Time for Death - Christie Silvers - Blog tour

Please welcome Christie Silvers to the blog today, and don't forget to give her a huge Madsheep Reading cheer.

A Day in the Life of Me

At the time of this writing my kids are still in school, with only days to go until summer break.  My writing schedule changes during the summer (nil to nada output), so I'll talk about my schedule during the school year.

The darn alarm clock goes, "na-na-na-na-na" at 5:30am.  *Yawn*  Yuck!  I'm so not a morning person...ever!  Get the kids up and make sure everyone stays awake.  Then I head out the door with three girls in tow at 6:45am.  I'm back home by 7:15am.

I spend the time between 7:15 and 9:00am tending to the dogs, chickens, breakfast, some housework, and even a dose of the Today show.  I also check in on Facebook, Twitter, respond to e-mails, and browse around some of my favorite websites.  And then it's time for work.

9:00 to 12:00pm I work on my current project.  Between bouts of written word happiness, the dogs will always want to go out for a potty break, the phone will ring and/or beep (usually it's my husband texting about something unimportant because he's bored at work), or someone will show up.  Some days it's a miracle I get any writing done at all.

From 12:00pm to 1:30pm I have lunch, do more housework, respond to more e-mails, and check in on Facebook.  I might even take the time to watch something from my extensive DVR list.  You just never know with wild and crazy me!

 

1:30pm to 3:30pm is occupied by school pickup time between three children.  At this point I have to go to two different schools, but in the fall I'll be stretched even thinner by having three children in three different schools.  Eek!

After 3:30pm it's all about homework, dinner, bath times, bed times, and then time spent with the hubby.  Somewhere between 11pm and midnight I'll head to bed.  Then we do it all over again.

Once school it out the writing schedule changes dramatically and my daily word count output is reduced to ashes.  I have to write something every single day, but in the summer it might be nothing more than a blog post, a few paragraphs for my next story, or a simple character outline for the next ruthless monster to attack my beloved Liz Baker.  But at least it's something!

The Siren - Tiffany Reisz

The Siren - Tiffany Reisz

About the book:

The Siren is a modern-day retelling of My Fair Lady with uptight English literary fiction editor Zachary Easton as an unwilling Professor Higgins and well-known wild child Nora Sutherlin as his erotica-writing Eliza Doolittle. Zach only has six weeks left at Royal House New York before he heads to Los Angeles to take over as Chief Managing Editor at Royal West. When his boss orders him to help Nora Sutherlin rewrite her latest novel, Zach agrees to work with her only if he is given complete control over the fate of her book. If Nora doesn’t rewrite it to his satisfaction in six weeks, Royal won’t publish it.

5/5

My Review:

I will admit this is a book that captivated my attention just from seeing a small snippet of what it contained, so i count my blessings that i got to read this before it's due release day. I found that i was captivated and taken along with the story-line, although not always comfortable with what i was reading, the book still managed to enchant and delight me.  I loved the story-line along with the characters that is what made the book the read it is, with the ever growing and changing Zach you never quite knew what side of him you were going to meet next. This always left you hoping for one side yet getting a reaction you never thought you would see, although unexpected the reaction and his character worked well. I especially loved the sparring between him and Nora, they really do make a great pair. Nora is a loveable tease, yet still manages the poise and whit of any lady when she needs to. With her shady behind the scenes job that deep down she hates doing, she brings laughs and tears as you read through her story. I must say i did really enjoy this book, even if it did have me thinking and feeling emotions that i never thought a book could do. All credit to the author and i can't wait to see where she is going to go next and what world she is going to drag us kicking and screaming into, yet strangely enough we never want to leave. This book i would recommend to people who like reading the erotica genre, yet it does have a lot of lessons to be learned for others outside of that reading area. 

The Company of the Dead - Marissa Farrar

The Company of the Dead - Marissa Farrar 

About the book:

A teenage girl living with a horrific birthmark down one side of her face discovers the cure may be worse than the affliction in ‘Stained’. 

A team of men digging the channel tunnel hit a coffin-like box buried deep under the ocean. Will opening it unleash the end of mankind? ‘The Tunnel’. 

A drug addict wakes to find herself trapped in a room of her worst nightmare, in ‘The Tortured Room’. 

A young girl suffering abuse at the hands of her father find solace in a porcelain doll, but the doll is out for revenge, in ‘Adeline’.

A woman suffering the loss of her husband in a car accident discovers her reality isn’t all it seems in ‘The Sickness of Grief’.

A hitchhiker gets the lift from hell in ‘Thumbing it.’

Six short stories of horror; ghosts, vampires and demonic dolls.

4/5

My Review:

This book is a collection of short stories that capture your interest with each on that you read. There is a little for everyone no matter what tastes you have and i found that not only were the stories well written and the characters well defined, in places they  were heart warming and thought provoking. The car accident story was especially emotional to read leaving you feeling everything that the characters felt when it came to loss and acceptance. Although i loved reading all the stories this is the one that i really connected with. All cresit to the author for bringing us this really great selection of shorts that i am sure everyone will love to read whether they are an avid reader or just want something to pass a few minutes in a day, with this book you can really do that. I know that after reading this i will definitely be heading out to find more books by Marissa to read, and i urge you to check out this little gem and just give it a quick read.  

The Witching Pen - Dianna Hardy

The Witching Pen - Dianna Hardy 

About the book:

(Book One of The Witching Pen Novellas) 

It's hard being the most powerful witch on the planet. It's even harder when you're a twenty-five year old virgin who'll lose all of that power the moment you sleep with someone ... that's why Elena's never slept with her best friend and flatmate, Karl, despite the true feelings they harbour for each other.

Elena's about to discover that there are even more difficult things in life to deal with. One of them comes in the form of a pen she discovers one day, a pen that allows anything she writes to come to pass...

Suddenly, it's not just her powers or her heart that's at stake, but her very soul, as a dream demon with a seductive pull uses the pen to try and turn her away from her reality, and from Karl.

But the pen is just the beginning. Everything Elena has believed in is a lie, and her world is about to fall apart...

4/5

My Review:

Picking up this the first book in the series, i found that i was consumed within it's pages from the very start. Elena as a character makes you want to keep reading you need to find out where she is going to go, what she is going to discover as there always seems to be skeletons in her closet. It's just you find out she is not the one hiding them, with very different relationships that she has between the other characters showing a whole range of emotions that are well written and realistic. She has flaws oh boy does she have flaws but this only adds to the story and what a story it is. She has to deal with coming to terms with the fact that she has been lied to and has missed out on a lot of life she never thought she could have, she faces soul searching decisions and life changing confessions. The story-line is gripping and full of action with the characters really making everything work so well. The depth and detail that the author go into in order to really ring you into Elena's world is amazing, she leaves only enough to the imagination for you to be able to picture every scene and emotion to it's full potential. I only gave this a 4/5 due to the fact that i just wanted that little bit more, not in a bad way i just  felt like i wanted to know more, feel more and learn more both in the background and with the characters. But by no means does this detract away from the amazing story that has been weaved by the author. For anyone out there wanting something to read that will captivate and draw them in, go and grab a copy of this book. I know i will be heading on the the next in the series and can't wait to find out what else the author has in store not only for the characters but for the readers. 

Afterlife - Willow Cross

Afterlife - Willow Cross

About the book:

Two hundred years before the battle of the fortress, a young man named William Townsend had to die. 

William had big plans. He would become a valiant soldier, fall in love, have a family, and die. In fact, he was certain it would happen in that exact order. But fate is a fickle taskmaster and things almost never go as planned. And sometimes, just sometimes, your true destiny will greet you after life

4/5

My Review:

This is a great short story set before the first book Birthright, and i must say i really enjoyed this novella. Novella's like this are  great read as we manage to get an even more in depth look at some of our favourite characters and their lives before the books even started. We learn more about the background of the characters, and in this novella we learn so much more about William and how he came to be a ghost, and his bond with Angie. This is a great read whether you read it before you have read Birthright and Inheritance or at any point with in your reading. I would recommend you pick up this quick read and find out more about the characters. 

Haunted - Willow Cross

Haunted - Willow Cross

About the book:

Have you ever heard something go bump in the night and wonder if someone was there? Only to go looking for the cause of the noise and find nothing at all. Or how about unexplainably feeling like you’re being watched when you’re completely alone? Things disappearing for no reason or strange ghostly footsteps in the hall? This book is a collage of short stories about a few of the otherworldly experiences I’ve had. Although they are not movie worthy, you may find them interesting. All the stories are %100 true. Nothing has been added for dramatic effect.

4/5

My Review:

This is a short novella covering a personal telling of "things that go bump in the night". I must admit i really loved reading these accounts of strange and creepy happens that the author has been fortunate/unfortunate to encounter. The book is an easy and compelling read, sometimes giving you shivers. But the accounts are told so well that you can not help to want to continue to read, and this is not a long read so is ideal for those odd hours where you need something to fill a gap. I enjoyed hearing everything the author has to say and it was a bonus that the accounts were so well written that you really felt as though you could have been there. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read or that just wants to find out about some of the authors personal experiences with supernatural occurrences. 

Haunted Moon - Kymberlee Burks-Miller

Haunted Moon - Kymberlee Burks-Miller

About the book:

Before Lilyann stepped into her destiny to lead the coven, there was another powerful Moon witch...her grandmother. A teenage witch in Galway, Ireland, Leeny Moon was prepared to take her rightful place in the circle along side of her kin. Until, she witnessed firsthand the forthcoming nightmares she would be expected to face.

The fight between good versus begins here...

5/5

My Review:

This is a short novella based around the life of Leeny Moon as she was growing into her powers as a Moon witch. This is a great short that gives the reader an incite into the life of Leeny before we meet her in the full length book Compulsion. I found that this is a great addition to the series that not only expands and explains a little more of the back story behind compulsion, but also gives you great incite into the life of Leeny. I loved learning all about her and where she came from, learning form her elders as she grew up and was initiated into the Moon coven, killing her first vampire and all the emotional turmoil that came with learning how to be a true coven witch and learning her responsibilities. I feel everyone should read this whether they have read Compulsion yet or not, you won't want to put it down and i guarantee that if you have not yet read compulsion you will want to.