Monday, March 18, 2013

March Giveaway Madness #12: Poems About Life, Love, & Everything In Between by Jo Anne Myers




Poems About Life, Love, and Everything In Between by Jo Anne Myers:


This poetry collection provides a glimpse into the heart, mind, and soul, of its author. It is a heartwarming read, written with love and respect for others.

Some poems were written in times of sorrow, others in joyous celebration. Life is like that. 





***Leave your NAME & EMAIL for a chance to win one of TWO copies (either Kindle or Print). Drawing 3/25/13***

Excerpt (3 Selected Poems):

IN A LAND ONCE CALLED PARADISE

The road seemed endless,
with each step they took.

Weighed down by their gear,
emotions and fear.

They walked on every so fast.
Knowing each step might be their last.

The rain poured and the sun beat down.
As each side’s casualty became a mass.

Sounds of guns echoed all around.
As refuge became weeds and tall grass.

Each soldiers level of honor and courage was found.
As they fought bravely alongside the screams and death sounds.

While evils of man lingered amongst fields of rice,
devastation reigned in a land once called paradise.  


SOMETHING EVIL STIRS

Something evil stirs in my town.
A growing unrest.
A defiant unease, a growing anxiety.
Moving ever so softly, like whispers on the wind.

This thing comes swiftly.
No warning-as silent as breath.
Drenched in malice, it nears.                                       
A friend to chaos, sloth and death.

So quick-a malignant mass.  
Leaving behind the useless and morally dead. 
So forceful, that many become chaff.

Consuming everything within my town.

It fed well-as always. 
Until the next time-devouring all.

Slipping into homes, like fog on the bay.                  
Youthful disenchantment suffocates all.

Beware the beast is red as fire.
A mass of hate and poison. 
Our dictators battle the war with little success,
for the King and his court, squabble like school boys.


Only harmony will sooth the beast. 
A legion of unity, to succeed is needed.
Something evil stirs.
I am ready-standing tall and strong. 

I draw strength from within. 
Honor rules my mind.

Courage stirs my desire to win.
For the beast is-procrastination.


ODE TO KEESHA (my granddaughter)

Her past four years felt like an eternity,
as we watched her grow and see…

From the mom who urged her to do better.
To the fine woman she turned out to be.

Her awkward times, turned to cherished memories,
and the crowded halls she learned to call home.

The Indian mascot defined her;
and “The Times of My Life,” her graduation song.

Those rough years became her joy, 
as high school trained her for life’s hurdles.

From the tantrums and parties she threw.
To her many admirers who smiled and pursued. 

Most strangers she now calls friends.
A makeshift family to love to the end.

Her life is now a bright future,
as petty jealousies and heartbreaks mend.

She’s not a little girl anymore.
But nearly grown and out the door.

Long after the drama, she’ll realize how far,
her tears, and hard work got her.




 ***Leave your NAME & EMAIL for a chance to win one of TWO copies (either Kindle or Print). Drawing 3/25/13***

Buy Link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/147837022x 

Contact the Author:

joanne.tucker@frontier.com  
http://www.booksandpaintingsbyjoanne.com


                                              

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Saturday, March 16, 2013

March Giveaway Madness WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT: Rescued by a Duke by Ruth J Hartman

***WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT***

Rescued by a Duke 
by 
Ruth J Hartman

Sasha Douglas has hit rock bottom. Literally. Left all alone after her brother's murder, she thought things couldn't possibly get worse. Until she finds herself trapped, injured, and frightened with no hope of escape after falling into an abandoned well.

Garrett Rothchild Cantlebury, the 5th Duke of Ravensworth, is shocked to discover a woman trapped in his abandoned well. The place that holds reminders of horrible loss for him. Determined to save the poor girl, he pushes those thoughts aside, refusing to dwell on them. But the rescued damsel in distress ends up making him face a darker truth. One that threatens both their futures.

Can Sasha and Garrett put family tragedy behind them and find love together?

***Please leave your NAME & EMAIL for a chance to win one of TWO e-copies of this Regency Romance. Drawing 3/23/13***

Excerpt:

            His eyes crinkled at the corners. “You are not in trouble. I only wish to know your circumstances and how you happened by the dreadful hole I pulled you from.”
Her circumstances? A deep longing for her older brother burdened her heart and held the anger at arm’s length. Anger about Samuel. His lies. His broken promises… Even with all of her hurt feelings toward him, her world had ended when he'd been killed. He was far too young. Though her situation was dire, indeed, she didn’t want to appear weak in front of the duke. She was on her own and needed to take care of herself. I must not let him see my fear of being here. Helpless. At his mercy. She tilted her chin towards the duke. “I recently lost my brother, your grace. So I have no family to repay your kindness.”
“There is no need for repayment. It is I who am responsible that you had the mishap of injuring your leg on my property.”
Sasha shook her head. “You have been most kind to me, your grace, putting yourself at risk to save me when I was in the wrong. If it would be possible…”
He leaned closer. “Yes?”
“Is there room for me here—”
“Of course.” He tilted his head.
“—to work as a maid perhaps?”
He frowned and sat back. “You owe me nothing, Miss Douglas. Believe me, my heart aches at the thought of what you have been through. Your injury will take time to heal. Until then, I insist you stay here, in my home, where you can be properly looked after.”
“But—”
“No.” He stood and pushed the chair back to its original place. His eyes flashed anger, the pupils enlarging. Had it been her offer to work for him which had caused this response? Perhaps the gentry handled such matters differently than the working class. Why hadn’t she asked the kind maid? No. Instead she’d blurted out the question. To him! If only she could take back the words. Her eyes widened as he left the room, as stormy as a black cloud, the maid following in his wake. Sasha scooted down in the bed and drew the covers over her head as tears threatened to fall. Would he now demand she leave, even though she couldn’t walk on her own? If that happened, what would she do?


***Please leave your NAME & EMAIL for a chance to win one of TWO e-copies of this Regency Romance. Drawing 3/23/13***

Buy Link:
Contact the Author:
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Friday, March 15, 2013

March Giveaway Madness #11: Bewitching Hour by Catharina Shields

Bewitching Hour, a novella by Catharina Shields:


In 12th century Britain, Eirik Laurenbrogue is born during the bewitching hour with frightening deformities. He is forced to live his life in the shadows of his father’s great manse for he terrifies all who dare look upon him, and is condemned to lead a life of loneliness and exile, hidden away from the world while dreaming of love.

During one nightly excursion on his father’s vast lands, he happens upon a beautiful maiden in the woods. He does not know if his mind is playing tricks on him, for is she a demon that had come to torture him by taunting him with what he could never hope to have, or is she a bittersweet dream conjured by his intense loneliness?

Isleen, however, is neither demon nor dream. She is flesh and blood, and she has come to pose a question. The answer he chooses to give her will decide his fate; whether he remains the monster of Laurenbrogue Manse or becomes the Young Master of it.

If you like the classics, "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" you might like this story because it is written in that vein. It is an erotic adult fairytale romance that takes place in 12th century, very early 13th England, and as a fairytale, it is a novella rather than a novel.

***Please leave your NAME & EMAIL for a chance to win one of TWO print copies w/ bookmark. And answer THIS question: Have you ever read Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, or both? And did you like these classics? Drawing to be held 3/22/13. ***

Excerpt:

“You must choose tonight, Eirik Laurenbrogue, and you must choose wisely for you have this night alone to decide what you wish your destiny to be, and this night alone to allow me to help you.” Then she stared at him in earnest. “Do you wish to live freely, or do you wish to hide forever?” Then she turned from the window and began walking toward him. “You must choose now, Eirik Laurenbrogue, or the choice will be taken from you.”
Eirik instinctively pressed back against a solid post of his bed. He was not as brave as she and he was suddenly wrought with unease and fear, for her words gave him no comfort and she was sure of heart and sure of foot, whilst he was neither. He realized he knew nothing about this stranger, but he knew with painful certainty that should she choose to do it, a single push would send him falling to the hard, stone floors and he would be incapable of rising on his own.
“I wish you to leave.”
She raised a single eyebrow.
“Nay, I command you to leave!” he snapped with more courage than he felt.
She paused in step as she studied his eye. “I do not mean to bring you discomfort,” she said. “If you wish me gone, you have but to give me your answer and you shall have my promise that I shall be gone.”
“Answer?” he nearly sneered. “No. I give you a command! Leave!”
“I cannot leave pending your answer,” she said, and she calmly laced fingers before her as she looked at him with quiet repose. “But I caution you, Milord,” she continued with an earnest look, “you may give me but one answer and it will stand through time indefinite. I beg you, for your sake, choose wisely.”
“I have never met you. I do not know who you are. You speak in riddles, and you vex me beyond my limits,” Eirik growled. “I command you to leave my chambers. NOW!”
“Your answer, Milord,” she said, quietly, “and you will be rid of me if that is your desire.”
He glared at her from one, fiery eye. “If an answer buys ridding me of you, then you shall have it,” he began. “No, as handsome as you are, I do not want you here—”
“—That is not the answer.”
“—I do not want the divine honor of your company that only serves to remind me how—“ he abruptly paused as he swallowed. Then he cleared his throat. “How ugly I am—”
“—That, too, is not the answer—”
“—for contrary to your prejudice, Milady, I am NOT a sad creature. I am NOT a beggar groveling for your pity and charity. I am NOT in need of anyone! I AM A MAN, NOT A MONSTER!” he finally shouted with all his might, his bellow bouncing off the stone walls.
     And then . . . there was silence.

***Please leave your NAME & EMAIL for a chance to win one of TWO print copies w/ bookmark. And answer THIS question: Have you ever read Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, or both? And did you like these classics? Drawing to be held 3/22/13. ***


Buy Links:
E-book is FREE to download at:



Paperback copy is for sale here:


Contact the Author:


Catharina Shields' Official Author Website: www.CatharinaShields.com




Catharina Shields' YouTube Channel for all my book trailers (book trailers are also available to view on my official author website)


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Thursday, March 14, 2013

March Giveaway Madness #10: Spontaneous Combustion: Enlightenment and the Cosmic Crucible by Miles Gentry


Spontaneous Combustion: Enlightenment and the Cosmic Crucible 
by Miles Gentry

Shattering the dogmatic interpretations long held by the “churches,” the author has revisited many of the Bible’s mysteries, and now presents the esoteric truths contained within.
 
Drawing from the study of sacred texts, religious myth and symbols, from the study of metaphysics, psychology, and various occult teachings of the mystery schools, the author has presented a solid case for what he declares to be the true message of the ancients.
 
An intentionally non-religious work, though dealing with core issues of religion and spirituality, Spontaneous Combustion: Enlightenment and the Cosmic Crucible proves to be both unique and profound.

***Please leave your NAME & EMAIL in a comment below for a chance to win one of TWO print copies! Drawing 3/21/13***

Excerpt:

The "fallen" state of mankind has been described in various ways throughout history. In religious myth and legend, we find stories describing man as asleep or forgetful. Other stories depict him as drunken or sedated. The ancients even went so far as to say man is “dead,” or in a condition comparable to death.
 
All in all, mankind is in darkness. On the surface these descriptions seem absurd. We are not dead, we walk and we talk, we breath and think, we cannot be dead. The ancients were describing something else however. They were telling us, that though we may think we are awake, we are not. This is the “slumbering soul” motif. We are sleeping in the earth (body) like a dormant seed. This dormancy is death, in that we aren’t truly alive. We are living, but we are not alive in the greater sense. This is the urgent message of the ancients, that we must wake up!
 
It is said that we are living in ignorance, not for the lack of knowledge, but for the lack of gnosis. Gnosis is commonly defined as knowledge, especially pertaining to the human spirit. The 1966 Congress of Messina laid down as its final protocol the proposition that gnosis means “knowledge of the divine mysteries reserved for an elite.” So gnosis is knowledge of the divine mysteries, especially pertaining to the spirit, or soul of man. This is an important point to comprehend, because it sheds light on our situation. Without gnosis, man or woman may have all the worldly knowledge, but never be awake, never be sober, and never “rise from the dead."

***Please leave your NAME & EMAIL in a comment below for a chance to win one of TWO print copies! Drawing 3/21/13***

Buy Links:

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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

March Giveaway Madness #9: Strong Blood by Dale Ibitz

Strong Blood (Last Moon Rising Series #2) by Dale Ibitz:

 The war between nature's gods continues to rage on Eyidora and Haley, descendant of the Air Eyid, struggles with her own battles.

She's mired in a battle with Ian, the Fire Eyid descendant, over the lost Eyid stones. She needs the stones to stop the war, and he needs the stones to destroy Eyidora. She knows where the Land Eyid stone is hidden, and she races to Tamoor to find it before Ian does. 

Haley still doesn't trust Tuggin, the stone-faced Eyidoran assigned to protect her. As a Menta witch, he's adept at lying, mind-control, and killing. Even though Haley is starting to believe that Tuggin may be serving more than one master, she continues to battle her feelings for him, never sure which duty he feels most inclined to serve.

But Haley's biggest battle of all comes when she meets Luke and Telsa, twins with undeniable strength. Haley invites them to join her on her mission to find the Land Eyid stone. Has she put her trust in someone who may be just as dark and dangerous as the descendant of Fire himself?

 ***Please leave your NAME & EMAIL for a chance to win one print and one ebook of this second book in an exciting fantasy series. Drawing 3/20/13***

 Excerpt:


I closed my eyes, and the still-childish part of me longed for my mom. There was one place I could go to feel close to her. I bolted from my room and scurried down the hall. Head down, focused on reaching the Portrait Hall – where I hoped I could sort out my nightmares and insecurities – I rounded the corner and smacked into a very firm, very warm obstruction. 

An exotic, coconut scent invaded my head and warmed my veins. My breath evaporated in a tiny gasp, a mental sigh popping like a bubble inside my head. A tongue of electricity caressed my spine, and my stomach muscles spasmed. I didn’t need to lift my gaze to know what I’d just run in to.

Tuggin.

I stepped back. We stared at each other in the cold hallway, and that faint buzz of electricity I felt whenever I came into contact with Tuggin skittered over my body. My conflicted feelings about him battled in my chest, taking a couple of nicks at my heart. While my body initiated a melt-down sequence when I gazed at his ice-blue eyes, longish, dirty-blond hair, and over-all Greek Godiness, my brain registered several shortcomings in the demeanor department. Emotionally he was a void – a zero, a big, fat nothing – and snarkier than a hornet trapped in a used pee cup. Not to mention that he disliked me. 
Immensely.

His black tunic brushed against muscled arms and wide chest, which narrowed down to a pair of solid hips and long, strong, legs. I bit my lip, trying to not think about what lay beneath those clothes. I tried to douse the heat slipping through my gut, but the flare of nostrils indicated Tuggin had already spied the taint of my infatuation. I sucked my lips between my teeth. Damn, but he was serious hall-god material.

Tuggin leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. His gaze held the warmth of a glacier and the softness of boulder. I tried to meet him glare for glare, the trickling warmth that had ignited my spine a moment ago icing over.

As my Menta-protecter, Tuggin always knew what I was feeling, and what I was thinking. Mentas were trained to fight, to influence people’s thoughts, and to read emotions. Those powers made them pretty well-suited to protecting Council members and Eyid-emos. That was, of course, before the war had erupted generations ago, and those Council members and Eyid-emos who weren’t killed went into hiding. At that point, the Mentas took control of Eyidora. 

Those powers also enabled Mentas to become very adept at assassination. 

And Tuggin was dammed good at his job; he’d saved my ass on more than one occasion.

***Please leave your NAME & EMAIL for a chance to win one print and one ebook of this second book in an exciting fantasy series. Drawing 3/20/13***

BUY LINKS:

CONTACT THE AUTHOR:



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Tuesday, March 12, 2013

March Giveaway Madness #8: Lure of the Vampire by Bertena Varney

Lure of the Vampire by Bertena Varney


Lure of the Vampire, A Pop Culture Reference Book, Revamped Edition is an updated version of the original book published in 2011. It is now being released with new information on the sexy and scary creature of the night, the vampire.

The author takes the reader through the history and mythology of the vampire and then off into the vampires' invasion of mass media- books, television, and movies. But, readers will find that the trip doesn't end there. There are fun facts, "did you knows", links to websites, interviews of authors and more.

She also looks at vampires as entertainment for children and teens in her sections that provide articles and lists that help guide parents to pick appropriate vampire shows, comics, games, manga, anime and books for their children and teens.

Lure will then bring the reader to the real life aspect of the vampire by ending with academic information on real studies of vampires and real interviewers of "vampire lifestylers".

Lure of the vampire is a must read for anyone who is looking for a quick grab reference book that's concise enough to assist you in finding the information that you desire without being too cumbersome and confusing. It is perfect for those that pride themselves as a vampire fan or even for those readers that are not as familiar with vampires.

***Please leave your NAME & EMAIL in a comment below for a chance to win ONE e-copy of this superb vampire reference book. Drawing on 3/19/13***

Excerpt:

The Vampire as an Erotic Lover
    
Vampires have always been a metaphor for sex and taboo actions between a human and a monster. This monster is part of our deepest self that seduces us to let our dark side out and to allow the erotic to come through. Whether it was the great Victorian literature piece, Dracula or the violently dark, Varney the Vampire: Feast of Blood, the vampire is the one thing that we know we should not want, but can’t live without - just one bite.
 
In Dracula, you read about the group sex between the three female vampires and Jonathan Harker as well as the scene with Lucy who is very promiscuous and juggles three male suitors. The scene where she is killed is very erotic and has been likened to gang rape. The image is simply three men taking a stake and penetrating her body violently and continuously.
 
But, the most erotic scene is when Mina is forced to drink Dracula’s blood from his chest. It is a form of reverse breast feeding that shows Dracula not only as the provider of life but the receiver of pleasure. At this time, the Count is an example of uncontrollable lust that is powerful, aggressive, and primal in nature. He is simply an example of parasitic love and a taboo of that time. However, today the vampire bite and the sharing of blood represent eroticism not violence. The vampire is seen as erotic, sensual, and oh so sexual.
 
In today’s literature the vampire has evolved to the perfect lover that can give the female everything she desires because they have had centuries of practice to give to only her and her alone. Vampires know what women need and take the time to please them..........

Grab your copy to find out what they do to please women!

***Please leave your NAME & EMAIL in a comment below for a chance to win ONE e-copy of this superb vampire reference book. Drawing on 3/19/13***

COFFEE TIME  QUESTION: What is your favorite vampire in literature? Movies? Television? 


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Monday, March 11, 2013

March Giveaway Madness #7: Demons in the Big Easy by Jamie Marchant

Demons in the Big Easy by Jamie Marchant:


Adventurous in her youth, Cassandra built gateways between Domhan and its parallel realm of Earth. Now she’s too old for that kind of thing. But something is making it easier for demons to pass into Domhan. Not only that, but their behavior becomes inexplicable: whenever Cassandra banishes one, it laughs at her rather than resists, and it promises it will soon devour her essence and that of every resident of her small village. Cassandra is certain such a thing is impossible, for strong wards protect her village.

But then Cassandra’s granddaughter Aine falls through an unstable gateway. Cassandra is the only one within a hundred miles capable of creating a gateway and bringing Aine back. Despite her aching joints, Cassandra goes after her, and the gateway lands her in New Orleans. But something goes wrong with her tracking spell, which indicates Aine exists in four different places at once. As Cassandra struggles to find the true location of her granddaughter in the Big Easy, she discovers the source of the demons’ confidence.  Now, with an unlikely pair of allies—her timid granddaughter and a homeless man who may or may not be crazy—she has to not only save her granddaughter but also prevent both Domhan and Earth from being overrun by demons.  

***Leave your NAME & E-MAIL in a comment below for a chance to win 1 E-book and 1 Print copy. Drawing to be held 3/18/12***

Excerpt:

          Cassandra felt eyes watching her and turned. On the other side of the fence, just off sacred ground, stood a demon. It smiled at her revealing nasty, yellow teeth and a forked tongue, its cat-like eyes glowing with satisfaction. “Good e’vn, powerful one.” The demon was short, but bloated, as if it had just consumed someone’s essence, but it was too small to have gotten past the wards she had guarding the village.
            Cassandra’s lips tightened as she wondered who had been caught outside the wards. She hoped it wasn’t one of those who relied upon her for protection. She’d warned them not to be without the village boundaries after sunset. She readied her staff to perform the ritual of banishment, but the demon’s behavior was odd. “Why have you sought me out? You know I’ll simply send you back where you belong.”
            The demon laughed. “Today, yes,” it hissed. “But soon there will be enough of us to overwhelm your wards and devour your village.”
            Impossible. The veil might be thinner, but not thin enough for demons to cross in multitude. It would take far too much energy. “Your idle threats don’t scare me.” Cassandra took her staff and began to draw a pentangle in the snow, the first step of the banishment ritual.
            The demon smiled wider as the pentangle took shape; it should have cowered in fear. “I will feast on you yet, powerful one, and the meal will be delectable.” It licked its thin lips with its forked tongue and made no effort to thwart the banishment. Any effort it made would have been futile, but still, she usually had to do the ritual while fighting them off, a lapse of concentration on her part usually fatal. This demon just watched as if rather amused by the spectacle.
            Cassandra finished drawing the pentangle and stood in the center. She planted her staff and began to chant in the old tongue. Directing her will and her energy into the staff, she pointed it toward the demon. The demon began to fade as she pushed it back beyond the veil. Usually, at this point, the demon would scream and curse her name. This one just laughed again and spoke a single word, “Soon.”

***Leave your NAME & E-MAIL in a comment below for a chance to win 1 E-book and 1 Print copy. Drawing to be held 3/18/12***

Buy Link: 

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Demons-Big-Easy-A-novella/dp/1481906984/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362059124&sr=8-1&keywords=demons+in+the+big+easy 

Contact the Author: 

Email: jamie-marchant@jamie-marchant.com
Website: http://jamie-marchant.com/
Blog:  http://jamie-marchant.blogspot.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jamie-Marchant-Author/164706710298768?ref=hl
Twitter: @RobrekSamantha
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5258855.Jamie_Marchant



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