Tour Stop - Dead Perfect by P.G. Shriver

 

MEL 
My lifelong dreams never included falling in love. Graduating top of the class, going to college somewhere far away and starting a life in a place where my alcoholic mother could never find me were the first three goals on my list. Then the unexpected auto accident with Mother, after her regular doses of vodka, altered all of that. With her gone, my life and my perspective changed forever.  
 
DAVIS  
Desperate to find Joanie so I could break free, I returned to my old school. The search led me to her, my Aphrodite, a familiar lost look in her soulful eyes. Fantasies of her forced reasoning from my mind. I had to meet her! Once fallen, would her love for me survive the ghostly secrets haunting us?

 

 

 

 

A well written paranormal romance that is not predictable. This was an enjoyable read in a genre I don't usually pick up and after reading this I am glad that I did!

 

What is really nice is that you get the POV of both characters throughout the story which I think is nicely done and gives added dimension to the book. I reccomend this book to all that enjoy YA and to those of you who have not dipped into this genre recently, why not give it a try with

Dead Perfect :)

 

To get your copy check out

http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Perfect-P-G-Shriver/dp/1469970546/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1349138675&sr=8-3&keywords=Dead+Perfect

 

 

 

 



Blog Tour Stop - The Cinderella Project by Stan Crowe

A clean romance from the guys point of view is refreshing after a summer taken over by 50 Shades et all! What is even more refreshing is that the story is written by a guy, making the POV of the main character authentic.


I had fun reading the story and I really enjoyed spending time with the characters. I highly recommend this book to all readers who like contemporary romance! I hope to read more by Stan in the future :)


Stan was kind enough to take some time to tell us the story behind the book!


How The Cinderella Project Came About

In 2008, on an obscure webboard floating in the great sea of the internet,
Stan found himself embroiled in a three-part writing contest. For the third, most strenuous round, our intrepid hero took a fantasy-fic romance he'd been writing and moved it into the 21st Century. The handsome prince morphed into a doctoral student. The princess, of course, remained his fiancee, and the castle they lived in became a university.

The heart and soul of the romance remained, however--that of the prince being true to his betrothed despite massive temptations. ****

I had the original story mostly plotted out before I ran across the story contest. Consequently, serious revamping was in order. That said, I had the first draft laid down in about three months which, for me, is insanely fast.

At the time I finished the original draft, I'd published an anthology, and another short story. The idea of publishing again was very appealing. I let too many things distract me from that goal, however, and it wasn't until 2010 that I visited a local publishing house to see about getting my story published. They told me that even if I were to have submitted a finished manuscript right then, it would be at least 18 months before a print copy ever released--I later realized that 18 months from manuscript to shelves is actually pretty quick, but at the time I thought, "Geez. That's a long way out." So I sat on it for a while.
 
Fast forward to February 2012. I'd met the head of my publisher's company, and she had agreed to take me on. That meant that I had to kick things into high gear to get the project done on time. First, I needed to take the 40,000 words I'd written and beef it up to no less than 60 k. I was fine with that, since the first draft felt incomplete and rushed anyway.

Once the submission draft was complete, my editor and I hammered on it to work out some kinks and polish up a few items. The results were a book that was even better than what I'd first written--I was pleased.

From there, it was just post-production stuff, and the rest is history.


To follow the tour check out http://www.breezyreads.com/p/blog-tours.html


To get your hands on a copy of The Cinderella Project go to one of the following:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00930CIVC/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-cinderella-project-stan-crowe/1112689836?ean=2940015150452

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/179436

Carniaval Girl: Searching for God in the Aftermath of War

Today I join in on the Carnival Girl Blog Tour to showcase a great book by author Sonja Herbert.

Fourteen-year-old Sonja has always known there is a God who loves her. But when you spend your life on the road with the carnival, traveling the country in a tiny caravan home, it’s hard to imagine a normal, churchgoing life.

Everything changes when Sonja meets two Mormon missionaries. Even though her parents don’t approve, her brothers and sisters taunt her, and her whole life is on the move, Sonja can’t help how she feels. Now she’ll have to choose between the carnival and her convictions, between her family and her faith.

Based on Sonja Herbert’s real childhood in postwar Germany, this incredible, true story is beautifully written and full of heart—A powerful reminder for readers everywhere how much God loves each one of us and how his strength can make dreams come true.

This is a very well written book that is both enlightening and entertaining. I felt as if I was right there beside Sonja as she tells us about what a remarkable childhood she had and how she has become the person she is today. This is a book that so many need to read to see just how life can work itself out, all you need to do is to believe in yourself and be true to yourself and you can find the way. Thank you Sonja for sending this message as it is so easy to forget when times are tough.

Sonja herself will tell us a bit more about what lead to writing this book ....

During the few times we carnival children attended school, I once received an A for a story about a Greek myth I had written, and on that day I decided to write about my mother’s life when I grew up.

Many years later, I married an American GI and moved with him to the States. We bought a home in Manti, and one day I did a brave thing. I went to nearby Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, and asked if I could attend a class. They agreed. If I’d get a good grade, I could keep taking classes. I started with English 101. Studying came easy to me, and I enjoyed the class a lot. Our final paper was to be an autobiography. I wrote about my childhood in our traveling carnival in Germany, and was quite surprised to receive an A+.

All through the time I raised my six children, I kept attending first Snow College, then SUU, and BYU. When I received my MA in Language Acquisition and my two youngest children were in middle school, I decided the time had come to write in earnest. I started writing about my mother’s life. As the story unfolded, I realized that it would not be complete unless I also told the story of my childhood, and so I did.

I originally called my memoir Conversations with Margot (my mother’s first name), but since the novel I wrote about her life isn’t published yet, I decided to re-name the memoir and publish it first.

And that’s how Carnival Girl began.

To get yourself a copy of Carnival Girl: Searching for God in the Aftermath of War go to http://www.germancarnivalgirl.com/



Book Blogger Roll Call #2

Here is another edition of Book Blogger Roll Call.

I have Tina here again from Tutu's Two Cents and introducing this week Emma-Lee from House With No Name. Click on the links to the websites to read the full review!



Black Heart Blue
by Louisa Reid
http://housewithnoname.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/friday-book-review-black-heart-blue-by.html

Slash and Burn: A Dr. Siri Mystery set in Laos
by Colin Cotterill
http://tutus2cents.blogspot.ca/2012/06/review-slash-and-burn-by-colin.html



If you are looking to get your hands on one or both of these titles (I know I am) check out the updated Mommy's Reading Too Bookstore at the bottem of this page! Remember all money earned from the store will help get the Essays For Hope Books published .... and then all the proceeds from the books will go to organizations that will help worthy organizations. For more info on the project please check out the website at http://essaysforhope.webs.com

Book Blogger Roll Call Week One

Here are a couple of book reviews that were posted this week around the internet, a big thanks to both Tina and Teressa sharing their reviews for the first week of what will be a new weekly feature! Please take a visit to both of their blogs and check out the great reviews in full:)

http://tutus2cents.blogspot.ca/2012/06/review-world-without-you-joshua-henkin.html

The World Without You by Joshua Henkin

From Tina at Tutu's Two Cents

http://teressamorris.com/2012/06/the-wild-princess-book-review

The Wild Princess by Mary Hart Perry

From Teressa at Window on the World

Book Blogger Roll Call ....

A new idea came to mind the other night as I was tossing and turning due to the extreme heat we have been having, one that would help expose my readers to more awesome book blogs and more awesome book ideas. I have a certain type of book I enjoy and I was thinking that this blog needs a little bit more variety. So I have decided that each Friday afternoon I will post a best of from around the web. I will have a post that will include up to 20 links of new and fresh reviews from book bloggers around the globe, giving you a chance to see whats out there! I hope you enjoy!

A Suitable Husband by S.B. Lerner

http://sblerner.com/

In 1930s Poland, the economy is crumbling, the government is in chaos, and Jewish groups argue over how best to deal with the worsening situation. Among them are the Guardsmen, daring and organized young Zionists who are determined to start a new life in Palestine.

A Suitable Husband brings this vibrant period alive with the story of Bianca Lieber, caught between the pressure to marry Alex, the intelligent but staid doctor presented by the matchmaker, and Wolf, the intrepid Zionist leader who can help her get to Palestine.

Just over 6 months ago I first met S.B. Lerner online when I reviewed her collection of short stories (In the Middle of Almost and other stories) and after enjoying it very much I was excited to eventually be able to read the novel that she had in-progress at that time! About a month ago she contacted me to let me know that the story was done. I was so excited and could not wait to start reading. Sometimes when you have a lot of expectations attached to a new book it doesn't work  ...... however in this particular case ..... the wait was totally worth it and I hope that there is much more to come from this very gifted writer! 

I loved this book. I read books on a regular basis about 1930's and 1940's Europe and on the plight of the Jews during this time. I have a family connection to the Holocaust and I think that because of this tie I am drawn to fiction about this era. What I have not read much about is the Zionist movement in Poland before the onset of the German invasion, I learnt so much from reading A Suitable Husband. At the same time you get to expand your knowledge on such important events in world history, you get to enjoy a beautifully written coming of age story that touches both the heart and mind. A must for all readers of Historical Fiction.

Susan was gracious enough to take time from her busy schedule and let the readers of Mommy's Reading Too a little bit about why she chose to write about 1930's Poland.

When I was a kid, I’d lie on my bed with a book every day after school and read novels. A great story gave me hope that life could be exciting and dramatic and that people could evolve from quiet and serious (like me) into interesting and charismatic (my heroines). Whether they provided inspiration or simply distracted me from living more fully, I’m still not sure. But there is no denying the power and influence of the novel.

I was a Nancy Drew fan in elementary school, but as I got a bit older, I gravitated to novels about World War Two, probably because both my parents came over from Eastern Europe when they were young. They rarely spoke of their childhoods, so what I learned in novels filled in the gaps. I read books like Exodus and Winds of War, and then branched out into books about other times and places. I enjoyed books which transported me to other worlds and where I learned about other periods in history. That is the kind of book I wanted to write. When I learned about the political youth groups in 1930s Poland, I realized that fascinating period has been largely overshadowed by the Holocaust, and chose it as the setting for my novel.

The Zionist youth movement in 1930s Poland was a psychological lifeline for young Polish Jews, and for those who made it to Palestine, a literal one. Their grievances were very real but they'd given up on protesting the widespread anti-Semitism. With limited opportunities for education or employment and their civil rights steadily eroding, they banded together, determined to claim their piece of land in Palestine, and to develop it through hard work, in order to live in freedom.

They faced their increasingly bleak future with energy, organization and a grand sense of purpose. They defied their parents, found money to bribe the necessary officials, got around restrictive British emigration policies, and turned scholars into farmers. They lived communally in unique and for a long time, largely successful, socialist farming communities, making up their own rules, inventing their own moral code. Heady stuff, and a great setting for a novel.

I hope mine has done them justice.

To get a hold of  your own copy go to

http://www.amazon.com/A-Suitable-Husband-S-B-Lerner/dp/0975285351/ref=la_B007WG6O2I_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339203802&sr=1-1