Aberrancy and #LASR_Anniv

 

Follow this link: http://www.longandshortreviews.com/guest-blogs/lasr_anniv-aberrancy-by-su-halfwerk/

and enter the rafflecopter at the end of the post for a chance to win a $100 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC + other prizes!

Guest Blog: Women of Strength Series by Adelle Laudan

Fellow author, Adelle Laudan, is about to introduce us to her aptly titled series, Women of Strength. Please join me in welcoming her and don't forget to take part in the generous giveaway. 

You're on, Adelle!

A Woman of Strength is one who inspires others to face life's adversities with their heads held high. 

I have launched my series with three previously published stories; Juliana - Rosa - Shani

Today we will look into Rosa's story. Sometimes a Woman of Strength stems from dealing with a difference  she is born with. In the case of Rosa, she was born deaf. Her challenges come in many forms, one being the misconception that being deaf is synonymous with being mentally challenged. I am also deaf, but can interact with the hearing with two super duper hearing aids. Without them, I hear nothing, which is sometimes a blessing. My kids know if they see me reach up and turn off my hearing aids, I've had enough!  lol I have always wanted to tell a story from a deaf person's point of view, in this case, my own.

Blurb: Rosa is deaf. She was adopted by loving parents after her mother died in childbirth. Rosa teaches deaf children music. At her 21st birthday party she crosses paths with the band manager, Devon Barnes. The first encounter is not, pleasant when Devon mistakes her deafness for being rude. Is Devon simply another man who sees her being deaf as also being mentally challenged? Why is she attracted to such a man?  
Here is a short excerpt:

The song ended, and she kissed her father’s cheek before she wandered off down the garden path alone. He didn't remember making a conscious decision to follow her. She stood next to a bush laden with tiny pink roses and held one of the delicate blooms between her slender fingers, drinking in its scent. Her milky white breasts gently rose, and his manhood stirred at such a minuscule gesture.

“Your garden is most exquisite,” Devon heard himself say. Her enticing gestures did not falter as she continued down the path without so much as a hint of recognition. Perhaps she didn't hear me. He moved closer before he spoke again.

“You look absolutely stunning tonight.”

Once again she moved on, not even a glance back in his direction. He should have known the spoiled birthday girl wouldn't give him the time of day. When would he learn? He had half a mind to tell her exactly what he thought of her snobbish airs.

Devon’s temper, laced with far too much whiskey, got the best of him, and he held her arm, firmly spinning her around to face him. He bent down and crushed her delicate lips with his burning desire.

I’ll show her that I’m every bit a man as any of those rich guys back at the party.

The look on her face wasn't what he expected. He thought she might have slapped his face before whirling away. This heavenly vixen did neither of these things. She looked bewildered, her expression one of utter disbelief. Maybe she truly hadn't heard him. That’s not possible, is it?

He reached for her hand to try and explain. She recoiled from his touch as if he were on fire. The first drop of a rain of tears escaped her clouded green eyes before she held up her dress and ran towards the house.

Thank you Su, for having me here on the 3rd day of my Women of Strength Blog Tour. Each month I will add a new story of another Woman of Strength. 

I hope you will enjoy this ongoing series.

Please leave a comment and I will randomly pick one winner to receive  this calendar magnet for 2013 and this lovely steampunk pewter symbol for woman charm. All names will go in a draw to win your choice of one of these three stories.

Please feel free to visit me on the next stop of my blog tour. You will find the schedule HERE

Website

Woman of Strength - Links to purchase as wells as Info on Contest

Blog

Facebook

****

Thank you, Adelle for the visit and giveaway. The excerpt is intriguing, I must buy a copy of this book :-)

How it all ends

Currently, I'm reading a book by a talented author I truly respect for her smooth and fascinating writing style. What I love when I find a good book is the worry I put myself through guessing the ending. Yes, I've said it before, I'm a masochist.

Which got me thinking...in how many ways can a book, with good intrigue and suspense, end? The answer was simple; in one of four ways:

• The good guy/hero wins:

They win the whole battle without a hint for a sequel. This is a good approach if it's a standalone, however, if it's a series, it sorta ends there.

• The bad guy/monster wins:

This is seen in genres like thriller or horror. When you grab a romantic novel, even the hero's death is a win. Evil prevails only in the darker fiction.

• The good guy/hero wins but...:

He has a son who will demand revenge, or the monster has left one egg unhatched. It is also possible that the hero offers a sacrifice even though he's won. He might've lost his inheritance, or his dear mother died, or he lost an arm...you name it. Works well for a series but it doesn't have to be part of one.

• The bad guy/monster wins...but:

There's a chance the hero or his followers will demand a rematch. Can be a standalone for darker fiction, but it can also be the cliffhanger to keep readers coming back for more of the series until evil is vanquished completely.

Having summarized all possible endings here, it's clear that when a masterful author is at work, a reader can never guess HOW the ending will be. In romance, for example, you know the hero and heroine will be together at the end...the question is, how will they overcome all the impossible obstacles in their path and reach there!

Also, you have to consider how likeable the hero is and how much you're rooting for his success.

With the book I'm currently reading, I'm happy to report that I have no clue which of those four endings will occur. Totally loving it :-D

“Are You the Next Zombie Idol” singing contest?

Is singing your hobby?
Are you into zombies?
Do you love to win?

Then this contest is for you.
In association with Damnation Books, author Karina Fabian has setup a contest to find a singer for her book, I Left My Brains in San Francisco.

They have the lyrics and tune; but need a singer. 

They are offering prizes for the best singer, the most creative audition video, and are giving one in ten entries a copy of the e-book.   

All details are here: 
http://fabianspace.blogspot.com/p/are-you-next-zombie-idol.html

Contest ends November 1st, 2012
What are you waiting for? Go for it!

Hellbound Tour & Giveaway: It isn't over yet 8-}

I'm aware that the Rafflecopter was closed (technical issues,) but it's open again and that's only for today. Why, you might ask!
Well, it's for my last stop which comes with an awesome review of Hellbound. You know how some books grab you? this review grabbed me.
Read it here and enter the draw:

http://iheartreading.net/2012/04/book-review-hellbound-and-giveaway/

You might win:

PDF copy of Hellbound

Or

Amazon gift certificate worth $25/-

Hellbound Tour & Giveaway: "Manda-Rae's" stop

Today's stop is at Manda Rae's blog:
http://manda-rae-reads.blogspot.com/2012/03/blog-tour-and-giveaway-hellbound-by-su.html


Manda has reviewed the book, and even though she's given it 3 stars, I think she made great comparison to a series of movies...
Join us, you might win

PDF copy of Hellbound

Or

Amazon gift certificate worth $25/-

Hellbound Tour & Giveaway:Nick's Book Blog

Today I'm at Nick's Book Blog:

http://nicksbookblog93.blogspot.com/2012/03/blog-tour-stop-su-halfwerk.html

Join us, see my answers to Nick's questions, like what inspired me to write Hellbound.

 You might win

PDF copy of Hellbound

Or

Amazon gift certificate worth $25/-

Hellbound Tour & Giveaway - Today's stop

Today's stop is at Sweet Southern Home, and Carrie has done a great job with the post's formatting. Thanks, Carrie.
Here's the link:

http://sweetsouthernhome.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/book-tour-promo-giveaway-hellbound-by-su-halfwerk/

When there, remember to scroll down to Enter Here to go to the rafflecopter.
A quick reminder that by entering you might win:

PDF copy of Hellbound

Or

Amazon gift certificate worth $25/-

 Good luck everyone.

Hellbound Tour & Giveaway

I'm going on a Hellbound tour to promote the book (LOL, hell bound tour...get it!!!)
The tour will have combination of stops; reviews, guest posts, promo stops...etc. Follow the tour and enter the draw, you might win:

PDF copy of Hellbound

Or

Amazon gift certificate worth $25/-

The stops are listed here: http://enchantedbooktours.eternalised.net/2012/03/tour-schedule-for-hellbound
And I will announce each post's direct link here on Vivid Sentiments
So, without further ado, here's today's link to an awesome review:

http://ereadingonthecheap.com/hellhound-by-su-halfwerk-book-review-sweeps

See you there!

Guest Blog: How Cleanse Fire came to be by Anastasia V. Pergakis

Please welcome author Anastasia V. Pergakis who has agreed to share with us how her debut novel, Cleanse Fire, came to be.

Welcome, Anastasia. The floor is yours.

****

Thank you Su for having me on your blog to talk about my debut novel, Cleanse Fire.

Complete the mission, no matter what…

Captain Derac Vidor has served Kinir for nearly twenty years. It’s his life, his blood, his soul. And then his Commander betrays everything Derac holds dear. Now he has to focus on his own life and his team instead of saving the citizens of Kinir.

Treason is only the beginning…

Fueled by rage, the team chases the source to their Commander’s betrayal – a powerful wizard bent on revenge. The wizard seeks to destroy the Kinir Elite, in both mind and body. No place is safe, even among their allies.

The past holds the key…

Derac’s tragic past may be the key to saving the team. But can he face the gruesome nightmare in time?

~ * ~ * ~

Su asked me to tell you how the story, how Cleanse Fire came to be. I've talked about this before, but it's one of my favorite stories to tell. My intention with this book is to honor soldiers and the sacrifice they make serving their country.

I'm sure you're wondering what a fantasy author - or a fantasy book - has to do with honoring soldiers. Simply put, I'm a proud Army Brat. My Dad served 20 years, 1982 - 2002, in the U.S. Army, retiring with the rank of Sergeant First Class. He was as a Drill Sergeant for a few years, training fellow infantrymen where he earned the nickname "The Hurricane." His service took him around the world to places like Korea, Panama, Egypt, Israel, Germany, and more. I asked him once what he felt like serving and he told me "privileged."

"Who shall we send for us?" … "Here I am. Send me." -- Airborne quote

Now, the thing about my Dad, as you can see in the picture here, he looks very serious - and almost scary really. But the thing is, he would get down on the floor with me and my sister when we were little girls, and play Barbies with us! I'm definitely a Daddy's girl and I wanted to honor him with my writing.

Even though I'm a fantasy writer, I had the idea a few years ago to write a story about his career and his life. He was great and answered all the questions I had, even though I'm sure some of them were hard to answer. I began writing the story and got about a page into it when I realized there was no way I could do it. I didn't think I could capture the feelings, the emotions, he felt during that time in an accurate way. I would hate to write a story to honor him - and all soldiers - but only end up ruining it completely.

So, I put the story down for a few years. When NaNoWriMo came around in 2009, the story resurfaced in my brain again and the urge to write a story to honor soldiers was still strong. But this time, the story came to me in a different way - as a fantasy novel.

The story as it exists now, is completely fictional. The characters in the book are soldiers, granted they're elves, but soldiers just the same. And they are dedicated to their country, just as soldiers in our world are dedicated to theirs.

I want to honor my Dad - and all soldiers. Because of that, I'm donating a portion of the royalties from Cleanse Fire, and the books to follow in the series, to the Wounded Warrior Project. This organization helps wounded soldiers and their families heal after they return home. You can learn more about them and read stories from soldiers they helped at their website, www.WoundedWarriorProject.org. It is an American organization, but it is my hope that my book honors soldiers across the sea as well. The Wounded Warrior Project is merely the beginning!

This is just my way of saying thank you to the sacrifice and dedication our armed forces give for our freedoms. I was lucky that my Dad was not killed during his service (and he still lives to this day). But there are so many that come home severely wounded, or not at all. I want my book, even though it its fantasy, to tell soldiers that their sacrifice means something, that we know how important it is, and that we are eternally grateful.

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what's in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." -- G. K. Chesterton

 

~ * ~ * ~

 Purchase Cleanse Fire

• for your Kindle at Amazon
• for your Nook at Barnes & Noble
• for your other E-Readers at Smashwords
• in paperback at Amazon
• in paperback at Barnes & Noble
• in hardback at Kinir Elite Website

Join the Kinir Brigade by signing up for our newsletter! Get exclusive deals, access to special giveaways, and inside information about the series! Join the Kinir Brigade now and receive the first five chapters in your email! And don't forget to visit our Facebook Page and Website too!

Giveaway

 I’m giving away an e-copy of Cleanse Fire! Leave a comment on this post to enter into the random drawing. I'll draw the names at the end of my tour, January 31, 2012. If you want more chances to win a copy, visit our website to follow our tour! The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

All commenters will also be added to the drawing for a chance to win a signed hard cover. Drawing for the hardcover will be on January 31, 2012, the end of my tour.

You can also get more chances to win by tweeting or posting on facebook! Just leave a link to the tweet or post in a comment below!

**All Winners will be announced on the Kinir Elite Website on February 1st**

 ~ * ~ * ~

 AUTHOR BIO

Anastasia knew she always wanted to write. She began at a young age, writing those little stories about the apple tree in the yard. Though her love of stories stayed with her through her poetry stage in high school, she didn’t begin writing novels until she was almost an adult. That’s where she found her true passion.

Her characters visit her dreams – and sometimes during the day – to share their stories with her. Anastasia is merely the writer, but the characters are really the storytellers.

Anastasia lives in Columbus, Georgia with her husband and son. A stay at home Mom, she loves spending time with her son during the day, then writing furiously at night.

Fancy a chance to win?

Seeker's trailer is being featured today on The Long and the Short of it
Answer my question for an extra entry into this week's contest.
Good luck!

DARK HUNT blog tour - Character Inteview

Today, I'm interviewing author Naomi Clark about Ayla, one of the main characters in her urban wolf novel, Dark Hunt. 

• Naomi, thank you for visiting Vivid Sentiments. Where does your character live? Where is she from? How does it relate to the overall setting?

Ayla lives in the UK, in an East Anglian city not dissimilar to Cambridge (where I live). In terms of the overall setting, I feel like the Urban Wolf series is a very British urban fantasy, and that British-ness comes through in the city and the people who live there and interact with Ayla. My own observations of life in the UK make up a big part of the series – issues like drug use, gang violence, politics – but it's all filtered through the eyes of a werewolf!

• Who does she live with? Friends, family, roommates, etc...

Ayla lives with her girlfriend, Shannon, a private eye.

• How does Ayla define "family"?

For Ayla, family is first and foremost her nearest and dearest – her girlfriend, her parents, and her best friends. But for werewolves there's also family in the sense of the Pack – all the werewolves living in the city. There's a sense of duty and responsibility to the Pack that's supposed to override everything else, and Ayla struggles to balance that with her personal life.

• What's the most important and/or influential person in Ayla's life?

That's a tough one, but I think it's probably Shannon. Before Ayla and Shannon met, Ayla was pretty directionless. Shannon's a very grounded character and she helped Ayla settle down and want to find a direction in life.

• What does Ayla do for a living?

At the moment Ayla works in a tattoo shop but her hope is to join the police force as a Community Support Officer. She's been very motivated by the murder of her cousin – an unsolved case.

• Name one (or more) things that are unusual about Ayla from others in her society/setting. Do others notice this right away?

Ayla is a lesbian, which has caused a lot of conflict with the Pack and her parents. Werewolf birth rates are very low and the Pack sees it as every female's duty to have children if they can. Ayla's sexuality means there's always an undercurrent of tension in her interactions with certain Pack members – she's seen as something of a black sheep.

• Where does Ayla see herself in 5 years?

Ideally she'd love to be in a better paying job, doing something she thinks is worthwhile and makes use of her abilities! She'd want to still be with Shannon, and hopefully living a slightly quieter life than she is now!

• Is Ayla an introvert or extrovert? What makes her stressed? What makes her relax?

Ayla is a bit of an extrovert, but she tends to live in her head a lot too. Her imagination runs away with her when she's nervous or upset. Her werewolf instincts are easily triggered by threats to her loved ones – she's a bit more careless about her own safety. Stressy situations might make her a little snappy (literally and figuratively!)

• What is Ayla's strength?

Ayla's biggest strengths for me are her sense of justice and fairness – she always wants what's right and she'll fight for it whatever the odds are.

• What is Ayla's weakness?

Ayla's quite emotional and sometimes she lets that get the better of her common sense! It leads her to make decisions that sometimes expose her to danger.

Dark Hunt

 Ayla Hammond is taking on Paris.
 

Hoping for a romantic getaway in the City of Lights with her girlfriend, Shannon, she finds a city under the dark thrall of Le Monstre.
 

Getting caught up in mystery and murder was the last thing Ayla and Shannon expected to find in the City of Love, but as the body count grows and tension rises between Parisian werewolves and humans they find themselves stalked by an unknown terror.
 

What is Le Monstre and why does it make Ayla's wolf want to turn tail and run? Can it be stopped before they become its next victims?

Buy Links:

• Amazon
• Rainbow Ebooks

Contest Time:

We're giving away plenty of swag in the DARK HUNT blog tour. There are daily ebook giveaways and hampers of goodies up for grabs at the grand finale of the tour including ebooks, limited DARK HUNT t-shirts, personal horoscopes and tarot readings by Naomi Clark, as well as postcards from Ayla, Shannon, Vince, Joel and Glory (urban wolf series characters). Leave a comment here (ask me a question or just say hello) with your email address to be entered. Enter at each point along the tour for more entries and more chances to win.

Contest winners will be announced at the end of the blog tour (first week of November).

Naomi, thanks for stopping by for the chance to chance to win those goodies and good luck with your book.

Author Bio

Naomi Clark lives in Cambridge and is a mild-mannered office worker by day, but a slightly crazed writer by night. She has a perfectly healthy obsession with giant sea creatures and a preference for vodka-based cocktails. When she's not writing, Naomi is probably either reading or watching 80s cartoon shows, and sometimes she manages to do all three at once. You can follow Naomi at Twitter; Facebook  or on her Blog. 

Seeker Tour - Final Stop

This is it, the final stop. Today I'm interviewing Adoria, Andrew's love interest in Seeker, over at Dark Angel's Writing Tools:
http://www.darkangelwritingtools.com/2011/10/character-interview-and-book-giveaway.html

Follow me on Twitter, my blog, and leave a comment on these stops for bonus entries in the draw and you might win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or a PDF copy of Seeker.

If you haven't been following the tour, here's a chance to visit the stops. 

• Stop 8
• Stop 7
• Stop 6
• Stop 5
• Stop 4
• Stop 3
• Stop 2
• Stop 1

Winners will be announced here on October 12th.

Seeker's Tour: Stop 8 - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Today's stop is at http://madmoosemama.blogspot.com/2011/10/spotlight-su-halfwerk-author-of-seeker.html

I'm talking about the Northern Star and its major part in Seeker.

Fill in the form and follow the instructions for bonus entries in the draw and you might win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or a PDF copy of Seeker.

Seeker's Tour: Stop 7 - Halloween themed post

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Seeker Tour and Giveaway - 3 stops

Yes, today I'm using my super powers to hop between blogs with a bonus sweet review.

1. On Lisa's World of Books I'm discussing the topic of being SH. You'll have to read it to know what I'm talking about: http://www.lisasworldofbooks.net/posts/author-guest-post-and-giveaway-seeker-by-su-halfwerk/
2. Journey with Books has kindly reviewed Seeker. Read more here: http://journeywithbooks.blogspot.com/2011/10/seeker-by-su-halfwerk-blog-tour-book.html 
3. And on Fangtastic Books you'll get a glimpse of Andrew Taylor, the hero in Seeker, through an interview with him: http://fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com/2011/10/character-interview-and-giveaway-with.html

Fill in the form and follow the instructions for extra entries in the draw and you might win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or a PDF copy of Seeker.

Good luck and happy hopping around.