tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83356762396272371702024-02-07T08:29:39.005-05:00Alli's WorldWhere the lines of fiction and reality melt beautifully and creatively.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.comBlogger245125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-3331009360626194322014-05-06T08:00:00.000-04:002014-05-06T08:00:04.819-04:00A Fresh Start<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
I know I've been slack in blogging. That makes me sad. I really like blogging. I don't know that anyone else in the world really cares what I have to say but I like having a place to document my thoughts nonetheless.</div>
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I think part of my problem was that I got bogged down in what my blog was (or was not). I thought I wanted to be a book blogger. I LOVE books and I LOVE talking about them. Books are a mega huge part of my life. But I look at other book bloggers and I just don't that I am *that* kind of blogger.</div>
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I'm not really a *lifestyle* blogger either. I'm not sure I have enough day to day *life* to be a *lifestyle* blogger. I'm not a mom so I can't be a *mommy* blogger. I love food but I'm not enough of a *foodie* to have a food blog. I truly enjoy music but I'm not *musical* enough for dedicate a blog to it. Heck, I L O V E movies/tv but not enough to single-handedly master a *film* blog. (Although, I do get my book/movie/tv passion out over on <a href="http://redcarpetendings.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">redcarpetendings.com</a>)</div>
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But for Alli's World...I think I'm just going to try to stop trying so hard. I know what you might be thinking, "Alli, girl. You ain't blogged but four times this YEAR and this is MAY already! You ain't trying. AT ALL."</div>
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What I mean is, I'm going to stop trying so hard fit into a labels that doesn't quite suit me. That's what I wanted when I first started blogging. A creative outlet for myself.</div>
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So, I imagine Alli's World will still be heavy into books. I mean. Really. They consume a huge chuck of my life. But in addition to books, I am going to write about other things that interest me too. (See above for examples.)</div>
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Other topics that MAYBE covered:</div>
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-Foster Care/Adoption Updates (Have I even covered that at all yet?)</div>
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-Georgia Related Things (Athens/Northeast GA/Southeast US)</div>
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-Fashion/Make Up Type Things</div>
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-Travel Things</div>
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-All the Things that Interest Alli</div>
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So anyways, I know this may not be what you signed up for when you followed along in Alli's World. But this is the way I see if going for now. If you aren't interested in going along for this ride anymore, I understand. If you stick around, I hope to have more content, more frequently. We'll just see where this journey leads us!</div>
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Also, does anyone know anything about Wordpress? Should I switch from Blogger? Opinions?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjer_Oc_WyF1Nxy8xE6IcMLuTh_6kPfcytwJiYyIyRapshZoeENE9FQjp96d4_4we3s-nHGMtvtrT2qttPXKTLQ6OJhTANVYYdxrIWAkMO1CZny1td_kElbeAfgyEIAeRozUo2KUlEhyphenhyphenx8/s1600/Jamie+Wedding+Weekend+029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjer_Oc_WyF1Nxy8xE6IcMLuTh_6kPfcytwJiYyIyRapshZoeENE9FQjp96d4_4we3s-nHGMtvtrT2qttPXKTLQ6OJhTANVYYdxrIWAkMO1CZny1td_kElbeAfgyEIAeRozUo2KUlEhyphenhyphenx8/s1600/Jamie+Wedding+Weekend+029.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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And a photo of Hubs & I. </div>
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Because we hiked. </div>
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Up a mountain.</div>
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To see this waterfall.</div>
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Grotto Falls outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-52884595601058814242014-05-02T23:39:00.001-04:002014-05-02T23:39:28.335-04:00Happy Anniversary!!<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Quick update: hubs & I celebrated 4 years of marital bliss yesterday!! It's crazy hard to believe. On one hand I feel like we just got married but on the other it's impossible to remember life without him. It was a difficult for both hubs & me to get to this point in our lives, both independently and together. </span></div><div><br></div><div>We still want more from life, of course. But for now we are content and happy. We have had some really awesome adventures thus far, met some cool people, seen some amazing sights, been to some remarkable places, and had some unforgettable experiences. And really what more could I want? So happy anniversary babe and I hope for many, many more! Love you bunches honey!<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifH9CSNcoAzA30E6q3FhABEBKW-mEv3kcvxdQnb7inncXFAZnkuNivTI_IHoTvWsvxEdFqig2rpFoXe6GzuDPVfX-aXdfUc3J43_NYIZS-iyX57dm1JUmAIA3Rl_H4BjwsfTDabgm370/s640/blogger-image-986654548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifH9CSNcoAzA30E6q3FhABEBKW-mEv3kcvxdQnb7inncXFAZnkuNivTI_IHoTvWsvxEdFqig2rpFoXe6GzuDPVfX-aXdfUc3J43_NYIZS-iyX57dm1JUmAIA3Rl_H4BjwsfTDabgm370/s640/blogger-image-986654548.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Us in Las Vegas on May 1, 2010 shortly after we said "I do!" I told Clayton I wouldn't get married unless it was in Vegas with Elvis. A few days later he said, "I booked the flight." :-) <3</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOcVEwAVXgxBizvwFAI8ey_VOGEKaZ4pNd2QNjXZiViCHD6S24gCYoCh8hs0mBTQOrCUDSEdLisjYwGL8lIdR9uyH_I8hhf-cH8i_j-pGzZgO3a4bWRdxq9V0hWxuZF9x9nHoKdiG_rY/s640/blogger-image-280389781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOcVEwAVXgxBizvwFAI8ey_VOGEKaZ4pNd2QNjXZiViCHD6S24gCYoCh8hs0mBTQOrCUDSEdLisjYwGL8lIdR9uyH_I8hhf-cH8i_j-pGzZgO3a4bWRdxq9V0hWxuZF9x9nHoKdiG_rY/s640/blogger-image-280389781.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Us yesterday after spending our fourth anniversary together. We had a lovely meal at the Dillard House, visited 12 Spies Vineyards, and made a few other unplanned stops along the road. We had an enjoyable day spent together. I could go for about 75 more years of days like that!</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-205641220054063562014-04-25T15:58:00.001-04:002014-04-25T15:58:43.763-04:00Long Over Due UPDATE!!Y'all. I did not realize just how long it had been since I last blogged! Holy cow! And while I'm not going to make promises about being back or anything but I did want to let you know where I'm at and where I'll be!<br />
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First, I haven't completely fell off the face of the internet. I've actually had an opportunity come up and I've been writing a bit for <a href="http://redcarpetendings.com/" target="_blank">Literary Beginnings & Red Carpet Endings</a>! This is super exciting for me because I LOVE book to movie/tv adaptations! For this moment in my life, it is really awesome to be able to explore that passion of mine. Please visit me over there, we strive to keep you up to date on adaptation news!<br />
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Second, I've had chance to have a couple of really cool experiences!<br />
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I got to meet Ian Somerhalder, Damon from The Vampire Diaries!! It was on evening (or early morning, however you look at it) after they were filming on location in Covington, GA!</div>
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I got to go to the early screening/red carpet in Atlanta for DIVERGENT! And met Shailene Woodley (above) and Theo James (below)! Talk about an OMG moment!</div>
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Thus far, this year has been AWESOME!</div>
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I've read some great books:</div>
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-Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (I mean, if I had to pick a book title to describe me, that would be the one!)</div>
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-Shatter Me and Unravel Me by Taherah Mafi</div>
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-Speak, Wintergirls, Twisted, and Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson</div>
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Listened to a GREAT audiobook:</div>
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-Looking for Alaska by John Green</div>
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I'm currently reading The Maze Runner by James Dashner. And currently listening to Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #3) by Laini Taylor. (L.O.V.E. this series!)</div>
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This is just a brief update but that's what's been going on! What have y'all been up to?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-68769344751840731842013-12-16T18:37:00.000-05:002013-12-16T18:37:23.436-05:00December Thoughts<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">December. It's always a bitter sweet month for me. I love Christmas: the celebration of Christ's birth, the tree, the lights, the family time, etc. But the whole gift-giving and scheduling conundrums really stress me out. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I miss my family members that have passed away more than ever in December. They should be here for Christmas but of course they aren't and that is of course sad.</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />Also. Some of my greatest moments of happiness and lowest sad points have occurred in my life's Decembers. I met ex in the month December and married him four Decembers later. which were happy at the time and now just leaving feeling blah. We were divorced three Decembers later.<br /><br />BUT Clayton and I became friends in December of 2009. We have had four GREAT Decembers since, as well as the other 11 months of each of the years! It's not like our life is perfect but we make the best of the life we've been given. We both feel like we have been given a second chance and we don't want to mess this good thing up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm super sad that we don't currently have children in our home to make the month of December even more exciting. Christmases are always so much better when kids are involved. But for some reason, that we may not understand now, God hasn't blessed us with children of our own (yet). But we are "this" close to being finished with the first steps to become foster parents and hopefully one day we will be able to adopt. And then we'll be a forever home for the child God intends for us.<br /><br />While all this may seem kind of personal, if you knew me at all you'd already know these things about me. The point I'm trying to make is...even though sometimes life hurts, it may be that only through going through those dark times can you really appreciate the good times. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I feel certain, had I not experienced my early 20s, I would have NEVER appreciated Clayton. And now I can't imagine my life without him. I believe with all my heart that he is the man God put on this earth for me. But not only do I have a true partner to go through this life with but I had the opportunity to learn who I was and about the things I like. I took the chance to grow as a person and become a person worthy of the life I wanted. (Granted, being the person I want to be is a work in progress! But I don't plan on ever giving up!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Had I listened to the "advice" or negativity of others, I would not be in the situation I'm in now. Yes, I realize it seem FOOLISH to run to Vegas and elope just five months after my divorce and after knowing the one you going to marry after just five months! It could have ended terribly. I'm sure there were some people in our lives that were betting on this marriage not working. And I don't know what the future holds but I know that Clayton and I are committed to each other, our relationship and God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">While maybe had I listened to the advice of others over ten years ago, I could have saved myself some heartache. But I know now, I would not forgo any of those trials. I am content with my lot in life. I don't think I'll ever stop trying to better myself. There are always things a I can learn and experience. I hope and pray the painful parts are few and far between but through that pain is when real character is built. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Really friends, what I want to say is take some risks! Don't be afraid to love! Don't worry if it doesn't work! Heartbreak is a part of life! Some seasons in life are just meant to be sad. Just don't wallow in your sorrows! LEARN from it. Be the best version of YOU! Your decisions are your own. You have to make peace with yourself and God. Surround yourself with people that love and support you, even if they think they know you are making a mistake. They can't live your life for you. You just have to know if if it does turn out to be a mistake, you life isn't over. Don't let one set back destroy your life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know that was all very rambly. But just had some thoughts I wanted to get out. If you've read all the way to this point, I certainly appreciate you! Leave me some thoughts or comments. Probably nothing new, nothing you haven't seen, read, heard or thought of yourself but sometimes it's just good to get your thoughts out of your own head! Thanks for letting me share!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-68975132078464791532013-11-21T07:33:00.000-05:002013-11-21T07:33:00.136-05:00Rainbow Rowell & David Levithan @ Avid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hello friends! This is Avid Bookshop. It's my local, independent bookseller. I HEART Avid so much! And I was super excited to hear they were having some super awesome authors come visit on November 10, 2013!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As the sign says, "WELCOME, Rainbow Rowell and David Levithan!!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How exciting! These authors are like a big deal, a very BIG deal! :)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIB1smETxvZBqs1qR5FPNyWrwTdSpjDt0pSVh3dQxf9C7XNrodPlzAVkAIxj7OADrijBr31yEo-qilS_qqq_dPmAsP4QxafYIFK8ISPThlJqwHUMfOw-3tXlWRCC4sVYJ3gPkBrV0kvv8/s1600/Avid+and+Mountains+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIB1smETxvZBqs1qR5FPNyWrwTdSpjDt0pSVh3dQxf9C7XNrodPlzAVkAIxj7OADrijBr31yEo-qilS_qqq_dPmAsP4QxafYIFK8ISPThlJqwHUMfOw-3tXlWRCC4sVYJ3gPkBrV0kvv8/s400/Avid+and+Mountains+005.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rainbow and David: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">They talked about their books, read from their newest releases and A'd the audiences' Q's.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also, it was a PACKED house! Standing room ONLY! How awesome is that?! So many people coming out for BOOKS and AUTHORS!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">David, Me, and the Hubs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We have quite the David Levithan collection in our little library now!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Me and Rainbow!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ohhh, and Hubs gets in on the photo too! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I can't wait to read my new books!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was a super great night! I'm so happy Avid was able to bring these authors to our little Athens town! If you are ever in the area, you should totally stop by there! And be sure to check out their website to order books and see what kind of events they have lined up for the future! </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.avidbookshop.com/">http://www.avidbookshop.com/</a>.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-44799350138239292612013-11-19T18:42:00.001-05:002013-11-19T18:42:15.376-05:00Anna and the French Kiss: A Short Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've had this book on my to-be-read shelf for ages. My question to myself: WHY?? Why did you wait soooo long to read this book?? <i>Anna and the French Kiss</i> by Stephanie Perkins is a super cute YA contemporary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The main character Anna is sent to Paris to a boarding school. (Horrid, right? Psh.) Of course there is a cute boy, Etienne St. Clair, complete with English accent and a French name. What's not to love there? The only thing is he's in a long term relationship and Anna came to France with a long term crush on another guy. Much cuteness and borderline sexiness with a side of sadness ensues. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The point: this book was fab! It has possibly shaken me out of reading slump. I read this book in about a day. And I'm super psyched I already have the companion novel, <i>Lola and the Boy Next Door </i>in my possession.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8gZSxofcasKuhL6zJDE-neKZPXKdqCMD95OD2y_MRzCFFbF_g2sR_Jx5_QIw8LW9yDkJAaeeFOLr2UwocRw0pgpRKlOttLc_Y-Gh50whHWVsL4DY-0eoCp4uN_d0Y6n6k3H6KoYnLsk/s1600/early+jan+2012+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8gZSxofcasKuhL6zJDE-neKZPXKdqCMD95OD2y_MRzCFFbF_g2sR_Jx5_QIw8LW9yDkJAaeeFOLr2UwocRw0pgpRKlOttLc_Y-Gh50whHWVsL4DY-0eoCp4uN_d0Y6n6k3H6KoYnLsk/s400/early+jan+2012+008.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Photo from 2012</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Authors: Beth Revis, <b>Stephanie Perkins</b>,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">and Carrie Ryan</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(Back Row: Hubby & Me)</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-33768228698979120372013-09-13T13:09:00.001-04:002013-09-13T13:09:39.589-04:00Wild Cards: Episode 1<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this before but I am kind of a reality TV junkie. It is so bad it is almost embarrassing. Oh well, I'll own it. Whatevs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So when I saw Simone Elkeles' mini REALITY SERIES teaser for her upcoming book, <b style="font-style: italic;">Wild Cards </b>I was super excited! What an awesome idea, totally different from typical book trailers. (Don't get me wrong, I love me some book trailers...this is just MORE!) I watched the first episode and I'm already excited to see what is to come with this show and the book! By the way, the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Wild Cards</i> book will be out October 1st! YAY!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here's the first episode! Enjoy!!</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/4bfSfG5AECY?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-88348977835173554662013-08-09T07:30:00.000-04:002013-08-09T07:30:03.503-04:00The Spectacular Now: The Movie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On Tuesday, the hubs and I attended a special screening of The Spectacular Now complete with a question and answer session with Athens hometown hero, director James Ponsoldt. It was a fabulous evening to say the least! Hubs and I enjoyed our weeknight date immensely. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdGRJma5p7XZLd6iruEghwjwV95SlztrxZn-pS92OduF8uSrBsJxGRLkHbiunbEhNf5FbwreVIQIbUQTkzZnVczqNfj4ARxrL0dDM_zWPmyaj5wvvqzMy_yGoAclf6AIRTA0lauO2DN0/s1600/IMG_20130806_211444_977.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdGRJma5p7XZLd6iruEghwjwV95SlztrxZn-pS92OduF8uSrBsJxGRLkHbiunbEhNf5FbwreVIQIbUQTkzZnVczqNfj4ARxrL0dDM_zWPmyaj5wvvqzMy_yGoAclf6AIRTA0lauO2DN0/s320/IMG_20130806_211444_977.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The movie poster for The Spectacular Now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We started our night by having dinner at <a href="http://www.thenationalrestaurant.com/index.html" target="_blank">The National</a> in downtown Athens, Georgia. This was the first time either of us had been there and it was wonderful! The National is a little fancier than we normally go for (meaning pricey) BUT it was VERY much worth it! Perfect for our pre-Prom dinner! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">AND...The National is right next door to this place...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtatOym_pxKihpL0EuCoGBe8SkufkYHwpB6wL7yMTp0IWv-pkcrqWAnegKZtxFwvpmeEOMa_XOer02FlyHEbvofQiT3qj8ZYJ0zpSK57rfv7iP_M7UYfDiDlYTPSDv_VN6f2ByrSbDlo/s1600/IMG_20130808_095956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtatOym_pxKihpL0EuCoGBe8SkufkYHwpB6wL7yMTp0IWv-pkcrqWAnegKZtxFwvpmeEOMa_XOer02FlyHEbvofQiT3qj8ZYJ0zpSK57rfv7iP_M7UYfDiDlYTPSDv_VN6f2ByrSbDlo/s320/IMG_20130808_095956.jpg" height="320" width="149" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.athenscine.com/intro.php" target="_blank">Cinè</a> hosted the night's event. We'd never been here either but I was impressed. Cinè is an "art house theater" which means they play educational and festival films. It is a great venue. They hosted this event not only to support The Spectacular Now, which was was filmed in Athens and James Ponsoldt, the director, who is from Athens; but they are also raising fund to get digital projectors to use in conjunction with film. (It is a worthy cause if you are interested check the Cinè website for more info!)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNWQ7hk4Lo3MI7UlgMrbfr8U5jMzxwfMxNIi47mS5LLqILJ0EkQuT11UsDTC7qVytqGpZXtfgiNTGdGJMkMEeU3DauRN8DUyYWc41bukzqx9P_vzLWAhKghOB58kK-PNj75GWKCuAneU/s1600/IMG_20130808_100230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNWQ7hk4Lo3MI7UlgMrbfr8U5jMzxwfMxNIi47mS5LLqILJ0EkQuT11UsDTC7qVytqGpZXtfgiNTGdGJMkMEeU3DauRN8DUyYWc41bukzqx9P_vzLWAhKghOB58kK-PNj75GWKCuAneU/s320/IMG_20130808_100230.jpg" height="222" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tickets!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIHzYTUVd3iTvjiV6IQW_NHxz0yVBcy5taRxNpPDRp3ML-LnIKeRb4F8T1nlLiOnrfgeqRPqmPo9xvQRUhmD2BLesgtIyja6OArtm88gK0ItpL8ZlBRMHl-JEQS-tRz4QiXEk5BLWH3A/s1600/IMG_20130808_095642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIHzYTUVd3iTvjiV6IQW_NHxz0yVBcy5taRxNpPDRp3ML-LnIKeRb4F8T1nlLiOnrfgeqRPqmPo9xvQRUhmD2BLesgtIyja6OArtm88gK0ItpL8ZlBRMHl-JEQS-tRz4QiXEk5BLWH3A/s320/IMG_20130808_095642.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Me and the Mister at the Prom Party!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHk4DpNM_3z8305CcIbOO_cVo4h3ypA1JlxAVMbIp0THikF5-5U7bC0vXbh9B8eBfEl3C9gkqwUVg6GigHbWBlzs9xz66sF-ZSSHyfx9EK4ZhXRvMXKHQQvYSAKgcYsxRGAFXoBd7REoI/s1600/IMG_20130808_095300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHk4DpNM_3z8305CcIbOO_cVo4h3ypA1JlxAVMbIp0THikF5-5U7bC0vXbh9B8eBfEl3C9gkqwUVg6GigHbWBlzs9xz66sF-ZSSHyfx9EK4ZhXRvMXKHQQvYSAKgcYsxRGAFXoBd7REoI/s320/IMG_20130808_095300.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Cheers! Best cream soda ever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After the movie Q & A with James Ponsoldt (director) on the left.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Me with James Ponsoldt who was kind enough to speak with me after what I'm sure was a LONG day for him. You could tell he was passionate about making GOOD movies and that he was passionate about Athens!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'd listened to all but the every end of the audio book. I always love when good books are made into movies; sometimes I am disappointed and sometimes I am truly surprised. I was very pleased by what I saw. The movie stayed true to the feel of the book and I recognized some of the dialogue as coming straight from the novel. Some things were a little different but there was mad respect paid to the original written work by author Tim Tharp. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In fact, when I got the chance, I told Mr. Ponsoldt I thought he did a good job of representing the book. He told me that Tim Tharp had been on set and was pleased with the movie. (Which makes me happy, I often wonder what authors think once their words become movies.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Like I mentioned before, the movie was filmed in Athens which is practically my own hometown. So I was super excited to see sights I easily recognized. It wasn't over done with our "major landmarks" but if you are familiar with the area, you'll know it's Athens in the movie! (Hometown love!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The movie itself is a magnificent coming of age story. It is rated R and appropriately so. There is some nudity in a tasteful sex scene, lots of cussing and underage drinking. All these things were pulled directly from the book. The movie is based of a Young Adult novel that deals with some very real issues some teens face. The movie did a great job of portraying the teen experience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Miles Teller plays the main character, Sutter. I was amazed. Teller always reminds me of a young Vince Vaughn, fast-talking and funny. He WAS Sutter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was really surprised by was Shailene Woodley, who played Aimee. I've seen her in Secret Life before so I just didn't know what to expect from her. But she really sold me and I'm excited to see her in her upcoming roles in Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars (also based on YA novels!).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I really enjoyed our whole experience. I totally want to see The Spectacular Now again and I can't wait to add it to our own movie collection. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Spectacular Now opens in more cities today. If you check it out let know what you thought about it! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-50540512037010189582013-08-02T07:30:00.000-04:002013-08-02T07:30:01.057-04:00Guest Post: C.A. Williams<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Alli's World has the pleasure of hosting a guest post from C.A. Williams. Just take a look at the cover of this book. Isn't it beautiful?! I asked C.A. about how she got into writing and how this book came to be. I enjoyed hearing about her journey and hope you do too! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">From C.A. Williams: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hi, so nice to meet you! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, I've always been a huge reader since I was very young. I basically always had my nose buried in a book, and then when they came out with e-readers, that was like heaven! I've always had a love for writing, being on the Journalism staff all throughout high-school. So, I wanted to do something with all of the ideas I had stored in my head that were just waiting to get out. I talked to my husband about starting to write books, which I figured he would think I was crazy, but he said go for it. And it all just took off from there. My first book that I released was Chasing Leah. I did pretty much everything on my own for that book, the editing, finding a pre-made cover, and any kind of advertisement to get it out there. I was shocked at how well it did, I was expecting to maybe sell a few and it definitely surpassed that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I feel like Chaotic is a little bit different from the other books that I've written so far. I came up with the idea when I first found out I was pregnant, and was having all sorts of crazy dreams. I'm not really into writing the paranormal genre, but that one almost ended up having a little touch of it if I had based it on my dreams. After a lot of back and forth, I decided to go the New Adult route which is really what I love writing. The main character is different from a lot of the typical characters out there, she's not a virgin that's waited to date or whatever until she's in college, and she's not naive. Della has a bit of a chip on her shoulder, and she's not always the nicest, but eventually you get to see her grow. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The main love interest she has in the book wasn't even in the story when I originally started writing it. I was totally going to give her a happily ever after, but I didn't think she was ready for that yet. This is the first book in the Imperfect Perfection series and while I think some readers might not be happy with the ending, which I guess is a little bit of a cliffhanger, sometimes life isn't always perfect and doesn't have a pretty little bow on it. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Synopsis via </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17406110-chaotic" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">:</span></b></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Adelaide McGregor was spinning out of control, in a world of pain that no one knew anything about. She put up a front, displaying a picture perfect girl that everyone wanted to be, but no one was truly there for her. Then she was sent away to live near her grandparents due to bad behavior when her mother decided she just didn't want to deal with her any longer. Without a penny to her name and no where else to go, her life was uprooted to North Carolina. Everything seems to be changing for the better with her fresh new start until she meets a guy who flips her world upside down all over again. Sometimes you have to make it through the struggles of imperfection in life for everything to come out as complete perfection, but Della hasn't quite learned that lesson yet.</span></i></div>
<i><br /></i><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Imperfection Book One</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Released:</b> May 10th 2013</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Purchase:</b> </span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CQDELEU?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00CQDELEU&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Amazon</span></a><br />
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>About the Author</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">C.A. Williams lives in Michigan and is married to her high school sweetheart. While being a stay at home to her two boys she likes to read and write in between cleaning up messes and being a short order cook. Cori always had a love for books since the time she first started reading and started swapping books with her mom when she got a little older. Her love for reading turned into a love for writing and Cori has enjoyed every second of it. Thanks to all of her readers!</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6307011.C_A_Williams" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.goodreads.com/<wbr></wbr>author/show/6307011.C_A_<wbr></wbr>Williams</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorcawilliams" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>authorcawilliams</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/CAWilliams00" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/<wbr></wbr>CAWilliams00</a></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-34591904030336086772013-07-29T15:38:00.000-04:002013-07-29T15:38:50.968-04:00Guest Post: Doug Solter<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hey y'all! Today's guest post is by Doug Solter, author of MY GIRLFRIEND BITES. I asked him about his inspiration for this story and I really like his answer! Just keep reading, you'll see, he speaks my language! ~Alli</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hi, Everyone! Alli was nice enough to let me come on her
blog today to talk about what inspired me to write MY GIRLFRIEND BITES, a new
young adult paranormal novel I released earlier this month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is an unusual sub-genre for me to write in. When I wrote
screenplays years ago, not one of them was a romance. Sure, many had romantic
sub-plots like most movies do. But for the most part, I wrote a lot of dramas,
comedies, and a few action scripts. Even my first book, SKID, is more of a
action-filled YA with the standard romantic sub-plot woven in. Writing
“romance” stories didn't really appeal to me. But then I read TWILIGHT.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, <i>that</i> TWILIGHT.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As a young adult author learning the ropes, I decided that I
had to read it to analyze why teenage girls were pining for Edward or Jacob and
why they could so emphasize with Bella. So I read the first two books. I did
get a better understanding on why girls liked this book. However...I had a
different reaction when it came to Bella's character.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I tend to write very strong female characters. I think it's
because women fascinate me. The way they look at the world is always
interesting to me. Plus, I'm always a sucker for the underdog. I'm not saying
that as a put-down. I'm saying that historically, female characters either get
shoved in the background, placed in only a supporting role, or there to give
the hero something to do in between action sequences. One great thing about YA
is that many of the heroes are girls and I see so much potential in young adult
books for girls to really do some awesome things. I'm not talking about winning
a boy's heart at school. I'm talking saving the world, blowing up the Death
Star, leading a movement. Girls who are DOING something to affect the world
around them. I love that stuff. Now don't get me wrong, I love the timeless
brave-man-saves-the-world stories. But in this day and age, girls can be brave
and we should show that in fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now let's get back to Bella. I think she's a nice girl.
She's a quiet and thoughtful girl. Her heart is pure. And she just needs that
special boy to give her life meaning. But, she needs Edward to save
her...constantly. The poor girl can't tie her shoelaces without Edward making
an appearance. Reading this actually made me a little mad. Don't girls want to
feel empowered? Like they have choices? Do they want to feel like if they don't
have a boy. then they can't function as people?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So that got me to thinking...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If I ever wrote a paranormal romance novel, I would swap the
roles. My girl will be strong and it'll be the boy who will have to learn to be
strong in order to be with her. She might save him a couple times and that
would embarrass the boyfriend enough to change how he looks at himself. Then I
thought, okay, the boy needs to be very weak. Like, maybe he's really a coward
and needs to learn how to be brave. Then being around this girl will motivate
him to be a boyfriend that's worthy of her. But what's so special about this
girl? Why is she so strong? I wanted steer away from vampires for obvious reasons.
Witches aren't physically strong so teaching the boy witchcraft didn't appeal
to me. So what creature in a paranormal universe should the girl be?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A werewolf. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes! I love werewolves! And she can be physically strong
because even werewolves in human form have all that bone structure and mass
build up deep inside them. That would be awesome! A normal teenage girl who
packed a big, fury punch. When the boy falls in love, that love for her will
motivate him to change and be that strong boyfriend she could count on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh, and the werewolves would be the central focus of the
story. They won't be manipulated or be treated like second-class paranormal
citizens like on True Blood. I refuse to make them into biker-gang-white-trash
werewolves. My wolves will be sophisticated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before I knew it, I had this story planted in my brain that
began to grow and grow. Pieces of ripe fruit formed here and there. Vines
connected the fruit together. Bree Mayflower and Aiden Jay came into existence.
Suddenly, I found myself writing a paranormal romance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-language: #00FF; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">And now I think I'm okay with that. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-language: #00FF; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-language: #00FF; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;"><b>Here is an excerpt from 'My Girlfriend Bites'</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> “Can I just take you home and we can
talk about it later?” I ask. But my voice sounds more like I’m begging. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> “No,” Bree says.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I stare at the glowing dashboard.
“How do I ask this?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Her voice softens. “Easy. Just ask.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> “You’ll think I’m crazy. I think I’m
crazy.” I notice my hand twisting on the steering wheel, like Bree’s hand did
when she picked me up that rainy afternoon. I can’t look her in the eyes. My
stomach burns so bad the acid must be eating through the lining. A part of me
doesn’t want to hear the answer to this question. But it’s too late to stop. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> “Are you some kind of animal?” I
throw it out there quickly, getting it over with.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Silence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> “Yes,” Bree says.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I search her face for any sign of
joking or sarcasm, any sign that this was one huge joke on me. But there’s
none.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> My brain goes numb. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> “The light’s green,” she says.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I stick my eyes on the road and
drive across the intersection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> “There’s a park up ahead. Make a
right,” Bree says. “We need to have a talk.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Is Bree planning to kill me now? Is
that nip she gave me on the train going to be a full bite that rips my neck and
throat out? Letting me bleed to death in some city park to be discovered by
some hipster out on his morning jog? I think the stomach acid has seeped into
my vital organs now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I maneuver the truck into the
parking lot and switch off the engine. One single street lamp casts a weak,
hollow glow inside the cab. A dark shadow covers Bree’s face, disguising that
cute girl at the restaurant. The silence inside the truck is the loudest I’ve
ever heard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> We sit there for a moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Or two.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> “Up for a walk?” Bree opens her door
and steps out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I close my eyes. I have this awful
feeling that I know something that I shouldn’t know about. Something dangerous.
Something that will reveal its scary self and rip my body apart like Christmas
wrapping paper. My door pops open without me touching it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> “Come. Walk with me.” Bree offers
her hand. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I hesitate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> “I won’t hurt you,” she whispers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> My shaky hand grasps hers and I
climb out of the truck.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Bree then leads me into a dark grove
of trees.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>About MY GIRLFRIEND BITES:</u></b><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A wimpy 16-year-old boy wants to find a girlfriend. When he
falls for the perfect one, she shifts into a werewolf and throws his life
upside down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After his "dream" girl rejects him, 16-year-old
Aiden tries to commit suicide. Yet he mysteriously survives. Now he feels like
a loser with zero possibility of finding
the perfect girlfriend. Enter Bree, the creepy girl with too much hair who's
rumored to be cloned from a frozen prehistoric cave girl that scientists
discovered in Canada. But when he accepts a ride from “Cave Girl” during a
storm, Aiden discovers this weird girl not only has a kind heart. She's also
cute.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Aiden offers to help Bree in Algebra and the two become
friends. When Aiden pushes that friendship into a date, Bree accepts. On a
romantic night at the zoo, Bree and Aiden fall in love as the animals watch.
Unlike Aiden, they can smell what Bree really is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bree decides to tell him her deep, dark secret. Her family
are werewolves hiding from the Demon Skins, a mysterious new enemy hunting down
all the werewolf packs on earth. Aiden struggles with Bree's revelation, but
chooses to stand by the girl he fell in love with. But standing by his new
girlfriend will be the biggest test of his life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Too bad Bree can't turn a coward into a fearless werewolf.
That bite thing is only a myth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8335676239627237170" name="_GoBack"></a>This forces Aiden to do the
unthinkable...believe in himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>You can get your copy of 'My Girlfriend Bites' here:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DYWGVI6/"><span style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Amazon</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-girlfriend-bites-doug-solter/1116066679?ean=2940148598244">Nook</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/337293"><span style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Smashwords</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/My-Girlfriend-Bites/book-QGXhYeaNjEOq7O8qVjRBTQ/page1.html?s=1Yp-3al1Vkeh_VCPKlcrBA&r=1"><span style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Kobo</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Girlfriend-Bites-ebook/dp/B00DYWGVI6/"><span style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Amazon UK</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/My-Girlfriend-Bites-ebook/dp/B00DYWGVI6/"><span style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Amazon CA</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Doug went to college at
nearby Oklahoma State where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Radio/TV/Film
production and worked in local television for 20 years. Doug began writing
screenplays in 1998 and became a 2001 semi-finalist in The Academy of Motion
Pictures Arts and Sciences’ <a href="http://www.oscars.org/awards/nicholl/index.html">Nicholl Fellowships in
Screenwriting</a>. His script <i>Father Figure</i> was one of 129 scripts left
from 5,489 entries. His tenth script, <i>Rail Fan</i>, became a
quarter-finalist in 2009. Soon after, Doug made the switch to writing young
adult novels in 2008. <i>Skid</i>, a young adult novel set in the world of
Formula 1 racing, is his first.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.dougsolter.com/">Author website</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6127991.Doug_Solter">Goodreads</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/DougSolter">Twitter</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Doug-Solter/208511029289982?ref=hl">Facebook</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://dougthewriter.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/106149071386639558999/posts">Google+</a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-37822658231544026192013-06-29T11:05:00.001-04:002013-06-29T11:05:25.040-04:00Review: Sidekick Chronicles<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alli is a horrible book blogger. I said I'd post reviews on the books I've read and I have REALLY, REALLY been slacking. In fact, this review I've had written for at least a month or more and just haven't posted! Anyways, finally. Here it is! I enjoyed this one so I hope you guys check it out! And hopefully more posts from Alli soonish! </span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Title:</span> <span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sidekick Chronicles (</span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A Gryphon Series Novella)</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Author: Stacey Rourke</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Genre: YA</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Source: Review copy from author.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I enjoyed the Sidekick Chronicles novella. It gave insight to Keni, Grams, and Gabe that we haven't gotten from the first two books that were more focused on Celeste's side of the story. <br /><br />It changed my perspective on Keni a little bit. She's still pretty air-headed but this story lent her a little more likability, vulnerability and relate-ablity to me. I hate that she had to experience some heartbreak but I think it will be good for her in the long run. You live and learn. Painful experiences as well has happy ones make us the people we are so I think this will be good for her character development.<br /><br />I just love Grams. She's really the best character in my opinion! She's old and a little crazy but she has an eclectic fashion sense I can appreciate! She's set in her ways but she cars about her grand babies and their significant others so much. It makes me sad I didn't have a chance to get to know my own grandmothers better. :( I'd like to think they were a lot like Grams.<br /><br />Gabe's story is wow. I'm not sure what to think. At first I thought I was going to have to hate him. He's a little creepy/stalkery/is he some kind of dark-sided murderer now? But his story "ended" kind of sweetish note, I guess... And had me wanting to race on to book 3.<br /><br />I just feel like the author is still playing her cards close. I think there is A LOT more going on than we, the readers, are privy to. I find that infurating and irresistible at the same time. I get irritated I don't know more but it also keeps me reading. I give Sidekick 4 out of 5 stars. I'm really digging this series, I'd recommend it to any YA fantasy fans. Well, I'm off to read book 3. Here's to hoping for some answers!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-85270166075653827982013-05-10T17:27:00.001-04:002013-05-10T17:27:21.277-04:00Where in the World has Alli been?<br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hello! I feel like it has be FOREVER since I've really blogged and given you guys any real original content. And it's true. I haven't. I've totally been neglecting my poor blog. On the plus side...I have been reading so, there's that. </span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I just haven't felt good lately. I'm back on night shift again. And I was doing really well with the schedule for a while. But then my sleep hours and wake hours got all jumbled up and I have yet to recover.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also, on a deeply personal note, I've been working with my doctor and taking some different medicines. The mister and I are about ready to start a family and of course, because it's me, it is not going to be easy. So the doc is trying to get all my hormonal ducks in a row so that Ensign Kirk can come on board. (Too Trekkie/nerdy? Ok, so I mean Baby Kirk.)</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We aren't really overly worried about this whole process. I'm just concerned it might take a while. And then if we can't have said baby then we will look into adoption. Which I am also totally fine with and in fact, it has always been on the table for me. I'd like to adopt one day whether or not I give birth to a child or children myself or not. </span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Even then, if that doesn't work out, then I feel certain hubs and I can live a completely full life without children. But we at least want to give it a try so here we are. Our only real concern in all this is that it can take TIME. And while we are still young now, neither of us want wait til we are OLD to become parents. So really we just want to know what we are working with here. </span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br clear="all" /></span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But back to the point, I think all these meds </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">are doing a number on me too. So I have crazy hormones, an inability to sleep at the appropriate time, and as much I try not to, a pretty constant worry in the back of my mind about what might or might not happen. My concentration level has been limited to say the least. I'm doing good to be functional at work. At home I'm good reading or watching TV but if it requires more thought I'm out. So writing reviews has not been happening. But working on my TBR </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">pile and catching up on the billion </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">shows on the DVR </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">have really been great distractions.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've finally started feeling a little better. Not totally Alli but getting there. Here's what I've been up to...</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We went to DC for a weekend to see the sites and cherry blossoms:</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hubs and I celebrated 3 years of wedded bliss on May 1. I love that man sooooo much! I have new addition on my ring finger. Since we eloped to Vegas there was no time or reason to have an engagement ring. But this year my sweetie added this beautiful chocolate diamond ring to my original wedding bad. I LOVE it!! It's different but SO ARE WE. Nothing we've ever done has been "normal" and I wouldn't have it any other way!</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've read several books</span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">:</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Sidekick Chronicles by Stacey Rourke</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sacrifice by Stacey Rourke</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Bully Book by Eric Kahn Gale</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Surviving High School by M. Doty</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Caught up on some television:</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Vampire Diaries--That Originals episode was AWESOME!</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Grimm--Nick and Juliet--just get back together already!</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Game of Thrones--Addictive!</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Duck Dynasty--Makes me "Happy, Happy, Happy!"</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Other internet type stuff: </span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">#BSMPhotoADay Challenge. I've never done one of these before and it's way fun AND this one is bookish! You can see my Instagram photos over there on the sidebar. If you are on Instagram, look me up! My user name is: mrscaptkirk51. This challenge is helping me feel connected but not overwhelmed. So yay for participation!</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pinterest: I've also been pinning the fool out of some stuff on Pinterest. If you are curious to see what caught my fleeting fancy, look for me, I'm Allison Kirk on Pinterest!</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So that kind of sums it up for now. Now that I've laid it all out there, I'm really going to try to get those reviews up SOON. Like this coming week. At least some of them. </span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And if you are the praying type we sure could use yours as we are going through these wait and see times. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-33837441658038373892013-05-01T08:34:00.000-04:002013-05-01T08:34:00.349-04:00The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher Guest Post<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm so excited about today's guest post with author of The S-Word, Chelsea Pitcher! I'm not even going to try to explain this one to you. (I haven't read it yet, but I really want to!) Chelsea asked me what topic I'd like her to write about and of course I was blank. Finally, this was basically what finally came up with...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Me: I'm just interested in why you chose tackled such a major issue in THE S-WORD, especially this being your debut novel. Maybe you could discuss why this story HAD to written. (I really like stories that take on bullies. I wasn't bullied too bad but I was never Miss Popular either, if you know what I mean.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And the following is Chelsea's response!</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I started thinking about “The S-Word” when teen suicide was all over the news. Ellen DeGeneres called it an epidemic. The folks at It Gets Better were trying to convince young people to hold on a little longer, because life really does improve. I kept thinking: <i>what can I do? Can I do anything?</i> I didn’t work in a middle school or high school. I didn’t have kids of that age (or, let’s be honest, any age), so it would’ve been somewhat odd for me to infiltrate the PTA. But I couldn’t just do <i>nothing</i>. People’s lives were at stake. Good people, whose only fault was being born into a world that didn’t appreciate them, or see their awesomeness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So I started to write. I wrote about all the ugliness in the world that baffled me, or made me angry, or broke my heart. I wrote about it as honestly as I could. I didn’t sugar coat or gloss over anything. I wanted to reflect the world back to itself, to hopefully show people, from my perspective, what was wrong and how we could change it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I also wrote about the connections between things: how boys being beaten for wanting to kiss other boys is <i>connected</i> to girls being brutalized for showing any hint of sexuality. How abuse in school is connected to abuse at home. I wrote about how it’s all part of a spectrum of violence, of a society that divides people into categories of “valuable” and “useless” and punishes those who don’t measure up. And once I started seeing the connections, I couldn’t stop. One connection bled into another, until I had this giant, unbroken tapestry of cause and effect, of bullying begetting more bullying. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I called it “The S-Word.” I wrote the first draft in a month. And while I didn’t specifically <i>say</i>, “Here is the connection between <i>this</i> and <i>that</i>,” I attempted to <i>show</i> how all of this bullying and violence and divisiveness is experienced by teens on a daily basis. I created Lizzie, who’s tormented by her entire class after she’s caught in bed with the wrong boy. I created Jesse, whose refusal to conform to traditional gender roles makes people think they have the right to attack him, both verbally and physically. Shelby’s dealing with racism in a school that’s ninety-percent white. Kennedy’s been labeled “easy” since seventh grade. The more I thought about it, the more problems I uncovered for this group of struggling teens; problems dealt with every day in real high schools and junior highs. Problems I encountered in my own high school days (though I believe things are worse today). It almost started to feel like too much; the problems were overwhelming. Did I really have to write about <i>all</i> of these things? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But that was the point. That’s our reality. And it needed to be shown, if we’re ever going to find a solution to this culture of violence. My version of things isn’t the only one, and there are certainly issues I wasn’t able to touch upon. But if one person is moved by my story, and inspired to change their behavior, I’ve done what I set out to do. And if one person realizes she’s not alone in a world that’s trying to objectify or marginalize her; if one person realizes he’s valuable in a world that tells him he’s not worthy of being loved, I’ve done more than I could’ve hoped.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">About The S-Word:</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">First it was SLUT scribbled all over Lizzie Hart’s locker.</b></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />But one week after Lizzie kills herself, SUICIDE SLUT replaces it—in Lizzie's looping scrawl.</b><br /><br />Lizzie’s reputation is destroyed when she's caught in bed with her best friend’s boyfriend on prom night. With the whole school turned against her, and Angie not speaking to her, Lizzie takes her own life. But someone isn’t letting her go quietly. As graffiti and photocopies of Lizzie’s diary plaster the school, Angie begins a relentless investigation into who, exactly, made Lizzie feel she didn’t deserve to keep living. And while she claims she simply wants to punish Lizzie’s tormentors, Angie's own anguish over abandoning her best friend will drive her deep into the dark, twisted side of Verity High—and she might not be able to pull herself back out.<br /><br />Debut author Chelsea Pitcher daringly depicts the harsh reality of modern high schools, where one bad decision can ruin a reputation, and one cruel word can ruin a life. Angie’s quest for the truth behind Lizzie’s suicide is addictive and thrilling, and her razor-sharp wit and fierce sleuthing skills makes her impossible not to root for—even when it becomes clear that both avenging Lizzie and avoiding self-destruction might not be possible.<br /><br /><br /><br />Release date: May 7th 2013<br /><br />Publisher: Simon & Schuster<br /><br />Purchase: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451695160?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1451695160&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a><br /><br />About the Author: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chelsea Pitcher is a native of Portland, OR where she received her BA in English Literature. Fascinated by all things literary, she began gobbling up stories as soon as she could read, and especially enjoys delving into the darker places to see if she can draw out some light. <br /><br /><b>Official links</b>: <a href="http://chelseapitcher.com/">chelseapitcher.com</a> | @Chelsea_Pitcher</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-81168700680592591022013-04-30T08:39:00.000-04:002013-04-30T08:39:47.575-04:00No Attachment Release Day<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Happy Book Birthday to NO ATTACHMENTS by Tiffany King!! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ashton Garrison walked away from a privileged life in order to hide from the one thing she's not willing to face. She knows she left behind a trail of pain, but in the long run, her betrayal will hurt less than the truth. She now has one goal: Live life to the fullest with no regrets and no attachments. She has high hopes that a move to new surroundings will provide the escape she desires, but what Ashton doesn't count on is how fate always seems to find a way to screw up any good plan. Sometimes, when love comes knocking, the pull is too strong not to answer. Suddenly, what she thought she wanted to escape from is what Ashton now wants more than anything.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nathan Lockton has one mission: find his target and complete the task he was hired to do—no attachments and no emotion necessary. He's done it over and over again. What he thought was a typical lost-and-found job has turned into a life examining moment as Nathan is forced to deal with something he has always ignored--his feelings. Now faced with a decision, Nathan must choose to either follow his heart or complete the job.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Love can come when you least expect it. The question is: If the odds are stacked against you, how far are you willing to go for the one you love?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tiffany King is the author of The Saving Angels Series, Wishing for Someday Soon, Forever Changed, Unlikely Allies, Miss Me Not and Jordyn: A Daemon Hunter Novel book one. Writer by day and book fanatic the rest of the time, she is now pursuing her life-long dream of weaving tales for others to enjoy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">She has a loving husband and two wonderful kids. (Five, if you count her three spoiled cats). Her addictions include: Her iphone and ipad, chocolate, Diet Coke, chocolate, Harry Potter, chocolate, and her favorite TV shows. Want to know what they are? Just ask.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Twitter</b>- <a href="https://twitter.com/AuthorTiffany" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">@AuthorTiffany</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Facebook</b>- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tiffany-King/143978505670098" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Tiffany King</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Pintrest</b>- <a href="http://pinterest.com/authortiffany/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Tiffany King</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Blog</b>- <a href="http://www.authortiffanyjking.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">authortiffanyjking.blogspot.<wbr></wbr>com</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Goodreads</b>- <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4719619.Tiffany_King/?auto_login_attempted=true" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Tiffany King</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/9172c112/" id="rc-9172c112" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-30335385671584883822013-04-23T07:30:00.000-04:002013-04-23T07:30:00.795-04:00Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b>Happy official release day to SUDDENLY ROYAL by Nichole Chase!! </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Samantha Rousseau is used to getting her hands dirty. Working toward a master’s degree in wildlife biology while helping take care of her sick father, she has no time for celebrity gossip, designer clothes, or lazy vacations. So when a duchess from the small country of Lilaria invites her to dinner, Samantha assumes it’s to discuss a donation for the program. The truth will change the course of her life in ways she never dreamed.<br /><br />Alex D’Lynsal is trying to keep his name clean. As crown prince of Lilaria, he’s had his share of scandalous headlines, but the latest pictures have sent him packing to America and forced him to swear off women—especially women in the public eye. That is, until he meets Samantha Rousseau. She’s stubborn, feisty, and incredibly sexy. Not to mention heiress to an estate in his country, which makes her everyone’s front-page news.<br /><br />While Sam tries to navigate the new world of politics and wealth, she will also have to dodge her growing feelings for Alex. Giving in to them means more than just falling in love; it would mean accepting the weight of an entire country on her shoulders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Get your copy here!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Suddenly-Royal-Nichole-Chase/dp/1483953297/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_img_3_E5R0" style="line-height: 18px;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Amazon paperback</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/suddenly-royal-nichole-chase/1114988788?ean=2940016431925" style="line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Suddenly-Royal/Nichole-Chase/9781483953298?id=5656484998337" style="line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">Books a Million </a></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/306775" style="line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nichole Chase is a daydreamer. No, really, just ask any of the math teachers that had the misfortune of seeing her name appear on their class schedule.<br />For years she has had story lines and characters begging for attention, but she resolutely pushed them aside to focus on more normal (read, boring) jobs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, no longer! She is currently heeding the voices in her head and frantically writing their stories. Ms. Chase is the author of the Dark Betrayal Trilogy, Flukes, and Suddenly Royal (including several short stories).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nichole resides in South Georgia with her husband, energetic daughter, dog, tortoise, and two cats. When not devouring novels by the dozens, you may find her writing, painting, crafting, or chasing her daughter around the house while making monster noises. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.nicholechase.com/" target="_blank">Website</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.nicholechase.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Blog</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/NicholeChase" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-35533355592923325702013-04-23T02:19:00.000-04:002013-04-23T02:19:08.618-04:00Teaser Tuesday: Meant to Be<br />
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<img src="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/tte.jpg?w=137&h=86&h=86" /></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: small;">Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of </span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"><a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/" style="color: #7d181e; text-decoration: initial;">Should Be Reading</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: small;">Anyone can play along! Just do the following:</span></div>
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<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-size: small;">• Grab your current read</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-size: small; line-height: 18px;">• Open to a random page</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-size: small; line-height: 18px;">• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">• <span style="color: purple;">BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">• <span style="color: magenta;">Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"I sit straight up in my seat. Jason's got his arms raised like he's on a roller coaster. A pretty flight attendant glides up the aisle toward him. Good. If God can't get Jason to shut it, maybe she can." </span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">From MEANT TO BE by Lauren Morrill</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-86308336896782647902013-04-21T21:44:00.004-04:002013-04-22T08:14:23.906-04:00Unhappily Ever AfterI really LOVE fairy tales. I've been called princess one more than once and I'm pretty sure about 87% of the times weren't complimentary. But that's ok. I just straighten my tiara and keep going! <br />
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But back to the matter at hand, today we have Unhappily Ever After in the spotlight. (Ha, I've had that too! You know, when the fairy tale didn't end like it was supposed to...) That's what this short story anthology is all about! And it's currently on sale! Keep reading for more info and a giveaway from the publisher!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3bEchvbrF48/UXFypKGH6FI/AAAAAAAACW8/27___YrJvuc/s1600/anthologyfront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3bEchvbrF48/UXFypKGH6FI/AAAAAAAACW8/27___YrJvuc/s320/anthologyfront.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Hey, guess what? You got it! The </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/anchorgrouppublishing"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Anchor Group</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> anthology will be on sale from April 21st to the 27th. What is Unhappily Ever After; Fairy Tales with a Twist you ask? Good question. </span><br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Synopsis:</span></strong><br />
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<div id="postBodyPS"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Fairy tales have a happy ending ... or do they? In this anthology of short stories we learn that sometimes happily ever after misses the mark. From Rumpelstiltskin's Ghost, to an unhappily married Snow White, or the little known Eighth Dwarf to Jack's poor decision making skills. Sit back and enjoy these lesser known fairy tales as told by some of today's hottest authors!</span></div></div><div class="psGradient" id="psGradient" style="display: none;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
</div><div id="psPlaceHolder" style="display: none; height: 20px;"><div id="expandPS" style="display: none; z-index: 3;"><span class="swSprite s_expandChevron"></span><a class="showMore" href="http://www.amazon.com/Unhappily-After-Fairy-Tales-ebook/dp/B00C33OBHU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366389567&sr=8-1&keywords=unhappily+ever+after+fairy+tales+with+a+twist#"><span style="background-color: white;">Show more</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></div></div><div id="collapsePS" style="display: none; padding-top: 3px;"><span class="swSprite s_collapseChevron"></span><a class="showLess" href="http://www.amazon.com/Unhappily-After-Fairy-Tales-ebook/dp/B00C33OBHU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366389567&sr=8-1&keywords=unhappily+ever+after+fairy+tales+with+a+twist#"><span style="background-color: white;">Show less</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></div><span style="background-color: white;"><noscript></noscript></span><br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Buy Links:</span></strong><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Unhappily-After-Fairy-Tales-ebook/dp/B00C33OBHU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366390327&sr=8-1&keywords=unhappily+ever+after+fairy+tales+with+a+twist"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Amazon</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unhappily-ever-after-fairy-tales-with-a-twist-melissa-ringsted/1114963987?ean=2940016688237"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Barnes and Noble</span></a><br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Rafflecopter Giveaway:</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span></strong><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">What you can win:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2P8WEzfRVaI/UXGBk6_PtPI/AAAAAAAACXE/QmBwXB5ecvo/s1600/IMG_2901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2P8WEzfRVaI/UXGBk6_PtPI/AAAAAAAACXE/QmBwXB5ecvo/s320/IMG_2901.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">This snazzy shoe tape dispenser, since every princess needs a slipper. A two-pack of sleep masks, since every princess needs her beauty sleep. Various bookmarks and donated swag. A paperback copy of Unhappily Ever After; Fairy Tales with a Twist. And a few added suprises!</span><br />
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/58a55218/" id="rc-58a55218" rel="nofollow"><span style="background-color: white;">a Rafflecopter giveaway</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><strong><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span></strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Reviews:</span></strong><br />
<span class="fl" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,New Century Schoolbook,Times,Serif; font-size: 22px; font-style: italic; left: -1px; position: relative; top: -1px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span class="fl" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,New Century Schoolbook,Times,Serif; font-size: 22px; font-style: italic; left: -1px; position: relative; top: -1px; vertical-align: top;">"The contributing authors are all so talented and bring something unique&special to this fabulous anthology." Karen Toz</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
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<div><div style="margin-top: -5px;"><span class="fl" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,New Century Schoolbook,Times,Serif; font-size: 22px; font-style: italic; left: -1px; position: relative; top: -1px; vertical-align: top;">"11 very talented authors write 11 different stories, each one with their own fun, wicked twist." Cynthia Williams</span><span class="fl" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,New Century Schoolbook,Times,Serif; font-size: 22px; font-style: italic; left: -1px; position: relative; top: -1px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span class="fl" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,New Century Schoolbook,Times,Serif; font-size: 22px; font-style: italic; left: -1px; position: relative; top: -1px; vertical-align: top;">"I'm sure this was a fun work to put together, and I'd definitely recommend it to fans of the slightly-off." Kristin A. Kim</span><span class="fl" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,New Century Schoolbook,Times,Serif; font-size: 22px; font-style: italic; left: -1px; position: relative; top: -1px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span class="fl" style="color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,New Century Schoolbook,Times,Serif; font-style: italic; left: -1px; position: relative; top: -1px; vertical-align: top;"><strong><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span></strong></span> </div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-28773742240657882442013-04-19T07:26:00.000-04:002013-04-19T07:26:00.698-04:00Book Blast: By My Side by Stephanie Witter<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm excited about today's book blast! I haven't read BY MY SIDE but I'm a fan of the publisher, Anchor Group Publishing. I've enjoyed other books I've read from Anchor. And the cover of BY MY SIDE looks intriguing. AND it falls under the "New Adult" genre of which I'm quickly becoming a fan. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">See what other's are saying about BY MY SIDE: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">"Talk about an intense, in-your-face, emotionally charged read! </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><i>By My Side</i> by Stephanie Witter</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> is that and more!"</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19px;">~ Dianne, <a href="http://tometender.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tome Tender</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19px;">"I absolutely loved this story of love, loss, heartache and so much more." </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19px;">~ Melissa Ringsted, Goodreads.com</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19px;">Lily Saunders sees her family falling apart. Her father is deserting her, and her mother is drinking more and more. Even sarcasm can't help Lily. When she thinks her best friend, Andy Green, will help her, she discovers how his blinding jealousy will mess everything up.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19px;">And then Gabe Green comes back home. She thinks it'll be like always between them—sarcasms and curses thrown at each other—but she's mistaken. He's different, and understands right away the problems she's trying to keep for herself. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-size: large;">But even if he's there for her, making her fall hard, they both know it'll end soon. Because at their age, you can't expect forever. Right?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Buy the book at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/By-My-Side-ebook/dp/B00BW74OH0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366154333&sr=8-1&keywords=By+My+Side" target="_blank">Amazon</a>!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Enter the Giveaway</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/74bbef32/" id="rc-74bbef32" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A <a href="http://www.girl-who-reads.com/p/gwr-publicity.html" target="_blank">GWR Publicity</a> promotional event paid for by Anchor Group Publishing. Giveaway is sponsored by the author.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWmjgyfGz-OUmrbBDuYT9mRB67sfKJAtkby8J8HgX1KCQHmUdQbZi58K5z9yQfXjSECIOUglk9Tyiuq5p8UJvwHHQ_dYWr1C_WvXlWQbI12R5POaGkfBde7LK_lFM-AKR000yfvP-Zcgw/s1600/author.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWmjgyfGz-OUmrbBDuYT9mRB67sfKJAtkby8J8HgX1KCQHmUdQbZi58K5z9yQfXjSECIOUglk9Tyiuq5p8UJvwHHQ_dYWr1C_WvXlWQbI12R5POaGkfBde7LK_lFM-AKR000yfvP-Zcgw/s1600/author.jpeg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">About the author: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stephanie Witter is a French dreamer. She started English at four and fell in love with the language.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Always with a book - or two - close by, she soon started reading in English when she couldn't wait to see Harry Potter translated in French.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After a while, reading wasn't enough and she started writing young adult and new adult contemporary novels always filled with drama.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now she hopes to translate English novels in her mother tongue as her everyday job.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By My Side is her debut novel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Author's Links:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">http://stephanie-witter.blogspot.com</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">http://www.facebook.com/Stephanie.witter.author</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Twitter: @StephanieR76</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17565301-by-my-side</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-65887809285916949952013-04-18T09:34:00.000-04:002013-04-18T09:34:02.796-04:00Excerpt: A SHADE OF A VAMPIRE by Bella Forrest<b id="internal-source-marker_0.8089510812424123" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;">Alli's World has the pleasure spotlighting A SHADE OF VAMPIRE by Bella Forrest today. </b>Unfortunately, I<b style="font-weight: normal;"> currently have a problem. There are just more books that I really WANT to read than I can possibly get to at the moment. This makes me incredibly sad. I need more hours in a day and better time management skills. But, alas, I have neither. I do have a compromise though!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;">Bella contacted me about reviewing her book. And I was excited. This book seems like it would be </b>exactly<b style="font-weight: normal;"> the kind of book I'd usually pick up on my own</b><b style="font-weight: normal;">. But I had to tell her I couldn't review it right now because I'm swamped. But I did want to get the word out to you guys about this book and to tide myself over until I can read it, Bella sent us an excerpt from A SHADE OF VAMPIRE!</b></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-weight: normal; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></span></span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.8089510812424123" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake. A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood. <br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" />She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine. <br class="kix-line-break" />An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains. <br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" />Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince. <br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" />Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.<br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" />Will she succeed? ...Or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Excerpt from A Shade of Vampire:</span></span></b></span></h3>
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I’d been meandering along the shore for about an hour when I suddenly sensed that I wasn’t alone. Someone was approaching me from behind. My heart leapt. I was so sure it was Ben, that when a stranger showed up beside me, I couldn’t hide my disappointment. </div>
</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />He must have noticed, because a smirk formed on his lips. “Were you expecting someone else, love?” <br /><br />I eyed him suspiciously, remembering how many times my father had told me not to talk to strangers. I looked him over, taking in his appearance. My eyes widened. I couldn’t find words to describe how fine a man he was. He was almost beautiful. The first thing I took notice of was how his blue eyes were about three shades brighter than any I’d ever seen before. It was such a stark contrast to his pale – almost white – skin and dark hair. Standing beside me, he was easily more than half a foot taller. His height, broad shoulders and lean build reminded me of Ben, but he had a presence that was far more imposing than my best friend’s. <br /><br />My gaze settled on his face. <br /><br />I realized that he was inspecting me just as closely as I was him. His eyes on me suddenly made me feel uncomfortably vulnerable. I gave my father’s advice a second thought, but quickly canceled out all notions of heeding to his counsel when I reminded myself that he stopped caring a long time ago. <br /><br />I straightened to my full height and mustered all the courage I had to keep myself from running away from this stranger. <br /><br /> Big mistake. <br /><br />The confident smirk didn’t leave his face for even a moment. <br /><br />“Like what you see?” <br /><br />“A bit full of yourself, aren’t you?” I scoffed, annoyed by his audacity. <br /><br />He stepped forward, closer to me, and leaned his head toward mine. <br /><br />“Don’t I have the right to be?” <br /><br />He knew he looked good and wasn’t about to act like he didn’t. <br /><br />“Whatever,” was my oh-so-brilliant comeback. <br /><br />My shoulders sagged with defeat as I took a step back, unsettled by how close he was now. I rolled my eyes and did a one-eighty, not quite in the mood to play whatever game this stranger was proposing. <br /><br />I would soon realize that I was about to play his game whether I liked it or not. <br /><br />He grabbed my arm and turned my body to face him. This motion alone made every single internal alarm I had within me go off in a frenzy. <br /><br />This man was danger and I knew it. I tried to wriggle away from his touch, but I was no match for his strength. <br /><br />“Tell me your name,” he commanded. <br /><br />I was about to refuse, but was horrified to find myself blurting out my name in response. <br /><br />“Sofia Claremont.” <br /><br />As soon as I revealed my name, his eyes lit up with a kind of sinister approval. Then he reached for my face and traced his thumb over my jaw line. <br /><br />“Hello, Sofia Claremont. You’re one stupid girl for taking a walk alone at this time of night. You never know what kind of evil a pretty little thing like you could happen to come by.” <br /><br />I found myself wondering exactly what kind of evil he was. But I was suddenly overcome by the sensations that were surrounding me. My senses took in everything at once. I heard the waves, felt the sand, smelled the ocean salt, tasted the flavor of cherry and saw the stranger’s manic appearance as he stuck a needle to my neck. The effect was instant. I was barely able to gasp, much less scream. I went from sensing everything to sensing absolutely nothing. <br /><br />My last conscious thought was that I may never see Ben again.<br /><br /><br />You can also get an exclusive FREE “sneak preview” of the first 6 chapters by clicking here!: <a href="http://forrestbooks.com/sneakpeek.html">http://forrestbooks.com/sneakpeek.html</a>(Make sure you check it out now because this preview will not be available for long). <br /><br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">LINKS:</span></span></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.8089510812424123"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Buy A Shade of Vampire...</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">eBook: </span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.amazon.com/A-Shade-Of-Vampire-ebook/dp/B00AOHDMFE</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/295599</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paperback:</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.amazon.com/Shade-Of-Vampire-Bella-Forrest/dp/1481280767</span></div>
<br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Add A Shade of Vampire to your Goodreads shelf: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17255435-a-shade-of-vampire</span></span></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-72096903918424456292013-04-13T07:30:00.000-04:002013-04-13T07:30:01.460-04:00Jack Templar Blog Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today we are welcoming JACK TEMPLAR back to Alli's World in honor of the new book in the series! Author Jeff Gunhus has provided us a excerpt from the newest installment, Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy. Interested in this middle grades series? Keep reading!</span></div>
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<pre style="white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After barely surviving the onslaught of monsters that tried to kill him the day before his fourteenth birthday, Jack Templar leaves his hometown on a quest to rescue his father and discover the truth about his past. Joined by his friends Will and T-Rex, and led by Eva, the mysterious one-handed monster hunter, Jack sets out for the Monster Hunter Academy where he hopes to find answers to his questions. Little does he suspect that the Academy is filled with dangers of its own, many of them more terrifying than anything he’s faced so far.</span></pre>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here is an excerpt from Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter!!</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Any hope that I would be welcomed with open arms by my new monster hunter family seemed to be just that, a hope. True to Daniel’s introduction of me, everyone seemed to not only go out of their way not to give me any special attention, they appeared to go out of their way not to give me any attention at all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I got it. I was the new kid in school. And in this school, everyone carried a sword and was trained to fight. There wasn’t going to be a cookie and punch reception to welcome me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Any idea that our “classes” were going to involve sitting in a comfortable, warm room at a desk with a book and a professor was quickly proven wrong. The groups met out in the open, even as a dusting of snow floated down on top of us. I had a sneaking suspicion that if there had been a blizzard, we’d still be meeting outside. Obviously, this school was not interested in turning out academics. The graduates of this place needed to be tough and ready to survive, no matter the weather.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I wrapped my cloak tight around me and sat quietly in the back of Eva’s group and tried to focus on the lessons of the day and not worry about the chilly reception.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I glanced over and saw a few of the Ratlings hand up a huge tarp in the center of the field with the list of classes in the rotation that day. The segment titles that would have sounded bizarre to me only a couple of weeks earlier now all seemed strangely reasonable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Don’t roll over and die for the undead. Defensive strategies against zombies and other undead creatures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here doggy, doggy. Trapping werewolves through trickery.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When less is too much. How the Lesser Creach can surprise you (and kill you) if you’re not careful. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Demons. How to use their hellish anger against them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stakes in the heart and other false rumors about vampires.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">At least it was better than World History and Algebra back at my normal school. I wondered how things were back in Sunnyvale and how the community had reacted to the sudden disappearance of three boys in the middle of the night without a trace. I wondered if—</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Jack,” Eva said sternly, “do you have an answer or not?”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I turned my attention to Eva and suddenly realized that the entire class was staring at me. I had been daydreaming and I had no idea what Eva was talking about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I shook my head. “Sorry, can you repeat the question?”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A few of the other kids chuckled at my expense. Eva didn’t look happy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“I asked, what is the greatest point of vulnerability of a rock troll?”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">She wasn’t going to let me off the hook. The other kids enjoyed my squirming.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Well,” I said, “I’m not exactly sure what the technical answer is…”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Then I suggest you listen instead of—”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“But all the rock trolls I’ve fought had bad eyesight and a terrible sense of balance. Oh, and they were dumb as rocks too, which might be how they got their name.” A few of the kids laughed. They were all leaning toward me, taking in every word. “All you have to do is give them an easy target and get ready to move when they lunge at you. They’ll over-commit and you’ll get a clear shot to finish them off. Either to the back of the neck or here, in the ribs, under the arm. But you don’t even need to do that.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“What do you mean?” one of the kids asked.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I glanced at Eva. She nodded for me to go on. “Like I said, they can’t see well and they’re pretty dumb. Once you juke them, it’s hard for them to spot you again. If you can keep out of their line of sight for ten or fifteen seconds, then they’re likely to forget about you. Literally. They just stand there thinking, ‘Uhhh…I was trying to smush something, now what was it?’” The class laughed at my rock troll impression. I was on a roll. Or at least I thought so until I saw Eva standing with her arms crossed, looking not nearly as entertained as my new classmates. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“And how about their other senses?” she asked. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Touch, smell, that sort of thing?”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“I guess they’re about the same as their eyesight,” I said.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“You guess?” Eva asked. “Anyone else here want to guess when it comes to fighting something that’s trying its best to kill you?”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The class turned quiet, the mood getting serious in a hurry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Rock trolls are cave-dwellers, so they spend most of their lives underground. But what they lack in eyesight, they more than make up for in sense of smell. Like a shark in the water, a rock troll can smell fresh blood nearly a mile away. They may be stupid, but once they lock onto a blood-scent, they won’t give up until they’re dead…or you are.” Eva locked me in a stare. “But you’re right, their lack of intelligence is a rock troll’s greatest vulnerability. Just don’t make it yours too.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The class shifted uncomfortably as Eva and I locked eyes. Then a whistle blew and the class thankfully jumped to their feet and jogged to the next instructor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After everyone had gone, I stopped by Eva and said, “Thanks for that.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">She grabbed me by the arm. “Give this place a chance. You’ll learn things here that could save your life, or the lives of the hunters you are fighting next to.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I took a deep breath. She was right. I nodded and said, smiling, “Pay attention and listen up. Got it.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Or I’ll kick your butt,” she said.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Yeah, like that could happen,” I grinned. As I turned to follow my class to the station, I got a swift kick to the backside. I spun around and Eva gave me a wink.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>About the author:</b> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BZectzn17NVhbA6EfelD7A295ndGaH_jMm_Cto4E_0f2OGr_zNFz7ftBZ8p-mQEWLn9n7Sqz5BXV3qfbYOYvkT7iC7_OwX_mLG45hkPfx3cV2foR0A_A8SUPlWnHxT8mmexLoGIvphM/s1600/authorphoto.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BZectzn17NVhbA6EfelD7A295ndGaH_jMm_Cto4E_0f2OGr_zNFz7ftBZ8p-mQEWLn9n7Sqz5BXV3qfbYOYvkT7iC7_OwX_mLG45hkPfx3cV2foR0A_A8SUPlWnHxT8mmexLoGIvphM/s320/authorphoto.jpeg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<pre style="white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Jeff Gunhus is the author of the Middle Grade/YA series The Templar Chronicles. The first book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year old son excited about reading. It worked and a new series was born. Jeff is also the co-CEO of College Works Painting, a national company with over 4,000 employees that has been featured in national media for its unique opportunity for college students to learn entrepreneurial skills. He is the author of the motivational career guides No Parachute Required (Hyperion) and Wake Up Call (Seven Guns Press). After his experience with his son, he is passionate about helping parents reach young reluctant readers and is active in child literacy issues. As a father of five, he leads an active lifestyle in Maryland by trying to constantly keep up with his kids. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the CIty Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel.
<a href="http://www.jeffgunhus.com/" target="_blank">Author website</a>
<a href="http://www.jacktemplar.com/" target="_blank">Book Website</a>
<a href="http://jtmonsterhunter/" target="_blank">Twitter</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/JackTemplarmonsterhunter" target="_blank">Facebook</a>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/963702.Jeff_Gunhus" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></span></pre>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-16965459377340292272013-04-12T09:00:00.000-04:002013-04-12T09:00:08.864-04:00Writing Tidbits by Delilah S. Dawson <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had the pleasure of meeting today's guest post writer back in January. (See where I blogged about it <a href="http://mrscaptkirk51.blogspot.com/2013/01/seven-urban-fantasy-authors-at-avid.html" target="_blank">here</a>.) She's super cool, a Georgia author (gotta support the home state!), and she's into Steampunk. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And she was kind enough to give us some information on writing! Yay!! I'm not a writer by any stretch of the imagination but I love to hear about the writing process...so I'm thrilled with today's post!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So...here's Delilah S. Dawson!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxiqRhAx2p3KMXEZRnU09O-i6aHCxGqtokDlDlJawsQuuqRoWKJRY_qDakxHMDfPx8ZJHOUoOP7HyxtwZ0zwVwnYhiI9mSfTK9n-4sqIkXY9uWJTjO4B5Z3CT_PCBSVvri22OMpz9X1GOh/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-03-04+at+7.39.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxiqRhAx2p3KMXEZRnU09O-i6aHCxGqtokDlDlJawsQuuqRoWKJRY_qDakxHMDfPx8ZJHOUoOP7HyxtwZ0zwVwnYhiI9mSfTK9n-4sqIkXY9uWJTjO4B5Z3CT_PCBSVvri22OMpz9X1GOh/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-03-04+at+7.39.32+PM.png" width="212" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(Photo from Delilah's Blog, isn't she gorgeous?!)</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Writing Tidbits: You're a Unicorn!</b><br />
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I sit here with four different Word documents open on my laptop, it's hard to remember what my life was like before I became a writer. It's almost as if a switch in my brain suddenly flicked on, and since then, I've been constantly obsessed. If I'm not working on a contracted book in my paranormal romance Blud series for Pocket or revising my YA for Simon Pulse, I'm working on guest blogs, short stories, e-novellas, or the next big, shiny idea.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But if I had to start all over again, here are 10 things I would do differently:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hard to believe, right? But I wouldn't change any part of my writing journey, even the mistakes. There's a saying that all writers are unicorns, meaning every person's experience is unique and special. We write different types of stories in different genres. We use different methods of plotting—or just write by the seat of our pants. Some people rely on critique partners or writing groups, while others hire an editor or search out a literary agent. Some people dream of being traditionally published, while others relish the complete control self-publishing can offer. But we all have one thing in common: we want to tell the world our stories.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you'd like to write a book, there's no big secret to doing so. You start writing and keep writing until you're done, and there's nothing in the world that should stop you. Sit down and write every day, even if it's only ten words and each one hurts worse than a root canal. Take a writing class, buy a book on storycraft, or join NaNoWriMo, which is National Novel Writing Month and consumes hundreds of thousands of aspiring novelists each November. And always remember that all first drafts suck; even Stephen King's first drafts suck. Just get the words out and worry about fixing it later.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I keep a RESOURCES page on my blog where you can find links to all the websites and books I used to become a traditionally published author with four books, three e-novellas, and an anthology under my belt. In 2009, I had a horrible first book and no idea what I was doing. On May 3 of 2013, I'm having a big party in Atlanta to celebrate the launch of the second book in my series. And I don't have a degree in English, an MFA, any shiny awards, or a deep, personal knowledge that I was born to be a writer. I just have tenacity and Google.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you ever have a writing question, come find me on Twitter, @DelilahSDawson. If I don't know the answer, I can help you find it. After all, we unicorns must stick together.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thanks so much for having me, Alli! Readers can always find me at my blog, <a href="http://www.delilahsdawson.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.delilahsdawson.com</a>, or on Twitter,<a href="http://www.twitter.com/DelilahSDawson" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.twitter.com/<wbr></wbr>DelilahSDawson</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My next e-novella in the world of Sang is <a href="http://books.simonandschuster.com/Peculiar-Pets-of-Miss-Pleasance/Delilah-S-Dawson/9781476715414" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">THE PECULIAR PETS OF MISS PLEASANCE</a>, out now with Pocket, and the next book in Sang is out April 30, <a href="http://books.simonandschuster.com/Wicked-as-She-Wants/Delilah-S-Dawson/9781451657906" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">WICKED AS SHE WANTS</a>. Oh, and if you like artisan perfumes, check out the scents based on my characters at <a href="http://www.villainess.net/Wicked" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Villainess Soaps</a>!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">*I just want to thank Delilah again for stopping by Alli's World. I'm super excited to hear more about the YA novel she's working on, as YA is my heart. Also, I saw <a href="http://mauricebroaddus.com/uncategorized/road-to-mocon-viii-guest-blog-by-delilah-dawson/" target="_blank">this guest post</a> she did the other day and I really liked it too! So check it out! Happy Friday y'all! ~Alli</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Needless to say, I was thrilled to find out there was another book in this series! And I was SUPER DUPER excited to get to be part of the cover reveal!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">ONE TINY LIE is a New Adult Contemporary novel. It is due to be released in early summer 2013. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>ABOUT ONE TINY LIE:</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhuuACOB7awCHWOjdzBqfEqqG4DB30xKnexfIBbMK7g1vue88uUZkN3OJJpFGJ-Q6u-nSGTzAj-cmwtghNLfxLCAZuU6eUZDIT9bKIGFHt_qK4Hfg899aevjW-3-ZBVIADfon95HA0Wg/s1600/Tucker_One+Tiny+Lie+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhuuACOB7awCHWOjdzBqfEqqG4DB30xKnexfIBbMK7g1vue88uUZkN3OJJpFGJ-Q6u-nSGTzAj-cmwtghNLfxLCAZuU6eUZDIT9bKIGFHt_qK4Hfg899aevjW-3-ZBVIADfon95HA0Wg/s640/Tucker_One+Tiny+Lie+cover.jpg" width="416" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(Isn't it lovely?!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Livie has always been the stable one of the two Cleary sisters, handling her parents' tragic death and Kacey's self-destructive phase with strength and maturity. But underneath that exterior is a little girl hanging onto the last words her father ever spoke to her. “Make me proud,” he had said. She promised she would...and she’s done her best over the past seven years with every choice, with every word, with every action.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good, respectable guy that she’s going to someday marry. What isn’t part of her plan are Jell-O shots, a lovable, party animal roommate she can’t say ‘no’ to, and Ashton, the gorgeous captain of the men’s rowing team. Definitely him. He’s an arrogant ass who makes Livie’s usually non-existent temper flare and everything she doesn’t want in a guy. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who happens to fits Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinking about Ashton?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father and, with it, the only identity that she knows.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>ABOUT K.A. TUCKER:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>LINKS:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blog: http://www.katucker.blogspot.ca/</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Website: http://www.katuckerbooks.com/</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Author Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/K.A.Tucker.Author?fref=ts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Twitter: https://twitter.com/kathleenatucker</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Author Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4866520.K_A_Tucker</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One Tiny Lie Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17302495-one-tiny-lie?ac=1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Atria: http://imprints.simonandschuster.biz/atria</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>PRE-ORDER HERE:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/One-Tiny-Lie-Novel-ebook/dp/B00B73MUMU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1364240404&sr=1-1&keywords=one+tiny+lie</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-tiny-lie-k-a-tucker/1114256929?ean=9781476740485&r=1&itm=1&z=y&</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">IBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/one-tiny-lie/id597497358?mt=11</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Booksamillion: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/One-Tiny-Lie/KA-Tucker/Q220870389?id=5421905810809</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bookish: http://www.bookish.com/books/one-tiny-lie-k-a-tucker-9781476740485/4bf99edd-5862-4fa1-9dc3-d98703353722</span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-11198113301640822652013-04-10T20:32:00.001-04:002013-04-10T20:32:49.764-04:00Sacrifice Book Blast!!!<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.girl-who-reads.com/2013/04/blog-tour-sacrifice-by-stacey-rourke.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Sacrifice Tour" height="243" src="http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r3/donnah29/sacrficebanner_zps3352cd29.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Don't miss the chance to Chat with Stacey Rourke!</b></div>
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author of Amazon Bestselling Children's Action & Adventure novel</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>#Sacrifice</i></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">April 10 at 10:30 am ET</span></b></div>
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Get in on the conversation by using tweetchat.com, just sign in with twitter and enter the hashtag!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVrOR6-oSGooNn0HFMWrg3FfV91LfchJNaegQ3IwGUSbnWoF0L85xBnbHCqG5Gp4rd3FNmMCOXFuxe18QePyYASrCqtuuv0aYTCaKqxawzkjVWTp-OC4fF-DGN-wAxW2VEAlFsbeA90nO/s1600/Finalsacrifice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVrOR6-oSGooNn0HFMWrg3FfV91LfchJNaegQ3IwGUSbnWoF0L85xBnbHCqG5Gp4rd3FNmMCOXFuxe18QePyYASrCqtuuv0aYTCaKqxawzkjVWTp-OC4fF-DGN-wAxW2VEAlFsbeA90nO/s320/Finalsacrifice.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Celeste Garrett has finally found a happy balance in her life as the Chosen One, thanks in large part to a certain hunky Irishman. But if there’s any lesson she should heed since receiving her calling it’s that everything can change in the blink of an eye. Soon a terrible new threat, unlike anything she’s ever encountered, causes her to make a gut-wrenching choice that will strip her of someone she holds dear.<br />
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As much as she’d like to have a pity party for one, there’s no time for that now because wedding bells are ringing in Gainesboro! In between dress fittings and rehearsal dinners Celeste will have to fend off attacking demons and leering pirates. As if the Dark Army wasn’t scary enough our heroine is faced with the horrifying trauma of attending a bachelorette party with her mom and watching Grams do Jello shots. Is a walk down the aisle even possible for a member of the Garrett family when the Dark Army is out to destroy them? More importantly, will the Dark Army Glee Club sing at the reception?<br />
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Raise your glass to the happy couple, and get ready for a wedding…Conduit-style.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Buy the books for 99 cents each! </b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGro9QTzN7RXkFHgPugGkcFdjpNED7YzjgBdfvi9aMvEDveByyIxjbYr481wZVOOFIJHXVcJnayjLIJmIMJgaSm-QIOsHQSwdPqXynASn8LJVZ8cmaUIByEFe0atfh3VpUDQztQ_tR2sWz/s1600/sale+graphic.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGro9QTzN7RXkFHgPugGkcFdjpNED7YzjgBdfvi9aMvEDveByyIxjbYr481wZVOOFIJHXVcJnayjLIJmIMJgaSm-QIOsHQSwdPqXynASn8LJVZ8cmaUIByEFe0atfh3VpUDQztQ_tR2sWz/s320/sale+graphic.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stacey-Rourke/e/B0062KO148/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">Amazon</a> and <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=Stacey+Rourke" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></div>
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Be sure to follow <a href="http://www.girl-who-reads.com/2013/04/blog-tour-sacrifice-by-stacey-rourke.html" target="_blank">the full tour</a> for reviews, interviews, excerpts, and the inside scoop on Stacey Rourke and the Gryphon series. To celebrate the third book in the Gryphon series, Stacey Rourke is offering one lucky fan an awesome prize pack. Enter below.</div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/74bbef26/" id="rc-74bbef26" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">A GWR Publicity promotional tour paid for by the
author. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small fee
is earned when purchases are made via the above links. <a href="http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=31825&picture=rose-petals">Rose Petals</a> background is a public domain image courtesy of Виталий Смолыгин. </span></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-61871823589161823552013-04-09T23:59:00.002-04:002013-04-10T00:06:56.020-04:00Review: Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout<div>
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<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350101819l/9897164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350101819l/9897164.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Title: Apollyon</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Series: The Covenant Novels</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Genre: Young Adult Paranormal</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Source: Review Copy from the Publisher</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Favorite Quotes: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>"And together, hand and hand, we stepped through the gates to the Underworld." </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(Alli's comment: If that ain't love I don't know what is baby! Le sigh.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>"There was that damn pause again and then he said, 'Everyone dies, but in the end it comes down to what you are willing to die <i>for</i>; Alexandria.'" </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(Alli's comment: I always like those personally challenging moments and interactions in books, shows, movies, etc.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">See more on Apollyon on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9897164-apollyon" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know I sound like a broken record but L.O.V.E Jennifer L. Armentrout's writing. Her sexy, snarky stories are some of favorites. I read this a couple of weeks ago, made some notes but it's hard for me to review without giving to much. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Basically this is what I want you to get from my review: I know that officially Apollyon literally just came out. But can I please have Sentinel (the 5th and final book in the Covenant Series) NOW!?! Only not really cause I am SOOOO not ready for it to end!! I have so much emotion invested in this series! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also, I realized one of the things I really like about JLA's writing style while reading Apollyon. She has this ability to write like she is just talking to me like a friend. Like I really feel like Alex could be one of my good friends as I'm reading the book. She just writes like how I'd want my conversations to go. How JLA manages to do this is just...AMAZING! (I'm fairly certain if I attempted to do the same it would be incredibly lame. Again, Jennifer is a writing godess so there's that.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>***From here down I tried to be a spoiler free as possible but...if you don't want to know anything about the book just stop reading because I had a hard time being spoiler free. If you haven't read Apollyon or the rest of the Covenant series, get to it ASAP!***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Truthfully, I wasn't too fond of the beginning. I'll just say the "My Seth" thing just about had me DONE with Alex right from the get-go. I don't care if she could help it or not, she was just pissing me off. But it got better and back to the love story and intense action I wanted to read!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After her breakthrough, Alex is pretty awesome, even though is the big, bad Apollyon she still has a big heart. She wants to save her people, humans and Seth (yuck, I'm so NOT a Seth fan). Plus Seth makes everything so difficult for Alex. She still believes in him and thinks he's worth trying to save. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(I mean, I'm not heartless, I get he's had troubles but he just wears my nerves out. We all have crap to deal with in our lives, deal with it, move on, and use your power for good you big baby! Grrr. Okay, the Seth rant is over, for now.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I love how Jennifer had one of her characters reading a book about hot aliens! Way to shout out to her other mega popular Lux series! (Which, incidentally, I also adore!) Even the character's in her books have good reading tastes! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I gave Apolloyn 5 out of 5 stars! My recommendation: READ IT!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">See my review for other books in the Covenant series, <a href="http://mrscaptkirk51.blogspot.com/2012/08/review-pure-by-jennifer-l-armentrout.html" target="_blank">Pure</a> and <a href="http://mrscaptkirk51.blogspot.com/2012/11/deity-by-jennifer-l-armentrout.html" target="_blank">Deity</a> here on the blog.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335676239627237170.post-67103854740798335292013-04-09T03:53:00.000-04:002013-04-09T03:53:02.981-04:00Teaser Tuesday: Sacrifice by Stacey Rourke<br />
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<img src="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/tte.jpg?w=137&h=86&h=86" /></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: small;">Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of </span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"><a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/" style="color: #7d181e; text-decoration: initial;">Should Be Reading</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: small;">Anyone can play along! Just do the following:</span></div>
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<div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-size: small;">• Grab your current read</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: small; line-height: 18px;">• Open to a random page</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-size: small; line-height: 18px;">• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">• <span style="color: purple;">BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">• <span style="color: magenta;">Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>"He turned and gaped. 'Blimey! They're like zombies!'"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">~Teaser from Sacrifice~</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(Gryphon Series Book 3)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By: Stacey Rourke</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The author was kind enough to send me review copies of the whole series so I've been trying to get caught up the past couple of weeks. (See my reviews of books <a href="http://mrscaptkirk51.blogspot.com/2013/04/review-conduit-by-stacey-rourke.html" target="_blank">one</a> and <a href="http://mrscaptkirk51.blogspot.com/2013/04/review-embrace-by-stacey-rourke.html" target="_blank">two</a>.) </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18px;">I just started book three, Sacrifice.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18px;"> I've really been enjoying the whole series!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020068734951560115noreply@blogger.com2