November Surprise - Guest Post, Excerpt and Giveaway

September 15 - Reading Addiction Blog Tours - Meet and Greet

September 15 - Andi's Book Review- Review/Giveaway/Excerpt/Interview

September 16 -  Wonderland Reviews - Review/Interview

September 17 -  Taking it One Page at a Time - Review/Guest Post/Giveaway

September 18 -  My Reading Addiction - Interview/Giveaway/Excerpt/PROMO

September 19 -  My Seryniti - Review/Interview/GuestPost/ExcerptGiveaway

September 20 -  Beth Art From the Heart - Review/Excerpt

September 22 -  Sweeping the USA - Review/Excerpt/Giveaway

September 23 -  Whoopeeyoo - Review/Guest Post/Giveaway/Excerpt

September 24 -  Solitary Bookworm - Review/Interview/Excerpt/Giveaway

September 25 -  Books and NeedlePoint - Guest Post/Excerpt/Giveaway/PROMO

September 26 -    My Devotional Thoughts - Review/Guest Post/Excerpt/Giveaway

September 27-  Bookish Things + More - Excerpt/PROMO

September 27 - Kaisy Daisy's Reviews - Review/Giveaway

September 28 -  A Dream Within a Dream - Excerpt/Giveaway/PROMO

September 29 -  The Book Faery Reviews - Excerpt/PROMO

September 30 -  Literature Lovers' Labyrinth - Review/Interview/Excerpt

October 1 - A Chick Who Reads - Review/Guest Post/Excerpt/Giveaway

October 2 - Turning The Pages - PROMO

October 3 - Words I Write Crazy - Review/Excerpt

October 4 - My Cozie Corner - Review/Giveaway

October 5 - Book Reviews and More - Guest Post/Excerpt/Giveaway/PROMO

October 6 - New Age Mama - Interview/Excerpt/Giveaway/PROMO

October 7 - The Book Maven - Review/GuestPost

October 8 - Forget the Housework, I'm Reading - Review/Giveaway

October 9 - Conceptual Reception - Review

October 10 - My Escape - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt

November Surprise

Laurel Osterkamp

Chick Lit/Women's Fiction

Date Published: Aug 2012

For Lucy Jones, the distinction between love and politics is hazy at best. Both can be all-consuming, and either can lead to a heart-breaking loss or an exhilarating win. Whatever the case, if you’re seen as a loser, you probably are one. Lucy first learns this lesson in 1988, when she’s a shy girl, battling a high school bully and rooting for Dukakis. Through the years Lucy will experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat as she makes the choices that define her. Meanwhile, she also struggles to define her relationship with Monty, who comes in and out of her life like the changes in public opinion. Is Monty simply a one-night stand, a kindred spirit, or the love of her life? And by 2008, can he offer her a change to believe in?

Over the course of twenty years and six presidential elections, Lucy grows and adjusts with the times. Filled with snarky political and pop-culture references, November Surprise is about the journey we take to believe in a candidate, in love, and in ourselves.

November Surprise is a companion piece to Campaign Promises, which is free on Amazon. They can be read in either order. Both have a liberal slant.

Laurel Osterkamp was a comedy writer in Minneapolis before she began writing novels.

Her first novel, Following My Toes, has been a Kindle best seller and won the 2008

Indie Excellence Award for Chick Lit. Starring in the Movie of My Life received honors

in the 2011 Indie Excellence Awards for Chick Lit, and in the 2011 International Book

Awards for Women's Fiction and Young Adult Lit. Both books are indie approved at

indiereader.com. She currently teaches high school, and is working on her next book,

which is inspired by her recent jury duty.

Website       

Blog               

Laurel is running a giveaway for a $30 Amazon Giftcard.  A comment on any of her stops on the blog tour will get you an entry.  If you buy November Surprise and send their receipt to laurel@pmibooks.com you will receive 10 entries into the giveaway.

Links to Buy

Amazon

My 10 Favorite Authors in no Particular Order:

by Laurel Osterkamp

Disclaimer: I teach high school English, so I have this notion that my favorite authors ought to be literary. However, I’ve been a reader longer than I’ve been a teacher or a writer, and most of what I’ve read is not considered fine literature. There are a few literary authors in my faves list, but most of them are popular fiction.

1. Beverly Cleary – I read all the Ramona books when I was little, and it was like reading about my own thoughts and my own life. When I was twelve I read Fifteen and it was the best book I’d ever read. I went on to read everything by Cleary, except for the books with male main characters. However, I’ve read all of those now too, because I read them aloud to my seven-year-old son. Beverly Cleary really stands the test of time.
2. J.K. Rowling – When speaking of books “meant for children” the Harry Potter series has to come to mind. I was definitely no longer a kid when I read them, and like most of the world, no series has left me so enthralled. I’ve read the first three books to my son now, but we’re holding off on the fourth, because he’s a little young yet for something so dark.
3. Suzanne Collins – I read The Hunger Games as assigned reading when I was taking a course on writing young adult lit. I couldn’t put it down! Collins blends action, suspense, romance, and satire seamlessly. God, I wish I had written it myself.
4. Betty Smith – She wrote A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Joy in the Morning, both of which I read when I was kid. Something about them really struck a cord; they’re both female stories of self-discovery, which is what I like to write myself.
5. Melissa Bank – Her novel Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing is one of the pioneers of the chick-lit movement, and her writing style is amazing. I could read and reread this novel endlessly.
6. Emily Giffin – I always read whatever she publishes.
7. Jennifer Weiner – See above.
8. Curtis Sittenfeld – See above again.
9. Douglas Coupland – I actually haven’t read that much by him, but his short story collection, Life After God made me cry because it was written so beautifully.
10. William Shakespeare -  I love his plays. I don’t sit around and read them in my spare time, but every year when I teach my 10^th graders Macbeth I discover something new about it myself. It’s simply amazing.

Please enjoy this excerpt from November Surprise: 

Monty and I have been dancing together all evening. The slow songs are the best, but we also do the Macarena and even the Chicken Dance. I can’t stop laughing the entire time I’m quacking my hands.
Jack and his new wife, Petra, have fed each other cake. Petra has thrown her bouquet, and all the toasts have been given. The night is winding down, and Monty leads me off the dance floor.
“I’m really glad neither of us had dates,” he says.
“Yeah, me too.” My heart beats just a little bit faster than normal.
“And I’m sorry about earlier. Hitting on you like that. It was clumsy. Will you forgive me?” His face is flushed and his tie is loosened. I’m sure I’ve noticed before how good looking he is, but this is the first time I’ve let myself appreciate it.
“There’s nothing to forgive.” I look around, make sure nobody is watching, and then I stand on my tip-toes and plant a kiss on his cheek. When he doesn’t flinch or pull away, I give him the barest whisper of a kiss on the lips.
It’s all the encouragement he needs.
With a conspiratorial smile, he takes my hand and leads me outside the reception hall. I follow willingly.
When we get to a dark, hidden spot, he wraps his arms around my waist and kisses me deeply. I can feel it everywhere, my entire body is tingling, my knees are weak, and I’m sure that at any moment, my heart will explode.
I don’t want him to stop. But he does.
“Where are you staying tonight?” he asks.
“I was going to drive back to my parents’ house.”
“Hmm…” he leans in and kisses me some more. I press up against him like I can’t get close enough. He tilts his head back ever so slightly, so he can talk. “That’s a long drive. Do you want to stay with me, instead?”
“You have a hotel room?”
“It’s close to the airport,” he whispers. “I fly back to New York really early tomorrow.” Then he baby kisses my eyes, nose, and chin.
I don’t answer immediately. I’m trying to steady my breathing. “So you can make a clean get away?”
“It’s not like that.” he smiles. “And you haven’t even said yes, yet.”
But he knows I’m going to. “You can’t ever tell Jack,” I say.
“He just got married, Lucy. Do you really think he’ll care?”
I rub my hands down his back and across the taut muscles in his arms. “I never had sex with him, and we dated for months. If he finds out you and I had a one night stand…”
Monty cuts me off with another kiss. “I promise I’ll never tell him,” he murmurs, between kisses.
We make out a few seconds more, but our kissing is interrupted when I’m consumed with a fit of giggles.
“What’s so funny?” Monty asks.
I shake my head. “Sorry. It just occurred to me. I’m about to do it with the homecoming king.”
Monty chuckles. “Does that turn you on?”
“Yeah,” I admit. “Kind of. Is that okay?”
He kisses my neck. I tilt my head back and sigh in pleasure.
“Are you kidding?” His lips are a mere centimeter from my skin as he mumbles, and his arms tighten around me even more. “If I had known, I would have worn my crown.”
Now we’re both laughing.
“You know this isn’t the sort of thing I usually do…”
He raises his face so he’s looking me in the eye. “I know,” he says, and he smiles. Crinkles form around his green eyes, and I feel a moment of panic. There’s no way I’m casual enough to be with him for just one night.
“Let’s make it special, okay?” He reaches down and clasps my hand, and I let him lead me somewhere, again. This time, I follow him to the parking lot. Tonight, I’d follow him anywhere.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*

Uncontrollable by SR Johannes - Release Day!

Yay! Uncontrollable is out today!

Uncontrollable is the second book in "The Nature of Grace" series by S.R. Johannes. Untraceable, the first book in the series, has won and been nominated for several awards including Winner of the 2012 IndieReader Discovery Award (YA), 2012 Georgia Author of the Year (YA Nominee), and a finalist in The Kindle Book Review's "Best Indie Book of 2012 (YA)".

Kirkus reviewed Untraceable as "A thrilling story is a dramatic entanglement of mystery, deception and teen romance.  The action flows like a brisk mountain stream interspersed with rapids, holding suspense to last page."

If you like a page turner, you will love this series!

Head over to Mundie Moms for a Big Uncontrollable Launch Party with tons of prizes and then over to SR Johannes blog for even more.

To continue on with the blog tour, check out the line up! Where SR talks about anything from marketing to writing to her books to personal interviews and giveaways.

Book Summary

As 16-year-old Grace recovers from tragedy, her science class is chosen by Agent Sweeney at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to help with research on the new "Red Wolf Reintroduction Program". 

While she’s excited about helping with the conservation of the endangered wolves, Grace knows this means being outdoors in the worst winter recorded, in a place she no longer feels comfortable. It also means working closely with Wyn (her ex) and his annoying girlfriend (Skyler), a girl whose idea of getting close to nature is picking silk plants and growing fake plants. 

After a couple of wolves show up dead, Grace almost quits. However, when a fellow project team member goes missing, Grace continues the assignment under a renewed suspicion that someone might be sabotaging the conservation program. She quietly begins to hunt for clues. 

Little does she know, she is being hunted too. 

On Sale Now! 

Uncontrollable is on sale in paperback and ebook at all major booksellers including Amazon, iBooks/Apple (coming soon),  Smashwords, and B&N. If you haven't read Untraceable, you can get it in paperback and ebook at all major booksellers including Amazon, Apple, Smashwords, and B&N.

Author Bio

S.R. Johannes is the author of award-winning and Amazon bestselling Untraceable (a teen wilderness thriller) and new tween paranormal, On The Bright Side. She has also published short novelettes as well as a teen romance anthology with 16 other authors titled, In His Eyes.  Uncontrollable, the sequel to Untraceable, is scheduled for September 2012.

S.R. Johannes is a winner of the 2012 IndieReader Discovery Awards (Young Adult) and was also recently nominated for 2012 Georgia Author of the Year (Young Adult). Untraceable was also recently named a Finalist in The Kindle Book Review's Indie Book of the Year (YA)

After earning an MBA and working in corporate America, S.R. Johannes traded in her expensive suits, high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing.  She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her dog, British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess, which she hopes- someday- will change the world. 

Connect!

Follow S.R. online on her website, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest

You can also sign up for her newsletter to keep up on author or book news.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Sept 24, 2012)

What are you reading on Mondays is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey - You can hook up with the Mr. Linky there with your own post - but be sure and let me know what you are reading too! 

Current Giveaways:

Taking Charge by Mandy Baggot (ebook) - ends Oct 1

Here's To Not Catching Our Hair on Fire - Ends Sept 28

Pulled by A.L. Jackson - Ends Oct 1

Stuck in a Good Book Giveaway hop - Ends Sept 25

Scrambled by Kathryn Elizabeth Jones - Ends Oct 4

Upcoming giveaways - this week:

Pushing the Limits

What the Heart Remembers

Banned Books Giveaway

Currently reading this week: 

Here's to Not Catching Our Hair on Fire by Stacey Turis

All Things Different by Shawn Underhill

Untraceable by SR Johannes

Letting Go of Supermom by Daisy Sutherland

Upcoming books:
Freak by Jennifer Hillier
What the Heart Remembers by Debra Ginsberg
The Fine Color of Rust by P.A. O'Reilly
Found by Shelley Shepard Gray


Bathroom Book:

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Books reviewed last week: 
Oops - didn't review any. . .

Books read and needing to be reviewed:

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

The Witch is Back by H.P. Mallory

The Search by Shelley Shepard Gray

The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harmon 

Until next week ----  Ready - Set - Read!

Mailbox Monday (Sept 24, 2012)

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books.  This is where I share the titles I have received for review or purchased during the past week.  Mailbox Monday will be hosted in September by Kristen at BookNAround.



I won these first two books: 

Living in Harmony
by Mary Ellis

(won from FaithfulReader.com)

Amy King -- young, engaged, and Amish -- faces life-altering challenges when she loses both parents in unexpected tragedy.  Amy's fiance, John Detweiler, persuades her to leave Lancaster County and make a new beginning with him in Harmony, Maine, where he has relatives who will help them.

John's brother Thomas and sister-in-law, Sally, readily open their home to the newcomers.  Wise beyond his years, Thomas, a minister in the district, refuses to marry Amy and John upon their arrival, suggesting instead a period of adjustment.  While trying to assimilate into the ultraconservative district, Amy discovers an aunt who was shunned.  Amy wants to reconnect with her, but John worries that the woman's tarnished reputation will reflect badly on his beloved bride-to-be.

Can John and Amy find a way to overcome problems in their relationship and live happily in Harmony before making a lifetime commitment to each other?

It's Fine By Me
by Per Petterson

(won from GrayWolfPress.org)

Fans of Per Petterson's other books in English will be delighted by this opportunity to observe Arvid Jansen in his youth from a fresh perspective.  In It's Fine By Me, Arvid befriends a boy named Audun.  On Audun's first day of school, he refuses to talk or take off his sunglasses; there are stories he would prefer to keep to himself.  Audun lives with his mother in a working-class district of Oslo.  He delivers newspapers and talks for hours about Jack London and Ernest Hemingway with Arvid.  But he's not sure that school is the right path for him and feels that life holds other possibilities.  Sometimes tender, sometimes brutal, It's Fine by Me is a brilliant novel from the acclaimed author of Out Stealing Horses and I Curse the River of Time.

These next books are for review:

One Last Strike
by Tony La Russa

After thirty-three seasons managing in Major League Baseball, Tony La Russa thought he had seen it all -- that is, until the 2011 Cardinals.  Down ten and a half games with little more than a month to play, the Cardinals had long been ruled out as serious postseason contenders.  Yet in the face of those steep odds, this team mounted one of the most dramatic and impressive comebacks in baseball history, making the playoffs on the night of the final game of the season and going on to win the World Series despite being down to their last strike -- twice.

Now La Russa gives the inside story behind this astonishing comeback and his remarkable career, explaining how a team with so much against it was able to succeed on baseball's biggest stage.  Opening up about the devastating injuries, the bullpen struggles, the crucial games, and the players who made it all possible, he reveals how the team's character shaped its accomplishments, demonstrating how this group came together in good times and in bad to become that rarest of things:  a team that actually enjoyed it when the odds were against them.

But this story is much more than that of a single season.  As La Russa, the third-winningest manager in baseball history, explains, their season was the culmination of a lifetime spent studying the game.  laying bare his often scrutinized and frequently misunderstood approach to managing, he explains his counterintuitive belief in process over result, present moments over statistics, and team unity over individual talent.  Along the way he shares the stories from throughout his career that shaped his outlook -- from his first days managing the Chicago White Sox to his championship years with the Oakland A's, to his triumphant tenure as St. Louis's longest-serving manager.  Setting the record straight on his famously intense style, he explores the vital yet overlooked role that his personal relationships with his players have contributed to his victories, ultimately showing how, in a sport often governed by cold, hard numbers, the secret to his success has been surprisingly human.

Speaking candidly about his decision to retire, La Russa discusses the changes that he'd observed both in the game an din himself that told him, despite his success, it was time to hang up his spikes.  the end result is a passionate, insightful, and remarkable look at our national pastime that takes you behind the scenes of the comeback that no one thought possible and inside the mind of one of the game's greatest managers. 

Ghost Town
by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson

Welcome to Exeter, the "most haunted town in America," thanks to a deadly flood that unleashed an army of ghosts decades ago.  And when ghost trackers Amber, Drew, and Trevor attend a conference during Exeter's spookiest week of the year, the ghouls grow restless.  First, an innocent bookstore worker is mysteriously killed, setting off a string of strange deaths that point to a shadowy spirit known as the Dark Lady.

With a paranormal revolution ensuing, the team must stop the twisted bloodbath.  But a past horror involving the death of a former teammate has them spinning faster than a specter in a storm, especially when they learn that it's his ghost who awakened the Dark Lady.  Now, with their lives on the line and the entire town at stake, the three must decide whether to trust the spirit of their old friend or to finally put a stake through his heart. 

Buddy: How a Rooster Made Me a Family Man

by Brian McGrory

At least on the surface, Brian McGrory had it all figured out -- a plum gig at the Boston Globe, season tickets to Fenway, and a classic town house in Back Bay.  Best of all, he had the coolest companion to enjoy it with, his wise and wonderful golden retriever, Harry.  But a dog's life can only go so long, and when Harry dies, everything changes.  Brian begins to realize what's missing, and it's someone he's known all along: Pam, Harry's veterinarian.  Pam, though, comes with accessories exotic to the city-loving bachelor:  a home in suburbia, a yard with grass, two young daughters, and a long list of animals that includes a portly, snow white rooster named Buddy.  Buddy loves the women of the house and fiercely delights in protecting them, so Brian quickly becomes public enemy number one.

For Brian, it's all deeply unsettling -- the long commutes, the absence of his treasured morning walks, and, of course, the lurking, diabolical rooster.  But as much as he'd like to condemn the bird, Brian admires Buddy's extraordinary relationship with Pam and the girls.  Strong and content, devoted to what he has rather than what might be missing, Buddy has it all figured out.  Will Brian learn the secret to family harmony or find himself packing?  With luminous writing and expert comic timing, McGrory brings to life a classic story of love, acceptance, and change as one man's nemesis becomes his madcap mentor.

In the tradition of bestsellers like Marley and Me and Let's Take the Long Way Home, Buddy is a wise and poignant tale of finding your way in life -- and how wonderful that can be when you have to fight for it. 

Life with Lily

by Mary Ann Kinsinger and Suzanne Woods Fisher

On a small Amish farm in upstate New York, young Lily Lapp has plenty to do and plenty of people to love.  But changes are coming -- including a new baby brother, a new teacher at school, and new ways of looking at the world.  Lily's growing up Amish, and there's always a lot to learn -- if only Lily can stay out of trouble!

Tears Water the Seeds of Hope

by Kim Tews

Tears Water the Seeds of Hope is the inspiring true story of a Midwest husband and wife that become disenchanted with the relentless pursuit of the American Dream and embark on a journey that spans six countries and redefines their values and lives.  The story begins in a small town in Wisconsin and weaves its way through South and Central America as the couple gathers an army of supporters and establishes an organization to save the lives of children in the end stages of starvation in eastern Guatemala.  The narrative is filled with action-packed adventure and heartwarming victories a the characters face incredible odds and seemingly hopeless situations, while hundreds of volunteers join mission teams to offer help and hope through the programs of the ministry.  Readers of all ages will enjoy the roller-coaster ride of emotions -- from laughter to tears to sheer joy -- as they realize that ordinary people can make a difference one life at a time.

Man in the Blue Moon

by Michael Morris

"He's a gambler at best. A con artist at worst," her aunt had said of the handlebar-mustached man who snatched Ella Wallace from her dreams of studying art in France.  Eighteen years later, he has disappeared, leaving Ella saddled with debt and struggling to support three sons.

While World War I rages through Europe, Ella begins her own battle to keep the mystical Florida land that has been in her family for generations from the hands of an unscrupulous banker.  A mysterious man who arrives at Ella's door in an unconventional way convinces her he can help, and a tenuous trust begins.

But when the battle for Ella's land intensifies, the town's suspicion of her visitor surges, and it's soon apparent he is as haunted by his past as Ella is terrified for her future.  As the two realities collide, hypocrisy and murder shake the coastal town of Apalachicola, jeopardizing everything Ella has fought so desperately to save.

In a riveting portrait of turn-of-the-century Florida, acclaimed author Michael Morris weaves an unforgettable drama of love and loyalty, betrayal and redemption.

And I got this great set of children's books from Sylvan Dell for review: 

Desert Baths

The Most Dangerous

Solar System Forecast

The Tree That Bear Climbed

Animal Helpers: Wildlife Rehabilitators

A Warm Winter Tail

And then I purchased these books this week:

Never Knowing

by Chevy Stevens

From the acclaimed author of STILL MISSING comes a psychological thriller about one woman’s search into her past and the deadly truth she uncovers. 

All her life, Sara Gallagher has wondered about her birth parents. As an adopted child with two sisters who were born naturally to her parents, Sara’s home life was not ideal. The question of why she was given up for adoption has always haunted her. Finally, she is ready to take steps and find closure. 

But some questions are better left unanswered. 

After months of research, Sara locates her birth mother—only to be met with horror and rejection. Then she discovers the devastating truth: her mother was the only victim ever to escape a killer who has been hunting women every summer for decades. But Sara soon realizes the only thing worse than finding out about her father is him finding out about her. 

What if murder is in your blood? 

Never Knowing is a complex and compelling portrayal of one woman’s quest to understand herself, her origins, and her family. That is, if she can survive…

Shiver

by Maggie Stiefvater

Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will be left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance.

Easy Quilt Projects

Halloween Party Favorites

What books came home with you this week?

Book Blast: Freedom Road by T.M. Souders (w/giveaway)

Freedom Road by T.M. Souders

Book Summary:
Since the tender age of eight, music served as Samantha Becker’s source of solace against her father’s tyranny and her mother’s alcoholism. Now at eighteen, her only dream is to study classical guitar at Juilliard. But when her father’s careless actions lead to an “accident,” which threatens her ability to play the guitar, Sam becomes despondent. Losing all confidence in her future, Sam hides behind the emotional barriers that have protected her for years.

Just when Sam has given up, two unexpected people enter her life, giving her the confidence she needs, and forcing her to evaluate all she’s ever known. Battling her father’s plans for her future, band mates using her for personal gain, and a permanent injury, the odds are stacked against her. With auditions approaching and time running out, Sam must relearn to play the guitar, or be destined to give up her dreams forever.



About the Author:

T.M. Souders was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania and grew up in the suburbs outside of Pittsburgh. She graduated in 2004, from Youngstown State University, with a degree in Psychology and minor in Women’s Studies. She is the author of bestselling women’s fiction novel,Waiting on Hope, as well as the novelette Dashing Through The Snow and the newly released young adult/crossover novel ,Freedom Road. In her spare time when she is nor writing she is an active volunteer for The World Literary Cafe, a site dedicated to authors and readers. She currently lives in rural Ohio with her husband and children.


Links:
Website: http://www.tmsouders.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tmsouders
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5044358.T_M_Souders
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/TM-Souders-Author/181198815275423




Book Blast Giveaway:

$50 Amazon Gift Code

Ends 9/27/12

Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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$200 Dollar Fall Event: Have it your way Giveaway!

Welcome to The Awesome Have It Your Way BlogGY Giveaway!

This wonderful event is brought to you by,

Jenn's Blah Blah Blog, Dishin' With Rebelle, and Contest 4 That,who will proudly be launching Pink Ninja Media in the next few weeks. 

Special thanks to our wonderful co-hosts Zoes Printable Coupons, PrewChatterly Everything Girly, Capri's Coupons,

Simply Shawn & Jenn, Moms Vacation Spots, and Pink Ninja Blogger.

When we say have it your way, we really mean it!  You can choose anything you want up to $200!  Need an eBook Reader? - Get a Kindle!  Tired of paying $4+ a gallon for gas?  Get a gas card!  Want to get some early Christmas shopping done?  Take it in Paypal!  Momma need some new shoes?  Go for it!  But if you do order an actual product, the shipping is including in the $200.

Details:

• Giveaway is open Worldwide.
• Giveaway will start on September 20, 2012 at 12:01am EST and end on October 20, 2012 at 11:59pm EST.
• One Lucky Person Will Win ANYTHING THEY WANT, valued up to $200 with shipping.
• Please use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.
• We realize there's a lot of bloggers, so we added extra entries! Earn an additional 25 entries for completing certain tasks on the Rafflecopter. Remember you only have to complete mandatory entries to enter the giveaway, the rest are extra entries. Giveaway runs an entire month so you don't have to finish it in one sitting, remember to come back for daily tasks to earn more. You'll also be introduced to some AMAZING Bloggers, each blogger in this event is awesome and brings something special and unique.

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Disclaimer: This blog is not responsible for shipment of prize, Jenn's Blah Blah Blog will be responsible for shipping prize to winner. I did not accept any form of payment to help promote this giveaway.

Stuck in a Good Book Giveaway Hop (Sept 20 - Sept 25)

Welcome to the Stuck in a Good Book Giveaway Hop.  It is hosted by I am a Reader Not a Writer and Valerie from Stuck in Books. 

You have a choice of: 

Bridge of Scarlet Leaves by Kristina McMorris

A Perfect Evil by Alex Kava 

 The Good Woman by Jane Porter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please take a look at some more great giveaways!

Scrambled by Kathryn Jones (Book Excerpt and Giveaway)

Scrambled

by Kathryn Jones

What happens to an unhappy woman who leaves her husband only to discover that she may have just made a terrible mistake? So horrible, her choice threatens to end her very life?

Susan believes that the grass is greener on the other side. Not that her current life is bad, necessarily; it’s just boring and lifeless, kind of like the old matted rug on her dining room floor. Susan thinks her marriage has just grown—well, old. Her husband, Bob, has gained tremendous weight and continues to gain, and his health suffers. She must work at a job she hates full-time to provide the little sustenance they have. He, on the other hand, works very little (because of his health) and prefers spending his days watching television or surfing the Internet. Besides, there’s her problem of not getting pregnant that can’t help but contribute to his unhappiness.

Can Susan continue to live her life at the hotel knowing that she might be killed herself or imprisoned for life? Will she be able to find the real murderer with the help of the eccentric Ms. Martha Boaz?

Please enjoy Chapter 1 of Scrambled, courtesy of Kathryn Jones.  She is also offering an ebook copy of Scrambled to one of my readers!  Just enter through the rafflecopter below.

Eating Out

Six months later a thought occurred to her that the fat man had been the catalyst; her last straw, her wake up call.

“Are you open?” the man had asked. His voice had been deep and yawning like the Grand Canyon.

“Of course.” She looked up. The man was fat—even more endowed than her own husband who’d gained a mere seventy pounds since their wedding day 20 years ago. Fat oozed like soft butter from his great waistline. His black and white checkered shirt, though buttoned, gaped to his belly, revealing a matted mass of hair. She tried not to stare at it. The word “pig,” came to mind.

“Did you find everything all right?” she asked.

“Just ring me up,” he growled, scratching his unshaven face. “I have an appointment.”

If someone had said, ‘Make a wish, Susan,” she would have wished for freedom in that moment—freedom from the customer, and all those to follow; freedom from her horrible job and marriage, freedom from unavailable friends and broken down cars. She would work a bit somewhere else, and then travel to some exotic location. Perhaps Paris or Hawaii…

“Miss!”

Susan felt the crisp dollar bill in her hand. “Sorry, sir,” she said, handing the disgruntled customer his change. She watched his back-end leave the store. Blubber, bump. Blubber, bump. Blubber, bump…

It was the fat man who had finally given her the courage to take care of herself for the first time. Perhaps it was not a conscious choice, but it was definitely a choice. She left work that day never to return, got on a bus, leaving her rotten car in the parking lot—her fat husband wondering where she’d gone. She hadn’t looked back.

Occasionally, like today, when the hotel lights burned deeply into her skull, and her eyes felt heavy from the tasks of serving, she would remember. The terrible times when she tried to get pregnant. His anger about her job, or the way she folded his underwear. She would think about the way he spoke to her; hardly, and then, harshly, as if the words he had meant to say to her long ago needed to come out now in one heated rush.

Also, the short moments of tenderness—her broken-down heap of a car that had still managed to get her to work, the doughnuts and candy bars that always made it into the kitchen cupboards and then quite naturally were fed by him into her open mouth—because he always shared what he bought for himself. All those moments that made her life one with him. And now she was left with an aloneness she couldn’t begin to understand.

“Jenny?” The pounding on Susan’s front door made her blink. She would never get used to her new name even if she lived to be a hundred years old. She stood, walked to the solid piece of wood called her door, and peered wearily out the keyhole even though she didn’t need to.

“What is it this time, John?” Tonight, John seemed to be wearing some sort of pullover sweater and blue jeans. His short, red hair was combed down the middle, and splayed to either side like the opening entrails of a fish. She might have laughed if she hadn’t cared for him. He was the dorkiest man she’d ever met, albeit the nicest.

“Cup of sugar?” She could see the white cup held eagerly in his left hand. He pushed it forward to the keyhole.

“I’m tired tonight.”

She removed her eye from the keyhole, wondering if he blushed. He always turned red whenever she spoke of anything having to do with sleep, or darkness, or her new down comforter. She wasn’t sure why unless certain words created in him a desire for something he would never get from her. Was it her imagination, or could she feel him going red beyond the door? And he was probably grinning too, now that he’d managed to breathe a little more evenly.

“Come on Jenny.”

“Oh, all right.”

The dead bolt cracked heavily, the double set of chains flicked to the sides of the heavy door, and she turned the knob of her upstairs room. The Hotel Camaro, once a manor in the town of Walnut Hill, city of Hampshire, had plenty of solid wood even where it didn’t seem needed—above her bed, on one of the walls in the living room, even above her head on the carved cornices seen throughout the building. Everything reeked of oldness and renovation—though change would probably not happen in her lifetime—if ever. The owner, Carter Childs, held his money like a tight fisted kid with his only penny; except Carter had many pennies though he told everyone otherwise. The tramps that lived at the hotel were a continuous reflection of the future of the hotel and it’s lower than life standards.

John smiled. His slightly yellow teeth reminded Susan of the eggs she had boiling on the stove.

“You don’t mind getting the sugar yourself?”

“No problem. But are you sure you want eggs?” She could hear his large feet clunking to the pantry as she stirred the boiling eggs with a spoon.

Yes, the egg bomb incident. How could she forget? What had she been doing? Oh, yes. Carter wanted to see her, an overflowing toilet in room 10, he’d said—John’s room. And she’d left the boiling eggs on the stove. When the eggs exploded an hour later she was finishing with the water overflow mishap and had just re-entered the hallway. Carter was beyond angry when he heard. Her hotel room smelled like rotten eggs for days and she’d spent weeks walking outside and breathing in the musty city of Southern Hampshire before permanently returning to her room.

“You do look tired.”

John had the sugar in his white bowl, but like always, he was not returning to the door. “What can I do?”

“I just need some sleep.”

John blushed. “Okay,” he said, looking for a place to sit on the old brown couch—her only couch in the very sparse room.

“You’d better go.”

“Maybe I can help.”

“You promised.”

John rolled his large blue eyes. “I know,” he said, “but you need someone.”

It had taken Susan six long months to trust John with a few facts about her life; others she had made up to cover her identity. Her real name was one of them. That she’d never been married was another—a sure fire mistake she would later see more clearly. Perhaps John would have been less interested in her if he knew she had simply run away from her husband. She wondered what he would think of her if he knew of her shallow thoughts of him that had created this mess in the first place. She wondered if he’d understand that all of her thoughts weren’t shallow, that there was something else she never spoke of with anyone, the surest reason for her departure. Was he searching for her? Would she turn on the television one day only to discover her face on the small screen? Or would he be grateful? Was he pleased that she had left him? Would he want to find her simply to file the divorce papers? She wondered how long it had taken before he’d discovered she was missing. She was glad they had no children, but only for this reason; there would be no family missing her.

Except her mother of course; her father was dead, and her sister who lived in Virginia. Kate would have a fit, perhaps even look for her for awhile, and then she’d get caught up once more in the corporate life and forget all about her. Just like when they were kids and the doll collection was replaced by fake dollar bills and glittering coins purchased as a set from the grocery store. Kate would later become a teller, and then she would work her way up the company from Payroll Manager to Director of Human Resources. In addition to bossing all the people around, she would get her degree in management, leaving Susan behind to take on the menial jobs.

Susan would never attend college, would marry the first man who even took a look at her—her husband, Bob, and they would try to have children—without success of course. In the end, they would sit together, watch T.V. and he would eat and feed her what he’d bought.

Nothing stuck on her bones. But with him, it was almost like, by getting fat, he was getting pregnant instead of her. At first she’d joked about it. And then the joking made him watch television alone in the basement, sneak food at odd hours, and make excuses for his sorry life.

Susan turned to look at John. He had been silent for an unreasonable amount of time. “Sorry,” she started and then realized he was gone.

About the author: When I was young I thought I had to sound like a great writer to be one. It was all so overwhelming; now I know I only need to sound like myself. My ideas come from two primary sources. My work might spark from the enlightening words of a friend, teacher or writing prompt. At other times, I am sitting in a very still space and the words I should write come to me like a powerful and glowing wind.

My favorite tool is the pen. Though computer keys get the words down quicker and easier, I like to put pen to paper, smell the ink, see the words as they are developed and renewed by new phrases or thoughts.

I enjoy traveling to wherever the character takes me. This often means even I am surprised and warmed at the outcome. In the end, when my writing is done, I like to watch the eyes of the reader whenever I can. Their reflective expression gives me the greatest glimpse into what my writing has become.

Before I was one, I loved to read books-or at least, pretend to. I couldn't walk yet but I would crawl to the bottom shelf for what I wanted. My Grandma says my books were placed near the floor for that very reason, and my mother speaks of me pulling my favorite book from the shelf and crawling back to the couch with the book safely in tow.

I would sit on the couch and pretend to read, speaking the language of some foreign diplomat-or perhaps, the tongue of angels, my mother wasn't quite sure which, and when I was done, I would crawl back to the shelf for another story.

When I am not writing I'm reading. I am an avid reader of the scriptures and books of spiritual merit. I have been married 32 years and enjoy teaching and working with youth and children-including my own three girls, three grand-daughters and grandson.

A published writer since 1987, I have published books, newspaper and magazine articles for teens and adults.

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Scrambled
Publisher/Publication Date:  Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B00914APYC
256 pages