Just stopping by quickly to put a bit of beauty into your day! I don’t know who the artists are for those pictures, but I will link to my source =)
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Have a great day!
Monday, January 31, 2011
When I’m not Writing… with Tracey O’Hara
I am very lucky to have an amazing person and fantastic author by my side today! Tracey O’Hara is the author of the Dark Brethren series (you can read my review of the first book, Night’s Cold Kiss, here), and her latest release, Death’s Sweet Embrace, hit the store on January 25th, 2011! If you haven’t read her series, I really suggest you do, but for now let’s learn more about Tracey. Please welcome her warmly =)
** You can click any images to see full size**
A few weeks ago, the state I grew up in was hit with huge floods. Most of my family and a lot of my friends live there, so it was quite a scary. The extent of the damage is astronomical hitting 75% of the state (and our states are big). The floods rose so hard and fast that people died. Other’s lost everything they own. And the loss of life for the animals, both domestic and wild is heartbreaking. They say it will be like a post war recovery for Queensland.
As I said, ours is a country of extremes and until recently we have been in severe drought. In 2009 we had devastating fires to the south of us in Victoria. Again people lost everything, and some lost their lives. Like the floods, the fires hit hard and fast, giving people little time to prepare. In 2003 such fires devastated my city. In some of the images I have attached you can see how dark it is—that was 2 o’clock in the afternoon. The smoke and ash blotted out the sun, the flames tinged it red. We were on our roof, spraying it with water and preparing to be evacuated at any moment. It was the longest night of my life.
But Aussies are survivors and we take these things on the chin, because we know there is a lot to be proud of. Our country is just as full of beauty as well as danger. We have fantastic cities, tropical islands, rainforests, harsh but beautiful deserts and weird cute creatures. We also have spectacular natural wonders like The Great Barrier Reef and Uluru. I feel very lucky to belong here, but what’s more are the people. With the disasters, Australians band together to help out their mates and a stranger is a mate you haven’t met yet. We are laid back and fun loving people.
So this is my country. This is where I live, work and play. This is where I belong.
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Thank you so much Tracey for sharing with us. You’re so amazing. Love ya!
After thousands of years of secret conflict, humans and parahumans have reached an uneasy truce. But unspeakable evil now threatens to shatter the tenuous peace.
Teenaged shapeshifters are being slaughtered by a twisted, sadistic serial killer who rips their still-beating hearts from their paralyzed bodies. A task force must be formed to halt the madness—a union of avengers including the vampiric Aeternus, Christian Laroque and Antoinette Petrescu, as well as Kitt Jordan and Raven Matokwe, members of enemy Animalian tribes…and forbidden lovers.
A centuries-old blood feud has divided their peoples—pitting wolf against snow leopard in a battle to the death—and if their passion is discovered it will doom them both. But past hostilities must be put aside in light of the scourge that is now upon them. For the killer they seek is but the first sign of a blossoming terror rising up from their long-buried pasts: the all-consuming nightmare of The Dark Brethren.
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Enjoyed this post? There will be more “When I’m not writing…” posts in the future!
Please visit This Page to find out who my future guests are, and a chance to suggest authors you would like to see featured!
Authors, you would like to visit and share with us?
Please email me at TyngaUF(a)gmail.com
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Title Reveal!
Jeaniene just announced the titles for Cat & Bones number 6!
It’s actually a tentative titles, and it’s One Grave at the Time which sounds great!
Release date is still vague, but it should be Fall 2011.
I love the idea, hopefully it will be the final title ^^
Also, if you want to listen to the whole interview, please visit FrostFan.com
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Affiliates
This section was previously joined to My Policies, but with my recently joining Amazon, I decided to give it its own page =)
Please note that I am a Book Depository Affiliate, which means if you purchase a book from them using a link from my blog, I will receive a 5% commission from your purchase. It will not change anything for you as a buyer, but this small fee will help me afford the insane shipping price from Canada for my giveaways =)
I'd like to point that I choose to affiliate with BP because I purchase my books exclusively from them. As a Canadian customer, they have the cheapest price and the best customer services (let's say a book they shipped is damaged, they offer you to send a new one or refund you, and you don't have to send back the damaged book). If you are a cover lover like me, most of the time you can also chose to purchase US or UK covers!
You would like to become an affiliate too? Click here to subscribe!
In addition to my affiliation with Book Depository, I decided to affiliate with Amazon.com because most of my readers are from the US, thus many of you shop on Amazon.com and I wanted to offer a direct link for you =)
I purchase DVDs from the US division even though I am from Canada, and I’ve never had any issues with them!
I am also a proud new owner of a Kindle, so Amazon.com is where I purchase my ebooks.
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Those affiliations will in NO WAY affect the way I review a book, you will still get my honest opinion.
If you have any comments regarding affiliates link, free feel to leave them in a comment or email me at TyngaUF( a )gmail.com
Tynga
I am a new mother of the most amazing (although insomniac) baby
I have multiple passions, obviously books are very high on the list. I am also a huge hockey fan (Go HABS Go!) and I love arts, may it be photography, drawing, painting or messing around on Photoshop.
If you’ve been following my blog a little while, you already know that I read almost exclusively books of the Paranormal genre and YA Fantasy, Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy are my favourites =) I recently started reading Dystopian and Steampunk though and I’m loving it!
If there’s anything you’d like to know about me, just ask in the comments!
Wanna visit my bookshelves? Here’s a virtual tour!
(as of Dec 2012)
In My Mailbox
Before getting to serious business, I would like to thank The Story Siren for hosting In My Mailbox every week =)
Here’s my mailbox for the last 2 weeks:
For review:
Archangel’s Consort by Nalini Singh (Thank you Penguin Canada!) (Book Depository // Amazon)
Red Glove by Holly Black (Thank you S&S Canada!) (Book Depository // Amazon)
Bought:
Deadly Desire by Keri Arthur (Book Depository // Amazon)
Friday, January 28, 2011
Bookish News
First of all, here’s a news that will interest all ebooks lovers out there!
I found it on Tales of Whimsy, and here’s what she found out:
Have you heard or tried eBook Fling? According to PCMag.com, the site just launched today and they are calling themselves "the Netflix for books". It reminds me of Paperback Swap for eBooks. If you lend an eBook, you earn credits so you can borrow an eBook. Don't have any credits yet? They cost only $1.99. Check it out and if anyone has tried it, I am anxious to hear what you think.
Amazing right? I subscribed, but couldn’t try it just yet because my kindle is low batt right now lol, but let me know what you think if you tried it!
Kevin Hearne, author of an brand new upcoming series called The Iron Druid Chronicles is having a super deal for anyone who order his first book before Feb 15th, here are the details:
If you do me a HUGE favor and pre-order Hounded before February 15 (use any of the red links below) and shoot me an email to that effect (kevin@kevinhearne.com), I will do the following for you:
1) Send you a signed, personalized, HOUNDED bookplate with any message that will fit (you’ll need to give me an address). If you buy multiple copies as gifts (Whoa! What a GREAT idea!) I’ll send you multiple signed bookplates—just tell me how many you need and who to make them out to! 2) I will pop open a beer, raise it high to attract the notice of the gods, and say, “Yon spiffy person, YOUR NAME, in YOUR HAPPY PLACE, is an excellent creature worthy of notice, good karma, and any benevolent juju you might otherwise see fit to bestow.” And then I’ll chug it in your honor. 3) I will hug my tree, pet my dog, and tell both of them how cool you are for pre-ordering. I promise. Thank you so much!
Source: Kevin’s webpage
All three of his books are available on Book Depository for only 5,99$ with Free Shipping to most countries.
(Click book cover to order)
Description of the first book:
Atticus O’Sullivan has been running for two thousand years and he’s a bit tired of it. After he stole a magical sword from the Tuatha Dé Danann (those who became the Sidhe or the Fae) in a first century battle, some of them were furious and gave chase, and some were secretly amused that a Druid had the cheek to defy them. As the centuries passed and Atticus remained an annoyingly long-lived fugitive, those who were furious only grew more so, while others began to aid him in secret.
Now he’s living in Tempe, Arizona, the very last of the Druids, far from where the Fae can easily find him. It’s a place where many paranormals have decided to hide from the troubles of the Old World—from an Icelandic vampire holding a grudge against Thor to a coven of Polish witches who ran from the German Blitzkrieg.
Unfortunately, the very angry Celtic god who wants that sword has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power, plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good, old-fashioned luck of the Irish to kick some arse and deliver himself from evil.
Doesn’t it sounds totally awesome?
And last, here’s the cover of Black Night by Christina Henry, sequel of Black Wings, to be released in August 2011.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost
An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness . . .
And now one woman has stumbled into the shadows.
Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she's only imagined in her worst nightmares.
At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he'd seen it all. Then Kira appears—this fearless, beautiful . . . human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable.
But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose either the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.
This second book in the Night Huntress World series features the ancient Mencheres, Bones grand-sire and co-ruler. After his involvement in his wife’s murder, Mencheres lost some of his powers and his once famous power giving him visions of the future only shows him a suffocating darkness. His end is near, he can feel it. So he works on insuring the security of his line before he commits suicide and gets it over with. That is until he meets a very special woman. Could Fate be cruel enough to put Kira on his path when death is looming over his head?
Mencheres has never been one of my favorite character in the previous books, he always felt cold, calculating and distant, but Eternal Kiss of Darkness showed me a lot more depth to his character and I finally came to appreciate the “older-than-dirt” guy, to use his own words. Jeaniene Frost has an awesome talent when it comes to creating unique characters, and this novel is no exception. Mencheres showed feelings we never had access to before, and I loved discovering this part of him. He didn’t feel as confident as he usually is, because he isn’t used to care for a woman and he’s insecure in his actions, torn between enjoying her company and pushing her away because of his impending doom. But Kira won’t let him take that decision. She might be only human but she is fierce. She’s also kind-hearted and determined to do the right thing. Her motto is “Save One Life” and she intends to save as many as she can. She’s very insecure about her feelings for Mencheres, him being a vampire and all, but when she makes up her mind, nothing will stop her. My lovely Vlad made an appearance! I just love that Vamp to death (pun intended) and I can’t wait for him to have his own novels. Our beloved Cat & Bones also make cameo appearances for our pleasure!
What really made this novel special for me, other than Jeaniene’s usual awesomeness and the great action and love story, was the amazing Egyptian lore. I LOVED how Frost brought us back to the time of Pharaohs to throw a new twist on this ancient history. I really liked discovering more about Mencheres’ past and his old feud with Radje. The Pyramids and the black arts were a great addition to an already awesome world making me fall in love even more (Is it even possible?) with the Night Huntress books.
The end was full of action and drama, which is a standard for Jeaniene and I loved all the little details unveiled at the very end. You have to read until the very last page to figure out the real meaning of the title which I find marvelous!
If you haven’t discovered this series yet you are missing out on one of the best Paranormal series out there, so do yourself a favor and buy these books. The Night Huntress world is one of magic, passion and epic battles. A world where ancient feud, struggles for Power but also love and loyalty comes together to create some of the best stories we’ve ever read.
Night Huntress books:
Halfway to the Grave
One Foot in the Grave
At Grave’s End
Destined for an Early Grave
First Drop of Crimson (Spin-off)
Eternal Kiss of Darkness (Spin-off)
This Side of the Grave
Book Stats:
Book Source: Sent by Harper Collins Canada for review
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Giveaway: The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
The big R-day (aka Release day) is here!
Are you guys excited? Do you have plan to raid the bookstore? Have you pre-ordered or are you one of the lucky ducks to already have a copy?
If you answers is none of the above, you are at the right place as I have one copy of The Iron Queen & an official T-shirt to giveaway thanks to Harlequin Teen!
Haven’t started this series yet? You can read my reviews here:
The Iron King
Winter’s Passage (novella)
And I’ve read and love The Iron Daughter, but I haven’t written my review yet. Sorry!
Here’s a bit more about The Iron Queen
The winds of war gather in acclaimed author Julie Kagawa's newest novel.
Meghan Chase thought they’d left Faery behind forever, but pressing matters cause the three exiles to be summoned to war.
A new alliance is made, along with a few contracts, of course, and Meghan, half Summer faery princess, half human, is pressed to choose Fey over her mortal beginnings. Will she abandon her human heart for an iron will that will help her survive? For as Meghan Chase can confirm—in real life, unlike books, faery tales don’t necessarily have happy endings.
"I thought it was over...The impossible choices, the sacrifices of those I loved. But a storm is approaching and they will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Back into a conflict so powerful...I'm not sure anyone can survive it." - Meghan Chase in The Iron Queen
For more into you can also visit the Facebook page!
Now onto the giveaway details!
One (1) winner will receive:
A copy of The Iron Queen and an Iron Fey t-shirt!
Open to US & Canada
Giveaway ends Feb 8th, 2011.
The enter FILL THE FORM
Monday, January 24, 2011
When I’m not writing… with Vicki Keire
I’m really happy to have debut indie author Vicki Keire by my side today! Her novel, Gifts of the Blood is now available in kindle format on amazon and she very nicely accepted to share some of her passions with us! Read along to learn more, and for your chance to win a copy of her book =)
…. I’m surrounded by equal amounts of books and vinyl records, and I’m always plotting devious ways to escape domestic duties of any kind. I enjoy cooking when other people do it!
I try and make sure that the things I love are visible in the world around me in some way. I’ve always loved ghost stories, fairy tales, and things that go bump in the night, which is why I’m so drawn to the paranormal as both a writer and a reader. But I like to find fun, quirky ways to reflect this, rather than get dragged down into a bunch of gothic bleakness. So I set out to decorate my house in a style I call “spooky chic,” with jewel-toned colors, stained glass, and quirky antiques. Here’s an example of a redecorated bedroom in spooky chic style. The tree mural was painted freely by hand.
I also absolutely love music. My husband owns an Indie rock record label, so there’s always a ton of new music around the house or a band to go see somewhere. In fact, a lot of times we have a musician or five crashing at our house. Bands I’m into lately include: Glossary, The Civil Wars, 
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Thank you so much Vicki for letting us in your world! I LOVE the tree mural <3
About Gifts of the Blood:
An excerpt:
Caspia Chastain, art student and barista, is gifted (or plagued, if you ask her) with the ability to draw the future, usually at the worst possible times. Her parents are four years dead; everyday she watches her brother Logan fight his cancer diagnosis. School, double shifts at work, art, and even her usually vibrant small town can't keep reality at bay.
Things get worse the day she draws an angry stranger surrounded by brilliant light and violent, bloody images. That exact same stranger walks up to her knowing all about her, including her name, her brother's illness, and her strange ability. When Caspia discovers that her hometown is a refuge for supernatural beings both Light and Dark, she and her brother find themselves caught up in a war between the two that predates their very birth. For protection, she turns to the man who walked out of her sketchbook calling himself Ethan.
But Ethan has his own agenda, Logan's getting sicker fast, and Caspia finds that drawing the future isn't the only strange thing she can do. Meanwhile, someone really wants all of them dead. In a town where Dark doesn't equal Evil and Light isn't always Good, Caspia and Ethan find themselves making strange alliances and even stranger sacrifices in order to protect those they love.
An excerpt:
I backed slowly away from the man with the light, glowing eyes. He stood watching me with a mixture of concern and despair. “Caspia. Wait. Please.”
My name from his lips was like white lightening straight to my brain. “How the hell do you know my name?” I demanded, feeling the cold rush in and wrap itself around my body as I inched backwards out of the store like frightened prey. “How can you know my name when I only drew you a few hours ago?”
Vicki very generously offered 3 e-copies of her books!
She will Gift copies of her book directly from Amazon if you have a kindle, but will also offer other formats if it accommodates the winners better!
If you can’t wait, you can also purchase it for only 0.99$ right now =)
This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL
To enter, just leave a meaningful comment with a way to contact you!
Ends Feb 3rd, 2011.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Discovery of Witches winner
Penguin offered a copy of A Discovery of Witches to one lucky US/CAN reader and the lucky duck is…..
Melissa Savoie
who’s email starts with melissa.savoie@….
Congratulations Melissa!
I am about the email you, you will have 72 hours to reply to my email with your mailing addy =)
Friday, January 21, 2011
Guest Review: Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves
This review was written by…
Kit and Fancy Cordelle are sisters of the best kind: best friends, best confidantes, and best accomplices. The daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer, Kit and Fancy are used to feeling like outsiders, and that’s just the way they like it. But in Portero, where the weird and wild run rampant, the Cordelle sisters are hardly the oddest or most dangerous creatures around.
It’s no surprise when Kit and Fancy start to give in to their deepest desire—the desire to kill. What starts as a fascination with slicing open and stitching up quickly spirals into a gratifying murder spree. Of course, the sisters aren’t killing just anyone, only the people who truly deserve it. But the girls have learned from the mistakes of their father, and know that a shred of evidence could get them caught. So when Fancy stumbles upon a mysterious and invisible doorway to another world, she opens a door to endless possibilities….
Slice of Cherry takes place in Portero, a small town where everyone knows each other. Portero is no ordinary town; its residents have special abilities. There are some who can open secret doorways, some who fight off monsters from destroying the town, and others who can ‘settle’ the dead.
The story is based on the lives of Fancy and Kit; two sisters who share everything together and are rarely separated. They are the daughters of “The Bonesaw Killer”. Their father murdered many people in their town in his very own cellar, and is now on death row by lethal injection. The town’s people distance themselves from the girls and their mother, Madda, because they fear the girls will follow in their father’s footsteps.
One night, a man enters their home and cuts off a small chunk of Fancy’s hair while she is asleep. Kit wakes up in time to see what was happening, attacks him with a switch blade and stabs him in his side. The sisters fear of being caught, so they take the boy down to the cellar, the same cellar their father used to torture and kill his victims. At this point, the girls discover their bloodlust. Fancy convinces Kit out of killing the boy; however, she cannot control the urge to slice him up with her switch blade. Fancy kept sewing up the cuts so that the boy doesn’t die from loss of blood. The sisters face a dilemma; they need to find a way to get rid of the boy without killing him or getting in trouble.
Each chapter begins with a short description of a disturbing dream from Fancy’s dream diary. Fancy’s dreams reflect her feelings towards those around her. As the story progresses, the girls find it harder to control their desire to kill. Fancy discovers her ability to open doorways and opens one to her “happy place”, where the sisters can take their victims and no longer fear the law.
Dia Reeves has a talent to keep her readers in suspense as things are not outright explained to us, but rather, intricately unfolded throughout the story. Her writing style is truly unique and definitely stands out among all the other paranormal/science fiction novels. The author spends very little time in describing why the sisters are the way they are and jumps right into their present psychotic state.
I am delighted to have had the opportunity to read this novel as it captured my interests from the very first line, right up to the very end. I truly admired Dia Reeves’ daringness with this novel. Slice of Cherry is disturbing and entertaining for the most part. The secret doorway to Fancy’s “happy place” was enjoyable, especially finding out how the sisters can manipulate this place to create endless possibilities.
I believe Dia Reeves deserves to be commended for her talented writing. Slice of Cherry is, in my opinion, very well written, however, the story may not be for everyone. The author depicts some disturbing images which may come as shock to some. I recommend Slice of Cherry to anyone who enjoys the paranormal and science-fiction genres.
In this series:
Bleeding Violet
Slice of Cherry
Book stats:
Book Source: Review copy sent by S&S Canada
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