Brace Yourself... Another Good-bye to 2013 Post

I said I wasn't going to do it. In fact, I was dead set against it. 

I was throwing an internal temper tantrum refusing to write this blog post up. Then, something happened.. I woke up this morning in a reflective mood. 

Like that petulant child who refuses to listen to her mother but knows that she should, I listened to my mood.

Thus, this good-bye to 2013 post. Grab a chair, coffee in hand (preferably spiked with your favorite booze, this may be a long post, who knows) and read until your eyes are crossed. Yes, I'm long winded. I can never make a short story short. Well, what can I say about 2013...

It all started in December of 2012, yes, a whole year ago when I turned 35 (I'm now 36). That was a turning point for me. There was something missing, something not right within my very being. I knew that I needed to do something, be someone, be more than just a mom or wife. Don't get me wrong, I know I should be proud of those things, and I am, but I know I'm more than that. I needed to find that something I was good at. That something that I can call my very own. That something I had/have control over. And guess what? I did, I found it and I'm still working on tweaking it to make it better. 

In December of 2012, I started this blog, Same DiNamics. I just wanted to share the adventures in my life. I wanted to share how I grow and learn, as a human being, as an individual. Just like I grew, so did Same DiNamics. You can read my very first blog post here. The reason for Same DiNamics was to hold myself accountable in accomplishing things I set out to accomplish. I'm still working on them. 

I also left Facebook. I won't bore you with the details of that in this post, you can read it here if you want to. At the time, I needed to let Facebook go. It was one of the best things I did for myself, at that time. Now, I'm back on Facebook but it has served another purpose for me. 

In 2013, I found myself growing, changing, accepting and overcoming obstacles that I didn't even know I had and becoming a stronger and happier person. One of the biggest realizations (obstacle, really) that I had, was that I was depressed. Not on a clinical scale, at least I don't think, but I knew I was. In fact, I am still overcoming that. I'm still growing and learning to recognize the signs and overcome that depression. I can tell when I'm going down a spiral. I think, that recognize and accepting is one the best ways you can overcome your struggles. 

Anyway, I've grown in that I have learned to accept all things as they are. Yes, you can fight for the changes you want because we need to but also accepting things for what they are. Accepting people for who they are and knowing that you can't change them, you just have to accept and love them with your whole being. Love one another. 

I've changed as well. Even with all the depression, I've become happier with myself. I've learned to accept myself for who I am, flaws and all. I'm not perfect and will never be. I'm me. The best that I can be. 

You know, I attribute all this growth and change to the fact that I found something that I feel and know I'm pretty good at: book reviews and crocheting. I love reading. Absolutely love reading. It will be my first love. When I shared my first book review (here), I knew that I found something I could share with others. Whether my reviews influence others to buy a book or not doesn't matter to me, what matters is that I shared something I enjoy and love with others. 

I also, started crocheting, though in all fairness I started in October of 2012 but 2013 was a fantastic year in crocheting for me. I crocheted some items and gave them away to friends. The gifts were well received. Then, it happened. I sold my very first crocheted hat to a Google+ friend. She's ordered more from me since and I am eternally grateful to her for being my very first order. That's when I ventured into learning and having my own crochet business, Same DiNamics Crochet. Did you see what I did there? I kept the name Same DiNamics. After all, Same DiNamics is all about evolving yet remaining true to myself. 

Though I didn't accomplish some of the other things I wanted to in 2013, I still feel it has been a great year for me. Though there was loss in this year, one that shattered my heart to its very core, it was still a great year. I have to remember, we all have to remember, to focus on all the positive and good things that have happened to us. From the little things to the big things. Each and every last little accomplishment should go down in our books and the greatest of them all. Why? Because we are wonderful and amazing human beings who can accomplish anything we set our hearts to. 

So, good-bye 2013! Thank you for being a fantastic year for me. Thank you for teaching me valuable lessons. 

Here's hoping, knowing, praying and keeping the faith that 2014 will be just as great, if not better! See you next year! 

**See, I told you this was going to be long winded. I can't make a short story short, let alone a long story. :-)

Review of Charred Heart

I received Charred Heart by Lizzy Ford in exchange for a review.

Modern day retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" 

***Recommended for ages 18+ due to multiple, creative, detailed, steamy, sexy-time adult situations.*** 

For a thousand years, Chace has searched for a way to break the curse placed on him by a jilted lover. He’s a dragon shifter, one who can’t control when the magic will force him into a different form. He’s already lost everyone he ever cared about a few times over and doesn’t know how much longer he’s meant to suffer. 

At his wit’s end, he makes a deal with a mysterious figure that offers him what he wants most – an end to his misery – in exchange for everything that’s his: His life, his power. His heart. 

The next day, he meets Skylar, a modern day dragon slayer whose mission is to cage him – or kill him. Sexy, witty and brave, she is the yin to his yang, the woman destined to break the curse, balance his magic and make his broken heart whole. 

Except it’s too late. Not only has he sealed his fate, but an innocent one-night-stand with Skylar has dragged her into the middle of a deal with the devil, one she won’t escape, if he can’t convince her that dragon shifters aren’t her enemies.


Author: Lizzy Ford
Series: The Heart of Fire
Title: Charred Heart
Buy Link: Amazon

Charred Heart is the first book in the Heart of Fire Series... and boy is it hot! I've read only one other dragon shifter book and it does not compare to Charred Heart. The way Lizzy Ford describes the main character, Chace the dragon shifter, makes your heart melt and legs quiver. 

The story is a moderate to fast paced story with little to no fluff in between. I like stories like that because it gets to the heart of the story. The chemistry between Chace and Skylar, the dragon hunter, is spot on though at times they frustrated me. They frustrated me together and even separate but it does make up for a great story. There were many a times I wanted to just jump in the book and grab Chace and shake him so he can wise up. He really kept me on my toes thinking what he was going to say or do to Skylar next in order to alienate her more. However, with all that being said and the friction between them, it sure made up with the super charged sex scenes in the book. I mean the scenes were intense and not for the faint of heart. The scenes fit well into the story. It added an element of want, need and destiny to the story. 

Charred Heart will leave you wanting to read the next book Charred Tears immediately. While the story is quick it picks up even more towards the end. 

Do I recommend Charred Heart? I do, if you like dragon shifter stories, you'll be sure to like this one. 

Proof that Actions Speak Louder than Words

I have a four year old who is full of life and love. He is a very happy kid and you can see it in his demeanor everyday. He almost always has a smile on his face and loves to play. He's also very, very loving. However, he'll show it to you rather than tell you. Which to me is proof of action speaking louder than words.

Everyday I ask him "How much do you love me?" or "Do you love me a lot or a little bit?". His response would be "1" or "a little bit" in a teasing voice, then he proceeds to laugh, all the while holding on tight to me. I can't say that he's never said "I love you, Mommy." because he has but only when I've asked him to say it. He's not outright said it on his own accord. He doesn't have to, he shows me every single day in his own little ways that he loves me.

He is very much attached to me but has a healthy separation. He'll go to school in the mornings with a bright smile on his face cause, after all, he is a big boy and is going on the bus with his big brothers. He'll get off the school bus with another smile on his face that tells me he had a fantastic day but is ready for some mommy time. Not once has he cried in school for wanting to be home. He plays well with his friends and brothers. BUT he is attached to me.

I attribute his attachment to the fact that he's been home with me ever since he was a baby. My older two were daycare babies since I was working then. He's been with me for his entire life. Whenever we are home and I'm reading or crocheting or watching TV, he is on me. Not next to.. but on me. If I'm doing something, he'll run up to me and give me a quick hug. He'll hold tightly for as long as he needs to, then he goes off to do what he was doing previously. His hugs are the tightest, warmest and definitely most sincere ever. Mommy is queen in his life.

I'll ask him for kisses and he grunts but gives me his forehead. Other times, he'll just blow them to me. Rarely does he ever give kisses. That's okay, I sneak them in from time to time.

I'm not complaining at all because I know that;

One day, he'll get to big to sit on my lap so I'll cherish these lap moments even if it means I can't crochet.

One day, he'll be to busy to stop and give me hugs so I'll cherish the interruptions for the sweetest hug a four year old can give.

One day, he'll be blowing those kisses to another girl, so I'll take every forehead kiss and as many blown kisses as I can get.

One day, he'll find another queen in his life and I'll no longer hold that position. That's okay. All that means is I did something right in allowing by sweet little boy to give and show as much love as he can, even if he doesn't speak the words "I love you" to me. I know that one day he'll say them to me and, when he does, it'll accompany the best hugs a mother can get.

My little boy, my sweet, little four year old proves to me every day that actions DO speak louder than words.

Book Review of See How She Fights

This has been long overdue. Whew, do I miss writing reviews. I'm so happy to say that this next review is from one of my favorite authors, +Michelle Graves. She writes the series of The Chronicles of Izzy: Book One, See How She Runs and Book Two, See How She Fights.

I will be reviewing an ARC that I received of See How She Fights.

Synopsis:

She thought it was over.
She thought her life was finally her own.
She was wrong.

Izzy is thrust back into the world of Seers and Guardians. With a summons from the Council she can't ignore, Izzy heads back into the fray. Now, it is up to her to figure out why Seers are being sacrificed, carved up, and left for ruin. If she doesn't find the person orchestrating the deaths, she may well be next.

If that wasn't enough, her powers have started to expand exponentially. Kennan is keeping secrets. Moreover, a strangely familiar Symbol-smith starts wreaking havoc on her precariously balanced world. 

Will Izzy survive this latest crisis? Will she stop fighting destiny and accept her fate? Find out in See How She Fights.

See How She Fights picks up a few months after See How She Runs ends but doesn't miss a beat. In See How She Fights, we see Izzy come into her own and accept her destiny. She is heroine that I would want to have by my side.

One of my favorite things about the writing style of this book, is that Michelle Graves has a great balance between humor, action, mystery and despair. Izzy, is truly one of my favorite characters out there. I love her humor and her loyalty to friends and what is right. Izzy's humor is not one of ditziness. She's not oblivious to things around her. She's witty and sarcastic (but not snarky mean) and certainly is smart and resilient, in the physical and emotional sense. I can't say enough good things about her character!

Mrs. Graves does a fantastic job at introducing new characters to the story that are truly integral to it. They aren't fluff characters for the sake of having characters. I love that. These new characters add an element of excitement and mystery to the whole story. Some questions are answered but new ones are raised. These are the ones that leave you wanting to know more and wishing the pages of the book wouldn't end. There are also the characters from the previous book who are hilarious and have the potential of having a story of their own. Mrs. Graves developed these characters so well that you are also invested in them and want to know more. 

This book is certainly not one where you will sit and go "okay, it was good". No, you will want to scream at the book (in a good way) because you can't believe what you are reading. You can't believe that the things happening has transpired. While reading it, I was literally reading so fast because I needed to know more and quickly. I couldn't get enough. There were things that I didn't see coming at all. Things that broke my heart and had me near tears. I mean, who doesn't love a story like that! 

Of course, when a book is written so well where you are left wanting to know more and why, you can't wait for the next one to be out.

Do I recommend See How She Fights? Oh, heck yeah, you bet I do! But first you must read book one, See How She Runs to understand what's happening in book two. If you want to be fulfilled with mystery, humor and action, this is a book for you. Be warned, you will fall in love with the characters. 

Add to See How She Fights to your Goodreads list here.

Charred Heart Release and Giveaway Event

I've had the pleasure of reading several of Lizzy Ford's book. Her stories all vary from each other. Also, she is a writing machine. She puts out stories for our enjoyment quicker than the eye can blink. Ms. Ford definitely keeps her fans with reading material galore. Love it!

Her latest book, Charred Heart, has been released at just $.99. If you are a Facebook user, she is also having a Facebook event party celebrating the release of Charred Heart where she will be giving away awesome prizes. Do check it out so you don't get to miss out!

CHARRED HEART BY LIZZY FORD

Heart of Fire series

For a thousand years, Chace has searched for a way to break the curse placed on him by a jilted lover. He’s a dragon shifter, one who can’t control when the magic will force him into a different form. He’s already lost everyone he ever cared about a few times over and doesn’t know how much longer he’s meant to suffer.

At his wit’s end, he makes a deal with a mysterious figure that offers him what he wants most – an end to his misery – in exchange for everything that’s his: His life, his power. His heart.

The next day, he meets Skylar, a modern day dragon slayer whose mission is to cage him – or kill him. Sexy, witty and brave, she is the yin to his yang, the woman destined to break the curse, balance his magic and make his broken heart whole.

Except it’s too late. Not only has he sealed his fate, but an innocent one-night-stand with Skylar has dragged her into the middle of a deal with the devil, one she won’t escape, if he can’t convince her that dragon shifters aren’t her enemies.

Release details

Release date: November 21, 2013 

Published by: Lizzy Ford, www.GuerrillaWordfare.com

Cover by: Sarah Hansen, http://www.okaycreations.com/ 

Cover model: James D. Magnussen, http://www.facebook.com/pages/James- D-Magnussen/744885638871184

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18716456- charred-heart

Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance

FUN STUFF

• November 21-24: $.99 promotional price Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Charred-Heart-1-Fire-ebook/dp/B00GTC1412/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1385118790&sr=8-2&keywords=charred+heart

• November 22: Facebook party with tons of swag packs, other giveaways. Link: http://www.facebook.com/events/663587133673378/

• Goodreads paperback giveaway: November 20 – December 10

• November 21 – Dec 10: Kindle giveaway for reviews, promoting the new release, purchases. Will be listed on my site as soon as the book is released. Link: http://www.guerrillawordfare.com/12kindles/

• Paperbacks on sale for $7 (unsigned), $10 (signed) through December 30. Link: http://www.guerrillawordfare.com/paperback-sale/

Book Review of All Hell Breaks Loose

Yesterday, I reviewed book 3 of the Hellcat Series, A Cold Day in Hell. (I know, it's backwards in how I shared the reviews.) 

Here is the review of the ARC is received for All Hell Breaks Loose. 

Synopsis:

In the City, the Werewolves are restless. 

Gabi is striving to get back to life as usual. Dealing with the aftermath of being kidnapped and tortured by Dantè, wrapping her head around being a Dhampir, and trying to figure out Julius’s unexpected attitude as he withdraws from her and becomes cool and distant. As if that isn’t enough to cope with, she receives the disturbing news that someone she cares about has been dragged unwillingly into her world after a brutal and calculated Werewolf attack. 

As rogue Werewolves run rampant through the City, it becomes clear there will be no gentle reintroduction to Gabi's duties as Hunter for the Societas Malus Venatori. Once again the Vampires join forces with the SMV to contain the threat, but the odds seem stacked against them and the casualties keep mounting. Tensions run high as the perpetrators manage to stay one step ahead of the Hunters and the senseless violence continues. No one suspects betrayal from within, until Gabi’s pets unmask a traitor. But the traitor isn’t the real threat and the war has only just begun.

This time their nemesis isn’t playing by any rules and no one is safe in this deadly, new game. Not even the Master Vampire of the City. As the undeniable chemistry between Gabi and Julius reignites, they realise the danger isn’t only to the human population of the City, but threatens to overwhelm them all. What they finally uncover brings Gabi into very real conflict with the SMV Council and leaves her questioning her life-long allegiances. 

Not all monsters come in obvious monster packages and sometimes what you’re fighting to protect is what you should be fighting against. 

Not everyone will walk away from this fight intact. 

Strap in, hang on and grab a breath while you can. All hell is about to break loose!

"The Hellcat series is one wild ride ... one of the best new series to hit the dark urban fantasy world, ever! Two words: more, please." Diane Nelson (Sand in my Shoes Reviews)

All Hell Breaks Loose picks up right where book one ended. I enjoy it when stories do that. Through out the book, you do get an explanation of what happened in book one but it is so well written into the story that you don't feel like you are getting a synopsis of what happened before. Ms. Hannaford does a great job at fitting it all in seamlessly.

This story deals with werewolves but not the sexy, drop dead gorgeous kinds we are used to reading in the romantic werewolf stories. Not that I don't mind those cause I do love them. Every now and then, I do enjoy a good story where the werewolf isn't always the good guy. 

All Hell Breaks Loose had plenty of action. The fight scenes were terrific and made me feel like "heck yeah, she kicked his butt!". As always, there is humor in the story though subtle. Every now and then, there's an easy banter between Gabi and her friends that make you chuckle. I have to say that while I love Julies the oh so hot and sexy vampire extraordinaire and Gabi's main squeeze, I love Alexander even more. He taunts Gabi when he can and is all "I know I look hot but I can still take you down!". 

I have to say that I do love Gabi, she is truly a heroine who is kick ass, intelligent, very confident and extremely loyal to her loved ones. Through out the story, you get a feel and sense of the camaraderie between her and the other characters. You also get a feel for the lengths she will go to for her friends. 

Do I recommend this book? I do. If you read book 1, you'll need to read book 2 because it leads to book 3, which is awesome! Also, it was a great kick ass story that you will truly enjoy. There's no damsel in distress story here with Gabi, nuh uh. 

Book Review of A Cold Day in Hell and Book Release Day

I've been fortunate enough to receive an ARC of A Cold Day in Hell for review. I really did enjoy this book.

A Cold Day in Hell is being released today so be sure to get your copies of the book. Preferably all 3 so you can enjoy them back to back.

A while back, few months actually, I reviewed book one in the Hellcat Series, A Cat's Chance in Hell (you can find the review here) and I truly enjoyed it. I also read (and will post the review soon) All Hell Breaks Loose. I will be sharing the review tomorrow.

I'll quit chatting and move on to the reviews. :-)

The City may be calm, but is the Hunter about to become the hunted?

For the first time in months the City is peaceful, so peaceful that Gabi’s suspension from the Societas Malus Venatori doesn’t feel like a punishment.  Her relationship with Julius is stronger than ever and Kyle has finally found his soul mate, even if he seems to need some convincing.  Gabi thinks boredom is her most serious problem.  She couldn’t be more wrong. 

The visitor Julius has been both expecting and dreading arrives, bringing with him dire news.  An old enemy, out to destroy them, has revealed to the Masters of the Vampire race that Gabi is a Dhampir.  The visitor’s presence also answers the question that’s been simmering in Gabi’s head for years; the truth of her origins.  This truth brings with it a deeper understanding of the implications of her very existence, and she doesn’t like what she discovers.  But it’s too late to change what’s been done and Julius must now answer to the Princeps’ Court.  

As Gabi makes plans to leave the City, drawing danger away from friends and family, a dark prophesy by the Magi Oracles forces her to change course.  She will not be leaving the City alone, and she will not be running from the threat.  She, Julius and a handful of others will be heading straight into the mouth of the beast.  They must present themselves at Court before the Princeps travel to the City and inadvertently uncover one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Magi world. 

While the Princeps wear a face of impartiality and civility, what boils beneath the surface is a storm of selfishness, greed, lust and perversion.  Danger lurks in every corner and it soon becomes clear that someone is determined to ensure that Gabi will never get the chance of a fair hearing.

Old friends and old enemies do what they have always done best, while new friends and new enemies emerge at every turn.  Only one thing is sure; it’ll be a cold day in Hell before Hellcat goes down without a fight.

Put the coffee on and warm up your page-turning finger, it’s going to be a long night.

I didn't think that I could like this series anymore than what I already did. Wow! Ms. Hannaford brought out all the stops with this one. The story was fantastic!

While the enemies in books 1 and 2 were under control, there were new enemies to be dealt with. Ones that Gabi has little knowledge of. At almost every turn, Gabi's life is in danger but her resilience, will to live and fight for life keeps here going.

Ms. Hannaford keeps the side stories going as well... ones that were started in book 2. I like that those stories weren't ignored. We get to learn just a little bit more about the fate of those characters.

I also enjoy how every author has a different take on vampires and their worlds. Ms. Hannaford creates a great world where vampires rule in different factions. Ms. Hannaford takes great care in introducing us to the major vampire players in the is story. We get a sense for who these vampires are, how old they are and what their intentions are without drowning out the main theme of the story. All the story are so intricately woven that when you read it, it flows so well. There's no choppiness to the story, no confusion or "wait, what did I miss" feelings that you sometimes find in stories that have many key players that are integral.

There's so much that I want to say about this story that I'm afraid I'll give away some spoilers and I certainly don't want to do that. All I can say is that I messaged Ms. Hannaford asking for book 4. I'll have to wait a bit for it but the sense of urgency is there. I need to know what is going to happen next.

Do I recommend this book? You bet I do. It's a great continuation of the previous two books but a story on its own. You don't get bored reading the same thing over. You still see the same, strong heroine but you also see her grow.

Excerpt of Remnant Truths

Synopsis: 

On the heels of a breakup with her fiance, pharmacology graduate student Candice Lamont discovers an ancient process to facilitate the sharing of human memories. The visions she's had as a result reveal things about her former fiance, a prior boyfriend named Justin, and her best friend, Brenda, who is a journalist working the political beat for a newspaper in Los Angeles. Candice sets out to acquire more evidence about the memory sharing process, a journey which takes her to the northern reaches of the Sonoran Desert and a small town built near a mysterious archeological excavation site. Candice soon learns more than she ever wanted to know about her friend, former lovers, corporate corruption, and the truths that must be uncovered in order to save thousands. And herself.

                    


                              Book Trailer: Remnant Truths from William Colella on Vimeo.



Amazon Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DISOHJQ


Sample Chapters and Excerpt: http://issuu.com/onlinewdc/docs/remnant_truths_sample


About the Author: 

William D. Colella is an award-winning writer and active participant in the emerging entertainment start-up scene in Los Angeles. Recent achievements include an official selection at the Beverly Hills Film, TV, & New Media Festival. His awards include the SoCal Film Festival Screenplay Competition and a Top 20 placement in the Annual Writer's Digest Competition. He is a graduate of the journalism program at the University of Arizona and currently lives in L.A.

Inside the Writer's Mind ~ Interview with Beverly Ovalle

Same DiNamics: Writing can be a daunting prospect, what made you decide to share your story with the world?

Beverly Ovalle: It was actually a dare, a push by a friend to send a story in to a writing contest.

SD: Who has influenced you as an author?

BO: All of the authors I used to read since I started reading.  I would always continue the story in my mind or imagine what would happen if they had done something different.  Kind of like the stories they have now that are interactive.  I love those.

SD: What is your writing method? Do you outline first or do you purge your brain on paper until your story is told? 

BO: Oh I purge!  I've tried doing and outline and it just doesn't work.  I get bogged down because that usually isn't the way my characters want to go.

SD: How long does it take you to write your story, from getting it down on paper to publishing?

BO: Easily six to eight months or more and I swear most of it is waiting for acceptance! LOL!

SD: Can you tell me a little bit about your book(s) without giving away too much? Why should I read it? 

BO: Well, you did read it! :)  If you like a romance with lots of graphic sex, I'm your girl!  Love paranormal? That works for me too.  In Dragons' Mate a young woman is assaulted and to heal she goes home and adopts two dragons captured in a raid.  They really are shifters and know what happened as she told them, not knowing what they were.  They are all about her protection and happiness.

SD: How much of yourself is in your character(s)? 

BO: Not much.  Though you can't describe a good sex scene if you haven't experienced good sex, so I suppose the reactions would be mine :)

SD: What advice would you give to an aspiring author?

BO: Don't give up.  I never thought I would even publish once and here I am with 3 contracts, and two more submitted I hope will be accepted.  If you self publish, and this is from a point of view of a reviewer as I did that for 18 months and now do it on my blog, use an editor and spell check.  The best book in the world won't get read if it has a ton of spelling and grammar errors.  Most reviewers seem to be grammar fiends.

SD: Is there anything else that you'd like to share?

BO: Definitely!  I have two more shorts coming out soon.  Touched by the Sandman is currently TBD with Boroughs Publishing Group.  It is another Lunchbox Romance.  In Touched by the Sandman Ayrne comes to bring comfort, to change lonely dreams to happier ones.  He is captivated by the young woman and keeps coming back.  She begins to feel more alive and happier in her dreams than when she is awake.  He searches for a way to bring her into his world, unwilling to let her go.

In Lighting Strike out in November with Secret Cravings Publishing in their Weekend Getaway line, a photographer, Levi, happens to catch a lightning strike through his lens as it hits a tree.  When the flash clears from his eyes, he sees someone fall from the tree that had been hit.  He rushes to help and discovers a young woman.  As he later discovers, a tree nymph.  He is there to find a reason why his family should not sell the land.  Daphnaie is there to give him that reason.

I also have two I am waiting on for submission.  One is a non fiction piece about dealing with the grief.  The date of response for acceptance is Oct. 15.  I am also waiting on a recent submission to Decadent Publishing for the 1Night Stand line.  Inspired by my son's tattoo!  He is so NOT thrilled with me.

This one is actually a military romance.  No paranormal involved.

Thank you for having me!

~~~End Interview~~~

***Please note that the interview was posted after October. For that I apologize.***

Beverly Ovalle lives in Wisconsin with her husband Edmond of 23 years and two Chinese Water Dragons. Having her own Dragons is expected as she is dragon crazy and anyone that walks in her house can tell. Her son Nicholas visits when he is on leave from the Marines.  Her daughter Susannah visits to grocery shop in the pantry and to see what might be cooking for dinner.

Beverly has traveled around the world thanks to five years in the US Navy and has worked for the government in one capacity or another for the past 30 years. Beverly and her brothers have travelled most of the continental United States as children due to the station wagon from Hell.  Still active with veterans, she is adjutant for her local AMVETS.

Beverly has been reading romances since her Aunt introduced her to the gothic romance in the fourth grade and is still reading every chance she gets.

Contact Links:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BeverlyOvalleAuthor

Tumblr:  http://ovalleba.tumblr.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ovalleba

Pintrest:  http://pinterest.com/ovalleba/

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=hb_tab_home_top

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/SSLYblog

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/SslySmileSomebodyLovesYou?ref=hl

Website:  http://SSLYblog.wordpress.com

Review of the Facebook Diet

Synopsis:

A tongue-in-cheek look at our love of social media through 50 hilarious cartoons that complete the question, "You Know You're a Facebook Addict When...?"
 
Award-winning author and artist, Gemini Adams, offers a hilarious look at the most idiotic, embarrassing and cringe-worthy behaviors of our social media excess. 


With over 1 billion people now on Facebook (that's 1 in every 7 of us) and over 30% checking their account before brushing their teeth or hair in the mornings, it seems most can confess to an addictive Facebook habit; whether it's stalking an ex, faking bathroom breaks to read news, checking-in wherever they go, or art-directing photo's for the perfect profile pic.


Packed with funny digital detox tips that gently 'poke' at readers to examine the health of their high-tech habits and unplug once in a while, this laugh-out-loud gift book is guaranteed to bring a smile of recognition to Facebook junkies everywhere!

Title: The Facebook Diet: 50 Funny Signs of Facebook Addiction and Ways to Unplug With a Digital Detox

Series: The Unplug Series

Author: Gemini Adams

Publisher: Live Consciously Publishing (May 24, 2013)

Format: Paperback (146 pages)

Location Available: Amazon

When I received my paperback copy in the mail, in exchange for a review, I immediately knew I was going to be laughing out loud. Just the cover alone shows the love/hate relationship I feel I have with Facebook. I imagine there are lots of folks out there who feel the same. 

The ironic thing in me accepting this book for review is that not too long ago, I myself went through a Facebook Diet. Last year December, I completely deleted my account (which Facebook then taunted me by giving me several weeks to "change" my mind and sent me an email asking if I was sure I wanted to delete my account). I detoxed for about 3 months. Which I would recommend to everyone.

The Facebook Diet, has illustrations depicting each scenario in "You Know You're a Facebook Addict When...". Each illustration is funny and oh so true, as well as is each scenario. As I was reading this, I had several laugh out loud moments where I needed to share with my husband cause he wanted in on the fun. 

The ones I found the most hilarious were the ones that hit really close to home like: You've replaced your twice a day ritual of teeth cleaning with logging in to Facebook. I check Facebook and other social media sites, like Google+, when drinking my cup of coffee, in the morning, before the rest of house wakes up. It's my "me" time with Facebook. I must admit I get giddy when I see I have received over 10 notifications overnight! Woo Hoo! Are they all relevant to me? No, but it's fun seeing them. 

It's incredible how when reading the scenarios, I pictured several Facebook friends in my mind and mentally ticked off their names saying "Yep, that is such and such right there". It is really scary how well these scenarios can describe us and those we know around us. There's definitely food for thought in the book. 

This book is definitely a great gift to give to someone who you know spends way too much time on Facebook or to someone who is well on his or her way to becoming a bonafide Facebook addict. The best thing about the book, besides the side splitting funnies, is that the book gives you ways on how to unplug or detox, if you will, and how to achieve a less Facebook addicted lifestyle. 

Do I recommend this book? You bet I do! It's a book that everyone who has a Facebook account should read. If not for the educational value you'll get from it, at least read it for the sheer and utter enjoyment you'll get out of it. I recommend it for anyone over 18 years of age, as some of the illustrations are adult themed and fittingly so! 

Excerpt of Open Door

Happy Halloween!!!

The excerpt that I'm sharing today is fitting for Halloween, it has a supernatural element to it. Ooohhhh.....

Synopsis:

ENTRANCING OPPORTUNITIES BECKON A YOUNG GIRL... 
It's 1987, and 16-year-old Carin White desperately needs her first job.  An elegant woman she's never met appears at her door offering employment.  "Aunt" Helen asks Carin to work for her on the family's rambling, enigmatic estate in the tiny resort town of Eureka Springs.

IN A WORLD WHERE NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS...
Carin enjoys her work and falls in love with the beautiful Mallace Mansion.  But a brutal assault forces Carin to confront her own capacity for violence.  Carin learns her mother concealed her identity from her, and the mansion hides horrific secrets of its own.


AND ONLY LOVE CAN SAVE HER.
Carin exposes the true reason she was asked to summer on the estate.  Will she be strong enough to recognize love and redeem her family legacy?  Or will the temptations of power and control lure her to the same dark places where others lost themselves?

Exclusive Blurb/Backstory to Open Door:

Amanda White strengthens her grip on the steering wheel as her legs go numb.  She feels her foot on the pedal but no seat beneath her.  Drawing shallow breaths, she resists the sensation of falling.  On the quiet street in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, her car’s sharp-cornered body rumbles and its blinker clicks away her last moments with her daughter.

Carin, nervous and excited, pops the buckle of her seatbelt and grasps the handle of her bag.  Her mother never mentioned they had family, let alone family living here.  Mallace Mansion flirts with her through the leaves of tall oaks.  Carin needs this job, her first.  “Aunt” Helen offered her a full summer’s employment—in a mansion, no less!

 “I’ll be fine, Mom.” She kisses the lines crossing her mother’s forehead.  “So will you.  I love you.” 

The car door creaks in protest, giving a final thud as Carin slams it and bounds to the fence, the threadbare bag dangling beside her.  Carin latches the gate between them.  She blows kisses as Amanda waits, smiling without breathing or tears.

The sweltering summer air fails to warm Amanda.  She watches a small, blond woman answer the heavy door, and her Carin disappears.  It’s done.  The car shudders to life again as Amanda prays, whether to God or her dead husband she can’t say.

“Help her; watch over her.  Please, Andrew, don’t be wrong.”

In many ways a traditional gothic tale, Open Door toys with the supernatural genre as Carin chooses love in the summer of 1988.  Vivid descriptions reveal Mallace Mansion, the gothic character who cannot speak.  In love, our heroine will not succumb to a supernatural being’s seduction.  Instead, you might say magic falls for her as Carin discovers her secret history and the hidden life within Mallace Mansion’s walls.

About the Author

Christine Locke was born in California and grew up in various locations around the United States as a Navy brat. She was the oldest of six children and today is mother and step-mother to seven. She attended Texas A&M University, receiving her Master of Arts degree in Comparative Literature in 1995.

Christine has worked as a writing instructor, a salesperson, and an award-winning retail manager and management trainer, among other things. Today, she co-ordinates makeovers for a local magazine. She and her husband, Mike, live with their children, two dogs, and two cats in Arkansas.

For years, Christine has been writing novels around her work and family life. Open Door is her first published novel.

Author Links:

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

Book/Writing Blog

Buy links for Open Door:

amazon

Barnes & Noble

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Excerpt and Author Comments of War of Desire

One of the things I love about books are their covers... no I don't judge a book by its cover but if a book has a delicious, eye pleasing cover, I'm all over it.

War of Desire by G.D. Campbell is such a book. It doesn't hurt that the model looks hot. Here is an excerpt of War of Desire. Enjoy!

Excerpt/Blurb

Raeleen Stewart enjoys nothing more than a new employee. And young Josh Carter is a spectacular addition. Her enterprise, a house of sexual pleasure for female clientele, thrives on fresh offerings. But Josh has an agenda and agrees to the job requirements only to further his role in a plot to destroy Rae and her despicable operation. 

Long-time pleasure partner and ex-lover Lu Haverson has his suspicions about this young buck, but there’s so much painful baggage with Rae, he can’t get her to reconsider. So he embarks on his own investigation after watching the kid struggle with taking women to bed. Will Rae learn the truth before it’s too late? 

Can Lu get the evidence he needs, or will his tangled past with Rae get in the way? Lives hang in the balance as Josh faces desperate choices between his life-long training and an unexpected world he never wanted to find. Set in the not too distant future when global warming has forced extreme social change, House of Rae is a fast-paced, sensual story of love, personal challenge, and discovery.

Author Comments on War of Desire

War of Desire author comments:

Author Denele Campbell observes that some of her most riveting thought experiences have been through science fiction. Whether the classic novels like Orwell’s 1984, Huxley’s Brave New World, or Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, or more recent television and movie adventures like Star Trek and Star Wars, science fiction served up new ideas and a generally hopeful outlook.

“I needed that,” Campbell explains. “Frankly, my childhood reeked of gloom due to the negative religious beliefs of my family. I was looking for bigger answers.”

In War of Desire, Campbell says she attempts to portray a future world that is coping with climate change in a positive way.

“Why can’t human ingenuity create new solutions? We created the problems, so it seems entirely feasible that solutions can come from the same source. It just requires a slightly different mindset.”

Is it possible for old moral strictures to be set aside in order to dedicate shrinking resources toward proactive measures, as Campbell portrays in War of Desire? Other societies have embraced legalized prostitution, Campbell points out. Perhaps not to the extent as in her story, where modern technology and business practices bring the so-called “oldest profession” to its ultimate fruition. And perhaps never in the way Campbell envisions, where the workers providing sexual services aren’t just women in service to men, as most commonly practiced, but also as men (and women) in service to women.

“That’s probably the most radical element in this story, that women would be able to visit a house of pleasure for an hour or an afternoon, pick the pleasure partner she wishes, and indulge in sensual delight where her specific desires are attended. And of course, that’s what the plot hinges on. There will always be people who are fundamentally opposed to any kind of sexual activity outside the boundaries of marriage between a man and a woman. The question is, now that we have methods to manage the production of children and methods to screen for sexually-transmitted disease, do we have to stay locked into the old rule of law, or can we as an advancing society accept a broader framework for what men and women may wish to do?”

“So yes,” Campbell continues, “this is science fiction that doesn’t have space craft or mutant viruses or laser guns. It’s more of a woman’s sci-fi in that regard. And frankly, I think it’s long past due. Science fiction, like most literature, has been—at least through the mid-twentieth century—the province of men. And in general, I think men appreciate certain things—war, weapons, and the machinery of adventure, for example, and that’s reflected in the science fiction they write. I think women, on the other hand, are more interested in the nuances of emotion, interpersonal relationships, and human sexuality. Why not look at a future where the female agenda dictates some of the landscape?”

Campbell says she’s been particularly interested in the male response to her book, which she describes as a bit dismissive. Since the plot and character development of her story hinge on sex, the book contains quite a few sex scenes. Many male readers, she says, aren’t exactly comfortable with long passages of explicit sex.

On the other hand, she observes, many women aren’t really interested in science fiction, perhaps because the tradition of science fiction has been bound in male-oriented interests.

“This is an experiment,” she admits. “Will women read a sensual story even if it’s science fiction? Will men read science fiction, complete with fights and fast action, if the story includes a lot of sex? I don’t know. This was a gamble mainstream publishers weren’t willing to take, leaving me with little option but self-publishing. I’m thankful that option exists, although there is a strong bias against self-publishing in the literary world. Few industry  reviewers will touch something that’s self-published, and so readers are left to take their own gamble about what to read.”

War of Desire is the first in what Campbell envisions as a series of stories set in the mid-21^st century. The storyline will continue to follow House of Rae enterprises in various locations and will delve deeper into the conflicts that arise between entrenched morality and greater human freedom. Unfortunately, any juicy details about the story line or what characters from War of Desire will be involved would spoil the fun. Campbell hopes to have the second novel out by mid-2014.

~~~~

I like Ms. Campbell's take on this science fiction story. It's definitely worth a read. If you want to know more about War of Desire and where you can purchase it, here are some links.

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B000APWGC0

Goodreads page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/31102.Denele_Pitts_Campbell

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDeneleCampbell

Book listing on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/War-Desire-G-D-Campbell/dp/1490900179/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375906345&sr=8-1&keywords=war+of+desire+campbell