Review: Guest Review: Blue by Lou Aronica

Blue by Lou Aronica

***This book was received in exchange for an honest review.

Amazon Product Description:
Chris Astor is a man in his early forties who is going through the toughest stretch of his life. Becky is Chris's fourteen-year-old daughter, a girl who overcame enormous challenges to become a vibrant, vital young woman - and now faces her greatest obstacle yet. Miea is the young queen of a fantasy land that Becky and Chris created when Becky was little, a fantasy land that has developed a life of its own and now finds itself in terrible, maybe fatal trouble. Together, Chris, Becky, and Miea need to uncover a secret. The secret to why their worlds have joined at this moment. The secret to their purpose. The secret to the future. It is a secret that, when discovered, will redefine imagination for all of them. Blue is a novel of trial and hope, invention and rediscovery. It might very well take you someplace you never knew existed.


Guest Review: 

- from the back jacket cover -

Do not begin this novel unless you are prepared to be moved, willing to open your heart, and available to the possibility that life can bring you magic.

Chris Astor is a man in his early forties who is going through the toughest stretch of his life.

Becky is Chris’s fourteen-year-old daughter, a girl who overcame enormous challenges to become a vibrant, vital young woman 0 and now faces her greatest obstacle yet.

Miea is the young queen of a fantasy land that Becky and Chris created when Becky was little, a fantasy land that has developed a life of its own and now finds itself in terrible, maybe fatal trouble. 

Together, Chris, Becky, and Miea need to uncover a secret.  The secret to why their worlds have joined at this moment.  The secret to their purpose.  The secret to the future.  It is a secret that, when discovered, will redefine imagination for all of them. 

Blue is a novel of trial and hope, invention and rediscovery.  It might very well take you someplace you never knew existed. 

My thoughts:

I truly enjoyed reading Blue!  The author developed characters as people you could relate to in real life.  The hopes and dreams of a four-teen-year old girl, the balance between a parent’s enduring love and sacrifices they make for their child while only wanting the best for them, and a magical place that resides in each of us.  The challenges Chris, Becky, and Miea must engage are all together different but are masterfully intertwined into a heart felt story about  life’s ups and downs, believing, and real magic that can be found if one looks.  A reader’s voyage that will inspire!

You can buy this book by clicking HERE.

Bandit Creek Author Interview: Vivi Anna

Welcome to The Wormhole!

It is my pleasure to interview Vivi Anna.

She is a Bandit Creek Author - - - check out their site HERE.

? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I don’t know, I think I’ve always wanted to be one, just didn’t know that I could be one.  Was about 11 years ago that I realized I could do it if I really applied myself and made a real go of it.

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

Worked in a shoe store, at a movie theatre, at an office in customer service, and owned a small business and flipped houses, then worked in a bookstore. That was my last job.

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

Depends on the length. But I can usually write a 60K book in 3 months.

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

When I near the end of a book, I can’t sit still for much longer than 10 minutes.  I’ll usually write a paragraph or two, then get up and walk around the house, then come back and do it again, then walk around the run again.  I’ll do that until I write THE END.

? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?

Everywhere.  From things I’ll see out driving, or on the TV, or read in the paper, or from some random thing someone says.

? How do you decide what you want to write about?

Hmm, that’s a good question.  A couple of factors come into it, first what do I need to work on, I might have a deadline or something, then its strictly down to desire. What story idea is calling to me the strongest. If I can ‘t get it out of my head and I dream about it, and thinking about it makes me happy, then that’s what I’ll work on.  But I usually work on 4 or 5 things at once.

? What books have most influenced your life?

Probably The Stand by Stephen King, and Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King, also the Dark Tower series by him, Watchers by Dean Koontz and most recently, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

? What are you reading right now?

A Clash of Kings by George RR Martin, it’s brilliant.

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

Go for long walks, watch movies, or TV shows on DVD, and listen to music and chill

? What is your favorite comfort food?

Chicken teriyaki stirfry, and strawberries and whipped cream

? What do you think makes a good story?

A strong interesting voice, if I like the voice of the narrator then I’ll pretty much go anywhere with them

? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?

Probably Stephen King, he’s been a constant companion since I was 10.  And he’s entertained me for 30 years. That’s huge.

Fun random questions: 

·        dogs or cats?  cats

·        Coffee or tea? neither

·        Dark or milk chocolate? dark

·        Rocks or flowers? flowers

·        Night or day? day

·        Favorite color? blue

·        Crayons or markers?  markers

·        Pens or pencils? pens

...more about the author... (from Amazon.com profile)

A Canadian girl, born and raised. I've been writing since 2000. I have books published with Kensington, Harlequin, Avon, and epublishers Samhain Publishing, Loose Id, and Ellora's Cave.
I love big action movies and small independent character films. Some of my favorite shows right now are True Blood, Supernatural, Dexter, and I am a huge Battlestar Galactica crazy lunatic avid fan.
Some of my favorite authors are Kim Harrison, Rachel Caine, Simon Green, Rob Thurman, Mark del Franco, Melissa Marr, Suzanne Collins, and Stephen King.

Lost (Mystery) – Vivi Anna (Author)

Kirsten Morgan can hear the dead. And now they are calling to her, to come home to Bandit Creek.
A girl has gone missing, and the law don’t have any leads. But the last thing Sheriff Samuel Morgan wants to see is his famous psychic daughter in his office telling him how to do his job. At odds for years, Kirsten doesn’t know how to talk to her father but she knows she has to push him to a place he doesn’t want to go. Because the dead are talking, and she has to answer, or lose her mind forever.
Click here to read the first chapter

To buy a copy of this book - click HERE.

Thanks for stopping by The Wormhole.

Happy Reading.

Blog Tour: Rook: Allie's War by JC Andrijeski

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 JC Andrijeski and 

Rook: Allie's War: Book One

About the Author:
JC Andrijeski is a bestselling author who has published novels, novellas, serials, graphic novels and short stories, as well as nonfiction essays and articles. Her short fiction runs from humorous to apocalyptic, and her nonfiction articles cover subjects from graffiti art, meditation, psychology, journalism, politics and history. Her short works have been published in numerous anthologies, online literary, art and fiction magazines as well as print venues such as NY Press newspaper and holistic health magazines.

Obtaining an MA in political science from the New School for Social Research (NSSR) in NYC, she did her graduate studies in race and caste systems, slave and ex-slave systems, religion and its impacts on social systems and other historical weirdnesses which fitted her surprisingly well for both fiction writing and being extremely annoying at parties. She moved from NYC to San Francisco in 1997, and otherwise has lived or spent considerable time in Albuquerque, Portland, Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver BC, New York, Florida, San Diego, Prague, London, Berlin, Sydney and Swinoujscie, Poland. JC currently lives and writes full time in Sidhpur, India, at the foot of the Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh, a location she drew on a fair bit in writing the Allie's War books.

website: http://www.jcandrijeski.com
blog: http://jcandrijeski.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/syrimne1
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Julie-C-Andrijeski/119289867659
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4470130.J_C_Andrijeski

...and now ~ the book...

Rook: Allie's War, Book One
By JC Andrijeski
Published By White Sun Press


Blurb:
28-year-old San Francisco native, Allie Taylor, at least thought she was human. But when she meets her first real seer, a race of human-like beings discovered in the 1900s, he tells her that not only is she a seer, like him, but that all the other seers believe she's going to end the world. Unfortunately, no matter what she does, everything that happens after that only seems to prove him right.

The author has provided this excerpt to feed your need to read...

“Put it down!” A voice yelled. “On the ground! Right now!”

I blinked in confusion, staring at the bottle in my hand. The jagged end of broken glass looked like something out of a cartoon, or an old gangster movie.

Blood ran down the inside of my arm, not all of it mine. My muscles locked, bunched up with adrenaline.

Someone must have called the police. The young guy in front of me didn’t have his gun out, but his hand held the holster menacingly, and his uniform brought a flush of panic, starting somewhere in my lower belly.

The other fire that had burned there—irrationally bright only seconds before—abruptly sobered. Without taking so much as a breath, I dropped the broken bottle, holding up my hands in a gesture of surrender.

I’ve never been a tough chick. I’d never done anything remotely like this before...but I knew enough to know that my arms covered in tattoos and my punky, bleached-calico hair weren’t winning me any points with the men in blue. I looked around at the swath of cleared space around the bar.

“Hands up!” the cop yelled.

“They’re up!” I said.

He walked up, grabbing one of my wrists. He spun me around so I faced the bar. I felt cool metal hit my wrist as my chest thudded into the lacquered wood.

“You have any weapons?” the young policeman asked. He cuffed me, then patted me down. “Don’t fucking move!” he yelled, when I turned to look at him.

“No weapons!” I was shouting I realized, scared out of my wits.

All the while, my mind churned useless facts. People got shot doing stupid shit like this. More cops got shot in domestic disputes than during any other kind of call, which likely explained why the young cop’s hands shook as he cuffed me.

My eyes swept the oddly bright space until they lit on the person who had inspired all this drama, and that flame of irrational feeling ripped once more through my chest cavity, making it difficult to breathe, to think straight.

Jaden, my now ex-boyfriend, stood like a store mannequin, his eyes as wide as saucers in a pale face. He gripped the upper arm of his date, a voluptuous girl in a red vinyl dress, as if to steady himself. I looked at her, and the rage came back, intense enough to scare me. Breathing harder, I leaned against the wood, closing my eyes, trying to crush my own chest.

Feeling ripped through my center, animal-like—almost painful.

In my defense, I’d only heard about them that night, and the fact that their affair started three months earlier, while I’d been blissfully happy, thinking Jaden and I were mutually in love. According to his bass player, she’d started hanging out with them after shows, eventually winning him over with flattery, pouty lips and enormous tits.

She was babbling something to him and her friends now, half-hysterical, her arm bleeding profusely from where I’d slashed at her with the bottle, her red-painted lips another dark wound on her face.

I stared at them both, thinking, this can’t be real. It can’t be. This isn’t me.

But it was.

You can buy this story HERE.

Thanks for stopping by The Wormhole ~ Happy Reading.

Review: Lost: A Bandit Creek Mystery by Vivi Anna

Lost: A Bandit Creek Mystery by Vivi Anna

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

BLURB FOR LOST:

Kirsten Morgan can hear the dead. And now they are calling to her, to come home to Bandit Creek.

A girl has gone missing, and the law don’t have any leads. But the last thing Sheriff Samuel Morgan wants to see is his famous psychic daughter in his office telling him how to do his job. At odds for years, Kirsten doesn’t know how to talk to her father but she knows she has to push him to a place he doesn’t want to go. Because the dead are talking, and she has to answer, or lose her mind forever.

*This is a novella

My thoughts:
I was captured by the first paragraph.  Vivi Anna brings Kirsten and the story to life in this well-written, clever, fast-paced novella.  Lost is vividly descriptive and filled with carefully created characters.  The emotions running through the story are strong and compelling.  The relationships seem to appear simplistic on the surface, but run deep and strong in the hearts of the characters.  The many facets of the lives in Bandit Creek are intriguing.  This is a great start to what I believe will be a successful series.  I can't wait to read more.

You can buy this book by clicking HERE.

Review: Demon Bait by Moira Rogers

Demon Bait: Children of the Undying - Book One by Moira Rogers

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

Amazon Product Descripton:
His mark could bind her forever—or finally set her free.

Children of the Undying, Book 1
Fifty years after a demon apocalypse devastated the world, summoners still bear the bulk of the blame. Marci lives in secret, hiding the gifts that could cost her a secure spot in one of humanity’s underground cities, and access to their virtual world. After all, her chances of avoiding the genetic-testing lotto are better than her chances of surviving topside.
The bastard son of a terrifying incubus, lust heats Gabe’s blood and sex fuels his magic. Innate charm and charisma help him navigate the cultural gap between the outcast town he calls home and the human settlements he infiltrates for trade. His latest mission nets him an unexpected asset—a summoner strong enough to soothe his darkest needs.
Trust a half demon, especially one who uses a lockdown to trap them together? Not in this lifetime. Yet Marci can’t resist Gabe’s offer to see her safely to a selective outcast settlement where she can live without fear. The journey alone is as dangerous as the way Gabe makes her heart race, but it could be her one hope of a real life.
If only she could be sure Gabe’s telling her the whole truth…

Warning: Contains a virtual world where humans flee to escape the demon-infested earth, a dangerously seductive half demon with sex magic to burn and a network-hacking summoner brave enough to make herself vulnerable to him.
My thoughts:
I have to start this review with a quick disclaimer - I LOVE EVERYTHING these women write! Having said that...
Once again I found myself reading about an incredibly strong woman and the ultimate badboy/goodman destined to be together, but struggling to stay apart.


Things I enjoyed about this story: characters, the setting, the storyline, the ending
Things I wish had been different about this story: length and backstory


The characters are wonderful and I was thrilled that it was set in Minnesota because that is where I live, but I was left with some holes that more backstory could have filled and would have happily read at least another hundred pages (or more) about Gabe and Marci.
 All-in-all, another fantastic installment from these clever wordsmiths - well worth the read.

Bandit Creek Author Interview: Shanna Gekko

Welcome to The Wormhole!

It is my pleasure to interview Shanna Gekko!

She is a Bandit Creek Author - - you can check her and other great authors out HERE.

? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve been writing stories since Grade 7, but I never truly said, “I am a writer” until after I joined my local RWA chapter about 3 years ago.

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

6 jobs, and I’m currently still working at #6. Need a day job to support the writing for now.

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

It took me about a month to write my novella Skin Deep. Now just to finish a full sized novel!

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

I end up singing or mouthing the words to my music while I’m writing sometimes. I have to stop myself or my fingers want to type out the lyrics instead of the story.

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

Hmm, seems like I always end up on Facebook first, play a couple of face-games for a short time, try to rein in my ADOS (attention deficit ooo shiny!), turn on my music and finally turn off the internet before I finally start writing.  Man I should really cut out the darn Facebook step.

? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?

A lot of inspiration comes from my dreams, but it can also come from conversations, or even writing prompts.  Most of my ideas are paranormal or fantasy based; in fact I don’t think I’ve ever written a “human” main character!

? How do you decide what you want to write about?

A lot of time my subconscious decides for me through my dreams of bursts of ideas while I’m staring blankly off into space.  I also try to do plot points for whatever I’m writing on the bus ride to and from work so that I can just sit down and write instead of staring dumbly at a blank screen for an hour.

? What books have most influenced your life?

Piers Anthony - Xanth series, because I read all 13 that were out in the summer when I was about 14. They started my trip down fantasy reading.  Then Nora Roberts introduced me to romance writing. Then Sherrilyn Kenyon introduced me fully to paranormal romance, a very nice blending of the fantasy and romance that I hadn’t realized I’d been looking for.

? What is the first book you remember reading by yourself?

I remember some short kids’ books like “Otto” or “The Silly Tails Book.”  My family has always frequented the library though and they had summer reading challenges that I participated in almost every year.  I’ve been reading by myself, including early chapter books, for a long time.

? What are you reading right now?

Shannon K Butcher – Love You to Death

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

Gaming (facegames, big fish hidden object games, RPGs, MMORPGs), playing with my kids and dog, baking. Did I mention I’m a gamer?

? What is your favorite comfort food?

This can change for me. Most of the time it’s some good dark chocolate with almonds, but right now I’ve been unwinding most nights with a spicy herbal tea and a couple of small cookies for dunking.

? What do you think makes a good story?

Geeze. You know it when you read it, but to answer this? Here goes: Believable characters with some sort of redeeming quality. The constant inner and outer conflict has to be believable, too. Also, pacing, pacing, pacing and having those constant hooks to keep the reader going. If I can actually end a chapter without saying, “I want to know what happens next right now!” then the author hasn’t done a good job hooking me in.

? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?

Probably Nalini Singh right now. I love her world building and all the tension she writes between her characters. And those changeling males from the Psy series? Yum!

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

There are a few, but recently I’ve read the Twilight series over and over in the past few years. They may not be the best books, and I can make fun of the whole thing as well, but I like the story and even the box office B movies. They’re a comfort to go back to.

Fun random questions: 

·        Dogs or cats?  Both!

·        Coffee or tea?  Lattes and Spicy herbal teas J

·        Dark or milk chocolate?  Dark… I’m allergic to milk

·        Rocks or flowers?  Rocks

·        Night or day? Night

·        Favorite color?  Purple

·        Crayons or markers?  Crayons

·        Pens or pencils?  Pens, but make them blue please!

...more about Shanna Gekko...

Shanna Gekko currently juggles writing with herding kids and pets, and a full-time job, among other commitments, and she truly doesn’t know how she does it. While she will read practically anything, her writing has strayed to the fantastic since she was in Grade 7. You can read some of her musings at www.talesfromtheashes.blogspot.com.

Skin Deep (A Bandit Creek Paranomal) – January 1, 2012
Shanna Gekko
Kai knows trouble has found him when a fiery pint-sized female shows up at his door, bringing news of gruesome animal sacrifices in the woods around Bandit Creek. She also brings a teasing scent that draws his attention and sends every protective instinct screaming for him to protect his mate.
Hazel is determined to stop the monster she’s been following for miles and she won’t let anything distract her from her mission. She teams up with Kai, but vows to keep a firm “no-touch” policy where the handsome Native is concerned. Her resolve doesn’t last long as the two are drawn together like lodestones, their every touch igniting a passion neither has faced before.
Only, the trail of ritual sacrifices points to a greater threat than either first realized. They are about to face Kai’s enemy ancestor, a yee naaldlooshii—skinwalker—who will stop at nothing to destroy everything around him.

Read an excerpt.

To buy a copy of this book - click HERE.

Thanks for stopping by The Wormhole.

Happy Reading.