Shakuita Johnson's Blog: The Ramblings of Me, page 32
December 10, 2013
I got 99 followers and a B**** ain’t one!!
December 9, 2013
I’m blind…
Well not really but my pupils are super dilated. Why would they be dilated? Well I’m getting eye surgery on Wednesday and I’m equal parts excited and terrified. I really don’t want to be the 1% that gets the short end of the stick under the PRK laser. I look like a drug addict laying around with sunglasses on.
full dilation mode
Hopefully my eyes bounce back pretty quickly after initial surgery. I have a million and one things to do and I really need to be able to see to do them. I was told I look like I should be in the Matrix videos.
If I reach 100 likes while I’m having/recovering from eye surgery I will post the giveaway once I can see again.
December 8, 2013
December 7, 2013
Really cool giveaway I stubbled upon
Win a Kindle Fire HDX, Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash ($229 value)
This is a joint AUTHOR & BLOGGER GIVEAWAY EVENT!
Bloggers & Authors have joined together and each chipped in a little money towards a Kindle Fire HDX 7″.
All New Kindle Fire HDX 7″ Giveaway
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Or $229 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)
Or $229 in Paypal Cash (International)
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Sign up to sponsor the next Kindle Fire Giveaway:
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Giveaway Details
1 winner will receive their choice of an all new Kindle Fire 7″ HDX (US Only – $229 value), $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash (International).
There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire HDX 7″.
Ends 1/1/14
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
December 6, 2013
New Series Facebook Page
So I now have a Facebook page for my new series Dark Indiscretions.
Here is a picture of the AMAZING cover art done by Su Halfwerk of REACH FOR THE STARS
Click the picture of the cover and it will take you to the Facebook page. It is still a WIP (so don’t freak out if nothing is really on there yet) and later today I will be uploading the Dark Indiscretions Ebook cover.
December 5, 2013
Tour Blog Book Reviews: Beyond the Eyes and Dark Spirits by Rebekkah Ford
For today’s post I am participating in my VERY FIRST BLOG BOOK TOUR. I will be reviewing 2 out of 3 books in the Beyond the Eyes Trilogy written by Rebekkah Ford. Before the blurbs of each book I will start my review. Hope you enjoy and decided to give this author a try! The links are posted after the review!
These books were gifted to me for a HONEST review and
that’s what you will be getting.
Review
Beyond the Eyes in the first in a trilogy set. It centers around Paige Reed. Paige has many secrets. She can hear premonitions. She lost her father long ago and it still hurts her heart. During a night out with friends she meets the mysterious Nathan. She feels a deep attraction for him that she doesn’t understand. They start to hang out and Paige is a very insecure selfish girl in many parts of the book. Her behavior sometimes grated on my nerves but it didn’t distract from the story. All in all I was intrigued to continue this story to learn all the little secrets mentioned. Paige and Nathan are apart of a bigger plot. One he starts to reveal to her. She doesn’t react well to a lot scenarios in this book. It felt like she was shutting down at every corner. Paige’s mom is barely home but she calls to check up on her every now and again. It’s a sore spot for Paige. Beyond the Eyes has a lot of teen anguish and petty drama that most teenagers have to endure. But the story focuses on the dark spirits that can somehow possess humans and they have a fascination with Paige. I enjoyed the twists and plots. It’s well written and drew me in for the moment I started to read. Paige is hit with blow after blow in such a short time frame that you can’t help but feel bad for her. Every time you thing she’s getting a handle on her emotions, something happens to throw her for a loop. Paige also has a huge decision to make about her future. She has fiercely loyal and protective friends in Carrie and Tree (Jack). Paige’s past and present come rushing together and all before her eighteenth birthday. Who’s her friend and who’s her enemy? Paige’s eyes are open something wide in the first installment of the Beyond the Eyes trilogy.
Beyond the Eyes is pretty much everything you would aspect from a YA book but with the supernatural gracefully woven inside to make for a compelling I need to know what happen now page turner. I couldn’t read the pages fast enough. Nathan’s love for Paige touched something deep in my soul and rekindled hopes of one day having someone love me a all consuming as he loved her.
Favorite Quote: From Nathan to Paige
“You know each day with you is like opening a new and better present,” he said. “I know I keep saying this, but you truly amaze me.”
I know what you’re thinking. This is perfect. Nothing can go wrong. HA! Due to certain circumstances Paige’s first love comes into the fold and it wasn’t pretty. At all. Brayden is something else and that’s all I’m going to say about that. Well besides the fact that if I were Paige I wouldn’t be inclined to call him friend. I don’t care how long we had know each other, after his behavior. I’ll let you read it for yourself. I don’t want to give anything away. At least not more than I have to. Oh and I really hope Nathan hands Brayden his ass in one of the next two book. I don’t like him.
Most big questions that arose where mostly resolved or answered. Which was a huge plus for me because I’ve fairly impatient. It could be because it’s a trilogy and questions had to be answered quickly since there weren’t many books to stretch it out.
Rebekkah is a very compelling storyteller and I look forward to reading more of her works. Loved the twist towards the end. Did not see that coming.
Beyond the Eyes is currently FREE on Amazon.
4.5 out of 5 stars I highly recommend it if you’re a fan of the supernatural. Plus a bit of history is thrown in.
Beyond the eyes Book 1 – 298 pages
Published – June 2012
“A thrilling, wholly satisfying first book to a new young adult series. It will keep you wanting more.” –Valentina Cano, Carabosse’s Library
“Beyond the Eyes is haunting yet passionate. This breakout novel is quick and hip, a saucy must- read.”–Charles Land, Judas Pistol
Blurb:
Paige knows evil exists in this world, but she never imagined it would want something from her.
In the small town of Astoria, Oregon, surrounded by deep forest and endless mountains, another world thrives . . . a menacing one where dark spirits dwell in soulless humans. Seventeen-year- old Paige Reed lives in this lush, picturesque setting. She’s not your average teen, though she appears to be. Not only is she heartsick, but she’s been receiving cryptic premonitions from a ghostly voice since the age of four. After she hears a haunting message about herself, supernatural occurrences begin to confuse her.
Nathan Caswell seems to peer into Paige’s soul, evoking a magnetic energy between them they cannot deny. They’re connected. But he’s no ordinary guy. He tracks dark spirits and becomes alarmed when they set their sights on Paige.
When two power-hungry malevolent beings make demands on her, she realizes then the fate of mankind rest in her hands. Her world quickly turns inside out where the impossible becomes possible, and in the end she’s faced with a life changing decision that will not only alter her existence but the world as she knows it.
Can a deeply troubled teen overcome her own demons in order to fight those lurking about? With the past and present colliding, Paige must make the ultimate mortal choice. Will it be the right one?
Buy Links
Where to buy Rebekkah’s books:
Beyond the Eyes:
Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beyond-the-eyes-rebekkah-ford/1111446053?ean=2940014746496
Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/168857
Review
When we last left Paige her grandmother had just told her the horrific thing that she had done to her. She took the power of what was in Solomon’s rings and put it in Paige as a baby. Well she won’t be winning any grandma of the year awards.
Paige is all over the drama in this book with the mood swings. I get she is only 18 a child still really but she’s immortal now and a lot more important things are going on for her feelings to be hurt every other second. She knows there are things she can’t tell her friends for their own good but gets made at Nathan for sometimes doing the same with her. She doesn’t give him a chance to do things on his own terms and jumps to conclusions and reacts before thinking. I never understood those couples who needed to know every aspect of each other’s lives but maybe that’s just my flaw.
With the craziness going on in her life she needs to nut up or shut up. I’m three chapters in and already her childishness is giving me a headache.
That being said, any author that can make me seriously dislike a character is a keeper in my book. I read to escape into another world if I can conjure real emotions for a false world then job well done in my book.
This go round the ‘old one’ and Aosoth – two dark spirits are on two different sides of an upcoming cluster. They both want something from Paige and will do whatever it takes to get her. Then there are the spirits that don’t want Paige to be possessed by either dark spirit. They don’t want to be controlled by anyway and whoever has the power in Solomon’s rings and the incantations can do just that. All the while Paige doesn’t want anyone to know she is what can control them and she wants to get to the incantations.
Then we have Brayden. Ugh still don’t like him and I don’t like how Paige likes to compare him to Nathan. “Brayden would have let me do this.” “Brayden would have let me do that.” Seriously? Brayden violated you and all you’re worried about are petty emotions because Nathan – your boyfriend – wants to protect you and is worried about your safety. Instead of talking to Nathan about your feelings you sneak around with Brayden to valid your own selfish feelings with someone who is more selfish than you. That’s not how love works. You compromise or throw in the towel. You don’t basically cheat on your significant other because you’re not getting your way. Oh and lies by omission are still lies. Rant over. I just don’t like Brayden if you didn’t notice.
We find out who killed Paige’s father and grandmother. I didn’t think to even put it together. Totally threw one over me and I was even more surprised by who offered this information to Paige.
Ms. Ford has created a remarkable world with characters you love and hate. It’s a new inventive world and the second book is just as good if not better than the first.
Favorite Quote: Nathan to Pagie
“I have over a century in this dark world and both Brayden and you are just fledglings.”
Ha! That about sums it up!
Dark Spirits is currently $2.99 at Amazon.
5 out of 5 stars.
Dark Spirits Book 2 – 321 pages
Published – February 2013
Blurb:
Now immortal, Paige is emotionally and physically stronger than ever. She must find the location of the ancient incantations to prevent mass genocide. But the war against good and evil is spawning another war–a battle between the dark spirits themselves. Paige is saddled in the center of both growing revolutions and is ready to take on the dark forces. But Nathan’s overprotectiveness prevents her from taking action, and he’s hiding things.
Paige’s personal life gets more complicated when Brayden arrives back in town and offers the equal partnership she desperately craves from Nathan. Then there’s Carrie and Tree, her two best friends and only family she has left. Unfortunate circumstances thrust them into Paige’s dark world, giving her no choice but to allow Nathan to arm them with combat techniques in hope they’ll be able to protect themselves.
Meanwhile, Paige is having visions and discovering abilities she was unaware of. When Anwar comes to visit, his weird behavior alarms her. Could he be turning to the dark side?
Time is running out. Paige not only needs to find the incantations but also to untangle the
Dark Spirits:
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Spirits-Beyond-Eyes-Rebekkah-ebook/dp/B00BEKJ9VG/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1
Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-spirits-rebekkah-ford/1114506937?ean=2940016397214
Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/286383
If you find these two books interested don’t forget to pick up the last in the series coming soon!
The Devil’s Third:
Pending release.
Goodreads:
Add The Devil’s Third to your TBR list – http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18271641-the-devil-s-third
Author Information:
Rebekkah’s Bio:
Rebekkah Ford grew up in a family that dealt with the paranormal. Her parents’ Charles and Geri Wilhelm were the directors of the UFO Investigator’s League in Fairfield, Ohio, back in the 1970s. They also investigated ghost hauntings and Bigfoot sightings in addition to UFO’s. Growing up in this type of environment and having the passion for writing is what drove Rebekkah at an early age to write stories dealing with the paranormal. Her fascination with the unknown is what led her to write the Beyond the Eyes trilogy.
Connect Links
Where to connect with Rebekkah Ford:
Blog: http://themusingwriter.blogspot.com
Facebook Author Page: http://www.Facebook.com/RebekkahFord2012
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RebekkahFord
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/rebekkahford/boards/
This tour was presented by Reach for the Stars Marketing.
December 4, 2013
Cover Art For Current Novel
My cover is being worked! I can’t wait to see it. It’s like waiting for Christmas morning to come. I’m that excited. Once it is finished I will then be posting the links to where you can purchase my first novel Dark Indiscretions! Seriously, I can’t wait. It’s the same excitement I get when I eat homemade chicken quesadillas. In fact, I think I will make some tomorrow.
