Teaser Tuesdays - From Beltane Magic by Jacqueline Paige

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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From Beltane Magic (The Magic Seasons series)

Summary from Goodreads:

A serene woman who calls to the elements with a thought. A man of youthful charm who carries healing in his touch. Both vowed to spend their lives alone and safe, until they’re brought together by the touch of Beltane magic. Can they survive their pasts to be together as they struggle to find a killer before the wheel turns again?

Teaser:

"She walked to one end and pulled the sheet back.  with a gasp, she stumbled back and covered her mouth."

I'm really enjoying this book so far!! Look forward to an interview with the author on April 16th!! What's your teaser today?

Interview & Giveaway with Dana Michelle Burnett author of Spiritus

Welcome & thank you so much for joining us today Dana!   

She is also offering an awesome giveaway so make sure that you read to the bottom!

(If you are on the home page and can't see the Giveaway either click on the post title or "read more" at the bottom to go to the individual post's page!)

1. Please start by telling us a little bit about yourself.  

I am a paranormal romance author of the Spiritus series.  I live in beautiful Southern Indiana and I am the proud dance mom (don’t believe what you see on television) to a beautiful daughter.

2. When did you know that you wanted to write professionally and how did you take the leap to get into the business?  

Even as a kid, I was making up stories and acting them out, so I think I always knew.  I wrote all through high school and became a guest columnist for my local newspaper right after graduation.  A few years later, I started submitting to literary magazines and enjoyed some success.

3. Can you tell me a little bit about Spiritus and what inspired it?

Spiritus is about a girl, Becca, that moves to Corydon Indiana.  She’s the typical new kid at school and, of course, has the hots for the most popular guy, but what really makes Becca special is that her new home is haunted by a ghost named Alastor.  Alastor believes that Becca is his dead wife reincarnated.  The real catch is that his wife is the one that killed him.  So is Alastor back for love or revenge?

4. What do you hope that readers take way with them after reading your book?  

I would hope that readers would question their own beliefs about the possibility of life after death.

5. I find it interesting to know what environment authors find most productive… Do you use a pen and paper or laptop? Quiet room at home or bustling café? Basically, what gets your creative juices flowing?

I tend to write everything out with pen and paper first.  I also don’t write in order, I write whatever I feel most strongly about at that moment.  I can write anywhere, quiet or loud, which helps me since I’m often doing it while waiting for my daughter to get out of rehearsals.

6. What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

The toughest criticism came from my first reader, which surprisingly is my mother.  She is often my toughest critic (no family loyalty there) and has told me a few times that something is just “crap” or “sucks”.  The best compliment came from a book reviewer and it was about Spiritus and how it made her cry.  You don’t get better than that!

7. What book is currently on your nightstand? And who are some of your favorite authors?

I’m really far behind in my reading, but right now I’m reading Shattered by Sophia Sharp.  I love Amanda Hocking’s books and anything by Anne Rice.  My all-time favorite though is Margaret Mitchell.

8. What do you like to do when you're not writing? 

I’m a dance competition junkie and love seeing my daughter compete.  I also love gardening and watching movies.

9. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

My advice is always the same:  Read a lot and write a lot.  In my opinion, that’s the only way to become a successful writer.

10. What can we expect from you next?

Well, book#2 in the Spiritus series will be out very soon.  I’m hoping to finish up book#3 by fall and then I have a few ideas floating around in my head that might see the light of day in time for Christmas.

And now for a little bit of fun:)  This or That?  

Coffee or Tea?  Coffee
Sweet or Salty?   Sweet
Beach or Lake?  Beach
Winter or Summer? Summer
Cats or Dogs?  Dogs
Zombies or Vampires?  Vampires
Country or City?  Country
Shower or Bath?   Bath
Morning or Evening? Evening
M&Ms or Skittles? Skittles
Trains or Planes? Planes
Comedy or Drama?  Drama

The Book:

When Becca moves into her ancestral home in Corydon, Indiana, her life takes a puzzling and thrilling turn when she meets the ghost haunting the halls. As the seductive spirit lures her closer and closer, she learns about her own past and starts to understand that some mistakes are meant to last.  

Becca McAllister has always been different from other girls her age. Never part of the "in crowd", Becca never really fit in anywhere. When her mother dies and her father moves them to the small town of Corydon, Indiana, Becca didn't expect things to change.

But things do change when Becca accidentally makes contact with a one hundred and sixty year old ghost, Alastor Sinclair, that haunts the halls of her new home. 


 To Becca, Alastor is a seductive spirit that seems to see straight into her soul. To Alastor, Becca is what he was waited a century for--A second chance. 


 But the closer they get, the more Becca realizes that this isn't the first time she and Alastor have known each other. Worse still, is she the one responsible for his death so long ago? And if so, did he come back for love or revenge?

The Author:

Dana Michelle Burnett spent most of her life writing short stories and sharing them with family and friends. Over the years, her work was published in numerous commercial and literary magazines including Just Labs, Mindprints: A Literary Journal, Foliate Oak, and many more.  Her short story John Lennon and the Chicken Holocaust was included in The Best of Foliate Oak in 2006.  Her literary novel, Ghost Country, was published in 2010.  The romance novel, Two Out of Three, followed in 2011.  Spiritus is the first book in her new paranormal romance series by the same name.

Connect with Dana:  Website | Facebook | Twitter

Find Spiritus: Goodreads | Amazon | BN 

The Giveaway:

Dana has been kind enough to offer a print of her book Spiritus to a lucky winner:)  Make sure that you answer her question in the comments below and then fill out the rafflecopter!

Dana's Question:

What's your favorite ghost story?

Cover Reveal: Greta and the Goblin King

Blurb:

While trying to save her brother four years ago, Greta was thrown into the witch’s fire herself, falling through a portal to a dangerous world where humans are the enemy, and every ogre, goblin, and ghoul has a dark side that comes out with the full moon.

To survive, seventeen-year-old Greta has hidden her humanity and taken the job of bounty hunter—and she’s good at what she does. So good, she’s caught the attention of Mylena’s young Goblin King, the darkly enticing Isaac, who invades her dreams and undermines her determination to escape.

But Greta’s not the only one looking to get out of Mylena. The full moon is mere days away, and an ancient evil knows she’s the key to opening the portal. If Greta fails, she and the lost boys of Mylena will die. If she succeeds, no world will be safe from what follows her back…

About the Author:

Chloe Jacobs is a native of nowhere and everywhere, having jumped around to practically every Province of Canada before finally settling in Ontario where she has now been living for a respectable number of years. Her husband and son are the two best people in the entire world, but they also make her wish she'd at least gotten a female cat. No such luck. And although the day job keeps her busy, she carves out as much time as possible to write. Bringing new characters to life and finding out what makes them tick and how badly she can make them suffer is one of her greatest pleasures, almost better than chocolate and fuzzy pink bunny slippers.

Greta and the Goblin King releases on November 13, 2012.

Find Chloe: Website | Facebook | Twitter
Find Entangled: Goodreads  | BN 

Cover Reveal & Trailer Sneak Peek for Duplicity

I am thrilled that Nikki has included me in this reveal!! (Yes, I am going to build up the suspense by talking a bit first! )  If you haven't read Entangled (Spellbound Book #1) - Go Read It!  It is awesome!  And it also counts for my Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge.  

Check out my Review of Entangled Here and my Interview with the lovely Nikki Jefford Here where you can also watch the trailer for book I.

Anyway, I am in love with this new cover.  

Take a look and tell me what you think...

Here's a reminder of the first novel's cover:

 I love the continuity...It looks like the same model (or at least a very similar looking one) and she's holding a another flower of a different type.  The cool blue tones of the first novel Entangled have become a lovely shade of green in Duplicity.  The lettering locations and fonts are the same as well...all perfect!!!

Check out the trailer for Duplicity too!

Find Nikki: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Find Entangled: Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Smashwords 

In My Mailbox - 4-8-12

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created by The Story Siren to share whatever books and bookish goodies that you've bought, borrowed, won, or been gifted and have thus entered your home the previous week. You can show off books that you are excited about and it's also a great opportunity to showcase books that you may not actually have the time to read or review.

Added to my Bookshelf for Pleasure:

The Survival Kit - Donna Freitas

When Rose’s mom dies, she leaves behind a brown paper bag labeled Rose’s Survival Kit. Inside the bag, Rose finds an iPod, with a to-be-determined playlist; a picture of peonies, for growing; a crystal heart, for loving; a paper star, for making a wish; and a  paper kite, for letting go.

As Rose ponders the meaning of each item, she finds herself returning again and again to an unexpected source of comfort. Will is her family’s gardener, the school hockey star, and the only person who really understands what she’s going through. Can loss lead to love?

Added to my Bookshelf for Review:

Fated - Alyson Noel

Lately strange things have been happening to Daire Santos. Animals follow her, crows mock her, and glowing people appear out of nowhere. Worried that Daire is having a nervous breakdown, her mother packs her off to stay in the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico with a grandmother she’s never met. 

There she crosses paths with Dace, a gorgeous guy with unearthly blue eyes who she’s encountered before...but only in her dreams. And she’ll get to know her grandmother—a woman who recognizes Daire’s bizarre episodes for what they are. A call to her true destiny as a Soul Seeker, one who can navigate between the worlds of the living and the dead. Her grandmother immediately begins teaching her to harness her powers—but it’s an art that must be mastered quickly. Because Dace’s brother is an evil shape-shifter who’s out to steal her powers. Now Daire must embrace her fate as a Soul Seeker and find out if Dace is one guy she’s meant to be with...or if he’s allied with the enemy she’s destined to destroy.

Added to my nook for Pleasure:

The Catastrophic History of You and Me - Jess Rothenberg

Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever. 

BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally. 

But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after. 

With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

Added to my Nook for Review:

Night Sky - Jolene Perry

Girl I’ve loved, girl I’m falling for. Now that they’re both in view, the problem is clear. 

After losing Sarah, the friend he’s loved, to some other guy, Jameson meets Sky. Her Native American roots, fluid movements, and need for brutal honesty become addictive fast. This is good. Jameson needs distraction – his dad leaves for another woman, his mom’s walking around like a zombie, and Sarah’s new boyfriend can’t keep his hands off of her. 

As he spends time with Sky and learns about her village, her totems, and her friends with drums - she's way more than distraction. Jameson's falling for her fast. 

But Sky’s need for honesty somehow doesn’t extend to her life story – and Jameson just may need more than his new girl to keep him distracted from the disaster of his senior year.

Interview & Giveaway: Bri Clark Author of the Familial Witch Series

I am happy to have Bri Clark here today to chat with me:)  She is also offering an awesome giveaway so make sure that you read to the bottom!

(If you are on the home page and can't see the Giveaway either click on the post title or "read more" at the bottom to go to the individual post's page!) 

1) Welcome Bri:) Thanks for joining us!

  Hun you are most welcome.

2) Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

 I'm a southern belle transplanted to Boise ID. After moving here I got the nickname "The Belle of Boise". I ended up building my whole platform around it. I'm a reviewer, author, speaker, literary strategist, mother, wife, sassafrass...

3) Can you tell me a little bit about The Familial Witch and what inspired it? 

 That's a great story in that. I wrote another novel and was doing some character building with nothing I planned on publishing and bomb I started a whole new series. Initially, Aisleen was a banshee who had been raped and was just plain pissed. Now she is this witch with unending kindness even for her greatest enemy.

4) What do you hope that readers take way with them after reading your book? 

 The Familial Witch is a novella. I have a pattern of starting new series with novellas for two reason.
        A. I am a woman with an appetite. Therefore, appetizers are always my favorite. I want to whet the readers palette with a taste of this new creation I've concocted.
        B. Reader reaction is how I measure what is right and wrong in story. While I do let the characters create the novel it's important to know what the readers are connecting with...what they feel passionate about. Whether they hate the villain or think the heorine is too weak. This guides for the rest of the series.

5) I find it interesting to know what environment authors find most productive… Do you use a pen and paper or laptop? Quiet room at home or bustling café? Basically, what gets your creative juices flowing?

 I do not write in novels daily. Sometimes not for weeks. However, I'm a constant blogger, plotter and reader. When sit down to write it's usually on my bed on my laptop and 8 hours later I'll have 10,000 words.

6) What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment? The best compliment are my reviews. The worst criticism was from my sister in law. She just chewed up my grammar. Now granted it wasn't in a novel it was a blog post I had done but she really hurt my feelings in a very public way. I need editors. I never dreamed I didn't.

7) What book is currently on your nightstand? And who are some of your favorite authors?

 Stephanie Laurens, Hannah Howell, Jeanine Frost, Right now theres about 200 in my Kindle and 4 paperback of Hannah Howell's Wherelock series.

8) What do you like to do when you're not writing? 

 Reading. I'm a damn ferocious reader.

9) Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? 

 The best thing you can do for you career is right a shit load of books. Backlist baby backlist

10) What can we expect from you next? 

 The Eternal Witch release in a few months and it's a full length novel sequel to The Familial Witch.

The Book:

Lucien Lemione the clan leader of the feared and revered Eternals is faced with the ultimate betrayal. His second in command for two centuries has not only created the most grievous of offenses but also commissioned the creation of liquid silver. When poisoned by this toxin, an immortal suffers a fate much worse than death, frozen in an internal prison. After being wounded when found spying, he hides deep within the eerie woods that encircle the Triad Mountains. Desperate and in pain, he prays to an offended mother goddess for help. Her answer: a woman, but not just any woman. A witch. 

After losing her entire coven at the hands of the Eternals, Aisleen is the last of her kind. She retreats from the world to Trinity Forest where she is giving the opportunity of a lifetime, or perhaps a test of principles. It’s there she discovers the man she heals is the Eternal that wiped out her people. Although she is bound as a healer, she could be creative in her revenge. Aisleen knows who and what Lucien his…but does not speak of it. There can be no future with Lucien for she can only be with a mortal man. Even if she wanted to be with him, can she forgive the man that caused the genocide of her people? 

Lucien must act quickly for the survival of his clan is at stake. However, Aisleen’s ethereal beauty and emerald eyes keep pushing those thoughts far from his mind. Determined to find out what secret she hides, he prolongs his time with her. When his people need him most what will he choose…duty, desire, or will he make his own fate? 

You can choose love but you can’t choose destiny.

The Author:

Bri Clark is a real example of redemption and renewal.  Growing penniless in the South, Bri learned street smarts while caring for her brother in a broken home.  She watched her mother work several jobs to care for their small family.  Once her brother could fend for himself, Bri moved on to a series of bad choices including leaving school and living on her own.

Rebelliousness was a strong understatement to describe those formative years.  As a teenager, her wakeup call came from a fight with brass knuckles and a judge that gave her a choice of shaping up or spending time in jail.  She took that opportunity and found a way to moved up from the streets.  She ended up co-owning an extremely successful construction business.  She lived the high life until the real estate crash when she lost everything.

She moved west and found herself living with her husband and 4 kids in a 900 square foot apartment.  She now fills her time, writing, blogging, leading a group of frugal shoppers and sharing her southern culture.  Her unique background gives her writing a raw sensibility.  She understands what it takes to overcome life’s obstacles.   She often tells friends, “I can do poor.  I’m good at poor. It’s prosperity that I’m not used to.”

Bri and her husband Chris live in Boise.  Bri is known as the Belle of Boise for her true southern accent, bold demeanor and hospitable nature.

Bri boasts several positions in the publishing industry. An author, professional reviewer, blogger, and literary strategist she enjoys all aspects of her career from the creation of story to the branding and marketing needed to make her books successful.

Connect with Bri:  Website | Facebook | Twitter

Find The Familial Witch: Goodreads | Amazon | BN 

The Giveaway:

Bri has been kind enough to offer up an Ebook copy of the Familial Witch and an ARC in a few weeks of The Eternal Witch! Both go to one lucky winner! Giveaway ends April 9th! 

Giveaway: ARC of Illusion by Frank Peretti

Thanks to Simon & Schuster-Howard Books I have an extra ARC of this wonderful book to give away!

(If you are on the home page and can't see the Rafflecopter either click on the post title or "read more" at the bottom to go to the individual post's page so you can see the widget!) 

Summary (from GoodReads):
Dane and Mandy, a popular magic act for forty years, are tragically separated by a car wreck that claims Mandy’s life—or so everyone thinks. Even as Dane mourns and tries to rebuild his life without her, Mandy, supposedly dead, awakes in the present as the nineteen-year-old she was in 1970. Distraught and disoriented in what to her is the future, she is confined to a mental ward until she discovers a magical ability to pass invisibly through time and space to escape. Alone in a strange world, she uses her mysterious powers to eke out a living, performing magic on the streets and in a quaint coffee shop. 
Hoping to discover an exciting new talent, Dane ventures into the coffee shop and is transfixed by the magic he sees, illusions that even he, a seasoned professional, cannot explain. But more than anything, he is emotionally devastated by this teenager who has never met him, doesn’t know him, is certainly not in love with him, but is in every respect identical to the young beauty he first met and married some forty years earlier. 
They begin a furtive relationship as mentor and protégée, but even as Dane tries to sort out who she really is and she tries to understand why she is drawn to him, they are watched by secretive interests who not only possess the answers to Mandy’s powers and misplacement in time but also the roguish ability to decide what will become of her.

How to enter:

1. You must use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter this giveaway. 
2. You must follow via GFC & Comment on the review for the initial entries.  Additional options may be chosen for extra entries. You may choose one option or all options of the extra options. Each option is worth one entry into the giveaway. 
3. For each option you choose to enter with, click on “CLICK FOR INSTRUCTIONS” FIRST, follow the instructions, then click on “I DID THIS” and fill out the required information. 
4. The giveaway ends on April 19th at 11:59pm EST. 
5. At the conclusion of the giveaway, I will verify all entries. 
6. Once the verification process is complete, I will use the Rafflecopter widget to select the winner and contact her/him. 
7. The winner will have 48 hours from the notification email to respond with her/his full name, prize choice and mailing address. If I do not receive a response, the prize will be forfeited and another winner will be selected. Please be sure to check your spam filters! 
8.  This Contest is for US addresses only!    

Please make sure that you have read my Giveaway and Privacy Policies Here

Interview with Joshua Graham, Author of Beyond Justice

I am pleased to have Joshua Graham here today for a bit of a chat:)

      1.  Can you tell me a little bit about Beyond Justice and what inspired it?

BEYOND JUSTICE is a legal thriller with a supernatural twist.  Think of John Grisham and Stephen King teaming up to write a novel, and you’ve got Beyond Justice.  What inspired it was a sermon I’d heard about Dennis Rader, the BTK serial killer, and how he’d fooled everyone including the pastor of the church he attended.  The pastor had to deal with the issue of forgiveness when he decided to visit him in prison. I decided that I wanted to write a book that explored the limits of forgiveness.  Is there a limit to God’s forgiveness?  Is there anyone or anything that is absolutely unforgivable?

2. What do you hope that readers take way with them after reading your book?

I hope that my readers will find themselves challenged about forgiveness in their own lives.  I also wanted my readers to understand that there is always hope, no matter how dire a situation may be—that they must never give up.

3. I find it interesting to know what environment authors find most productive… Do you use a pen and paper or laptop? Quiet room at home or bustling café? Basically, what gets your creative juices flowing?

I write on a laptop, but I have an external keyboard, mouse, and monitor attached.

4. What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

The toughest criticism has been that my books have too much in the ways of faith and Christianity.  And at the same time, it’s been criticized for not being Christian enough.  Those are the two extremes and a very small minority of critics have voiced this opinion.  The greatest compliments I receive are that my book has somehow changed my readers’ lives.  I am always honored and blessed by emails that come to me telling me how they’ve been inspired and given new hope in their lives.  

5. What book is currently on your nightstand? And who are some of your favorite authors?

On my nightstand there is The Bible, Frank Peretti’s ILLUSION, Steve Berry’s THE COLUMBUS AFFAIR, and THE COMPLETE C.S. LEWIS SIGNATURE CLASSICS.

Hey! I just finished reading Illusion last week!  Thanks so much for chatting with me, Joshua!  :)

The Book: 

Genre:Adult, Suspense,Mystery,Thriller

Publisher: Dawn Treader Press

Publication Date: July 5, 2010

Pages: 448

THE DESCENT INTO HELL IS NOT ALWAYS VERTICAL… 

Sam Hudson, a reputable San Diego attorney, learns this when the authorities wrongfully convict him of the brutal rape and murder of his wife and daughter, and sends him to death row. There he awaits execution by lethal injection. 

If he survives that long. 

In prison, Sam fights for his life while his attorney works frantically on his appeal. It is then that he embraces the faith of his departed wife and begins to manifest supernatural abilities. Abilities which help him save lives– his own, those of his unlikely allies–and uncover the true killer’s identity, unlocking the door to his exoneration. 

Now a free man, Sam’s newfound faith confronts him with the most insurmountable challenge yet. A challenge beyond vengeance, beyond rage, beyond anything Sam believes himself capable of: to forgive the very man who murdered his family, according to his faith. But this endeavor reveals darker secrets than either Sam or the killer could ever have imagined. Secrets that hurtle them into a fateful collision course. 

BEYOND JUSTICE, a tale of loss, redemption, and the power of faith.

The Author:

Winner of the 2011 INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS, and Amazon.com #1 bestselling author Joshua Graham's Barnes & Noble #1 bestselling novel BEYOND JUSTICE is taking the world by storm, one reader at a time. Many of his readers blame him for sleepless nights, arriving to work late, neglected dishes and family members, and not allowing them to put the book down.

BEYOND JUSTICE, THE ACCIDENTAL EXORCIST, THE ACCIDENTAL HERO, THE ACCIDENTAL HEALER, and DEATH AND TAXES, have reached the top of multiple bestseller list on Barnes & Noble topping titles by John Grisham, Linda Fairstein, Scott Turrow and James Lee Burke, Ted Dekker and Steven James. Soaring to the top of the Barnes & Noble lists, BEYOND JUSTICE recently hit #1 in the Legal Thriller and Christian Thriller categories, topping by John Grisham, Joel C. Rosenberg, and Michael Connelly. It has also remained on the Amazon.com top 100 bestselling Kindle bestseller list months after its release.

Suspense Magazine listed BEYOND JUSTICE in its BEST OF 2010, alongside titles by Scott Turrow, Ted Dekker, Steven James and Brad Thor.

His short story THE DOOR'S OPEN won the HarperCollins Authonomy Competition (Christmas 2010.)

Find Joshua:  Website | Facebook | Twitter

Find Beyond Justice: Goodreads | Amazon | BN 

Book Review: 8 The Previously Untold Story of the Previously Unknown 8th Dwarf by Michael Mullin

8
Title: 8: The Previously Untold Story of the Previously Unknown 8th Dwarf
Author:  Michael Mullin               
Reading level:  YA/Adult
Genre:  FairyTale Retelling          
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone          
Source: Received from author in exchange for an honest review.

First Line:  "The stories we pass down from parent to child were once filled with darkness, but somehow turned mild."

Summary (from GoodReads):

Written in verse, this is the previously untold story of the previously unknown 8th dwarf, named Creepy. He is banished to the basement for being different and, well, weird. Yet he plays a vital - and of course previously unknown - role in the popular tale of Snow White (whose title character is an intruder Creepy refers to as "the Maid").

My Thoughts:

I hate to admit that I wasn't eagerly anticipating this read...I pushed it off on my TBR until I finally started feeling guilty, pulled it out, and quickly devoured this short tale told in all in rhyming verse. I had feared that the storytelling would be inhibited by the verse but it actually was very well done and enhanced the story.

 I loved the spin that Mike Mullin put on the classic tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  In his version we get to meet an 8th Dwarf who has been banished by the others to live beneath the floorboards of their cabin. His crime...apparently simply being different! Being a "moody" night owl with different interests garnered him the name Creepy and a berth in the basement. No socialization...meals passed to him through a hole in the door...one isn't surprised then at his interactions with "The Maid."

This short tale is definitely worth the read!  A charming bite sized twisted tale with an important social message about being an individual and the effects of being ostracized for it.

Was it worth my Time? 

Teaser Tuesdays - The Traitor’s Wife by Kathleen Kent

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Traitor's Wife: A Novel

Summary from Goodreads:

I'll not ask you to be mine ... I will never seek to blunt the fury in you, never, and will honour your will as my own. What say you? Can you be a soldier's wife? New England, 1673. Martha Allen, a young woman reviled by her family because of her refusal to marry, is packed off to be a servant in her cousin's home. She takes charge of the neglected household and annoys everyone around her - including a mysterious Welshman who works for the family, a man whose forceful nature matches her own. As they both gradually let their guard down, a fragile, uneasy friendship grows between the pair. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, a band of assassins, driven by the will of Charles II, charter a ship to the New World. They have a single aim: to capture Thomas Morgan, the killer of Charles I, and bring him back to London where he will face an excruciating death. The Royalists want to see his head on a spike outside the Tower of London. As Martha begins to fall for the tall Welshman, he reveals a little of his past. It soon becomes clear that his life is in grave danger. As the threat of the assassins grows closer, can Martha find it in herself to be a traitor's wife? 

Teaser:

"There was silence in the room for a few breaths until Patience, grabbing the mantel for balance, retched violently into the hearth.  After the spasms had passed, she took each child in hand and walked them back to the bedroom, firmly closing and latching the door behind her."

What's your teaser today?

Book Excerpt: Girl Unmoored by Jennifer Gooch

The Book:

Apron Bramhall has come unmoored. It’s 1985 and her mom has passed away, her evil stepmother is pregnant, and her best friend has traded her in for a newer model. Fortunately, she’s about to be saved by Jesus. Not that Jesus—the actor who plays him in Jesus Christ, Superstar. Apron is desperate to avoid the look-alike Mike (no one should look that much like Jesus unless they can perform a miracle or two), but suddenly he’s everywhere. Until one day, she’s stuck in church with him—of all places. And then something happens; Apron’s broken teenage heart blinks on for the first time since she’s been adrift. 

Mike and his grumpy boyfriend, Chad, offer her a summer job in their flower store and Apron’s world seems to calm. But when she uncovers Chad’s secret, coming of age becomes almost too much bear. She’s forced to see things the adults around her fail to—like what love really means and who is paying too much for it.

Excerpt Pg 188-189:

At first Rennie didn’t see Mike, or M, or me walking my bike. But when she turned to say something to her mother, her face lit up. “Hey!” she said waving to Mike. “Mike! Mike Weller!” and came running over.
Mike stopped and smiled, keeping a hand on M so she wouldn’t fall over. “Hey, Rennie,” he said.
Her face turned neon pink, you could tell she was flattered he remembered her name.
When Mr. and Mrs. Perry saw the three of us standing there, they started toward us too, dragging Eeebs along.
“Mom and Dad, this is the Jesus, remember?”
Mr. Perry said, “Oh, of course. Pleased to meet you,” and held out his hand. Then he nudged Eeebs to do the same. “This is my son, Ebert.”
“Nice to meet you,” Eeebs grumbled, shaking Mike’s hand.
But Mrs. Perry crossed her arms. “Weren’t you the one who delivered the flowers this morning?”
“Yes,” Mike answered. “That was me.”
“So how do you know Margie and Apron?” she asked through her tight mouth, looking over to me, standing on the other side of M.
“From Scent Appeal,” I answered, staring at Rennie. “That’s how we first became friends.”
“You’re Mike of the gays?” M asked, pulling her shoulder away from him. Her top lip was touching her pointy nose now.
Mr. Perry looked down, but Mrs. Perry kept staring at him with her arms crossed, and Eeebs looked horrified. I started to say something, but Mike’s glance told me not to. Then he turned to M and lifted up a smile like it was the heaviest thing in the world. “The very same,” he nodded.
M just stared, but Mrs. Perry uncrossed her arms and raised her eyebrows and said, “Well, I will say, you people certainly know your flowers.” And with that, she steered Eeebs away.
“And you have a great voice,” Rennie added, before following her mother.
“Yes,” Mr. Perry agreed. “We enjoyed the play.”
“Thanks,” Mike said. “Glad you could come.”
Mr. Perry lifted his hand in a wave and when he turned away with the rest of his family, we all saw it: Mrs. Perry leaning into Eeebs’s ear to whisper something, and Eeebs quickly wiping his hand on his pants. The one he had used to shake Mike’s hand.
I looked at Mike, still hanging on to that smile, but barely. “I hate those people,” I said through my teeth.
Mike dipped his head at me and said as sad as the bluebird sings, “Then the cycle continues, doesn’t it?”
Shame knocked the wind out of me. Not just for how much I hated the Perrys now, but for how much Mike didn’t.
M broke the moment with a cluck. “Such the waste,” she said, starting on her
crutches again, oblivious to what Eeebs and Mrs. Perry had just done. “You are too handsome for the boys.”
Mike grinned for real this time and started walking with her. “Well, if I had met you a little earlier things might have turned out differently.”
M looked at him with a big smile as a blush broke out on her face. And for the first time ever, I wanted to hug her.

The Author:

Jennifer Gooch Hummer has worked as a script analyst for various talent agencies and major film studios. Her short stories have been published in Miranda Magazine, Our Stories and Glimmertain. She has continued graduate studies in the Writer’s Program at UCLA, where she was nominated for the Kirkwood Prize in fiction. Currently, Jennifer lives in Southern California and Maine with her husband and their three daughters. Girl Unmoored is her first novel.

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