Thursday, October 31, 2013

Earth's Requiem Book Tour with Guest Post by The Author Ann Gimpel





Earth’s Requiem
Earth Reclaimed, Book 1
By Ann Gimpel
Publisher: Musa
ISBN: 978-1-61937-652-6

Release Date: 10/4/13
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Romance
101,000 words
Resilient, kickass, and determined, Aislinn's walled herself off from anything that might make her feel again. Until a wolf picks her for a bond mate and a Celtic god rises out of legend to claim her for his own.

My Review:
★★★★☆

This book took me a little while to get into, but after I was into it I read it in no time flat. I really enjoyed the different types of magics that are used in the story and the bonds that are formed with the animals. I really felt for the characters, especially Rune. He made my heart ache, he was so sweet and sad.

Aislinn is pretty kick ass and I admired her strength and determination. She seems to take everything that is thrown at her in stride. I know I would never be able to adjust to the type of things she has to. Finding out my lover was a Celtic god would definitely throw me for a loop.

I felt myself really starting to hate the gods in this story and couldn't wait to see what would happen throughout the book. I can't imagine having to choose between two evils like the people of the world had to when the gods arose, arrived, or whatever it was they did. On one hand you have the evil beings that seem to take joy in killing and breeding and killing some more, and on the other hand you have their enemies who are not really much better. What would you choose to do, fight the darkness? Or just give in to it?

I recommend this book to anyone that likes a good action/adventure story that includes gods, fighting, magic, sex, and lots of violence.

 This book is definitely meant for adults. It contains crude language, violence and sex. Enjoy!


Book Description:

Aislinn Lenear lost her anthropologist father high in the Bolivian Andes. Her mother, crazy with grief that muted her magic, was marched into a radioactive vortex by alien creatures and killed. Three years later, stripped of every illusion that ever comforted her, twenty-two year old Aislinn is one resilient, kickass woman with a take no prisoners attitude. In a world turned upside down, where virtually nothing familiar is left, she’s conscripted to fight the dark gods responsible for her father’s death. Battling the dark on her own terms, Aislinn walls herself off from anything that might make her feel again.

Fionn MacCumhaill, Celtic god of wisdom, protection, and divination has been laying low since the dark gods stormed Earth. He and his fellow Celts decided to wait them out. After all, three years is nothing compared to their long lives. On a clear winter day, Aislinn walks into his life and suddenly all bets are off. Awed by her courage, he stakes his claim to her and to an Earth he's willing to fight for.


Aislinn’s not so easily convinced. Fionn’s one gorgeous man, but she has a world to save. Emotional entanglements will only get in her way. Letting a wolf into her life was hard. Letting love in may well prove impossible.


Guest Post:


What is POV and Why is it so Important?

Quite simply, POV stands for Point of View. For fictional authors, the POV character(s) is whose eyes the story is told through. Though it can be challenging to tell a story this way—because the reader can't know anything the POV character doesn't—it provides unparalleled opportunity to build a wonderful, three-dimensional protagonist that readers can bond with.

Characters are what make fiction. Readers take them to heart, live their stories with them and are sad when the book ends. POV is what accomplishes this. It's an author's primary vehicle to create effective storybook characters that jump off the page and into a reader's soul.

Long ago, I was taught you needed a minimum of 5,000 words between POV shifts. That standard has relaxed considerably over the years. It can be effective to have two or three pages of a POV shift to get another character's perspective into play. I've even done as little as a couple paragraphs tagged onto the end of a chapter if I needed to ratchet up the tension to help a reader want to move into the next chapter.

In my own writing, I've found it most effective to stick with three or four—or at the most five—POV characters in a hundred thousand word novel. While I haven't counted words between POV changes, I do try to have shifts between who's telling the story feel natural. Convenient plot twists tossed on the altar of an author's desperation to bring a particular outcome to bear stick out like a sore thumb.

I've been surprised at how many NYT Bestsellers I've picked up in the past couple of years where it's pretty clear either the author never learned about use of POV, or figures they've moved beyond the rules with their sales figures. Not sure about the rest of you, but I find it hard to read a novel when the POV bounces around. I feel like a spectator at a tennis match when I'm trying to determine whose head the author is in now. In one particular example that jumps into my mind, the author told the story from two first person POVs. It was nearly impossible to tell who the “I” referred to sometimes, which really detracted from the story.

Back in the late eighteen hundreds, early nineteen hundreds, omniscient narrator was popular. I've tried to write that way as an experiment, but it distances me from the story. So I assume it has the same effect of readers. Bottom line is I love writing from a specific POV. It bonds me to my characters. And that's where it all begins. If the characters aren't alive for me, they won't be alive for my readers, either.

How do you handle POV in your writing? What’s worked best for you?



About the Author
Short Bio:

Ann Gimpel is a clinical psychologist, with a Jungian bent.  Avocations include mountaineering, skiing, wilderness photography and, of course, writing.  A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Since then her short fiction has appeared in a number of webzines and anthologies. Several paranormal romance novellas are available in e-format. Three novels, Psyche’s Prophecy, Psyche’s Search, and Psyche's Promise are small press publications available in e-format and paperback. Look for three more urban fantasy novels coming this summer and fall: To Love a Highland Dragon, Earth’s Requiem and Earth’s Blood.

A husband, grown children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out her family.
           
@AnnGimpel (for Twitter)




Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free for review purposes. Regardless, all opinions are my own and were in no way influenced. I was not required to write a positive review.

Cover Reveal: Secret of the Corpse Eater


I'm happy to bring you the cover reveal of The Undertakers Book 3: Secret of the Corpse Eaters!

Bounty Hunter Blog Tour


Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Catch ~ Blog Tour with Guest Post By the Author Michelle D. Argyle



Find out about the book, read my short review, enjoy the author's guest post, learn about the author, and then enter the giveaway! How much fun can be in just one post!

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Can't-Wait WIllow Book Giveaway


My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews has teamed up with Asha Butterflys
to host a 
Can't-Wait Willow GIVEAWAY!!

Audrey Bunny Book Giveaway


My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews has teamed up with Asha Butterflys
to host a 
Audrey Bunny GIVEAWAY!!

Thursday, October 24, 2013

The Temple of Indra's Jewel Virtual Book Tour


Find out about the book The Temple of Indra's Jewel by Rachael Stapleton, find out about the author, read a wonderful guest post, and then enter a giveaway. Have fun!

Uprising Virtual Book Tour


Wednesday, October 23, 2013

The Strings of the Violin Virtual Book Tour



Cover Reveal and Excerpt: Chasing the Star Garden by Melanie Karsak



I am thrilled to bring you the cover reveal of Chasing the Star Garden!

Check out the cover of this wonderful book, then read on for a special excerpt! The fun doesn't end there. After drooling over the cover reading AND finding out about the author, you can also Enter To Win the giveaway! Woohoo, that is a lot of fun all packed into one post!

Monday, October 21, 2013

Spotlight: The Black Parade




Read about the book, enjoy an excerpt, find out about the author, and then enter for your chance to win!

Fire and Shadow Virtual Book Tour



Suffering of a Witch Release Day Blitz



Impossibly Love Book Trailer Reveal


Dark Winter Cover Reveal

I am thrilled to bring you the Cover Reveal for Dark Winter by John Hennessy!

I'm going to switch it up a little with this one and put all the book and author details first and then reveal the cover at the bottom of the post. Enjoy!


Guest Post and Giveaway for Seven Day Fiance By Rachel Harris


Today I have a wonderful Guest Post by Author Rachel Harris and a giveaway. First let's look at the book, then we will get into her wonderful guest post. At the bottom of this post you will find the giveaway! I hope you enjoy this, my first ever guest post on my blog!. 



Seven Day Fiance
Love and Games Series
Book 2
Rachel Harris

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Special Halloween Double Issue of Bewitching Book Tours Magazine!


Halloween thrills, chills and fun abound in our special Halloween double issue of Bewitching Book Tours Magazine. We have True Tales of the Paranormal, a Guide to Greening Halloween, Halloween Crafts, and Hallow Halloween art by Brigid Ashwood and Ash Evans.

Articles and features include: When Humanity Slips By Laura Bickle; Hooray for Halloween By Roxanne Rhoads; Witchcraft, Writing, and Cooking By Ann Gimpel; The Fictional Characters I’m inviting to my Ultimate Halloween Party by Paula Millhouse; My Top 10 Favorite Vampires By B Patterson; Hitchcock By Kenya Carlton; Weddings from the Dark Side by Wenona Napolitano; A Halloween Interview with the Witches from Paranormal Pleasures; and Setting the Stage for Creepiness -Choosing the Perfect Locations for Story Settings with Laura Bickle, Suzanne Johnson and Roxanne Rhoads.

Pride and Prep School Blog Tour




Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Seeds of Transition: Book One - The Genesis Project


Seeds Of Transition: Book One - The Genesis Project
Carolyn Holland and co-author, Kef Hollenbach

Contains (limited) ADULT content.
Seeds of Transition engulfs the reader with riveting adventure, emotional thrills, and conflict from beginning to end.

As the world’s population approaches 10 billion people, severe weather extremes diminish crop and livestock production, driving the demand for and price of food to new heights. The American government, as well as other powerful organizations, turns to the world of academia in search of gifted, albeit unlikely heroes.

Dr. Jarod Farra is one of those unlikely heroes. An assistant professor of agriculture at Cornell University, Farra quickly finds himself at the forefront of both his longstanding dreams, and perhaps, some of his worst fears. Dread of the developing global food shortage and ever-worsening weather extremes cause cultural turmoil, political turbulence, population shifts, and economic havoc. Jarod and a range of characters come together to perform an experiment that will change the world, and provide new hope for generations to come with the most radical agricultural undertaking that society has ever seen.


Pride and Prep School Release Day Blitz and GIveaway



Review: Cree and Scooter Hit The Slopes in British Columbia


A Very Scandalous Holiday Virtual Book Tour




 Scandalous-Holiday-Long

Monday, October 14, 2013

Cover Reveal and Giveaway: Whiskey and a Gun by Jade Eby


I'm happy to bring to you the cover reveal for Whiskey and a Gun by Jade Eby!

This one includes a giveaway! 

So check out this sexy cover and then enter to win a copy in the rafflecopter at the end of the post! 

Cosmic Blast: The Howling Heart


THHCBBan


Thursday, October 10, 2013

Double Cover Reveal: Wild Hearts and Wild on You



I am doubly excited to bring you this cover reveal of not one, but two books by the author Tina Wainscott!

The covers I am revealing are of Tina Wainscott's book Wild Hearts and her book Wild on You! Both books are part of her Justiss Alliance series.

Ready? 

Here they are!

Friday, October 4, 2013

Be Brilliant... Be Bold... Be Beautiful You by B.K. Walker


I really enjoyed reading this book. It is short and right to the point. But don't get me wrong, short does not imply lacking in information! This bad boy is chock full of information from how to overcome your inner critics, to how to write a book in an hour on a weekend. I feel like I learned more from this one book then I have in all my endless hours of researching online for information on publishing, marketing, and just getting a book written in general. I love all the tips and tricks that are included in this book. I will, hopefully, put them to good use in the near future.