Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Review and Spotlight: Monsterland by Michael Okon (Horror, Monsters)







Book One
Michael Okon

Genre: Horror, Monsters

Publisher: WordFire Press

Date of Publication: OCTOBER 2017

ISBN: 978-1-61475-594-4

Number of pages: 232 pages

Tagline: In a theme park where real zombies, werewolves and vampires are the main attractions, what could possibly go wrong?


Welcome to Monsterland—the scariest place on Earth.

The last couple years of high school have not been fun for Wyatt Baldwin. His parents divorce, then his dad mysteriously dies. He’s not exactly comfortable with his new stepfather, Carter White, either. An on-going debate with his best friends Howard Drucker and Melvin over which monster is superior has gotten stale. He’d much rather spend his days with beautiful and popular Jade. However, she’s dating the brash high-school quarterback Nolan, and Wyatt thinks he doesn’t stand a chance.

But everything changes when Wyatt and his friends are invited to attend the grand opening of Monsterland, a groundbreaking theme park where guests can rock out with vampires at Vampire Village, be chased by actual werewolves on the Werewolf River Run, and walk among the dead in Zombieville.

With real werewolves, vampires and zombies as the main attractions, what could possibly go wrong?

Monsterland by Michael Okon is a fantastic read. An original premise for a monster story, and it was great! I loved the characters, the twists in their persona. The journey as they move through opening night of Monsterland.

Okon is a talented writer who captures the reader almost immediately, and the rest of the book was smooth sailing. Super easy read. I was invested in these characters and needed to find out what was going to happen. I also loved being in the heads of the monsters, and seeing their struggles. After all, who is the real monster?

The plot is strong, as are the sub-plots, which is something I always look for, I love more story. The villain is phenomenal and incredible layered, as are the heroes of this tale. This story has a little bit of everything, including sibling strife, as well as a father and son tale, first love, heroic actions from those thought anything but, and an ending begging for a sequel, which I hope there is definitely is!

If you’re looking for a new twist on a monster tale, please check out Monsterland, you won’t be disappointed. I loved this book!



Book Trailer: https://goo.gl/83g3Mt





Michael Okon is an award-winning and best-selling author of multiple genres including paranormal, thriller, horror, action/adventure and self-help. He graduated from Long Island University with a degree in English, and then later received his MBA in business and finance. Coming from a family of writers, he has storytelling is his DNA. Michael has been writing from as far back as he can remember, his inspiration being his love for films and their impact on his life. From the time he saw The Goonies, he was hooked on the idea of entertaining people through unforgettable characters. 

Michael is a lifelong movie buff, a music playlist aficionado, and a sucker for self-help books. He lives on the North Shore of Long Island with his wife and children.








Monday, October 30, 2017

Review & Book Tour: Demon Freaks by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison (YA, Horror, Comedy)



Demon Freaks
J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison

Publisher: Fiery Seas Publishing

Release Date: October 3, 2017

Genre: YA Horror/Comedy

It’s the night before the SAT test. The forces of darkness are stirring.
Twin brothers, Bing and Ron Slaughter, know they’ve got to cram like their lives depend on it because their college plans sure do. If they don’t ace the test, they’ll be doomed to spend the rest of their days flipping burgers at the McDonald’s their parents run. That’s why they hatch a plan to meet up with the members of their punk band, the Ephits, spend the night studying at a secluded cabin in the woods, and maybe squeeze in a little jamming. What could go wrong with a brilliant plan like that? 
Ancient evil. That’s what.
As a cataclysmic lightning storm rolls in, Bing, Ron and the rest of the Ephits find themselves tangled in a sinister plot to summon a demon. Yes, demons are real. To survive the night, the band must find a malevolent artifact, battle bloodthirsty monsters and stand against the most dangerous and powerful foe humanity has ever faced…the Golfer’s Association.
Fiery Seas     Amazon     BN     iTunes     Kobo

I just finished reading Demon Knight by J.R.R.R (Jim) Hardison. I am a huge fan of horror, and truly appreciate comedic horror. I thought this was well written, and really imaginative in a lot of the mythology. Some of it was just really funny, the golfers, for instance, and the clubhouse. Truly different in a lot of ways, I can’t go into more detail without spoiling.

However, it took me a really long time to get into this book. The reason for this wasn’t the lack of action, but rather the lack of time spent getting to know the characters before they are plunged into the action. We are introduced and then they are all scrambling to save their friend, and stop the demon. Because there was so little time getting to know these kids, it took forever for me to care about them and what was happening. I wished that Mr. Hardison had spent a few chapters showing us their everyday life before jumping in.

This was a good book, with a different vision, and a lot of charming and interesting ideas. If you love horror comedy, then give it a shot. 








“Wait, wait, wait,” Ron interrupted. “The Golfers Association? Don’t you mean insane cultists or Satan worshipers or evil wizards or something?”
“Insane cultists, Satan worshipers and evil wizards are like elderly nuns compared to the Golfers’ Association,” their prisoner responded. “You’d be much better off if it were something that simple. These guys are demon freaks.”
“Demon freaks,” Bing repeated in a whisper. “That sounds…bad.”
“Oh, it’s bad alright,” the prisoner shuddered. “You have no idea.”

Fish Wielder is J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison's first novel novel (He wrote a graphic novel, The Helm, for Dark Horse Comics). Jim has worked as a writer, screen writer, animator and film director. He started his professional career by producing a low-budget direct-to-video feature film, The Creature From Lake Michigan. Making a bad movie can be a crash course in the essential elements of good character and story, and The Creature From Lake Michigan was a tremendously bad movie. Shifting his focus entirely to animation, Jim joined Will Vinton Studios where he directed animated commercials for M&M’s and on the stop-motion TV series Gary and Mike. While working at Vinton, he also co-wrote the television special Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy with actor Paul Reiser.
Jim has appeared on NBC's The Apprentice as an expert advisor on brand characters, developed characters and wrote the pilot episode for the PBS children's television series SeeMore's Playhouse and authored the previously mentioned graphic novel, The Helm, named one of 2010's top ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens by YALSA, a branch of the American Library Association. These days, Jim is the creative director and co-owner of Character LLC, a company that does story-analysis for brands and entertainment properties. He lives in Portland, Oregon with his lovely wife, two amazing kids, one smart dog and one stupid dog.


Friday, October 27, 2017

Release Blitz & Giveaway: Haunting Magic by Neely Powell (Paranormal Romance)

About the Book

Title: Haunting Magic 
Author: Neely Powell
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Fiona Burns, a witch who sees dead people, meets Hollywood producer Bailey Powers, who sees her as the next cable star—and a fake. Even so, she’s tempted by the dynamic producer in more ways than one. But she has a big distraction—a vicious curse on her family coven.

The ghosts of New Mourne warn of the return of the Woman in White, a vengeful spirit who claims the life of a Connelly witch from every generation. During the battle, Fiona unwittingly fuels the demonic forces, and black magic brings death and heartbreak to her family.

Initially a skeptic, Bailey is soon caught up in her supernatural battle with forces of evil. He’s also beginning to think Fiona can help him escape his haunting past.

With magic and mayhem at war and survival on the line, the Witches of New Mourne face a new challenge from their ancient foe. They discover that not all dark deeds are borne of the Woman but a demon who is bent on gaining the Woman’s powers for his own. Will another generation fall? Or does the curse end here?

Author Bio

Neely Powell is the pseudonym for co-writers Leigh Neely and Jan Hamilton Powell. The best friends met when they both worked at a rock ‘n roll radio station in Chattanooga. It turned out their husbands were long-lost high school buddies, and Jan and Leigh were both writing romantic fiction in their spare time. A partnership was born.
They tried writing fiction together for several years, but life and other adventures got in the way. Their friendship endured as they went on to individual careers. Writing as Celeste Hamilton, Jan published 24 romance novels for Silhouette and Avon Books. Her books appeared on the B. Dalton, Waldenbooks Romance, and USA Today bestseller lists before she left fiction for a career in corporate communications.

Links

 

Giveaway



Thursday, October 26, 2017

Book Blitz & Giveaway: The Night Realm by Annette Marie (Urban Fantasy, Adult, Paranormal)


The Night Realm
Annette Marie
(Spell Weaver #1)
Published by: Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.
Publication date: October 20th 2017
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy
Clio would love nothing more than to go home. But as the illegitimate daughter of the nymph king, she’s stuck in the human world, exiled until she can earn a place in the royal family. Then her half-bother offers her a chance to prove herself. All she has to do is acquire some magic … by stealing it from the most dangerous spell weavers in the Underworld.
Lyre prefers to go unnoticed, which is a tricky objective for an incubus. He can’t hide his looks or his coveted spell weaving skills, but he’s learned to mask his true intentions. As an unwilling pawn of the tyrannical Hades family, he stays alive by keeping one step ahead of his masters.
Now he’s been assigned to watch over a visitor from the Overworld—one who’s definitely hiding something. And with her unholy talent for triggering chaos and catastrophe, his job just keeps getting more perilous. Clearly, she’ll never survive this world.
The thing is, he’s no longer sure he can survive it either.
EXCERPT:
As she stepped up to the last rack of shelves, she realized she hadn’t quite reached the end of the room. Tucked beyond the last shelf was another door—solid steel with no visible handle or lock. A web of magic crisscrossed the metal and complex runes filled four overlapping circles that shifted in a spiraling pattern.
She raised her fingers, keeping a safe several inches between her skin and the steel, and traced a glowing circle. That. She’d never seen anything quite like that before, but she knew it would react to touch. How it would react was another matter.
Intrigued, she leaned in closer, peering intently at the weaving’s underlayers as she tried to work out what it did.
“Don’t touch that.”
Lyre’s voice shattered the silence right behind her. A squeak of fright escaped her as she jerked backward from the door. But, with her sudden movement, her hand went the wrong way. And her fingers, already so close to the door, slapped against the metal.
She cringed in terror, fully expecting the door to explode or her bones to melt or her skull to burst open. Nothing happened—until she tried to pull her hand away.
It was stuck.
She yanked on her hand, but it was fused to the metal as though her skin had been superglued in place.
“I told you not to touch it.”
She shot a glare at Lyre, standing two paces away. “I wouldn’t have touched it if you hadn’t startled me!”
He tucked his binder under his arm and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Why would you touch anything in here without permission?”
“I told you—” She bit off the words. “Unkey the spell.”
“Hmm.” He rocked back on his heels and a downright evil little smirk curved his lips. “Not sure I know how.”
“What?”
“That lovely bit of work predates me. It’s pretty complicated. Since you fancy yourself a spell expert, if you look here, you’ll see—”
He started to point, and she had no idea why, but she flinched back as though he might hit her. Her elbow bumped the door—and got stuck too.
Lyre’s hand paused. “Now look what you did.”
“I didn’t—you—get me off this!”
“As I was saying, you can see here that the weaving amalgamates anything that touches it, so it’s embedded into your skin now—”
“Get me off this door!” She jerked helplessly, her immobilized wrist and elbow twisting awkwardly.
“Well, I could pull you off, but you might lose some skin. Though, since the weaving is spreading into your flesh the longer you stand there, you might leave more than skin behind.”
Her heart kicked up to a full gallop from her growing terror. He, however, seemed perfectly calm. Amused, in fact. Humor danced in his amber eyes, softening the color to something closer to buttery gold.
He was laughing at her.
“Oh.” His eyebrows rose. “That’s quite the scowl.”
She gritted her teeth. “Get. Me. Off.”
Those irresistible lips curved up and her stomach dropped to her feet. The air heated. Why was she suddenly kind of dizzy? Shadows slid through his eyes, dimming the amber to shimmering bronze.
“Get you off?” he repeated, and his tones were all purring honey, warm and deep and sensual. “With pleasure.”
A hot blush swooped through her cheeks as she realized what she’d said. “I—I didn’t mean—I was—”
In a panic, she lurched away from him—right into the spelled door.


Author Bio:
Annette Marie is the author of the Amazon best-selling Steel & Stone series, which includes Goodreads Choice Award nominee Yield the Night, and fantasy trilogy Red Winter. Her first love is fantasy, but fast- paced urban fantasy and tantalizing forbidden romances are her guilty pleasures. She lives in the frozen winter wasteland of Alberta, Canada (okay, it's not quite that bad) with her comparatively sensible husband and their furry minion of darkness—sorry, cat—Caesar. When not writing, she can be found elbow-deep in one art project or another while blissfully ignoring all adult responsibilities.

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Wednesday, October 25, 2017

New Release & Giveaway: My Pin-Up Girl by Nicky Fox (Contemporary Romance)





Hunter
I’m a farmer. I love to have my feet planted on the dirt and my hands digging in the soil. I don’t expect to have my hands on the new enticing morsel next door. She bakes me an apple pie and prances around in these sexy red boots. I’m a Southern boy with manners. The way I’m thinking about that girl is anything but friendly.

Lenora
I’m a painter. I’ve moved to the countryside for some inspiration. There’s inspiration alight, right next door. When my horse dumps me right in this cowboy’s lap. He comes to my rescue while shirtless. What’s a girl to do? Sometimes you got to take a bull by the horns and giddy up.

When Hunter’s farm becomes in jeopardy will their love stay strong or will it buck them off on their keisters?




Nicky Fox
Nicky lives in the Big D, Dallas, Texas that is. She loves reading romantic books with sexy times and loves writing them even more. Nicky is a ninja, stationery addict, and a movie buff. She eats cookie dough while she writes. If you like long walks on the beach, steamy books with sexy man candy then Nicky is your girl.  

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

New Release: Chaos by Chelle C. Craze (New Adult Romance, Contemporary Romance)


Title: Chaos
Author: Chelle C. Craze
Series: The Blackwell Bayou Series, Book One
Genre: New Adult Romance/Contemporary Romance


Cover designed by Cover by T.E. BlackT.E. Black Designs

Release date October 23, 2017




Drex and I weren’t two of a kind. We more closely resembled the rare one-eyed Jacks or suicide kings of the deck. The wild cards people often overlooked, tucking them into the pile, without ever giving them a second glance. Never knowing how truly special they could be if paired correctly.

Honestly, we were simply two lonely souls trying to find direction.

When I thought my story had reached its finale, his had merely begun. I’d fought for so long to barely survive that I had entirely forgotten what it meant to live. Drex was my reminder.

Some things happened without reason, and some reasons never made sense. This was how it was between us. I never knew from one second to the next what to expect. Except the unexpected, that was. I learned to accept what I couldn’t change and to grow with what I could.

There were more than enough reasons why we shouldn’t be together, but certain things in this world were unstoppable. Natural disasters. Death. Drex and me. Apart, each was abrupt and life-changing, but when they intertwined, they could only be described as one thing: beautifully chaotic.

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About the Author
A native West Virginian, Chelle has always been a dreamer. She spent her time growing up writing songs, poetry, screenplays, and movie scripts. She never thought about writing a book until she got older. Now, Chelle likes to spend her time being creative by drawing, singing, dancing, writing, and enjoying life with her daughter. True to her last name, she lives life to the fullest, but can be described as a little crazy. She finds peace and comfort in the fictional characters residing within her mind.
Her greatest blessings and inspirations are her husband and daughter.

Book Tour & Giveaway: End of the Road by Karen Michelle Nutt (Paranormal, Ghost Story, Mystery, Romance)




End of the Road
Karen Michelle Nutt

Genre: paranormal/ ghost story /mystery/ romance

Publisher: Twin Star Books

Date of Publication: Oct. 22, 2017

ISBN: 978-1976310584
ASIN: B075FDJBKF

Number of pages: 282
Word Count: 86k

Cover Artist: Gillian's Book Covers
 "Judge Your Book By Its Cover"

Tagline: A rock legend never dies. Sometimes, he comes back as a ghost...

Book Description:

Lars Gunner, the frontman for Silent Plaids, died 23 years ago and his death was ruled an unfortunate accident. Despite the fact he can't recall what happened to him in his last moments of life, he is convinced he was murdered.

He has been trapped in limbo until his daughter, Cecilia, unearths his journal and is able to see him.

She seeks help from Kaleb, a psychic, but as they resurrect the past, the secrets and lies surrounding Lars' rock and roll life just may be the death of them too.



Amazon     AmazonUK     BN     iBooks     Smashwords
Excerpt:

(It is coming up on the anniversary of rock star legend, Lars Gunner's death, 23 years and counting. Every year, Cecilia's mother remembers the good old days by watching old movies and drinking herself into oblivion. Worried, Cecilia pays her mother a visit.)

"He's here, you know," her mother whispered and her breath smelled like an ashtray.
"Who's here?" she asked.
Her mother moved away from her grip and walked over to the black roadie box, which had wheels and a handle to make transporting equipment, music sheets, and other such items from place to place that much easier. Her father had taken this one with him on the road since his first concert when singing for his supper hadn't been a joke but a reality. He never replaced it with a new one when the band had finally made it big and gourmet banquets were set out for them as if they were royalty. It was like having a lucky sock or coin, but his lucky item just happened to be a beat up old roadie box. Her mother had one too, but hers had been custom made with leopard fur and pink rhinestones.
Her mother's hand slid over the black box, pausing over the dent in one corner as if that particular dent held a fond memory. "Right after your father died, you would come in here and stare at this beat up old thing. I would ask you what you were doing." She glanced over her shoulder at her. "Do you remember what you said?"
She shook her head. Of course, she didn't. She was a toddler and those memories at that age were far and in between and a bit fuzzy at best.

"You would say: Daddy's playing his guitar and singing to me." Her mother pulled her wrap closer around her for what little good the thin piece of material would do to keep her warm. "You were always his little girl. Even in death, you loved him more than me."

About the Author:

Karen Michelle Nutt resides in California with her husband. Though her three children are grown and starting their own adventures, she still has a houseful of demanding pets. Jack, her Chorkie, is her writing buddy and sits long hours with her at the computer.

When she's not time traveling, fighting outlaws, or otherworldly creatures, she creates pre-made book covers to order at Gillian's Book Covers, "Judge Your Book By Its Cover".

Whether your reading fancy is paranormal, historical or time travel, all her stories capture the rich array of emotions that accompany the most fabulous human phenomena—falling in love.



Gillian’s Book Covers, “Judge Your Book By Its Cover”




Amazon Author Page:


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