Giveaway Winner: True Miracles With Genealogy

Congratulations to the Winner of my

True Miracles with Genealogy Book Giveaway

The Random Number Generator has spoken!

The Winner is:

Debbie F.

The winner has been notified. She will receive her book from me.

Interview & Book Giveaway: Author Stephanie Humphreys

Welcome to author Stephanie Humphreys!

Stephanie Humphreys lives in Alberta her husband and feels blessed to be a SAHM for her three children. She has too many hobbies to mention, but these days most of her spare time is spent writing. Her first novel, Finding Rose, was released August 2010.

Interview:
If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future?
I would definitely travel to the past. History is so fascinating. It would be great to be able to see history as it really happened.

What is the last book you read? The Spy Wore Red by Aline, Countess of Romanones. It was my book clubs latest pick.

What is the last movie you saw? I watched Prince of Persia with my son last weekend. I loved the action sequences.

When you were 12 years old what did you want to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to be an author, but so many people convinced me that I should pick something practical, so my other plan was to be a school teacher.

Which fictional character would you most like to meet? Anne Shirley. I love her imagination.

How many books do you read a week/month? It varies depending on what is going on in my life. I usually average about 90 books a year, though.

What's your favorite music genre? Favorite artist? Song?
I listen to a little bit of everything. My favourite artist is Josh Groban.

Is there anything you need in order to write? I need a quiet room with some classical music. The quiet room doesn't happen very often as there is always some family member looking over my shoulder and demanding my attention. I try not to write with snacks nearby because then I totally overdo the eating.

Night owl, or early bird? Night owl. I do my best writing after the family has gone to bed. Maybe it's because that is the only time I get that quiet room and uninterrupted writing time.

How would you describe the target audience for you books? How would you classify your books (which genre)? I would classify my book as a historical romance that would appeal to women age 14-104. I've even had several men read and love it.

Stephanie's Book:
Finding Rose by Stephanie Humphreys:

On his deathbed, Rose Sterling’s father asks her to consider Miles Crandall as a suitor. Then Rose is sent to live with an uncle in Spring Creek, Montana, far from her carefree life with her family in Utah. Miles is returning to his hometown of Spring Creek to set up a medical practice, so Rose is certain her being sent there is a setup. Yet Miles doesn’t seem interested in her, and after Rose falls ill in Montana, he seems content to act as her physician and friend. When Rose captures the attention of Miles’s younger, flamboyant brother as well as the town sheriff, Miles retreats even further from
any attempt at courtship.

How can Rose honor her father’s last wish if Miles doesn’t even try to court her? Will she have the courage to put her heart on the line and fight for the one she really loves?

Giveaway Details:
Stephanie is willing to send 2 copies of her book Finding Rose to followers of this blog.
Giveaway is open Internationally.
Giveaway ends 12/3/10

Optional Extra Entries:
+1 Like Stephenie on Facebook.
+1 Fan or Friend Stephenie on Goodreads.
+1 Follow Stephenie's Blog and Comment on one of her Posts.
This giveaway is now closed.

Got Great Giveaways 11/4

Got Great Giveaways is a weekly feature hosted here on I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.

I love book giveaways. They often have low entries which means I actually win them. I'm always on the lookout for book giveaways and have become frustrated by not having one place to find them all. So I started hosting my own Book Giveaway Linky.

Each week I search for great book giveaways and link them up here.

Do you have a book giveaway on your blog or website? Scroll down and add it to the linky list.

Have you found a great book giveaway you want to share? Please add it.

Stop by each week and link up book related giveaways.

Many of the book giveaways listed on last week's Got Great Giveaways Post are still open.

To help bloggers easily find giveaways they are interested in please include as much info as possible:
Genre or Category, Title, Author, website, ending date, etc.

Please link directly to the giveaway.

BOOK & BOOK RELATED GIVEAWAYS ONLY - others will be deleted.

Bookmark this site and stop back by in a couple days for more giveaways because new giveaways get added all week long!

Don't forget to enter all my great giveaways here on this site. Giveaways are listed on the right sidebar ----->

The next Got Great Giveaways Linky will be posted on Thursday 11/4. If you have a giveaway you want me to add to next week's linky just FILL OUT THIS FORM, or you can stop back next week to add it.

This Week's Got Great Giveaways:

Childrens Book Wednesday: Happy Birthday Book Giveaway

Today is my "baby's" 5th birthday. I'm busy getting ready for a party for 10 of her friends (which means not much time to blog or read today).

To Celebrate her birthday I'm giving away a copy of one of our all time favorite children's picture books.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle


To Enter just be a GFC follower of this blog and leave a comment with a way to contact you.
Giveaway is open Internationally anywhere The Book Depository ships.
THIS GIVEAWAY is now CLOSED.

Upcoming Event @ I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

The Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop is hosted by Simply Stacie. It runs from December 1st - 5th. There are currently almost 300 blogs signed up to each host a gift card, gift certificate or cash giveaway.

I have 4 Great Sponsors for this Giveaway.









Usborne Books $15 Gift Certificate











Leap Books - 2 $10 Gift Certificates









Memorable Children Books & Gifts - $25 Gift Certificate









Little One Books - $25 Gift Certificate

Interview & Book Giveaway: Author Jennifer Laurens

Welcome to Author Jennifer Laurens. I'm thrilled to have Jennifer here to do a short interview and then she is giving away 5 copies of her book Heavenly

BIO:

I've written since junior high school. An only child, I grew up writing big stories about big families. I also write YA under the name of JM Warwick. My hometown of Palos Verdes, California figures in much of my work, as does my current home of Pleasant Grove, Utah and other favorite places. I love to travel.

They say "write what you know" and I do. I am a mother, I have six children, five cats and a huge doberman/dane dog. I have a supportive husband and we've been married 25 years. Our lives, though challenging with a handicapped child who has autism, are centered in our family.

My life experiences have worked into all of my novels. Some more heavily than others, but parts of me are in each story. I love stories rich in family drama, where family members overcome obstacles through love and miracles.

Jennifer is the author of 6 young adult novels: Heavenly, Penitence, Absolution, Falling for Romeo, Nailed & Magic Hands.
Her next novel Overprotected will be released in February 2011.

INTERVIEW:

What is the last movie you saw?
The Social Network LOVED IT.

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
Protien Shake.

How many books do you read a week/month?
I'm lucky to read three a year. If I have time, I write.

What's your favorite music genre? Favorite artist? Song?
Indie Pop. Sara Barielles.

Is there anything you need in order to write? (ie Chocolate, quiet, music)
Soundtrack to each book. Have to have one.

Night owl, or early bird?
Early bird.

Pet Peeves?
Late people.

Favortie Cartoon?
Pepe le Pew

If you could choose only one time period and place to live, when and where would you live and why?
Victorian Era. But only if I was rich and in NYC. I love the clothes.

What are your favorite comfort foods?
Indian.

How do you react to a bad review?
I don't read reviews.

How would you describe the target audience for your book?
Heavenly is a crossover YA novel.

To learn more about Jennifer & her books please visit her BLOG.

Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens:
I met someone who changed everything. Matthias. My autistic sister's guardian angel. Honest. Inspiring. Funny. Hot. And immortal. That was the problem. What could I do? I did what any other girl would do-I fell in love with him. Zoe's sister darts in front of cars. Her brother's a pothead. Her parents are so overwhelmed; they don't see Zoe lost in her broken life. Zoe escapes the only way she knows how: partying. Matthias, a guardian sent from Heaven, watches over Zoe's autistic sister. After Zoe is convinced he's legit, angel and lost girl come together in a love that changes destiny. But Heaven on Earth can't last forever.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
5 Followers of this blog will win a copy of Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens.
Giveaway ends 11/28/10.
Giveaway is open Internationally.

Optional Extra Entries:
+1 Follow Jennifer on Twitter
+1 Follow Jennifer's Blog
+1 Follow Jennifer on Facebook

To Enter Fill Out This Form:
This giveaway is now closed.

Book Review: Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens

I met someone who changed everything. Matthias. My autistic sister's guardian angel. Honest. Inspiring. Funny. Hot. And immortal. That was the problem. What could I do? I did what any other girl would do-I fell in love with him. Zoe's sister darts in front of cars. Her brother's a pothead. Her parents are so overwhelmed; they don't see Zoe lost in her broken life. Zoe escapes the only way she knows how: partying. Matthias, a guardian sent from Heaven, watches over Zoe's autistic sister. After Zoe is convinced he's legit, angel and lost girl come together in a love that changes destiny. But Heaven on Earth can't last forever.

I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed reading Heavenly. Although classified as fantasy, Jennifer Lauren's version of "guardian angels" is a version I can believe actually exist.

Zoe start off as a very self centered character who enjoys partying and hooking up with guys as a way to escape her life at home. Through the course of the novel she is transformed and grows into a very different character than she was in the beginning. We see her relationship with her family develop and see her start to make better choices.

The depiction of life and the feeling of those who live with an autistic child seemed like a very realistic portrayal.

Matthias is a great character. Who wouldn't love a guardian angel such as he. I was drawn into this story and was surprised by the ending and then the twist with the glimpse into the first page of the second book in the series, Penitence.

Penitence is one book that is going to the top of my wishlist!

Content: The main character escapes by partying and hooking up with guys, her brother is using drugs. There are a few scenes that take place at a party and a couple conversations between friends that I can't classify as "clean" but there is nothing graphic or descriptive. A realistic portrayal of real life situations that teenagers might find themselves. This coming of age story is written in a way that does not glorify the bad choice or actions. There were a couple of the most mild of expletives.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Source: I won this book in a giveaway.

Giveaway Winners: Bree Despain's The Lost Saint Nail Polish

Congratulations to the Winners of my

Bree Despain's The Lost Saint Nail Polish Giveaway

The Random Number Generator has spoken!

The Winners are:

Book Sp(l)ot

Jinky

Katerinas Mama

The winners have been notified. They will receive their prize from me.

Book Review: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to diabolical.

In this latest installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop them, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth-a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn. Full of humor and heart-pounding action, this fourth book promises to be their most thrilling adventure yet.

Another great book in the Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan. Everyone in my house loves this series. I laugh out loud during these books. The Battle of the Labyrinth is the 4th book in the series and did not disappoint.

I love how Riordan adds a fun twist to his book by adding elements of history, such as Harriet Tubman using the Labyrinth in her underground railroad operation. These books are just good clean family fun. As I've said before this is the way I like my mythology.

If you haven't read this series you are missing out. I'm looking forward to the 5th & final book. Although I've already read the last few chapters. My daughter used The Last Olympian for a book report and ran out of time to get it finished so I read the last few chapters out loud to her. Even knowing the ending I'm looking forward to reading the entire story.

Content: Clean Read

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Source: Audio Download from Overdrive

Interview & Book Giveaway: Author Michelle Erickson

Welcome to Author Michelle Erickson. Michelle has a goal to have 12 of her books published in 1 year. That is quite an ambitious goal and she's well on her way to making her dream come true.

Michelle is here to do an interview about her books and then she has a giveaway for followers of this blog.


Interview:
What is one of your writing goals?-To release 12 books in 12 months (or less), using alternative methods of publishing and that anyone can do what I’m doing for their own novel(s). As of Nov 1st, with the release of Klaus, I’m already a quarter of the way to my goal.

What made you decide to use non-traditional publishing?
-Actually, I had 3 yes’s from traditional publishing, but chose Ebook and POD (Publish On Demand) because I have control over my intellectual property and a bigger share of the profit. Also, waiting years for closure about my favorite characters in an epic series drives me crazy. Using Ebook and POD makes that wait as short as possible. Instead of the traditional nine years to get to the end of Chest of Souls (my nine-book epic fantasy) it will be a matter of months.

Why did you decide to write?
-I read the Jackrabbit Factor, by Leslie Householder and it asked the question: What is it you really want? That’s when I made the decision to write.

Who is your favorite character from one of your books and why?
-Currently, Klaus, because he’s so much like my husband, whom I adore.

What’s the best part of being an author?
-I’m only limited by the elasticity of my imagination and that means anything can happen to anybody, anytime, anywhere – good or bad.

What is something you didn’t know before you started writing?-The characters take over. Some fight their way to the front, while others shuffle to the back to hide from the plots that form in my mind. I know where they live, I WILL find them!

Where do you get your ideas?-Everywhere; such as accidentally hitting my husband in the head with the freezer door to the butterflies that attacked me one summer day (a long story).

What’s the main difference between traditional publishers and what you’re doing?-I’m my own boss/business and therefore I have to provide not only the story, but the book covers (my daughter), editing (at least three people read/correct each novel), and of course, promotion (which is where blogs like this one come in).

Do you enjoy being an author?
-Does a girdle pinch? I love being an author! The new technology makes it possible for anyone who wants to write the opportunity to do so.

What are you going to do after your 12 are published?
-Start on the books that aren’t already written. I have a list taped on my ceiling, right next to other dreams which are coming true.

How would you describe the target audience for your books?-Anyone who likes “clean” romance/adventure

How would you classify your books (which genre)?Klaus: Romance
5Blanks: Urban Sci-Fi
Chest of Souls: Epic Fantasy

Visit Michelle's WEBSITE for more information.

Michelle currently has 4 book available with more coming soon!

Books by Michelle Erickson:

Klaus:
Eralee is a misfit among immortals. She's supposed to marry a philandering River Prince. She doesn't want him. She wants to save the human called Klaus.

Klaus lives alone at the edge of the Everaude Forest, a dangerous forbidden place. He's convinced he'll never know love until he meets Eralee. Unfortunately, she's immortal and he isn't sure how such a relationship could work.

There is another immortal who wants him. She is Kamichen, the Winter Witch. Legend claims she eats men's hearts. She has plans for Klaus and they don't include Eralee.


5 Blanks:Nick is a pacifist whose been killed for the fourth time. His soul was transferred into the wrong Blank. Not just any Blank, but Creed: a Combat- Ready- E-series- Elimination- Drone.

And he has to share it.

It’s supposed to be impossible. His life defines the word so that isn’t what bothers him. It's the irony that he’s to blame for making the E-series a reality. He always said it would be the death of him. He may be right.

He's homeless and being hunted by the people who killed him four times. They want to make him dead-dead before he can expose the truth. That’s if the original Creed doesn’t return from war and kill him first.

Nick has a lethal to-do list:

He needs to gain Creed’s co-operation so he can save the friends who risk their lives to hide them, find out how and why they are sharing the same Blank before the original Creed shows up, and uncover the truth about Leigh, a beautiful scary woman that claims she’s Creed’s fiancée and Nick’s friend, but whom neither man remembers.

Welcome to day one of Blank Five.

Chest of Souls Book One:
When do you tell children they are destined to bring down the wickedest city in the world?
That they've been hunted their entire lives by the very evil they must destroy?
And when they finally meet that evil, they may not win?

You don't.

Brenna is safe because she’s oblivious to everything but Talon. She doesn't know that her mother is Hi-Sha of Eyes, or that her father was an assassin and he’s supposed to be dead. She doesn't even know her pet is the Queen of all Shee’s.

Talon felt safe until he met Brenna.
Once he is ordered to protect her, he's had to fight monsters he never knew existed, run away from an assassin, and escape a forest full of carnivores. His father burned down their cottage and left him with people he just met and he isn't sure who to trust.

In the meantime the Chest of Souls waits to be powered and neither child can guess the price.

Lend Me Your Mind (COS 2):
Brenna assumed everyone could modify an entire species, raise the dead, and speak with Deity because she’s done all of those things and more. Yet, even with all her power she can't make Talon love her.

Talon has questions no one will answer. Like why he has to keep moving, what his father does for a living, and what really happened to his mother. The answers he does receive aren't comforting.

Odd things have started to happen - the ship he is on sinks, a woman from legend rises from the sea, and he has to keep a secret he never wanted to know. Danger tracks him from the Ammon Islands to the far western shore of Utak.
Through it all, he can feel where Brenna is and her most powerful emotions, but isn’t sure what it means.

Aftermath: (sneak peek - comes out Dec 1st)
Brenna yearns for Talon’s love, but knows he sees her as a child. She’s determined to change that before her parents keep their word to take her away where Talon will never find her. No one seems to understand that Talon is the core of Brenna’s existence, not even Talon – yet. Brenna is unaware the evil that has been searching for her has found her and if it can't take her, it will take those she loves.

Talon has read the Book of Benamii and is beginning to understand that if Brenna dies, all hope perishes with her. He will not allow anyone or anything to hurt her. Not even Tasut. He is determined to stand between her and what is coming. Yet, he has a feeling of foreboding and his father is looking at him with an air of expectancy. Whatever it is his father wants from him, Talon wants to avoid at all costs.

Sacrifice of Souls: (sneak peek - comes out Jan 1st)Brenna is on the other side of time, a place she cannot reach or see Talon – so far. The Forest Wife is as hard as Tasut and as intelligent as her mother. That combination doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room. She has been told that if she fails in her training, Talon will pay the price. Brenna will do whatever she has to do, pay whatever price must be paid, to save Talon – even if it’s from herself.
Talon is in Sogo – courtesy of his father’s great fist. He will be sold at auction and join those destined for the Barracks. He doesn’t understand why. Brenna needs him and he needs her. He has no choice over what is happening, only how he deals with it.
His plan is to survive the training and the odds are stacked against him – 300 to 1.

GIVEAWAY:
Michelle is offering 3 of her books to followers of this blog. 3 Winners will each receive their choice of either Klaus, 5 Blanks or Chest of Souls Book 1. Giveaway open to those with a US mailing address.
Giveaway ends 11/15/10.
To Enter Fill Out the Form.

Optional Extra Entries:
+1 Request your library get a copy of Michelle's books from Lulu.com
+1 Add Michelle's book cover(s)/information to your blog/Facebook/twitter
+1 Follow Michelle's Blog

This giveaway is now closed.

Giveaway Winners: Spooktacular Hop

Congratulations to the Winners of my

Spooktacular Book Blog Hop Giveaway

The Random Number Generator has spoken!

The Winners are:

Annabelle - Book of Choice up to $15 from The Book Depository

limepink - MLM Clean Romance Pack - Dusty Britches & Fragrance of Her Name

Christin S - Dreadnought

Judy C - Mr. Darcy's Obsession

Kristina B - The Ivy

Jennifer @ Book Noise - Werewolves & Shapeshifters

The winners have been notified. I will ship their books out this week.

Annabelle will receive her book of choice from The Book Depository.

Thanks to everyone who entered. Be sure to come back starting Nov. 17th to participate in my Gratitude Giveaways Blog Hop Giveaway.

Giveaway Winners: Brenda Youngerman 3 Book Giveaway

Congratulations to the Winners of my

Brenda Youngerman 3 Book Giveaway

The Random Number Generator has spoken!

The Winners are:

Marsha S - Sorrowed Souls

Jane M - Restored Hope

Angela B - Hidden Truths

The winners have been notified. They will receive their books from the author.