Saturday, June 30, 2012

Review: Deadly Pleasures by Mary Firmin

Deadly Pleasures by Mary Firmin

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Amazon Product Description:
Megan Riley has bigger things to worry about than the fact that her neighbor has just been found dead. Her engagement has just ended, and she is once again on a quest to find Mr. Right-or at least Mr. Right Now. Tired of emotional ties and ready for a new adventure, Megan and her three best friends make a fateful decision. They hire hunky stripper Michael Harrington as their timeshare boytoy-unaware he is the prime suspect in a series of gruesome murders. Suddenly, they find themselves involved in a complicated murder investigation led by a handsome detective who is focused only on finding the twisted serial killer before he strikes again. But who will be the next to die? Megan, the hardworking real estate agent; newly divorced Kathleen; Alex, married to a wealthy businessman; or Rachel, the spurned wife of a hot Hollywood screenwriter? Following her own investigation, Megan takes a wild ride through L.A.'s bondage parlors, hidden sex clubs, and the extravagant lifestyles of the rich and famous; soon she discovers that her quest for adventure has abruptly transformed into a dangerous game of life and death.


My thoughts:
This is a thriller from the go.  Mary Firmin delivers a murder mystery that does not disappoint.  The plot is dangerously captivating.  The characters are clever and realistic with personalities that make you both smile and cringe.  Megan's friends are an electrically charged group of women with a twisted sense of reality and style.  


The boy-toy plan is funny and creative.  Not something you read about normally - women taking that role in the world of adultery, and they do it in high end style.  I found myself both shocked and intrigued by the idea, not where I would go but a sure-fire payback for their cheating men.


This is a chilling whirlwind of a mystery - serial killer, hidden lifestyles, deadly choices and somewhere along the way Megan finds the chance at Mr. Right - for real.


Wildly entertaining.  Hard to put down.  Start it on your day off because you will want to read to the end.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Review: The Darkening Dream by Andy Gavin (link to author giveaway too)

The Darkening Dream by Andy Gavin

**I recieved this book in exchange for an honest review.

Amazon Product Description:
Even as the modern world pushes the supernatural aside in favor of science and steel, the old ways remain. God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs.

1913, Salem, Massachusetts - Sarah Engelmann's life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand.
With the help of Alex, a Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex's elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah's own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah's continuing visions reveal?
No less than Gabriel's Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be herself.

My thoughts:
Sinister, ancient evil.  Faith, love, desire and sheer force of will.  These are just some of the things you will find when you open Andy Gavin's Darkening Dream.  Keep turning the pages and you will find this dark, mysterious, twisted tale is filled with fantastic characters.  These characters are a grab bag: God, gods, demons, vampires, humans, ghosts, angels.  Each of them created with personality that pulls you further into the fast paced rollercoaster ride that twists and turns faster and faster as you get closer to the end.

This book delivers a cleverly woven mix of religions, religious beliefs, magic, vampire folklore, and history.  There is a depth to this story that I wasn't expecting when I first started reading it. 

The story is gripping and terrifying. The language is vivid and descriptive, bringing to life a gruesome picture of a world in peril.  If you are a fan of the Stoker style vampire - this one is for you.
Thanks for stopping by The Wormhole.
Happy Reading.
(P.S. Andy is having a giveaway - click HERE!)

Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop

This giveaway hop is presented by Mundi Moms and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.
Click HERE to go to the entire giveaway Linky.
This is stop # 72.
Stop #73 is: Books Beside My Bed
Welcome to the Wormhole!
My giveaway is:  Any ONE book 
($10.00 or less - shipped anywhere US or internationally 
as long as The Book Depository ships to your location free).
Rules to enter:
1. Must be a follower of The Wormhole
2. Must fill out the entire form below
3. Must be 13 or older
Good Luck and Thanks for following!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Blog tour: Heart of Mine by Michelle Beattie

This book promotion is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day to promote:
Heart of Mine by Michelle Beattie!

 Michelle Beattie has been writing for 15 years.   Her first pirate novel sold to the Berkley Publishing Group in 2007 and hit the shelves in December 2008 under the title, What a Pirate Desires. 

Wanting to build a readership, Berkley encouraged Michelle to turn the book into a series and 6 months later she signed a two-book contract.  Her second novel, Romancing the Pirate was released in 2009 and the third book, A Pirate's Possession was released in December 2010.
Her books have received wonderful praise from publisher's weekly, Romantic Times and several on-line review sites as well as have been published in several languages.


Heart of Mine
By Michelle Beattie
To avoid a forced marriage, Laura Gibbs has little choice but to go along with her controlling father's plan to deceive the man she's secretly loved for years.  Scared and alone, she lies next to a drugged and sleeping Jake knowing fully well the position she's putting him in.
Jake Evans has been burned in the past and has learned the hard way that nobody is interested in him, only his money.  So when he wakes to find Laura in his bed, he's convinced that she's yet another in a long line of women who only wants his share of his recently inherited gold mine.   A fact soon confirmed when her father storms in the room and demands Jake make an honest woman out of Laura, lest he be charged with rape and hanged.  A bitter Jake agrees, but vows that money-grubbing Hugh will never see a cent of his money.
 As Laura gains freedom from her oppressing father, she also gains courage.   Determined to make a real marriage with Jake, she refuses her father's demand that she steal from her husband and instead concentrates her efforts on showing Jake the woman she truly is. 
 Despite Laura's deceptions, Jake can't deny his attraction to her.  With the physical attraction sizzling between them, Jake begins to believe he's finally found the woman for him.
 But there's trouble brewing.  Hugh, neck-deep in gambling debts with no money in sight, seeks drastic measures that won't only risk Laura and Jake's marriage; it'll risk her very life.

Click HERE to get your own copy!

Moira Rogers Day!

Welcome to The Wormhole!
I declared yesterday to be Moira Rogers Day!
Do you ever have those days where you watch only Sean Connery movies?
Same thing - only books!
I had the day off and devoted a large portion of it to the couch and Moira Rogers books.
This is what I got read:

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Blog Tour: Spirit of Rebellion by Debbie Peterson (author giveaway too!)

This virtual book tour is presente by Bewitching Book Tours.
Click HERE to see the entire tour schedule.
Welcome to The Wormhole!
It is with great pleasure that I promote:
Debbie Peterson and Spirit of Rebellion.
 
Debbie Peterson, author of “Shadow of the Witte Wieven,” is introducing, “Spirit of the Rebellion,” through The Wild Rose Press. This paranormal romance centers on a murdered civil war captain, falsely accused of treason, and a beautiful Norse historian determined to clear his name. She invites you to come along on this incredible adventure, filled with mystery and romance.
 
Debbie has always had a soft spot for fairy tales, the joy of falling in love, and happily ever after endings. She incorporates these aspects into all of the paranormal stories she writes.
 
When she is not busy conjuring her latest novel, she spends time with the beloved members of her very large family. She also pursues her interests in family history and all things ancient and historic.
 
You can connect with her:
 
Spirit of Rebellion
By Deborah K Peterson

Blurb: Souls touch and emotions flare when a historian and an embittered spirit form an unlikely alliance to investigate the centuries-old riddle surrounding his death…

Ready for a fresh chapter in her life, Shae Lynn Montgomery accepts a job translating a cache of Civil War documents from Wisconsin’s famous Norwegian regiment. The assignment takes her to Chickamauga’s haunted Starling Plantation and face-to-face with a handsome captain—its angry ghost in residence.

Tristan Jordahl, falsely accused of treason, has no use for the living—not even the lovely translator invading his home. Despite Tristan’s best efforts to frighten her, Shae Lynn refuses to leave, and reluctantly, Tristan enlists her help to clear his name.

But as they grow closer to the truth—and to each other—an evil spirit makes it clear he will do anything to stop them. Can a love that transcends time overcome all obstacles?

Link to booktrailer: http://youtu.be/l-eiGN33Kp4

Giveaway~ 3 copies of Spirit of Rebellion!
Click HERE to enter!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

One Day Book Blitz! Eversworn by Hailey Edwards

This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.
Click HERE to see the entire tour schedule.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my stop on the Blitz!

Steal the salt. Bind the grimoire. Escape the male.
Daughters of Askara, Book 3
When an exchange of stolen goods in the Feriana marketplace turns sour, Isabeau stumbles from the encounter bruised and laden with new orders to complete an even larger heist. With her child’s life at stake, there’s no room for error—or allies.
Armed with a lethal book of spells, she strikes a dangerous bargain with Roland Bernhard. Steal a shipment of salt from the Feriana colony, and she’ll have her freedom—and her daughter. It’s all she’s ever wanted. At least it was…until she runs into Dillon Preston.
Dillon is out of commission after a mine explosion, and itching for a distraction. He gets it when the female who saved his leg arrives at the colony with nothing but flimsy excuses and even flimsier attire. She’s after something, but is it him—or the salt?
Trapped in a desperate bid to gain true freedom, Isabeau is willing to sacrifice her life for her daughter’s, but Dillon has other plans. He wants a package deal, and he’s not willing to lose either female, even if it means the future king of Sere’s head will roll.
Warning: This title contains a heroine desperate to save her daughter and a hero determined to make them a family. It also includes wings, horns and other assorted appendages.
Author Bio
Hailey is a wife turned mother turned writer, who loves her husband, her daughter and alone time with her computer. Whenever southern living strikes her as too ordinary, she can be found squinting at her monitor as she writes her next happily-ever-after or with her nose glued to her Kindle’s screen. Wings and/or cupcakes are usually involved…
She loves to hear from readers. Drop her a line here.
You can also swing by her blog or subscribe to her newsletter for all her latest news.
Author Links

Blog Tour: Darkening Dream by Andy Gavin (Author Givewaway too!)


A Vampire Novel with Actual Bite!



As the modern world establishes itself and pushes the supernatural into the shadows, the supernatural fights back.



The Darkening Dream is a chilling new dark fantasy novel by Andy Gavin, creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter. The book has received rave reviews and is on sale for only 99 cents on Amazon Kindle from June 25th-29th! Download your copy here.



In addition, Andy is doing a big giveaway, including a $100 gift certificate to Amazon, signed copies of his books, video games, posters, and more!







Tweet, like, follow, share, blog and grab a copy of his book to enter.

Get your 99 cent copy of The Darkening Dream today on Amazon only.



Long-time readers of dark historical fantasy (Tim Powers, Guy Gavriel Kay, Katherine Kurtz) will appreciate the weaving together of mythology, occult, and religion, while younger readers and fans of HBO dramas (True Blood, Carnivàle) or urban fantasy (Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher) will be drawn to the twisted imagination, graphic action, and romantic tension.



About The Darkening Dream



Even as the modern world pushes the supernatural aside in favor of science and steel, the old ways remain. God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs.



1913, Salem, Massachusetts – Sarah Engelmann’s life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand.



With the help of Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex’s elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah’s own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah’s continuing visions reveal?



No less than Gabriel’s Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be her very soul.



The Reviews Are In



"A vampire novel with actual bite." ~The Kirkus Reviews



"A gorgeously creepy, strangely humorous, and sincerely terrifying tale." ~Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)



"Mr. Gavin has brought something refreshingly new to a genre now suffused with poorly-concealed bodice-rippers which have more in common with Fabio than Bram Stoker: depth. His big baddies are scary, not romantic interests, and the added religious lore is complex and engaging. Don't expect another Twilight -- the story can get downright creepy, so be prepared for a return to the old horror sensibilities of supernatural fiction." ~Amazon Review



"With Mr. Gavin's video-game pedigree, I was expecting something aimed squarely at the 18-25 year old fanboy contingent; what I got in The Darkening Dream was something wholly unexpected: A period novel with a female protagonist, a crash-course on Judaism in the colonial years, and multi-layered series of plot arcs featuring a crazy cast of natural and supernatural characters populating turn of the century America." ~Amazon Review



"…A perfect blend of mystery, magic and myth. A grown-up Grimm's fairy tale... emphasis on grim."  ~Amazon Review

Read the first two sample chapters here.



Get your 99 cent copy of The Darkening Dream today on Amazon only.



About the Author






Andy Gavin is an unstoppable storyteller who studied for his Ph.D. at M.I.T. and founded video game developer Naughty Dog, Inc. at the age of fifteen, serving as co-president for two decades. There he created, produced, and directed over a dozen video games, including the award winning and best selling Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter franchises, selling over 40 million units worldwide. He sleeps little, reads novels and histories, watches media obsessively, travels, and of course, writes. Find out more here.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Blog Tour: Spartacus: The Gladiator by Ben Kane

This virtual book tour is presented by Teddy Rose of  Premier Virtual Author Book Tours.
Click HERE to see the entire tour schedule.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature Ben Kane and his book
Spartacus: The Gladiator.

Ben Kane was born in Kenya and raised there and in Ireland. He qualified as a veterinary surgeon from University College Dublin, and worked in Ireland and the UK for several years. After that he travelled the world extensively, indulging his passion for seeing the world and learning more about ancient history. He drove around the USA in a camper van, trekked the Inca trail and took a ship to Antarctica. Seven continents and more than 65 countries later, he decided to settle down, for a while at least.
While working in Northumberland in 2001/2, his love of ancient history was fueled by visits to Hadrian’s Wall. He naïvely decided to write bestselling Roman novels, a plan which came to fruition after several years of working full time at two jobs – being a vet and writing. Retrospectively, this was an unsurprising development, because since his childhood, Ben has been fascinated by Rome, and particularly, its armies. He now lives in North Somerset with his wife and family, where he has sensibly given up veterinary medicine to write full time.
To find out more about Ben and his books visit: www.benkane.net
You can also find him on Twitter: @benkaneauthor and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/benkanebooks



Spartacus: The Gladiator:
Long the stuff of legends, Spartacus is known to most modern readers through the classic Kubrick film version of Howard Fast’s novel. Now bestselling historical novelist Ben Kane returns to the source material and presents a lively and compelling new vision of the man who was Spartacus—Roman army auxillary, slave, gladiator and ultimately the leader of an army of slaves who nearly brought Rome to its knees. Ben Kane’s brilliant novel begins in the Thracian village to which Spartacus has returned after escaping from life as an auxiliary in the R oman army. Jealous of his attachment to Ariadne, a Dionysian priestess, the Thracian king betrays Spartacus to the Romans who take him, along with Ariadne, into captivity and to the school of gladiators at Capua. Against the background of the unbelievable brutality of gladiatorial life, Spartacus and Crixus the Gaul plan the audacious overthrow of their Roman masters. They escape and flee to Vesuvius, where they recruit and train an army of escaped slaves that will have to face the conquerors of the known world, the most successful deadly army in all of history in a battle that will set in motion the legend that is Spartacus.

My Thoughts:
     I was thrilled when the opportunity to read and review this book arose.  Spartacus has always been one of my favorite movies (Kirk Douglas - need I say more) and this is the first book I have read about Spartacus and my first Ben Kane read as well.
     I have to begin with - Wow!  Ben Kane does a fantastic job of telling this story.  The book reads like a movie playing on the pages, which seem to all but turn themselves.  This was a thrilling, graphic, violent, gritty tale and Ben Kane has done a fine job of bringing it to life for his readers.  
     The characters in this book are carefully created and vividly described.  As I read, I found myself curious, outraged, shocked, saddened, hopeful, and cheering many times throughout the book.  These are characters that you easily become emotionally attached to.
     Ben Kane has brought life in 74 BC to his book with a wonderful mix of historical fact and fiction, making this book hard to put down.  My only complaint is the language.  I find it hard to believe that with his careful attention to names, places, weapons and such that he found it necessary to include rude, 21 century, cursing.  I didn't find the use of the profanity to in any way augment the story or the characters.  I am not implying that there is never a place for such language, only stating that I found the use of it in this book to actually detract from the story.  It just doesn't fit.
     One the whole - a wonderful read.  If you enjoy historical fiction this is a must read.
     
You can buy a copy of this book by clicking HERE.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop! (International)

This giveaway hop is presented by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer
You can get to the entire tour linky by clicking HERE.
I am stop #63.
Stop #62 is jennifersmusings
Stop # 64 is
Welcome to The Wormhole ~ it's another giveaway hop!
Entry is simple: be a follower (old or new) and fill out this form!
Thanks for following ~ good luck!


Thanks for following The Wormhole!
Happy reading.

Author Feature: Mary Firmin

Welcome to The Wormhole.
It is my pleasure to feature:  Mary Firmin 
and her book Deadly Pleasures.

Amazon Product Description:
"Megan Riley has bigger things to worry about than the fact that her neighbor has just been found dead. 
Her engagement has just ended, and she is once again on a quest to find Mr. Right—or at least Mr. Right Now. Tired of emotional ties and ready for a new adventure, Megan and her three best friends make a fateful decision. They hire hunky stripper Michael Harrington as their timeshare boytoy—unaware he is the prime suspect in a series of gruesome murders. Suddenly, they find themselves involved in a complicated murder investigation led by a handsome detective who is focused only on finding the twisted serial killer before he strikes again. But who will be the next to die? Megan, the hardworking real estate agent; newly divorced Kathleen; Alex, married to a wealthy businessman; or Rachel, the spurned wife of a hot Hollywood screenwriter?
Following her own investigation, Megan takes a wild ride through L.A.’s bondage parlors, hidden sex clubs, and the extravagant lifestyles of the rich and famous; soon she discovers that her quest for adventure has abruptly transformed into a dangerous game of life and death."
Mary Firmin Bio (from Amazon)
Mary Firmin was born in the North of England, emigrated to Canada, then traveled to Florida where she owned and operated an Arthur Murray Dance Studio. She moved on to Santa Monica, California where she worked in Real Estate Sales and eventually became Vice President of a large firm on the West Side. She began her writing career by attending many classes at local colleges, including UCLA, and then moved on to private writer's groups. As active members of a Southern California Yacht Club, Mary and her husband traveled up and down the California Coastline for years, and spent many days on Catalina Island. Upon moving to the Desert, Mary wrote a society column for a Palm Springs newspaper. It is from these experiences she forged her characters and the story of Deadly Pleasures. This book is a fun, casual read with a little romance, some deviant sex, and a sick serial killer. It is sure to keep your attention to the very end. Mary's loving husband, Bill, passed away this year. She has three children, one gorgeous grandchild and lives in Rancho Mirage, California. Mary is now working on her second book in this series, Deadly Secrets.
For those of you who are wanting more...Mary has stopped by for an interview:

Q. When did you first realize you wanted to be an author?

A. I think I had ideas of being a writer when I was a child. I loved writing compositions and no matter what they were about I always ended with ‘and then I went home tired but happy.’  I have never used that sentence since.  And I loved to read. I always had a book in my hand. But it wasn’t until later in life that I had the time and opportunity to follow this dream. I did not have a lot of formal education so I educated myself by going to writer’s classes, seminars, conventions, and writers groups.  Always in a writers group!

Q. How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?

A. A multitude. I worked for Bell Telephone in Canada; I taught dancing in Canada, moved to Florida and owned an Arthur Murray Dance Studio. Later I arrived in California (when I ran home to mother) where I continued to dance and teach in Hollywood.  After this I married my first husband. We had three children and I took up real estate. Eventually, I ended up as vice president of a large firm in Santa Monica, and general manager of residential sales. One day while talking with my friend we decided we wanted to be on the Tonight Show, so we figured the only way to do that was to write a book. We checked the UCLA catalogue and found a class advertised as “How to Write the Bestseller.” It was right up our alley. We attended that class and found our mentor, Marjorie Miller. She taught the Bestseller class, and then invited us to join her private writers group in Westwood. Many published authors came out of that group.  Both my friend and I fell in love with the process of writing and it became my life’s work, at first part time, and then full time. I am most happy when I am writing. Obviously, we did not make it to the Tonight Show. Yet!!!

Q. How long does it take you to write a book?

A. Before Deadly Pleasures, I had written Voodoo Fire, a thriller about Haiti, with zombies. But it was not fashionable then like it is now.  I started a vampire book after that but everyone told me no one was interested in vampires. Ha Ha. So I dumped that book. When I wrote the first version of Deadly Pleasures, the “powers that be” told me I couldn’t have four women. And then came ‘Sex in the City’ and then came ‘Desperate Housewives’. It seems they may now be ready for Deadly Pleasures -- I hope.  For Deadly Pleasures I probably spent three years writing it. I found my voice while writing this novel. I hope to complete my next book, Deadly Secrets this year.

Q. What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

A. I try to make my writing feel invisible so the reader can glide over the words and actually see what I am describing and feel the feelings I am trying to evoke.  But I do love to write descriptions of the sky, mountains, the sea, and people.  I think the reason I try to keep it simple is because I do not want the writing to interfere with the reader’s pleasure.

Q. Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?

A. Actually, the hardest thing to do is START. Usually, once I sit down and put my thoughts to what I want to accomplish in a scene, it’s hard to get me away from the computer. I have always chosen to write at night when there are no distractions. But since my husband passed away last year I can work any time of the day and night. Harold Robbins, (and who can forget Harold Robbins?) gave me the best advice, he said we had to ‘put ass glue on our chairs and not get up until we had five to ten pages written.’  It does not have to be perfect – just on the page. Since writing is mostly re-writing, nothing can happen unless you have the first words written down, then you can fiddle with it, rearrange it, and even omit it. But you must START.

Q. Where do you get your ideas or inspirations for your characters?

A. Of course there are only so many personality types, and often my characters do sound like people I know. But mostly, they all have a little piece of me in them. How else could I describe their feelings, fears, and emotions? My next book is about a country club in the desert so all my friends and golf partners are nervous.

Q. How do you decide what you want to work on?

A. I pick a subject I would like to learn about. I was fascinated with Haiti and the real source of zombies. I was also interested in the political situation. With Deadly Pleasures, I wanted an interesting killer. I was interested in bondage and S&M. but I knew very little about it. I never practiced BDSM but I was intrigued with the why of it. My husband and I had a whole lot of fun researching the information. We hit a lot of porn shops, read some pretty obnoxious magazines, watched videos, and with the help of a psychiatrist friend delved deeply into the mental process and the psychosis of sado-masochism. I read a lot of true crime and tried to figure out the motives of killers like my Bondage Murderer. It was fascinating!

Q. What books have most influenced your life?

A. As a girl it was always Nancy Drew and any kind of mystery I could get my hands on. I moved on to Agatha Christie, I adored Miss Marple and Mr. Poirot. I was so taken with Death on the Nile that in later years I talked my husband into going to Egypt. It was not the best time to travel there but we did. We sailed down the Nile in a boat similar to the one in the movie. We visited the hotel where the action took place. What a thrill. I also loved Sherlock Homes and of course Charles Dickens not always by my choice. Raised in England we were reading at a very early age so I had lots of time for Jane Austen, Emily Bronte. Etc. Now, I absolutely adore Thomas Harris the author of Hannibal and Red Dragon.  I treat Red Dragon as a text book, because the art of building suspense in this book is absolute genius.

Q. What are you reading right now?

A. I am reading books to review for my friends. I have just finished The Naked Room, by Diana Hockley, Also A Dangerous Harbor, by RPDahlke, Forgotten Burial: A Restless Spirit by Jodi Foster. I have just begun Memoirs from the Asylum by Kenneth Weene. My taste in books is eclectic. And I also bought Trick of the Dark by Val Mc Dermid, a British author of mysteries.  I love Jackie Collins. I can always count on being entertained.


Q. What do you like to do when you are not writing?

A. I love to dance, which is not surprising, I also play golf but I am not very good at it. I just keep slugging away. I absolutely adore spending time with my grandson who is seventeen months old and is experiencing EVERYTHING for the very first time. It is very exciting. I do lunch a lot.
My latest obsession is with Twitter. All my writer buddies are tweeting and re tweeting each other.  It’s a blast. My list of followers grows every day.

Q. What is your favorite comfort food?

A. That’s easy. Chocolate, milk or dark, but never white chocolate.

Q. What do you think makes a good story?

A. Something, anything that keeps the reader’s interest, has a fascinating beginning, a competent middle, and a satisfying ending. I do not like nebulous endings. I like things to be all wrapped up neatly. But then again, I don’t like to have it all explained away. I like funny, I want to laugh to ease the tension. I love descriptive passages that are not too flowery and overdone. I am pretty easy to satisfy. I just love reading.

Q. Who is your favorite author and why?

A. My favorite author is Thomas Harris, the author of Hannibal and Red Dragon.  His sense of pace and building to a suspenseful ending is genius. I have read Red Dragon many times. I use it like a text book. I do love Dan Brown, I really like the way he takes things that we think we know, and then turns them upside down.  He makes us believe.

Q. What book, if any, do you read over and over again?

A. Red Dragon, by Thomas Harris.  I also loved both movies they made of the book.

Fun, random questions.
Dogs or cats?  Very hard – dogs.
Coffee or tea?  I’m English, tea.
Dark or milk chocolate? Mmmm, milk.
Rocks or flowers?  Flowers.
Night or Day?  Night. I am a night person.
Favorite color.? Black.
Crayons or markers?  Markers.
Pens or pencils? Pencils.

You can buy a paperback copy by clicking HERE.
You can buy the kindle version for only $.99 by clicking HERE.
Stop back this week for the review!
Thanks for stopping by The Wormhole.  Happy Reading.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Bandit Creek Author ~ Sherile Reilly

Welcome to The Wormhole.
It is my pleasure to feature Bandit Creek author Sherile Reilly and her book Spunky.
About Sherile Reilly
Unlike her heroine, Sherile Reilly has never had to fret about hanging up her tap shoes. Trained as a singer and a pianist, she devoted her expertise to teaching sixth graders and learned as much from them as they learned from her. Sherile is now pursuing other passions, writing and painting. She’s had numerous showings of her art and her work has been selected as ‘Best in the Show’. She lives in Calgary, Alberta with her husband Ed.
...and now that you want to know more about her...Sherile has stopped by for an interview:
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I first realized I wanted to be an author when my husband and I were driving in Montana. I’d been reading a Judith Duncan novel and I loved the emotion. I wanted to write characters that a reader would love.

How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?
When I wrote my first novel, I was teaching school and writing at night. My fifth and sixth grade students inspired me. I had fun reading them the stories I was writing. They were quick to offer suggestions.

What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
When I write I must have an outline. I want to know what will happen next. Once I know the sequence of the story, I can write it and enjoy the emotion.

Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?
Reading books puts me in the frame of mind for writing. As a child, I devoured Enid Blyton books. I loved the children’s adventures and the settings—ancient castles, secret passages and caves.

What are you reading right now?
I’m always reading a variety of books. I just finished a novel about one of the Canadian Prime Ministers, Sir Wilfrid Laurier by Roy MacSkimming. Such novels are a wonderful way to learn history.

Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?
My inspiration for writing comes from thinking about characters with flaws and problems. How does each person find a solution to his or her problems? How does a character grow and change and become a better person?

What do you like to do when you are not writing?
When I’m not busy reading, I paint. Recently I had 25 paintings in the show and sale at the Leighton Center. Juggling art and writing is a big job, but I love both of them and don’t want to stop doing either. I guess I’ll have to give up watching television at night.

I have a special place in my heart for Spunky; she’s outspoken but honest and loyal.  You can read Spunky by clicking on the following link.

Other books in the Bandit Creek series can be found at the following:


Tap dancing and riding her dilapidated bike are ten-year-old Sarah Crawford's, better known as Spunky, favorite activities.

After moving to Bandit Creek with her mom, Spunky discovers the old lady in the basement apartment dislikes both her and her dancing.

While practicing her tap steps in the garage, Spunky devises a wonderful scheme to raise cash for a new bike. However, disaster strikes when she is accused of theft and her great money-making plan is squashed.

Just when Spunky thinks that Bandit Creek is a horrible place to live, she's forced to defend her beliefs and her whole world changes. She discovers the town may be more exciting than she ever realized.



You can buy your own copy by clicking HERE.
Thanks for stopping by The Wormhole!
Happy Reading.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Review: Thoughtless by Jacqueline Gardner

Thoughtless by Jacqueline Gardner

***I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Blurb:
When Bridget finds a dead cheerleader in the janitor’s closet, she becomes the killer’s next target. High school just got worse. It’s bad enough that she can hear the shocking truths that pass through her classmate’s heads. Now she has to worry about staying alive, and all clues point to the one person whose thoughts she can’t read - her boyfriend Terrence. Someone is taunting her, threatening to expose her secret. And when Bridget tries to single out her blackmailer, she’s nearly beaten to death by a mind controlled minion with fiery eyes.

But when Bridget finally comes face-to-face with the killer, suddenly a horde of brainwashed students programmed to destroy her life doesn't seem so bad.


My thoughts:
     I enjoyed this story from the start.  Fast paced, mysterious and twisting.  I love the idea of mind readers.  This is a wonderful YA paranormal. 
     Jacqueline Gardner has created a host of wonderful characters, my favorite being Rory - the science geek.   The good guys were your average teens - not flawless and invincible.  The bad guys too were young, but perfectly cruel and evil.  She has set those characters in a realistic high school setting.  I was cringing at the school interactions - I still remember high school and the author's descriptions were spot on.  
     The plot is intriguing and mysterious, with enough twists to keep you reading.  The story was fast paced and nicely written.  There was a little bit of romance with the "new boyfriend"  for Bridget (Terrance) but I kept holding out for a budding romance between her and Rory. 
     The mind reading/mind control aspect of the book was well done.  I liked the way the author twists the ritual (no spoilers - so that's all I will say).
     This is a clever and creative story that shows the depth of the author's imagination.  I can't wait for book two.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Blog Tour: Interview with a Jewish Vampire by Erica Manfred


This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.
You can see the entire tour schedule by clicking HERE.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature:
Erica Manfred and Interview with a Jewish Vampire.

Erica Manfred is a freelance journalist, humorous essayist, and author.   Her most recent book is the novel, Interview with a Jewish Vampire. She’s also authored two non-fiction self-help books, including most recently He’s History You’re Not; Surviving Divorce After Forty. Her articles and essays have appeared in Cosmopolitan, The New York Times Magazine, Ms., New Age Journal, Village Voice, Woman’s Day, SELF, Ladies Home Journal, and many other publications. Erica lives in Woodstock, New York with her Chihuahua, Shadow, and her daughter, Freda. Brought up by Jewish parents who spoke Yiddish but avoided religion, she got her Jewish education at the Woodstock Jewish Congregation which welcomes Jews from all backgrounds, from atheist to Orthodox, to vampire. Her website is www.ericamanfred.com, or visit www.jewishvampire.com



Interview with a Jewish Vampire
by Erica Manfred

The last thing zaftig middle-aged journalist, Rhoda Ginsburg, expected when she signed up for JDate was to fall in love with a vampire. But when she meets drop-dead gorgeous Sheldon, a Hasidic vampire, she falls hard. She rationalizes that he may not be alive, but at least he’s Jewish. 

She learns that back in the nineteenth century Sheldon was a rabbi who was turned into a vampire by Count Dracula, an anti-Semite who got his kicks from turning Orthodox Jews into vampires because then they’d have to drink blood, which isn’t kosher. 

Soon after she meets Sheldon, she discovers her beloved mother, Fanny, is terminally ill, so she comes up with the crackpot idea of getting Sheldon to turn Fanny and her friends, known as “the goils,” into vampires. 

Once she becomes a vampire, Fanny tires of her boring life in Century Village, Florida, and, seeking thrills, she goes clubbing and disappears into the nightlife of South Beach in Miami. When Fanny and her goil posse  “go rogue” and start preying on the young, Rhoda and Sheldon must track them down to keep them from killing again. 

Interview with a Jewish Vampire turns vampire lore on its head, proving that not all vampires are young and beautiful and it IS possible to be undead and kosher.


Excerpt:
We had met through JDate. I was a Jewish divorcee of forty-one who claimed to be thirty-five and might be considered zaftig if you defined that liberally. He had been dead for a long time but I didn’t know that right away. I just thought he was pale. An undead double for Jeff Goldblum, he was tall, slender, with a mischievous smile, flashing green eyes and long black hair. His incisors were kind of pointy when he smiled and his skin was pasty white, but that didn’t put me off. Everyone looked pretty sallow in the dead of winter in New York City. I immediately wondered if I could drag him off to my lair later that night.


Despite the fact that I had a pretty face, I didn’t get a lot of action on JDate because I had checked “a few extra pounds” in the body size box. “A few” was an understatement, which is why I always met dates at night in bars. I wore black and got there first so they would see me sitting down. My face was a lot slimmer than the rest of me. Jewish guys were the worst when it came to weight—and everything else. Only a Jewish supermodel who ran a law firm was good enough for the Jewish princes I met on JDate.

I was perched on a barstool too teeny to accommodate my rear end, which spilled over the edges. I peered at everyone else's barstools and felt worse seeing all those visible edges. I decided that from now on my goal in life would be to sit on a barstool and be able to see the edges. I tugged on my low-cut tunic top trying in vain to hide the bulges between chest and crotch which seemed to have a mind of their own, ballooning out despite my best efforts. At least I was showing some cleavage, my best physical attribute. He rescued me from what was rapidly becoming a severe fat attack.

“So, you’re a journalist…” he said, putting his elbow on the bar and turning towards me. I had listed that profession on my profile. “Do you have a tape recorder with you?” he asked, not realizing I suppose that tape was so last century and reporters now carried digital recorders.

“Why do you ask?” Men had asked me a lot of strange opening questions on first dates but whether I had a tape recorder was not one of them.

“I would like to tell the story of my life.” He leaned forward and gave me such an intense look I had to turn away. “Would you be willing to interview me?”

No, I wasn’t interested in the story of his life. I was interested in getting to know him in a more biblical sense. I figured he was just another narcissistic celebrity wannabe. As a writer I was constantly getting hit on--not by attractive men--but by people who thought their lives were so fascinating they would make surefire bestseller material. All they thought they needed was a writer to tell their story which, of course, I would be thrilled to do on spec because they didn’t have any money. None of them realized that writers are not charitable institutions.

“You will want to write my story,” he said urgently, “You’ve never heard anything like it before. It will make you rich and famous.”

“Sure, sure. So what’s so special about your story?” I asked wearily, disappointed that he was only interested in my writing skills, not my body.

“I’m a vampire,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Sure, and I’m the Queen of the Damned.”

“What will convince you?” he asked.