Monthly Archives: April 2012
Book Review on Lindsey Gray’s Blog (Day 8 – Kill Me Blog Tour)
It’s day eight of the blog tour and today over on Lindsey Gray’s blog is a review of Kill Me! So hop on over there and check out what she has to say about the debut of the Blood Chord Series!
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You can also check out the tour calendar over on the press page of the Blood Chord Series Site or Kill Me on Amazon if you’d like!
Book Review – Witchful Thinking by H.P. Mallory
Witchful Thinking by H.P. Mallory
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Having not read the first two books in this series, I expected to be a little behind while reading it. But there is enough back-story in this book that I got most everything that happened prior to this novel. I could see that as a lot of filler for someone who had already read the previous books though, but I guess that’s the price you pay for trying to keep everybody happy.
Overall, I really liked the main character Jolie, and I seem to be just as confused about her possible love interests as she is. (I wanted to whack Rand upside his handsome face a few times and Sinjin surprised me quite a few times too ~swoon!) The plotting kept me going and I finished this book in about three hours on this lazy Sunday afternoon.
That being said, a few things bugged me. Jolie doesn’t want to be the Queen, yet she seems to be falling right into the “I’m the Queen, so you have to do it” mantra. Also, a few things seem to be accepted a little too easily, or forgotten fairly quickly. Take the Prophetess (or priestess, I forget already) Mercedes… Surely I can’t be the only one who smells something rotten in Denmark here. She find out something, or somehow knows a helpful tidbit, and no one questions it. Even when it seems hinky.
I’ll read more by Mallory of course, back to the beginning to see if that makes me feel better about this book. Overall I really liked it, but I wanted to love it– you know?
Author Interview on You Gotta Read (Day 7 – Kill Me Blog Tour)
It’s day seven of the Kill Me blog tour and today I’m over on You Gotta Read with an insightful author interview. Aside from peeking into my twisted inner-mind, you’ll see why I adore Jodi Picoult (even after her atrocious comments on Indie publishing) and how I feel about gratuitous sex and violence in books.
So, without further ado… take a gander at the Interview on You Gotta Read!
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You can also check out the tour calendar over on the press page of the Blood Chord Series Site or Kill Me on Amazon if you’d like!
Excerpt on Bookshelf Confessions & Interview on Wringing Out Words (Day 6 -Kill Me Blog Tour)
Alrighty! It’s day six of the blog tour and I’ve got something special lined up today over on Bookshelf Confessions– an excerpt featuring Claire and the dastardly Clive, from my new novel Kill Me.
So hop to it and check out the post, why dontcha!
Also, Wringing Out Words has an interview up today as well. From the everlasting boxers vs. breifs question to my favorite scene in the novel, we covered a lot of ground!
Kill Me Featured on Guerrilla Wordfare (Day 5 -Kill Me Blog Tour)
It’s finally Friday everyone! Since I’ve been fighting a toothache the last few days, so I for one am very glad to see the weekend come.
For today’s Kill Me tour stop, the book is featured over on the fantastical website Guerrilla Wordfare. It’s the brainchild of author Lizzy Ford, author of numerous novels including Katie’s Hellion. I adore this cover, don’t you?
Check out the feature of Kill Me on Guerrilla Wordfare if you get a chance, and while you’re there check out Lizzy’s books as well!
Related articles
- Author Interview on Independent Paranormal (Day 4 -Kill Me Blog Tour) (quirkygurl.com)
- Paperback Proof of Kill Me (Day 3 – Kill Me Blog Tour) (quirkygurl.com)
Author Interview on Independent Paranormal (Day 4 -Kill Me Blog Tour)
Whoo-hoo! It’s day four of the blog tour. (Hey, that rhymed!)
Today I’m over on Independent Paranormal with an Author Interview. I love this site, and Jennifer is the coolest raised-by-wolves girl I know. Plus, she asks some pretty quirky questions, and you know how much I love that!
So what are you still here for… Go on now. Get on over to Independent Paranormal!
Paperback Proof of Kill Me (Day 3 – Kill Me Blog Tour)
I had to rearrange a couple of the days for the Kill Me blog tour, so I ended up with today as a free day. How fortuitous that the proof copy for the paperback version of Kill Me arrived last night!
So now I get to share with you guys 
The quality is great and the only minor complaint I have is that the background came out darker than I anticipated and the grayscale text (faded author name) printed a little inconsistently. A few minor tweaks and it should be good to go!
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And don’t forget, you also have a few more days to enter the giveaways over on Seeing Night Reviews and Fang-tastic Books. Tomorrow we head to Independent Paranormal for some bloggy-goodness, but you can check out the full tour schedule here.
Related articles
- The Birth of a Novel (Kill Me Release) (quirkygurl.com)
- Giveaway for Kill Me’s Release blog tour (quirkygurl.com)
Interview & Giveaway on Fang-tastic Books (Day 2 – Kill Me Blog Tour)
Next stop on the blog tour for Kill me… Fang-tastic Books!
So stop on by and check out the Author Interview and Giveaway post. I had gobs of fun answering the questions and I’d love to have you guys post questions or comments over there!
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And don’t forget, you also have a few more days to enter the giveaway over on Seeing Night Reviews — and while you’re there check out the excerpt of “Claire’s First Feeding.”
Related articles
- The Birth of a Novel (Kill Me Release) (quirkygurl.com)
- Giveaway for Kill Me’s Release blog tour (quirkygurl.com)
Author Spotlight – Jennifer Rainey and Thoroughly Modern Monsters
Today I wanted to do a little something different, so I asked the fabulous Jennifer Rainey to stop by and tell us a little bit about herself and to give us a peek at her new book Thoroughly Modern Monsters. Enjoy!
1. Tell us a bit about the inspiration for Thoroughly Modern Monsters.
I wrote a short about a girl who befriends the gorgon living under her bed about a year ago, and the concept of monsters being integrated into human society really interested me. So I started writing more short stories that fit in with that theme, and I ended up exploring the lives of ghosts, werewolves, sirens, vampires… even a minotaur! And when I linked those stories together, they became Thoroughly Modern Monsters.
2. Would you be friends/associate with the characters in your books? Why or why not?
I would certainly want to at least associate with Quinnish, the half-siren character in “Carnival,” the longest story in the collection. He’s outwardly very charming and confident, but beneath that he’s a little unstable. I’d love to pick his brain. Also, he works at a carnival. Maybe he could get me free food.
To move over to These Hellish Happenings,my first book, I’d definitely be friends with the protagonist, Jack. We’re both horrible music snobs. I think we’d get along nicely.
I read exactly what I write, for the most part. I enjoy quirky paranormal/contemporary fantasy books, and that’s what I tend to write myself. However, I also have a degree in English lit, so after years of studying them, I’m quite fond of the Old Dead Guys, too. Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Huxley… I love old dead guys. In an uncreepy way, of course.
4. What do you think is alluring about your book? Why should someone pick it up?
Thoroughly Modern Monsters features a cast of very colorful and interesting characters. It can go from being hilarious to absolutely heartbreaking, and it’s also a fairly quick read. There’s twisted romance, not-so-heartwarming family reunions and a woolly, three-eyed monster named Brian. What more could you ask for?
5. If you can tell us, what is it you’re working on now?
I’m currently balancing two projects. One is the sequel to These Hellish Happenings, When Hell Freezes Over. It’s sort of in Editing Hell right now, but it should be out in the next year. The second installment follows the main characters as they travel through Hell, Earth and even along the River Styx to find their missing Lord, Satan. Hilarity ensues!
I’m also preparing a book called Green-Eyed, which will be out late this summer. It follows two paranormal investigators who get a little more than they bargained for on their latest case. It’s a little darker than my usual stuff (though still humorous, I think), but I really love it. It’s been so much fun to write.
6. And finally, everyone is so gaga over the idea of vampires vs werewolves. What two supernatural beings do you want to see do battle?
Dumbledore versus Slimer from Ghostbusters. I don’t know why. That was just what came to mind. It’d be a sellout match!
Now, a little bit about Thoroughly Modern Monsters!
Blurb:
Thoroughly Modern Monsters for Kindle (Amazon)
Independent Paranormal
Jennifer Rainey’s Website: http://www.jenniferrainey.com
Kill Me Excerpt over on Seeing Night Reviews
Today over on Seeing Night Reviews we’ve got an excerpt of from the new book Kill Me, along with an ebook giveaway. Check it out if you get a second!
And don’t forget to enter our own giveaway here on QuirkyGurl as well.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Giveaway for Kill Me’s Release blog tour
Yay! the blog tour for Kill Me is on… and I’ve decided give away some cool prizes in celebration! Check it out and earn your contest entries.
- One lucky winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift card, because a QuirkyGurl can never have too many books.
- One lucky winner will receive a $15 iTunes gift card, in honor of the moderate musical theme in Kill Me.
- One very lucky winner will receive a Kick A** Swag pack, including a signed paperback copy of Kill Me and some other fun gifts.
Giveaway dates will run from April 22nd – May 5th at midnight. Winners will be notified shortly after the contest ends. So how do you win?
To enter for a chance to win one of the prizes, you can do one (or more) of the following:
- sign up for the blog feed (top right box in the blog)
- Follow @imaquirkygurl on Twitter
- Like QuirkyGurlMedia on Facebook
- Like or share the post on other tour stops. (See the blog tour schedule post here.)
Additionally, doing one of the follow will not only earn you good karma, but bonus chances at winning:
- Tweet the book’s amazon link: “Check out the new #kindle #ebook ‘Kill Me by Alex Owens’- music, magic, fangs & freaks. http://amzn.to/JdV19o #bloodchordseries ” (you can change the text however you see fit, but the book link and the #bloodchordseries must be posted so I can track the tweets.)
- If you’ve read the book and liked it, consider reviewing it on Amazon, LibraryThing, or Goodreads.
- Post a link to this giveaway or to Kill Me’s Amazon page on your own blog, facebook, etc.
After you’ve done at least one (or more) of the above, you must leave a comment on this post so that I know what you’ve done. Thanks in advance, and good luck!
Related articles
- The Birth of a Novel (Kill Me Release) (quirkygurl.com)
The Birth of a Novel (Kill Me Release)
After months of labor pains, anxiety and even a certain amount of dread, the first novel in the new Blood Chord series, Kill Me has been released!
If you’re so inclined, you can check out the series web site here, or just hop on over to Kill Me’s Amazon page. As of right now, the novel is only available in digital format (exclusive to Amazon, hitting other vendors this summer) and the paperback version should be out in a few weeks.
In other exciting news, the book release blog tour is slated to start in a few days, so I’ll be posting updates on that from now until the ‘Cinco de Mayo’ ending of the tour. You can see the scheduled tour stops on the press page of the Blood Chord series site.
Now, I’m off to work on my guest posts for the tour…
Related articles
- Booking for the Kill Me blog tour now! (bloodchordseries.wordpress.com)
Book Review – Play Dead by Anne Frasier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Despite the fact that I have numerous other books in my to-be-read pile I couldn’t help moving Play Dead to the front based on the cover alone. It’s fantastically creepy and morose. Which I was apparently in the mood for when I started reading this earlier today.
Ironically, after I finished the book I realized that I’ve recently read another book by Frasier (HUSH) and while I enjoyed that one, I adored this novel.
Set in the sweltering south amid voodoo lore and “root doctoring” (a phrase I hadn’t heard in a while) the main character Elise is divorced,a detective, living in a perpetually partially renovated house and has a daughter who’d rather be anywhere else. And then there is the detached partner who’s keeping secrets to preserve his own sanity. When bodies start coming to life after being declared dead, Elise and her partner are swept into a dark world of spells, secrets and betrayals.
I found this novel an excellent read. With it’s evocative setting, woven in folklore and complex character issues, I couldn’t get it read fast enough. At the end (well done, by the way) I found myself hoping that there is at least a sequel planned, if not a whole series.
Play Dead is a quirky, fast-paced mystery with undercurrents of family drama and southern lore. I’ve become an Anne Frasier fan with this one for sure!
Oh, and before I forget, I hope everyone has a fabulously freaky Friday the 13th!
Related articles
- Quickie Book Review – HUSH by Anne Frasier (quirkygurl.com)
