The Best Reader [Search results for Promise] 

As you all know, I am a huge fan of Promise by Kristie Cook. Lucky for me, book 2, Purpose is out soon! To celebrate this occasion Lisa from A Life Bound By Books and I are going to host a re-create cover contest! I will be hosting the voting for re-covers of Promise and Lisa will be hosting them for Purpose but you will be signing up for both using the same Linky tool below.
You can decide to only enter for one cover, or both. They each have their own prize pack for the winners.

Prizes:

• The Promise cover winner with the most votes will receive…

• The Purpose cover winner with the most votes will receive…

Rules:

• You must be at least 17 to enter.
• You must sign up through the Linky tool below.
• You can have a PROMISE and PURPOSE cover in the contest. Only one of each.
• You can do a blog post with the cover(s) or just link the image below.
• Contest is US ONLY and sign ups end 12/18.
• Covers will be voted on starting 12/19 and the contest ends 12/31.
• Once contacted, the winners will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address.

Details: You can re-create the Promise cover, Purpose cover, or both. Here are the covers and summary to give you ideas.

Summary:
Alexis Ames has a life full of promise… but not all promises can be kept.

When Alexis Ames is attacked by creatures that can’t be real, she decides it’s time she learns who she really is, with or without the help of her mother, who guards their family’s secrets closely. After meeting the inhumanly attractive, multi-talented Tristan Knight, however, Alexis retreats behind her façade of normalcy… until she discovers he’s not exactly normal either. Then their secrets begin to unravel.

Their union brings hope and promise to her family’s secret society, the Angels’ army, and to the future of mankind. But it also incites a dangerous pursuit by the enemy – Satan’s minions and Tristan’s creators. After all, Alexis and Tristan are a match made in Heaven and in Hell.

Summary:
Lost in despair, Alexis teeters on the edge of an abyss, her lifeline of hope fraying into a thin thread. If it snaps, she’ll plunge into complete darkness. With the help of her son and her writing, she’s been able to hold on. Until now. Erratic impulses, disturbing delusions and her own demonic blood threaten her sanity. When she’s forced to choose between hanging onto hope or letting go to serve her Amadis purposes, she faces a decision with inconceivable sacrifices.

Alexis runs to the one place she thinks will provide answers, only to find herself at the center of another battle of good versus evil, not only with the Daemoni, not only within herself… but also against the worst opponent imaginable. But even if she wins, what will she lose?

Character Descriptions
Alexis: Petite; long, reddish-brown hair usually pulled into a ponytail; big brown eyes; olive skin; Mediterranean look (her heritage is mostly Greek and Italian); can usually be found wearing jeans and a T or shorts and a tank; shy and reserved and full of secrets; a writer.
Tristan: Tall; muscular build but not overly brawny (yes, think of your wildest fantasies); light brown hair; hazel eyes with gold sparkles (or flames – yes, real flames) around the pupils; square jaw; full lips; enjoys physical activity, especially aikido (martial arts) and basketball; usually rides a motorcycle – owns both a crotch rocket and a Harley; almost always in jeans, and, in my mind anyway, hardly ever wears a shirt LOL.

Sign up Click on"USE GOOGLE to enter" and put your name/alias
(This is the same Linky Tool that will be on Lisa blog)

1. What are the biggest differences now that you are promoting the second book, Purpose, from when you were promoting Promise?
Releasing Promise was one of the most exciting times of my life because it was my debut. My first in everything. That also made it a lot more stressful, because I was scared to death people would hate it. Fortunately, they didn’t. J And now they’re looking forward to Purpose. Combine that with my own feeling that Purpose is a better story and I’m not quite as worried about that part of the equation. Of course, I’m still anxious – maybe it’s not what readers are expecting, maybe the change in Alexis turns them off, maybe it takes a direction fans don’t like, etc. – but this is the book I started out writing, the one that grabbed my heart and soul. So whether people like it or not, I personally feel a lot better about it than I did Promise.

2. I do know that you have had a few major events and awards since you were last on here, would you like to share some of those?
Hehe Yes, Promise has exceeded my expectations in the big world. It won the 1^st Place Fantasy (Published) Royal Palm Literary Award for the Florida Writers Association. That is a huge honor that I don’t take lightly. It’s also received some great reviews, including a “highly recommended” by the prestigious Midwest Book Review. MBR may not mean a lot to the average reader, but it has a strong influence on booksellers and librarians. It’s a feather in the industry cap. Promise is also (finally!) available at all major and indie retailers (though you may have to request it), including for international delivery through The Book Depository. I’ve also done some appearances, like at the Miami Book Fair International, and have some signings and presentations coming up in January.

3. Can you share with us some of what we can expect for the continuation of this story?
In Promise, Alexis starts out as a young woman just barely getting started in this world she had no idea existed. Purpose really initiates her into the world, giving her (and the reader) a taste of what’s to come. She has many challenges ahead of her as she fulfills her destiny of being the fierce protector of human souls and, eventually, taking her leadership role of the Angels’ army on earth. She transforms from vulnerable, pretty naïve and nearly human in the first book to kickass warrior in the books to come. The love story of Promise evolves into stories about the various forms of love we all experience, from love of our soul-mates to our children to complete strangers and people we never thought we could love.

4. Will any other books be featuring these characters?
The rest of this part of the series – 5 or 6 books – is Alexis’s story, so, yeah, there’s a lot more coming. Some of the major-minor characters have been sharing more of their stories with me, too. I don’t know if they’ll be full series or even books, but at least some short stories or novellas.

5. Do you have any other books in the works? We NEED more from you!: )
I’ve started book three, but it’s been back-burnered for quite a while, so I don’t know where I’m really at with it. I’m really looking forward to getting back to it, however, I’m also excited to work on some of these other stories. So many ideas, so little time…

6. What is the main thing you have learned from the entire process of getting a book out to the public?
Patience. That goes for any writer, regardless of where you are in the process. You need patience to produce the best story possible; patience in seeking publication; patience with the publishing process; and patience on the other side, as well. The word has been spreading, but it takes time to build buzz and momentum. Just because someone wants to read a book doesn’t mean they go out and buy it right away. Or even if they do, they don’t necessarily read it right away. I’m the same way. My TBR pile is a mile high. And I know most readers are that way. So we just have to have patience while the snowball grows.

7. Did you have to take out any scenes that you wish you could have kept in the story? What were the biggest changes in the story from the time you first wrote it, to the finished version?
Promise and Purpose started out as one story. Now, ending up as two books, they are, in some ways, quite a bit different than when I wrote that first draft. There are many scenes that didn’t make it and many new ones that have been added. I’m happy with the final results, but there were some sweet scenes originally in Promise with Alexis and her mother Sophia and others with Alexis and Tristan that just didn’t do enough to move the story along so they had to be cut. Probably the biggest change from that very first draft, however… something I didn’t see at first while focused on just this one book… something that has added a whole new twist to the entire series… originally, Dorian wasn’t born alone.

8. You've had quite a roll in the promoting of Promise and Purpose and you have done a fabulous job! Is that part more stressful than the writing?
Marketing is my background and I mostly enjoy it, but writing is my passion. The most stressful part, really, is not having enough time to do everything.

9. Do you have any recent events planned that you would like to share?
Of course, there’s the virtual release party for Purpose going until 12/18. After the holidays, I’ll be doing some local signings and by spring, I should be expanding the tour into other states, including Virginia, Arizona and Minnesota.

10. Can you give us a little excerpt from Purpose?

A shadow shifted in the corner. Two small, red lights glowed from about two-thirds up the wall. I realized they were eyes. It can’t really be Daemoni—can it? We hadn’t been bothered for over seven years. Not a single visit or even a threat. Nothing at all. They had what they wanted.
“Don’t you know?”
The shadow moved forward, just enough for the light from my clock to slightly illuminate a face—pale, bluish-white in the clock’s glare, glowing eyes and… fangs. The light reflected off his glimmering teeth, bared in an evil grin, if that’s what you could call it, and I knew for sure those were fangs. And I knew immediately what he was. From what I could see, he favored some of my characters, as if he’d stepped out of the pages of the books I wrote.
Such a strange feeling—to feel as though I’d awakened in my usual way but know I was dreaming again. I had to be. Monsters were real, but vampires were not.
“C-Claudius?” My voice shook. I knew this dream was about to become a terrible nightmare. With his dark hair floating around the sides of his face, this visitor looked similar to my Claudius, leader of the evilest vampire nest in my make-believe world.
“Ha!” the shadow barked. “So you do see the resemblance.”

Purpose by Kristie Cook Publisher: Ang'dora Productions (December 15th, 2010) Reading Level: 17 and up Paperback: 377 pages Series: Soul Savers, book #2 Lost in despair, Alexis teeters on the edge of an abyss, her lifeline of hope fraying into a thin thread. If it snaps, she’ll plunge into complete darkness. With the help of her son and her writing, she’s been able to hold on. Until now. Erratic impulses, disturbing delusions and her own demonic blood threaten her sanity. When she’s forced to choose between hanging onto hope or letting go to serve her Amadis purposes, she faces a decision with inconceivable sacrifices.

Alexis runs to the one place she thinks will provide answers, only to find herself at the center of another battle of good versus evil, not only with the Daemoni, not only within herself… but also against the worst opponent imaginable. But even if she wins, what will she lose?

Don't forget to check out the Re-Cover contest of Promise and Purpose. Entries must be in 12/18.

Find Kristie Cook Kristie Cook / Promise / Goodreads
Purchase Signed Copies of Purpose

Purpose by Kristie Cook Publisher: Ang'dora Productions (December 15th, 2010) Reading Level: 17 and up Paperback: 377 pages Series: Soul Savers, book #2 Source: Author Rating: 5 of 5 stars Lost in despair, Alexis teeters on the edge of an abyss, her lifeline of hope fraying into a thin thread. If it snaps, she’ll plunge into complete darkness. With the help of her son and her writing, she’s been able to hold on. Until now. Erratic impulses, disturbing delusions and her own demonic blood threaten her sanity. When she’s forced to choose between hanging onto hope or letting go to serve her Amadis purposes, she faces a decision with inconceivable sacrifices.

Alexis runs to the one place she thinks will provide answers, only to find herself at the center of another battle of good versus evil, not only with the Daemoni, not only within herself… but also against the worst opponent imaginable. But even if she wins, what will she lose? Review: It's funny because I'm siting here trying to come up with adequate words for this review when really I feel like saying"hot… wow… amazing… yippy… ohh… nice… need to fan self… HOT"… You think that's good enough? For those of you who have read this book already I know you are shaking your head YES because you fully understand what I am referring to. For those of you who haven't read Purpose, please do yourself a favor and purchase a little of Tristan for Christmas. You won't be disappointed.
I'll try to get back on track and get the sexy pictures out of my head so I can write this review. I also don't want to spoil this book for people who may not have read Promise yet… (again, read it soon!). Purpose starts out in the present-day and we learn what Alexis has been forced to deal with over the years. She is in a dark place and her emotions jump off the page. It's easy to see how badly she is suffering and Kristie did an outstanding job at depicting this dark time.
We get a more complete look into the world of the Amadis and Daemoni. More questions are answered and the history is explained which opens up this series for what will come up next. I do have to say that I fell in love with Owen in this book and I am currently in talks with Kristie to try to have him for myself… I really am! I swear. But Owen would have to be one of my all-time favorite side characters and he came around at the perfect time.
Purpose started off with drastically different emotions than what we experience while reading Promise; with it's hope of new love and romance. We had to get through the clouds in order to see the sun and oh wow, did the sun come out! Parts of Purpose brought tears to my eyes and other parts … "rocked me like a hurricane"… (you will know what I mean after reading the book). It was like being on a rollercoaster until the very end.
I never thought that any other book could make my heart pound like Promise did but I was wrong. Purpose exceeded all expectations and presented a story that kept my emotions on high-alert. A true masterpiece that will appeal to all paranormal romance fans.

So are you wanting to read it yet? If so, Kristie announced some great news yesterday.
The Kindle edition of PROMISE is now only $4.99 and PURPOSE is only $5.99.
Trust me, you will not be disapointed in these books and if you want more proof, check out her awesome reviews on Goodreads.

Don't forget to check out the Re-Cover contest of Promise and Purpose. Entries must be in 12/18.

Find Kristie Cook Kristie Cook / Promise / Goodreads
Purchase Signed Copies of Purpose

Kristie Cook is here today to show us the brand new covers for her Soul Savers series, Promise and Purpose.

Leave a comment below telling us what you think about the new cover and enter for a chance to win some awesome swag!

Can you talk a little bit about the old covers vs. the new covers and how the change came about?

The old covers are pretty. The new ones are gorgeous. ‘nuff said. Haha! Okay, I’ll be serious. The old covers are symbolic, but no one gets the symbolism until I explain it, so it’s pretty much lost on everyone. And for some reason, the flowers seem to give the impression that the books are Young Adult, but they’re not. I also didn’t know how to carry the look out through the entire Soul Savers series. I’d hoped to find a professional cover artist by now who could take my vision and turn it into art and I did – author Brenda Pandos. She did an amazing job and we now have a theme to work with for the rest of the series.

What’s your favorite thing about the new covers?

Oh, so not fair. I love everything about them. One thing that’s important to me is not giving the reader a pre-conceived idea of what the main characters look like. I want the reader to take the basics I give them and make them their own. But I still wanted people on the covers, so I’m really happy with how the people are there, but not. The whole scene for each one just really encapsulates the stories. What’s your favorite thing?

It’s amazing that each book has some additional content; can you talk a bit about those changes and how it’ll impact anyone who’s already read the first two books in the series?

Promise – By the time PROMISE went to publication, it had been manipulated a lot, always in the best interest of the story. But in my heart, I always felt a little dissatisfied with it because, for me, it wasn’t “what really happened.” The order of events was changed up and scenes were altered or deleted when they shouldn’t have been. One scene has a change that isn’t huge but comes up in future books, the events have been returned to the order in which they really happened and a scene that had been deleted is now back in, providing some character insight that I think is much needed. There are some other minor changes, too—bringing back a sentence here or there that had been deleted and getting rid of others that shouldn’t have been added.

Purpose – The changes in PURPOSE are much less extensive than those in PROMISE. When I first wrote the books, they were actually one book and the middle section, the bridge between the two, was a series of letters Alexis had written Tristan on each of their anniversaries. Although she couldn’t send them, this was her way of keeping him updated on her and Dorian’s lives – and also bringing the reader up to speed. When I split the books, I took the letters out and tried to weave those things into the story. However, a lot of readers have the wrong impression of what Alexis had been like over the years and why she’s such a mess in the beginning of PURPOSE. The reason is not what everyone seems to think! I haven’t put the letters back in, but I’ve made some tweaks to the first few chapters to give the reader a better understanding of the past and the present. I may post the letters on my website or blog one of these days.

For the last year, I’d had a secret fantasy to go back and make all these changes. With the new covers and a few other additions – such as adding an excerpt of the next book – we had to obtain new ISBNs, which is basically the new bar code that says “this is a different book.” Since we have to go through all that anyway, we figured we may as well make it worth it. So my publisher let me fulfill my fantasy. Isn’t she awesome?

If you’ve already read PROMISE and PURPOSE, you don’t have to read the new releases to understand the future books. The one change in PROMISE that comes up in later books isn’t major enough to throw you into a big state of confusion if you haven’t read it. But if you’re up for reading them again, I think you’ll get a better grasp of Alexis and Tristan and what motivates their behavior in these two books. Also, PURPOSE has an excerpt of DEVOTION, Book 3, at the end.

When will we be able to purchase the books with the new covers and content? And for those of us with eReaders, when will they be available for download?

They’ll go live on Kindle hopefully by early next week and on Nook about the same time. It might take a week or two before they’re up on the other ereaders. They’ll be available in paperback format on my publisher’s store website ( http://www.readourwrites.com/ ) and Amazon in the next week or so and on other retailer sites in a month or two (sorry, but those guys just take longer to update their sites).

And lastly, can you go over some dates with us? For the novella, Genesis and the third book in the Soul Savers series – Devotion? When will we get a chance to see those covers and when will they be available for purchase?

GENESIS comes out October 28, 2011. The cover will be revealed later this month. I can’t wait!

DEVOTION comes out February 10, 2012. I expect the cover to be ready to share in September or October. I know it will be gorgeous, too.

Kristie, Thanks so much for stopping by both — A Life Bound By Books & Confessions of a Bookaholic — and for sharing the new covers with everyone. We can’t wait to re-read the first two books and the new content and to read Genesis & Devotion!

Thank you so much for having me! It’s always a pleasure to visit both of you and all your followers. I can’t wait to hear what you think. And seriously – what is your favorite thing about the new covers? Fill out the form and enter to win a Soul Savers Series swag pack. Two chances to win – one on each blog — here and at A Life Bound By Books!

Kristie has another giveaway going on over at her blog. Be sure to visit, check it out and enter to win some amazing prize packs! ~USE GOOGLE~

Kristie is giving a lucky winner a Soul Saver Series swag pack! Two chances to win — one here and one on Lisa's blog!! So enter here and over at
A Life Bound By Books!

Now, are you ready to see the new cover?!? Promise (Soul Savers #1)

OLD COVER

NEW COVER To see the cover of Purpose (Soul Savers #2) check out A Life Bound By Books.

Giveaway Prize:

• 1 winner will receive a Soul Savers swag pack.

• You must be at least 18 to enter.
• Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US Only and ends August 22nd.
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

Find Kristie Cook
Kristie Cook | Soul Savers Series | Goodreads | Twitter

I think the new covers fit the story perfectly! I can't wait to see what the next cover will be like. I think that now people can glance at the cover and get an idea of the story. Plus, it doesn't look YA anymore (especially Promise!). Great job Kristie and Brenda!! Now I'll have to add these to my collection!!

As many of you know, I am a huge fan of Kristie Cook and her crazy-HOT book Promise. Tristan (the reason for crazy-HOT) happens to have a birthday today, on Halloween! So happy birthday Tristan *mmwwah!* I can't wait to snuggle up with you and jump into your … new book.; ) ha! But before that, you all need to check out the two giveaways Kristie has going on right now. One gives you the chance at winning a KINDLE 3!

Kristie is having a Mr. Beautiful's Halloween Hop & Birthday Bash contest. And here is what you can win just for helping spread the word.

1st Prize Purpose (#2 in the Soul Savers series) by Kristie Cook (ARC) Promise Bookmark Plus your choice of 2 of the following: Falling Under by Gwen Hayes (ARC) The Haunted (#2 in The Hollow trilogy) by Jessica Verday Where She Went (sequel to If I Stay) by Gayle Forman (ARC) Beyonders: A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull (ARC) After the Kiss by Terra Elan McVoy Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon Dreaming in English (sequel to Veil of Roses) by Laura Fitzgerald (ARC) Learning to Breathe by Karen White The Wrong Mother by Sophie Hannah
2nd Prize Purpose (#2 in the Soul Savers series) by Kristie Cook (ARC) Promise Bookmark Dark Days and Wicked Nights (Free sampler featuring various authors)

Complete the form below to enter as many times as you'd like. You can return and enter to win every day, between now and 11/5, by tweeting and posting. Get up to 50 BONUS ENTRIES for taking a picture of you and Promise in the wild… or your home or whatever.

. Don't have Promise yet? Buy it here or here. Have the ebook? Just make sure the first page shows up on your ereader in the picture. Email the picture to kristie(at)kristiecook(dot)com for 25 extra entries or post it on your blog for 50 extra entries!

The form below is the one found on Kristie's blog.
For the question"Do you follow this blog?" it is referring to Kristie's blog HERE.

BUT that's not all. The other part of the giveaway allows you to borrow Tristan for a while. Sounds great, right??
What you could win

$25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card iPod Shuffle Kindle 3 or Nook!
How can you win?? Take the picture below and be creative!

How it works:
Take the picture above (or email kristie(at)kristiecook(dot)com for a higher resolution pic) and get creative with it. You can blow the picture up, cut it out and paste it to foam-board, then take Tristan on some outings in your corner of the world — just be sure to take pictures. Or create a video with him. Or, if you're an artist, give him a face (hint: sandy-brown hair, hazel eyes with green around the outside and gold flecks around the pupil, square jaw, full kissable lips). The sky's the limit and the more creative, the more likely you'll win.

Whatever it is, you MUST include the above picture in some form (so the judges can recognize Tristan!) and post your photo(s), image(s) or video on your blog, anytime till November 5th. (If you don't have a blog, you can post it on your Facebook page.) Give Tristan an actual post so we can find it the following week for judging.

I'm entering this contest myself and plan to post my entry early this week.

Kristie Cook, author of the amazing book Promise, is having a huge contest! I normally don't enter anything that requires creativity because, well, I have none. But, I couldn't resist this one! Here are the details from Kristie herself.

This is Tristan (from Promise) and he is HOTT!
His birthday is on Halloween, although he prefers not to acknowledge it. But I've decided we're going to anyway with the Mr. Beautiful Halloween Hop Contest!

And you get to borrow Tristan for this contest! Consider him your treat for Halloween. Yum!!

What do you do with him? Whatever you want! Take the picture above (or email me at kristie(at)kristiecook(dot)com for a higher resolution pic) and get creative with it. You can blow the picture up, cut it out and paste it to foam-board, then take Tristan on some outings in your corner of the world — just be sure to take pictures. Or create a video with him. Or, if you're an artist, give him a face (hint: sandy-brown hair, hazel eyes with green around the outside and gold flecks around the pupil, square jaw, full kissable lips). The sky's the limit and the more creative, the more likely you'll win.

Whatever it is, you MUST include the above picture in some form (so the judges can recognize Tristan!) and post your photo(s), image(s) or video on your blog, anytime during the weekend of October 29-31. Give Tristan an actual post so we can find it the following week for judging. My publishing team and I will decide on the most creative entry and I'll announce the winner on Friday, November 5. Sign up here and don't forget to post your entry at the end of the month!

What can you win? How about a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble? Or an iPod Shuffle? Or maybe a Kindle 3 or B&N Nook? Really?!? Seriously!! The grand prize depends on how many people we can get to participate — the more who actually post a Halloween Hop entry, the better the prize.
I will be posting my entry later, EEK! It's still a work in progress. For more information or to see the details on Kristie's site, USE GOOGLE.

USE GOOGLE to see my review of PROMISE. By far, one of my favorite books of this year!

I'd like to, yes ONCE AGAIN, welcome this week's Guest Reviewer, Leslie from That Chick That Reads! This is Leslie's third week in a row as a Guest Reviewer. Leslie, sincerely from the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping me in my mission of spreading the love of literacy. You are an inspiration.

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From Amazon.com...
"How far will Rose go to keep her promise?
The recent Strigoi attack at St. Vladimir’s Academy was the deadliest ever in the school’s history, claiming the lives of Moroi students, teachers, and guardians alike. Even worse, the Strigoi took some of their victims with them... including Dimitri. He’d rather die than be one of them, and now Rose must abandon her best friend, Lissa—the one she has sworn to protect no matter what—and keep the promise Dimitri begged her to make long ago. But with everything at stake, how can she possibly destroy the person she loves most? "

Everyone that knows me knows that Richelle Mead is my favorite author of all time and Vampire Academy is my favorite series ever! So I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of this novel! I mean it had me so on edge that I couldn’t sleep the night before! So when the release morning came, I was pretty much first in line at the book store.

The cover of the book is breath taking beautiful and best of all it’s a hardcover! Although it does annoy me a little that the other 3 aren’t hardcover but I think I could get over it.

Anyway so this book is set in Russia, which was amazing! The people she meets, and of coarse the glimpses of the old Dimitri we get throughout the entire novel were very hard to read, well at least for me anyway. He is and will always continue to be one of my favorite characters in the novels, as well as Rose, Lissa and Adrian.

This wasn’t my favorite book of the series but it does come in second. I didn’t want to read it fast as I wanted to be like Georgina Kincaid (reference to her other character in the Succubus series) who read only 5 pages a day because she wanted to savor the characters and events in the books, but after like chapter 10 or so I couldn’t put it down and I ended up just reading the book in like 2 days.

A lot and I mean a lot of the stuff that you end up finding out about you are like whoa! Didn’t see that coming! Now I’m waiting yet again another 8 months for the next installment which is set for May 18th, 2009! Anyway, I don’t want to get into all of the certain events without giving anything away just because I nearly died when I read a spoiler on goodreads before it was even set to release so I’ll just stick with that. Anyway, I’ll rate this book 4.5 out of 5 paws (or should I say fangs;) )

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Thank you so much Leslie for such an AWESOME review! I've been meaning to read this! But I should start at the beginning of the series I think.:)

Make sure to visit Leslie at That Chick That Reads. Check out her original review. Thank you so much!

By: Kristie Cook

I’m a city girl. I married a country boy. After 10 years of living in various cities and suburbs, my husband had enough. Along with my brother-in-law, we bought 90 acres south of Kansas City and split it. He got the half with the old homestead (and a cemetery!). We built a house. Brand new. No reason it should be haunted. Right?
Eerie things happened in that house. We’d hear strange noises in the basement and, armed with various “weapons,” would check them out to find nothing. The microwave would turn itself on… even after we bought a new one. Just little things. But we lived out in the country, where dark is really dark, so it was easy to freak ourselves out.
One Halloween, I was traveling for business. My husband took the kids into town for trick-or-treating while he hung out with friends, no doubt watching scary movies, and then they went home and he watched Ghost Hunters. He finally went to bed by himself around 1 o’clock. He called me the next morning with the following story.
He had barely fallen asleep when something woke him. Kneeling by his side of the bed, down toward his feet, was a woman with white hair. She seemed to be crying. When she looked at him, her mouth moved, as if talking to him, but no sound came. He closed his eyes and when he opened them again, she was gone.
A little while later, after staring at the moon for a while (it was the country – no need to close the blinds), he started to drift off when something woke him again. The woman had returned and this time it looked like she yelled at him. Her face looked angry or frustrated, as if she tried to tell him something important. But he heard nothing. This happened a few more times and each time, she became more agitated.
Too terrified to sleep, he watched the moon move across the sky. Around 3 o’clock, she was there again, but really angry now, throwing her hands at him and, again, soundlessly yelling at him. Then she moved around the corner of the bed, to where he couldn’t see her anymore. He lay, frozen, hoping she’d gone away for good. No such luck.
He lay on his side, still facing out, when he said it felt like it does when I crawl into bed. He felt someone getting into my side of the bed and sliding under the covers. He squeezed his eyes shut, barely able to breathe and shaking like a leaf – a big, 6’2”, 225-lb leaf. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling on it, trying to roll him over.
After a string of profanities, he prayed furtively, “Please, God, make it go away.”
And it did. As the moon moved out of sight, he was finally able to fall asleep, not to be awoken again.
The next morning, as they’re preparing to leave for school and work, my husband told my oldest son, “I swear I saw a ghost in my room last night.” No other details.
My son asked, matter-of-factly, “Was she blond?”
We moved to Florida not too long after that, but still hadn’t sold the acreage. When my husband had to go back to do some renovations before selling, he stayed at the nearest hotel, 30 miles away, refusing to spend the night in that house.

Purpose by Kristie Cook Publisher: Ang'dora Productions (December 15th, 2010) Reading Level: 17 and up Paperback: 377 pages Series: Soul Savers, book #2 Lost in despair, Alexis teeters on the edge of an abyss, her lifeline of hope fraying into a thin thread. If it snaps, she’ll plunge into complete darkness. With the help of her son and her writing, she’s been able to hold on. Until now. Erratic impulses, disturbing delusions and her own demonic blood threaten her sanity. When she’s forced to choose between hanging onto hope or letting go to serve her Amadis purposes, she faces a decision with inconceivable sacrifices.

Alexis runs to the one place she thinks will provide answers, only to find herself at the center of another battle of good versus evil, not only with the Daemoni, not only within herself… but also against the worst opponent imaginable. But even if she wins, what will she lose?

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive a signed copy of Purpose and bookmarks.

• You must be at least 17 to enter.
• Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US ONLY and ends November 14th.
• Once contacted the winner will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

- *Hugs* Thanks Kristie for the spooky story and book donation of Purpose, which I can not WAIT to read!

USE GOOGLE to read my review of Promise.

Find Kristie Cook Kristie Cook / Promise / Purpose / Goodreads / Twitter

Purchase Promise (Soul Savers, Book #1) Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords

Pre-Order Purpose (Soul Savers, Book #2)
Pre-Orders now available HERE!

* Check out Lisa's Haunted Halloween post.

*Reminder: If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry! Please read full entry rules here.

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (June 1st, 2009)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 290 pages
Rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Don't worry, Anna. I'll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."
"Okay."
"Promise me? Promise you won't say anything?"
"Don't worry." I laughed."It's our secret, right?"
According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in ZanzibarBay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy ever day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie—-she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.
Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.

Review: I don't know why it took me this long to read Twenty Boy Summer but I'm so glad I finally had time to pick up this book. Part of the reason I pushed it up on my to-read list was because of all the controversy surrounding the book a few months ago. Why some people want to ban books I'll never know. I personally believe certain people need to simply get over themselves and stop trying to dictate what other people do.

But back to the story, Twenty Boy Summer is not anything beyond what teens do, and already know about, so I don't think people will be corrupted for life if they read this book. This is a powerful story of first-love, friendship, heartbreak, transformation, and finding joy beyond a tragedy.

Anna had a heartpounding romance with one of her best friends, Matt. Matt was the brother of Anna's other best friend Frankie. Matt and Anna kept their relationship private when they first got together and when Matt dies suddenly, Anna doesn't feel right letting Frankie in on the secret. She knows it will only hurt Frankie and she feels as if it would be a betrayal to Matt because he wanted to be the one to tell her.

After Matt's death, Frankie changes. She begins to rebel and Anna doesn't know how to reach her best friend anymore. Then Frankie and her family invites Anna to go on their annual California trip with them. It's been almost a year since Matt's death and it seems that this trip is a turning point for everyone in the family. It is a chance to see if they can really move forward. Anna agrees to go and Frankie tells her they will meet twenty boys while on the trip. Anna never really takes it seriously but she goes along with the idea anyway.

While we see Anna and Frankie exploring the shores during their trip, we also get glimpses of the Matt that Anna knew. She lets us in on their secret encounters and it provided just enough detail to help readers see the love between the two characters.

I felt so deeply for these characters. I could see how alone Anna felt and what an impossible situation she was in. I could see the pain behind Frankie's hard personality and the struggle felt by her parents. More than anything else, I could see how passionate Anna and Matt were about each other. Although we only see Matt in memories, they are vivid and charming.

The"Twenty Boy" part of the story is minor and, by far, not the point of this book. People who focus on the fact that these girls are meeting boys at the beach and partying, are not seeing the point of the story. These characters are dealing with pain in completely different ways.

Twenty Boy Summer is a story I will never forget. It is a heart-wrenching, honest portrayal of first-love and a devastating loss. Sarah Ockler tapped into the mind of a pained teenage girl and really brought her story to life.

Find Sarah Ockler Sarah Ockler | Twitter | Blog | Goodreads

Purchase Twenty Boy Summer Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Beware: This post contains complete stupidity. Blame Adriana Trigiani.

So, my bff Sheila from Book Journey emails me and says, "Hey you should do this!" I take a look and I say, "Wow, that's really involved." But here I am doing it anyway.

Last year at BEA 2010 Sheila had the fantastic opportunity to meet and spend a considerable amount of time with author Adriana Trigiani, author of "Viola in Reel Life," "Brava, Valentine," and "Very Valentine" to name a few. When Sheila returned from her date with Ms. Trigiani she was so enthusiastic and happy I couldn't help but be a little jealous. So here I am, admitting my stupidity, in hopes of going with Sheila this year to meet this amazingly personable author.

The task: Make a recipe given to you by your grandparents, take a picture of the recipe you made, post about it on your blog, and then post the link on Adriana's Facebook Page.

Before I begin, let me once again warn you, I am not a home maker and have not been graced with the skills of a cook or baker. Without further ado, I give you my late Grandma Elaine's famous chocolate chip cookies.

Random Picture from Google that looks like Grandma's

Grandma Remmers' Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/2 C butter, softened 1 1/2 C sugar 1 1/2 C brown sugar 4 eggs 1 t salt 2 t baking soda 1 t baking powder 2 t vanilla 5 C flour 2 bags Milk Chocolate Chips
1. Mix butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla together for 3 minutes. 2. Mix the dry ingredients. 3. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed ingredients and mix 4. Add the chocolate chips and mix. 5. Roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet. 6. Bake at 350 for about 8 minutes.

Now that you've been sufficiently warned. I give you my cookies.

The first thing you should notice, besides the mutation that has formed on my stove, is the pizza pan. I do not own (yet) a cake pan. Yes, I graduated from college a year ago. But the pizza pan that survived four years of college has worked for me every other time so I'm waiting until the wedding for an actual cake pan (I registered for several — no worries). The next thing you should probably notice is the funky crystalized giant cookie. Seriously, this "cookie" was so close to the pan that the chocolate chips were literally 3D. Oh, you want a close up? Here you go!

Disgusting really. In case you haven't figured out, Grandma didn't make them like that (I promise). What went wrong? Well, besides the fact that I'm an awful baker, I decided to "wing it" as I often wing life. I had everything put together and then realized that I didn't have any baking soda. I'm a lazy bum and figured since I cut the recipe in half* that really, what good was 1 teaspoon of baking soda? I mean, really, what could it possible do for my cookie? I further discussed with myself the evilness of society and how it tells me I need to add all of these pointless ingredients so that I go broke baking cookies.

Well, a four minutes later I realized exactly how important baking soda can be.

Am I bitter? Absolutely! It took a long time to put everything together (plus a lot of supplies). Did I cray? Absolutely! Wouldn't you! Who can't even make chocolate chip cookies!? Obviously, this girl. Did I call my mom? Yes. She, of course, laughed. Now that a few hours have passed, I can laugh too. But damn, those cookies sure kicked my butt.

Let me know if any of you have better luck. Oh, and a word of advice to any new bakers — stick to the recipe. Apparently only professionals and veteran bakers "wing it."

*The above recipe makes near 60 cookies, so definitely reduce the recipe if need be.

PS: Happy Mother's Day Mom and Grandma! I promise next year I'll be a pro-baker!

This was the best week of books EVER! First I have to thank Simon and Schuster and Ellen for your epic awesomeness! I was so thrilled to get these books!

AND Kristie Cook, author of the fabulous book Promise, for the"O-M-G FREAKING OUT" surprise I received yesterday. (PICTURE AT THE BOTTOM)

Also, thanks to Janenifer DeLucy who is super sweet and offered a copy of her books, Brenda Pandos, Disney, Flux, T.K. Richardson, RandomHouse and Valerie from I Should Be Writing.

Simon and Schuster awesomeness!

Review
The Mortal Instruments (BOX SET) by Cassandra Clare
The Haunted by Jessica Verday
Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Nevermore by Kelly Creagh (2 copies)
Invincible Summer (ARC) by Hannah Moskowitz
Stay (ARC) by Deb Caletti
The Fallen 1: The Fallen and Leviathan by Thomas Sniegoski
The Fallen 2: Aerie and Reckoning by Thomas Sniegosky
Freefall by Mindi Scott
Vanished by Meg Cabot
Haven by Kristi Cook
It's Not Summer Without You by Janeny Han
Elixir by Hilary Duff
Wither (ARC) by Lauren DeStefano
Darkness Becomes Her (ARC) by Kelly Keaton
-----------------------------------
The Sapphire Talisman by Brenda Pandos (signed and bookmarks)
Misguided Angel by Melissa de la Cruz
Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Leviathan
Hate List by Janenifer Brown
A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler
Whisper of Light by Janenifer DeLucy
Other by Karen Kincy
Return the Heart by T.K Richardson (signed and bookmarks)
The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

Won — from Valerie
When It Happens by Susane Colasanti
The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
Scribbler of Dreams by Mary E. Pearson
SURPRISE!
Purpose (ARC) by Kristie Cook (signed and bookmarks… and… )

My very first BLURB!! And it means so much to me. I adored Promise and can't wait to read Purpose. Thank you a million times over Kristie for this surprise!!: )

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

*IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristie at The Story Siren and it was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

This year we have 23 authors that I'll be featuring over 7 days and each day you'll have a chance to enter to win! There's also a scavenger hunt going on, so be sure to check out The Crossroads Tour Post to see what questions will be asked, what blog you'll be able to find the answer on and enter to win!
Today I am featuring Dorothy Dreyer, Sarah Bromley, and Ty Drago. Be sure to check out the rafflecopter giveaway, too!

1. Tell us what makes Zadie such a great character. What are a few things we need to know about her personality?

Zadie is no ordinary girl, as one might be able to gather from the book blurb. She has powers, though she doesn’t quite know how to control them. But I don’t think it’s her powers that make her so great; I think it’s the love she has of her family. She would go to any lengths to protect them, to save them, and to keep them alive. She has a big heart she just has to learn to trust it.

2. Share with us your favorite line from My Sister’s Reaper.

The leather cover was smooth under my fingertips, worn with age, but the photograph tucked along its binding grated against my heart like sandpaper.

1. A Murder of Magpies will be coming out next year. What can you tell us about the book?

I wrote the book in 2008 after a hiatus during which my first two children were born. Vayda and Ward were both so strong in my head, and I knew there was no putting off their story. I am firm believer that the things our parents do can trickle down and, in some cases, taint us. Curse us. Vayda and her twin, Jonah, experience a lot of that, and Ward does as well. Vayda and Jonah come from a background of murder and scandal and have been in hiding in Black Orchard for two years. Ward is the first person either of them has grown to trust, and they know it can go terribly wrong in a heartbeat. They fight against expectations placed on them, but as they do so, they all uncover secrets about their families, truths they weren’t prepared to face.

2. Can you share an excerpt from the story?

I can! My publisher, Month9Books, LLC, has been gracious in letting me give you the first sneak peek at the book with the entire first chapter of A MURDER OF MAGPIES!
__________________

Chapter One

Vayda

I always swore Jonah would blow our cover, and today looked ideal for a catastrophe.

We’d seen disasters, somehow crawled out of the rubble and lived. They didn’t just happen, all explosive and bombastic at once so that we had no doubt everything had changed. No, a real disaster began with a slip-up, a spark of fire that rose in the air and snuffed out. But when the ash landed, it was still hot enough to burn, and from that ember, everything we knew went up in flames.

It had happened before. I had reason to fear it would happen again.

My fingers drummed on the time-scarred armrest on a chair in Monsignor Judd’s office. Someone etched a cross into the wood five, ten, maybe twenty years ago. In an ornate stained glass window, there was no comfort in the saint’s face, only my guilt for not knowing the saint’s name. Outside the office, Monsignor stood with his fingers steepled while the heating vent blew the draping of his cassock. His ear turned to the young nun whispering with him over the manila folder of Jonah’s permanent record. Curls snaked out from her nun’s habit, and her eyes slid to watch me. Dull, dark. Nearly dead.

My hands grew warmer. I forced my breathing to slow. Calm down, Vayda girl. Nothing to get too worked up over yet.

Not easy when I was literally a magnet for emotion.

Slouching low in his chair, Jonah fidgeted with a hole in his blue trousers. A bruise purpled his cheekbone. His heat, a mix of emotion and energy, radiated with an intensity that further prickled my hands until they were scorching. I needed to cool down, put everything on ice to stabilize both myself and Jonah. I exhaled in hopes for a cold breath. I wasn’t built to absorb my twin’s fury.

You outdid yourself this time. I pointed the thought to his mind like a laser. Do you honestly think fighting with Marty Pifkin is worth all this trouble?

He avoided eye contact, naturally. That didn’t mean he didn’t hear me. And he answered soon enough, silent to all but me. Dad’s already gonna read me the riot act. Don’t give me any grief, especially since I was defending you.

Defending me from Marty Pifkin of all people. Let it go. What’s done is done. I didn’t know whether to give my brother a good wallop upside the head like our mom would have or pray we’d skate on by. Keep at it, Jonah, and people will notice what you can do. Deliberately throwing a desk without using your hands isn’t exactly wisdom for the ages.

Why don’t you keep that in mind the next time you lose it and break all the light bulbs in the science lab? He swiped a rogue strand of long, dark hair from his face. You lack subtlety and finesse, Sis.

Subtlety. Finesse. Words sixteen-year-old boys knew oh-so-much about. I choked on a laugh and lowered my eyes to the natty, blue Chucks I paired with the Catholic school-issued plaid, wool skirt and tights. Even when I wasn’t in school, I wore long skirts most days. I could move my legs and didn’t feel so caged in.

Brushing away the glass dust on my skirt, I overlooked the blood drying on my hands and clasped them together. They were less dangerous that way.

The door to the office lobby opened. The new nun’s floor-length dress gave her the look of a black dandelion seed gliding into Monsignor’s office. He followed then finally my father walked in last, the scent of wood dust clinging to his clothes. Most parents visiting St. Anthony of Padua High School rolled in wearing suits or golf attire, and then there was Dad with his New Glarus brewery shirt and vanish-splattered jeans—evidence he’d been working on restorations when called to the school.

Even if the fight between my brother and Marty hadn’t already strained my mental barriers, I would’ve noticed the disappointment coming off Dad. He had so many of what he termed cardinal rules for Jonah and me, and right then, one whispered in my conscience: There’s a devil on every man’s shoulder, whispering in his ear. Only he decides if he’ll throw salt at the devil or feed him his soul.

“What happened, Magpie?” Dad asked, a Georgia-born drawl buttering his voice, as he checked out the cuts on my hand.

“Broken glass,” I answered.

“You ought to be more mindful, don’t you think?”

His question had everything and nothing to do with breaking glass.

Monsignor cleared his throat. “Sorry to have you back in my office so soon, Mr. Silver.”

“Twice in one week is overkill.” Dad stood behind Jonah and me, a hand on each of our shoulders.

“I’ve spoken with our new staff psychologist, Sister Polly Tremblay.” Monsignor introduced the new nun. “She was hired this year after Dr. Fernandez took a position in Madison. Sister is a licensed practitioner, educator, and bride of Christ.”

Dad raised an eyebrow. “Is she now? That’s all very impressive, Sister. Do you go by Sister Polly or Sister Tremblay?”

The nun blinked twice, no emotion registering on her face. “Sister Tremblay. Polly is from my past life.”

Monsignor grabbed the manila folder from the nun’s hands and hurried through his words. His hurrying, seemingly to get us out of his office and be done with us, made blots of sweat rise along my widow’s peak. “Sister Tremblay has acquainted herself with Jonah’s file and feels he may benefit from some sessions with her. Mr. Silver, your family came to Wisconsin two years ago, but of the people I’ve spoken with, no one really knows you.”

“I see you’re a widower running an antiques business,” Sister Tremblay added.

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Dad snapped.

“The adjustment period after moving, especially when grieving and moving, can be prolonged. In that regard, two years isn’t very long at all,” Sister Tremblay answered. “Teenagers tend to cope by acting out. And if you’re as busy as I suspect—”

“I’ve got time for my kids,” Dad argued. “Always.”

The heating vent blasted more hot air into the office. My brother beside me, silent, burned with frustration, and my shoulders tightened. I crackled my knuckles, all too aware of how the lights dimmed as I did so.

Monsignor let out a sigh. “Sister Tremblay is only suggesting that talking to someone away from family could be good for Jonah.”

There was no outside the family. There never was. Hard to make friends and get past the New Kid stigma when we were either cooped up at home or at Dad’s shop under his watchful eye. No wonder our classmates thought we were weird—we were.

The hairs on the back of my neck stiffened, and I shifted in my chair for a better view into the lobby where another boy waited to talk with Monsignor. His hair curling near his jaw was the color of liquid cinnamon dashed with espresso, and a wire umbilical cord tethered an iPod to his ears as he held an icepack to his bottom lip.

Jonah’s sort of friend, Ward.

He averted his eyes from mine.

My hands grew hot again, and the overhead lights flickered, this time drawing everyone’s eyes to the ceiling. Dad’s grip pumped my shoulder.

Jonah stretched his legs. “I’m not seeing no damn shrink. Marty Pifkin’s got everyone wrapped around his finger.”

“Here we go again,” I muttered. “Jonah, stop it.”

“That guy is a creeper, and—”

I looked to Dad for sympathy. “Marty asked to compare answers on our homework and Jonah lost it.”

“—he was bothering Vayda,” my brother talked over me. “Guys like that shouldn’t be talking to her. He’s gaje. I didn’t throw the first punch, didn’t ask for Ward’s help. I barely know the kid.”

Monsignor waited until Jonah and I both quieted down. “What’s gaje?”

Jonah gave Dad a pleading look, but Dad confessed, “It means outsider, though it seems we’re the outsiders here.”

Monsignor gave a satisfied nod. “Marty claims Jonah threw a desk. That’s not behavior that will go unpunished.”

“And the physics’ lab? Every light was broken.” Sister Tremblay crossed her arms.

I sank into my chair and hid behind my hair. Those dull eyes couldn’t be avoided. I wanted out of the office. Now.

The flickering of the overhead lights grew faster. I shuddered, not cold but burning up. The poster of a kitten clinging to a clothesline cheering “Hang in there!” obviously didn’t know how fragile my grip was when so many emotion flooded a room. Usually, I could keep it together with mental barriers to deflect the constant flow of others’ feelings, but so much tension …

“You’re seriously suggesting a couple of kids broke every light bulb just like that?” Dad’s voice rose. He gestured to the palsied lights above our heads. “Y’all would be better off hiring an electrician before the school burns down.”

The room skewed left, and my vision blurred and head dizzied. Too hot, cluttered. My hands—I shut my eyes.

Energy. Rising. Must release!

Crack! A fracture drove down the length of the fluorescent light above the desk. Sister Tremblay yelped and snatched Jonah’s folder to her chest.

“Hell of a power surge.” Jonah’s black eyes searched for a way into my mind. I flung up a barrier to keep him out. Not gonna let him in, not this time. He was worried, but nothing was wrong. Except that I felt like I could spew red, white, and blue.

“Vayda, go get some fresh air,” Dad ordered. “You look flushed.”

Monsignor dismissed me, and with the expected curtsey before hoisting my backpack onto my shoulder, I cracked my knuckles one last time to diffuse the energy swelling in my hands. I stepped out of the office, out of the glow of the stained glass window, and paced near the chairs where Ward waited. Jonah started this whole mess. Marty had done nothing to me. This time. Marty never listened until Jonah made him last spring. Ever since then, Jonah had his eyes and his anger on Marty. Anything Jonah felt, I felt ten times worse. When he was happy, he was very happy, but when he was angry, he was furious.

Mom had been the same way.

“I promise you won’t go belly-up if you hold still.” Ward’s voice was deep, raw honey. His head rested against his chair, eyes shut, yet I knew he’d been watching me.

His left eye opened a crack, and I gave him a weak smile. My ears liked his voice.

Ward had been at our school only since Monday, and already he’d been cast into the same social boneyard where Jonah and I had roamed since we transferred in after Christmas break nearly two years ago. We’d tried blending with the nameless, faceless uniforms, but it wasn’t so simple. The other students never warmed to us, or we to them. We weren’t from here. We didn’t look or act like them. We were among the Avoided. But, as of yesterday, we had a shadow. A gaje shadow.

“How’s your hand?” Ward asked.

I eyed my brother and father talking to Monsignor. That Jonah hadn’t chased off Ward was a tacit tolerance of him. “A few cuts. I’ll live.” I twisted my black hair, which was long enough to skim my hips. “You hardly needed to play the white knight. Marty’s not much of a dragon, more like a salamander.”

“Maybe I like fighting salamanders.”

Chipped gray polish colored his fingernails. Artsy in an I-don’t-give-a-damn-I’ll-wear-it-if-it’s-clean way. If Monsignor noticed, that’d earn him a detention or two.

“Listen, gajo.” He didn’t deserve to be shoved to the outskirts all because of my cavalier brother. He needed to back off. While he still could. “Marty won’t bother you if you don’t bother him. Tangling with him will never be forgotten.”

His mouth twitched, neither a grin nor a frown. “I don’t scare easily.”

He slipped on his headphones and closed his eyes once more. Must be nice to be so untouched, unfazed. Must be peaceful.

“Hey,” I called. He lifted one side of his headphones. “What are you listening to?”

“Music.”

Smart ass.

Thud!

Ward’s eyes popped open and landed on the overturned chair in Monsignor’s office. A chair no one had been sitting in. Dad’s muffled voice came fast as he pulled Jonah by the arm. From the dark expression on his face, we were in for a major talking to.

“We need to leave. Now,” Dad said as he steered Jonah out of the office.

There would be no explanation to Ward of why we were leaving so fast. Dad whisked my brother and me out of Monsignor’s office, past the sanctuary where our footfalls echoed on wood floors polished by nuns until glistening. The school was a dour extension of a century-old Catholic parish. The walls in the language arts’ wing were painted rich blue, the Virgin’s color. Hung between classrooms were carvings from the Stations of the Cross, thick with dust except for the Christ’s eyes, which followed us and knew my family’s secrets and sins.

Outside was better. Riding in the car, the windows were lowered to allow in the fire-musk smell of mid-October leaves, but there was something else, an odor of buried things deep in the black earth. Dad steered into a parking lot by a grocery store. With the silence in the car, I couldn’t push back the memory of the last time we pulled over like this. Instead of a parking lot, it’d been off a highway in a forest in northern Georgia and, with the haze of morning fog guarding the Chevy we’d escaped in, Dad had vowed we were going straight to Wisconsin. There, we would start over.

Find someplace new. Claim different names.

Dad pushed his fingers through his black hair streaked with silver and set his green eyes, the same shade as mine, on my reflection in the rearview mirror. “This stops now. Your mama might’ve called what y’all do Mind Games.” The last two words were spoken slowly. “But I won’t play.”

“Yes, Sir,” Jonah and I answered.

“Mind Games, if you must work them, are private. Working them in public is how your mama found trouble.” He twisted his wedding band. “We can’t risk a repeat of Georgia.”

I jerked my head to look out the window. Black Orchard, Wisconsin. Such a pretty town despite its eerie name. Easter egg colored Victorian homes lined the streets, and people spoke with northern accents that sounded friendly no matter what was said. But pretty towns and nice people could turn on you.

Last time that happened, we escaped with nothing but our lives.

If it happened again, would we even have that?

1. What can you tell us about the third book in The Undertakers series?

SECRET OF THE CORPSE EATER raises the Undertakers’ adventures to a whole new level. The Corpses have launched a daring new scheme down in Washington D.C.: they’ve somehow replaced a sitting U.S. senator with one of their own, a trick that’s supposed to be impossible. But when Will and Sharyn go undercover as Senate Pages to foil the plot, they get even more than they bargained for. Because something haunts the hallowed halls of the U.S. Capitol Building. Something big and strong and impossibly fast. Something that seems to have a taste for Corpses!

But can the enemy of your enemy truly be your friend?

2. Can you tell us one word you’d use to describe Will and each of his friends?

I’ll try!

Will Ritter: Reckless
Helene Boettcher: Courageous
Dave “The Burgermeister” Burger: Loyal
Tom Jefferson: Noble
Sharyn Jefferson: Fearless

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BRIDAL BONES

(a juvenile ghost story by Linda Joy Singleton )

THE SCAVENGER BRIDE

Magician's Muse by Linda Joy Singleton Publisher: Flux (October 1st, 2010) Reading Level: Young Adult Series: The Seer, book #6 The Final Book in Linda Joy Singleton's Popular Paranormal Series, The Seer

A whisper, too soft to swirl wispy candle smoke, carried across time, beyond life and death—and was heard."Our bargain is sealed. My secrets will be yours-when the girl dies."

In the thrilling climax to The Seer series, Sabine's psychic abilities, sleuthing skills, and courage are pushed to a dangerous edge as she deals with the mysterious disappearance of her ex-boyfriend Josh, a new threat against her boyfriend Dominic, evil magicians (both living and dead)—and a coldblooded murder.

- Thank you so much Linda for allowing me to share your short story on my blog.
To find out more about Linda Joy Singleton Linda Joy Singleton / Blog / Goodreads / Twitter

Purchase Magician's Muse Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

*Reminder: If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry! Please read full entry rules here.

Pigman and the Bridge of Death

According to local lore, an old butcher once lived in the woods off Holland Road in Western New York, near the railroad tracks. He liked his privacy, and to frighten would-be tormentors, he cut off the heads of pigs and put them around his property on stakes — that's how he earned his nickname. Well, one night, a few boys decided to ignore the warning and give old Pigman a scare. Instead, the butcher caught them, decapitated them, and put their heads on stakes, jammed into the ground near the old covered bridge.

And Pigman was never seen again… at least, not while he was alive.

Don don don don… don!

Fast forward 60 years. I was 19 years old, and I just got my license. My first car was a 1985 Celica GT 5-speed with 130,000 miles on it, a rusted bumper, and a hole in the gas tank that prevented you from filing it more than 1/4 up. Not bad for $500, right? It took me a while to master the art of stick shift, but I didn't let a little bucking and stalling stop me from escaping my parents' house any chance I got. And rusty or not, that car could MOVE.

One summer night, my friends and I decided to investigate the notorious legend of Pigman for ourselves. We didn't have any high-tech ghost-hunting gear or infa-red goggles, but we did have that 1985 Celica GT, a full (well, as full as it could be with that hole) tank of gas, and the kind of courage you usually find in a group of bored suburban teens with lots of free time and some major Superman complexes.

The rules of Pigman Road, as it was then called, went something like this: You drive down Pigman Road, stop your car under the covered bridge, and turn off the engine. Then, in the pitch black night, you're supposed to call out the name"Pigman" three times, and try to start your car. If your car doesn't start, you die. It's that simple. Party time, right?!

(What can I say? We didn't have the Internet back then. We had to make our own fun.)

We all piled into a couple of cars and headed out toward the tracks. My best friend, her boyfriend, her brother, and I were in the Celica with me behind the wheel. Everyone else was ahead of us in the other cars. We all drove onto the middle of the dark bridge. Killed the engines and removed the keys. Sat in silence for a few minutes to amp up the dramatic tension. And then, the chanting began.

"Pigman," we called in one voice."Pigman. PIGMAN!"

The other two cars started up and took off. From behind the wheel of that old Celica, my whole body shook as I jammed the key back into the ignition. Pushed in the clutch. Turned the key, praying it would start, praying we'd survive this ridiculous rite. The car started, and the four of us let out a collective nervous giggle as we started to roll. And then, poof. The car bucked and stalled. I tried to start it again, but it wouldn't turn over.

"Go! Get the hell out of here!" My friend screamed in my ear. My hands were slippery and shaky. My legs didn't work. I couldn't get the car to start — I just couldn't do it. Four young people in the prime of our lives were all going to die at the hands of some age-old legendary psycho butcher ghost, and it was all my fault. Seconds-that-felt-like-hours later, my friend's boyfriend crawled over to the front seat and shoved me out of the way. He pushed in the clutch, started up the engine, and squealed out of there as fast as we could possibly go in the ol' rustbucket, which, as it turns out, was over 110 miles per hour (kids, do NOT try this at home). None of us could speak. We kept waiting for a train to hit us, the car to skid and careen down the embankment, or a half-man half-pig monster to appear in the back seat with a big meat cleaver, sharpened for the kill.

Minutes passed, the tires rolling down the old dark road, finally slowing to a safer speed. Certain we were out of immediate danger, we pulled over and met up with the rest of our friends at the other, non-Pigman end the railroad tracks. We tried to laugh with them at our own expense, but it's hard to laugh when you're not even sure your heart's still beating. Eventually, encouraged by the friendly taunts and the safety-in-numbers thing, we relaxed. It looked like we might just survive the night after all. Pigman? What a silly little game for silly little kids! Eat me, Pigman! Ha. Ha. Ha.

Ha!

That's when we saw the flashlights bouncing out of the woods. Faster. There were footsteps. Shouts.

"Don't move," a deep voice ordered. A tall man approached the tracks, bright white flashlight blinding us to his appearance."IDs. All of you. Get 'em out."

Another man joined him, bathing us in light. It was one of the few times in our short, trouble-making careers that we were thrilled to be harassed by cops. We tried to explain what the hell we were doing out on the railroad tracks on Pigman Road in the middle of the night, alternately screaming and laughing. We tried to tell them about the legendary butcher and the stalled car and how we almost died, just moments before. It didn't look like they were buying it. But we weren't drinking or anything, and fortunately they hadn't clocked us speeding out of there, so the cops just returned our IDs and shooed us away. I figured they were used to that sort of things — chasing away stupid kids who come to test the Pigman legend for themselves.

Later, I learned that Pigman Road was not only the supposed property of the murderous butcher, but the actual site of a heinous train wreck in the 1860s in which 50 people were burned alive in a flaming train car. Apparently, police monitor the area constantly, many claiming that supernatural activity is rampant under the old bridge. Some think it's the ghosts of the people who died in the train accident. Others — perhaps the officers that tracked us down — believe that the legend of Pigman is real.

Pigman or train passenger ghosts, we survived the night. And the one after that and the one after that. We went back to college, back to work. On to marriages and kids and jobs and real life. And soon the legend of Pigman faded into our collective memories of the best of times, the worst of times, the creepiest of times.

As for the old Celica GT? Well, Pigman's curse or not, that car finally did die a painful death a year later when my friend tried to race it up the side of a mountain to impress a girl.

And now I drive an automatic, just in case.: -)

Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (December 1st, 2010) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardcover: 320 pages Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.

She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her"boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.

Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (June 1st, 2009) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardcover: 290 pages "Don't worry, Anna. I'll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."
"Okay."
"Promise me? Promise you won't say anything?"
"Don't worry." I laughed."It's our secret, right?"

According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie---she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive a signed copy of Fixing Delilah OR Twenty Boy Summer. Winner picks!

• You must be at least 13 to enter.
• Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US ONLY and ends November 13th.
• Once contacted the winner will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

- Thanks so much Sarah for the book donation and story! Find Sarah Ockler Sarah Ockler / Twitter / Blog / Goodreads

Pre-Order Fixing Delilah Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

Purchase Twenty Boy Summer Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

* Check out Lisa's Haunted Halloween post.

*Reminder: If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry! Please read full entry rules here.

From Amazon.com...

"SOMETIMES THE BIGGEST LIES ARE THE ONES WE LIVE

While Brian DeLouise was working the graveyard shift at a conspiracy theory-crazed radio station his wife was alley-catting around Washington, DC. But a cheating wife and a dead-end job no longer made him angry or depressed. He was just numb. It took a daring brush with death to awaken his senses and a few clicks on Google to begin a journey to recapture a love he believed was gone forever. Brian finds his lost lover in a rundown mansion on the windswept bluffs of Cape Cod, where he must confront a fast approaching evil while he risks losing everything he now cherishes."

There was a lot of story to this book — and it got to be a bit much. There was just so much going on. There was the first part, with Brian in his dead end job with a cheating wife. I think this alone could have been a great plot with a bit of personalization. Then there was the part with finding his long lost love and winning her back. With some originality, this would make another great plot. And finally, there's the suspense (or 'evil') part.

Character development in Brian is awesome, but the supporting characters are lacking... character, I guess. I think this could be because of how much story Schindler tries to fit into the one book. I think that if the book were to focus on one plot, rather than three, the characters would be stronger.

I did like how all the characters were named after Shakespeare characters (yes, I picked up on that!). Richard, Portia, Juliette.

But overall, I was slightly disappointed. The synopsis had real promise — I was so excited to see what 'evil' was conspiring. Like I said, I think if this story would have been broken down a bit and... filtered, I think is the best word, we could have potentially had three concrete plots.

Last week was a doozy, I didn't get anything accomplished that I had set out to do. But in my defense, on Monday I woke up with a 104.5 temperature, went to the doctor and tested positive for Influenza A and was suspected to have H1N1. So you can about imagine how fun my week was. I was so delirious I couldn't even spend those days at home with a book! But... now I'm back. I can't promise I'll get a whole lot accomplished this week either though. My professors were pretty lenient when it came to extensions — but now I have last week's homework and this week's homework to do before Monday. Oh boy.

I am still hosting a contest — "Thanksgiving at the Inn" is the perfect book to come out of the Halloween season with. I loved it! AND I decided to extend the deadline until November 15th! I reviewed a GREAT book — really, it is phenomenal -" A Duty to the Dead." And to make the week complete, I received an award from Laura at Laura's Reviews.

Sharon was also this week's Guest Reviewer — donating her review of The Time it Snowed in Puerto Rico. Please share some book love and visit her at Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews.

I have decided to give up "Mr. Darcy's Dream." I just cannot force myself to finish it. I will think about doing another contest or perhaps a quick — someone send me a review and I'll give you the book — type of thing. Stay tuned this week.

Still at 30 amazing followers.:)

My goal for this week is to get 100% better and do my homework — sorry guys, this week is going to be a bit boring.

(This if from last week — I'll try to do this) Also, each week I'm going to start making a "To Do" list for blog related things — not just reading. It's soon to be the time of year when I'll be sending the HTML address for Miss Remmers' Review out to prospective school districts and I want to make sure it is "spot on". if you have any ideas as to how to make this blog more awesome — please let me know.

• Rewrite/hone my Guest Reviewer 's post.
• Rewrite/hone my Mission post.
• Proofread/Professionalize Review: "A Circle of Souls "
• Proofread/Professionalize Review: "A Vengeful Spirit "
• Proofread/Professionalize Review: "Audrey, Wait "
  

Don't forget about my awesome giveaway!

Happy Sunday everyone!

What did you finish this week?

Today is the day when thousands of people flood the stores for the cheapest deals in order for the Holidays. Christmas gifts will be bought, wrapped, and placed under trees.

Throughout the blogosphere many people have dedicated themselves to buying books for the Holidays — I love this idea and have also decided to partake in the bookish festivities. It was at this point, that I thought, "More books in more people's hands means more book reviews!"

So thus, I've decided to begin a challenge, or campaign, this holiday season to collect Guest Reviews! (I thought I was pretty clever.) If you haven't, please stop by and read my mission and (especially) my plea for Guest Reviewers. This holiday season I'd like to collect as many book reviews as possible.

Not sure what a guest review is? Last week, Sheila (from One Person's Journey Through a World of Books) donated a review of Viola in REEL Life. This week, Leslie from That Chick That Reads donated a review of Blood Promise. Every Wednesday I highlight a different Guest Review. The purpose of this is for students to have a different person's perspective on books — someone other me. Also, by having other reviewers donate reviews, students are exposed to books that I may not have ever picked up. As with this entire blog, my goal by collecting guest reviews is to create in struggling reluctant readers a passion for recreational reading — something that comes easy to you and I.

So, by now are you thinking of a book that you want to recommend? The book should be one of your favorites, one that would get a struggling student excited about reading another book. A book that I can place in their hands and have them say to me, "Give me more."

Got one? Two? THREE?

Awesome! Now all you have to do is...

• Look in the left sidebar to make sure I don't already have a review of it posted (if I do, comment on the review with the link to your review and I'll post it as well). Not there?
• Look below, to make sure I don't have a review of it scheduled. Not there?
• Now check Mr. Linky and make sure someone hasn't just sent a review of the same book? Not there?
• AWESOME! At this point, email me your review [missremmeres at gmail dot com]. Include the link to your blog (if you have one) and a link to your original review. Oh, and sign Mr. Linky! The purpose of this is so everyone can see what you have sent in. Where it asks for your name, please put the title of the book. Then your blog's URL.

• City of Bones
• Hush Hush
• The Help

Want to spread the word? On Monday, look for a generic Guest Post (provided by me) that you can copy and paste (I thought this was also a clever idea). If you look in the right side bar you'll see my "Guest Reviewers" Button with the html code, feel free to add that to your blog. I am also working on doing the same sort of thing with the button above.

Please make sure that the book is suitable for high school students — if it's questionable, either email me or choose another book.

At this point, I can't offer anything to each and every Guest Reviewer. I am giving away $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble to one of the guest reviewers.

This doesn't take a lot of your time, a link to your blog will be posted in the review at least twice (along with a link to your original post), and you will forever have a link back to your blog in the right sidebar (see "Guest Reviewers"). You can simply copy and paste from your blog. And, most importantly, you will be putting books in struggling readers' hands. After all... 'Tis the season.

Campaign will end January 4th and because I can send the gift card via email — this is open World Wide! NOTE: Please note that PAST guest reviews do not count towards this. In order to be eligible to win you need to email me and link to Mr. Linky a new review(s).

From Mahalo...

"Breaking Dawn is the fourth installment in Stephenie Meyer 's Twilight Series. Picking up where Eclipse left off, Bella Swan and Edward Cullen are counting down the days until their wedding. It's the talk of the small town of Forks, Washington. Bella's acceptance of Edward's proposal means an Ivy League education, a step up the financial ladder and the shadow of death in his promise to make her a vampire. "

I don't want to give anything away, but I want to be honest.

I hated this book. I should have just stopped after Eclipse. It went from okay, to bad, to worse, to unbearable. The ending is awful and anti-climatic. But worst of all — there's the... well, the you know. I was so disgusted and grossed out I had to stop reading. The last half of the book took me forever to finish. I had to force myself to read a chapter a night for a week. I had no desire to find out what happened.

I'll look for a better review for my students, obviously this doesn't cut the cake. But I don't want to write anymore. I'm mortified.

Check out more legit reviews here:
Sheila at One Persons Journey...

I have a special treat for you all today. First, if you haven't read, or added, Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe, do it! It is an outstanding book and one that was so different from anything I had read in the past. My review will be coming up later this week, but in the meantime, I would like to introduce you to a few of the characters from Destiny's Fire because today… they battle it out!

In this corner we have the loveable, best friend/ boy next door with a dangerously hot bod. But be careful ladies, he is fierce, and a bit naughty, behind those bright blue eyes. Let me hear the crowd cheer for JACE!

VS

And over here we have… "ouch", he's too hot to touch but you know you want to, red-eyed bad boy who is just simply scrumptious. Yeah, ladies, you know you want this. I give you, REESE!

Boys, lets have a clean battle here. We will be using words, not fists. And no fighting over me, seriously, I'll take you both. *wink* And now, the quote battle begins!
Round one
Jace: “I just knew you wanted to rip my clothes off.”
Reese: “You shouldn’t come out to play until you have the power to party like a big girl.”

Round Two
Jace: “You’re being the voice of reason?” He grabbed my hand. “Funny, coming from the girl who decked a Narco just last night.”
Reese: “Come on,” Reese continued. “We were so rudely interrupted last night. But I have to admit, I liked that love tap.”

Round Three
Jace: “So you like to dance, do you?” Jace snarled. “How about with me? Think you might find my love tap a little more convincing.”
Reese: “It's instinct. I honestly wasn't going to hurt her.” Then his eyes burned fire red as he stared into Jace's. “But you and I will be a different story if you don't take your hands off me… right now.”

Round Four

Jace: “—I‟m not a hot chick that has to worry about some guy trying to get into my pants.” He looked me up and down. “Or my bustle.”

Reese: He ducked his head close to my ear. “You look amazing, by the way.” Brushing his hand across my back, he spread warmth over my bare skin.

Round Five

Jace: “I want you to know,” Jace said, looking down as his hands gripped the brass steering bar. “No matter what, I'll always be there for you.”

Reese: He lifted my face and stared into my eyes. “I promise. I'll find a way to protect you.”

Geez, did it get hot in here or is it just these boys? So, who do YOU think won the quote battle? Answer in the comments section and you get an extra entry to WIN the ebook!

Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe
Omnific Publishing (January 10th, 2012)
Paperback: 159 pages
Reading Level: Young Adult
It’s the year 2040, and sixteen-year-old Dez Harkly is one of the last of her kind—part of a nearly extinct race of shape-shifters descended from guardians to the Egyptian pharaohs. Her home and her secret are threatened when the Council lowers the barrier, allowing the enemy race to enter the Shythe haven.

As the Narcolym airships approach, Dez and her friends rebel against their Council and secretly train for battle. Not only is Dez wary of war and her growing affection for her best friend Jace, but she fears the change her birthday will bring. When Dez’s newfound power rockets out of control, it’s a Narcolym who could change her fate… if she can trust him.

Dez’s guarded world crumbles when she discovers why the Narcos have really come to Haven Falls, and she's forced to choose between the race who raised her and the enemy she's feared her whole life.

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive an ebook of Destiny's Fire.

• You must be at least 13 to enter.
• Name and email must be provided.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is International and ends January 22nd.
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

Amazon | Barnes & Noble Be sure to check out the other tour stops in the linky below!

"Eternal on the Water" was released on February 16th!

From Amazon.com...

"From the day Cobb and Mary meet kayaking on Maine's Allagash River and fall deeply in love, the two approach life with the same sense of adventure they use to conquer the river's treacherous rapids. But rivers do not let go so easily... and neither does their love. So when Mary's life takes the cruelest turn, she vows to face those rough waters on her own terms and asks Cobb to promise, when the time comes, to help her return to their beloved river for one final journey."

The book "up for grabs" this time is an ARC copy of "Eternal on the Water" by Joseph Monninger. If you'd be interested in receiving "Eternal on the Water" all you have to do is email me at google [at] gmail [dot] com with your address AND a review of your favorite book for me to put up as a Guest Review. The first person to do this wins — simple as that. The review can be one that you've used at your own blog — simply copied and pasted. Once I get an email, I'll comment on this post who will receive "Eternal on the Water". Please make sure that I don't already have a review of the book by looking in the left sidebar.

Reminder: Please read my Contest Policy — at this time I can only afford to mail books to US addresses. I apologize for this inconvenience.

The Winner is Esme! Thank you!!