Teaser Tuesday (174)

Teaser Tuesday

is a weekly event 

Sponsored by MizB of Should be Reading 

Here's how it works: Grab the book you are currently reading (anything at all) 

Open the book to any random page. 

Share 2 teaser sentences from anywhere on the page 

Please Make Sure They Are Not Spoilers! 

(Don't Give Too Much Away) 

Just enough to pique our interests 

Mama Bitchstress's Read:

 

Following behind is a thin slip of a man, skin so pale it might as well be gray, sliding along with all the posture of a broken coatrack. A black V-neck T-shirt hangs loose over his sickly frame--his matchstick arms are inked with symbols and sigils, ones Mookie's seen but can't place, ones that tell him right away what he's looking at even without blazing.

The Blue Blazes

By Chuck Wendig

Mythical Monday (24)

It seems there are many books based on or influenced by Myths and Mythological Beings.

There are so many different Mythology and Mythological Beings recorded. Some are very popular and well known, others not so much. There are many similar beings, yet different depending on the culture it’s based in.  The definition of Myth covers about anything in the Urban Fantasy/Fantasy realm to me.

I’ve invited authors to share briefly the Mythological being or Myth that influenced their character(s) or story, or what their character(s) are based on influencing their books.  Hosting here, one author and being or myth per week.

This week we have:

Fantasy author Celine Kiernan

Talking of Ghosts.

So many thanks to Melissa for inviting me to participate in Mythic Mondays. I am so so very sorry for being late with the post though! I swear I meet myself coming in these days - I've become the ghost haunting my own life!

I chose to write about ghosts today as they feature in many of my books and short stories. I used to believe in them, very much so, and come from a family where ghosts and ghostly appearances were recounted with absolute sincerity (I still believe in the sincerity of those accounts today ) Since my father's death I've become more ambivalent about my belief in an afterlife and so my actual believe in ghosts has declined. This doesn't mean I'm not open to any and all possibilities though, and certainly as a literary device they still fascinate me. (and probably never will considering my plans to write a children's novel in which a ghost plays a major role)

So...

Ghosts: sentient echoes of the hidden past.

I have always been fascinated by the stories people keep from each other: the things we won’t tell and the histories we don’t discuss. I'm most especially fascinated by silences that are maintained (or enforced) out of the belief that forgetting is the best for everyone - as if ignorance of the past can ever help ensure a better future. These self -imposed silences exist everywhere. Mankind is always suppressing its own history-- or reshaping it in the telling. On a domestic level, many people go about happy lives blissfully unaware of the family dramas that have preceded them, the memories of which have been purposefully and tacitly consigned to silent cupboards and 'forgotten' by those involved.

Photo By: Adventures in Photography by Grace Kiernan,

But silencing the past doesn't always kill it. Sometimes the past seeps up through the cracks, like pollution in the ground water, often to the discomfort and despair of later generations. Emotional residue, social tension, instability: regardless of whether their origins are understood or not, these things can remain.

Ghosts are like walking scraps of such unwanted history. Pressing themselves into the world of the living, they intrude into the silence of the older generations. Unignorable and unavoidable, they force us, for better or for worse, to face our past. They demand that things long broken be fixed, or maybe just that they seen, recognized, and accepted as true.

In my books, this forced unearthing of buried conflict or pain can often come at a price for the innocent members of the present generation. It can be uncomfortable, even damaging, to be made fully aware of the truth. The age-mellowed grandfather or kindly mother may have - in other, younger, circumstances - been less than gentle, and worse than ruthless. The deeds performed, in war, in poverty, the sadnesses lived through, may indeed have been be better left alone. But - in my books - ghosts have no choice about telling the truth; they are nothing but the truth. They are the past crystallized, the very essence of never having moved on. Regardless of the consequences they cannot help but drag everything out into the light. Sentient echoes of the hidden past they will continue to sidle and creep and badger and wail, until the living are forced to turn and look and - for better or for worse - recognize them for what they are.



Author Bio:
Celine Kiernan is the author of the award winning and critically acclaimed The Moorehawke Trilogy, a dark, complex trilogy of fantasy YA books set in an alternative renaissance Europe. The three books of The Moorehawke Trilogy are The Poison Throne, The Crowded Shadows and The Rebel Prince. First published in Celine’s native Ireland in 2008, the trilogy has since been published in 15 different territories, and as of this typing has been translated to 10 different languages. In 2009 the first book of the Moorehawke Trilogy, The Poison Throne, won The Readers’ Association of Ireland Award for best book, it was included in the White Raven Collection and short listed for the 2009 Irish Book Awards in two categories (best newcomer and best children’s book snr catagory). In 2010 it was long-listed for an Australian Silver Inky Award.

Celine’s forth book, Taken Away (aka Into The Grey) – a YA ghost story set in 1970′s Ireland – is the winner of the 2012 CBI Book of the Year (formerly The Bisto award) and the CBI Children’s Choice Award. It is the first book to have won both categories.

Celine lives in rural Ireland with her husband and two teenage children. Her next novel Resonance - A supernatural/sc-fi which her publishers are calling ‘metaphysical gothic’ – is set in 1890′s Ireland and is due for publication in 2013.


Find Celine Kiernan:
Site:  The Writing of Celine Kiernan
Blog:  All Things Moorehawke and Otherwise
Twitter:  @Celine_Kiernan

Sunday Post (25)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share new about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

~~~~~~~~~~

It's Sunday...again. How does that happen?  Well, I didn't get all I wanted to get done last week.  Actually, not even close to even starting it all.  *sigh* I think I could us another week going dark. I know I was hit or miss last week, but could really use another whole week off.  Life just keeps throwing curve balls and it's hard to keep up with everything these days.  I know it's getting better, but so much to get caught up on with the home and here. Weekends are even becoming saturated with work around the house for it.  I use to be able to clean and read and relax most of the weekend. That's not happening. I haven't even picked up a book this weekend. Yes, I'm whining. I miss the relaxing days.

Oh for the week...I don't have much planned, so I might take this week off blogging as well. I always have a Monday post for you. :) But other than that, I might take off to get things done. I have posts to create and things to get in order. I don't like being this out of whack and disorganized.

What's Happening in Books:

Current Read:
After finish beta read,
Twilight Hunter by Kait Ballenger

Owner Share by Nathan Lowell - a podcast reading of the book, I'll start listening to while at work

Finished Last Week:
Shudder by Samantha Durante

Double Share by Nathan Lowell - a podcast reading of the book, I'll start listening to while at work

Finished Podcast Book Listen:
I haven't got to the Podcasts yet.  I will, they are lining up on me.

~~~~~~~~~~

Last Week on the Blog:

Author guest post by Samantha Durante - Family & Relationships in a Dying World

Cover Reveals: (click titles to go to post & learn more)

Reviews:
Book Review:
Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan

Shudder by Samantha Durante

GIVEAWAYS:

None this week.

Weekly Posts:

***NEW*** Mythical Monday - Tim Pratt talking of Angels.
Teaser Tuesday
Who? What? Where? Wend.
Throwback Thursday
Looking Forward To...
Freebies and Deals, on Nook too

~~~~~~~~~~

This Week to Come on the Blog:

I have a Mythical Monday scheduled, but I think I'm taking the week off.

~~~~~~~~~~

Received Last Week:

Review:

None, I'm trying to stay low in receiving in this category as I need to get caught up.



Purchased/Winnings/Gifts:

Nothing! I did get a new shelf set though.



Free Ebooks:

I got this free read from doing a survey on Ebooks for Damnation Books.

Magic Rising: Dragonfly by Jennifer Cloud
Goodreads Synopsis:
When the past holds only darkness and death, there is no way to out run it…

Deirdre Flye owns a security company for the rich and famous. No one knows about her past and she prefers it that way. That is, until a nosey cop confronts her with what he knows about her training as an assassin at Stone House.

Her troubles are compounded when a simple stalking case turns into something sinister. Deirdre never suspected that the “victim” would use a child to rope her back into a world of magic and death. Can she face the horror to come and survive with her mind and soul intact? Or will the cost be the life of an innocent?

~~~~~~~~~~

Reviews in the Works:

The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan
The Rose and the Thorn by Michael J. Sullivan

Dragonsoul by Philippa Ballantine
Into Darkness by S.A. Archer & S. Ravynheart

Requiem by Ken Scholes

Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell - a podcast reading of the book

Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews
Nemesis by S.A. Huchton

Half Share by Nathan Lowell - a podcast reading of the book

Full Share by Nathan Lowell - a podcast reading of the book
Double Share by Nathan Lowell - a podcast reading of the book

Author Guest Posts: Family & Relationships in a Dying World

Today I have author Samantha Durante with us talking on a topic I thought would touch wonderfully in her Young Adult Science Fiction/Dystopian series.

If you are new to the series, it starts with the first book Stitch.  Which you can check out my review for.  You can also find it on sale: Amazon ~ Kindle ~ for 99c

Please give a warm welcome for Samantha returning to the blog...

Family & Relationships in a Dying World 

by Samantha Durante, author of the Stitch Trilogy

Imagine the world ended tomorrow.

You have no more career, no school, no obligations. Money is meaningless. All the material possessions you’ve accumulated are useless, except what you can carry on your back. There’s no electricity to power your iPad, no gas to run your car, no fuel to heat your home – besides whatever you can find to burn, that is.

So what *do* you have left? When all the entrapments of daily life are tossed overboard and you’re fighting just to hold a claim over the basic necessities of survival, what exactly is left to live *for?*

Ask any of the characters from the Stitch Trilogy, and they’ll tell you the same thing: their loved ones.

It’s a truth that’s easy to overlook in our everyday lives, when we’re constantly distracted by our responsibilities and our duties, by earning a living and paying the bills and delegating our time between an endless array of commitments and chores and diversions and tasks. But strip all that away, and you remember what’s *supposed* to be the point of all that to begin with – to create a nice life for us and the people we care about.

Alessa and Isaac and Janie are all acutely aware of this fact, because the world as they knew it is in ruins, and they are faced every day with a choice: soldier on, or give up? And they wake up and make the same choice – with conviction – every single day because of one solitary factor: they still have each other. And that means life is still worth the fight.

The characters in the Stitch Trilogy say this about each other all the time – “s/he’s the only thing I have left.” And they *mean* it. There’s no such thing anymore as upward mobility, or crushing debt, or long-term aspirations. All there is, is *now.* There’s immediate survival. And if you’re lucky, there’s the opportunity to build another memory with the people you love.

We all know this in our hearts, and this is what makes post-apocalyptic stories so compelling. In a world where there’s always something to pull us away from our loved ones, these stories make us remember why we were put here to begin with: to connect, to cherish, to love. Because without our family and friends, there is simply nothing to live for, no matter how many gadgets or awards or accouterments we surround ourselves with.

In a dying world like the one in Stitch and Shudder, this becomes painfully apparent. Those bonds of love – whether old or new – give strength to survivors. And those unlucky ones without any love to live for… well, it’s only a matter of time before they perish.


Author Bio:
Samantha Durante lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. The Stitch Trilogy is her debut series. Learn more about Samantha at www.samanthadurante.com.

Stitch
Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa’s body screams at her to run… but yet she’s powerless to move.

Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees – and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell – Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.

Because what Alessa hasn’t figured out yet is that she’s not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university’s idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface…

The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.

Shudder
It’s only been three days, and already everything is different.

Paragon is behind her, but somehow Alessa’s life may actually have gotten worse. In a wrenching twist of fate, she traded the safety and companionship of her sister for that of her true love, losing a vital partner she’d counted on for the ordeal ahead. Her comfortable university life is but a distant memory, as she faces the prospect of surviving a bleak winter on the meager remains of a ravaged world. And if she’d thought she’d tasted fear upon seeing a ghost, she was wrong; now she’s discovering new depths of terror while being hunted by a deadly virus and a terrifying pack of superhuman creatures thirsting for blood.

And then there are the visions.

The memory-altering “stitch” unlocked something in Alessa’s mind, and now she can’t shake the constant flood of alien feelings ransacking her emotions. Haunting memories of an old flame are driving a deep and painful rift into her once-secure relationship. And a series of staggering revelations about the treacherous Engineers – and the bone-chilling deceit shrouding her world’s sorry history – will soon leave Alessa reeling…

The second installment in the electrifying Stitch Trilogy, Shudder follows Samantha Durante’s shocking and innovative debut with a heart-pounding, paranormal-dusted dystopian adventure sure to keep the pages turning.

Book Review: Shudder

Shudder

By:  Samantha Durante

Publish Date:  June 15, 2013

Format:  Paperback 335pgs, tradesize

Genre:  YA Science Fiction/Dystopian

Series:  2nd in Stitch series; 1st Book ~ Stitch

Recommendation:  To continue in an interesting and changing Young Adult Dystopian world.

Synopsis:
It's only been three days, and already everything is different.

Paragon is behind her, but somehow Alessa's life may actually have gotten worse. In a wrenching twist of fate, she traded the safety and companionship of her sister for that of her true love, losing a vital partner she'd counted on for the ordeal ahead. Her comfortable university life is but a distant memory, as she faces the prospect of surviving a bleak winter on the meager remains of a ravaged world. And if she'd thought she'd tasted fear upon seeing a ghost, she was wrong; now she's discovering new depths of terror while being hunted by a deadly virus and a terrifying pack of superhuman creatures thirsting for blood.

And then there are the visions.

The memory-altering "stitch" unlocked something in Alessa's mind, and now she can't shake the constant flood of alien feelings ransacking her emotions. Haunting memories of an old flame are driving a deep and painful rift into her once-secure relationship. And a series of staggering revelations about the treacherous Engineers - and the bone-chilling deceit shrouding her world's sorry history - will soon leave Alessa reeling...

The second installment in the electrifying Stitch Trilogy, Shudder follows Samantha Durante's shocking and innovative debut with a heart-pounding, paranormal-dusted dystopian adventure sure to keep the pages turning.

First Sentence:
The General slammed his fist on the table, the noise reverberating through the large room.

Purchase At:
Amazon   /   Barnes & Nobles

**I read this for an honest review, from the author.

My Thoughts and Summary:
It's a cold and snowing winter as Alessa and Isaac work to survive outside of Paragon on their mission days after their dangerous escape.  Alessa and Isaac are searching the frozen, snow covered land for the right place for the Rebel's to take up command post.  A Base.  Something strange is following and watching Alessa and Isaac.  Alessa is also coming face to face with something new to her as well, glimpses of the past - other peoples pasts.  She can feel and see the last thoughts of those who have passed.  Alessa even comes to realize she can feel the creatures stalking them, emotions.  There are strange new things in the world, and where they are coming from, no one knows.

We start right where Stitch left off, but in a meeting of those who created this life structure.  There is more behind what they've done, a reason, but I don't know what that is yet.  We learn a great deal of their workings in this second book.  This book teaches a great deal about those who created Paragon, the Engineers, and why they are all here.

The last hundred pages are wonderful, and well connected with great leads from one point to the next.  Before that, I felt like there were abrupt lead ins that told us what was coming next and what was going to happen before it happened.  There could have been smoother transitions.  I do have one small pet peeve.  Many probably won't even buck at it.  Hyphens.  They are strongly used, overuse for me.  I would have used commas or created new sentences.  But that is just a pet peeve of my own.

I really enjoy the story idea and where Samantha takes what happens and changes things here to create her world.  I do get a feel of Hunger Games from some of it, but without the games part.  There are many things that are new to us in this book.  Alessa and her feelings are completely new in this book.  Along with the dangers of the stitch done to people.  And we learn of the history.

We learn a great many things of the world history.  The bombs, the impact of the bombs, the war, and the plague that infected almost all of the human race that lived through the bombs.  Even the stories of how our characters got to Paragon along with how Paragon was created.

We read from Alessa's and Isaac's point of views again.  We also get to hear from Nikhil and another female the Engineers (creators of Paragon) call Phoenix.  By doing this, boy do we learn a great deal.  And get a bit closer to Nikhil as well.

Throwback Thursday (125)

I found this picture of Trinity College Library, and thought it would work for this meme with a little play with lighting and adding the words.

Let's talk about those books already on the shelves, yours or the stores.

I have a post for books I'm looking forward to coming out;

Looking Forward To...

But what about all those wonderful books that are ALREADY on the shelves.

Whether it be on your shelf waiting to be read or on the shelves in the stores waiting for you to give it a good home.

So, I thought I would share a book a week that is just waiting for me to travel through it's world.

Now... where do I start? Lets go by Published Date on the books...

This Week:

I picked this one up because I liked the sound of a twist to a classic, Alice in Wonderland.  But I've not got to it yet. *sigh*

Goodreads Synopsis:

Alyss of Wonderland?
When Alyss Heart, heir to the Wonderland throne, must flee through the Pool of Tears to escape the murderous aunt Redd, she finds herself lost and alone in Victorian London. Befriended by an aspiring author named Lewis Carrol, Alyss tells the violent, heartbreaking story of her young life. Alyss trusts this author to tell the truth so that someone, somewhere will find her and bring her home. But he gets the story all wrong. He even spells her name incorrectly!

Fortunately, Royal Bodyguard Hatter Madigan knows all too well the awful truth of Alyss' story and he is searching every corner of our world to find the lost princess and return her to Wonderland so she may eventually battle Redd for her rightful place as the Queen of Hearts.

The Looking Glass Wars unabashedly challenges our Wonderland assumptions surrounding mad tea parties, grinning Cheshire cats, and a curious little blond girl to reveal an epic battle in the endless war for Imagination.

I've heard back from a few bloggers that they would like to join in this meme post, so I'm adding a Linky for you to join in.  Grab the picture above, and join in.  All I ask, is if you can acknowledge my blog in the post so others know where to come back to 

Book Review: Promise of Blood

Promise of Blood

By:  Brian McClellan

Publish Date:  April 16, 2013

Format:  Hardback print 545pgs

Genre:  Fantasy

Series:  1st in The Powder Mage trilogy

Recommendation:  Hell ya!  This is my kind of fantasy, nonstop.  I recommend to fans of Brandon Sanderson & Ken Scholes.

Synopsis:
The Age of Kings is dead...and I have killed it.

It's a bloody business overthrowing a king...
Field Marshal Tamas' coup against his king sent corrupt aristocrats to the guillotine and brought bread to the starving.  But it also provoked war with the Nine Nations, internal attacks by royalist fanatics, and the greedy to scramble for money and power by Tamas's supposed allies: the Church, workers unions, and mercenary forces.
It's up to a few...
Stretched to his limit, Tamas is relying heavily on his few remaining powder mages, including the embittered Taniel, a brilliant marksman who also happens to be his estranged son, and Adamat, a retired police inspector whose loyalty is being tested by blackmail.

But when gods are involved...
Now, as attacks batter them from within and without, the credulous are whispering about omens of death and destruction.  Just old peasant legends about the gods waking to walk the earth.  No modern educated man believes that sort of thing.  But they should...

First Sentence:
Adamat wore his coat tight, top buttons fastened against a wet night air that seemed to want to drown him.

Purchase At:
Amazon   /   Barnes & Nobles   /   Book Depository

**I requested this one from the publisher for an honest review because it sounded like my kind of fantasy.

My Thoughts and Summary:
There is someone after the man who lead the rebellion against the King and Adamat is hired to investigate who along with other information Tamas is looking for.

Adamat is summoned to the King, before morning light, to find the copious number of lanterns taxed paid for - out.  Darkness surrounds the palace also lacking the forever present guards.  With each step, his suspicions rise of what may have happened.  Adamat is summoned by the Field Marshal for his known investigation skills when he was on the police force, to ask to investigate now.  A coup meant to help the poor people of Adro, but the panic spreads with news of the King falling, even if he was a broken king with only debts remaining.  There are always different groups of loyalty in a kingdom, some now wage war for their now lost king and slaughtered nobility.  The city's divided.  The information Adamat needs - about Kresimir's Promise - is missing from every book in the city after he's found ways into the opposing Royalists.  Now he needs to travel to talk to the one remaining Privileged, who also now has a mark on his head.  But what those at work for the people don't know, could kill them all.

We learn right away why and who overthrew the King.  But there was mor in the works as well that muddy up the outcome of the land.  With each page the story grows deeper, the world sharper and bigger, the magics defined.  This is how fantasy is done.  Everything with each word and interest is held with whats to come.

We have four Point Of Views we follow.  Neat having a mystery investigation going on while a war as well.  We get all seats as the reader on the war front, in the investigation, the Royalist, and the man who lead the coup.  Adamat, the investigator looking to get us the history information and also a few possible leads on who's behind the troubles from another kingdom as trouble finds him.  Tamas, the Field marshal who set the coup in motion.  Taniel, Tamas's son and weapon.  Nila, a wash maid who has found herself with one child who's to be dead with the rest of the nobility.

The magic is catching here.  I love the feel with the powder mages and their ability to take powders to influence powder and bullets.  The key - gun powder.  But it's neat.  There are different magics here as well.  The Privileged are an interesting group that we constantly learn secrets from and of another mysterious group. The Privileged seem to be at odds with the powder mages and a bit on the opposite realm of magic.  They have what feels as traditional magic in terms of fantasy and gods.  Then there is the gods that left the world as well.  There was a strong magic there.

The story.  I'm stuck on the idea.  the man who kills the king and any chance of distant heirs for the good of the people.  Only to still have people loyal to the kings line and an even stronger reason for why the Kings line has been here since the beginning of time.  For me this story showed a side we don't always see and I enjoyed it.  I can see the right and wrongs in what is being done, but as a reader I'm seeing both sides of the story.  The characters aren't.  And this makes a grey line that is amazing to follow.  I think this is the part that made the story all that much sweeter for me to read.  By the end, we learn what the truth of the world is with their gods.  And it could create more issues and troubles than any had ever imagined.

What happens after the King and nobles are overthrown? This is it! Loved the feel of different magics and gods here. Loved the fantasy action and wars. This is highly suggested to fans of Brandon Sanderson and Ken Scholes. This is another amazing story of the fantasy I love, and how it's done.

Are the Gods and the stories real?  I love what Tamas learns, and means troubles for him and the world - to come.  Ooooo to see what's to come!!

Who? What? Where? (124)

Who are you with? Where are you at? What's happening?

Share with us just a little bit of what is happening in the book you are reading, right where you are now.

Just a tiny taste of what's happening, remember try to not give spoilers of the book.

his is a new meme I'm going to try and will tweak as I go. And please don't laugh at my lame attempt at drawing. ;D )


Since my husband had me digging a ditch and building a wall all weekend, I'm still in the same book from last week.

This Week:

I'm with Alessa holding Isaac.  He's not doing so well.  But there are things outside the tent moving as well.  Creatures that have been following us?  Even attacked us?  Or just the winter wind playing?  I'm not sure.  I have a feeling that in this abandoned sick world, there could be some strange help to show up.  But Alessa and I are thinking of the path she will follow next.

Shudder
By:  Samantha Durante

Others have shown interest in joining in this post, and linking up.  So I've created a linky for that.
My only requests; copy the picture to use, and link back to My World...in words and pages.
Please visit any joining in.
Thank you!

Teaser Tuesday (173)

Teaser Tuesday

is a weekly event

Sponsored by MizB of Should be Reading

Here's how it works:

Grab the book you are currently reading (anything at all)

Open the book to any random page.

Share 2 teaser sentences from anywhere on the page

Please Make Sure They Are Not Spoilers!

(Don't Give Too Much Away)

Just enough to pique our interests

This Week:

Melissa's Read:

Another round of snarls rose up from beyond the fence - their pursuers had rounded the corner  "Get in," Issac commanded. Alessa didn't hesitate - she tossed her pack in and vaulted over the side of the dumpster, landing inside with a thud.

Shudder
By:  Samantha Durante
66 pg




This is the second book in this YA Dystopian read.  If you are curious about the first:

Mythical Monday (23)

It seems there are many books based on or influenced by Myths and Mythological Beings.

There are so many different Mythology and Mythological Beings recorded. Some are very popular and well known, others not so much. There are many similar beings, yet different depending on the culture it’s based in.  The definition of Myth covers about anything in the Urban Fantasy/Fantasy realm to me.

I’ve invited authors to share briefly the Mythological being or Myth that influenced their character(s) or story, or what their character(s) are based on influencing their books.  Hosting here, one author and being or myth per week.

This week we have:

Fantasy author Tim Pratt

Talking of Angels.

When I studied folklore in college, I learned that technically "myth" doesn't mean "something imaginary" or "a lie" or "something people from an extinct culture used to believe." A myth is a sacred story -- a narrative that a people use to explain how the world was made and how humanity rose up, developed, and reached its present circumstances. So I hope it doesn't offend anyone that the mythical creature I'm writing about today is one many living people still believe in: angels.

But, oh, there are so many kinds of angels. There's a modern notion of angels as humans who've died and become something greater in the afterlife, and it's a lovely idea, but the older versions of angels have always been more interesting to me. In the ancient Judaic and Islamic traditions, angels are frightening, strange, and powerful. They are messengers of God, created to serve but with the capacity to rebel -- though perhaps not with the same quantity of free will given to humans. Some of them act almost as small gods themselves, given dominion over particular parts of the world -- frost, flowers, the north wind. And of course in later traditions angels have the capacity to fall, and oppose the god who made them. There's an Islamic depiction of angels who have 700,000 heads, and on each head 700,000 faces, and in each face 700,000 mouths, and in each mouth 700,000 tongues, each capable of speaking a different language; oh, and they had 700,000 wings each, too. Like Rilke said -- "Every angel is terrifying."

My collection "Antiquities and Tangibles and Other Stories" has a story called "Luminous," set in a world where there are rogue angels -- wild, feral angels -- who sometimes attack people and bite them. They might be fallen angels, or on an unknown mission, or something else. The story is related to a poem I wrote, "Angel Bites," which you can read here:

http://www.strangehorizons.com/2003/20031027/angel_bites.shtml .

In my poem and story, those bitten by angels are changed, in unpredictable ways, by the teeth of the not-quite-divine. (Humans are always changed by interactions with angels, whether they're given life-altering news or engaged in a wrestling match.) It's not exactly a reverent idea of angels, I'll grant you, but it respects the power of the beings. In my story, a husband-and-wife burglary team have their lives changed (and nearly ruined) when the wife is bitten, and begins to shine with the terrible, blinding light of an angel. It's hard to be a cat burglar when you're shining as bright as the sun. But they're clever people, so they work something out...

If you want to learn more about angels, like the name of the angel who put the serpent in the Garden of Eden (Pistis Sophia) or the angel who hardened Pharaoh's heart (Mastema), or about how "Satan" was originally a job description for loyal angels and not an individual fallen angel, and where Dante and Milton got their idea that Lucifer was the Devil, I heartily recommend Gustav Davidson's A Dictionary of Angels, Including the Fallen Angels. Just paging through it will fill your mind with wonders, and there's an extensive bibliography if you want to dig deeper into angelic lore.

Find Tim:
Site:  Tim Pratt SF and Fantasy Writer
Twitter:  @timpratt

Sunday Post #24

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share new about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

~~~~~~~~~~

I might be getting back to some sort of schedule here.  Back to normalcy.  But I still have so much to catch up on.  I was hoping to get through my emails and a good bit of reading done this weekend...ha, I ended up putting the top coat on our blacktop driveway.  Yea, I did.  And then County Fair.  So Saturday was a lost day to me.

I'm hoping to get one night this week that I won't do any blog visiting but try to get some stuff done around here.  I've got lots of posts started that need finished and links updated then there's the emails I need to respond too.  Lots to keep the blog up and going.  But, I think once I get caught up, I'll be good.  It's just going to take a lot of work to GET caught up again.  *sigh*

What's Happening in Books:

Current Read:
After finish beta read,
Shudder by Samantha Durante

Double Share by Nathan Lowell - a podcast reading of the book, I'll start listening to while at work

Finished Last Week:
Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

Half Share by Nathan Lowell - a podcast reading of the book. (while at work I'm listening)
Full Share by Natahn Lowell

Finished Podcast Book Listen:
I haven't got to the Podcasts yet.  I will, they are lining up on me.

~~~~~~~~~~

Last Week on the Blog:

Author guest post by Kate SeRine - Adding Mystery to the Mix - with author giveaway!

Cover Reveals: (click titles to go to post & learn more)

Blood and Iron by Jon Sprunk

Requiem For the Dead by Kelly Meding

Reviews:
Book Review:
Along Came A Spider by Kate SeRine

GIVEAWAYS:

None this week.

Weekly Posts:

***NEW*** Mythical Monday - Frances Pauli talking of Kelpies.
Teaser Tuesday
Who? What? Where? Wend.
Throwback Thursday
Looking Forward To...
Freebies and Deals, on Nook too

~~~~~~~~~~

This Week to Come on the Blog:

Guest post by Samantha Durante on Friday and a review of Shudder, the second book in her series.

And I'm hoping things to calm a bit so I can take a night and get some blog stuff straight and finished. *sigh*

~~~~~~~~~~

Received Last Week:

Review:

Dogs of War: Vertigo by Frances Pauli
Goodreads Synopsis:
A modern day accountant with a level head and her feet firmly planted in ordinary reality, Genevieve doesn’t believe in past lives, demons or true love. All of which seems like a perfectly practical approach to life until the thing that killed her in WWI decides it’s time to try again… 

Genevieve Oliver doesn’t break the law. She doesn’t take risks, and she definitely doesn’t believe in anything weird. So getting pulled over for speeding on the way to pick up her new dog wasn’t exactly on her to do list. Even more surprising, the cop who shows up at her window seems familiar. She’s never seen him before, and yet, just looking at the man makes her want to cry. But Viv has her head on straight. She shakes off the encounter and heads to the dog breeder only to have an old magazine photo trigger a full blown, past life flashback. Not only do the soldiers in the picture look like her and her mysterious cop, she remembers them, a memory that holds as much danger as it does passion.

Now Viv is bouncing between two lives and being stalked by something evil in both of them. As the love story of two soldiers unfolds, her own heart opens for a man who may not even be available. Not that she has time to worry about minor details. If she can’t figure out the demon’s identity fast, Viv could lose more than just her life. She could lose everything she never believed in.

From NetGalley:

Cold Blooded by Amanda Carlson
Goodreads Synopsis:
Jessica arrives back in town to find her best friend missing and the most powerful witch in the country is blaming her for it. But before they can move to save her, the group is attacked.

On the run, Jessica and Rourke head to the mountains. Several surprises await them, but in order to save her father they are forced to leave for New Orleans early.

Arriving on the Vampire Queen's doorstep unexpectedly, and bringing trouble on their heels, the Sects are thrown into an all out war. The vicious
skirmish ends up forcing the vamps and Jessica to fight on the same team.

The Vamp Queen ends up owing Jessica, but what Jessica doesn't realize is just how soon she'll have to cash it in...

Purchased/Winnings/Gifts:

Nothing! I did get a new shelf set though.



Free Ebooks:

Fairy Metal Thunder by J.L. Bryan
Amazon Synopsis:
Special double feature edition! For a limited time, this ebook includes both Fairy Metal Thunder and Fairy Blues (Songs of Magic, Book 1 and 2). Get both for one low price!

Fairy Metal Thunder:

A rock & roll fairy tale.

Jason Becker plays guitar in a small-town garage band called the Assorted Zebras, along with a few other kids from his school.  Unfortunately, they have no fans, no gigs, and they're going nowhere. Then Jason catches a goblin robbing his house, and he chases the little green thief to creepy old Mrs. Dullahan's overgrown back yard, where he discovers that the miniature doors in her trees lead deep into the fairy world.

Jason returns with fairy instruments that transform the band's sound into powerful, enchanting music. Soon, the Zebras are drawing huge crowds, but they discover their new gear is brimming with destructive magic they can't control. 

Their shortcut to success turns Jason and his friends into enemies of the treacherous Queen Mab, who wants to keep the fairy world secret from humans. She sends magical hunters to track them down, including one of the most dangerous horned creatures in Faerie...a small unicorn named Buttercake.

Fairy Blues:

With their enchanted instruments charming the crowds, the Assorted Zebras attract interest from record producers, and soon they're off to cut their first album and music video. Jason and his friends don't know they've just become pawns in a sinister plot by a cabal of evil fairies...

Meanwhile, Aoide and her band pursue a new strategy for regaining their stolen instruments, one that will take them into the most haunted region in Faerie.


Discover the magical world of the Songs of Magic series today!

~~~~~~~~~~

Reviews in the Works:

The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan
The Rose and the Thorn by Michael J. Sullivan

Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan

Dragonsoul by Philippa Ballantine
Into Darkness by S.A. Archer & S. Ravynheart

Requiem by Ken Scholes

Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell

Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

Half Share by Nathan Lowell - a podcast reading of the book

Full Share by Nathan Lowell