Monday, April 30, 2012

Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon Wrap-Up


Well, the read-a-thon has come to an end.  I hope you all accomplished the goals you set out for yourselves.  Even if you didn't meet your goals (that's okay, too!), I hope above all else that you had fun.  I did not do so hot, but I'm happy with what I got read and I enjoyed the social aspect so much.  In my opinion, having no mini-challenges on the host blog really left us more time to read and interact with other bloggers.  What did you think?  Did you like focusing more on the reading this time?  Let me know in the comments.

We did have some awesome mini-challenges and prizes organized by the wonderful Erin at Oh, For the Hook of a Book.  I'd like to thank her for all her hard work and to also thank the authors for their generosity.  I'd also like to thank the most excellent Krista at Book Review Club for hosting the giveaway of MaryLynn Bast's book, No Remorse.  And thank you to MaryLynn for donating her book.  You guys really helped me out a lot and I really appreciate it!

Also, I must not forget the generous authors who donated prizes for the big read-a-thon giveaway.  A big shout out to Tiffane Messer, J.L. Murphey, and Melanie McDonald! Thank you so much.  You all rock!

So, my final stats are as follows:

Total Books Read: One complete book (Ghost Story), 1/4 of The Catcher in the Rye, 115 pages of Bleak House, and 10 pages of A Clash of Kings
Total Pages Read: 694 
Books Read Since Last Update: 1/3 of Ghost Story
Pages Read since last update:  334 


How did you do?  Place the link to your wrap-up post in the linky at the end of the post (or your final update from Facebook, etc.).  You have until Tuesday morning, 5/1, at 10am CST to complete your wrap-up in order to be eligible for the big giveaway.


I am now looking ahead to the second annual High Summer Read-a-Thon, which I will be hosting at The True Book Addict , probably around mid to late July.  I hope you all will consider joining me again.


Photobucket

Spring into Horror--My Updates


Saturday, 10:00pm--Man, I've only read about 40 pages today, of Ghost Story.  I went to lunch and a movie with Mom today.  Saw "The Raven"...great film! Here's my update and my entry for Erin's Challenge 5 at Oh, For the Hook of a Book is just below it.

My update:
Total Books Read: I'm doing away with this category since I'm really only reading parts of books so far.  I will add it back when (if) I complete an entire book.
Total Pages Read: 360 
Books Read Since Last Update: see above
Pages Read since last update:  120 
What I'm currently reading: Reading Ghost Story by Peter Straub, on page 149.  Loving it! Really hoping to finish tonight.  Up next, The King's Agent by Donna Russo Morin.  Then, I would love to start Graceling by Kristin Cashore and get caught up in A Clash of Kings.  Too ambitious, I'm sure!


Erin's Challenge 5--Can you finish this sentence?
I know it's a little strange that I carry this around with me, but since I killed her and took her hand, I can't part with it.  They say (Who are they, by the way?) that a serial killer always takes a souvenir, but is this what they meant?  I'm not sure, but this is the memento I wanted.  Plus, I like to take the hand and have it caress the top of my head the way my mother did when I was a child.  I am in kind of a dilemma though.  The hand is starting to rot and it smells really bad.  I'm afraid I will have to part with it soon.  So I must go around looking for a replacement.  Where do the motherly women gather?  The grocery store is where I will go, I think.  

Friday, 5:45pm--Okay, so I missed updating yesterday.  I know, I know. I'm bad.  I haven't been doing so hot with the reading either, but I'm hoping tonight and this weekend will prove to be productive.  So here is my update and then just below that are my entries for Erin's Challenge 3 and Challenge 4 at Oh, For the Hook of a Book.

My update:
Total Books Read: I'm doing away with this category since I'm really only reading parts of books so far.  I will add it back when (if) I complete an entire book.
Total Pages Read: 240 (approx.)
Books Read Since Last Update: see above
Pages Read since last update:  115 
What I'm currently reading: Reading Ghost Story by Peter Straub, on page 29.  I can tell already that this is going to be a fast read for me.  Deliciously creepy already!


Erin's Challenge 3--Horror Survey
1.) What do you define HORROR genre as?  I define horror as the really scary, the gory, the gothic, the creepy.  Authors I would classify would be Stephen King, Dean Koontz (most of his), Richard Matheson, Graham Masterton, Scott Nicholson, Brandon Ford, Thomas Tryon, John Saul

2.) What is your favorite sub-genre of HORROR (paranormal, devil/death, supernatural, blood and gore, etc.)  I like the really scary ones and blood and gore is okay, in moderation.  What I really like is the supernatural...the subtly creepy ones.  Also, paranormal because of Anne Rice mainly.

3.) What do you want to see more from writers in the HORROR field?  More subtlety.  Less in your face, like Hell House by Richard Matheson.  Truly though, I'm quite pleased with what horror has to offer these days.

4.) Favorite HORROR movie and why?  I can't really pick one.  For my most recent favorite, it would have to be "Insidious".  Just a terrific scary flick.  The music alone will set your teeth on edge.  Another favorite is "The Descent".  Trapped in a cave with mutated human creatures.  Enough said.  I loved "Jeepers Creepers" for obvious reasons and I'm a big fan of the Japanese horror genre and its U.S. remakes.  Specifically, "The Ring" and "The Grudge".
5.) Favorite HORROR authors and why?  Stephen King, again for obvious reasons, but specifically for books like Bag of Bones.  Just so subtly creepy.  Richard Matheson because of Hell House.  Read it.  You'll see why.  Dean Koontz.  I'm not as enamored of him as I used to be, but books like Phantoms, Whispers, Hideaway made him a staple in my home library.  Also, John Saul.  Again, don't read him as much, but still like some of his books.  Someone you MUST try is Thomas Tryon.  Specifically, for The Other and Harvest Home.  Two completely awesome books.

6.) What other elements do you like in your HORROR books (mystery, thriller, romance, historical, etc.)?  I like a good historical mystery, like The Alienist by Caleb Carr.  Also, thrillers are good at times.  Hush by Kate White was a good thriller and I like the author Erin Hart.  Her thriller/mystery, Haunted Ground was excellent.

7.) What is you favorite HORROR book of all time?  Sorry SK, but it has to be Hell House by Richard Matheson!

8.) What do you like most about this Spring into Horror read-a-thon?  Well, since I'm the host...everything! LOL! But seriously, I love the reading, of course, but ultimately it's also about community and interacting with people of a like mind.  I love it! Which is why I host them (next one coming up in July...not horror themed this time, but still fun!)

9.) Why do you think people read HORROR?  I think people generally like being scared.  Especially in a safe way where you know you're not really going to get hurt.  It's that adrenaline rush that comes with getting scared that I think people enjoy.  I know it's the case with me.

10.) Your favorite name of a character in a HORROR book?  That honor goes to the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt (sp?) from Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles.  What a name...what a character!

Erin's Challenge 4--How Would You Survive?
1. Satellite cell phone
2. tent
3. extra rugged and warm sleeping bag
4. rifle/shotgun
5. hunting knife
6. several boxes of matches
7. non-perishable food (granola bars, etc.)
8. extra ammunition
9. plenty of bottled water
10. a pot/pan for cooking

I really don't hold out much hope for my survival.  Of course, I am a trooper so if confronted with this situation, I just might buck up and kick ass!

Wednesday, 9:50pm--It's time for Erin's Challenge #2.  Stop by Oh, For the Hook of a Book to check it out.  It involves Stephen King, everyone's favorite horror author (well, mine anyway)! My read-a-thon update is below the SK stuff.  =O)


Here's a pic of the shelf dedicated solely to Stephen King books, although he's going to have to have two shelves very soon.  This corner bookshelf houses most of my favorite authors besides King, like Anne Rice, Jean Auel, Jane Austen, Dean Koontz, etc.  Now in this pic you're only going to see the stacks in the front, but the shelf is pretty deep so the rest are behind and the stack on the left are Joe Hill (son) and Tabitha King (wife) books.  


Since this image does not begin to show the sheer amount of SK books I own, I'm afraid I'm going to have to list them here.  I don't mind though.  I'm so proud! Starred are what I've read.  Double starred are favorites.  I have not read nearly enough of his books.  What's wrong with me?!  (four books I have read, but do not own, are Needful Things, Christine, Pet Sematary, and Cujo)
  1. Danse Macabre                        
  2. Four Past Midnight
  3. Different Seasons                      
  4. The Green Mile **
  5. Salem's Lot                               
  6. The Stand
  7. Cycle of the Werewolf             
  8. The Talisman (with Peter Straub)
  9. Black House (w/ Straub)        
  10. The Eyes of the Dragon
  11. Misery **                                 
  12. The Tommyknockers
  13. The Dark Half  *                      
  14. Gerald's Game
  15. Dolores Claiborne               
  16. Insomnia
  17. Rose Madder *                      
  18. Desperation
  19. Bag of Bones ** (actually read twice!)                      
  20. Dreamcatcher *
  21. The Diary of E. Rimbauer *   
  22. From a Buick 8
  23. Cell                                     
  24. Lisey's Story
  25. The Regulators                    
  26. Blaze
  27. It                                          
  28. The Gunslinger  *
  29. The Drawing of the Three   
  30. The Waste Lands
  31. Wizard and Glass                
  32. Wolves of the Calla
  33. Song of Susanna                  
  34. The Dark Tower
  35. Everything's Eventual         
  36. The Shining
  37. Skeleton Crew                   
  38. Duma Key *
  39. The Dead Zone                  
  40. Just After Sunset
  41. Nightmares/Dreamscapes  
  42. Under the Dome 
  43. Carrie *                               
  44. Full Dark, No Stars
  45. 11/22/63

My update:
Total Books Read: 1/4
Total Pages Read: 125 (approx.)
Books Read Since Last Update: 1/4
Pages Read since last update:  115 
What I'm currently reading: Trying to catch up on Bleak House for a read-a-long.  I have about 300 pages to read.  Good luck!


Tuesday, 5:00pm--For Erin's challenge (and giveaway) at Oh, For the Hook of a Book and to update, I am currently reading (finishing) The Catcher in the Rye for the last discussion tonight on TuesBookTalk.


I'm still not very caught up in A Clash of Kings, which I was trying to do before I watch the episodes I missed of the HBO series ("Game of Thrones"), but I'm not going to get to watch it this week anyway so I think after I finish Catcher in the Rye, I will pick up Ghost Story and read it the rest of the night.  Scary reading for a late night. ;O)


Monday,6:30pm--I haven't done much reading for the read-a-thon so far.  I was on mom duty for half the day.  Well, it's every day, but this was extra mom duties.  ;O)  So, I've visited everyone that is signed in at the linky, I've got TweetChat pulled up for #SpringHorrorRAT tweeting, and I'm ready to settle in for some reading...after I fix supper.  Aargh!

Total Books Read: 0
Total Pages Read: 10 (maybe)
Books Read Since Last Update: 0
Pages Read since last update:  N/A (first update) 
What I'm currently reading: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin  (I'll get my horror on after I get caught up with this)


Photobucket

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Reminder: Mini-Challenges and Giveaways #SpringHorrorRAT


Just a reminder to you, dear read-a-thon-ers! You still have time to participate in some fun mini-challenges to win books and there is still a giveaway going on.

Over at Erin's Oh, For the Hook of a Book, there are four challenges still going on...and they're a TON of fun.  Plus, you can win some great books.  You have until tomorrow night at 11:59pm EST.  Here are the links:

Challenge 2
Challenge 3
Challenge 4 
Challenge 5
Giveaway Finale


You have an hour and a half to enter to win a signed copy of MaryLynn Bast's No Remorse over at Krista's Book Review Club.  Go HERE to enter.

Hope the read-a-thon continues to be fun for you all! Good luck if you decide to enter these great challenges/giveaways!


Photobucket

Monday, April 23, 2012

Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon--Starting Line


It's time! Are you ready?  I certainly am! This is the official starting line post for the read-a-thon.  Be sure to sign in here, at the beginning or when you start reading.  Remember, you do not have to have a blog to join us.  You can sign in linking to Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads...wherever you will be updating from.  And you don't have to start at the beginning.  Start on any day this week, or if you're working all week, join us for the weekend.  People can sign in up until Friday night at 11:59pm CST.  I'll be stopping by and visiting you so I hope you will have your book piles/reading lists posted. *hint hint*  Remember to include at least one scary book (horror, paranormal, mystery, etc.).

Join us on Twitter using the hashtag #SpringHorrorRAT  Who knows.  We might even have some reading sprints on Twitter throughout the week.  There won't be any prizes if/when we do, but you will get bragging rights.  Just remember to have fun this week.  Again, my read-a-thon credo is "a week of relaxed reading during which we can personally challenge ourselves and whittle away those ever looming TBR piles/shelves/libraries."  I have done away with mini-challenges so we can focus more on the reading, but please do stop by and visit your fellow read-a-thon-ers if you get a chance...and again, we will also be on Twitter for social interaction.  =O)

PRIZES/GIVEAWAYS
The prize and giveaway page is HERE (or it can be accessed from the link at the top of the blog post section).  Check out the awesome prizes which were donated and the giveaway details.  We also have giveaways being hosted by fellow bloggers/RAT participants:

Erin at Oh, For the Hook of a Book is hosting some easy mini-challenges and giving away 11 books this week! Check out the details at her blog HERE.  Thank you, Erin!

To enter for a signed copy and bookmark of No Remorse by MaryLynn Bast, visit Book Review Club.  Thanks, Krista!


***The sign-in linky is located at the end of this post***


********

What I'll be reading this week, or in other words, my overly ambitious reading list:

My scary titles:
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
Decayed Etchings by Brandon Ford
My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales


Other titles:
Bleak House by Dickens (playing read-a-long catch-up)
Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor (still trying to finish)
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (last 70 or so pages for TuesBookTalk)
Never Say Sorry by Rose Edmunds
Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Tonight I'm going to work on catching up on A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (after I take my shower).  Burning the midnight oil!

SIGN IN HERE:

Photobucket

Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon Prize Promotion Page


This is the prize promotion page for all the prizes being given away for the read-a-thon.  At the end of this post, you will find details regarding how the prizes will be awarded at the end of the read-a-thon and the two giveaways being hosted by other bloggers who are participating.


Child Eater by Tiffane Messer  (Two One print copy--International)  Winners--Erin @ Oh, for the Hook of a Book, Gina @ Book Dragon's Lair)
Plagued by memories of an abnormal childhood, Tabitha devotes her life to chasing the thing that destroyed her life as she knew it. She takes on as many missing children cases as she can, hoping to reunite families so they won't have to suffer as she has. Her mother wants her to "meet a nice boy, settle down and raise a family." Tabitha scoffs at the mere idea.

Five year old Alice White is missing. Her room was left in shambles. Nothing about this small town or its haunting woods is normal. Is the "Child Eater" real or merely a story told by parents to keep their children out of the woods. Alice's case strangely parallels the only other missing child case the town has ever reported, but that was thirty years ago. What could they possibly have in common?

David Matherson is a local contractor. He just bought a house in town and he and his crew are fixing it up. He wasn't looking to get involved with a woman or with a missing child, but somehow he finds himself in the middle of the mix.

Will Tabitha find Alice in time? Can she solve the mystery of the "Child Eater" and bring Alice back home where she belongs?

About the author:
Tifanne Messer (1979- ) has always had a love of books. She learned to read at the young age of four. Since then, she has never been far from a book. She developed her love for writing early on, as well. She enjoyed writing stories for school and ultimately began writing for writing's sake. She has dabbled with poetry and written many short stories over the years.

In 2011, she entered the NaNoWriMo. The deadline was just what she needed to finally finish a novel. She devoted the entire month of November to writing this, her first full length novel. With every book she read, she dreamed of seeing her own name on the front cover of a book. When the economy tanked, and jobs became few and far between, she decided it was time to pursue her dream.

Visit Tiffane's WEBSITE
Child Eater is available on Amazon


Books by J.L. Murphey


Zombie Apocalypse  (3  2 1 eBooks--International) (Winners--Kai @ Fiction State of Mind, Aleksandra, Kate @ Midnight Book Girl)
Dr. Donna Cairn is a genetics researcher for the Center of Disease Control. When the CDC issued the Zombie Apocalypse Alert, she discounted it as a way of advertising hurricane preparedness. When a conspiracy buff working with her in the silo speaks to her about the debunked Hapgood theory of Earth Crust Displacement, she again discounts it as just that some wacko, paranoid rambling. But when radiation levels after the Japanese earthquakes starting rising, all bets were off.

Simple dog bite patients are dying from a mysterious fever. Bodies start coming up missing from the morgues across the globe. When the death count reaches over one quarter of the world’s population dying due to this new plague, the CDC sends their best virologist, Kit Seger, to help Donna in her quest of finding the virus in her converted missile silo laboratory in Nebraska.

The dead have risen and hunger for human flesh. She never believed in zombies before, but now she believes in them. Can she and Kit find the cure before mankind becomes extinct? How do you cure people who are already dead? And better yet, how do you kill the dead?
Can it be that Donna’s unborn niece and nephew are the answer? With the earthquakes rumbling, zombies at the gate, and time running out will they find what they are looking for? Man can only hope.


The Sacrificial Lamb (written under Jolee Morriss)  (3  Two eBooks--International) Winners--Heather @ Book Stacks on Deck, Extremo Delirio, Darlene @ Darlene's Book Nook
Jacqueline Luann is an eleven-year old girl living in a small Georgia town. When she witnesses her brother's murder by her stepfather all hell breaks loose. In a town where timber is god and Olin, her stepfather, is the owner of a pulp manufacturing company, Jacqueline battles the good-ol'-boy system of corruption, payoffs, and back-alley handshake deals. With no family left to protect her, she is drawn into the adult world. Proving her stepfather's guilt becomes a “he said, she said” with him coming out on top. Who believes a child?

On this journey, she discovers Olin’s physical and sexual abuse has left open wounds — some will heal with time while others never will. Will she find through her brother's sacrifice a new family who loves her and answers her unspoken prayers for security, warmth, and love? Or will Olin win this round too? He wants her silenced...permanently. 

About the author:
I live in Coastal Georgia. Married and have had my soul mate in my life for over twenty years.We have four beautiful daughters and six absolutely wonderful grandchildren.

I've been a published writer for over thirty years. Genres under various pen names include, suspense/thrillers, science fiction, children, southern fiction, nonfiction, Christian nonfiction, and inspiration/motivation nonfiction, and humor. Articles published in various magazines. 


Visit J.L.'s WEBSITE
Available on Smashwords




No Remorse by MaryLynn Bast  (signed print copy and bookmark, US only--enter giveaway at Krista's blog, Book Review Club) Winner of this giveaway was Sary! Congrats!
Publication date: March 17, 2012

Due to her unusual birth, Amber has abilities no other werewolf has ever possessed. On the run since childhood, the lone wolf avoids contact with other werewolves at all cost, continually moving, constantly looking over her shoulder and always alone.

Everything changes when Amber saves a werewolf from the mere brink of death, Blake, the only werewolf to ever protect her. Love blossoms, but not without tribulations when Amber realizes she must help her new pack rescue a member who is being held hostage by a rival pack.

Warring with emotions of going from lone wolf to the pack leader’s mate, Amber must decide if she is willing to risk Blake’s life to know true family and friendship despite the fact that the Council is hell bent on locating her and will stop at nothing until she is found. Will Amber’s special abilities be enough to keep everyone safe?

Visit MaryLynn  WEBSITE  |  FACEBOOK  |  FACEBOOK (HEART OF A WOLF)  |  FACEBOOK GROUP  |  BLOG TOUR  |  TWITTER
No Remorse: Heart of a Wolf Series (Volume 1)--Available on AMAZON
Watch the trailer HERE



Eromenos by Melanie McDonald (1 print copy--International)  Winner--Cayce @ Fighting Dreamer
Eros and Thanatos converge in the story of a glorious youth, an untimely death, and an imperial love affair that gives rise to the last pagan god of antiquity. In this coming-of-age novel set in the second century AD, Antinous of Bithynia, a Greek youth from Asia Minor, recounts his seven-year affair with Hadrian, fourteenth emperor of Rome. In a partnership more intimate than Hadrian's sanctioned political marriage to Sabina, Antinous captivates the most powerful ruler on earth both in life and after death.

This version of the affair between the emperor and his beloved ephebe vindicates the youth scorned by early Christian church fathers as a "shameless and scandalous boy" and "sordid and loathsome instrument of his master's lust." EROMENOS envisions the personal history of the young man who achieved apotheosis as a pagan god of antiquity, whose cult of worship lasted for hundreds of years—far longer than the cult of the emperor Hadrian.

In EROMENOS, the young man Antinous, whose beautiful image still may be found in works of art in museums around the world, finds a voice of his own at last. (from Goodreads)

Read my review HERE


About the author:
Melanie McDonald won a 2008 Hawthornden Fellowship for her debut novel, Eromenos (March 2011, Seriously Good Books), a 2011 GalleyCat Handpicked Title and a finalist for the 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She has an MFA in fiction from the University of Arkansas. Her work has appeared in New York Stories, Fugue, Indigenous Fiction, and online in Fiction Brigade and Squawk Back. She has pursued her writing in New York, Galway, and Paris, where she studied with C. Michael Curtis, senior fiction editor for the Atlantic Monthly. She spent several months in Italy at work on Eromenos. A native of Arkansas, she now lives in Virginia.


Visit Melanie: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK
Eromenos is available on AMAZON


From me:  One of my favorite Anne Rice books...The Mummy Or Ramses the Damned (gently used mass market paperback--US only)  Winner--Diana @ Little Miss Drama Queen


Ramses the Great has reawakened in opulent Edwardian London. Having drunk the elixir of life, he is now Ramses the Damned, doomed forever to wander the earth, desperate to quell hungers that can never be satisfied. He becomes the close companion of a voluptuous heiress, Julie Stratford, but his cursed past again propels him toward disaster. He is tormented by searing memories of his last reawakening, at the behest of Cleopatra, his beloved queen of Egypt. And his intense longing for her, undiminished over the centuries, will force him to commit an act that will place everyone around him in the gravest danger... 

***If you are in the U.S. and none of the above books appeal to you, I have two alternate choices (again for U.S. only)***

WINNER of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is Shaunesay


The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe  (gently used hardcover)
Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer doing research for her doctoral dissertation. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie’s grandmother’s abandoned home near Salem, she can’t refuse. As she is drawn deeper into the mysteries of the family house, Connie discovers an ancient key within a seventeenth-century Bible. The key contains a yellowing fragment of parchment with a name written upon it: Deliverance Dane. This discovery launches Connie on a quest—to find out who this woman was and to unearth a rare artifact of singular power: a physick book, its pages a secret repository for lost knowledge.

As the pieces of Deliverance’s harrowing story begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the long-ago witch trials, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem’s dark past than she could have ever imagined.

Written with astonishing conviction and grace, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane travels seamlessly between the witch trials in the 1690s and a modern woman’s story of mystery, intrigue and revelation.

Winner of The Witch's Trinity is Marla @ Starting the Next Chapter


The Witch's Trinity by Erika Mailman (gently used trade paperback)
San Francisco Chronicle Notable Book of 2007

The year is 1507, and severe famine strikes a small town in Germany. A friar arrives from a large city, claiming that the town is under the spell of witches in league with the devil. He brings with him a book called the Malleus Maleficarum—“The Witch’s Hammer.” It is a guide to gaining confessions of witchcraft. The friar promises he will identify the guilty woman who has brought God’s anger upon the town, burn her, and restore bounty.

The elderly Güde Müller suffers stark and frightening visions; none in the village knows this, and Güde herself worries that the sharpness of her mind has begun to fade. Yet of one thing she is absolutely certain: She has become an object of scorn and a burden to her son’s wife. In these desperate times, her daughter-in-law would prefer one less hungry mouth at the family table. As the friar turns his eye on each member of the tiny community, Güde dreads what her daughter-in-law might say to win his favor, and that her secret visions will be revealed. 

***********

Giveaway Details:  This is a read-a-thon participant only giveaway.  To be eligible, you must sign in at the starting line post when you start to read and complete a wrap-up post at the end and link it here at the official read-a-thon wrap-up (I will give everyone until Tuesday morning, 5/1, at 10am CST to complete their wrap-up posts).  We have a total of 10 book prizes (and one prize being given away at Krista's blog) and 2 alternate prizes.  This means there will be 10 winners.  The first winner chosen will get first choice of all prizes listed and I will continue in this manner until all 10 winners are drawn.  If a US winner does not wish to choose one of the donated prizes, they have the option to choose one of the alternate books (from me).  I do ask that anyone who wins a prize from me to please bear with me in sending the book(s) out.  My family is in a financial pinch right now so it might take me a bit to post them.  I will greatly appreciate your patience.  All other prizes are either eBooks which will be obtained via email or coupon code or print copies will be shipped by the authors.  Winners will be chosen after the wrap-up post deadline (see above).

Other giveaways:
Erin at Oh, For the Hook of a Book is hosting giveaways throughout the read-a-thon! Check out the details at her blog HERE.  Thank you, Erin!

Again, to enter for a signed copy and bookmark of No Remorse by MaryLynn Bast, visit Book Review Club.  Thanks, Krista!

Photobucket

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The Cabin in the Woods: A New Concept in Horror Films


I saw The Cabin in the Woods on Saturday and it blew me away.  More than just your normal run-of-the-mill horror movie, this movie introduces a completely new way of telling a horror story.  I have to admit I was quite impressed and equally entertained.  I cannot go into detail for fear of spoiling the movie for you, but let me just say that it pushes the envelope.  It has not only the appeal of a horror film, but it boasts a mythological standpoint, along with the gore...and there are a few laughs in between.  If you have not yet seen The Cabin in the Woods, I highly recommend you do so soon.

Watch the trailer on YouTube HERE.


About the movie:
Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin in the woods, where they get more than they bargained for. Together, they must discover the truth behind the cabin in the woods.

Directed by Drew Goddard.  Written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard  Starring Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, and Anna Hutchison. (from imdb)


Photobucket

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Read-a-Thon News and Prize Donations Needed


First off, I asked future read-a-thon participants to vote on the structure of the upcoming Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon.  What I meant by structure is the presence or absence of mini-challenges throughout the read-a-thon.  I had expressed my desire to make the focus more about the reading this time and it looks like many of you feel the same.  The choice of 'Focus only on the reading and have a participant giveaway at the end with one, or a few, winners?' received 5 votes, while the choice of 'Have several reading sprints/mini-marathons during the week and award prizes for that?' received 3 votes.  The 'Either' choice received 7 votes and the 'Neither' choice received 1 vote.  So, there we have it.  The read-a-thon-ers have spoken! What this all means is that I will have a giveaway at the end of the read-a-thon for all who participated.  This will allow the focus to be on the reading.  There will be at least one place, but I'm hoping for three places which will largely depend on the second part of this post.  Also, there is already one giveaway being hosted during the read-a-thon by the wonderful Erin at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!  And there may be more...hopefully.

I'm looking for prize donations.  This is specifically a call for authors because I know from experience that these kinds of events are a great way to promote an author's books.  If you would like to help me out, please email me at truebookaddict (at) gmail (dot) com.  Also, anyone who would like to host a giveaway, please contact me as well.  Any and all help will be greatly appreciated!

If you haven't signed up yet, you can do that HERE.

Photobucket

Dying Days Blog Tour: Guest Post--Armand Rosamilia


You're Self-Published?

Armand Rosamilia

I love how far we've quickly come as self-published authors. It feels like only yesterday, when I admitted I self-published some short stories, I was looked down upon by other writers. I'm sure the 'can't get published so he does it himself' snide remark was bandied about, but it didn't bother me. I released things the way I wanted to, and damn the consequences. 

And I did it for almost 25 years, since the mid-90's with Black Moon Magazine, then Carnifex Press, into Rymfire eBooks and now Rymfire Books. 

Hell, I got into publishing to begin with because I wanted to put out books I wanted to read, and the easiest way for me was to release them myself. I still do. Some of my favorite books are ones I put out, and isn't that the way it should be? 

My first official novella-length release by another author will be Slash of Crimson by Carl R. Moore, and I'm putting it out because it's one of the best books I've read this year. 

I'm never going to be misinterpreted as a Big Publisher and not even as a Pro market, because I'm not interested in going toe to toe with the big boys or even the great small presses out there. I have no desire to hire staff, set a permanent release schedule, look for foreign rights and reprints of great old horror tales, or win awards and a Stoker or two. Hey, if that stuff falls into place, bonus! But the goal was never to get there; the goal was and always will be to put out cool things for me to read. Simple as that. And that's what's amazing about all of this. There are some great self-published writers today that had no outlet yesterday, before eBooks revolutionized the way we read, like MP3 did to music and VOD to film. 

Is JA Konrath's way the best way? How about Scott Nicholson? How about a dozen others who paved the way, found their avenue and ran with it… I like to think my way is the best way for me, because it's mine. It's parts of all the above authors, and I pick and choose what works for me. Because I can. 

And so can self-published authors, who put out quality releases every couple of weeks or couple of months or couple a year… the point is, they can do it however they want.

Without all this I would've never read most of the authors I love right now. I won't have to wait another year for one of my favorite authors to release a sequel or a new book that redefines what their niche is. 

I buy eBooks because of the better price, the amount I can carry in my Kindle, and because it's the best way to read short stories or collections. 

Will all this change and the technology grow so quickly we'll all look back on this time in 18 months and wish for the old days? Maybe. Perhaps the Kindle will eventually be updated so many times and with so many new bells and whistles it will rise up and kill us all. 

Who can say? That's the beauty of the times we're living in. 

Armand Rosamilia


Believe it or not, this Dying Days Blog Tour is to promote my latest zombie book! 

Want to know more about the "Dying Days" series? Want to win free eBooks and maybe print books of them? My contest is simple: e-mail me at armandrosamilia (at) gmail (dot) com with DYING DAYS in the subject line and I'll enter you into the daily giveaway… also, post a comment here and you get another chance… follow my blog at http://armandrosamilia.com for yet another chance, and friend me on Twitter (@ArmandAuthor) and simply post DYING DAYS to me, and you'll get another shot… nice and easy, right? If I get enough people joining in the giveaway there will be a print book given away that day!

"Dying Days" series information can be found here: http://armandrosamilia.com/dying-days-series/

Photobucket

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Book Review: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski


My thoughts:
This is probably not going to be very long because, frankly, I don't know quite what to write.  How to review a book that I liked and found very interesting, yet still gave me a headache every time I read it and has still left me scratching my head?  I'm not sure.  House of Leaves is literally a labyrinth.  Yes, there is an entire chapter that is actually a labyrinth...on the page.  What can I say?  The book is really an enigma.  I still don't know what the truth is, or who was actually telling the story, and this would normally piss me off.  But ironically, it just made me more intrigued.  Even though I finished the book, I'm still going to look over it more and I found a helpful page on Mark Danielewski's blog.  The page is Exploration Z and it's The Idiot's Guide to House of Leaves.  I'm going to explore this page and see if it can help me figure a few things out.  I know that this review has not really given much insight into if the book is good or not and I apologize for that.  Let me just say again...I liked it (4 stars on Goodreads), it's confusing, it gets the reader thinking (I think that's where the headache comes from).  Okay, now I'm getting a headache writing this review.  ;O)

About the book:
Years ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth -- musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies -- the book eventually made its way into the hands of older generations, who not only found themselves in those strangely arranged pages but also discovered a way back into the lives of their estranged children.

Now, for the first time, this astonishing novel is made available in book form, complete with the original colored words, vertical footnotes, and newly added second and third appendices.

The story remains unchanged, focusing on a young family that moves into a small home on Ash Tree Lane where they discover something is terribly wrong: their house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.

Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story -- of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.

Reading Challenges:





Photobucket
- See more at: http://www.techtrickhome.com/2013/02/show-comment-box-above-comments-on.html#sthash.SyglVmdY.dpuf