Madhuri Pavamani's Blog, page 36

New Release Announcement: Contract of War by Tammy Salyer

Contract of War, the final novel in a the Spectras Arise Trilogy by Tammy Salyer, a “riveting quest on the galactic fringe,” hits bookstores today, July 21st.

What it’s about:

Contract of Defiance, Contract of Betrayal, and Contract of War follow heroine Aly Erikson and her crew of anti-Admin smugglers through an ever-escalating glut of life-and-death adventures and trials of a living on the side of liberty and freedom—whether they agree with the law or not—in the far future of the Algol star system. As former Corps members, most are no strangers to fighting and dissent, but more than anything, they want to spend their lives flying under the radar without control or interference from the system’s central government, The Political and Capital Administration of the Advanced Worlds. But the Admin’s greed-drenched dualism of power and corruption has other plans, and throughout the series, Aly and her crew are reminded of one lesson time and again: when all other options run out, never let go of your gun.

Contract of War begins in the aftermath of the system-wide war between the Admin and Corp Loyalists and the non-citizen population of the Algols, where everything once resembling order has been leveled. Scattered enclaves of survivors dot the worlds, living, however they can, in snarled lawlessness. Aly and her crew have carved out a niche of relative peace, doing their best to go on with their lives through salvaging, scavenging, and stealing. But with no force left to keep the lid on the pot, the pressures of chaos and discord soon cause conflicts to boil over. As enemies close in from all directions, even, sometimes, from within, the crew once again must fight—not just for survival, not just for their way of life, but this time for a future that can finally lay to rest the system’s bloody and savage past.

To learn more about the series and her other projects, visit former 82nd Airborne paratrooper and author Tammy Salyer at www.tammysalyer.com.

Grab all three novels in the trilogy while they’re on sale for 99 cents each through August at the following booksellers:

Amazon amazon.com/author/tammysalyer

Apple http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/tammy-salyer/id519481023?mt=11

Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/tammy-salyer

Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/Search?query=Spectras%20Arise%20Trilogy&fcsearchfield=Series

Libiro http://www.libiro.com/

PayHip http://payhip.com/TammySalyer

 

About Tammy:

Tammy writes a bit, reads a bit, and frequently races cars across intersections from the saddle of her bike. Consequently, you could probably crack walnuts shells on her thighs, but she hopes no one ever tries, because … awkward. Find her on her blog (www.tammysalyer.com) or Twitter (www.twitter.com/tammysalyer), or sign up for her newsletter (http://eepurl.com/Trzh1) to be the first to know of contests, new releases, and special events you might enjoy. She’s currently working on a prequel to the trilogy and another project that has something to do with space Vikings. She hopes you enjoy reading her works and welcomes your reviews.

 

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

I am rather speechless and utterly floored by the fact that someone nominated me for a “VERY INSPIRING BLOGGER AWARD”, but it really did happen.

First off, it’s amazing that anyone besides my close friends and family reads my blog, and honestly, I don’t think even they read it. Then to say I’m “inspiring” – well, holy shit, blow me away. But that’s exactly what Stephswint of the excellent blog Bookish said and then turned around and nominated me.

Here’s our exchange when I discovered what she had done (honestly, I still can’t believe it):

stephswint on June 23, 2014 at 2:33 pm said:

I am nomination you for the ‘Very Inspiring Blogger Award.’ I know not everyone is about awards but this one is an exception even if you don’t like the process. It shows that you are inspiring others and I want you to know you inspire me. It’s not for everyone, however, and it should not create pressure or frustration. You can find information at http://bookishswint.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/very-inspiring-blogger-award/

Reply ↓

mblaylock4on June 23, 2014 at 7:08 pmsaid:

Oh my goodness, Steph. This is such a lovely treat – I am speechless. Truly. And so honored that you even take my blogging seriously enough to find it “inspiring”. I am truly humbled. And just so shocked and honored. Thank you so much. Wow. Just wow.

 

All of that surprise and speechlessness, I’m pretty much still feeling it today, almost a month later, as I create this page. Steph’s nomination of my blog is rad. I cannot thank her enough.

But enough of all of that since getting nominated as a VERY INSPIRING BLOGGER has a few rules I need to follow.

VERY INSPIRING BLOGGER RULES

1. Thank and link the amazing person who nominated you.

2. List the rules and display the award.

3. Share seven facts about yourself.

4. Nominate 15 other amazing blogs and comment on their posts to let them know they have been nominated.

5. Optional: Proudly display the award logo on your blog and follow the blogger who nominated you.

SEVEN FACTS ABOUT ME

1. I’m a taurus – stubborn as shit.

2. Thelma & Louise is one of my favorite films

3. I love the word fuck and use it often.

4. The beach is divine – I love the sound, the smells, the very chill atmosphere.

5. I own a flask. And I use it.

6. I wrote a song with my friend, Jess, called “Flea Bites on My Balls”

7. I always wanted a voice like Kathleen Turner’s – I still do.

Okay then. I think I’ve followed all of the award rules.

I thanked and linked to Steph’s awesome blog, but in case you missed it the first time, lemme do it again: Stephswint of the excellent blog Bookish nominated me for this awesomeness. I’m totally humbled and unworthy, but so thankful for her recognition.

I displayed the rules above. I listed seven facts about myself and nominated some other blogs. And the award logo is proudly displayed at the top of this post – I wear that logo like a badge of honor.

HOLLA BITCHES!

Tweet of the Day

Holla, bitches.

THE BOY Is Finally Getting A Little Love

Yea.

It’s finally happening.

THE BOY is getting some attention, people are starting to read it, and for the most part, the reviews that are rolling in are filled with a whole lotta love.

Which makes me so very happy because I love this book.

I mean, THE GIRL is great and all that jazz, but I think THE BOY is fantastic. I really hit my stride and found my voice in that book.

Anyway, don’t let me wax poetic – instead, check out what I came across this morning on Amazon:

     

Holla, bitches!

 

 

Interview with Madhuri Blaylock, author of The Boy

mblaylock4:

Today on THE BOY blog tour, I stopped in and sat down for an interview with The Writers’ Club of Whittier where we discussed everything from my favorite scene to write to my advice for other writers.

If you have some time, check it out.

Cheers!

Originally posted on Writers' Club of Whittier:

In this post, author Madhuri Blaylock answers our questions on her writing process, developing voice, what it takes to be an indie author, and more! But first, a bit about her book:

“Every now and again an excellent novel will come forth dealing with fantasy and magic that will just grab and hold my attention from beginning to end. That is exactly what THE GIRL did.” — OOSA Online Book Club

In THE GIRL, Madhuri Blaylock introduced readers to the world of The Sanctum, one corrupted by greed and savagery and hellbent on achieving a single goal: destroying the prophesied hybrid. When one of its most celebrated warriors questioned his allegiances, age-old secrets were unveiled and violence erupted. The journey becomes more perilous and intense as the trilogy surges forward with

THE BOY

Can you cross the plains of death, collect every piece of your soul and make it back…

View original 1,437 more words

Did You Know…

that you do NOT need to own a Kindle to download eBooks from Amazon?

When I tell people my eBooks for THE GIRL and THE BOY are on Amazon, here and there I am met with “Oh, that sucks. I don’t have a Kindle” or “Kindles are so expensive” or something along those lines.

People, you don’t need to own a Kindle.

I don’t own a Kindle, nor do I have any plans of buying one in the near future. Similarly, neither The Husband nor my step-daughter own Kindles, but they’ve both read or are reading my books.

All you have to do is download the Kindle App to either your cell phone (that’s what I did) or your tablet (that’s what The Husband did) and you’re set. Then it’s just a matter of downloading books to your library and reading.

And once you’ve done that, there is really no excuse for not taking advantage of today’s one day KDP promotion for THE BOY and downloading it to your phone or tablet for FREE.

You can do so right now by clicking here or here

Oh. And if anyone out there is reading this and happens to be friends with Laini Taylor, please tell her to snag a copy of my books. I think she’ll like them.

HOLLA.

Book II: THE BOY – Free For One Day

Sheesh. I almost forgot.

THE BOY IS FREE TOMORROW!!

Can you cross the plains of death, collect every piece of your soul and make it back to the land of the living?

And if you complete the journey, will your loved ones welcome your return?

Grab yourself a copy on Amazon as part of a one-day KDP promotion.

Procrastination Tool #129 – The Word Cloud

My friend, Kayti, she of the fantastic Outsider Chronicles series and the badass girl with a bat, Niko, posted a gorgeous word cloud onto her Facebook page today.

I was captivated by it – all the key words from her books, seemingly in the formation of a cityscape, so very Outsider Chronicles. I assumed her sister designed it as she is quite the artist, so you can imagine my surprise when she told me to Google Wordle.net and make my own.

Squee.

You know I was all over that shit.

Forget all my interviews waiting to be complete, or signing up for Round Team, or finishing my beta read. I was determined to make some word clouds.

And they’re awesome. I love them.

They also kind of surprised me – I didn’t expect Wyatt’s name to be so prominent.

I could play on that Wordle site for hours. It’s kind of dangerous. But I managed to pick a few I liked, print them out, and peel myself away to draft this post.

[By the way, is "draft" a lawyer word? Do non-lawyers use "draft" as much as lawyers do?]

So here they are – what do you think:

I like the different colors in this one

My favorite – love the footprint and Dev and Ryker surrounding Wyatt

I love the “know” near Wyatt’s name

Pretty cool, huh?

Now I’m going to do it for THE BOY – so much more fun than those interviews hanging over my head.

You Take The Good, You Take The Bad

You take them both and there you have…

Just kidding. Totally not going to sing The Facts of Life theme song for you, although I could if you like. That one, Diff’rent Strokes, The Jeffersons, Family Ties – those were theme songs. Do they even make theme songs any more? Does Alan Thicke ever get work these days?

But I digress.

That song popped in my head because it perfectly sums up my day – a lot of good with a whole lot of shitty. The shitty being my job and an insanely horrible deadline and having to ruin 60 other people’s weekends and work all day and into the night (am still working now), all without any real end in sight.

However, someone must’ve seen this crap coming from a mile away because coupled with work nonsense was a day of receiving great review after great review for THE GIRL.

It was pretty freaking awesome.

First I woke up to this

So of course, I headed over to Aman Mittal’s blog, Confessions of a Readaholic, to find this waiting for me:

When I started this book, I had some expectations but this book went beyond my expectations. The Girl by Madhuri Blaylock, is an excellent paranormal romance with intense action. Even though paranormal is my least favorite genre and it has been long that I have read one,Madhuri’s writing certainly made me accustomed to it.

The Sanctum, an all-powerful governing body founded by ten families, entrusted to maintain the peace amongst Magicals and ensure the ignorance of humans, has been corrupted by greed and savagery for generations, but is all Wyatt Clayworth has ever known.

Dev, the hybrid demon prophesied to bring an end to The Sanctum and destroy the world for Magicals and humans alike, is not what Wyatt expected to find when sent out on his latest mission. Believed to be hunting a killing machine, Wyatt finds little more than a broken girl with haunted eyes and a bit of a death wish. Drawn to one another for reasons they cannot begin to explain to themselves, much less anyone else, Wyatt is determined to protect Dev and help her realize her mission to avenge the deaths of her family at the hands of The Sanctum.

With the good plot, the characters are thoroughly developed and easily adaptable. The pace is one of my favorite part about this book. It does not make you feel that you are crawling through it to read it. The concept of the book is basically love/hate relationship type that makes it more interesting to read. The alteration of changing POV of characters vigorously was a point I did not like much in this book but I do understand the hard work author has put in it. There some instances in the book that will certainly leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more and you can get more in the next book.

The Girl is the first book in THE SANCTUM Trilogy and it is recommended. I cannot wait to read the other two.

4 out of 5 from me!

SWEET.

Fist-pumps.

Booty-shaking.

[By the way, for all you book lovers out there, Mittal's blog is great, so check him out if you have a chance.]

Next, I got this pretty little ditty

I don’t know Clare, but I’m so psyched she grabbed a copy of THE GIRL and enjoyed it. Check out her review:

‘The Girl,’ is an amazing start to what I’m sure will be a wonderful series. Following the life of a less than human girl, Dev, the story introduces us to the world of The Sanctum.

The Sanctum is a foundation set up by the Gods to protect both humans and magicals, and at the start of the story we find out that they are hunting down Dev and her family.

On the run, Dev finds herself in New York where she falls in love with the most unlikely person, a Sanctum Warrior. The half angel, half demon girl, has to face who she really is, and the destiny that lies before her, if she is going to survive the incessant attacks by those who seek to destroy her.

This is an incredibly well written book and kept me hooked from beginning to end. I eagerly look forward to devouring the second book, and would recommend the story to anyone who enjoys fantasy. At first, I thought the concept of the story was slightly reminiscent of the Cassandra Clare, Mortal Instruments novels, but Blaylock is definitely not mimicking anyone. The intricate world building and the fabulous characters make this story a must read. Check it out!

And I suppose because good things come in threes, I randomly came across this on Amazon:

HOLLA BITCHES!!

[By the way, after reading these, don't you want to check out THE GIRL yourself? If so, click here and snag your own copy. I think you'll really like it.]

Alert! Alert!

Thanks to Tom Junod of Esquire, it is now okay to f*ck a 42 year-old woman, which is great for chicks in our early forties – we are now f*ckable.

This is Junod – aren’t you glad he thinks we’re hot? Actually, I’m 43, so am no longer hot, but as of 3 months ago, I was, in fact, quite desirable.

According to Junod, prior to his proclamation, a woman in her forties was the embodiment of a walking, talking, stalking tragedy:

Let’s face it: There used to be something tragic about even the most beautiful forty-two-year-old woman. With half her life still ahead of her, she was deemed to be at the end of something—namely, everything society valued in her, other than her success as a mother. If she remained sexual, she was either predatory or desperate; if she remained beautiful, what gave her beauty force was the fact of its fading. And if she remained alone… well, then God help her.

God help her???

Really, Tom? God help her? Isn’t that just a bit melodramatic?

God help Tom Junod – what an ass.

I was so annoyed by this article that for a moment, I couldn’t even think straight. All that kept flashing across my mind was a string of expletives, and if you know me, then you know that string was quite long and incredibly creative and crass.

Then I read some of the comments and was quite pleased to discover I’m not the only one who finds Junod to be a complete tool.

Check this gem from David:

Dear Tom,

As a 43 year-old man, I am so glad you wrote this piece. On top of the impertinence of your writing, it shows why no woman of any age will ever fuck you again. And that makes me very happy because the world is a slightly better place now that you can’t reproduce again. I hope your sensibilities die with your generation.

Sincerely,

David Prete

HA!

Couldn’t say it better myself.

And for the record, Tom, we know what you look like and now we also know how your brain works, and trust me honey, regardless of your age, you are 100% unf*ckable.