Giveaway Winners: Dancing in the Shadows of Love

Congratulations to the Winners of
Dancing in the Shadows of Love





The winners were selected using Random.org

Paperback
Rain M.
Melisasa - mk261
Priscilla P.




ebooks
Darlenesbooknook
Mara B.
Nadine N.
Paula P.
Patricia C.
Denise Z.


Winners have been notified. Thanks to all who entered.

Giveaway Winner: Blood Like Poison

Congratulations to the ebook Winner of
Blood Like Poison






The winner was selected using Random.org

LatishaJean

Winner has been notified. Thanks to all who entered.

Giveaway Winners: Dreams Unleashed

Congratulations to the Winners of
Dreams Unleashed




The winners were selected using Random.org

Rachel L. - Paperback


Jessica B. - ebook


Winners have been notified. Thanks to all who entered.

Awesome August Blog Hop

Welcome to the Awesome August Blog Hop, where bloggers from all over the Internet have come together to throw a summertime party!

Every blog on this hop is offering a fun prize, and entering is quick and easy. Simply follow the instructions on each blog, leave a comment, and bop right along to the next blog. You can win multiple times, so be sure to check out all the participating blogs!

On my blog, you can win your choice of 3 of the following books (some are new and some have been read once):

Unlocking the Power of the Spirit by Campbell Gray


Blackberry Crumble by Josi S. Kilpack


My Gift to You by Lori Nawyn


Impractical Grace by John S. Bushman


(dis) Abilities and the Gospel by Danyelle Ferguson and Lynn Parsons


Minor Adjustments by Rachael Renee Anderson


Secret Sisters by Tristi Pinkston


Dearly Departed by Tristi Pinkston


Growing Up Gracie by Maggie Fechner


Snow Rising by Matt Baldwin


33 Habits of a Really Good Man by Yvonne Swinson


To enter:

1. Be or Become a follower of my blog.

2. Leave me a comment telling me which of these books you want the most. If your e-mail isn't available through your profile, I'll need you to leave that, too - I can't tell you if you've won if I can't contact you!

This blog hop runs through Wednesday night at midnight, so be sure to enter before then! The winner will be notified by e-mail.

Now that you've entered my contest, come meet all my other blog friends and see what fun things they are offering!





Awesome August Blog Hop Participants

1. Tristi Pinkston, LDS Author 2. Karen Hoover 3. Michael Young 4. Kristy Tate 5. cindy Hogan 6. Julie Bellon 7. Margot Hovley 8. Laurie Lewis 9. Mandi Slack 10. Melanie Jacobson 11. Joyce DiPastena 12. Renae Mackley

13. Debbi Weitzell 14. Donna Hatch 15. Carolyn Frank 16. Marsha Ward 17. Stacy Coles 18. Bonnie Harris 19. Danyelle Ferguson aka Queen of the Clan 20. Diony George 21. Lisa Asanuma 22. Susan Dayley 23. Christine Bryant @ Day Dreamer 24. Stephanie Humphreys

25. Ranee` Clark 26. Tamera Westhoff 27. I Am A Reader, Not A Writer 28. Heather Justesen 29. Rebecca Talley 30. Jennifer Hurst 31. Aimee Brown 32. Cheryl Christensen 33. Rachelle Christensen 34. Imaginary Reads 35. Andrea Pearson

Learn more about Awesome August Blog Hop here.
View More Awesome August Blog Hop Participants
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Blog Tour: Guest Post - The Last Seal by Richard Denning

Welcome back to Author Richard Denning

Bio:

Richard Denning was born in Ilkeston in Derbyshire and lives in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands, UK, where he works as a General Practitioner (family doctor). He is married and has two children. He has always been fascinated by historical settings as well as horror and fantasy. Other than writing, his main interests are games of all types. He is the designer of a board game based on the Great Fire of London.

Also by Richard Denning:

Northern Crown Series

(Historical fiction)

1.The Amber Treasure

2.Child of Loki (Coming 2012)

Hourglass Institute Series

(Young Adult Science Fiction)

1.Tomorrow’s Guardian

2. Yesterday's Treasures

3. Today's Sacrifice (Coming 2012)

The Praesidium Series

(Historical Fantasy)

1.The Last Seal

If you enjoyed this book please join the fan page on www.facebook.com/TheLastSeal

Author Page on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/richard.denning1

Twitter:

@RichardDenning

Gunpowder and Sorcery in 1666:

What to expect from The Last Seal

by Richard Denning

I am pleased to be a doing a guest post on I am a Reader not a Writer. I am a fan of historical fiction such as by Bernard Cornwell and Simon Scarrow. I also enjoy fantasy and I am a huge Terry Pratchett fan as well as having devoured The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, the Belgariad by David Eddings and most of the works of Raymond Feist for example. Lately I have enjoyed Helen Hollick's Harold the King and her Pirate Trilogy and of course have read all the Harry Potter books.

So when I started writing it was only to be expected that I would write historical fiction or fantasy. In fact my first book was The Amber Treasure - a historical fiction set in 6th century Britain during the  struggles between the invading Anglo-Saxons and the Britons (who become the Welsh) all seen through the eyes of a teenager growing up in those chaotic years. That was pure historical with no fantasy in it at all but my next book was the time travel adventure Tomorrow's Guardian. I decided to look at whether being able to travel in time was actually a gift and maybe not a curse. Tom (the main character) finds that being able to travel in time draws the attention of people who would wish to change history for their own ends. It gave me an ideal opportunity to visit periods I was interested in and have a fast moving adventure story going on but also look at fascinating issues about how small changes can have dramatic effects.

When I was writing Tomorrow's Guardian I did a little research into The Great Fire of London of September 1666 and that episode appears briefly in this novel. In case you don't know the Great Fire raged from September 2nd to 5th and destroyed the heart of the medieval city of London. Some 13,000 houses and hundreds of churches, guild houses, warehouses and historical buildings went up in smoke. 80,000 people were made homeless. Over on Richard's Ramblings: http://news.richarddenning.co.uk/ I will be following the build up and events of the fire day by day over the next few days so drop by.

I had Tom visit the Great Fire and rescue a house maid in a brief dramatic episode. I felt, however, that it was such a dramatic and exciting subject that it would justify an entire novel set during the fire. Then I started reading around what beliefs and superstitions people had. I found about the widespread paranoia about foreign plots and conspiracies that people had at the time as well as their belief in magic being real. All that came together very quickly into a idea. I asked myself what if the fire was not just an accident, what if there really were secret societies involved and a supernatural explanation behind the great event.

I enjoy books where fantasy is blended with reality. I have to deal with gritty reality in the day job - I am a family doctor - so I really never watch or read stories about real life dramas if I can avoid it. Give me a good bit of escapism please! Thus I loved Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman and Night Watch by  Sergei Lukyanenko - where fantastical events and creatures live alongside us. So it was that I decided to write a novel where the real historical background of 1666 and of the fire was the back drop to a story of sorcery, entombed demons and secret societies.

Thus this is the  idea behind The Last Seal. September 1666: a struggle between two secret societies threatens to destroy London. Three hundred years previously the Praesidum defeated and incarcerated a demon beneath the city. Now the Liberati aim to release it and gain its power for themselves. Meanwhile agents of the King are seeking four suspected foreign spies who are, in reality, disparate and unlikely heroes: GABRIEL, the sole remaining member of the Praesidum, crippled by his fear of failure; FREYA, a young thief orphaned by the Great Plague, driven by poverty and self-interest; TOBIAS, a cynical physician, obsessed by his desire for vengeance against the Liberati cavalier who killed his father, and finally and most vitally, BEN, a Westminster schoolboy, whose guilt over his parents’ death threatens to destroy him. Thrown together by chance when Ben finds an ancient scroll revealing the location of arcane seals that bind the demon beneath London, the story launches into a battle between the Liberati and Praesidium, a battle which takes place within the Great Fire of London. These four must overcome their personal problems and work together if they are to foil the plans of the Liberati, protect the city and gain the means to defeat the demon

So you can expect to read about battles with flintlock pistols, swords and muskets between secret societies. There will also be sorcery used by adepts who study lost writings opening to them the secrets of arcane powers. A great fire demon is the ultimate enemy, served by lesser demons called avatars. But this fantasy will occur against the historical background of London in 1666 with its markets and churches and trade houses, its thieves and vagabonds, its nobility and its celebrities. The Great Fire is reproduced and its progress becomes almost a ticking clock against which the progress of the plans of both the heroes and their enemy is tracked.

To hopefully whet your appetite, here is a brief snippet. The four heroes are trying to cross London Bridge but find that the fire has already destroyed it and  in fact they are now in great danger:

Dismayed, Ben surveyed the devastation. The fire must have surged down Fish Street while they slept, and now, as Freya had grimly pointed out, they were too late: it had cut off their means of passage to the south. He looked back at the billowing clouds of smoke, quick to realise why the fire had progressed only halfway across the bridge before dying down: the wind had changed direction and was now blowing strongly west and north, driving the fire away from the bridge and along Thames Street, through the small alleyways and passages, such as those Ben and his friends had come through just a few minutes before. What he also saw was that the fire, in its full terrifying fury, was already surging past them.

“Oh God!” Ben shrieked, as only yards away the flames drew level to where they stood, destroying forever the shanty town of the poor and breaking with avarice into the first of the great trade halls. Ben’s throat tightened with fear and ‒ panicking now ‒ he screamed, “My God, the fire is moving too fast, we’re going to get cut off!”

A determined look sprang into Freya’s face. She seized Ben by the elbow and pulled him back along the waterfront. “Bloody demon’s not won yet. Come on, we have to move fast!”

She shoved past Tobias and Gabriel, who were still gawping at the tidal wave of fire flooding past them, and shouted over her shoulder for them to follow. Tobias blinked and then tugged at Gabriel, who was rooted to the spot. “Gabriel, come ON!” he shouted.

They staggered back to the Fishmongers’ Hall. The front of the hall was stone: insulation for a time against the elemental force that was only yards away from them. They sheltered in its shadow, catching their breath for a moment.

“What do we do now?” Ben asked, his voice trembling. “We can’t cross the bridge.”

To read the first part of The Last Seal visit my website here: http://www.richarddenning.co.uk/thelastseal.html

Check out the books Facebook Page:

http://www.facebook.com/TheLastSeal

I am on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/#!/RichardDenning

Giveaway: Dermagist Gift Box

I had the chance to do another review from a PR company.  Since this one included a book so I agreed to do it.

There are several hoops to jump through to enter this giveaway but I'm sure a few blog followers will be interested enough to complete the steps necessary to enter this giveaway.

I received my Dermagist Skincare Gift Box in the mail yesterday. Below is the promo picture of what was included.  Obviously it only included 1 of each item although my family wishes it had contained a whole bowl full of brownies!

Mom: A Celebration of Mothers by Dave Isay
We draw strength from the narratives of those that shared our walk in life. In Mom, Dave Isay, StoryCorps founder and editor of the bestselling book, Listening Is an Act of Love, presents a celebration of American mothers from all walks of life and experiences. Selected from our extensive archive of interviews, Mom presents the wisdom that has been passed from mothers to their children in StoryCorps’ recording booths across the country.

Tea Ball + Tea Starter

Vintage Swiss Army Bag
Want a bag as durable as it is stylish? Enjoy the unique Swiss Army vintage bag in vinyl with strap and buckles. This small bag is a perfect alternative to your daily purse, or just something to carry the kid’s snacks in. Either way you can take a piece of war-era military issue function and turn it into a fashionable accessory

Greatest Works of Mozart CD
Full relaxation comes when the mind, body, and soul are at ease. Enter The Greatest Works of Mozart, a wonderful classical music compilation that helps set the mood to the notes of one of the greatest composers of all time. Plus it might just get the kids to pass out for a few minutes.

Greystone Bakery Ben & Jerry's Inspired Brownie
No description necessary - just plain yummy!

Cotton Terry Velour Spa Slippers


LE LABO fragrance sample

5 mini candles

Bella Favorite T-shirt

Dermagist Complete Rejuvenation Package
Enjoy younger looking wrinkle free skin with this incredible system. The Key to the System is using all three products together in the instructed combination -
 One (1) Jar of our Original Smoothing Cream
 One (1) Bottle of our Dynamic Age Defying Serum
 One (1) Bottle of our Instant-Effect Lifting Serum
 One (1) Instruction sheet detailing your exact use of the products
When you want to not only look younger, but stop time and prevent aging from happening at all there is only one company to turn to. Dermagist supplies you with the Complete Rejuvenation System that Eliminates Wrinkles, Large Pores, Redness, and Age Spots with Matrixyl® and Renovage® plus the Instant Results of Sesaflash.

Way better than the usual bills and advertisements that are usually in my mailbox.  I love the Bella brand T-shirts and the brownie hit the spot.  Since I'm nearing 40 wrinkles are appearing so I'll give this Age defying cream a try.  The Mozart CD is playing and my husband will enjoy the slippers.  Free stuff makes me smile.

Dermagist has offered a follower of this blog a chance to win one of these gift boxes.

To enter you need to do the following 3 things:
1. Share a skin care tip or secret on the Dermagist Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/dermagist.
2. Tweet or Facebook about this giveaway.
3. Fill out the form below to enter.

Open to US only
Last day to enter is 9/5/11.

Blog Tour: Book Review & Giveaway - Double Deceit by Stephanie Humphreys

Someone is watching . . .

As a young widow, all Elaina Bryant wants is a fresh start. Determined to put ten painful years behind her, she returns to her hometown and moves in with her sister, Natalie. Elaina soon accepts a job working at a small bookstore owned by the handsome Ryan Hill and his mother. Despite her reluctance to become romantically involved with anyone, she is drawn to Ryan and finds herself falling in love.

But someone isn’t happy with Elaina’s new life and is watching her every move. Her tormenter seems determined to destroy her sanity and her future, but Elaina can’t convince anyone the threat is real. Natalie is preoccupied with her own blossoming romance, and their friend Peter, a police officer, seems to believe the threat has been manufactured in Elaina’s own mind as a result of her guilt and grief.

Now Elaina’s plans for a new start are crashing down around her. She knows she will have to find the answers before she can overcome the past and enjoy love and happiness again. But how can she protect those she loves when she doesn’t know whom to trust?

Double Deceit kept me turning the pages until the end to find out who was stalking Elaina.  Stephanie's writing made the scenes that were unfolding easy to picture in my mind and I could relate to her characters.

With a title like Double Deceit I started looking for clues early on as to who was being deceived and who was the deceiver. About half way through the book I told my husband I was really enjoying it and had to keep reading to the end but I was fairly sure of the outcome. However I did have a few doubts, at least enough to keep me turning the pages.  I love to be surprised but in this case there were no surprises for me. I had guessed exactly where the story was going and it played out just like I thought it would. Even with having figured out the story line Double Deceit was still a book I enjoyed and would recommend to those who enjoy clean, romantic mysteries.

Content: Clean

Rating: 3.5 Stars - A Good Book

Source: From Author for Review

Be sure to stop by Stephanie Humphrey's site to enter her Double Deceit Blog Tour Contest which includes your chance to win prizes including an amazon.com gift card.

Blog Tour Stops

August 15 - Maria Hoagland 

August 16 - Heather Gardner  

August 17 - Rachelle Christensen
August 18 - Jane Still
August 19 - Deborah Davis
August 22 - Renae Mackley
August 23 -  Cindy Hogan
August 24 - Matthew Tandy 

August 25 - Taffy Lovell
August 26 - Inspired Kathy
August 29 - Don Carey
August 30 - Teri Rodeman  
August 31 - Cathy Witbeck
Sept. 1 - Shelly Seele 

Sept. 2 - Tristi Pinkston

Giveaway Details:

My once read review copy of Double Deceit
Open to US only
Ends 9/21/11

To enter just leave a comment on this post.

In My Mailbox

Audiobook Downloaded from Audible.com
Torment by Lauren Kate - Sequel to Fallen

Hell on earth.
That’s what it’s like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel.
It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts—immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.

At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn’t told her everything. He’s hiding something—something dangerous.
What if Daniel’s version of the past isn’t actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?

The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series . . . where love never dies.

For Review:
Gabby God's Little Angel: Sent to Show God's Love by Sheila Walsh


This first book in a delightful new series offers a comforting message for young readers-God loves you very much and is always watching over you!

What little girl wouldn't love her very own guardian angel? Parents and children alike will be won over by this humorous tale of Gabby, a guardian angel in training who has much to learn about taking care of God's little ones. Her new assignment is to protect a young girl named Sophie, but Gabby soon realizes that watching after Sophie is a bigger challenge than she had expected! After a close call while riding her pony, Sophie learns what the Bible says about guardian angels: "He will put his angels in charge of you. They will watch over you wherever you go" (Psalm 91:11 ICB).

In Dreams by J. Sterling

When Katherine Johns starts dreaming about a boy she doesn't know, her college roommate Taylor is determined to find him. Convinced he must exist, Taylor is relentless... until she finds out exactly WHO he really is.

The realization rocks the girls to their core and sends them down a path of unimaginable heartbreak.

Follow Katherine & Taylor's journey through love,
friendship and tragedy in the debut novel by J. Sterling.

Mom: A Celebration of Mothers by Dave Isay

In Mom, Dave Isay-StoryCorps's founder and the editor of the project's bestselling collection, Listening Is an Act of Love-presents a celebration of American mothers. Featuring StoryCorps's most revelatory stories on the subject, Mom looks across a diversity of experience to present an entirely original portrait of motherhood.

Through conversations between parents and children, husbands and wives, siblings and friends, the life of the American mother unfolds. In stories that take us from the woods of New Hampshire to urban Detroit and beyond, we meet mothers and children from all walks of life-an immigrant mother instilling in her children the importance of education, adult children caring for an elderly parent, a woman remembering the sound of her mother's laugh, and mothers and children of all ages learning to grow into new roles over time. Visiting families in moments of profound joy and sadness, courage and despair, struggle and triumph, we learn new truths about that most primal and sacred of bonds-the relationship between mother and child.

With this vital contribution to the American storybook, StoryCorps has created a tribute to mothers that honors the wealth of our national experience. An appreciation of the wisdom and generosity passed between mothers and children, this generation to the next, Mom offers powerful lessons in the meaning of family and the expansiveness of the human heart.

Frankie the Walk 'n Roll Dog by Barbara Gail Techel

A true, inspirational story about a dachshund whose life started out just like any other dog walking on all four paws until a spinal injury leaves her paralyzed. Frankie is custom-fitted for a wheelchair and learns to keep on rolling. Her zest for life will have you cheering and she will give you hope that all things are possible. Frankie will leave an everlasting and loving paw print on your heart. A book for all ages to teach overcoming challenges and also compassion for the physically challenged.

Frankie the Walk 'n Roll Therapy Dog Visits Libby's House by Barbara Gail Techel

Frankie the Walk 'N Roll Dog keeps rolling along in her doggie wheelchair. This paralyzed dachshund's unabashed healing, exuberant spirit, and spunky personality is a blessed gift to everyone she befriends. In this true, inspirational story, Frankie tells how she became a registered therapy dog and shares her visits to Libby's House, a senior facility where many residents have Alzheimer's or dementia. Frankie teaches us that patience, listening, and understanding opens our hearts to what matters most-love. With this lovely book, Frankie will win your heart and inspire children to overcome whatever obstacles they face in life. Told from Frankie's viewpoint, this journey from using a wheelchair (dog cart) to finding her purpose as a therapy dog is not only touching but also shows children how much joy, healing, and hope a dog can bring to this world.

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren.

The idea behind IMM was not only to put new books on your radar but to also encourage blogger interaction. IMM explores the weekly contents of my mailbox & books bought.

Anyone can participate in IMM and you are not limited to only sharing books that arrive via your mailbox. You can also share books that you've bought or books that you've gotten at the library.

Blog Tour: Guest Post & Book Giveaway Aphrodite the Diva by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Today I am welcoming back Authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams. They have teamed up to write The Goddess Girls Series, a fabulous series based on the Greek myths for children ages 8-12.

Guest Post: Author Book Picks

Joan & Suzanne: Kathy, thank you so much for having us at I Am A Reader Not A Writer to help celebrate the release of Goddess Girls #6:Aphrodite the Diva!

The Goddess Girls series puts a modern spin on classic Greek myths, following the ins and outs of divine social life at Mount Olympus Academy, where the most privileged godboys and goddessgirls in the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills. Aladdin paperbacks (ages 8-12)
The scoop on Aphrodite the Diva: Isis claims she's the goddess of love? Ha! But to keep the title all to herself, Aphrodite has to find the perfect match for Pygmalion, the most annoying boy ever. (August, 2011)
Joan: What’s in our personal libraries? I’ve always had a thing for mythology, so I have shelves of books on the subject. Since there are so many versions of the Greco-Roman myths, our editor at Aladdin, Suzanne, and I decided to pick a go-to resource for the Goddess Girls series. We chose Edith Hamilton’s Mythology. We also rely on many other books, including works by Michael Stapleton, Robert Graves, and Anthony Horowitz.
Suzanne: I also have a textbook about Greek mythology that my son used  in college. Other books in my library include favorite books by other authors, books about writing, travel guides, cookbooks, etc.

Suzanne: What books influenced us? I read lots of series books when I was young: Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Bobbsey Twins, Mary Poppins, Pippi Longstocking.  I read constantly!
Joan: Growing up, I read every girl-biography I could find in my school library. I read Dr. Seuss and funny books like Stuart Little before that. In early middle school, And like Suzanne, I also read the Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden series. I read Romeo and Juliet and Gone with the Wind. My bff and I knew parts of these books by heart.
    
Joan: Why write the Goddess Girls series? Because these are the kinds of books I wanted to read when I was a tween—fast-paced, funny books that deal with friendship drama, friend-loyalty, and school life, along with a light touch of romance and first crushes. (The thrill of that first glance across a crowded classroom.) I was starved for books in this genre back then, but didn’t find enough of them. The mythology aspect would have made the GG series even more up my alley as a reader. Now I get to write the books I wanted when I was a tween, which is pretty awesome.Suzanne: My reasons are mostly the same as Joan’s. I wasn’t as much into mythology as she was when we started, however. (Writing a mythology-based series was Joan’s idea. I’m just lucky she picked me as co-author.)
The series has made me a mythology enthusiast, and now I love looking at Greco-Roman sculpture and artifacts ten times more than before whenever I visit museums.

Joan & Suzanne: There are a total of twelve Goddess Girls books under contract. Aphrodite the Diva is number 6. Next up are: #7 Artemis the Loyal (the one with the epic python on the cover) and #8 Medusa the Mean. We hope readers enjoy reading these books as much as we enjoy writing them!

Aphrodite the Diva

In book 6, an exchange student from Egypt, Isis, is encroaching on Aphrodite's match-making turf. Will she also edge Aphrodite out of her group of friends?

These classic myths from the Greek pantheon are given a modern twist that contemporary tweens can relate to, from dealing with bullies like Medusa to a first crush on an unlikely boy.

Goddess Girls follows four goddesses-in-training: Athena, Persephone, Aphrodite, and Artemis and their friends as they navigate the ins and outs of divine social life at Mount Olympus Academy, where the most privileged gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills.

Goddess Girls Series:
Athena the Brain
Persephone the Phony
Aphrodite the Beauty
Artemis the Brave
Athena the Wise
Aphrodite the Diva
Six more titles coming!

Giveaway:

1 copy of Aphrodite the Diva
Open to US only
Please leave a comment on this post to enter
Ends 9/2/11

Enna Isilee's Squeaky Books Birthday Bash Book Giveaway

I'm hosting a contest as part of
Enna Isilee's Birthday Bash 2011
Presented by Squeaky Books

From August 22nd until September 22nd Enna Isilee at Squeaky Books is having a HUGE bash to celebrate her birthday! There’s a giveaway nearly EVERY DAY, tons of author interviews, and guest posts from a bunch different YA book bloggers. And I get to host a contest!

I get to give away a copy of The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey! Entering is simple, just fill out the form (with optional bonus entries). You have until September 21st at 11:59 MST to enter. All winners will be announced on Enna Isilee's birthday (September 22nd) on Enna Isilee's blog (Squeaky Books). And today, Ennalee interviewed Rick at Squeaky Books. You should totally go check it out.

Want to know more about The Monstrumologist? Click here!

Without further ado, enter to win! Click below. Open to US only.


Click here to enter

Author Interview & Book Giveaway: Grosvenor Square by Katherine Ann Meyer

Welcome to Author Katherine Ann Meyer.

Bio:

Katherine has been telling and writing stories since she was old enough to pick up a pencil. She has traveled extensively throughout the world and enjoys bringing her knowledge of 18th-and 19th-century British and American cultural history into her work. She currently resides with her husband in Central Texas.

Website: www.sabinepublications.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Sabine_Books 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sabine-Publications/102530009823967

Interview:

If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future?

I have a feeling most people would choose to go into the future, but I would definitely choose to go back to the past.  The hardest part for me would be deciding which era to visit!  I think I love every period of history, especially prior to the 20^th century.  I would love to take a tour and visit them all!

If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would you choose?

I’m going to go with the assumption that the five people can be from any era.  I love to have lively discussions around the dinner table, so I would invite individuals who not only represent my interests, but also whom I think would be able to keep up an interesting conversation:  Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson, Dolly Madison, Franz Liszt, and Lady Hamilton.

If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?

Assuming my basic needs for sustenance and shelter were taken care of, I’d want to have an unlimited supply of paper and pens for writing, a solar-powered MP3 player loaded with my favorite classical music, and…a friend or family member for company!

What is one book everyone should read?

The Giver by Lois Lowry.  Don’t be fooled by the fact that it’s on many junior high reading lists; this story contains very adult themes.  It’s a perfect book in terms of relating a compelling, mind-bending narrative while introducing intensely important themes that will have you questioning your deepest beliefs. It’s also my favorite book to recommend for reluctant readers of any age.  It’s almost impossible to put down.

Please tell us in one sentence only why we should read your book.

Grosvenor Square will immerse you in an era of beauty, charm, and gentility, and it will keep you thinking long after you’ve read the book.

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects? 

Yes!  I am currently working on another historical fiction novel.  This one takes place during the early years of the American Revolution and is about a Patriot spy.  I love Colonial America and am excited to finally be working on a story set during that period!

What inspired you to want to become a writer?

I always tell people that I write because I can’t paint.  For as long as I can remember, I have had a desire to share with others the images and stories in my imagination, and if I could simply share by painting or drawing those images, I would.  As it is, I have absolutely no talent when it comes to the visual arts, so I must paint those images with words.   

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.

I suppose the most rewarding aspect has just been the validation from readers; hearing their reactions and knowing that they were drawn in by my story and characters is tremendously rewarding.

If you could jump in to a book, and live in that world, which would it be?

I’d probably choose one of my favorite childhood books — The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  It really stirred my imagination then and still does!  An orphaned English girl, a mysterious manor house harboring long-buried secrets, a hidden garden, a tragic and romantic connection to the past …. What girl wouldn’t want to be part of that?  I see some of the same elements in one of my favorite classic novels for adults, Jane Eyre.

What's one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?I would pass on the best piece of advice that was ever given to me:  It is well-known that popular advice for authors is to write about what you know, but it is far more important to write about what you love.  You will be living day in and day out with the world and characters you create, so it’s important that you love that place and those characters. If you don’t love them, you can’t expect your readers to.

If you could choose only one time period and place to live, when and where would you live and why?

This is a very difficult question for me!  I always have a hard time choosing my favorite historical period.  There are two that are constantly vying for the title of “favorite” with me:  18^th-century America, and early 19^th-century England.  I suppose if I have to choose just one, I would choose early 19^th-century England, the period popularly called the “Regency” era.  I love the fashion, architecture, art, and social customs of that time. 

Who are your favorite authors of all time?My favorite book of all time is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.  In terms of pure storytelling, it’s sheer brilliance.  I also love The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James and A Room With a View by E.M. Forster.  Those two, along with Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, portray heroines whom I absolutely love.  Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of my favorite American authors.  I love The House of the Seven Gables.  I think it’s the perfect American novel.

Can you see yourself in any of your characters?

Well, I suppose that I could find at least one trait in common with any fictional character or living person.  All of my characters are purely products of my imagination, though; none are based upon anyone in my real life.  Each one of the main characters was drawn very deliberately and meant to evoke specific images, emotions, or reactions from the reader.  So, while I could undoubtedly find similarities between myself and my characters, I really feel that those similarities would be entirely coincidental.

If you could have a signed copy of any novel what would it be and why?

Anything by Oscar Wilde.  He’d be certain to write something clever and witty along with his signature!

Which authors have influenced you the most? 

George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss was one of the first classics I ever read.  Although I was only a teenager at the time, and I haven’t read it in many years, I think it had a profound influence over me, in terms of guiding my future reading choices and also in influencing me as a writer.  I really absorbed certain elements of that book — tragedy, romance, the dynamics of sibling relationships, beautiful prose — and I even think that the exploration of familial relationships in Grosvenor Square might, on a very high level, be traced back to that original experience I had with The Mill on the Floss.  I also think that Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park had tremendous influence over my writing in the past decade or so.  I loved her heroine, Fanny Price.  She was a breath of fresh air to me, utterly different from the typical “feisty heroines” that have become almost a cliché.  I loved Fanny’s gentle femininity, her vulnerability, her sincerity, and of course her integrity.  I felt liberated after reading Mansfield Park; I felt as if I had been given permission to create heroines according to my own standards, who need not conform to any preconceived notions of what a heroine “should” be.

How did you celebrate the sale of your first book?

I prefer small, quiet celebrations.  I celebrated the book’s release with my husband and a few close friends.

In your wildest dreams, which author would you love to co-author a book with?

Charles Dickens, the master of character creation.

What are your favorite places to travel?

My travels have provided a great deal of inspiration for my writing.  I’ve been very fortunate in having had the opportunity to travel all over the world from the time I was very young.  I still travel every chance I get!  Italy is my favorite place.  I love the beauty of the mountains, the sea, the countryside, and of course I love the art, architecture, and history there.  I also love the East Coast of America, for many of the same reasons. I have to admit, I have seldom visited any country or region that I didn’t find fascinating.  When I travel, I like to stay in one place long enough to really get to know the people and the culture there.  Some of my other favorite places are Scotland, Romania, Morocco, and of course England.  London in particular never loses its appeal for me.  It is not a coincidence that Grosvenor Square takes place there! 

Grosvenor Square

Amid the genteel charms of 19th-century London's elegant Mayfair district, the Hathaways take up residence in Grosvenor Square. With an increasing fortune, refined upbringing, and fashionable social circle, the close-knit family seems assured of a bright and comfortable future. But their idyllic world is disrupted by the arrival of Jasper Munroe, a distant relation who touches off a series of unsettling events that will change their lives forever. The Hathaway siblings --- spirited Lorna, gentle Tom, and beautiful Rosamond --- are led down divergent paths of self-discovery, both virtuous and destructive, as each learns about love, loss, and the price of preserving the ties that bind.
In a story of beauty and philosophy, romance and heartache, betrayal and redemption,
Grosvenor Square explores the intricacies of human relationships and raises significant questions about the extent to which lives are shaped not only by individual choice, but just as compellingly, by the influence of others. Stylistically reflective of the Victorian novelists to whom it pays tribute,Grosvenor Square reveals a poignant narrative embedded with a relevant social commentary.

Giveaway Details:
1 copy of Grosvernor Square
Open to US only
Ends 9/18/11

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