Inter-World War.

Continue through ecological disaster and the decimation of populations.

Follow the institution of a Worlds' government that helps bring a glimmer of hope.

Discover the challenges and failures of unifying three very different Worlds.

Explore what it takes to give birth to a lasting peace.

This is what reading "Notes from An Alien" promises.

And, this story could help Earth…

Stay tuned for my review later this week and pick up your copy at:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Notes-Alien-Message-Sena-Quaren/dp/1607468220

Book Review: The Secret of Lies by Barbara Forte Abate

As most of you know, Spring college classes have resumed this week.  Even though I've four classes with tons of homework and quizzes, I did manage to finish the latest on my TBR pile and can't wait to share it with you!

The latest novel at my fingertips is THE SECRET OF LIES by Barbara Forte Abate.

For those of you out there, Ms. Abate tells me that :

I grew up in a small town in Dutchess County, New York, the third of five children. Although I started my first novel in 4th grade, I didn't recognize what would eventually become a lifelong passion until several years later as I found my thoughts routinely wandering off to inhabit imagined places — spinning elaborate tales curiously populated by ever-changing collections of strange and unique characters that seemed to arrive from nowhere, yet remained, incredibly content to live within my fictitious worlds.

It would be impossible to determine or otherwise explain where the intense obsession to draw pictures and unreal emotion with words on paper originates from, just as it would be unfathomable to ever abandon. It is simply there – deep, unquenchable, eternal.

Influences are everywhere and in abundance – people I've known over a lifetime, as well as those who have merely crossed my path and gone, yet touched in such a way as to remain memorable. Places I've been or merely absorbed – fallen into through the pull of a photograph. Experiences of love, loss, injury, joy, and impossible tragedy. Events in our everyday world that sink so deeply they cannot be discarded from thought or memory. And more than any single thing, my Divine Creator who inspires me in all things – not simply with the desire to create, but the faith to pursue and persevere for as long as it takes.  Days later, lost and floundering in a dreary motel room without plan or destination, it is a long ago song playing on the radio that gently tugs Stevie back through the dust of remembrance. 1957 – The last summer spent at the ancient house overlooking the North Atlantic. A season which had unfolded with abundant promise, but then spiraled horribly out of control – torn apart by a shattering tragedy that remains splintered in fragments upon her soul. And it is only now, when Stevie at last lifts her eyes to stare deep into the heart of her long sequestered memories, that the long held secrets of past and future are at last unveiled.

Find out more about Barbara at: http://www.barbaraforteabate.com

The Secret of Lies

Blurb:

Propelled by an insurmountable sense of desperation, Stevie Burke is recklessly abandoning home, husband, and outwardly contented life under cover of night; at last resigned to defeat in her long battle against the tortured memories of her past.

Days later, lost and floundering in a dreary motel room without plan or destination, it is a long ago song playing on the radio that gently tugs Stevie back through the dust of remembrance. 1957 – The last summer spent at the ancient house overlooking the North Atlantic. A season which had unfolded with abundant promise, but then spiraled horribly out of control – torn apart by a shattering tragedy that remains splintered in fragments upon her soul. And it is only now, when Stevie at last lifts her eyes to stare deep into the heart of her long sequestered memories, that the long held secrets of past and future are at last unveiled.

My Review:

I have to say I love that I never 'shelf' my reading choices by strictly one genre.  The Secret of Lies is one such book that, any person that says they won't read it, doesn't realize what they are missing.

The Secret of Lies is emotional fiction with a plot that will rock a reader to the core.  Skillfully set in the late 50s and early 60s, the author has brought the entire sense of that era magnificently into the pages of this book.  The tale is wrapped around several years in the main character's life, gut-wrenchingly dark and intense.  As it is so often said, a single lie can spin a web so intense; a person's soul can become lost in the lie itself.  Barbara Forte Abate brings that concept into full view in her tale of lies, betrayal, the coming of age, and acceptance. 

I loved this story because it pulls at the heart…it makes a reader wonder how they would react in a similar situation and whether their own past would tear them apart. 

Wonderful characters, a compelling tale, and well written drama!

4 Stars!

Need a FREE read this week?

Earlier this month, I let you all in on a little secret.  During the year, in recognition of all my fans and new readers,  I've decided to occasionally list one of my novels for FREE at Amazon! 

This week, from today until Friday, slip into the world of  the mysterious Demetri Daskova and the tough talking detective on a mission.  Let Book 1 of the Blood Chronicles lead you into a world of revenge, murder, lust, and blood…

Drop on in and pick up a copy of my vampire romance, BLOOD OF THE BEAST,  without spending a single penny~~

Remember, you don't have to own a KINDLE to get your hands on this tale of murder, mystery, and revenge.  Amazon offers downloads for the IPhone, PC, Mac, Blackberry, IPad, Android, and Windows Phone 7!  If you have any of those apps, there are literally hundreds of wonderful free reads out there for you

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be joining up with

What's on my reading list this week? The Secret of Lies by Barbara Forte Abate

I've a new read on my list this week, and it promises to be one of those tear-jerkers that I'll hold close to my heart.

The latest novel at my fingertips is THE SECRET OF LIES by Barbara Forte Abate.

For those of you out there, Ms. Abate tells me that :

I grew up in a small town in Dutchess County, New York, the third of five children. Although I started my first novel in 4th grade, I didn't recognize what would eventually become a lifelong passion until several years later as I found my thoughts routinely wandering off to inhabit imagined places — spinning elaborate tales curiously populated by ever-changing collections of strange and unique characters that seemed to arrive from nowhere, yet remained, incredibly content to live within my fictitious worlds.

It would be impossible to determine or otherwise explain where the intense obsession to draw pictures and unreal emotion with words on paper originates from, just as it would be unfathomable to ever abandon. It is simply there – deep, unquenchable, eternal.

Influences are everywhere and in abundance – people I've known over a lifetime, as well as those who have merely crossed my path and gone, yet touched in such a way as to remain memorable. Places I've been or merely absorbed – fallen into through the pull of a photograph. Experiences of love, loss, injury, joy, and impossible tragedy. Events in our everyday world that sink so deeply they cannot be discarded from thought or memory. And more than any single thing, my Divine Creator who inspires me in all things – not simply with the desire to create, but the faith to pursue and persevere for as long as it takes.  Days later, lost and floundering in a dreary motel room without plan or destination, it is a long ago song playing on the radio that gently tugs Stevie back through the dust of remembrance. 1957 – The last summer spent at the ancient house overlooking the North Atlantic. A season which had unfolded with abundant promise, but then spiraled horribly out of control – torn apart by a shattering tragedy that remains splintered in fragments upon her soul. And it is only now, when Stevie at last lifts her eyes to stare deep into the heart of her long sequestered memories, that the long held secrets of past and future are at last unveiled.

Find out more about Barbara at: http://www.barbaraforteabate.com

The Secret of Lies

Blurb:

Propelled by an insurmountable sense of desperation, Stevie Burke is recklessly abandoning home, husband, and outwardly contented life under cover of night; at last resigned to defeat in her long battle against the tortured memories of her past.

Days later, lost and floundering in a dreary motel room without plan or destination, it is a long ago song playing on the radio that gently tugs Stevie back through the dust of remembrance. 1957 – The last summer spent at the ancient house overlooking the North Atlantic. A season which had unfolded with abundant promise, but then spiraled horribly out of control – torn apart by a shattering tragedy that remains splintered in fragments upon her soul. And it is only now, when Stevie at last lifts her eyes to stare deep into the heart of her long sequestered memories, that the long held secrets of past and future are at last unveiled.

 

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Book Review: A DISTANT BATTLEFIELD

Earlier this week, I had two wonderful books on my reading list.  Among those, A Distant Battlefield was one novel I couldn't put down, and enjoyed.  Before I get to my review, let me give you a bit of insight on A DISTANT BATTLEFIELD by George L. Lopez.

A Distant Battlefield

by George L. Lopez

 It begins with a coup attempt on the planet Garian. The renegade officer Jerrah has amassed an army of followers, a fleet of star cruisers and his ultimate acquisition, the Time Displacement Cannon, a weapon that can beam enemy forces backwards or forwards through time itself.

Garian however has its own defenders. The veteran Admiral Levin leads a fleet of starcraft into battle in the skies above Garian and are prepared to defend their homeworld from the ursurper.

Jerrah's targets in view, the anxious officer activates the fantastic Displacement Cannon … which suddenly erupts in a fury of unseen energies!! A massive wormhole yawns into view and covers both opposing fleets of starcraft and tosses them trillions of light years across countless galaxies…

To reappear in the skies over New York City!! With sudden ferocity, the two time lost fleets resume their deadly struggle, forcing the terrified citizens below to seek safety. Among them, two paramedics, four urban vigilantes, a Wall Street financier, a lawyer, and a Middle Eastern cab driver are forced to put aside their suspicions and misconceptions of each other when their city and their world suddenly becomes… A Distant Battlefield

Find out more at http://www.adistantbattlefield.com/blog/

Pick up your copy at:

http://www.amazon.com/Distant-Battlefield-George-L-Lopez/dp/1604944714

My Review:

Suspense, drama, a future filled with aliens, and unstoppable action leaps from the pages of this sci-fi thriller! 

George L. Lopez's A Distant Battlefield is a well thought out read with believable characters that leap from the pages with undeniable life, sucking the reader into a realm where aliens and humans abound.  New York City has more than a few new immigrants on its shoreline—and our world has become the stomping ground for the worst.  Trust, endurance, and intense soul-searching bursts from the pages of this novel with more vibrancy than any sci-fi, futuristic, alien film I've ever seen on TV!

5 explosive stars!

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Book Review: Naughty Delivery by Lucy Felthouse

Earlier this week, I let you all in on my reading and writing plans.  Among those, I had two special books to read and review. 

NAUGHTY DELIVERY was a short that I had picked up from prolific author Lucy Felthouse and I really think the title should have been Steaming Hot Delivery!

Let me tease you with a little blurb before I get on to my review

NAUGHTY DELIVERY

by Lucy Felthouse

BLURB:

Sonia and Ben have decided to bring some more spice into their bedroom by ordering some sex toys off the Internet. The anticipation of their new gadgets' arrival ramps up their passion tenfold, and by the time their naughty delivery turns up the couple are at fever pitch!

But a mix-up with the package leaves Sonia and Ben with some toys they didn't expect. Reluctant to let it spoil their sexy fun, the pair experiment and end up discovering a world of kinky sex play that they've never even considered!

Find out more about this prolific author at: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/

Pick up  your copy at:

AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Naughty-Delivery-ebook/dp/B005KD9N1Y

and other fine Internet retailers!

MY REVIEW:

First of all, don't expect a full-length book.  Again, this is a short story–9 pages by my count. 

You might wonder what an author can do with nine pages.  Let me assure you, when you're Lucy Felthouse, all sorts of things can happen in those few pages, enough to make a reader's mind envision a tale that will make them blush!

Naughty Delivery is more than naughty.  This story is outright HOT, STEAMY, and filled with the imagination of an author that made me go red in the face and curl my toes.

Want something wicked to read with the honey tonight?  Pick up your copy, it's a guaranteed spicy 4 stars!

 

 

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Who's on my reading list this week? Lucy Felthouse and George L. Lopez

I'm into the latest books on my TBR pile and they're two different genres entirely!

The first one is the short erotica story by Lucy Felthouse called Naughty Delivery.  I've begun George L. Lopez's A Distant Battlefield and I have to say I'm enthralled with the entire storyline!  As I said, two different genres and two completely different writing styles!

A Distant Battlefield

by George L. Lopez

 It begins with a coup attempt on the planet Garian. The renegade officer Jerrah has amassed an army of followers, a fleet of star cruisers and his ultimate acquisition, the Time Displacement Cannon, a weapon that can beam enemy forces backwards or forwards through time itself.

Garian however has its own defenders. The veteran Admiral Levin leads a fleet of starcraft into battle in the skies above Garian and are prepared to defend their homeworld from the ursurper.

Jerrah's targets in view, the anxious officer activates the fantastic Displacement Cannon … which suddenly erupts in a fury of unseen energies!! A massive wormhole yawns into view and covers both opposing fleets of starcraft and tosses them trillions of light years across countless galaxies…

To reappear in the skies over New York City!! With sudden ferocity, the two time lost fleets resume their deadly struggle, forcing the terrified citizens below to seek safety. Among them, two paramedics, four urban vigilantes, a Wall Street financier, a lawyer, and a Middle Eastern cab driver are forced to put aside their suspicions and misconceptions of each other when their city and their world suddenly becomes… A Distant Battlefield

Find out more at http://www.adistantbattlefield.com/blog/

Pick up your copy at:

http://www.amazon.com/Distant-Battlefield-George-L-Lopez/dp/1604944714

NAUGHTY DELIVERY

by Lucy Felthouse

BLURB:

Sonia and Ben have decided to bring some more spice into their bedroom by ordering some sex toys off the Internet. The anticipation of their new gadgets' arrival ramps up their passion tenfold, and by the time their naughty delivery turns up the couple are at fever pitch!

But a mix-up with the package leaves Sonia and Ben with some toys they didn't expect. Reluctant to let it spoil their sexy fun, the pair experiment and end up discovering a world of kinky sex play that they've never even considered!

Find out more about this prolific author at: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/

Pick up  your copy at:

AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Naughty-Delivery-ebook/dp/B005KD9N1Y

and other fine Internet retailers!

Stay tuned for my reviews!

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My Plans for 2012

Again, another busy week.  I've plans in the work to complete some major projects this year, beginning with my college classwork.  After that, my readers can keep an eye out for quite a few books that I intend to release in the next 11 months!  I've promised myself that my paranormal romance, Tears of Blood, will be out by Spring 2012.  I've only 50 pages left before the 3rd novel in the Blood Chronicles is shot off to the publisher!  By Summer 2012, I'm planning to release The Blood Chronicles as one single novel, which will include Blood of the Beast, Blood Moon, and Tears of Blood.  The Witching Scrolls should hit Internet bookstores by Fall 2012, and the 1st novel in that particular paranormal romance series will begin with a delicious tale called Warlock.  As soon as I have the cover available, I'll be posting it on this site  

On top of all that, I've begun work on a bit of nonfiction that is close to my heart.  As many of you might know, I have a particularly large family and I love to cook (and eat!).  A few years ago, I published a cookbook, which will soon be unavailable.  Before the Christmas 2012 holidays, I'll be releasing a new family cookbook entitled Gather Around My Table.  Yes, even though I write romance novels, the family still needs to be fed!

So, my calendar is marked and I'm off to continue writing!

 

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Erotic Romance Author Gabrielle Bisset drops in to tell me about the history of her vampires.

I love to spotlight authors that grab my attention in a wicked sort of way, and bestselling author Gabrielle Bisset is one of those gems that has snared me!  Gabrielle has written such deliciously sinful novels as Blood Avenged, The Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy, Destiny Redeemed, and Stolen Destiny, all which are available at fine Internet retailers everywhere!

Ms. Bissett was kind enough to drop in this week and give my readers (and myself) a bit of insight behind the delicious vampires that grace her stunning romance novels. 

Giving My Vampires A History

When I began writing vampire erotic romance books, I began with the basics–sexy male or female vampire and humans.  This seemed like the most logical place to start.  My first novella, Vampire Dreams, is pretty much the story of exactly that:  sexy male vampire and the human he seduces.  However, when I decided to expand on the villain in that story, a vampire named Vasilije, I had to begin fleshing out a history for my brand of vampires.

 I teach history to college students, so I guess it's just natural that I'd focus on the past with them.  As I was choosing what would make up the history of vampires in my newest book, Blood Avenged, and the Sons of Navarus series that stems from that book, I went back to one of my favorite times in history–ancient Greece.

 So first I had to decide where vampires came from.  Some research revealed that the Greek god of the Underworld, Hades, had a daughter, Macaria.  As soon as I read that, I thought, "Now this would work!"  A little brainstorming and some more research and pretty soon I had the beginnings of my vampires. 

 As a child of Hades, Macaria was naturally more at home in the darkness.  She fell in love with a human, Navarus, who was enchanted by her mystery.  When he became her consort, he became the first vampire.  Preferring to live by darkness with his love, he took on the features common in vampire lore. 

 Then I had to decide why Navarus would have wanted blood since you can't have a vampire without blood (excepting those psychic vampires, for now).  That came from some research I was doing concerning la petite mort, the little death, as the French refer to orgasms. It seems that there is a sizeable number of people, not only the French, who feel the urge to bite when they experience a sexual climax.  From that I simply expanded on the idea and the concept of vampires consuming blood not for nutrition's sake but to enhance a bond between one another was born.

 From this came the two groups who appear in my series, the Sons of Navarus and the Order of Macaria.  The Sons are eight vampires chosen to protect the Order, which is made up of the most ancient and revered vampires of the race.  For centuries, the Order of Macaria has been safe, but a prophecy from ancient times told of a time when the Archons, those who are the vampire judges–the law and order of the vampire world–would rise up and work to take over the place of the Order.  In my Sons of Navarus series that begins with Blood Avenged, that prophecy has begun to come true. 

 Thank you, Tam, for having me here today at your blog.  Readers can find out more about Blood Avenged, including a very spicy excerpt, at my blog at http://gbisset.blogspot.com/p/blood-avenged.html

 Readers can also find me all over the web.

Website:  Gabrielle Bisset

Blog:  Gabrielle Bisset: A Writer's Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Amazon Author Page

 

 

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