Jo Robinson's Blog, page 111
September 30, 2013
A Menu of Death by Lucy Pireel – Book Blast!
Today is the day author Lucy Pireel introduces her new book, A Menu of Death to the reading world, and I am honoured to be part of her Book Blast team. So, here we go!
Underneath the veneer of humanity lies darkness.
Eight deadly tales that explore dark desires in which some do what it takes to obtain what they want, while others are led by events.
Wishes gone wrong, unhealthy obsessions, and cravings to sate.
A Menu of Death will take you on a blood curdling journey that you may not survive.
A Menu of Death
A collection of stories centered around vengeance, obsession, cravings, and life.
Pick one item on the Menu or devour the entire buffet
Make sure you don’t bite off more than you can chew
Read, but not with greed for
Death awaits, ready to come and collect its due
These eight short stories revolve around obsession, revenge, craving, love, and Death.
Whether it be a woman in need of rescue, a man who hungers for his wife, a demon lost, or wishes come true, all characters want something. Badly.
But … You can’t always get what you want, but you might just get what you need.
Available at:
Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Menu-of-Death-ebook/dp/B00FH95CTI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1380355526&sr=8-4&keywords=A+Menu+of+death
Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/a-menu-of-death
Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/358650
About the author
Lucy Pireel is a writer who doesn’t let herself be restricted to any one genre. She loves to write in whatever direction her current story leads her.
When she’s not writing, or reading, she is practicing or teaching yoga, her other passion. Or she could be on a long hike somewhere in the beautiful British nature.
Being an author it is almost a given she has a great love for chocolate and coffee to live on while writing, but she doesn’t shy away from trying to prepare intricate dishes, for cooking is another thing she enjoys.
Should you want to follow her she can be found at:
http://www.lucypireel.wordpress.com
https://plus.google.com/u/0/105731497321102858244/posts
https://twitter.com/LucyPireel
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorpageLucyPireel
http://lucypireel.booklikes.com/
http://www.authorsdb.com/component/content/article/8-authors/874-lucy-pireel
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6536994.Lucy_Pireel
And because I know everyone’s just as nosy as I am when it comes to finding out more about our favourite author’s lives, I asked the lovely lady a couple of extra questions.
What inspired you to write your first book?
My son and his lovely way of asking for more stories.
What was the inspiration for the story?
Fairy tales, because I love them, my son loves them and we both wanted less of the sugary Disney version and more how they should be. Dark, gritty and not much in the happily ever after department.
Did you find a lot of support on your writing journey?
Yes, I can’t say anyone has ever not supported me in my writing. But there are moments when real life gets in the way of the writing, or is it the other way around? At those times the people around me wish I wasn’t an author with a deadline.
Who was most supportive?
Most supportive? Difficult, because like I said I didn’t really have had many adversities in my writing life, but if I have to choose someone, I’d say the dog, because the poor beast has to keep everything in and wait for food until I am done typing. I do rush when I know I have to feed the mob, or go for a pee round. 
You write in more than one genre. Even so, do you have a specific writing style?
I love stories with a double layer, the underlying layer being a morale.
What’s your favorite colour? Why?
I love blue because the eyes of my favourite man are blue, and brown because … Well, the colour of my son’s eyes is brown.
What do you enjoy reading?
All well written books. Really I don’t have a favourite genre. All I can say is I do like sci-fi and paranormal, and thrillers, and crime, and the classics the best, but even dystopian has books worth my time.
What books have most influenced your life most?
The classics and Shakespeare. Mythology is another thing that keeps popping up.
Who’s your favourite author, and what turns you on?
Jo! I had no idea you did naughty questions too! Erm, I mean I quite like… Music? Yoga?
Ah, not naughty after all. In that case, both! Music to relax to, to dance to, to have fun to, and to write to. And yoga to balance it all.
Have any new authors really grabbed your attention, and are there any indie authors out there today that you love?
I love the stories of Cammy May Hunnicut, naughty and not suitable for the ones who do not love love. You yourself Ms. Robinson with your sci-fi scribblings as well as your shorts. Mike Saxton and his dystopian work, which is quite a feat knowing I do not like dystopian novels at all. I could go on, because in each genre there are those more than worth time and money to tip the scales in favour of the indies.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Yoga! And spending quality time with my loved ones, and cooking, and baking, and walking the neighbour’s dog, and gardening, and … Oops, sorry!
Is there anything you find difficult in your writing and publishing life?
Yes, to balance time between writing and engaging with people/fans who want to know things and I do love to engage with people even knowing it gobbles up valuable writing time.
What do you think has made you the writer and person you are today?
I guess life? Without all that life has thrown at me and how I dealt, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
Tell us about your already published stories.
Well, the first one was really a sci-fi diptych called Life for a Trea and Craddle of Life, and then Consummation (zombie), followed by The Deserted Road (contest winner Writer’s Beat Quarterly).
But you mean my full works? Red Gone Bad, a collection of twisted Fairy Tales, followed by Heaven’s Closed, two short stories which are free on Kobo.com, and Bound, a BDSM novella, till we arrive here–today–at the release of A Menu of Death, a collection of horror shorts with a message much like fairy tales would have.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK TODAY FOR THIS FANTASTIC EVENT! Lots of fun and prizes to be won!
https://www.facebook.com/events/447037422084129/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
Follow this link to enter the Rafflecopter competition!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/51f2c50/
September 29, 2013
33 Of The Most Hilariously Terrible First Sentences In Literature History
Reblogged from Thought Catalog:
Every year, the announcement of Bulwer-Lytton Prize is a gift from bad writing heaven. Inspired by novelist and playwright Edward George Bulwer-Lytton’s famous “it was a dark and stormy night” opener, the contest asks writers to submit an opening sentence for the “worst of all possible novels” -- although Fifty Shades of Grey has already been written. The results are perennially astounding, with entries in every genre from Children’s Literature to Spy Novels, and one sentence awarded the dubious honor of the worst sentence of the year.
:D
September 25, 2013
The Visitation – Canada Link
My previous post link to funny chicken experiment didn’t work, so I’ll just pop the Canada link up for now.
The Visitation eBook: Jo Robinson: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store
September 24, 2013
National Braai Day in South Africa – and Another Little Freebie
It’s a public holiday here today. National Heritage Day/National Braai Day. I’ve been away for so long I haven’t got a clue why it’s got two names. I’ll be off to chop and dice stuff for salads and sides in a minute, before the manly process of cooking piles of meat and other bits on fire begins. Not wimmin’s work braaing, and our input or advice is most certainly not appreciated in this instance, in fact it’s generally most rudely discouraged. Not that I’m complaining. This means that I get to sit on my bum sipping bubbles, and generally waft around eyeballing things. Already the air all around is a haze of smoke. South Africans take their braais very seriously, and seeing as how this is a day all about that, I’m guessing the combined countrywide haze of millions of cooking fires will be spotted from space. So I’m off to join the fun.
Before I go I’ll pop the links up for The Visitation. It will be free on Amazon from tomorrow 25-27 September in case anyone fancies a short read. I actually thought I had it up for free from today, so sorry for the misunderstanding, but when I popped over to see why it hadn’t changed over yet there was nothing there. I must have pushed the wrong button. I’ll post the links again tomorrow. Apologies for that!
September 23, 2013
Peace and Freedom shall prevail: Nairobi, Kenya #westgate
Reblogged from african perspectives:
It seems to be over now, after 60 hrs of fear. Judgement will be held in heaven, not in court. Kenya #westgate was just released of the chains of terror. Too many to mourn about, too much pain caused.
People have yet again demonstrated courageously that #weareone. Incredible forces were unfolded not by the terrorists, but by the Kenyan society.
Monday Funnies to Cheer you up
Reblogged from Chris The Story Reading Ape's New (to me) Authors Blog:
The Story Coaster
The Editor / Advisor
The Myth
The Week Ahead
September 22, 2013
Have Computer, Will Read
Just a quickie before I zoom off, especially for my blogger friends around the world who don’t have access to Amazon accounts. For any of you who think that you have to have an Amazon account to have the Kindle free reading app on your computer, you DO NOT, here’s the link to download the free software. FREE Kindle Reader Software You can read any compatible book sent to you by email on this software.
With Amazon freebies, you have to open an account. This you can do with a Visa credit or debit card. To qualify to download free books from Amazon in particular, you have to first buy and pay for one. Only one. Then you can download as many public domain or free books as you like.
I’m not sharing this information because I believe that people should only download free books, but because there are a lot of avid readers who genuinely can’t afford to buy them, nor do they have the facilities or means to open an Amazon account.
There are also those who, because of the countries that they live in or other circumstances, will never have access to any sort of credit or debit card. But. As I said when I first started scribbling, all of my books would always be free to any of my African friends who wanted to read them, or any others around the globe in similar situations.
You don’t have to have an account to download the free Kindle Reader software, and once you have it, you can read any book emailed to you by any author with a compatible book file, and I know that there are a lot of authors out there who will be more than happy to send you their books without any need for any sort of compensation, as do I.
So guys, download away, and if any of you would like free copies of any of my scribbles, send me an email on jorobinson176@gmail.com – I don’t expect any reviews or anything like that in return at all. I just think it would be cool for Africa and any other place having a hard time accessing books, to all have some sort of access to Kindle Readers so that they can read too.
Little Freebies
Fly Birdie is free today and tomorrow if anyone fancies a little read.
The Visitation will be free on 24 – 25 September, so I’ll post those links on Tuesday.
Zooming……
African Me & Satellite TV by Jo Robinson BOOK PROMO
Reblogged from Chris The Story Reading Ape's New (to me) Authors Blog:
JUST RELEASED ON 12th SEPTEMBER
African Me & Satellite TV by Jo Robinson
African Me & Satellite TV is about a woman finding her strength, the courage to say what she feels, and facing all that her life offers head-on. Suzette struggles with her deeply hidden anger and guilt at the wrongs she perceives done to Africa. She rages inwardly at the suffering all around her in the country of her birth.
Thank you to the wonderful Story Reading Ape for having me on his promo day!
September 21, 2013
Nosy Neighbour – Oh Dear.
Well, I can’t help it. I’m a writer. Our new neighbours are very quiet and civilised. I haven’t spotted them doing anything interesting at all, no matter how hard I peer. But there’s a ray of hope now. The guy who lives behind us screamed like a girl the other day. A pucker blood-curdling, hair-raising, drawn out, EEEEEEEEEK! We have walls around the whole perimeter, and unfortunately they’re too tall for me to get my nose over, so I was left to lurk a bit, wondering if I should call an ambulance or something. Then after a few minutes of absolute silence he launched into a string of swearwords so sublime that I felt obliged to trot to my desk and take notes. I can only imagine what terrible thing must have happened to the poor fellow.
Then…. Yesterday, shortly after sunup, I caught a whiff of smoke. Until very recently, back where we lived in the Zimbabwean bush, any sort of whiff of smoke was cause for concern. So I instinctively zoomed over to the lounge window and had a look out. I’ve never noticed before, but from that particular spot of window you can see into a bit of his yard, because that section of this house is quite high off the ground. And lo and behold, I got my first actual eyeful of my worthy neighbour. Wearing only his underwear. Itty bittie little thing it was too. I think they’re called banana hammocks. Ha ha haaaaaa! What joy! He’s not a hottie in any way. Don’t get me wrong. He’s short, slightly portly, somewhat grey, and balding. But he’s interesting. I expect great things from him in the future.
From the whisp of smoke rising from the other side of the wall, it’s safe to say that he was burning something. His clothes maybe? He poked it around for a bit, seemingly quite cool about wandering in the garden in his tiny pair of tinies at the crack of dawn, and then disappeared from my eager view leaving me eyeballing a surprisingly pert posterior jiggling off to get up to who knows what. Next time I’ll try and catch his eye and say hi I think. He looks like prime story fodder to me, and I really want to know about that scream. And why he doesn’t wear bigger pants.
Somewhere along the line I’m sure he’ll end up in a story. People are too trusting of us scribblers and our unnaturally keen interest in hearing what they have to say. We probably come across as really likeable too with the amount of interest we show in everything, when really we’re just naturally nosy. Or maybe that’s just me. Never mind. Now I really need to find another sweet spot window so I can see if my other neighbours do anything interesting when they think no one’s watching. 
