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.

♥ ♥ ♥


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.

Blog Tour: The Tegen Cave

The Tegen Cave by Inge-Lise Goss
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Release Date: April 23, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ Book Depository

Book Description:

After running from her boyfriend’s powerful organized crime family, Sara Jones starts a new life in a new town. 

But when people around her start dying from poisonous spider bites after she receives a mysterious package with a spider concealed inside, she worries that the family has found her.

Life takes an even more bizarre turn when she seems to be not only immune to the spider venom, but also surrounded by a sinister group of people she suspects is a spider cult. 

Even her new boyfriend starts acting suspiciously. Just who can she trust?


♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

Gradually easing into the Jacuzzi, I felt the warm, comforting water envelope my body.

Brett handed me another glass of wine. “Enjoy,” he said and left to change into his swimming trunks. I leaned back, appreciating the solitude, and gazed at the stairs. I listened to low soothing music and saw Brett standing above me. I sat up and stared at him. I knew he had a good build from the way he appeared in his clothes, but I had no idea! Oh, his broad shoulders, muscular arms, and pectorals took my breath away. He was gorgeous.

As he moved into the water, his deep blue eyes were mesmerizing. He put his arm around my shoulders. I felt his hot breath on my bare skin as a burning desire for him soared through my body. I turned toward him, kissed his neck, and ached for more. What was I doing? This wasn’t what I wanted. I hadn’t felt like this about him before. It wasn’t like me to act that way. With a mischievous smile, he took a drink of his wine.

Blog Tour: Rising Calm (Rising Calm #1) - Guest Post: Haley Fisher

Rising Calm (Rising Calm #1) by Haley Fisher
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date:
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

On Cara Weaver’s first day at her new high school—merely the next in a long line of new schools—she meets two senior boys: James Sable and Crispin Calaway. They’re new too; they’ve been at the school just longer than she has, and they’ve never made an effort to reach out to anyone. Until she comes. When her friends find out, they’re awed. But Cara can't shake the feeling that there’s more to James and Crispin than the two are telling.

As the days go on, everything at her new home seems to be going better than it has in any of the previous cities she’s lived in. She loves her friends, gets a job at a bookstore, and even starts to spend more time with Crispin and James. She’s happy. But all that begins to change when she comes to realize that the two boys she’s becoming close to are hiding something. It’s then that she knows her unexplainable wariness of them has been justified all along. But she keeps it a secret.

Days later, when a stranger accosts her outside a small shopping center, Crispin and James arrive just in time to help her. But they seem know the attacker. And instead of running him off, Crispin and James take Cara away, for her own protection.

With little explanation, Cara is told that she’s important and that she can’t go home until the boys have sorted some things out. In the meantime, Cara’s world is being turned upside down as she finds out that there is more to her life than she possibly imagined.

♥ ♥ ♥



How to Create a Character Readers Relate To

I think I should preface this by saying that I am and have always been a huge reader. I honestly cannot remember a time when I didn’t love books. They have always been a hobby and a passion of mine. That being said, all those books I have read and reread: I know why I liked them. I know which characters I felt for and cared about and which drew me in, which I wished I knew in person, and I also know which ones I didn’t like and why. All those were things I couldn’t help but keep in mind while I was shaping my own story.

So let me start with Cara. There are a lot of book heroines out there that I am quite simply irritated by. The kinds of heroines who make it hard to reread books because you care less about them that you do the secondary characters. I was very aware of that when I was writing. More than anything (possibly more than I wanted a fantastic first book), I wanted Cara to be likeable. I wanted people to root for her and care about her and feel for her.

Review: Softly and Tenderly

Softly and Tenderly by Lisa Binion
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Horror
Release Date: February 28, 2013
 Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

“Mom died in her sleep last night.” Those are terrifying words for a child to wake up to. The beetle that falls off the stretcher and stares at her is only the beginning one of the strangest and most frightening times in Lori’s life. Death is not a pretty thing, especially not when the funeral is to be at the Lights Out Chapel and Crematorium.

Once she walks into the funeral parlor, she experiences things that no little girl should ever have to experience. No one is acting normal. No one can see what is going on. Is Lori the only one who sees the blood oozing from the pictures of Jesus on the cross? Doesn’t anyone else see the beetles? Is Lori hallucinating when she sees her mom sit up and hears her speak? There is absolutely nothing soft and tender about what happens to Lori.

From her overly morbid piano teacher to the creepy preacher and a father that just isn’t acting like himself, Lori is surrounded by people and things that hint of something bizarre. Once she leaves the Lights Out Chapel and Crematorium, things will go back to normal. Or will they?

♥ ♥ ♥

Out of all the short stories I’ve ever read I have to say Softly and Tenderly is probably the most unique. I’m still not entirely sure what happened. The story is told from young Lori’s point of view. She wakes up to find out her Mother, who has been sick with cancer, is dead. Everything that happens after that is a result of her death at least I think it is.

Blog Tour: Deep Connections - Author Spotlight - Rebecca Graf

Deep Connections by Rebecca Graf
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Paranormal, Suspense, Romance
Release Date: August 31, 2012
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Just as love appears, so does the darkness. With her heart reaching out for one man, Brenna finds herself the target of an unknown stalker. Who is he? What does he want? How far will he go for her? Death is an option. 

Brenna discovers more than she bargained for and learns that the stalker will kill for her. It all comes down to decisions, and no matter what she chooses it will demand sacrifice and someone's blood.



♥ ♥ ♥


Do you recall how your interest in writing originated or did you always just know you wanted to be a writer?

For most of my life I felt a yearning to write but always thought you would be seen by your teachers as gifted and everyone would encourage you. It took me working for a writer to get me interested.

What inspired Deep Connections?

It was a mixture of dreams and friends. I kept having this dream occur where two people would touch and they would feel the connection between them and know they had found the one. A few friends encouraged me to just write it down. From there, it went out of control.

Promotional Event: How to Write a Book Review

How to Write a Book Review by Rebecca Graf
Age Group: Adult, Young Adult
Genre: How To Book
Release Date: March 1, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Have you wondered what makes a good book review? Have you wondered what you might be missing in writing a book review? You can find out how to write a quality book review in these pages.





♥ ♥ ♥


Top Ten Most Important Aspects of Book Reviewing and Why

Book reviewing is more than just saying you like or dislike a book. Thought needs to be put into every review. There are ten things every reviewer needs to focus on.

1. Read the Book – If you don’t finish a book, please don’t review it. Many people will read a book and not finish it yet still write a review. That is being unfair to the book. You have no idea how it might end. It might have the most fabulous ending in the world, and you missed it as well as misdirected other people.

2. Be Polite – Never be nasty in writing a review. It reflects poorly on the reviewer. Any reviewer that is not polite is just being mean to the book and the author. Not good at all.