Spotlight and Ebook Giveaway: The Rules of You and Me

I am really excited to be part of the promotional tour for The Rules of You and Me by Shana Norris, organized by AToMr Tours. Doesn't this book sound great? Don't forget to enter the below giveaway for a chance to win an ebook copy! ^_^

The Rules of You and Me

by Shana Norris

Release date: June 17, 2013

Age Group & Genre: YA ~ Contemporary romance

Event organized by: AToMR Tours

Synopsis

Hannah Cohen has always lived her life by a set of carefully constructed rules to maintain the image of perfection. But now, the rules aren't helping control the chaos that is quickly taking over.

Opting out of spending the summer in Paris with her mom, Hannah instead heads to the mountains of North Carolina to stay with her aunt. The Blue Ridge Mountains provide a barrier between Hannah and the rest of the world, a safe haven where her secrets can be forgotten.

When Hannah crosses paths with Jude Westmore, a guy who hangs a different shirt from the tree in his front yard every day, she finds herself breaking out of the comfort of her rules and doing things she had never dared before. As the summer passes, Hannah and Jude grow closer and make up their own rules for dealing with life.

But when the secret Hannah has tried to forget is finally revealed, even the new rules can't save her from possibly losing everything--including Jude.

Book links:

Goodreads * Amazon *Barnes and Noble

This YA romance is a standalone companion novel to Shana Norris's The Boyfriend Thief.

Excerpt from The Rules of You and Me

People didn’t just do things for other people without getting something in return. My dad had always taught me to never be indebted to someone. Rule #21: Even the score as soon as possible.

“Do you want money?” I blurted out.

He looked at me, crinkling his nose. “Money?”

I held up a finger to him and then dashed back to my car, reaching in for my purse. I found my checkbook and then walked to my trunk as I opened the little book.

“How much do I owe you?” I asked, clicking my pen.

He raised one eyebrow. “For what?”

I shrugged. “For my changing my tire. Isn’t that how this usually works? There are people out there who get paid to change tires every day.”

He shook his head and opened his door. “You don’t owe me anything. Just doing my good deed for the day.”

“You’ve got to want something.”

“You’ve already said thank you, that’s enough.” He pulled the truck’s driver side door open, which squeaked in protest.

“I’m not looking for a boyfriend,” I said.

He wrinkled his nose. “Neither am I.”

My neck flushed hot. “I mean, I’m not going out with you for changing my tire. Just so you know.”

“That’s a little presumptuous,” he said. “What makes you think I’d want to go out with you?”

I sucked in a breath, stung. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He looked me up and down. “Maybe you’re not my type.”

“Maybe you’re no one’s type,” I snapped back. I realized I sounded like I was five years old, but I was unable to keep my mouth shut. How had I gotten into this argument?

The guy smirked and then climbed into the truck. He turned the ignition and the truck groaned, but didn’t start.

I edged closer to the unpainted truck. There were dents and scratches along the side and the back window was cracked all the way across.

“Let me just pay you,” I said. “You look like you could use the money.”

Now his easygoing expression disappeared, replaced by a deep scowl. “Keep your money,” he snarled at me as he slammed his door shut.

I jumped back, blinking at the sudden change in his demeanor. The truck sputtered to life and the tires squealed as the guy put it into drive and pulled back onto the road, kicking up dirt and rocks toward me. I coughed, watching as he disappeared down the dip in the road. Maybe Natalie was right about hillbillies.

About the Author

Most days, Shana Norris still feels like she's stuck at sixteen, which is probably why she enjoys writing about teens. She lives in a small town in eastern North Carolina with her husband and small zoo of pets, which currently includes two dogs, five cats, and five chickens.

You can find her on...
Facebook * Twitter

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You're the lucky ones

Suntem tineri. Nu știm încotro să mergem sau cum să ne trăim viața. Ne străduim prea mult și adesea suntem răniți. Avem prea multe gânduri pe care nu putem să le exprimăm. Prea multe idei care rămân nepuse în practică. Ne facem rău intenționat. Totul în jur pare lipsit de sens. Nu-i putem înțelege pe adulții obosiți și resemnați. Treptat, însă, ne trag și pe noi în cercul lor vicios. Avem puterea de a schimba multe. Dar nu știm încotro.

And if you're still bleeding, you're the lucky ones.

'Cause most of our feelings, they are dead and they are gone.

My Own Mr. Darcy ~ Cover Reveal and Giveaway

Cine nu și-ar dori o poveste de dragoste asemănătoare celei din Mândrie și Prejudecată?

My Own Mr. Darcy este o adaptare modernă a romanului scris de Jane Austen, care tratează o etapă nelipsită din viața fiecărei fete. Care sunt calitățile pe care le căutăm în viitorul partener de viață și care sunt sacrificiile necesare? Există sfârșituri de poveste?

After being dragged to the 2005 movie Pride and Prejudice by her mother, sixteen-year-old Elizabeth’s life changes when Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Darcy appears on the screen. Lizzie falls hard and makes a promise to herself that she will settle for nothing less than her own Mr. Darcy. This ill-advised pledge threatens to ruin any chance of finding true love. During the six intervening years, she has refused to give any interested suitors a chance. They weren’t Mr. Darcy enough.

Coerced by her roommate, Elizabeth agrees to give the next interested guy ten dates before she dumps him. That guy is Chad, a kind and thoughtful science teacher and swim coach. While she’s dating Chad, her dream comes true in the form of a wealthy bookstore owner named Matt Dawson, who looks and acts like her Mr. Darcy. Of course she has to follow her dream. But as Elizabeth simultaneously dates a regular guy and the dazzling Mr. Dawson, she’s forced to re-evaluate what it was she loved about Mr. Darcy in the first place.

Karey White grew up in Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Missouri. She attended Ricks College and Brigham Young University. Her first novel, Gifted, was a Whitney Award Finalist.

She loves to travel, read, bake treats, and spend time with family and friends. She and her husband are the parents of four great children. She teaches summer creative writing courses to young people and is currently working on her next book.

Website*Twitter*Facebook*Goodreads

Excerpt 

It was a busy Monday morning. I was looking out at the line of waiting customers when he walked in. I gasped, shut my thumb in my cash drawer, and then tried not to cry while Mr. Sandoval from a hearing aid store asked me if I was okay.

When I finished Mr. Sandoval’s transaction, I looked at him again. He was taller than anyone in the room. Of course. His hair was dark and a little disheveled. It was hard to see from where I was, but his eyes looked like they were blue. And best of all, he didn’t smile. He looked gorgeously unpleasant and impatient. He looked around the room and his eyes met mine. Still he didn’t smile. My heart was racing. He looked perfect.

I did my best to time it so I’d be his teller. I went a little too fast with one customer and accidentally shorted her a twenty dollar bill. I tried to concentrate as I corrected the transaction. I slowed way down on the next customer, but just when I thought I was finished and would be able to help him next, my customer asked me to break a ten into change. He walked up to Courtney’s window while I counted out nickels and dimes. Furious, I stomped my foot. Not too loudly but enough to release a little of my frustration.

I listened closely as Courtney helped him to see if I could learn anything, but he hardly spoke. He gave a terse nod when Courtney thanked him for coming in and turned on his heel and left. He had excellent posture and a nice, confident stride.

I finished with my customer, and then before anyone else could step forward, I picked up the phone and dialed Courtney’s extension. She glanced at her phone’s display and looked over at me curiously.

“Who was that?” I whispered when she picked up the receiver.

“Elizabeth, look how many customers there are.”

“I know. Just tell me who that was.” I watched as Courtney picked up her last transaction slip.

“His name is Matt Dawson.”

“Is he married?”

“I have no idea,” Courtney said.

“Was he wearing a ring?”

“I didn’t look. What’s going on, Lizzie?”

“I just need to know about him.”

“Well, I don’t know anything about him and Delia’s watching us. I’ve gotta go.”

Matt Dawson. Matt. Matthew. Like Matthew Macfadyen. Dawson. It was pretty close to Darcy. The only way it could be better is if his name was Fitzwilliam but I’d never met a Fitzwilliam in my life.

Matt Dawson.

This had to be a sign.

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By Blood ~ Cover Reveal & Giveaway ~ The beauty of a badass chick

By Blood by Tracy E. Banghart

Series: By Blood #1 

Publication date: February 18th 2013

Genre: YA Paranormal

Synopsis

For 17-year-old Emma Wong, spending a summer in England should be a dream come true. Gorgeous scenery? Check. Lots of hot guys with accents? Yes, please.

Throw in an estranged mom, annoying new stepdad, and drooling baby half-brother, and it’s a disaster even her favorite cherry red leather jacket can’t fix. Even worse, there’s (hot) live-in research assistant Josh to contend with. The only thing more embarrassing than drunk-kissing him hours after they meet? Knowing he’ll be witness to her family’s dysfunction all. summer. long.

But when Emma meets a mysterious girl who happens to be a Druid, her vacation suddenly promises to be far more intriguing than she anticipated. Powerful rituals, new friends, an intoxicating sense of freedom...and Simon, the sexy foreign stranger she was hoping for. It’s all a perfect distraction from dirty diapers and awkward family dinners.

Trouble is, intriguing doesn’t often mean simple. And Emma is about to discover just how not simple her life really is.

By Blood is a novel about the ways that blood can bind us to others – or tear us apart.

Goodreads link: 

www.goodreads.com/book/show/17380488-by-blood

GUEST POST ~ THE BEAUTY OF A BADASS CHICK 
written by Tracy E. Banghart

One of my biggest role models when I was in high school was Buffy Summers, of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Growing up, I constantly felt like I had to prove I was just as strong/smart/brave as the boys. And here was Buffy, a short, dainty blond chick who was constantly underestimated…and then totally kicked people’s butts. 

The truth is, being a girl can be awfully scary sometimes. It’s just a fact of nature that we’re often shorter or weaker than our male counterparts, and that can lead to moments where we feel powerless or out of control. 

Emma, the main character in By Blood, is a short, curvaceous chick, but it was really important to me that she also be strong enough to take care of herself. Not with special powers, but with knowledge and a little skill. Her dad’s a cop and she helps him teach self-defense classes, so she has the tools to defend herself (which, yes, she has occasion to use in By Blood! ;-)). Here’s a little peek at one of these classes: 

Dad moved to stand behind me, then simulated a slow-motion attack so I could demonstrate as I explained the best techniques to evade or incapacitate an assailant. I walked the girls through “SING” – solar plexus, instep, nose, groin – and they laughed at the funny face Dad made when I pretended to hit him in the crotch. 

“Remember,” I said, “it doesn’t matter how tall or short you are, or whether you’re in shape.” I made a grand gesture that started at my black sneakers and swept up purple leg warmers, black leggings, to the loose gray tunic that clung to my curves. “I’m not exactly intimidating, right? I’m shorter than most of you for one thing. But that doesn’t mean I can’t protect myself.” I shifted my position, ready for the next move. “The more we practice, the more muscle memory we build, so our instincts when in danger will be the right instincts.”

Now came the best part—the part that got the oohs and aahs. Dad reached over my shoulders and before you could say “speeding ticket” I had him on the floor, belly up on the mat. The girls started clapping and a couple laughed in surprise. Dad grinned up at me. I loved that he let me lead the class, and that he was okay with me throwing him around in front of a bunch of girls. Not all cops were cool like that. Not all Dads either. 

There are lots of places to take self-defense classes, and resources online and elsewhere that can give you tips on how to protect yourself. As Emma says, you don’t have to be in great shape or a black belt to save yourself in a scary moment. All you need is knowledge – and maybe a little practice! 

Here’s an example of some good self-defense tips! http://lifehacker.com/5825528/basic-self+defense-moves-anyone-can-do-and-everyone-should-know

Source of images: Tumblr

Author Bio

Tracy E. Banghart is a cheesy movie–loving, fantasy football–playing (go Ravens!), globe-trotting Army wife who began “practicing” her craft at the age of five, when she wrote her first story. She loves visiting the international friends she met while pursuing her MA in Publishing and spends a portion of every summer at her family’s cabin in Canada, where she finds inspiration and lots of time to relax on the dock. She lives with her husband, son, two lazy dogs and one ornery cat. When not writing or spending time with her family, she is on a mission to bake the perfect cupcake.

LINKS:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY

Giveaway Prize Pack #1 (US only)

Signed paperback copy of By Blood

Plus (all hardcover):

Beauty Queens, by Libba Bray

Starcrossed, by Josephine Angelini

The Body Finder, by Kimberly Derting

Jane, by April Lindner

By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead, by Julie Anne Peters

Sean Griswold’s Head, by Lindsey Leavitt

Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi

Slide, by Jill Hathaway

Wither, by Lauren DeStefano

Imaginary Girls, by Nova Ren Suma

Giveaway Prize Pack #2 (Intl)

Signed paperback copy of By Blood + $50 Amazon Gift Card

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Top 3 (leapșa) + Planuri de lectură pentru vacanță

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Oficial e vacanță. Pentru unii. Și pentru mine va fi în curând, trebuie doar să trag tare în aceste două săptămâni. Chiar dacă pentru absolvenții de a 12-a școala s-a încheiat acum trei săptămâni, ieri am avut oficial ceremonia de închidere. Nu mi s-a părut nimic special la momentul respectiv, și totuși după ce am ajuns acasă m-a apucat nostalgia și am stat degeaba jumătate de zi. Aștept însă vacanța cu toată magia ei și sentimentul de bine pe care îl emană. Și cum nu mai e chiar așa de mult până atunci, mi-am pregătit deja și lista de lectură pentru vară. Voi reveni în curând și cu o recenzie, pentru că nu am mai postat de foarte mult timp. ~_~

Zilele trecute am primit o leapșă foarte drăguță de la Bia, intitulată Top 3. Mulțumesc pentru nominalizare! :*

I. Top trei cele mai bune cărţi parcurse până în luna iulie:

1. Please Look After Mom de Kyung-sook Shin

2. The Almond Tree de Michelle Cohen Corasanti

3. 20 de ani în Siberia de Anița Nandriș-Cudla 

II. Top trei dezamăgiri:

III. Top trei cărţi de la care aveai mai multe aşteptări: 

1. Liceenii în alertă de George Șovu

2. N-am mai visat de mult că zbor de Taichi Yamada

3. Romanul adolescentului miop de Mircea Eliade

IV. Top trei cărţi care ţi-au întrecut aşteptările:

1. Nuntă în cer de Mircea Eliade

2. Dama cu camelii de A. Dumas

3. Chira Chiralina de Panait Istrati

V. Top trei personaje masculine care te-au dat peste cap:

1. Rhett Butler din Pe aripile vântului

2. Mr. Darcy din Mândrie și prejudecată

3. Mr. Rochester din Jane Eyre

VI. Top trei cărţi de citit într-o zi de vară:

1. La Medeleni de Ionel Teodoreanu

2. Lorelei de Ionel Teodoreanu 

3. Adela de Garabet Ibrăileanu

+Cireșarii de Constantin Chiriță (încă nu am citit, dar am toate volumele și sper să citesc măcar 1-2 vara asta)

VII. Top trei cărţi de evitat pe viitor:

Orice e scris de Paulo Coelho sau Cristina Nemerovschi.

Leapșa se duce mai departe la Alexandra Ali, Denise Chris, Oana.

Tot de la Bia am mai primit leapșa Books for Summer, care presupune crearea unei liste de 30 de cărți de citit în vacanță. Cu programul încărcat pe care îl voi avea vara aceasta (Bac, admitere, pregătire pentru facultate) nu mă aștept să citesc prea mult, așa că din păcate lista mea e mult mai scurtă. Sper să o pot duce la îndeplinire, iar dacă aș reuși să citesc și ceva în plus ar fi minunat.

În limba română mi-am propus să citesc:

• Domnișoara Christina de Mircea Eliade
• Pe aripile vântului vol 2. de Margaret Mitchell
• Hoții de frumusețe de Pascal Bruckner
• Cireșarii de Constantin Chiriță (vol. 1, poate și 2)
• Shirley de Charlotte Bronte (vol 1 și 2)

Cărți în engleză:

• Touching the Surface de Kimberly Sabatini
• The Host de Stephanie Meyer
• Dreams of Love de Carla Golian
• A Life Less Ordinary de Victoria Bernadine
• The Perfume Garden de Kate Lord Brown
• Tiger Lily de Jody Lynn Anderson

Posibile:

~Sub aceeași stea de John Green

~Ani de așteptare de Fumiko Enchi

~Eve vol. 1 &2 de Anna Carey
~Divergent de Veronica Roth
~Dragoste și prietenie de Jane Austen

Acestea fiind spuse, vă doresc tuturor să profitați din plin de această vară și să creați multe amintiri frumoase! Voi ce planuri aveți pentru vacanță?

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Never Too Far: Author Interview & Giveaway

Never Too Far by Thomas Christopher

Genre: YA Dystopian 

Publication date: May 10th 2012

Synopsis

A harrowing story of love and survival.

In a future of scarce resources, where the possession of gas and diesel is punishable by death, a teenage boy and a pregnant girl must save their impoverished family. They risk their lives on a terrifying journey to sell stolen fuel on the black market.

Book Links:

Goodreads * Amazon

Interview with author Thomas Christopher

Tell us about Never Too Far? 

Well, it’s set in a future that is much hotter and where gas and oil are running out. In fact, it’s illegal and possessing it is a capital crime. The hero is a sixteen-year-old boy named Joe, whose family is very poor and live in Dust Bowl-like conditions on the plains. One day, he finds a wrecked vehicle that belongs to the authoritarian city-state of Chikowa. And against his family’s wishes, especially his olderbrother Frank, Joe siphons the vehicle’s diesel and takes off on a treacherous journey to sell the fuel on the city’s black market. Fuel is worth a tremendous amount of money because it is so scarce. Joe takes along a pregnant orphan girl named Mary that his family recently took in. They use a cover story about Mary’s baby being breech and needing a hospital to throw off suspicion. She barely talks at first and hides beneath a big hat she always wears. The relationship that develops between them is one of the big themes, especially after she gets sick. The whole journey leads through a hostile landscape of desert and forests until they reach the city, where they get caught in a dark world of fear and corruption they might not escape from. 

Where did the idea for the novel come from? 

The idea for Never Too Far came from two sources, really. Several years ago, my wife gave me a book called The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler about the consequences of running out of oil. Around the same time, I also read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I really loved it. It was dark and ominous, but also full of tenderness between the boy and his father. I started thinking about a future where oil was scarce, and global warming had heated the planet, and some kind of desperate journey, like in The Road. I first wrote it as a short story, but I liked it so much that I turned it into a novel. 

The environment is wide raging in the story— arid plains, deep forests, and a city on a lake. Is it based on any specific area? 

Yes. Although the country in the novel is a fictional one called the Meshica Union, it’s really based on the geography of the U.S. that stretches from eastern Iowa to the shores of Lake Michigan. I didn’t want to be bound to actual places and cities because I wanted the story to havemore of a universal and timeless feel. 

Who is the audience for Never Too Far? 

I would say that both adults and young adults would enjoy this novel very much. Fans of dystopian fiction, coming-of-age stories, adventure and suspense would like it as well. 

Tell us a little about yourself? 

Sure. I grew up on an acreage near Grinnell, IA. As a kid, I loved roaming all the fields and creeks that surrounded us. We also raised sheep, and I helped birth the lambs. I remember very fondly feeding bottles of milk to orphan lambs in our basement. After high school, I hiked the 130 mile Adirondack Trail in upset New York. And after I graduated from college, I lived out west for a while in Seattle and Montana. I did a lot of hiking in the mountains out there. Then I went to graduate school in Michigan to studying writing and that’s where I was lucky enough to meet my wife. She was the manager of the hotel I was working at. I taught writing and literature for a while at Western Michigan University, Creighton University, and a few community colleges. Then came the birth of our son. I now split my time between writing and chasing after a very active 18 month old boy.

Author Bio

Thomas Christopher grew up in Iowa. He received his MFA from Western Michigan University. His short stories have appeared in The Louisville Review, The MacGuffin, Redivider, and Cooweescoowee. He was also awarded an Irving S. Gilmore Emerging Artist Grant and was a finalist for the Matthew Clark Prize in Fiction. He lives in Wisconsin with his wife and son.

LINKS:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter 

Giveaway!

One $20 Amazon gift card and a Kindle ebook of Never Too Far - Open internationally

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Book Release: Vulture by Rhiannon Paille

Today we are celebrating the release of Vulture, the 3rd book in The Ferryman and the Flame series by Rhiannon Paille. Below you can find an excerpt from Vulture and a link to a giveaway for US/CAN residents. Remember that the first book of this series (Surrender) is still free on Smashwords. 

Vulture by Rhiannon Paille 
Series: The Ferryman and the Flame #3
Publication date: June 18th 2013
Genre: YA Fantasy
Book links: Goodreads * Amazon

Synopsis

How far would you go to betray everything you've ever known?

Kaliel didn't think second chances came with this much turmoil. Exiled from her home, surrounded by strangers and in love with a boy she barely recognizes, she can't take it. She has her best friend, a new mentor, and a chance to win the war against the Valtanyana, but it's all wrong. Desperate to salvage some semblance of her former life, she makes a deal that shatters everything. 

Excerpt from Vulture

1
Alive

She was alive and all she felt was the cold. Stinging armor rested against her cheek, clammy hands on her back, sopping dress against her arms. All of it made her shiver on the inside. She didn’t have words to explain how she felt. A heartbeat rang in her ears, breath flushed in and out of her lungs, fingers curled around a boy’s shoulder and pressed into the skin at the nape of his neck. The last thing she remembered was the murderous look in Crestaos’s eyes before she thrust herself into the mouth of a volcano.

And she remembered exploding.

It was raining.

Everything felt so different.

Knots twisted her stomach, limbs heavy, head swimming with thoughts, with questions, with shock. Krishani released her briefly and looked into her eyes. He looked different, felt different. His black hair was longer, reaching his neck, his face

pallid, eyes sunken into thin malnourished cheeks, deep bruises underneath them. A curl of black dirt crept across his neck. She barely caught it in the eerie darkness, nothing but torchlight illuminating the night.

Crowds of people milled around them, stumbling or dragging themselves towards the lights. Hooves pounded back and forth, stopping and starting again, weaving through the wounded and dead. A high pitched lull dulled Kaliel’s sense of hearing. It cast a net over sound, muffling the noise. Krishani tucked his fingers under her chin and pulled her face up to his. She realized he was speaking. Hearing his voice nearly undid her.

“I need you to go inside.” His tone was gentle, less ragged compared to the first time he said her name. At the time his voice had been raspy, hollow, lethal. She didn’t want to know what he meant when he told her not to touch him. She went to pull away but he kept her attached, turning. Behind him were large gates and stone walls stretching into darkness. A dirt road marked at intervals by torches spread into a village. It was crowded by people in golden armor or shredded clothing. She didn’t recognize anything and immediately tensed. She glanced at Krishani, gulping. Her throat was scratchy, burning as saliva trickled past her tongue.

“Where are we?” she asked, alarmed. She didn’t know if her eyes had turned their usual green, she wasn’t even sure what color her eyes were anymore. This wasn’t her body.

“Terra,” Krishani whispered as he pulled her taut against him and covered her left arm with his, twisting his fingers through hers. She glanced at him, fear snaking into her, a million questions pounding at the fore front of her mind. “Go with Tulsen, I won’t be long,” he said, still talking into her ear.

Previous books in the series:

Praise for SURRENDER: 

"My head is still spinning a bit about the plot though because I can't believe it. It's better than ice cream for a break up. The plot was original, the characters were relatable and down to earth despite not living on Earth." - Courtney at Readable Charper

"Reading this book felt like reading a classic, but with everything I love in a book: romance, heartbreak, and lots of action! I would recommend this book to EVERYONE and then dare them not to fall in love with it!" - Sammie Spencer, Author of Amaretto Flame

Praise for JUSTICE:

"Paille paints a portrait of a desperately grieving hero – whose stubborn devotion just makes him all the more desirable. You will root for him, even when you believe deep down (as he does) that he doesn’t have a prayer." - Cory Putman Oakes, Author of The Veil

"He believes in their love when no one else does, and never wavers in his devotion." - Natasha M. Heck

Praise for VULTURE:

"Expect more passion, more deceit, more war, and more nightmares, and don't be fooled into thinking this is a love story with a happy ending."

Giveaway(US/Can only):  a Rafflecopter giveaway

O faptă bună la sfârșit de săptămână

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Haideți să ajutăm o studentă! Dacă aveți vârsta între 16 - 27 ani și dorința de a face bine, completați un chestionar pentru ca această studentă să-și poată susține licența în psihologie. Nu aveți de trecut numele sau alte date private.

Daca nu vă încadrați în vârstă și doriți să o ajutați, preluați articolul de pe blogul Coltisor de Rai.

Pentru ambele variante, ca recunoștință, link-ul blogului dvs. va fi afișat pe blogul Coltisor de Rai timp de 3 luni. 

Link: Chestionar de completat

Pe link-ul de mai sus sunt în total 3 chestionare mai mici, durează maxim 5 minute împreună, iar la sfârșit există un buton de trimitere prin care se înregistrează rezultatele.

O duminică plăcută și mult succes studenților care în această perioadă au de susținut licența! >:D<

Surface ebook winner

The winner of an ebook copy of Surface by Tiffany Daune is:

Linda T.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner has been already notified by email and has confirmed her prize.

Thanks to everyone who entered! :)

De ce judecăm?

Image Source: doriimer

O să vă povestesc puțin despre o fată pe care am cunoscut-o anul trecut, într-o excursie. Era înaltă, suplă, îmbrăcată bine, inteligentă, îi plăcea să scrie(cum am aflat mai târziu), era vorbăreață, era înconjurată de o mulțime de prieteni. Pe scurt, avea în aparență tot ce și-ar putea dori cineva. Dar era o chestie pe care nu o puteam înțelege la ea: fuma.

Într-o zi, ajungând între patru ochi fără alte subiecte de discuție, pur și simplu mi-a venit să vorbesc cu ea despre asta. Mi se părea nedrept ca o fată atât de frumoasă și de firavă să-și strice corpul cu tutun. Ea mi-a tăiat repede replica, spunând că fiecare are câte o slăbiciune. Că slăbiciunea mea este că sunt timidă, că a ei este că fumează. Și că din acest punct de vedere suntem foarte asemănătoare și că nu ar trebui să o judec.

Și chestia e că, avea dreptate. Privind înăuntrul nostru, vom găsi cu siguranță una sau mai multe slăbiciuni. Necunoscând circumstanțele în care o persoană a ajuns într-un anumit fel, nu ne este permis a judeca.

De fapt, atunci când observi la cineva o problemă, un defect, o slăbiciune etc, cel mai prost lucru pe care poți să-l faci este să-i spui în față: tu fumezi / tu ești timidă / tu ești grasă / tu ești urâtă / tu ești așa / tu ești altfel. Un prieten adevărat este cel care îți înțelege slăbiciunile, le acceptă, și te ajută să le rezolvi într-un mod în care tu nu te simți jignit sau poate că nici măcar nu îl observi. Ce ar fi dacă, în loc să judecăm, am încerca să ne punem mintea la contribuție pentru a face ceva bun?

De ce povestesc toate astea acum? Pentru că zilele trecute o "prietenă" a început să povestească mai multor prieteni, din dorința de a face conversație, o întâmplare jenantă cu mine, făcându-mă să mă simt penibil. Efectiv, de fiecare dată când se așeza lângă cineva, începea să povestească. Așa că inevitabil mi-au venit în minte cuvintele fetei de anul trecut.

În încheiere, vă adresez și vouă întrebarea din titlu: de ce judecăm? Vi s-a întâmplat vreodată să fiți judecați sau să-i judecați pe alții în mod greșit?

Book Blitz: Justice by Rhiannon Paille

Hello, dear readers! >:D< Welcome to the Justice Book Blitz organized by Expresso Book Tours. 

With the occasion of this blitz, Justice(the 2nd book in The Ferryman and the Flame series) is free on Amazon in kindle format from June 10th to June 14th (click here to download). If you live in US or Canada, you may also enter a giveaway for a signed copy of Justice (Rafflecopter link). Also, for those of you who would like to try out Surrender, the first book in the series, it is currently free on Smashwords in all ebook formats. Don't miss the opportunity! ^_^ 

Here's a preview of the books:

Justice by Rhiannon Paille

Series: The Ferryman and the Flame #2

Genre: YA Fantasy 

Publication date: January 22nd, 2013

Synopsis

How far would you go to destroy yourself?

Krishani always knew he would have to go to the Lands of Men, but he never thought it would be like this. Enemies everywhere, an ancestor he can't respect, elders he can't trust, a curse he can't stop and friends he can't help but hate. Desperate to end the pain, he sets out on a quest to find the other Flames and face the enemy that took everything from him.

Book Links:

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Previous book in the series:

Surrender (The Ferryman and the Flame #1)

by Rhiannon Paille

How far would you go to save everything you ever loved?

Kaliel was warned about her love for the Ferryman. One day he will marry the land and leave Avristar forever. She doesn't listen, and because of what she is-- a Flame-- one of nine apocalyptic weapons, she sparks a war. In a desperate attempt to save her home and her love, Kaliel tries to awaken Avred, not knowing she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Ebook Giveaway: The Black Shard by Victoria Simcox

Remember this giveaway for an ebook copy of The Magic Warble? Mrs. Victoria Simcox was very kind to offer to host another giveaway, this time for the second book of the series - The Black Shard.

A little info about the book: it is 255 pgs long with 1-2 pictures per chapter. It's listed a middle-grade read, ages 9-13 (and for anyone that still feels young at heart :). The book is a sequel to The Magic Warble so, even if you didn't read the first book, you can still read this one, but there might be some things you won't understand.

The Black Shard
by Victoria Simcox

Kristina's stay at summer horse camp is horrible to say the least, and it's all because Hester and Davina are there as well, making her life miserable.

When Hester's cruel prank goes terribly wrong, it's actually what sends the three girls back to the magical land of Bernovem. In Bernovem, Kristina is very excited to see her former friend, Prince Werrien. When he invites her to sail with him on his ship to his homeland Tezerel, putting it simply, Kristina can't refuse. Reunited with her gnome, dwarf, animal, fairy friends ... and best of all, Werrien, things seem like they couldn't get any better for Kristina.

But when Werrien becomes fascinated with an unusual seeing stone, the "Black Shard," Kristina is haunted by a ghostlike old hag. Struggling against suspicion, guilt, illness, and ultimately the one who wants to possess her soul, Kristina will see it's in her weakest moment that she will encounter more strength than she has ever known.

Chapter 9, Five Portraits, Excerpt

“This is really great!” Kristina said excitedly. She sat on the edge of the bed and ran her hands over the ever-so-smooth comforter.

Then she lay down on the bed and for a moment stared up at the ceiling, thinking how lucky she was. She sat back up and stared at the wall ahead of her, where there hung five small painted portraits, three men and two women, encased in gold frames.

The women’s portraits were each paired, side-by-side, with one of the men, leaving the third man’s portrait on the wall by itself. Kristina recognized one pair to be King Warren and Queen Lafinia, but she didn’t recognize the other pair and the solitary man. “Who are these three portraits of ?” she asked, pointing to them.

“The couple beside my parents is King Sirus and Queen Navesa, and the other man is Prince Raspue,” Werrien said.

King Sirus had medium-brown, wavy hair, gray-blue eyes, and a slender face with high cheekbones. He looked to be in his early thirties, and the expression on his face was serious. Queen Navesa’s portrait was not in very good condition; the paint was faded and chipping in certain areas, making it hard to see exactly what she looked like, but from what Kristina could tell, she had ash-blonde hair and green eyes. Her expression was also serious and somewhat sad. Prince Raspue looked to be in his forties, with olive-toned skin and dark brown, sunken eyes.

“Where do King Sirus and Queen Navesa rule?” Kristina asked.

“Nowhere,” Werrien said.

“So … then what are they king and queen of ?”

“They’re not anymore. Queen Navesa disappeared, and no one knows where. Then soon after she went missing, King Sirus was found dead in his bed.”

Kristina turned to face Werrien. “Are you joking, because if you are it’s not funny?” she said.

“It’s no joke,” Werrien said.

Hearing this caused a shiver to run down Kristina’s spine.

A little info about the author

Victoria was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, to an Austrian immigrant mother, and a Dutch immigrant father. She now lives in Western Washington with her husband, Russ and their three children, Toby, Kristina, and William. Her other family members are a Chihuahua, named Pipsy and two cats, named Frodo and Fritz. Besides being an author, Victoria is a home-schooling mother of twelve years and an elementary school art teacher of eleven years. In her spare time, Victoria enjoys managing her two older children's Celtic band. She also loves writing, reading, painting watercolors, hiking, good movies, and just simply hanging out with her family and friends.

Giveaway time!
Wait for the Rafflecopter to load and enter to win one of the three ebook copies of The Black Shard. Open INT. Good luck, everyone! ^_^

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Romanian students...

Brace yourselves!

The Baccalaureate is coming.

Vă vine să credeți cum zboară timpul? Mie sigur nu, și nu aș ezita să dau anii înapoi dacă aș putea. 

Acum că mai sunt doar câteva ore până când intrăm oficial în Bac, profit de ocazie pentru a vă ura tuturor celor care aveți de susținut examene importante (Bac, Evaluare Națională, licență etc) să aveți parte de cât mai multe reușite - atât la examenele școlare, cât și la cele ale vieții-, încredere în forțele proprii și în sprijinul celor dragi, și, de ce nu, un gram de noroc că nu strică niciodată. Să aveți succes cu carul și emoții cu paharul! Pentru cei de a XII-a, urmează o lună problematică în care va trebui să îmbinăm cum știm mai bine utilul cu relaxarea. Așa-i că e un fleac pentru noi? Capul sus și haideți să dărâmăm statisticile! Restul, spuneți o rugăciune pentru noi, doar în caz că vom avea nevoie.

The Versatile Blogger Award :D

Tocmai când mă gândeam că n-am mai făcut de mult o leapșă, am primit această frumoasă nominalizare de la Alexandra Ali, dark_eyes (Alexandra), Roxana Matfei, Chucky și Alle Criss. Vă mulțumesc mult tuturor! :*

Regulile sunt:

1. Mulţumește-i persoanei care te-a nominalizat.

2. Include link-ul către blogul respectiv.

3. Selectează 15 bloggeriţe pe care le-ai descoperit recent sau pe care le urmăreşti constant.

4. Lasă un link la ultima lor postare pentru a le anunţa.

5. Spune-i persoanei care te-a nominalizat 7 lucruri despre tine.

Voi începe direct cu pasul 5:

1. Sunt leoaică, deci îmi place să fiu lăudată și să mă aflu în centrul atenției, dar în același timp sunt o persoană foarte timidă în viața reală. Proastă combinație.

2. Sunt mică de statură și pe deasupra nici nu-mi place să port tocuri.

3. Îmi plac chestiile roz, desenele animate, florile, jucăriile, dulciurile, și uneori mă comport ca și cum aș fi la grădiniță.

4. Îmi iubesc familia și o consider a fi cea mai puternică legătură. Iert repede persoanele care îmi greșesc, dar pe cei care se leagă de cineva din familia mea - niciodată.

5. Nu îmi plac persoanele care se conformează în tăcere regulilor stupide impuse de alții. Când nu îmi convine ceva, spun.

6. Sunt perfecționistă și de aceea îmi pun uneori speranțe prea mari și în cei din jur.

7. Nu îmi place să împrumut cărți de la bibliotecă (decât atunci când am lecturi pentru școală). Când cred că o carte s-ar potrivi gusturilor mele, atunci trebuie neapărat să o am acasă.

Și acum pasul 3:

În limba engleză, adjectivul "versatile" descrie o persoană capabilă de a face (cu succes) mai multe lucruri în același timp. De aceea am am dat această leapșă unor bloggerițe active pe care le admir pentru modul în care postează. Bineînțeles că sunt o mulțime de persoane pe care aș fi vrut să le nominalizez, pe măsură ce descopăr mai mult din blogosferă 15 mi se par un număr prea mic, așa că oricine vrea leapșa o poate prelua!



Lista cu cele 15 bloggerițe, aranjate, după cum se vede, în ordine alfabetică.

Alexandra @ http://books-and-coffee-now.blogspot.ro/
Andra @ http://becatwoman.blogspot.ro/

Antonia @ http://furelise-oriceoriundeoricand.blogspot.ro/

Bianca @ http://bianca-s-blog.blogspot.ro/

Bianca @ http://buburuzabia.blogspot.ro/

Bianca @ http://quietreadin.blogspot.ro/
Chucky @ http://chucky-world.blogspot.ro/

Doina @ http://doinab.blogspot.ro/
Gabriela @ http://cioburi-de-vise.blogspot.ro/
Larisa @ http://some-books-are-to-be-tasted.blogspot.ro/

Oana @ http://live-your-books.blogspot.ro/

Rose @ http://rose-books.blogspot.ro/

Simona @ http://secretelecartilor.blogspot.ro/

Teodora @ http://www.zgomotulgandului.com/
Wanny @ http://strawberrychamber.blogspot.ro/
+ oricine o vrea

Sper să aveți ocazia de a completa această leapșă, și nu uitați că...