We Have Power.

We are up again. :)

Thank you Jenn for letting everyone know what was going on. I appreciate it. This has not been my week. LOL. I am working on my review of Shifter 2040 so it should be up later today. I am also writing up some other reviews and working on some happenings for October.

I have invited authors to share in some Halloween fun for the month of October. Several authors have been sending in Halloween themed post for you all to read during October. I am expecting it to be a lot of fun. There will also be a giveaway happening during the month and The Darkside Book Tour! I will be reviewing books by Stacey Kennedy and A. Jacob Sweeny for the tour. I also have planned more book reviews and the memes I enjoy so much. I love Halloween and I hope you will all enjoy everything I have planned..

Message from Cristina

Hello everyone on Cristina's blog! This is her friend Jennifer. Cristina wanted me to let you all know that she will be away from the blog for a little while.  They are having high winds in Alaska, and might be without power until Friday sometime.  So if you don't see any posts or responses for a couple of days, that's why!

Waiting on Wednesday - Jennifer Turner

"Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by “Breaking the Spine”, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Eternal Embrace by Jennifer Turner

October 31, 2011

Available for pre-order on her website 

Lydia Vincent finds little worth in anyone or anything, save herself and her ability to see the truth in everything. At least, what she perceives to be true. She's not looking for love, not looking for acceptance, and she certainly doesn't need some man messing up her life.

Forced to endure a malevolent ritual thousands of years ago, Oktober sees the world through the jaded eyes of a predator. He's a cold-blooded killer, whose only use for humans is food. But he’s about to get the shock of his immortal life – because the one human who won't fall to the curse of his blood – is the one woman who doesn't want a damn thing to do with him.

When the rise of an Ancient enemy lures Oktober and Lydia together, can Oktober ignore the dark instincts urging him to kill her? Can Lydia put her past behind her and find a way to accept Oktober as he is? Can destiny withstand two people who'll fight it to the end...even if it means dying?

I have been waiting for this book. Earlier  I won the first two novels in this series from the author Jennifer Turner. I fell in love with this series. Oktober was one of my favorite characters so I am super excited that this book is about him. I took advantage of the offer on Jennifer's website. I now have the date marked and will be doing a countdown much like I did as a child with Christmas and my birthday!

I am also looking forward to Jennifer's new series which is due out in January 2012. Since I love the Eternal Series I have absolute confidence this will be another awesome series. I am so excitede by these two releases! If you haven't checked out the Eternal series yet, you need to. Jennifer is a truly gifted writer. 

 

Ascension: The Revelation by Jennifer Turner

January 2012

For nearly a decade, Kasey Morris has dreamed about one man - the eccentric doctor who saved her life when she was twelve. Now, a Paladin, she’s charged with the daunting task of defending humanity from vampires, shapeshifters, and other supernatural creatures. There’s only one problem – she’s recently learned the man she loves isn’t human. And while her divine instincts regularly remind her he’s the exact kind of monster she’s supposed to guard against…her heart has a completely different agenda.

Vouclade Nelek has held many titles over the course of his existence. Healer, Scientist, Surgeon…Torturer. However, it’s been thousands of years since a woman has chosen him to be her Lover. Under normal circumstances, he’d simply decline her advances and redirect her attentions to a more appropriate suitor. But this time his admirer is far from normal, and she possesses two dangerous traits that even someone of his station can’t ignore: determination…and true immortality.

She’s poised to prove love isn’t bound by age. He’s prepared to refute her every claim. Together, everyone agrees Kasey and Vouclade are a potential disaster in the making. But when forced apart – the devastating backlash may very well bring the entire supernatural world to its knees…once and for all. 

Jennifer Turner Website

Thank you to Dani over at Reflected Light Reviews  for the book Perception by Heather Cashman. Be sure to check out her site. She has some awesome giveaways going on now! There is always something good going on her blog. If you haven't been there be sure to stop by!

Thank you to Niina at For The Love of Reading for the book Caressed by Moonlight by Amanda J Greene. Niina also has an awesome giveaway going on now. Be sure to stop there also. 

    

Don't they sound awesome? What are you waiting on? Leave me a comment to let me know where to find you. 

Kimberly LaRocca - A Black Girl's Poetry for the World

A Black Girl’s Poetry for the World

By Kimberly LaRocca

 

 

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, KNOW YOUR WORTH,

BE WHO YOU KNOW YOU WERE MEANT TO BE

--New Collection of Poetry Celebrates Personal Pride and Life Challenges

 

Don’t be scared to let go.

make your move.

You’re right where you need to be.

Don’t be afraid.

Do what you say.

That moment is meant just for you

To make your move.

From “Making Moves”

 

            Kimberly LaRocca knows all about challenges, the ones we can’t control, and those we create. She also knows about standing tall and staying proud, no matter what.

            A teenage mother who had her first child at age 17, LaRocca didn’t allow her situation to define her, or let her to fall into societal stereotypes. She graduated with her high school class and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree. Author of the new book of poems, A Black Girl’s Poetry for the World, LaRocca boasts an unshakeable belief in the power of pride, self-determination, and fulfilling personal potential.

            “I believe in karma, and my approach to life is straightforward yet powerful: I treat others the way I want to be treated,” says LaRocca.  “I could have let myself be defined by what others think, but I simply refused to let that happen. I surely created my own challenges in my life, but I refused to stop believing in myself.”

            While celebrating self-determination and human pride, A Black Girl’s Poetry for the World also presents insightful poems exploring all aspects of the human experience. From lost loves, strained relationships and the difficulty of forgiveness to raw anger and intense sexual desire, LaRocca ‘tells it like it is’ and literally bares her soul in her poetry.

            “I find writing and poetry cathartic and empowering,” adds LaRocca. “I understand my style may be subject to literary criticism, but I also believe others will find valuable meaning to which they can relate. Poetry is beautiful because no one can deny your words, thoughts, dreams, and fears.”

 

“Poetry Lives Here”

 

A door has opened for me.

Inside that room lives poetry.

 

It invites me in,

Says take a seat,

And offers me its words to eat.

 

It embraces me.

Then takes my coat.

Then sings to me

In special notes.

 

It comforts me.

Says stay awhile.

Encourages me

With its warm smile.

 

It offers me a place to stay.

And says Please come back any day.

 

I am your friend,

It says to me.

I open up.

It sets me free.

 

Kimberly LaRocca is an avid reader and writer and has written numerous short stories, poems, and songs. She earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Technology Management degree from St. Petersburg College. Kimberly lives in Florida with her husband and four sons. Reply to the e-mail address above for a limited copy of the book for review consideration or to arrange an interview.

 

Website: http://klarocca2010.wordpress.com/ 

 

A Black Girl’s Poetry for the World can be purchased  on Amazon:  Kindle Version Here and Print Version Here as well as a host of other retailers.

My Review:

I don't usually buy poetry books. I like poetry but have a preference for stories.  So I tend to pick up a poetry book at the library when I am in the mood for poetry. I do own a few poetry books - I have an Edgar Allen Poe, that has a published date from somewhere in the 1800's, (it's put away so I can't get to it at the moment for the actual date), it's small and has only about 40 or so pages on strange paper, (instead of one page like we have now it seems to be folded), that I love - treasured because it was handed down to me. I do enjoy poetry and tend to go back to the books I own and read through at odd moments but it is not something I usually run out and buy. I can honestly say A Black Girl's Poetry for the World is a poetry book I would be likely to buy. Ms LaRocca writes with feeling. Many of her poems spoke to me. Some evoked memories and some opened longings in me. I received this book last month and read it when I got it. I chose not to write my review immediately because I needed to see how it played for me. Even though the poetry touched me I needed to see if they were poems I would return to. I have favorites, Missing You, Trust, The Choice and my most loved one - My Son Shines. There are more that I could count among the favorites. Ms LaRocca writes of love and life; couples,friendship, faith, anger, abuse, truth and betrayal - it is all here. Words from her heart, words that ring of honesty. She writes from experience of experiences and feelings we all have. I have returned to this book multiple times. I recommend A Black Girl's Poetry for the World and give it 5 stars. I'm sure it will speak to you. More of Ms LaRocca's poetry can be found on her blog, Kimberly's Page.

* I received a copy of the book for review purposes from the author. The review is my honest opinion of the book. I have received no compensation for the review.*

Please leave a comment. I love to hear from you!

Author Vickie Johnstone - Charity Skydive

Charity skydive for Wood Green Animal Shelters

 Today I am happy to introduce you all to author Vicki Johnstone. She is the author of the Kiwi series, (the main character is Kiwi - a little, fluffy black cat who is often cheeky. How fun does that sound?) and Kaleidoscope, (a collection of poems. I have this book and one thing I love about it is that the poems are broken up into subjects. I will have more on this in an upcoming post). Vickie lives in London and she is doing something awesome and wonderful there. I have invited her here to tell you about it.

Vickie:

It all started one Tuesday in July when I was looking through the top posts in the Facebook news and came across a request from Wood Green Animal Shelters for volunteers to jump for charity. Yes, I thought, I'm up for that!

Back in… well about 10 years ago, I travelled to Australia and I kept challenging myself to do things on that fun trip. When I got to Queensland, the hostel I was staying in was organising tandem skydives. I'm trying that, I thought, and signed up. But then it was cancelled because it was too windy. I signed up again to jump the following day. Later on though, walking around town, my mind started thinking... what if it was cancelled for a reason?... what if I'm not supposed to do it... what if I crash into a tree?... blow out to sea?... the chute doesn't open??? Yep, you guessed - I cancelled it.

So, on this Tuesday, I thought I would give it another go. It's for a good cause after all. And, it's funny how, as I get older, things seem a bit scarier! Do you agree? Maybe, maybe not? Things I used to do before, now I think oh no, what if I injure this or that, or what if I look an idiot. Actually, that last bit never bothered me too much. Looking an idiot seems to come naturally. 

So, the upshot is that I am hoping to raise money for Wood Green Animal Shelters by chucking myself out of an aeroplane on Sunday 2 October, holding on for dear life to some poor guy who will hear my screams all the way down. I also have vertigo, and I can’t go upside down on fairground rides or get on the big rollercoaster, but, hey, I'm thinking it's so high up that maybe it won't matter! I'll be jumping from 10,000ft, freefalling 5,000ft at 120mph, and then riding the parachute down to the ground – so it says on my information pack. And, then I’ll probably be scarpering to the nearest pub.

There are a lot of worthy charities out there, but this one does a lot of worthy work to help our furry friends. The charity has a website at http://www.woodgreen.org.uk/ and a facebook page at  http://www.facebook.com/WoodGreenTheAnimalsCharity?sk=wall

Here's how you can help...

I’ve set up a page on JustGiving where people can sponsor me. It’s at http://www.justgiving.com/vickie-johnstone/ and every penny is going directly to Wood Green Animal Shelters. Donating is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer.

Your thank you gift from me…

After donating, you’ll receive coupon codes to buy my books, two of which, incidentally, are about animals – cats, mice, hamsters J They are called Kiwi in Cat City and Kiwi and the missing Magic. These books are for sale on Smashwords and Amazon.

So, what’s so great about Wood Green Animal Shelters?

The history bit goes back to 1924, when Miss Louisa Snow opened the first centre in a small house in Lordship Lane, North London. She was concerned at the large number of abandoned and injured animals on the streets of London following the First World War.

Why do they need your help?

According to their website, in 2010, 79% of the charity’s income came from legacies and donations.

Stats & facts for 2010 –

-       We cared for over 5,500 lost and unwanted animals.

-       We rehomed 2507 cats and kittens, and 1469 dogs and puppies.

-       53 puppies were helped by our fostering volunteers.

-       We saw a 47% increase in the number of strays arriving at our centres.

-       38% of the animals we rehomed were neutered by our veterinary team.

-       22,000 medical checks and over 2,000 neutering procedures were carried out.

-       More than 16,000 people were reached through our 'Hands On' educational scheme.

-       At any one time we can accommodate up to 950 animals across our three centres.

-       We aim for an average stay of 21 days for a dog and 14 days for a cat.

-       40% of all animals we take in require veterinary care.

-       95% of animals are successfully re-homed.

-       At 52 acres, our Cambridgeshire Centre is one of the largest rehoming centres in Europe.

And, just in case any readers fancy doing a skydive for charity, you can find Information on the parachute company, Skyline, at http://www.skylineparachuting.co.uk/ Skyline was founded 14 years ago, specialising in organising parachute jumps for first-time jumpers. They are now one of the largest organisers of parachuting and skydiving courses in the UK, with over 7,000 people a year making their first-time jump with them. Many of these jumps are made for charity, and Skyline jumpers have so far raised £4.5million for more than 1,500 charities, according to their website. There is a list of charities on their site, from which you can choose to make a tandem dive.

So, now it’s Wednesday 14 September and I’m counting down the days. I’ve found some warm gloves, booked my train tickets to Peterborough and arranged an overnight stay there because you have to be at Sibson Airfield at 830am. Peterborough Parachute Centre is one of the best-equipped civilian parachute clubs in the UK. Apart from the excellent training facilities it has hot showers, lavatories, a licensed bar and restaurant, and free camping and caravan space. First I will be getting a 20-30 minute briefing session on what equipment I will be using, how to board the aircraft, and how to jump out in “a stable face-to-earth position”. Then it will up to the lovely British weather as to when I jump. So, Mr Sunshine, I hope you come out and play, and the clouds are nice and fluffy.

Charity edition book of poetry

I am also selling a charity edition book of poems called Childhood & Creatures. It is priced at £2.99, and all of my royalties will be going to Wood Green Animal Shelters. Poems inside: Magic pencils; The pink highlighter; My teacher actually fainted; Detention; The haunted house; The damaged bear; When playtime is over; The closet; The fox and the mole; Mog; The scarlet bird; Take flight; The captive; Open at your own risk; Dragonfly; The visitor, and Woof.

Where to buy it -

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/81113
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0055U9PEW http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0055U9PEW 

Wood Green Animal Shelters is a registered charity - number 298348

My links:

My blog: http://vickiejohnstone.blogspot.com

Twitter: @vickiejohnstone

Smashwords profile: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/vixie

Amazon profile: http://tinyurl.com/6bh8b8e

What an awesome thing to do! I cannot wait to hear how you do. For my  friends outside of the UK, if you would like to help please go to Vickie's Just Giving page and Tweet it and Facebook it. Helping to spread the word will be a big help. I will be doing an upcoming post where I will be reviewing these four of Vickie's books. 

               

Please leave your comments, (and encouragement for Vicki), below!

Friday Feel Good

Friday Feel Good

I am a little late with this but it is something I have been meaning to jump on for awhile. So KB and Whitesnake forgive me, please, for coming in late. 

This is my feel good for this week. 

My grandson Victor sleeping with his friend. 

If you would like to see KB's please check out 

http://krazyblonde-kb.blogspot.com/

To join in the fun head over to Whitesnake's and check out his then join the linky. 

http://whitesnake45.blogspot.com/2011/09/friday-feel-good-rugby-world-cup.html

I think this is an awesome way to start the weekend feeling right. Hope you will join in! Maybe next week I will get it in on time. LOL

Comments are always welcome!

The Caretakers by Shauna Nosler

The Caretakers by Shauna Nosler

* I received this book from the author who requested a review. I received no compensation for this review. and the review is my honest opinion.*

The book opens up with a young woman getting an illegal abortion the year before Roe V Wade. It was one of the most emotional things I have read this year. Ms Nosler did an amazing job describing that scene. 

The book goes back and forth from 1972 to various years up to 1989. It is the story of one family. Early years deal with Mabel and one of her brothers, Jasper. While later years deal with Jasper's daughter, Rho, and her cousins, Mitch and Cecil at their Aunt Mabel's home. Ms Nosler was able to jump back and forth while maintaining the flow of the book. Her story was a compelling read. After her abortion Mabel is not able to have a child of her own. She has missing memories of parts of that night but has managed to get on with her life. Jasper has kept a secret all those years. He remembers that night and hold Mabel's missing memories. The summer of 1989 he finally opens up about it. Rho, Mitch and Cecil discover a cross on the property. Rho and Mitch decide they are going to solve the mystery of their aunt and the cross. Before they can though they have an argument right before Mitch's family leaves. Then Mitch has an accident. 

This book was an emotional roller coaster for me. It had reminders of summers when I was a child that brought sweet memories of my own cousins up. There are a lot of secrets, guilty feelings, sadness, anger, and forgiveness, hope and love. I think the most important thing they learn from this, (and in turn we learn), is how important communication is among people who love each other. I thought this was a beautifully told book. The characters were well developed - I felt like I knew them. The story flowed very well, something I wasn't certain would work going from one year to another then back again. I am giving this 5 stars. It is a book I would recommend.