Feels Like the First Time by Shawn Inmon (Promo, Guest Post, Giveaway)

Feels Like the First Time

by Shawn Inmon

 September, 1975: Shawn meets Dawn, his one true love, when she moves into the vacant house next door. Many people spend their life searching in vain for happiness, but he was lucky; finding it at the age of fifteen.

February 1979: Forbidden to see each other and feeling he is harming her by being in her life, he walks away from the love of his life, apparently forever.

December, 2006: After decades of sadness and mourning the girl that got away, he has a chance meeting with her that might change his life forever… again. Can the sweet bond of first love not only survive, but flourish?

Feels Like the First Time lets you share in the magic of young love in small town America in the 1970s. No matter how much the world changes, some things – timeless music, high school dances, making out in the backseat of a Chevy Vega, and of course true love – will always remain the same. 

About the author: Shawn Inmon is originally from Mossyrock Washington, where his first book Feels Like the First Time is set. He has been a real estate broker in Enumclaw Washington for the last twenty years. Prior to that, he worked as a short-order cook, travelling T-shirt salesman, radio DJ, Cutco Cutlery sales rep, department store buyer, video store manager, crab fisherman, Kirby vacuum cleaner salesman, business consultant and public speaker. He is married to his high school sweetheart Dawn and has five daughters, five grandchildren and two chocolate labs named Hershey and Sadie. 

You can contact him at Shawn Inmon's Suspicious Epiphanies, Twitter and Facebook. 

Purchase Links 

Amazon

Every Life is a Story (by Shawn Inmon)

               I met Dawn, the love of my life, when she moved into the house next door the year I turned fifteen. She was three years behind me in school, so it took some time to realize that I loved her. For us, friendship came first. We spent hundreds of hours, sitting in the grass between our two houses, laughing, teasing and supporting each other through the trials of being teenagers in small-town America in the 1970s. By the end of my junior year in high school, I knew I loved her, but it took until mid-way through my senior year before I let her in on the secret.

               One short year later, we had made a lifetime commitment to each other, but had also been banned from seeing each other by her parents. I said good-bye to Dawn, I thought forever, on Valentine’s Day 1979. Although I never stopped loving her, I didn’t see her again until December 1^st, 2006. When I did run into her again, completely by accident, it shook my world to its foundations.

               After these events transpired, I began to realize that it was a story, and I wrote my book Feels Like the First Time. Now, after writing and publishing my own story, I have talked to dozens of people who said they related to our story of first love and lost love. Through these conversations, I have realized that every life is a story. Some are romances, some are action-adventure stories, and at least a few are comedies, but every life has a story arc.

               With the changes in publishing over the last decade, telling that story has never been easier. When I first started writing Feels Like the First Time in 2006, I was intent on going to traditional publishing route – looking for an agent and trying to “sell” my story to a publishing house. By the time I finished it, I decided not to send out even a single query letter. The idea of being my own publisher had become too appealing to think of turning my own life story over to a stranger.

               It was a steep learning curve for me, but I enjoyed every step in learning about editing, proofreading, cover design and interior book layout. It’s possible to do these things yourself, or you can hire professionals to do it for you.  Before you get to that step though, you’ve got to write. And then write some more, and still more. Because I was an inexperienced writer, I wrote over two dozen drafts of Feels Like the First Time before I was ready to hire an editor to look at it.

               I also recommend a thick skin. When I turned in the first draft of my story, it was over 100,000 words. When I hit “publish” five months later, it was 66,000 words. And that was after I’d already done dozens of revision on my own. Through the editing process, I kept a single mantra in the forefront of my brain: Whatever makes the book better. When you’re writing about your own life, it’s tough, but it’s good to get as much ego out of the way as you can.

               Until you’ve done it the first time, the idea of sitting down and writing a book can be intimidating. That’s why I don’t recommend that. Instead, try just recreating various memories from your life, and telling them as stories. Write about your first kiss, or your first car, or when you lost someone close to you.  Eventually, you may see a pattern emerging in those stories and a book might be in there, begging to be let out. Feels Like the First Time started as a series of emails between my oldest sister and I. It wasn’t until we had been exchanging those emails for two years that either of us realized it was a book.

               Everyone has a story to tell, and it’s never been easier to share your story with the rest of the world.

Shawn Inmon is a husband and father, as well as a writer, Real Estate Broker, and member of KISS II, The Original KISS Tribute band. If you’d like to know what happened after he ran into Dawn in 2006, the answers are all in Feels Like the First Time, available in both Kindle and paperback on Amazon.

Please enjoy these excerpts from Feels Like the First Time:

Excerpt One

“That’s it then,” I said softly, almost to myself. There was nothing left to say. My composure was completely gone. Hot tears ran down my face, but I didn’t care. This was the moment I had done everything to both cause and avoid. It was possible I might see Dawn again at some future date, but I would never see this Dawn. She was so lovely it broke my heart to look at her.

I went to her and put my hands on her shoulders. I looked deeply into her eyes. I didn’t ask her to wait for me. I was trying to set her free.

“When we can see each other again, if you still love me, I’ll be there for you. I promise I’ll love you just the same.”

She nodded. Her tears streamed down her face and she looked away.

I walked out of her house, across the familiar yard and into the rest of my life.


Excerpt Two

Dawn got out of the Vega and walked toward her house. I threw open my door and met her at the front of the car. I reached out and touched her wrist gently, to stop her there. I had waited forever for this moment, but now I couldn’t wait an extra fifteen seconds to walk her to her front door. She turned to me and we faced each other, standing in the exact spot where we had passed so many after-school hours together.

This time, though, the atmosphere was electric. I drew a long breath in the frosty air. I let go of her hand, reached up and touched her cheek softly. Her wide, brown eyes were warmed with flecks of gold. She stared at me, expectant and serious. I brushed the hair away from the side of her face and smiled at her, but I couldn’t speak.

I moved my hands to her shoulders and pulled her the last little distance toward me and kissed her, softly and slowly. There were explosions in my head, and my heart raced. I felt for a fleeting moment like I was one with another person. It was one of the most perfect moments of my life and I instantly wanted more of that feeling.
We each withdrew a half-step with our eyes locked and fingers intertwined. Dawn cocked her head and gave me her drives-me-crazy half smile. Her bangs were a curtain over her forehead. I sensed satisfaction and a sweet happiness in her smile.

She turned away and walked across the frozen grass to her front door. I watched her until she disappeared around the corner of her house. Neither of us said a word. I stood anchored to the ground, unable to move. I watched her darkened house until the light came on in her bedroom window. Like a zombie, I turned and shuffled into my house, collapsing face first into bed.

I will almost certainly never know what Dawn was thinking or feeling as she went to bed that night. I know I laid there and let that feeling wash over me again and again, replaying the night, the thrill of being next to her in the darkened theater, our kiss, and that indescribable vibration I felt when I was close to her.

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6 Seconds of Life by Tonya Fitzharris (Book Promo and giveaway)

6 Seconds of Life

by Tonya Fitzharris

 Maura has just jumped.

 Now she has precisely six seconds until she hits the water below her—just six more seconds until she is finally freed from her mundane and aimless existence.  Freed of all of the regrets and disappointments that have haunted her throughout her nineteen years.

 She just needs to be free.

 But as she falls, the most pivotal points of her life start to replay like a movie in her head: her family falling apart, her first love, her first heartbreak, her first true friends, and her first betrayal.  As she remembers these moments that brought her to this point, will she feel a sense of peace?  Or will her death be her greatest regret?

Please enjoy these excerpts from 6 Seconds of Life:

“I guess I’ll just know it when that time finally comes along,” he whispers. His lips graze my cheek and we stop waltzing. His hand comes up and brushes my flyaway bangs behind my ear, the tips of his fingers running along the back of my earlobe. An overpowering wave of desire and anticipation wells up from my stomach, causing my internal hurricane to erupt into a monsoon. I let his eyes lock with mine, restraining me like a pair of handcuffs. They inspect me, almost like they’re looking right through my skin and into everything that’s underneath, begging to learn anything and everything about me. I don’t move. Maybe if I can manage to stay totally still, this moment might last forever.

His face moves closer. My chest is caving in on itself.

Is this it?

I think deep down, I’ve always known it was going to end this way. I was never meant to live a long life. I accepted this fate a long time ago. I was just waiting for the right moment.

I wanted to fall in love first.

I wanted to experience what it was like to have a real family first.
I wanted to know what it was like to be sincerely happy, even if it was short-lived.

I got all of those firsts.

And now I’m ready to move forward.

I inch my feet closer to the open sky. And closer. Until my naked toes are peeking over the edge. The water cracks violently below me, begging for me to join in on all of the fun.

Just a few more seconds before it’s all over.

Until I’m free.

I’m totally relaxed. This moment, it’s all mine. No one can take it away from me.

I close my eyes. The sounds of high heels clicking on the walkway and cameras snapping and preserving memories and street musicians begging for spare change surround me. I breathe in their music and let it be the soundtrack to the closing credits of my life.

I raise my arms up to my side, reaching for the skies that surround me.
And I step into the air.

I’m flying now.

About the author: Tonya Fitzharris is a writer, reader, blogger, mediocre cook, photographer, runner, Florida native, and cat lover. She used to be a Middle School English Teacher, but now she's trying out the whole novel writing thing. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and her Belgian cat named Waffles.

You can contact her at her website, Tonya Fitzharris, on twitter and facebook. 

Purchase Links 

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Smashwords

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My Favourite Place to Research by Gabriele Wills (Guest Post and Giveaway)

My Favourite Place to Research

by Gabriele Wills

National Geographic Travel editors selected it as the #1 summer destination of 2011.  World leaders met there for the G-8 Summit in 2010. It’s the legendary lake district of Muskoka, Canada, which has been seducing tourists since the 1860s with its 1600 island-studded lakes, sparkling granite outcroppings, and pine-scented forests.

From the earliest days, visitors who came to camp or stay at one of the lakeside inns became so enchanted that they bought properties for summer homes, known as “cottages”. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson owned an island on Lake Rosseau, one of the three largest and interconnected lakes.  American industrialists and bankers, like the Mellons, summered (and descendants still do) in an area that became known as “Little Pittsburgh” and  “Millionaires’ Row” - millionaires from a century ago, that is. There were plenty on the lakes - a tradition that continues today, with Hollywood celebrities among them. Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, Martin Short, Tom Hanks, and Steven Spielberg own cottages or visit frequently.

L.M. Montgomery, beloved author of Anne of Green Gables and numerous other stories, spent a couple of weeks in Muskoka in 1922. She was so impressed and inspired that she set her adult novel, The Blue Castle, there – her only story not set in Prince Edward Island. In the third book of my Muskoka Novels, some of my characters meet her there.

A century ago, it took the best part of a day to travel from Toronto to Muskoka, 100 rugged miles to the north. People often came for two or three months, so they boarded a train in the city with all their summer baggage, including chests of silver and china, pianos, and even cows. Arriving at the wharf in Gravenhurst on Lake Muskoka, they were met by their private yachts, or transferred to one of the large lake steamers, which dropped them off at their cottage or resort. The wealthy sometimes arrived at the pier aboard their private Pullman coaches with as many as thirty servants in tow. This was the “Age of Elegance” in Muskoka.

My childhood friend has an island cottage, built by her great-grandfather in 1879, and a family compound has grown up around it. Amidst a congenial sea of relatives, she, her mother, and brother spent every summer there from the time that school ended in June until it began again in September, while her father – like the other working men - went up on weekends. I was first invited there when I was 12, and was instantly captivated by the stunning scenery, unique lifestyle, and lovely weathered cottage that held within its walls the essence of a bygone era. It was as if the past still lingered in the scent of old wood and musty books, on the expansive, wrap-around veranda and bedroom balconies, in the vanished spaces that had once housed servants. We played vintage records on the ancient gramophone, and the cottage still resonates to those long-ago tunes by the “light of the silvery moon”.

Except for our clothes - shorts instead of the long gowns still to be found in cottage trunks - summer life hadn’t changed much over the century. We swam in the warm, sand-bottomed lake, sometimes skinny-dipping after dark. (Yes, they swam naked in the old days as well.) We marvelled at the infinite, star-spangled sky not cloaked by city lights.  We fell asleep to the gentle lapping of waves, and were awakened by the haunting call of loons at dawn. We picked wild blueberries and clambered up to cliff-top lookouts. We paddled silent canoes and participated in the yearly Regatta, never winning a race, but having a blast trying. There were no TVs or telephones on the island, so evenings were spent around Ouija or Monopoly boards, reading well-thumbed Dickens classics from the ancestral library, or dancing on the dock, under the moon. It was idyllic.

Hearing stories from aged aunts about the genteel olden days of their youth, I wanted even then to write about that fascinating time. My Muskoka trilogy, beginning with The Summer Before The Storm, recreates that era. You can see some lovely photos of Muskoka on my short book trailer on YouTube.

And you can still get a sense of its Age of Elegance by taking a cruise aboard the R.M.S. Segwun - the oldest operating steamship in North America, having just celebrated its 125^th anniversary. Some trips take you past Millionaires’ Row, or provide a romantic, sunset dinner cruise. You’ll glimpse gleaming antique wooden launches as you glide past boathouses as fanciful and inviting as the rambling cottages that have been in families for generations. And perhaps you, too, will agree with Muskoka’s tagline - “Once discovered, never forgotten.” 

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Please join Gabriele on the rest of her blog tour!

The Summer Before the Storm Tour Schedule

        

11/2/12  Patty Broken Teepee 

11/5/12  Kathy Bags, Books & Bon Jovi

11/6/12  Kristen BookNAround                    

11/6/12  Kelly Historical Tapestry               

11/7/12  Angela Griperang's Bookmarks   

11/8/12  Marcie To Read or Not to Read   

11/9/12  Chelsea ReadingPenguin       

11/12/12 MK PopcornReads.com     

11/13/12 Erika Bassgiraffe's Thoughts    

11/14/12 Melinda West Metro Mommy    

11/15/12 Kathleen Celtic Lady                     

11/16/12 Terri Bodice Ripper Novels         

11/19/12 Teddyree The Eclectic Reader

11/20/12 Harvee Book Dilettante              

11/21/12 Wendy No Wasted Ink        

11/22/12 Jen Em Sun                            

11/23/12  J.A. Beard                              

11/26/12 Ingrid Blue Book Case             

11/27/12 Ruth My Devotional Thoughts     

11/28/12 Rebecca Book Lover's Library 

11/28/12 Livia Butterfly-o-Meter Books                            

11/29/12 Amber Peaceful Wishing 

12/3/12  Aislynn Stitch, Read, Cook          

12/5/12  Valerie Sweeps4Bloggers           

12/6/12  Tia Mom In Love With Fiction 

12/7/12  M. Denise C.                                   

Dystopian Giveaway Hop (Nov 1-7)

It is time for another Giveaway Hop!  This is the Dystopian Giveaway Hop being hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and My Shelf Confessions.  This hop features Dystopian Novels and there are over 100 blogs participating!

I cannot get a hold of my daughter to find out which of the following books she has finished - but my giveaway will be for one of the following:

Across the Universe

by Beth Revis

Blood Red Road

by Moira Young

Or if I can't locate one of the above two books - then I will giveaway Life As We Knew It - one of my favorites!

Life as We Knew It

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Sorry I am not better organized!

Happy Hopping!

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Book Blast: The Waiting Booth by Brinda Berry ($100 Amazon or Paypal giveaway!)

The Waiting Booth by Brinda Berry



A missing boy, government agents, an interdimensional portal... Mia has one goal for her senior year at Whispering Woods High-find her missing older brother. But when her science project reveals a portal into another dimension, she learns that travelers are moving in and out of her woods in the most alarming way and government agents Regulus and Arizona are policing their immigration. Mia's drawn to the mysterious, aloof Regulus, but it's no time for a crush. She needs to find out what they know about her brother, while the agents fight to save the world from viral contamination. But when Regulus reveals that he knows Mia's secrets, she begins to wonder if there's more going on than she thought...and if she was wrong to trust him...

Purchase:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository

Praise for The Waiting Booth:

"The book kept me on the edge of my seat with its perfect balance of teenaged angst, interdimensional portals, and a fractured family."

~ Author Christine Ashworth



"The description was so good I could easily see things as they happened...like a movie playing in my mind as I read. I just love Regulus. He's my kind of hero for sure."

~ Author Lynn Rush

Author Brinda Berry



Brinda Berry lives in the southern US with her family and two spunky cairn terriers. She has a BSE in English and French and a MEd in Learning Systems Technology. She's terribly fond of chocolate, coffee, and books that take her away from reality. She doesn't mind being called a geek or “crazy dog lady”. When she's not working the day job or writing a novel, she's guilty of surfing the internet for no good reason.

Links:

Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter 

Goodreads * Youtube * Google+

The Waiting Booth Book Trailer:

Book Blast Giveaway Details:

$100 Amazon Gift Card or $100 PayPal Cash from Author Brinda Berry

Ends 11/1/12

*You need not enter your twitter name for each entry. Simply enter it when you follow Brinda and leave the others blank.





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Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. 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.

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop (Oct 24 - 31) - $15 Amazon Giftcard! - (open INT)

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop!
Oct 24 - 31st
Hosted by I Am a Reader Not a Writer and Diary of a Bookworm
There are over 400 blogs in this hop!!!

I am giving away a $15 Amazon Giftcard -

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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Book Blast: The Emerald Talisman audiobook and $100 Giveaway!

The Emerald Talisman Audio Book by Brenda Pandos  

Read by Mary Morgan

You can run from
your destiny, but you can't hide.

If for no other
reason than to help endure the hormonal rush of high school, sixteen-year-old
Julia Parker would trade her ability to feel her fellow students' emotions in a
heartbeat, especially half the boys in class.


When the beguiling Nicholas uses his superhuman strength to rescue Julia from
the edge of a cliff before she's devoured by a bloodthirsty stalker, Julia is
suddenly thrust into an underground world where people and animals are often
one and the same. Fellow high school students disappear and only Julia and
Nicholas know the truth. While Nicholas, a vampire hunter, is out stopping the
ever-growing coven, an old friend entices Julia to join him on the dark side
and a psychic tells Julia she alone is the key to stopping the madness, problem
is it'll require Nicholas' life. 

Amazon * Audible * Goodreads * Sample

Author Brenda Pandos:  

Brenda
Pandos lives in California with her husband and two boys. She attempts to
balance her busy life filled with writing, being a mother and wife, and
spending time with friends and family. Working formerly as an I.T.
Administrator, she never believed her imagination would be put to good use.
After her son was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder her life
completely changed. Writing paranormal romance became something she could do at
home while tending to the new needs of her family, household, and herself.

Three
years later, Brenda now has five books published, The Talisman Trilogy: The
Emerald Talisman, The Sapphire Talisman, and The Onyx Talisman, and Mer Tales: Everblue
and Evergreen. She is currently working on the third book of Mer Tales, Everlost,
coming February 2013.

LINKS:

Website * Blog * Goodreads * Twitter * Facebook 



Audio Book Tour 

Readers
are invited to participate in The Emerald Talisman blog tour from 10/26-11/23
hosted by Confessions of a Bookaholic. There will be giveaways, interviews and
a scavenger hunt! 

Book Blast Giveaway Details:

$100 Amazon Gift Card or $100 PayPal Cash from Author Brenda Pandos

Ends 10/30/12

*You need not enter your twitter name for each entry.  Simply enter it when you follow Brenda and leave the others blank.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. 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.

It's Monday! What are you reading? (Oct 22, 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! 

 

Wow, it was very liberating writing that sticky post last night.  I actually took a book to bed with me (my bathroom book - The Sisters Montclair) and finished it!  This was a review book, but I had long since missed the month it was supposed to be reviewed in.  It was just a good book and I really wanted to finish it.  But the point I was making is that it has been a REALLY long time since I have taken a book to bed with me to read!  And thinking about this post today, I realized that I am actually between books and it is such a load off to know I don't have to read anything if I don't want to! 

 

Now, I know that no one was standing over me making me accept review books, or even making me try to meet the deadlines but me, but I hated to let anyone down.  I am glad that I have been able to let that go for awhile.

So, let's see what I might read this week.  Oh, I take that back about not currently reading anything.  I am reading One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life by Kerry and Chris Shook (hmmm, wondering if this is what impacted me to take a break from review books. . . )

 

So on to the possibilities of what I might read this week:

 

 

I got pulled into a movie based on this book, Tomorrow, When the War Began a few weeks ago and was not able to finish watching it, so went in search of the book.  I have discovered it is the first in a series (and I like my series') so it is a definite possibility - that and the fact that I got it through our interlibrary loan system and it is due very soon!

 

 

Found is the third book in The Secrets of Crittenden County.  I have read the first two Missing and The Search - as you can see the second one is still waiting for a review.  I really want to find out who killed Perry and think it is going to be revealed in this book - I just hope I am not disappointed!

 

 

 

Normally I would not pick out such a thick book as The Passage to read, as I would be strapped for time - but the reading world is my oyster now!  I have heard different things about this one, and have included it here as I have heard it is kind of a horror story - and it being close to Halloween and all I figure you have to be reading one of those!   It is a library book as well though, and as Mr. Cronin has recently came out with book two - The Twelve, I have a feeling that there is a waiting list for this one so I might not be able to renew it.  We might be starting it now - and finishing it when I can check it out again!  Ohhh,  I see there is also a book three coming out in 2014 - The City of Mirrors.  Looks like I have plenty of time to get these read before then!

 

 

 

 

 

I still have a bathroom book, as sometimes it is the only sanctuary where I get five minutes of uninterrupted reading!  The book there this week, Man in the Blue Moon, was chosen due to it's proximity to the bathroom the last time I was in there - lol.  It was laying on the stairs next to the bathroom so I picked it up and headed in! 

 

 

 

I am still going to keep my list of books needing to be reviewed as this is more for me than it is for you. What better place to keep track of it than here?   I must say though, that this post was a lot more fun to write today than usual - Talk to you all soon!

 



 

Books read and needing to be reviewed:

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

The Search by Shelley Shepard Gray

The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harmon 

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Timekeeper by Mitch Albom

The Sisters Montclair by Cathy Holton

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

Mad World: Sanctuary by Samaire Provost (Blog Tour and Book Review)

Mad World: Sanctuary

Mad World Book 2

Samaire Provost

The year is 2017, and the Black Plague infection has swept across most of the United States, leaving death and chaos in its wake. Martial law is the rule rather than the exception, with outbreaks cropping up when they're least expected. Alyssa and her friends must not only battle outbreaks of the disease, but also find themselves pursued by government agents – men and women determined to track them down at any cost.

Fleeing north to the fabled Sanctuary, Alyssa, Jacob, DeAndre, Caitlyn, Risa and Luke face disturbing ordeals and terrible tragedy as they encounter unbelievable situations in their struggle to reach safety. Using their skills and wits in their fight to survive against ever worsening odds, they weather hardship, betrayal, and the ever-present specter of death as they flee north, all the while vowing to protect one another – and most of all their precious 5-year-old Luke, from a world gone mad.

Sanctuary, the second installment in the Mad World series, is a heart-rending adventure of astonishing revelations, tragic discoveries, agonizing separations and devastating losses that test these friends to their limits. With heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat suspense at every turn, this is a story you will not be able to put down.

Find out what happens next.

My thoughts: This was book two of the Mad World series.  Book one was Epidemic and while it is not necessary to read it first, as you do get some back story, I was glad that I did. (Here is my review)  Sanctuary starts out five years after the epidemic started.  Alyssa and friends - now family - have not stayed in one place for long.  They continue to move because they are afraid for Luke - he was born as his mother was turning because of the plague.  So he is somewhat of a hybrid.  They have discovered that the CDC are hunting them because they want to dissect Luke to see if they can find a cure.

They have heard about a place in Canada called Sanctuary and set off to try to get there.  Along the way they meet new friends and run into the ever present zombies which can crop up anywhere these days.  They take off for Canada via South and North Dakota, not knowing what is out there and even how they are going to be able to cross over into Canada.  

I liked the way that the story stayed true to the relationships that had developed in book one - and how Risa had grown up and was a street smart teenager now.  Luke was a loveable little boy, but all he knew was zombies, and he had seen his share.  Some of the run-ins with the zombies were entertaining as well as gory.  

The ending sends you further into the future and set ups nicely for another book.  

~I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from Bewitching Blog Tours in exchange for my unbiased review.~

Please enjoy this excerpt from Sanctuary: 

Excerpt Chapter Twelve:

We were about 50 feet from the barn when suddenly the lights inside went out.
“Oh, that is so not good,” I said under my breath.
Risa stopped completely and stared, trying to see any danger before she got to it. I stopped, too, and we just stood there for the space of a few heartbeats. This night was getting creepier by the hour. After a minute, Risa shrugged and said, “Well, whatever. I can’t just sit here waiting. Let’s go see what scary horrors lie in wait for us in there.”
At this I burst out laughing, and hung my arm over her shoulders. She had broken the tension, and I felt immensely better. Laughing together we walked toward the now dark barn.
We got to the barn door and peered in. It was pitch dark, so we switched our flashlights on and tried to illuminate the massive interior.
“Hmmmm,” I said, trying to see in the darkness beyond the twin beams of light. The barn was too big to see; there was nothing for it, we would have to search the dark expanse cubic yard by cubic yard.
We split up and began searching and calling every few minutes. I heard a snuffling in the dark reaches, but it was Risa who said, “Awww, hi there little guy.” And then, “Alyssa, come look at this.”
I trotted over to where Risa was standing at a stall door, shining her flashlight on the interior. Peering over the tall wooden door, I looked inside the stall and saw a mare with what appeared to be her newborn foal. The baby teetered over to its mother on long legs and then ducked its head under and began to nurse.
“Awww,” I said softly, smiling. We watched the two for a while, marveling at the wonderful sight. It was so adorable. A reminded that life goes on, that the plague hadn’t affected this little family one bit.
We didn’t hear what had just entered the barn until it was almost upon us. As we watched the mother and baby, the mare’s head shot up and she snorted nervously. At the same time, we heard the low growls, several of them, coming from the direction of the door we’d just come in not five minutes ago.
“Oh, crud,” Risa said as she turned. The hairs on the back of my neck rose as they did every time I heard those growls when I wasn’t expecting them.
“Quick, switch off your flashlight,” I whispered. “Maybe it’ll help.” I switched mine off as I said it, and then ducked and ran softly on the hay-covered floor to the far end of the huge barn. Risa followed me, making hardly any sound. We tiptoed along the side of the stalls and tried to make ourselves as small as possible. After we got to the last of the doors, we crouched there in the darkness. I was unwilling to go inside a stall to hide; I didn’t want to be caught in one, with no way out.
The growling became intermittent, and I thought I could make out at least three different voices. So, at least three zombies now shared this barn with Risa and me, and the mare and her foal. Somehow, I didn’t think the horses had much to worry about.
In the five-plus years since the epidemic began, scientists had been studying the problem and testing different theories. In the process, they had discovered a few interesting facts about the people infected by the plague. The zombies. First of all, they didn’t seem to be attracted to animals. Lucky for us people, they seemed to only want to taste us. Great, huh?
Second. They seemed to have very poor vision. Guess that might have had something to do with the way their eyes quickly went milky, as if they had cataracts. Gross. Anyway, they seemed to hunt by smell mostly, and also used their sense of hearing to find their prey. Speaking of prey, we were it. That’s right, our own people, who had been ravished and zombie-fied by this terrible plague, turned back on us and hunted the humans who had yet to be infected.
Smell. Sounds. These things were on our minds as we huddled there in the dark in the corner of that strange barn. We knew the zombies acted mostly on instinct; they weren’t too smart. But then again, they weren’t too dumb, either. We’d seem zombies duck shots fired at them, and think things through in their seemingly insatiable quest for human flesh. They would attack strategically, looking for any weakness. If we were barricaded in the van, locking the doors on one side, they’d come around to the other side of a car to try the windows there. Luckily, the barn we were in was full of smells other than ourselves. The big pile of horse manure in the corner, for instance.
We had no choice but to try to find a way out of our predicament, while making as little noise as possible. The three zombies we knew of were growling and shuffling around toward the front of the barn again, while we crouched in the back. I began searching for any back door or window we could use as an escape route, and Risa, seeing what I was doing, began looking with me. We must have been about 8 feet apart, at the back wall of the barn, when the zombie we didn’t know was there jumped down from the loft and onto … me.
“AHHHHH!!!!!!” I yelled, startled, as I tumbled to the ground. Luckily, the zombie had fallen more than ten feet, so when it landed on me, it rolled off to the side and was momentarily stunned. I quickly scrambled to my feet and unholstered my shotgun, bringing it forward and leveling it at the figure on the ground.
Risa reacted quickly as well, bringing her the .33 up and training it on the creature. One thing we had learned fast in the last five years was not to hesitate. So I walked up to the figure that was starting to rise, and I fired at its head, the muzzle of my sawed off not a foot away. It quickly dropped to the ground and was still, but the shot, that had been deafening in the closed area, had alerted the other zombies to our presence.
We both looked up toward the barn door and heard the low growling become even more menacing, if that were at all possible.
“Oh, to heck with this,” I mumbled, and turning behind me, I shot out the nearest wooden board in the wall of the barn. With Risa covering me, I kicked out a hole large enough so we could get through. I scrambled through the 2-by-3-foot hole I’d made, and Risa emerged after me, with a zombie hot on her heels. The thing actually stuck its head through the hole, and stretched an arm out too, reaching. Big mistake. Huge.
Quickly holstering my shotgun, I brought my bowie knife up and then down, slashing the thing trying to eat us. The sharp blade sliced cleanly through its neck, and its head rolled free at Risa’s feet, dripping black blood. Hey, what can I say? I liked to keep my blades razor sharp.
“Oh, gross,” Risa said softly.
Laughing, I quickly switched back to my shotgun, reloading it in less than 30 seconds. “We need the men here,” I said, pointing my shotgun to the sky. I let off three rounds, at five second intervals. POP!! POP!! POP!! The shots echoed across the farmyard. We heard the growls stop on the other side of the barn wall, and then resume, sounding angrier than ever.
Looking around, I saw a small water tower on stilts, about three stories tall. We could climb the ladder and, if the zombies came, we’d be able to pick them off one by one. We’d be safe up there. Indicating it with a tilt of my head, I holstered my shotgun and we both trotted over to the ladder.
“Up you go,” I said, boosting her up. The water tower ladder started about 5 feet off the ground so we had to scramble a bit. The growls had faded away, but I was worried the zombies were going to come around the corner any minute. Boosting the skinny teenager up, I prepared to hoist myself up after her.
Then I heard the zombies growls, much closer than before. Without stopping to look around at the direction they were coming from, I jumped and grabbed the third rung and hoisted myself up, my foot catching the bottom rung on the first try. There was nothing like being hunted by zombies to hasten your climb up a ladder, I tell ya.
Risa and I clambered up to the ledge on the bottom of the large, barreled, wooden structure; it was 10-12 feet up. We stood on it, we didn’t want to sit and then have our legs dangling off the end out into possible grab territory. We waited.
We didn’t have long to wait. It was less than a minute after I started up the ladder that the first zombie shambled into view. It was a female, in an old housecoat that had seen better, non-zombie, days. It walked out into the open, not sure where we were, but definitely smelling us. It was followed by two more zombies, both male, one looked to be an old man and the other a middle aged man. It was almost funny to watch, because the old man zombie appeared to have been a bit crippled by old age before being infected, turned and subsequently infused with zombie strength. So what we were watching was a crooked old zombie that look arthritic, but moving pretty fast and not appearing in pain at all. These three zombies began a zigzag pattern, using their noses to find us.
They were about twenty feet away when things got really nasty. And by really nasty I mean that a dozen or more young zombies, of varying ages, came to join the adult zombies in their hunt for us humans. Apparently, this had been a pretty large family. It looked like a grandfather, a great grandfather, a mother, and at least a dozen youths ranging in age from around ten all the way up to early twenties. I suspected the father might have been one of the two I’d killed by the barn, but I wasn’t sure. Trying to count these things was useless, plus in the end, we couldn’t know how big the family had been, how many members there were. Heck, we could try to mentally calculate the whole family only to miss the Uncle Bob zombie or the Auntie Tweedie zombie or something. In this situation you just had to assess the threat as best you could and meet the danger head on as it came to you. Deal with the zombies you knew about, and never let down your guard.
“Shoot, where’s my extra ammo?” Risa said, fumbling in her side bag.
“I put it in the back pocket, there,” I pointed. I fumbled for my own ammo - we were going to need it. I located the box of cartridges in my side pouch and checked my shotgun. I was ready.
“Okay, hold my belt,” I said, and after Risa hooked her arm around the wooden structure and grabbed hold of the back of my belt, I leaned over and shot out the ladder. Good. Now they had no way of climbing up to us, I hoped.
We watched them come, both of us calm, holding our firearms at the ready. We’d been through over five years of this so we were somewhat used to it. This wasn’t even Risa’s first situation of this type. Three other times, we’d been trapped and either holed up or treed like cats and had to pick off zombies one by one to free ourselves. But this was the first time Risa and I had done it alone. I was really counting on her. Glancing sideways I asked, “You okay?”
Risa looked at me and nodded her head, a look of calm determination on her face. “Absolutely,” she said, then looked down on the advancing horde.
___

We later learned that Jacob had heard my three shots and had begun jogging through the trees toward our location. He was almost a mile and a half away, and there was underbrush to deal with, but he made pretty good time. He had slung his shotgun over his shoulder and was trotting steadily, zigzagging through the trees, following the sound of the shots.
DeAndre had heard the shots, too, but was a bit farther away - over the low hills and south of the water tower. The shots I’d fired sounded faint, but it was closing in on midnight and the night was very quiet and peaceful. The stars were brilliant, and together with the quarter moon, they stood watch as D hiked up through the foothills toward our location.
___

Risa and I stood there, waiting for the zombies to wander closer. My shotgun needed to be fired at close range to knock one out for good. I’d shot from several dozen feet away, and you just got a wide spread. The result was a zombie with a pitted, icky, gross, dripping-with-goo face. No, I would need to wait until they had closed within about 6 feet or less. But that was okay, we were up high. I figured we could pick them off one at a time. Unless by some miracle they decided to work together. I’d heard of this happening sometimes. I hoped it didn’t happen tonight.
“Here comes the first one,” Risa said, taking aim. The zombie shambled up to the water tower and looked up, its eyes all milky and its scalp shredded where it had apparently been bitten when it was a human. It looked like it had once been a teenage girl, maybe 16 or 17. It still wore pedal pushers and a flowery sweater. Growling at us, it stretched its arms upward and jumped, trying to catch the ledge we were on. Risa steadied her .33 and shot off a round: *POP* The bullet caught the zombie right in the temple; it dropped heavily to the ground and was still.
“Good shot!” I said. And then, “uh, oh,” as three more zombies began jumping for the ledge.
POP! I knocked another zombie down. It was taller than the first and had actually been able to slap its fingers to the edge of the wood when it jumped. Now it was slumped against one of the wooden stilts that supported the water tower. It would never jump again.
Risa tried to shoot a third zombie, but it was moving around more erratically and it was harder for her to get a bead on it. It took her four shots, but she finally nailed it in the head, and it fell to the ground.
The third of the closest zombies just growled and moaned as it looked up at us. I had no pity for the thing. If we were within reach it would not hesitate to attack us. And I did not hesitate. Lowering my shotgun muzzle and sighting down at it, I pulled the trigger and blasted the thing’s face off. It fell backward onto the ground and lay still.
I looked up to get an idea of what to expect next, and my eyes found the old man zombie approaching. It moved pretty fast - it probably hadn’t moved that fast when it was alive, for several decades. But now, in its crooked, arthritic, sideways shamble-hop, it was fast. And shrewd as well. Looking up at us and staying back a ways, it seemed to study us. Its eyes had not gone completely milky yet, and apparently it could see us. It was kind of creepy in a way, almost as if it was actually sentient.
“Will you look at that,” I said softly. At the sound of my voice, its gaze focused on me, and it cocked its head.
“Whoa!” I said, nearly losing my footing in surprise. The old man zombie seemed to notice this, and then it dropped its eyes down to study the area under our feet.
“I really don’t like the looks of that one,” Risa said. “It’s giving me the creeps.” I nodded. I didn’t like the looks of it either. But my attention was drawn to another wave of zombies trying to get at us. I blew three of them away in quick succession and then leaned back to reload. Risa was getting better with her .33, which was good. That gun was not terribly accurate at greater distances, so you had to wait until you had a clear shot at a zombie no more than ten feet away to have a really good chance of hitting it in the head and stopping it.
I finished reloading and covered Risa as she also reloaded. Sighting down the muzzle of my shotgun, I picked off two more zombies, then stopped to look up. The grandfather zombie had moved back a bit and was now about a dozen feet away from the base of the water tower. As I watched him, he all of a sudden let out a huge roar that made all the zombies stop all of a sudden. Then it grunted and growled and gestured and OH MY GOD IT WAS COMMUNICATING WITH THE OTHER ZOMBIES.
“Oh, this is not good,” I said.
“Oh my God. Oh my ever-loving God, what is happening?” Risa said.
There were maybe six zombies left, including the old man zombie and, believe it or not, they were in an informal huddle, looking like an amateur football team. Those zombies were concentrating their attention on the old man zombie, and he seemed to somehow be GIVING THEM INSTRUCTIONS.
“I don’t believe this,” I said. Looking around us, I saw that we were trapped like treed cats. “Listen, Risa. If this situation starts to go south, I want you to make a break for it, okay?”
“I won’t leave you, Alyssa,” Risa said.
“I’m not planning on becoming a martyr or anything, but I have a bad feeling about this and I ...,” I said.
“Alyssa, don’t even think that way. We will come out of this alive and we will find Luke,” Risa said.
Looking around again, I once again pointed my shotgun at the sky and let off three rounds about five seconds apart. I nodded to Risa and reloaded again. Risa nudged my arm, and when I looked up she gestured to the zombies. They were breaking apart slowly and something was happening.
They seemed to be a bit confused I thought, but then the old man zombie let out another loud roar and then hobble-charged right at us!
The other zombies followed him, and all of a sudden we had a small mob of half a dozen zombies rushing at our water tower. Risa and I could only watch as they came. Our guns pointed down, we wondered what was going on. This was not a good scenario at all. When dealing with zombies, I had always preferred to be on the side making the active decisions and controlling the game. Now they were calling the shots, executing some bizarre strategy from their zombie playbook.
We fired as they ran toward us. POP! POP!! POPPOPPOP!!
Two of the zombies fell to the ground, but four others just kept charging, in fact, they ran right under our ledge.
A split-second later we felt the water tower shudder and lean slightly before righting itself again. The zombies had hit the stilts holding us up. I couldn’t believe it. They had launched a coordinated attack and were trying to knock the water tower over to get at us.
“How on earth…?” I said. I didn’t have time to finish my sentence. They were still directly under us, pushing at the stilts in an effort to finish the job.
We teetered as the zombies below us pushed at the stilts. The water tower swung back and forth several times as we hung on to the wooden planks. Then for a few seconds, it stopped moving to the side and I thought perhaps the zombies had given up. But apparently they had just stepped back to gather their strength for another push, because all of a sudden the movement started again and it was worse than before. We hung on tightly to anything we could grab, but it was no use.
“Oh! OH!!” Risa said, as the water tower leaned alarmingly to the side.
“We’re going to have to jump! Come on!” I said, as the thing began to topple over.

Jane Austen Giveaway Hop (Oct 19 - Oct 24)

It is time for the Jane Austen Giveaway Hop!  (Hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer and vvb32reads)

All books in this hop or either by Jane Austen, or influenced by a Jane Austen story.

I am giving away a copy of  Murder Most Austen by Tracy Kiely.  The giveaway runs until midnight on Oct 24th and is open to U.S. only.

A dedicated Anglophile and Janeite, Elizabeth Parker is hoping the trip to the annual Jane Austen Festival in Bath will distract her from her lack ofa job and her uncertain future with her boyfriend, Peter.

On the plane ride to England, she and Aunt Winnie meet Professor Richard Baines, a self-proclaimed expert on all things Austen. His outlandish claims that within each Austen novel there is a sordid secondary story is second only to his odious theory on the true cause of Austen’s death. When Baines is found stabbed to death in his Mr. Darcy costume during the costume ball, it appears that Baines’s theories have finally pushed one Austen fan too far. But Aunt Winnie’s friend becomes the prime suspect, so Aunt Winnie enlists Elizabeth to find the  professor’s real killer. With an ex-wife, a scheming daughter-in-law, and a trophy wife, not to mention a festival’s worth of die-hard Austen fans, there are  no shortage of suspects.

This fourth in Tracy Kiely’s charming series is pure delight. If Bath is the number-one Mecca for Jane Austen fans, Murder Most Austen is the perfect read for those who love some laughs and quick wit with their mystery.

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Please enter all the other giveaways on the hop too!

Blog Tour: Violet Midnight by Lynn Rush (Book Review and Giveaway)

Title: Violet Midnight
Author: Lynn Rush
Publisher: Crescent Moon Press

About the Book: Let the Hunt begin….

Blending in with her college co-eds proves difficult for vampire Hunter, Emma Martin, considering the mystical tattoo on her wrist glows whenever Vamps are near. And after three months of silence, the glow is back with a vengeance.

Jake Cunningham witnesses Emma, a violet-eyed beauty, using unimaginable powers to fight off a fanged creature. Finally, after two years of searching, he may have found out what he’s become—a Hunter, like Emma.

Thankful for an ally in the fight against the Vamps, Emma finds hope and comfort in Jake’s arms. As she learns more about her new love’s family and its dark heritage, she may be forced not only to hunt them but to sacrifice her life to save Jake’s soul.
***A portion of all proceeds benefits cancer research and awareness***


My thoughts: I liked the way that this book started out showing us immediately what Emma was capable of doing.  It also showed her loyalty to her friends and her willingness to take on the role that has been thrust upon her.  Unfortunately, this role has also kept her pretty isolated and not willing to let anyone in completely.

Then she meets Jake.  She is immediately drawn to him and they soon discover that they share some similarities in what they have been going through the past two years. Together they start to piece together the mystery that surrounds them.  They think that they are on the right track, but something in Jake's past is about to rear it's ugly head and they will need to make some choices that they believe are impossible.

This was a very fast read and the story takes place over only a couple of weeks, so the pace never seems to let up.  It is the beginning of the Violet Night Trilogy, so you are left with a couple of unanswered questions at the end.  It is a somewhat new take on Vampires for me, and that was a nice change!

~I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from Bewitching Book Tours in exchange for my review.~

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About the author: Driven to write, Lynn Rush often sees her characters by closing her eyes watching their story unfold in her mind. Lynn Rush is a pen name that is a combination of two sources – Lynn, the first name of her mother-in-law, who passed away and Rush – since the author is a former inline speed skater and mountain biker. All of Rush’s books are dedicated to Lynn, her namesake, and a portion of the proceeds benefits cancer research and awareness.

Rush holds a degree in psychology from Southwest Minnesota State University and a master's degree from the University of Iowa. Originally from Minneapolis, Rush currently enjoys living in the Arizona sunshine by road biking nearly 100 miles per week with her husband of 16 years and jogging with her two loveable Shetland Sheep dogs.
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