I'm Not Dead Yet!

Or
I Swear I'm Not A Zombie
Part Deux

Thank you for sticking with me through these tough couple of weeks.
I am happy to say I'm on the mend both physically and mentally.
Who knew being sick could take such a toll on your mental resolve!

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I probably won't be posting much again this week. I've decided to take a few more days "off" and use them to focus on reading. You've all probably noticed that book in the corner hasn't changed in a while. But rest assured, come April I plan on having at least 4 of those "upcoming" books reviewed!

I Swear I'm Not A Zombie

...though I sure feel like it right now.

You may have noticed that I've been a bit less active in the last week or so. Long story short, I've been ill.

Therefore, even though technically the In The Storm Giveaway is set to end at the end of today, I'll be extending it another week. Hopefully I'll be feeling better then.

So, in closing, click the link above or below to enter for a chance to win an e-copy of Karen Metcalf's speculative fiction novella.

A Very Dreadful Book Birthday!

Today I'm pleased to announce the birthday of an awesome book.
Out of the same publishing house as the well-known monster mash-ups Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, and Android Karenina, Quirk Books is proud to present the latest work in the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies trilogy:

~Dreadfully Ever After~
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Book 3
(Sequel)
By Steve Hockensmith
Amazon ~ Powell's

Hair-raising and heart-pounding, the story opens with our newly married protagonists, Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy, defending their village from an army of flesh-eating “unmentionables.” Of course, the ever-meddling Mrs. Bennet is anxious for them to settle down and produce an heir—but everything changes when poor Fitzwilliam is nipped by a dreadful. An apotecary is summoned, ans his prognosis is unfortunate: Within days, Mr. Darcy is destined to transform into a zombie.

Elizabeth is distraught. She knows the appropriate course of action is to promptly behead her husband (and then burn the corpse, just to be safe). But when she hears rumors of a miracle antidote being developed in London, she realizes there may be one last chance to save the life of her true love—and for everyone to live happily ever after.

Complete with romance, heartbreak, martial arts, cannibalism, and an army of shambling corpses, Dreadfully Ever After brings the story of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to a thrilling conclusion.

Of course, if you're not familiar with the history...

Book Blogger Hop (14)

Do you read only one book at a time, or do you have several going at once?

Well, primarily I read one book at a time. Until I have an approaching deadline...in which case I drop what I'm currently reading and pick up what I need to be reading. Or I pull an all-nighter and finish my current read.

I find reading one book at a time easier to keep plots and characters in my memory. Then again, with all the plots/characters I follow in the shows I watch, I don't know that I'm really accomplishing anything differently.

But yeah, if I had my druthers, I'd read only one at a time.

Feel free to post a link to your own blog in the comments,
and be sure to check out other blog-hoppers at Crazy-for-Books!

We Have A Winner - And She's A Live One!

The Winner of the DFF Giveaway is
Nora of The Bucket List!
Congratulations!!!

I've gone ahead and forwarded your e-mail to J.R. Turner,
who should be contacting you shortly with your prize.

As for the rest of my readers:
If you didn't win this time, don't worry, there will be other contests in the future. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to leave comments or send me an e-mail.

Book Blogger Hop (13)

If I gave you £50 (or $80) and sent you into a bookshop right now, what would be in your basket when you finally staggered to the till?

Gosh, $80!? That's a lot of books.
Well, averaging them at around $8 a piece, I'd say my top ten books would be...

City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, and Clockwork Angel
by Cassandra Clare
~She's coming up for a book signing in April and I have nothing for her to sign!~

Artemis Fowl
The Time Paradox and The Atlantis Complex
by Eoin Colfer
~Love this series, now I just gotta complete it!~

Graceling and Fire
by Kristen Cashore
~LOVED these books, but haven't yet talked myself into splurging for them.~

And then if I had any money leftover, I'd splurge on some used books.
Of course, if I shopped at Jan's or Powell's to begin with, I'd have PLENTY of choices.

Feel free to post a link to your own blog in the comments,
and be sure to check out other blog-hoppers at Crazy-for-Books' blog!

Venturing A Tour In The Storm!

Today I'm pleased to welcome another author into the Den:
Karen Metcalf has recently released her first book, In The Storm and has decided to share a bit of her history with the Young Adult genre.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What I Read As A “Young Adult”

I don’t really remember there being a “Young Adult” genre, per se, when I was a kid. The first books I really remember getting into were R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series. My sister, Michelle, introduced me to them. We had a ton of them at home. I must have read every single one he wrote, and if we didn’t own it, I checked it out from the library. In fact, my collection grew so large that in 5th grade I brought them all to school to start a class library. I think these were the closest thing to YA that I came across at the time.

When I ran out of those, Michelle introduced me to Stephen King, and I haven’t stopped reading him since. I think horror novels are so much scarier than the movies. There is something about imagining a creature rather than seeing him that can truly make your skin crawl. I thought I would love scary movies for this same reason, but they always lost me when they finally revealed the monsters. The unknown is much more terrifying.

I think Stephen King is the sole reason I have been told I have a “sick imagination”. He was the first person to make me really consider monsters in my closet or under my bed. He was also the first person I was willing to read until 3 am, long after a twelve year old should be asleep. I think this is when my passion with reading really began, and it’s still going strong. Sci-fi would come along later, and stretch my imagination even further.

When I discovered YA, and that it has some of those horror and sci-fi elements in it, I fell in love. It might be a little in the reverse order, but I know I’m certainly not the only to experience that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~In The Storm~
By Karen Metcalf
Amazon ~ Vagabondage Press Bookstore

Abandoned by the world around her, Carly believes she is fated to a life of torment at the hands of her stepfather and is desperate for an escape. When she can bear the abuse no longer and gives in to a thunderous rage, she suddenly finds herself in an unfamiliar, yet beautiful, storm world. This limbo between dimensions appears to be her private sanctuary, but it may just be her purgatory.

No one escapes fate without sacrifice, but is the price more than Carly is willing to pay?

There’s a phrase in the South: “telling stories”, which means telling lies. Growing up, Karen Metcalf told a lot of stories, which wasn’t always a good thing.

She was raised on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where she spent most of her time reading science fiction and horror. She continues to explore those worlds through her writing, today.

Karen is 23 years old, and lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Visit her at http://www.karen-metcalf.com/ to learn more!


Karen has been generous enough to offer
2 Free E-Copies of In The Storm to my readers.
To enter, simply fill out THIS FORM!
Entries will be accepted through March 24th.

Thanks so much, Karen, for stopping by!

He Pulls Me Into The Storm Before I Can Say A Word

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author, Karen Metcalf, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

~In The Storm~
By Karen Metcalf
Amazon

Abandoned by the world around her, Carly believes she is fated to a life of torment at the hands of her stepfather and is desperate for an escape. When she can bear the abuse no longer, she suddenly finds herself in an unfamiliar, yet beautiful, storm world. This limbo between dimensions appears to be her private sanctuary, but it may just be her purgatory.

No one escapes fate without sacrifice, but is the price more than Carly is willing to pay?


I won't lie, this was a bit hard to get into at first. You have a girl and her brother being tortured by their stepfather in a town where apparently no one cares. Definitely not puppies and sunshine, but surely things can only get better from here. Right? Well, yes and no...but I will say that I grew to enjoy the story much more as I went on.

In My Mailbox (11)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren
(Book covers are linked to their Goodreads pages)

In the Past Week I've...


Checked Out

PPZ: Dawn of the Dreadfuls ~ Steve Hockensmith
From My Library


Bought

Witch ~ Marie Brennan
From Powell's New & Used Books
Silver Borne ~ Patricia Briggs
From Borders


Received

PPZ: Dreadfully Ever After ~ Steve Hockensmith
From Eric Smith at Quirk Books
Time Witch ~ Jacqueline Corcoran
From Jacqueline Corcoran


And Won

Redwall 50th Anniversary Box Set ~ Brian Jacques
From Emi at Oktopus Ink


So, tell me, what's in your mailbox?

Shameless Sinning

You may remember me posting a review a few months ago of a certain book by a certain author that looks pretty similar to the book above.

Well, it seems the time of the sequel is nearing, and so the time of the ARCs is upon us. But before the time of the ARCs is the time of the ARC Contests! And so, in an attempt to shamelessly promote what looks to be an amazing book, I give you...LINKS!

Enter To Win An ARC of Original Sin

Pre-Order Your Copy From
Amazon ~ Borders ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Book Depository

Prepare Yourself On GoodReads


Good Luck and Good Reading

My Name Is Raven - And I Need Your Help

~Trickster's Girl~
The Raven Duet
Book 1
By Hilari Bell
Amazon ~ Powell's

In the later part of the 21st century, it seems humanity has finally taken an active interest in preserving the planet. But with a strange tree plague ravaging South America, their efforts may be too little too late. Scientists are at a loss in explaining why their efforts aren't yielding any results—logically, the forests should have fought it off by now.

Fortunately, there are people who know how to stop it.
Unfortunately, most of them aren't on humanity's side.

The night 15-year-old Kelsa Phillips buries her father, she's approached by a strange boy. Raven, as he calls himself, claims that the world is actually held together by magic. If that wasn't crazy enough, he expects Kelsa to join him in healing the magic that humanity has weakened by traveling from Utah to Alaska. Cause magic is what is keeping the tree plague going. And what's giving so many people cancer. Either this Raven kid is crazy, or he thinks she's stupid enough to believe him.

But if magic isn't real, then how can he unlock things with merely a touch? And how did he just shapeshift? And how is it he's managed to convince her to rob a museum? Well, however he did it, Kelsa is in for the long haul. Cause once she starts something, she always finishes. Well, if she doesn't end up in jail...or worse...


I first received an ARC of this book from Netgalley, but procrastinated long enough for it to be released (yeah, really bad about that) so I figured I might as well get a finished copy from my library. I then managed to procrastinate long enough that I was forced to read it the day/night before it was due back. Good job, me. -_- That being said, I don't think I was in the best state of mind when starting this. Not only did I have the stress of reading it at the last minute, but I was also feeling a bit down and was looking forward to an escape. In that respect, I was definitely let down.

Taking A Blog Tour Detour... 2 Death!

Today I'm welcoming another author into the Den—J.R. Turner is the mind behind the YA Horror series, Extreme Hauntings and joins us today talking about her latest book, Detour 2 Death.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you everyone for being a part of my blog tour!


There are so many different, exciting things about my series that I’d love to share, but I think Kaylee’s developing paranormal abilities will be of the most interest.

In DFF: Dead Friends Forever, Kaylee is fourteen and she’s just an average girl in a small Midwestern town. By the end of that book, she’s a convicted offender and off to a girls reformatory, where School’s Out 4-Ever takes place. In that book, she begins to understand the powers she’s using are truly a part of her. Which brings us to Detour 2 Death.

Kaylee can heal people, though she’s not sure how or why it happens. Her best friend suffers from a condition called Transverse Myelitis. This leaves him wheelchair bound and prone to infections. He ends up in a coma and she rushes to be with him, hoping she’ll be able to heal him and get him back on his feet.

While she has other abilities, like reading minds and some telekinesis, the healing power is tied to the scar on her palm. The archangel Raphael healed her and in so doing, imparted some of that ability onto her. When she gets to the hospital to save Davey, she’s confronted by an entire building full of sick people, including babies and children. The idea of all that illness becomes a heavy burden on her shoulders.

Just before I wrote this book, both my parents passed away and I think it made her dilemma all the more poignant for me. Kaylee’s abilities are ones I wish I could have had in my life, to save the people I love. As she gets older throughout the series, this ability will be both a blessing and a curse for her. I’m eager to see how she handles what lies ahead.

Thank you for reading. Please leave a comment and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win an electronic copy of DFF: Dead Friends Forever!

Warmly,
Jenny :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Detour 2 Death~
Extreme Hauntings
Book 3
By J.R. Turner
Amazon

There are worse things than death, but not at Marsden Memorial hospital.

Kaylee Hensler knows her best friend Davey is on the brink of death. She knows this because she’s a psychic. When she flees the girl’s reformatory to get to him, she has no idea the special sort of hell waiting for her.

Reapers are collectors and they come in many forms. In Feverland, the world created by Davey’s sickness, the red reaper goes by the name of Molok, an ancient evil with deep roots. In Shadowland, the dark side of the hospital, a black reaper promises torture and torment to lost souls. The white reaper is the most fearsome, giving Kaylee three days before he collects both her and Davey’s souls.

Kaylee has one secret weapon, one she doesn’t fully understand. Her abilities will be tested, her loyalty betrayed, and her love misplaced. No one escapes Death.

~School's Out 4-Ever~
Extreme Hauntings
Book 2
By J.R. Turner
Amazon ~ Powell's

Skater girl Kaylee Hensler gave up her freedom to save a trapped soul, only to be imprisoned with dozens of dead children. To make matters worse, if she stops smiling, she might not live to see fifteen.

You can take a Barclay girl out of class, but you can't take the class out of a Barclay girl.

The headmistress at Barclay Hall reformatory is gorgeous and the students are just as polished and beautiful. Beneath their proper etiquette lies a desperate fear and a dangerous secret. As one by one the students turn up dead, Kaylee will uncover an evil so ancient, only heaven can help her.

~DFF: Dead Friends Forever~
Extreme Hauntings
Book 1
By J.R. Turner
Amazon ~ Powell's

Skater Kaylee Hensler might not be Miss Popular, but there are some friends a girl can do without. When the decaying ghost of a murdered girl decides they need to be total BFF’s, Kaylee will sacrifice the trust of her family, her swim coach’s respect, and any hope of a date for the Harvest Dance.

And oh yeah… discover that super-evil entities are nothing at all like they are on TV or in the movies Aside from seriously bad attitudes, they not only like to kill…but replay the killing again and again for all eternity. To avoid that fate, she’ll have to rely on her wheelchair-bound friend Davey, the mysterious Madame Maggie, and the surprising depth of her own power.

Will Kaylee survive, or will she become someone else's DFF: Dead Friend Forever?

Award-winning author J.R. Turner lives in Central Wisconsin with her husband and three children. She began writing in high school, and after a decade working as a commercial artist, started her first novel in 1999. Aside from crafts, camping and cooking, she loves holidays. A favorite is Halloween, a combination of spooky supernatural fun and chocolate.

Visit her at http://www.jennifer-turner.com to learn more!

And remember to leave a comment below with a way to contact you
(e-mail or website) in order to be entered to win an e-copy of the first in the Extreme Hauntings series, DFF: Dead Friends Forever.
Entries will be accepted through March 15th.
Contest Now Closed

Thanks so much, Jenny, for stopping by!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Had To Buy...But Never Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

We all have them. That book that you needed to buy so badly and had every intention of reading it as soon as possible...but they're still on your bookshelf collecting dust or sitting in a pile on the floor.

Because I'm a collector of sorts, I seem to think it's necessary to own an entire series of unread books. So here are my Top Ten Series in order of how many unread books I own...

10. The Wicked Years by Gregory Maguire
2 Unread
To be fair, these books have a ton of hype surrounding them, and I still fully plan on reading them. I own both Wicked and Son of a Witch, but simply haven't had the gumption to crack them open. This feels like a good year... And then maybe I'll finally allow myself to watch the musical!

9. Alexander Cold Trilogy by Isabel Allende
3 Unread
Once again, I bought these with the best of intentions. I fell in love with Allende's The House of the Spirits when I was in high school, so when I found out she was writing a YA Fantasy series I had to have them! I've probably moved them around countless times...perhaps this year I'll finally move them to my bedside table.

8. The Raine Benares Series by Lisa Shearin
3 Unread
Okay, this time I have a very good reason for buying them... They were only $2 a piece! How could I possibly pass up such an offer?! I couldn't. And yet, I've told myself that I can't start reading them because they're not as old as the others. Fair's only fair, after all.

7. The Secret Texts Trilogy by Holly Lisle
3 Unread
These three have a bit of mileage on them. They traveled to college and back for a couple years. I've even picked up the first book a couple times with the thoughts of reading it. I might have even read a few pages. And then reality sets in and it goes right back on the shelf.

6. The Belgariad by David Eddings
4 Unread
Right, now we've gotten to the point where I've *gasp* actually started the series! I read Pawn of Prophesy way back in high school, and I remember it ends on kind of a cliffhanger. I also remember it reminded me A LOT of the Wheel of Time series... Don't know why the rest of the series is still sitting there, though.

5. The Shadow Saga by Orson Scott Card
4 Unread
This is a complicated one. I read Ender's Game and the following three books of Ender's Saga back in high school. But see, the series does a bit of a rewind and branches off into Bean's saga with a whole new quartet. Perhaps I'll read Ender's Game again to start off right...

4. Landover by Terry Brooks
5 Unread
I read Magic Kingdom For Sale Sold! from the library, loved it, went and bought the rest of the series. And copy/paste excuse here.

3. Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron
5 Unread
This one...I think I got the first book for cheap from a used book store, then simply collected the rest over time. At least their colorful covers look pretty on my shelf.

2. Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
12 Unread
Wait! Before you say anything, just know that I HAVE read the Dragonflight trilogy and the Dragonsinger trilogy. That's 6 books. I just haven't read beyond that yet.

1. Xanth by Piers Anthony
23 Unread
Yeah...that's right...I have 23 unread books. Once again, I read the first six, then stopped. Well, that's not true. I started the 7th (Dragon on a Pedestal) three separate times, and still never got through it. I think it mostly had to do with not caring about the 2-year-old main character. Seriously? You want me to read about the explorations of a toddler? Ugh! Still, one of these days I'll make it through...


Well, there you have it. I have a grand total of 111 unread books sitting on my shelves (at last count) though I'm hoping the Off The Shelf challenge I entered this year will help reduce that number a bit.

So, what's your list?