A.B. Shepherd's Blog, page 12

Guest Post & Giveaway by Kate Welshman! #guestpost #giveaway #anaisbutt #amreading

A short time ago I reviewed Anais Butt and the Hairy-Handed Gent here on the blog. I enjoyed it. You can catch up with that review here.
Today, I am honored to have the author of Anais Butt - Kate Welshman - right here guest posting on the blog. 
Welcome Kate! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Crazy for YA: Why do adults read young adult fiction? 
by Kate Welshman, author of ‘Anais Butt and the Hairy-Handed Gent’ 
I know why I write YA fiction. No, it’s not because I’m regressing or trying to prolong my adolescence by focusing on teenagers. I wouldn’t want to go back to being a teenager if I could. It was hard. And I don’t think many adult YA readers would turn back the clock either. So why read a book that’s written for and about teenagers?  I agree with these honest responses to the question, but digging deeper and, to some extent, projecting my own feelings about writing YA literature, I think that adults read YA because it’s a transforming genre. YA books feature characters on the verge of transformation, particularly in the paranormal and fantasy sub-genres. That’s why they’re interesting. First-class YA books usually depict a coming of age. The main character is a different person by the end of the book. They are having emotionally charged, first-time experiences. As adults, we find transformation fascinating. Boys entering manhood, women on the brink of womanhood, boundaries being explored – that is what appeals. That and the distinct freshness of the YA voice (in my opinion, Vernon’s voice in Vernon God Little is the freshest out there). It took me a while to work out why I wanted to write the Anais Butt series, the story of Little Red Riding Hood, but revamped for young adults. It’s because it depicts sexual awakening, as well as other coming-of-age events. It’s the attraction of the broad-backed Big Bad Wolf, with his languid exterior, which only reveals glimpses of his rampant sexuality. That’s what it’s about for me. Young adult literature is transforming and transformative for reader and author alike. That’s my explanation for its burgeoning popularity and acceptance into mainstream adult literature, anyway. Do you have a better one?

Disagree with me, but don't tell me I'm wrong. #bookreviews #amreading

I review books on this blog, and when I do that I also post my reviews on Goodreads and an Amazon because posted reviews are helpful to authors (especially independent authors) even if you don't like their work.

So recently I posted a review here - and on Amazon - and my review clearly stated that my opinion was the opposite of many of the others I had seen to date. In fact, the book in question had over 2500 reviews already on Amazon and most of them don't like the book. I liked it.

Now I'm all for discussing different view points on books - even with strangers - and I often do with my friends. Some books they love and I don't. Some books I love and they don't. Some books we all love or hate. I think (barring really poor writing skills) much of how we feel about a book depends on our life's experiences and where we are in our own lives at the time we read the book.

What happened when I posted my review on Amazon though, was something different altogether. I found it really odd that right after I posted my review - again on a book that already had over 2500 other reviews - I was almost immediately notified that someone had commented on my review. I'm a curious person so I checked it out. In retrospect I get the feeling this person may have been waiting for positive reviews to go up so they could pounce on them.

The commenter basically wrote three paragraphs explaining why my review was WRONG. Not saying she/he disagreed with me - which I would have been fine with - but actually telling me I was wrong in how I felt about this book and trying to convince me to change my mind.

I politely responded that we would have to agree to disagree. 

She/he then went on again to tell me why THAT was wrong and that my review was still wrong and how if the author had submitted the book in a writing class it would have been graded an F. (Was this a frustrated writing teacher? Or perhaps a jealous wanna-be writer whose own writing received an F in class? Hmmm.)

Again, I commented about how wonderful it is that we can each have different experiences with the same work and the beauty of it all.

Then he/she got a friend to tell me I didn't understand what the first person was trying to say - which I did, all too well.

Eventually I just gave up trying to get them to agree to disagree. Neither commenter was going to change how I felt about this book and I was never going to convince either of them that it is okay to have a different opinion. 

So the moral of this story is: If you disagree with me on whether a book is good or bad or in between, that's all well and good and I'd be glad to discuss our different view points. But if you think you are going to change my mind about how I feel about a book - don't even bother to try. It's just going to make me angry and I'm going to think you are a bully. Capiche?

And how was YOUR day? ;)

Have you read anything lately where you disagreed with the majority of reviewers? What did you love/hate that everyone else didn't?

Have you heard of the Kindle Matchbook Program? #amreading #kindlematchbook #kindle

No? This is a great program for readers who buy books from Amazon.
Here's what it is. Authors and/or publishers whose books are available as both print books and ebooks can enroll in this program offered by Amazon. If they opt in and you purchase the print version of a book you get the Kindle version either free or at a significant discount (price to be set by the author/publisher).
This is a great deal for people who love print books, but also enjoy the convenience of reading on a Kindle device. 
So next time you are looking to purchase a book through Amazon - take a look to see if it is enrolled in the Matchbook program. You could just have your cake and eat it too.
By the way - Lifeboat is enrolled with the Kindle price set to free if you buy the print version - and The Beacon will be too. :)
What do you think? Would you use the Kindle Matchbook program?

Much Anticipated Review of Allegiant by Veronica Roth #bookreview #amreading #allegiant

I have waited a long time for Allegiant to be released on October 22nd of this year. I read both Divergent and Insurgent in this series in January of 2013 (you can read my review for Divergent here - I opted not to review Insurgent on the blog) and was, as is usual for me, frustrated that the third and final book in the series wasn't due to be released for some time. A reader's hell, right?

While I did pick this book up soon after its release, I didn't pick it up on the first day. I waited about a week. I lurk on a few message boards now and again, and during the week that I waited to get my hot little hands on Allegiant I happened to come across some posts regarding the book from other readers who showed even less patience than I. I read those posts even though they clearly stated they contained spoilers.

Now, I'm not going to post any spoilers here, but I will tell you that the majority of readers on that message board were quite disappointed with Allegiant. They didn't like where Veronica Roth took the story. People were killed that the readers felt should not have been. They felt Veronica Roth had completely changed the character of Four/Tobias. And generally, they were just dissatisfied.

For me, Divergent was a five star book. I loved every minute of it. Insurgent, not so much. I felt it should have been able to stand alone and that it just didn't stand up to the standard set by Divergent. I still liked it, but I didn't love it like I loved Divergent.

Allegiant falls somewhere in between Divergent and Insurgent for me. I really liked it. And actually, the more I think about it - I do love it. Maybe just a little less than Divergent.

Anticipation is a funny thing. On the one hand, I couldn't wait to get Allegiant and begin reading it. I read 61% of it the first night. But then I stopped reading it. I read the remainder in drips and drabs over a two week period. "Abie, why on earth would you do that?" you might ask.

Because I am perverse. Because I had waited so long for this book and knew it was the last in the trilogy. Because I didn't want to get to the end.


But now I have gotten to the end, and I must say I disagree wholeheartedly with the people on that message board. I didn't find Allegiant disappointing at all. In fact, I think Veronica Roth got it right. Life is hard. Even harder in a post-apocalyptic world like the one in this series. Tris and Four go through a lot in this book and tragedy can take a toll. People die - even people you don't want to die. There are very few happy endings in reality, and I think Veronica did an excellent job of making this book realistic.

Sometimes the story is what the story is. Readers often want happy endings, but happy endings aren't always realistic, and I love this book all the more - just the way it is.

What are some of the books you love that don't have happy endings?


Book Blurb:
The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.
 
About the author:
Veronica Roth is from a Chicago suburb. She studied creative writing at Northwestern University, and wrote DIVERGENT (Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011) and INSURGENT (May 2012). The third and final book in The Divergent Trilogy, ALLEGIANT, will come out on October 22, 2013. In the meantime she will spend endless hours browsing Wikipedia in her pajamas as she eats corn flakes. (Or some other kind of bland breakfast cereal.)

Exclusive cover reveal! The Beacon by A.B. Shepherd #amwriting #amreading #coverreveal #mondayblogs

If you've been reading the blog here you will already know my novella, The Beacon is due for release on December 1st. I will be have a launch party to celebrate so keep your eyes open for it.

In the meantime, this fantastic psychological thriller needed a fantastic cover and I want to share that with each of you here exclusively.




I think it is gorgeous and I am so excited with each day that gets closer to the launch of . How about you? Do you like the cover? Are you as excited as I am?

Protagonist with no name? What?!?! #amwriting #amreading #experimenting

I've tried to something a bit experimental with my soon-to-be released novella, The Beacon. 
I've written it without ever naming the protagonist. 
I wanted to see if I could do it in such a way that it wouldn't be missed. If I could successfully write a story in which we never learn the name of the protagonist but it still works, you know?
I think I have achieved that, and from the reports coming in from those who have read the novella to date it appears I have been successful. 
This may have been done by other authors before, but I've never read a book written in this way. Have you?
So what I want to know from you is - what do you think about this idea?
Does it turn you on?
Does it turn you off?
Are you indifferent to it?
Will it make you want to read The Beacon to see if you think I pulled it off?

YA Urban Fantasy Free November 6th! Essenced (The Division Chronicles: Book One) by Connie L. Smith #amreading #free

Hi Abites - Connie L. Smith is stopping by today to offer us an excerpt of her YA/Urban Fantasy novel (with Paranormal Romance elements). 

It is slated to be FREE on Amazon today - November 6th - so pick up your copy at by clicking here. (Be sure to check that Amazon has it marked as free before you click buy.)


Book Blurb:
Years ago, demons were forced out of the earth’s realm by a band of supernatural fighters, banished from the place and its people in the aftermath of a horrific war. It should’ve ended there – would’ve – if not for the final demon’s claw snagging on the open portal. What felt like victory became only a reprieve, the winning warriors understanding that the tear would spread, and the demons eventually would escape exile. It was only a matter of time, and a need for future defense – a question of genetics and essences, magic and power.

Now, centuries later, a new army must bind together – one of teenagers with inhuman potentials and abilities…

AJ went to bed Sunday night an average teenage girl, clumsy and athletically lacking. So when she wakes up Monday morning with super-strength, she does what any rational person would do: She goes into denial. When a smoking hot guy in a suit shows up, rambling about the end of the war and demons spilling through some kind of rift, she refuses to listen, telling herself he’s insane. Except weird things just won’t quit happening, and the guy keeps popping up in her life, trying to explain the changes suddenly happening within her. Is she crazy, or is this guy… not so crazy after all?


And now - the excerpt:
 
AJ noticed the intense stares Julius sent her all day long, even through the mental and physical demands of her training, which had easily outdone all her previous challenges. She ached all over, sweat poured from her body, and she wanted a shower and her bed as quickly as she could possibly attain them. Still, even with the pain and tiredness came a sense of amazement. Had she been told yesterday how much she could accomplish, she would’ve thought the speaker crazy. In fact, she’d done just that many times over. How often had she argued with her instructors, insisting they asked too much of her and her pack, that what they expected of her she simply couldn’t give? After this morning’s group embarrassment, she’d made the decision – everyone had – to stop arguing and start performing.Turns out, the trainers knew what they spoke of. They gave her many different tasks she thought insane, but rather than recoil and dispute – her first instincts – she kept her mouth shut and tried. And did. When she thought she’d handed over every ounce of her abilities, she pressed on, always unearthing more under the exterior. Granted, she had room for progress, and who knew precisely how far this new mentality could take her, but she now understood every instructor’s insistence that the Essenced could do so much more than they believed. What they’d done that day seemed unreal, but it happened nonetheless. She wondered how far she would be had she only accepted the trainers’ now observably true words from day one, though she couldn’t change the time she’d walked in obliviousness to anything more constructive. But it wouldn’t happen again. She would keep pushing herself, testing the extent of her abilities.Even as she thought about those things, gathering her empty water bottles to leave the endurance room, she felt his eyes on her, so intense she both cringed and shivered. Both good and bad, beautiful and bothersome. That’s Julius, alright. Turning to him, seeing the intensity for herself, made her pause as an involuntary gasp escaped her. “What?” she finally demanded.He kept staring. “I’m deciding something.”“Okay…” She elevated an eyebrow, drawing the word out. “Well, I’m gonna go eat, so just… keep deciding.”“I’m deciding about you.”She stopped, gawking at him with wide eyes. Deciding about her? What did he mean exactly? Surely he hadn’t bridged the topic of them out in the open for everyone to overhear. They’d done so well these last days, pleasantly ignoring all the complications the topic brought, playing selective memory. If he meant to change that – which she couldn’t decide if she wanted or not – the endurance room certainly didn’t seem the ideal setting.“Deciding what about me?”He gazed a moment longer, biting the inside of his mouth as he thought through his answer. “You fought against Nicholai longer than the other alphas today.”Well, this definitely didn’t sound like it concerned them. She argued with herself that she held no disappointment with that fact. “Yeah, I managed a pitiful defense for a little over a minute.”“More than the others did.”“Well, then, we all need help.”He nodded. “So you do. And so you’re getting it. Lesson learned, I think. Today you all pushed. A lot.”Although she appreciated the compliment, she wondered what this had to do with her specifically. If he wished to congratulate her on a job well done, and all the students had increased their focus and determination, shouldn’t he be addressing a crowd rather than just her? “Is there something you’re wanting to say here? Because I really am hungry. And tired. And I really, really stink….”“You outlasted the rest of them.” He looked her up and down, again causing her to cringe and shiver, nodding once when his eyes locked with hers. “You’re ready.”She lifted an eyebrow. “In case you aren’t aware, that’s exactly the attitude that got us all in trouble in the first place.”He laughed, shaking his head. “Not ready for the war. But you’re ready for the next room.”She tried to understand his words, but their meaning evaded her. “Next room?”He nodded, then jerked his chin toward the door, intending her to follow him. Though nervous, and not a little unsure, she kept to her self-promise of acquiesce and walked behind him. “Where are we going?”“You’ll know in a minute.”“But I don’t get it. You gave me the tour the day after I got here. I’ve seen all the rooms already.”Glancing over his shoulder at her, that annoying smirk spread across his lips. “You sure about that?”He stopped in front of the supplies room, checking to see if anyone could see his actions. When he noticed a clear coast, he opened the door and ushered her hurriedly into the dark room, flipping on a light switch seconds later. “This is where you wanted to take me? ‘Cause I gotta say, Julius. I’ve kind of been here.”“Shut up and keep walking.” He gently shoved her toward the area’s opposite end, grinning at her unease. As they neared the back door, leading to the desert circling the facility, he pointed to the left. Glancing there, AJ only saw boxes piled high, layers of training materials that, although organized, hardly seemed like a destination worth finding. She turned to him, confusion and concern etched on her expression. “You’ve brought me here to kill me, haven’t you?”He rolled his eyes, though with a smile on his lips. “I told you once before. If I was gonna kill you, it would’ve been when you wouldn’t quit with the adrenaline thing. Just walk over there.”She tilted her head to the side, eyes suspicious. “To the piles of supplies? In the supplies room?”“Yes.” He considered the uncertainty on her face, sighing and shaking his head. “Just this morning you were shown how this hardheaded mentality works against your training. Do you really wanna hold to it before you fight the demons?”She winced, then glared. “That was low.”“It was necessary. Even with your newfound determination to not be stubborn, you can’t help but be stubborn with me.”“Well, the other trainers didn’t drag me off to show me the wonders of supply organization. I could be eating right now, you know. We walked right by the cafeteria…”“…And the sooner you go along with this, the sooner you can eat.”“And get rid of you…” She thought it over, then agreed. “Solid reasoning. Let’s get on with this.” Watching her spin toward the piles of boxes, Julius smiled to himself. Once they reached the stacks, he maneuvered one to the right, leaving just enough space between two of them for a person to fit through. He grinned at her, mockingly, and strode through the path. “He’s so gonna kill me,” she mumbled to herself.“I’m not gonna kill you! Just come on already!”She did as instructed, stepping in between the mess of provisions, inching forward a few feet until she reached her trainer, finding him waiting – and smirking – beside a door she hadn’t previously seen.“Where did that come from?”“Do you want the construction plans?”She scowled at him, though obviously intrigued with the unfamiliar part of the facility.He opened the door, holding his hand out to motion her through. As she stepped over the threshold, her eyes widened at the wondrous vision, somehow stashed away behind the clutter of the supplies room.
Want to connect with Connie? 

You can find her here: 

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Her Blog

Her Website 

Cover reveal - It's a Shame by C.E. Hansen! #amreading #coverreveal

Title: IT’S A SHAME (Blood and Tears, #2)
Author: C.E. Hansen
Expected Release Date: November 11, 2013 Genre: Contemp | Suspense | Romance

Grace and Cole were trying to put the pieces of their
broken lives back in place, working towards a future together. It seems as
though things were just starting to get back to normal. Well, as normal as
things could be for the survivors of a twisted serial killer.
What they did not know, what neither of them expected, was
that their nightmare was just beginning. They were about to be pulled back
into the clutches of a madman, but this time, they weren't the only potential
victims.

Was their love strong enough to get them through the next
disaster? Do they have what it takes to stay together, or is what’s
lurking around the corner too much for them both?   

  

Twitter | Facebook |

 GR | Website

C.E. wrote her first
romance novel at age fourteen when shediscovered writing about boys and
girls was much easier than actually having a relationship of her own. Since
that time, her relationship skills have not improved, but she likes to think
her writing has. After earning an associate’s degree in literature
from WC, she worked in a bus company, a law office and a wine and gourmet food Shoppe. But
she never abandoned writing.



She now lives in New
Jersey with her husband and Maltese Zoe. If she’s not working on her latest
sexy story, you can find her reading, watching reality television, or indulging
in her unhealthy addiction to chocolate.

C.E. Hansen's debut
novel IT'S A CRIME will be released May 2013, her follow up novel IT'S A
SHAME, will be released November 11, 2013. If you want to read more posts like this
one or follow her insane journey to debut author hood, you can find her
here...indulging in her passions...whether they be writing, or eating
chocolate...

hosted by:  

Rowena's Revenge Book Blast & Giveaway!!! #bookblast #amreading #giveaway

Title: ROWENA'S REVENGE (The Broadus Supernatural Society Series, #5)Author: Theresa Marguerite HewittGenre: Fiction | YA | ParanormalExpected Release Date: 10/31/13

Rowena's life has never been easy. Being part Were and part Fae fire-starter she has learned to live a solitary life, depending only on her own instincts until one mistake throws her into danger. Now being chased by a psychopathic Warlock who is bound and determined to "own" her, Rowena must rely on her newly found mates and family. But is she ready to trust? Or will her damaged heart plunge her into darkness?
Facebook  | Twitter | Blog | Goodreads Book | Smashwords  | Amazon Author

Theresa Marguerite Hewitt is a very laid back person; enjoying the simpler things in life more than most sometimes. She grew up in a very, VERY small town in Central New York and she will always be a Redneck Woman.She loves reading, writing, taking long pointless drives and long dusk time walks. Fall and winter are her favorite times of year and she spends more time outside then than in the summer. She loves hearing from fans and is not above fan-girling on those that show her tons of support. She donates the profits from the Amazon sales of her military series, The Wakefield Romance Series, to various military charities including; Wounded Warrior Project, Red Circle Foundation, Boot Campaign and others. She is addicted to the cheap-Harlequin romances you can pick up in most drug stores and cannot go in and out of a store without picking up at least one. She resides in Buffalo, NY with her boyfriend, two dogs and two cats.

  Twitter | Facebook | GR | Website

a Rafflecopter giveaway



hosted by:
 

Comfy Cozy! The Big 5-0 (Mattie Mason Mystery Series) by Peggy Browning #amreading #bookreview

Peggy Browning, author of The Big 5-0 (Mattie Mason Mystery Series), is also a blogger. Her blog,  Fifty Odd - Viewing Life After 50 Through Rose-Colored Bifocals is awesome and I've been a fan of her blog for some time now.

She does a feature on her blog of women writers over the age of 50. I'm actually going to be featured on November 10th and am very excited about that.

I recently picked up The Big 5-0 eager to read about a heroine who is actually about my age - something you don't find too often in fiction.

First, this is a cozy mystery. A lovely, gentle mystery for the most part. Almost too cozy for me at first, and I nearly gave up on it in spite of the humor and great characters that Peggy had developed. When I got about 75% of the way through though, I really connected with Mattie and had to finish. I'm not sure why it took me so long. I think I'm just really cynical or something.


Peggy does have one quirk in her writing that I found quite distracting. She writes her dialogue in a way I've never seen done before. She will have one character speaking followed by the words "she said" so you think that character has finished speaking, yet when you move to the next paragraph of dialogue it is still the same character speaking. That took some real getting used to for me.


However, like I said before, I was finally hooked and my rating for this book went up significantly because of the last quarter of it and I loved the book in the end. It is also getting fantastic reviews by other readers. The moral of this book review is, don't give up too soon. You never know what is coming next. 

Have you read any books that you nearly gave up on but were glad you didn't? Which ones?


Book Blurb:
Every year on her birthday, Matilda (Mattie) Mason visits the doctor to predict her physical health for the next year. Then she visits the psychic to predict everything else for the next year. "Be careful what you wish for..." Teresa, the psychic warns when Mattie tells her that this is the year she wants her dreams to come true. Change is coming, according to the psychic...will it be a good change or...well, you know...

Matilda Mason has been a good wife, an excellent mother, an obedient daughter, and a darn good garden reporter for the Cambridge Daily News. She's given all of herself to others...making sure everyone was well-taken-care-of whether they like it or not. She's baked birthday cakes, decorated her home, ironed her husband's shirts, and turned her newspaper stories in on deadline (most of the time.) Now she wonders if that's enough...and she finds, with some regret, that maybe it isn't, really, quite enough.

Since childhood, Mattie wanted to be an investigative reporter, but then LIFE happened, and she never pursued her real love, her true desire, her longed-for dream.

No matter what happens, Mattie Mason's 50th birthday is a real game changer. The life she's known and the life she's wished for converge and toss her world upside down. The one thing that's constant in life is change...and Mattie's in for some big changes...

About the author:
Peggy says on her website -
"...Hmmm, what can I say about myself?
I think a quote from my new book, “The Big 5-0” describes me best. My character, Matilda Mason, has this to say about her 50th birthday:

“The fact was that this birthday was making me feel needy and nervous. Suddenly I was on a deadline to accomplish something in my life.
 I looked at what I had done so far…raising a daughter, helping my mother and father in their business, being a good wife and a pretty good garden reporter…and saw that those things were OK. Much more than OK…even excellent.
But that wasn’t all I wanted to accomplish. Those things were only a part of me and the most important part of me had been held back and needed to emerge.
 Now I had a shelf life. And it had a short sell-by date.
I had maybe another 25 good years left. I had a lot left to do in those years. I had to find myself and I had to do it fast.”

Like Matilda, I’ve done lots of things in my life and had many roles that I’ve tried to fulfill to the best of my ability. Sometimes I succeeded and sometimes I failed.
I’ve had lots of jobs, lots of experiences, and lots of laughter. I’ve had heartbreaks, too.
And I have an opinion about all of it...."

Want to know more about Peggy? You can check out Peggy's blog or pop in and take a peek at her Facebook page.