Blog Tour: The Letter - Guest Post: Marianne Spitzer

The Letter by Marianne Spitzer
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Release Date: July 17, 2012
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Kellie, a young college grad laid off from her first teaching job and besieged by creditors, receives a letter requesting her appearance at the reading of Frederick Malone’s will. What could she have in common with the town’s richest man? Curiosity draws her to the will reading where she learns she has inherited a vast sum.

The conditions of her inheritance require she change her name and reside in the Malone mansion. Long considered haunted by the residents of Malone Springs, Kellie, her fiancé and four friends move in ignoring the rumors. Strange and frightening events begin to plague Kellie before she moves and grow more frightening once she and her friends settle in. Adopted at birth, her adoptive parents killed in an auto accident leave Kellie to investigate her ancestors on her own.

What she discovers leads her into more danger and mystery as she learns the true nature of her biological grandfather. Could his evil deeds hurt her from beyond the grave? Who’s responsible for the strange occurrences? What happened to her biological parents? As one solved mystery leads Kellie into another, she and her friends try to solve them all before tragedy strikes.

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The Most Humbling Aspect of Being a Writer
By Marianne Spitzer
I believe the most humbling aspect of being a writer is learning to accept criticism. It’s natural for human beings to want praise for what they’ve done. Not everyone will see your writing the way you do.

You have worked hard on your piece. After your third or maybe fourth draft, you feel you’re ready to share your work. You have a group of beta readers. Most of them are friends and you expect honesty. Many friends might feel if they’re negative they’ll hurt your feelings. Three of them give you rave reviews and love your story. You’re excited and picture yourself as the next great novelist.

A fourth friend feels he/she needs to be completely honest with you. She may have enjoyed your plotline and/or characters, but find the dialogue a little flat or your descriptions dull. Possibly your story became boring in spots. Your friend critiques your book pointing out the bad points and the good.

Review: Thy Will Be Done

Thy Will Be Done by Julie Fisher
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Adult, Horror, Romance, Religious
Release Date: November 2, 2012
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ Book Depository


Book Description:

With two powerful, opposing forces at war, one man is caught in the middle... Ever since childhood, Luke's nights have been plagued by nightmares centered around a beautiful woman and a malevolent monster. Despite the sleeplessness and debilitating dreams, Luke's life has been fairly normal-that is, until he learns that this beautiful woman is real. Even more bizarre? This woman has been dreaming about him as well. 

Suddenly Luke finds his world spiraling into an unknown realm when he discovers the profound link he has with this woman. Powerful forces have placed them in the center of a timeless battle between good and evil, and Luke finds himself facing enemies and friends who conspire to keep him from the truth-a truth that may end up costing him the woman he loves...and maybe even his life. If the woman of his dreams has turned out to be real, could the monster be real too? 

Thy Will Be Done is a refreshingly modern take on the age-old conflict between light and dark. With its memorable characters and whirlwind of a plot, this book promises to be an unforgettable experience.

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Thy Will Be Done was not the book I was expecting at all. If appearances can be deceiving then the initial chapters of this book certainly proved it. Julie Fisher lulls her audience into a false sense of security by opening up with a classic star-crossed lovers tale that ultimately leads to an unhappy ending. However by the twelfth chapter I was thoroughly confused and unsure of where I, the reader, was being led.

Review: The Last Bastion of the Living

The Last Bastion of the Living by Rhiannon Frater
Published: June 12, 2012 by Rhiannon Frater
Genre: Adult - Dystopian, Horror
Source: Purchased ebook
Buy Links: Amazon ♥ B&N

Summary: A walled city surrounded by lush land, protected by high mountain summits, and fortified by a massive gate to secure the only pass into the valley, The Bastion remained humanity’s last hope against the fearsome undead creatures known as the Inferi Scourge. On one fateful day, the valley gate failed and the Inferi Scourge overran and destroyed the human settlements outside the walls, trapping the remaining survivors inside the city. Now, decades later, the last remaining humans are struggling to survive in a dying city of dwindling resources…and dwindling hope.

Vanguard Maria Martinez has lived her entire life within the towering walls of steel. She yearns for a life away from the overcrowded streets, rolling blackouts, and food shortages, but there is no hope for anyone as long as the Inferi Scourge howl outside the high walls. Her only refuge from the daily grind is in the arms of Dwayne Reichardt, an officer in the Bastion Constabulary. Both are highly-decorated veterans of the last disastrous push against the Inferi Scourge. Their secret affair is her only happiness.

Then one day Maria is summoned to meet with a mysterious representative from the Science Warfare Division and is offered the opportunity to finally destroy the Inferi Scourge in the valley and close the gate, reclaiming the lost lands and energizing the populace with renewed hope for the future. The rewards of success are great, but she will have to sacrifice everything, possibly even her life, to accomplish the ultimate goal of securing the future of humanity and saving it from extinction.

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This is not the ordinary zombie novel, it was so much more than I ever expected too. First off, Maria is one badass heroine. She is a very realistic soldier; loyal to her city and superiors, but she’s also very emotional when it comes to actually going into battle. There’s not really a slow start to the introduction to both Maria and this world, because the prologue starts with a big battle against the Inferni Scourge that surrounds The Bastion. Things do not go well, which is bad because the city is basically running out of all supplies and all hope, but for Maria she is able to find some hope when she saved fellow soldier, Dwayne. I was very wary I guess of their relationship and it was kind of a turnoff for me until we are able to learn more of their story and growth together and their epic love- yes I said epic.

Blog Tour: Swamp Monster Massacre

Reading Addition Promotional Event

Swamp Monster Massacre by Hunter Shea
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Horror
Release Date: October 2, 2012
Buy Links:


 

Book Description:

The swamp belongs to them. Humans are only prey.
Deep in the overgrown swamps of Florida, where humans rarely dare to enter, lives a race of creatures long thought to be only the stuff of legend. They walk upright but are stronger, taller and more brutal than any man. And when a small boat of tourists, held captive by a fleeing criminal, accidentally kills one of the swamp dwellers’ young, the creatures are filled with a terrifyingly human emotion—a merciless lust for vengeance that will paint the trees red with blood.


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Excerpt:

Rooster had perfect eyesight, but he still couldn’t make out the tall, broad figure through the wall of rain and gloom. It had to be a man, and one hell of a big one at that. If Rooster was right, it was over seven feet tall, if not eight. It was hard to tell with it all hunched down, wrangling the kid.

“Noooo! Noooo! Noooo! Somebody help me!” the Italian kid bawled.

He was being lugged away from them by the ankle. He clawed at the sand in a futile attempt to halt his progress into the total darkness beyond the trees.

“Angelo!” his buddy shouted, running over to help.

Rooster was suddenly hit by an overwhelming odor that made the ball of mess in the water smell like potpourri. It was like a combination of gasoline, body odor, wet dog and the inside of a baby’s diaper. Everyone else must have smelled it, too, because he saw a lot of crinkled noses.