Sheryl Winters's Blog, page 10
September 24, 2014
Louder than Words — REVIEW
Louder than words
What an incredibly sad, horrible, mean, beautiful, sappy, unsappy romantic book. At it’s base, the story is about learning to handle what life throws at you. Ellen had a rough hand dealt to her, she also had am Ace up her sleeve, Rex.
And it’s high school! That alone is a terrifying ride of conclusion jumping atmosphere that occurs like no other. I cannot say I loved the entire book because make no mistake, it was a hard read in places. The type of read that stings your hands as you try in vain to hold the book out in front of you and yet still read it.
It was life, just as it’s thrown at you: violently, patiently, sweetly and with a terrifying sadness that only time and the knowledge that you did the right thing in the right way can happen. And even then, you can have doubts.
Ellen may not have had all the answers but in the end, she found she had the courage to do what she needed to and isn’t that what we’re striving for? A little courage?
I didn’t open this book immediately. In that sixth sense type of way I get when I know the book will be very good that it will change my perceptions in subtle and not so subtle ways.
I held it off.
Kept it at bay.. then I opened the book.
I’m glad I did.
September 23, 2014
Louder Than Words
Today, Iris St. Claire has popped in to show off her new book. Louder Than Words.
I found her book so intriguing that I’ve “pre” bought it. Thank you Amazon. Scroll down for a little extra. A TENS list!!
Louder Than Words
by Iris St. Clair
Release Date: 09/16/14
Swoon Romance
Summary
Disappointment has been on speed dial in Ellen Grayson’s life lately. Her dad died, her mom numbs the grief with drugs and alcohol, and her so-called friends have slowly abandoned her.
Trusting a popular teacher with her troubles should have been safe and should NOT have led to an unwelcome seduction attempt that made her desperate to escape the final moments of Junior year. Lesson learned. Best to keep all the sordid details to herself and trust no one.
Enter Rex Jacobi, a cocky boy, recently transplanted from New York City and fellow summer camp employee. Though his quick wit and confidence draws her in, she can’t let him get too close. And summer is just long enough and hot enough to keep a boy like that at arm’s length.
But by the time Rex’s charm wears down her resistance, it’s too late. He’s put Ellen on the “just friends” shelf and has shifted his romantic attentions to the impossibly annoying and perky anti-Ellen. Even worse, the teacher who tried to get her to sleep with him is still at it, preying on other girls while Ellen struggles to come to terms with what happened.
With her ability to trust as shaky as a chastity vow on prom night, Ellen must decide if she has enough remaining courage to speak up about the well-liked teacher and risk retribution, tell Rex how she really feels about him and risk heartbreak, or hold all her secrets inside. After all, it’s the only safe place she knows when the only thing louder than words is the fear of being rejected.
Ten Most Annoying and Most Loveable Things About Boys (according to Ellen Grayson)
Poor Ellen. If you’ve read Louder Than Words, you know she’s weathered a few rough patches in her relationships. As much as she adores the opposite sex, one boy in particular, there are a few things she finds annoying about them. Here, in no particular order, are the top ten things that bug her:
1. They don’t always smell so nice, especially at the end of a warm day.
2. They are rendered idiots by a pretty girl.
3. They spend too much time playing video games.
4. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if they’re teasing or serious.
5. They can’t they read your mind and do a pretty poor job reading between the lines too.
6. They are too quick to violence and aggressive confrontation.
7. They are more attracted to beauty than brains or wit.
8. They can be very bossy.
9. Sometimes they leave the toilet seat up and whiskers in the sink (talking about YOU, Robbie, oh brother of mine).
10. They think they know everything and need to educate you.
On the other hand, boys are pretty stellar at a few things too, which makes them pretty nice to have around. According to Ellen, she especially loves that:
1. They sure can smell yummy. Not sure if it’s the soap or the aftershave, or if it’s just the fact that they are male.
2. They are frank in their appreciation of the oddest things, stuff you never would have thought they even noticed.
3. They are playful and funny.
4. They tend to tease you when they are falling for you. Might take you a while to “get” it but when you do, it’s like being told the best secret in the world.
5. They like to surprise you with something you never realized you needed … but they did.
6. They are protective and make a girl feel safe.
7. Smart boys love and aren’t threatened or annoyed by a girl’s brains or sense of whimsy.
8. They put up with you bossiness and rare bouts of bad temper and peevishness.
9. They rarely complain when you leave the toilet seat down.
10. They hate it when you’re upset and would give their right arm to make you smile again
Iris St. Clair is the pen name for a long-suffering cubicle worker by day, a Walter Mitty-like dreamer by night. (Her alter ego Tatiana Ivanadance also choreographs gravity-defying routines in those fantasies, but that’s another bio.)
No matter what genre she writes, she prefers witty, insecure heroines and kind, persistent heroes able to break through to the gooey heart inside. In high school she was voted most likely to win at Monopoly and Clue, but least likely to throw a ball anywhere near a target. Thank goodness writing requires less hand-eye coordination, punctuation errors notwithstanding.
Iris believes in the two-year “fish or cut bait” dating rule and has a 20+ year marriage and two teenaged sons as proof of concept. She lives, writes, dreams and dances in the rainy Portland, OR area.
Author Links:
http://www.irisstclair.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7771489.Iris_St_Clair
http://www.twitter.com/https://twitter.com/Iris_St_Clair
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Iris-St-Clair/173501372698392
http://www.pinterest.com/clairegillian/louder-than-words-inspiration/
GIVEAWAY:
$10 Amazon gift card + ebook of Louder Than Words (INT)
Or:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MjM0OGI5ZGJmNWUwNzllYTYzNjAyYzhhZGU0MDc0OjMxMA==/
Blog Tour Organized by:
YA Bound Book Tours
September 19, 2014
New Release: Spooktacular Seductions Cover Reveal
Spooktacular Seductions
A Halloween Anthology
Romance
By Various Authors
Release Date: October 31, 2014
Where Angels Tread by Christy ThomasBlurb: Loralei takes extreme measures to prove her cheating husband has forsaken their bows by seeking confirmation from a fortune-teller. The truth revealed is that she’s been unfaithful in a six hundred year old spiritual marriage.
Samael, the Angel of Death must assist a young girl’s soul in ascending to heaven. An unexpected encounter with his estranged wife distracts him and the precious soul is lost.
Working together to save the endangered soul, they find the price to reach her is higher than they both anticipate.
Do You Believe in Ghosts by Anne Higa
Blurb: Jeff Austin-LeGrange has been fleeing from the remnants of his dark and haunted childhood his entire life. The past always catches up to us, and his is no exception.
Alice Hopkins, Jeff’s high school sweetheart, has tried to forget him and tried to move on. You never forget your first love.
When Jeff’s mother dies and Alice’s father falls ill, the two are forced to confront their mutual history and their deepest desires. One thing is sure: neither of their lives will ever be the same again. Perhaps, the past can be overcome. Perhaps, it is not too late to believe in miracles. Perhaps, more than one couple will be reunited this Fall.
Who can say? With a little magic, anything is possible.
Bewitching Gypsy by Linda Carroll-Bradd
Blurb: Fiona Mikolas is an outcast, branded by her fiery red hair and a purple birth mark—both signs of the devil. Two years earlier, she survived an influenza outbreak that claimed her peddler husband, Gregos, and her baby son, Tito. Now she lives a solitary life, traveling a circuit of southern states in America and selling healing potions. Until the night of All Hallow’s Eve, when her lonely life is changed by the arrival of two strangers in her camp.
Beaten and robbed, rancher Hagan Fletcher stumbles toward the light of a campfire in south Texas, intent on finding a way to retrieve his stolen stallion. When he awakens, he’s forgotten his name and how he came to be in the company of an exotic beauty. Fiona’s ways are a mystery but when her quick-thinking saves his life again, he looks deeper beneath the surface to who she really is.
If This Be Madness by Echo Shea
Blurb: Don’t let me go…
Those are words that break her. When the person you love most is gone, how do you let go?
And, more importantly, who will you be once you do?
Encantado by Havva Murat
Blurb: Spending Friday night in an abandoned amusement park sounded like an awesome idea to motherless, teenage track star, Remy Bordeaux—empty rides with no queues, and time alone with his best friend’s alluring sister, Rafaela, was sure to make for a memorable night.
But Friday night at Six Flags became memorable for all the wrong reasons when the park turned out to not be so abandoned after all. Rafaela goes missing after getting cozy with Remy, and everyone thinks that Remy is responsible, even his best friend.
It will take another trespassing trip to Six Flags for the truth of Rafaela’s disappearance to be revealed and for the riddle of Remy’s birth to be unraveled.
Garden of Souls by Michelle Ziegler
Blurb: Something, or someone, pulled Miranda to purchase the old carriage house. It was a great deal, most likely because of the cemetery or the unexpected resident, Thomas. The ghost she finds within the sanctuary of her new home should have scared her. Instead she finds herself falling in love with him.
Now, a few days from Halloween, Thomas continues to push her to live her life. He wants one night though; the one night of magic for the dead. Torn by her love for Thomas and her need for reality and human contact, Miranda takes a chance with Sean. Someone who’s alive. The guilt is eating away at her. Sean’s nice and he hasn’t run off yet, pushed away by her craziness. Miranda knows she can’t split her herself.
Choosing her heart’s desire doesn’t seem possible, but living and loving another seems like a life riddled with pain.
Spooky Hollow Café by Lisa A. Adams
Blurb: Aggie Pierce owns a quaint little spot, the Spooky Hollow Cafe’. Tourist come from all over the nation to her confections diner for the entertainment. Real live interacting ghosts make appearances once a day, you just don’t know when.
But, when a ghost’s crush becomes an obsession, just how far will a hero have to go to save Aggie’s life?
Ghost of a Chance by Lily Carlyle
Blurb: After years of having her college boyfriend Sean as an ex with benefits, Julie believes he is finally, irrevocably out of her life. Forever. And it breaks her heart.
Until one night he shows up at the neighborhood hangout—with a mysterious job, luxurious car, and fabulous digs. Not to mention a new determination to woo Julie.
Even as her mind says no, her heart—and other parts of her body—is saying yes, yes, yes!
September 15, 2014
Mistakes
I’m a failure kind of girl and I admit it.
I make mistakes sometimes they are so small that only I notice them, they’ve also been known to come in medium sized or even the gigantic variety.
But…. I cook well.
Except for that cake I made yesterday.
All I did was open the oven to peek inside. I didn’t mean to shut the door so hard but the dog was barking and the phone was ringing.
The cake came out of the oven like a twisted martian landscape. Didn’t bother my husband at all, he added extra frosting and declared it good.
What does this have to do with making mistakes? A lot!
It’s okay!
It’s okay if that light pink cake icing turned Barney purple.
It’s okay if you forgot to get the laundry dry cleaned.
We live in a world full of people willing to chastise us publicly for the smallest thing out of place. It could be the color of your lipstick or your latest hair color. Vilifying us for that paper accidentally filed wrong.
Failure is a word. It’s not a belief system, so many people in this world, are afraid of making a mistake. Life is FULL of mistakes, learn from what you’ve done and move on. Be willing to make that next mistake.
Because sometimes, it’s only in our mistakes that we find the creativity that will spur us on.
September 4, 2014
Ghosts in the Mirror by Joyce Mangola
Loved this review of Ghosts in the Mirror so much .. i’m sharing it! Happy reading!
Ghosts in the Mirror by Joyce Mangola.
September 1, 2014
Strange
The other day I was told my writing style was strange…
And it threw me for a loop, because honestly I didn’t know what to make of this. I’m often told I’m funny, my plots are simple, my characters have heart, but strange? I wear my baseball hats on forward, I’m a jeans and sweatshirt type of girl and I drink my coffee before 8 am like everyone else in the world.
Sure there are dragon changer stories on my hard drive, but there are also a few mermaid stories, a bakery with Pixies set loose in them. I have a cursed enchantress, a werewolf desperately in need of a cure, a couple of undead witches, a woman who used to be able to call birds. You know, the usual plot characters. There is even a contemporary hidden away.
The thing is.. I love pulling different characters out of a hat and seeing what story they have to tell. Each character is different, diverse. My characters are crazy, happy, sad, lonely, irritating or peaceful “people” so what if some of them can do spells, I’m having fun writing and I’ve heard a few giggles from people who are reading and isn’t that really what counts?
Sheryl Winters lives in a small town in Alaska. She grew up in the midst of old country story tellers, so you might say writing comes naturally to her. She is known for writing paranormal romances with a twist. Her writing inspiration often comes from the great outdoors of Alaska and she enfolds bits of it into her stories. For further inspiration, she has raised a menagerie of cats and dogs to the aged spirits they have become.
Her debut novel Purr-fect Mating can be found at Amazon.com
August 29, 2014
The Artisans
Cover Reveal: The Artisans by Julie Reece and Giveaway #M9BFridayReveals
Welcome to the Cover Reveal for
The Artisans by Julie Reece
presented by Month9Books!
Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!
They say death can be beautiful. But after the death of her mother, seventeen-year-old RAVEN WEATHERSBY gives up her dream of becoming a fashion designer, barely surviving life in the South Carolina lowlands.
To make ends meet, Raven works after school as a seamstress creating stunning works of fashion that often rival the great names of the day.
Instead of making things easier on the high school senior, her stepdad’s drinking leads to a run in with the highly reclusive heir to the Maddox family fortune, Gideon Maddox.
But Raven’s stepdad’s drying out and in no condition to attend the meeting with Maddox. So Raven volunteers to take his place and offers to repay the debt in order to keep the only father she’s ever known out of jail, or worse.
Gideon Maddox agrees, outlining an outrageous demand: Raven must live in his home for a year while she designs for Maddox Industries’ clothing line, signing over her creative rights.
Her handsome young captor is arrogant and infuriating to the nth degree, and Raven can’t imagine working for him, let alone sharing the same space for more than five minutes.
But nothing is ever as it seems. Is Gideon Maddox the monster the world believes him to be? And can he stand to let the young seamstress see him as he really is?
The Artisans is a delectably rich, layered and dark YA Southern Gothic inspired by Jeanne Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s classic Beauty and the Beast.
“The Artisans has all the elements I love – spooky intrigue, strong friendships, and a romantic tension to be savored.” ~ Wendy Higgins, New York Times bestselling author of the Sweet Evil trilogy.
Title: The Artisans
Publication date: May 2015
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Julie Reece
Born in Ohio, I lived next to my grandfather’s horse farm until the fourth grade. Summers were about riding, fishing and make-believe, while winter brought sledding and ice-skating on frozen ponds. Most of life was magical, but not all.
I struggled with multiple learning disabilities, did not excel in school. I spent much of my time looking out windows and daydreaming. In the fourth grade (with the help of one very nice teacher) I fought dyslexia for my right to read, like a prince fights a dragon in order to free the princess locked in a tower, and I won.
Afterwards, I read like a fiend. I invented stories where I could be the princess… or a gifted heroine from another world who kicked bad guy butt to win the heart of a charismatic hero. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? Later, I moved to Florida where I continued to fantasize about superpowers and monsters, fabricating stories (my mother called it lying) and sharing them with my friends.
Then I thought I’d write one down…
Hooked, I’ve been writing ever since. I write historical, contemporary, urban fantasy, adventure, and young adult romances. I love strong heroines, sweeping tales of mystery and epic adventure… which must include a really hot guy. My writing is proof you can work hard to overcome any obstacle. Don’t give up. I say, if you write, write on!
Connect with the Author: |
Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!
(Winners will receive their book on release day)
August 26, 2014
Roane ***Free reads** Yes, you read that right!
Certainly worthy of celebration, eh? We have had a chance to finalize the release schedule and here is what you all have to look forward to over the month of September!
Monday, Sept. 1st:
Any Other Way – Michelle Ziegler
Dragon Eye – Anna Simpson
Monday, Sept. 8th:
Plague of Cats – Sonny Zae
Bourbon Boots and Southern Persuasion – London Saint James
Monday, Sept. 15th:
Pixified – Sheryl Winters
Sisters: A Montana Series Short – Krista Ames
Monday, Sept. 22nd:
Manor of Sweet Souls: Gladys Celebrates – Echo Shea
Love’s Revenge: Chapter One – Terri Rochenski
Monday, Sept. 29th:
All For Nothing – Laurie Tracey
First Date Disaster? – Rebecca Hart
August 13, 2014
Can you believe it? Hereditary is HERE!
By now, it should be a obvious who one of my favorite authors is!
J.A. Belfield!
She sings, she dances
and she wrote one of my favorite all time books……..
Darkness and Light!
Okay, honestly.
I could be fibbing about the singing and dancing…
But i’m not teasing about this little surprise because…
Hereditary. IS. HERE!
It’s release day for HEREDITARY!
This means a chance to celebrate.
Because HEREDITARY is a FREEEEEEE Holloway Pack short story, which means you can go grab your copy now and not have to pay a penny.
\o/\o/ \o/ \o/ \o/
And if you’ve yet to read the Holloway Pack series? Fear not, because HEREDITARY can be read just as easily as a standalone. So, you, too, can go grab your copy now.
Here’s what it’s all about:
The trouble with one-night stands: you never know who—or what—you’re sleeping with.
~~~
Being a parent isn’t an easy ride. Even more so for single mum Shelley Lewis.
When her thirteen year old son’s hormones kick in, she’s faced with his immense growth, insane sweat, and ridiculous hairiness, not to mention all the normal teenage issues.
Discovering her only son isn’t human on top of those is the shock of a lifetime, and Shelley knows she’s the only one to blame.
It may be too late to save her son from her mistakes, but she can still try to save Gabe from himself.
~~~
For fans of J.A. Belfield’s Holloway Pack series, Hereditary is a look back at the origins for characters met in Resonance.
Release Date: August 13th 2014
Grab your copy!
Pssst, if you visit J.A. Belfield’s post, you can listen to her read a short passage, too!
But before you vanish, be sure to enter below in the celebratory giveaway to win a pair of signed Caged bookmarks ….
AND a $10 Amazon GC.
Hey, maybe you can use it to add MORE Holloway Pack to your eReader. ;)
Good luck.
Enter to win a $10 GC here!
J.A. Belfield Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Website
August 9, 2014
The joys of being a writer.
Most of the time what I do as a writer is organic. It flows from my head to my fingers in a non-interrupted stream of consciousness.
THEN
It turns ugly, because I have to think and by thinking I mean skull scratching, throwing things at the wall, so angry I can’t breathe all because I can’t *figure out, * or *fix* a particular scene.
And when i’ve thrown all my pencils and my last notebook, I pull out my old standby: cold calculation. Like a Math Professor, who does quantum physics while he creates crossword puzzles, I methodically plot out the scene needed.
When I’ve done all I can, to make my werewolf loving, tight jean wearing twenty-year-old caffeine addict as realistic possible, I send my work off to a beta reader.. or two.
Then I wait.
And just when I’m convinced I will never hear back from anyone ever again… I get a knock on my door. (Yes, my favorite beta reader lives nearby!~)
Thoughts race through my head. Was the story tightly focused enough? Will I be able to fix the plot after they’ve ruthlessly shredded it to bit? Did my characters interact so well that when they were facing that mob of zombie werewolf vampires from the planet Alakazambia that my reader fell asleep? Instead of a tight review I can use for weeks on end, I get a …. compliment.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Sheryl, you’re supposed to be happy right now.
AND I am..
but.. but..
but..
“This is so you. YOU drink coffee like this,” she tells me.
NO, No no. I drink one cup of coffee a day then i’m done. Kaput, finished. *I* shared my eye color with my heroine. Which by the way is a beautiful shade of hazel with flecks like real cinnamon floating haphazardly throughout. I gave her a love of woodworking, the joy of sanding and staining. That was me. The coffee? I coldly made that up.
“No. The coffee was you. I could so see you drinking that. ”
BUT…
I look nothing like my character. She’s skinny and wears long t-shirts with cartoon characters on them. She drinks non-fat latte with an extra shot of caffeine. I’d die from that. I have fat reserves to replenish people. I can’t afford to drink anything nonfat. Her coffee is considered yuck in a cup.
Then I get that look. The one that says.’ I know you better.’ And maybe she does. If she wants to see me as a latte drinking, skinny twenty year old with hazel eyes. Who am I to judge?
So I shrug and close the door gently behind her. I open up my laptop and go back to my cold-blooded calculation on how to get a mermaid out of the ocean without threatening her with a great white shark.
Ah. The joys of being a writer!
Sheryl Winters lives in a small town in Alaska. She grew up in the midst of old country story tellers, so you might say writing comes naturally to her. She is known for writing paranormal romances with a twist. Her writing inspiration often comes from the great outdoors of Alaska and she enfolds bits of it into her stories. For further inspiration, she has raised a menagerie of cats and dogs to the aged spirits they have become.
