CURRENT GIVEAWAYS


My interview over at The Art and Craft of Writing Creatively is HERE

Purchase my book Images of America: Detroit Lakes HERE

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Interview + Giveaway: Night Journey by Goldie Browning


I would like to welcome Goldie Browning to my blog today!! She was kind enough to answer a few questions about her book, Night Journey, and about being promoted by her husband's publishing company, Storyteller.

ABOUT GOLDIE
Goldie (Beth) Browning’s twisted imagination and fascination with the paranormal began in early childhood with her grandmother’s ghost stories and her brother’s retelling of classic fairy tales, such as Snow White and the Seven Little Frankensteins and Cinderacula. Almost every vacation she takes includes a stay at a haunted hotel or castle, as well as visits to famous cemeteries or catacombs. She loves anything by Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King, or Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Her first and favorite job was as a secretary at a military mortuary in West Germany, followed by more mundane employment which included being a newspaper reporter, a real estate agent, a substitute school teacher, and a legal secretary. She finally settled down to a long career as a courtroom deputy clerk for two federal judges before retiring and getting to do what she wants to do when she grows up—be a writer.

Not long after finishing Night Journey she was stricken with cardiomyopathy. She received an implanted cardio-defibrillator and was evaluated for a heart transplant, which ironically paralleled the plot of Night Journey. Luckily, time and medication worked their miracle and she made a full recovery. Her experience, as well as someone near and dear to her in need of an organ transplant, has transformed Goldie into an advocate for Organ Donation and Living Wills.

The best thing she ever did was marry her high school sweetheart Alan a long, long time ago. She’s living happily ever after with husband and family, which includes a menagerie of fur people, on a wooded hill in rural North Texas.

AUTHOR LINKS

INTERVIEW 

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Goldie Browning, I’m 57 years old, and I live in North Texas with my high school sweetheart-turned-husband, so you can figure out I’ve been married a long time! We have one grown daughter and a number of fur and reptile children. We live on five acres on a hill, in the middle of the woods. I’m retired from a long career as a court coordinator for two federal judges, but prior to that I’ve worked as a secretary at a military mortuary in Germany, a substitute teacher, a real estate agent, and a news reporter. But now I’m doing what I love most—writing books.

Can you tell us about your book Night Journey?
Night Journey is a romantic ghost story/time travel adventure that is set at a real-life haunted hotel, the 1886 Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Here is the description: 

Zan and Emma’s romantic weekend at a haunted hotel—which includes a wedding and a ghost tour—goes horribly wrong when a bizarre accident leaves Emma in a coma. Following a near-death experience, her soul is catapulted backward in time to 1938. While on her journey into the past, she meets Ivy and Harry—a Depression Era Romeo and Juliet—who will someday become Zan’s grandparents. Night Journey is an eerie tale of ghosts who weave in and out of life, past and present, from fact to fiction.

What was your favorite part of the writing process of Night Journey?
The research. After visiting the Crescent Hotel I learned that a man named Norman Baker bought the hotel during the 1930’s and turned it into the Baker Cancer Hospital. He called himself Dr. Baker, but he wasn’t really a doctor. He was a quack who claimed to have the cure for cancer. He conned hundreds of people out of their money during the Great Depression with false hopes and many of them died – therefore the ghosts.

Where did the idea of Night Journey come from?
The idea came to me when we stayed at the Crescent Hotel on vacation. We stayed in a beautiful room called Theodora’s room, named for its resident ghost. Strange things happened in that room I can’t explain. And then I went on the ghost tour, where we got to see Dr. Baker’s morgue—where the bad things actually happened. I was hooked. I HAD to tell the story, and so Night Journey was conceived.

Who was the hardest character to write?
Dr. Baker, because he was a real person and I had to get it right. I researched so much about him I felt like I actually knew him.

What is the most interesting comment you have received so far concerning Night Journey?
Here’s a comment a kind lady gave me on Goodreads: I bought this book after I read some reviews. I LOVED it. I think Zan might be one of the best characters ever written and Emma kept me glued to my seat. Laundry? What laundry? Nothing existed but this book. Fantastic.

You are the first book to be promoted by Story Teller Publishing. What has the experience been like so far?
So far so good. You get better treatment when you sleep with your publisher! Actually, he’s my husband. He decided to start this publishing business after my last publishing experience was less than satisfactory. We’re both very excited about the venture. But seriously speaking, I’ve known Alan Browning for over forty years and I believe that he will make the best of publishers. He’s honest, enthusiastic, organized, and hard-working. He’ll treat each and every author with the utmost respect and will work to make their publishing experience as thoroughly successful as he can. I hope any authors out there with a great manuscript, but who is having trouble placing it for one reason or another, will submit to Storyteller Publishing.

If you could ask yourself any interview question, what would you ask, and how would you answer it?
Are you planning to write a series? I do plan to write a series of stand-alone books I will call my “haunted holiday” series. I’d like to write more novels set at haunted hotels or b & b’s. There’s a story at each and every one that needs telling!

When you aren’t writing, what do you like to do?
I like to read, catch up on my recorded television shows, and play with my dogs. Then there’s housework, laundry, shopping—oh, you said what I LIKE to do. Just the first sentence.

What is coming up next for you?
I’m working on another ghost/time travel called Redlight which will be set in New Orleans at the haunted Hotel Monteleone. It involves a young woman who considers herself a freak of nature because she’s still a virgin at 27, but who finds herself 100 years in the past. She is mistaken for a prostitute and must find a way to survive in 1912 Storyville, without compromising herself, and find a way to return to her own time. There’s also a timeless romance involved.

ABOUT NIGHT JOURNEY
A ROMANTIC WEEKEND GONE WRONG - Two nights at America’s most haunted hotel, a spooky ghost tour with a visit to a former morgue, and a family wedding—all the ingredients for a fun-filled weekend. Emma and Zan Fuller have never been to the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas—at least not in this lifetime. But the ghosts that haunt the former cancer hospital remember Emma, and they won’t rest until she’s joined them once again. When a bizarre accident almost claims her life, her soul is catapulted backward in time to 1938. Things get even worse while she lies comatose, however, because she is now a target for an organ transplant scheme.

STAR CROSSED LOVERS - It’s Depression Era 1938 when Ivy Turner meets Harry Fuller. Love happens quickly, but they’ll never live happily ever after if her parents have their way. Despite their objections, the couple elopes. Wedded bliss soon turns to despair, however, when Harry is arrested and Ivy is sent to the Baker Cancer Hospital. But Ivy doesn’t have cancer. She’s pregnant with Harry’s child—the child who will someday become Zan Fuller’s father. 

JOURNEY ACROSS TIME - Emma wakes up, but not the way she’d expected. Her soul has entered the cancer-riddled body of a woman who had died only moments before. And to make matters worse, she’s trapped in time—it’s 1938. She’s back at the Crescent Hotel, which is now the Baker Cancer Hospital. The people who had once been simply characters in a ghost story are now living, breathing human beings. But Emma’s biggest worry is Zan’s grandmother, Ivy. If anything happens to her or her baby, Zan will never exist. Can Emma, imprisoned in a sick and dying body, rescue Ivy and Harry? Can Zan, in 2011, prevent the hospital from ending her life support and harvesting her heart? 

PURCHASE NIGHT JOURNEY

GIVEAWAY
Thanks to Storyteller a signed copy of Night Journey OR an e-copy! That means that if the winner is US, they will receive a signed copy and if the winner is CA or International they will recieve an e-copy! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below (make sure the prize states it is for Night Journey. If it doesn't just click the title of this post and the right form should come up).



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Monday, November 28, 2011

Gratitude Giveaways WINNERS

Thanks to all of you that entered my Gratitude Giveaways! With 244 entries (WOOT) the lucky three winners are:

1st Place-Donna L. (3 books of her choice) CONFIRMED
2nd Place- Janiera E. (2 books of her choice) CONFIRMED
3rd Place-Francine A. (1 book of her choice) CONFIRMED

Congrats Winners!!




Review+Giveaway: Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep


Kiss of Frost, Mythos Academy, Bk 2
By Jennifer Estep
Available: November 29, 2011
Publisher: Kensington
Format: ARC
Source: Author

FIRST LINE
Logan Quinn was trying to kill me.

**I try not to include spoilers in my reviews but since this is part of a series, some spoilers are unavoidable.**

REVIEW
In this follow up to Estep’s first book in the Mythos Academey series the reader is transported just a few short months after Gwen’s showdown with Jasmine. Gwen is training hard now that she has become the champion for the Goddess Nike in the war against the Reapers. Killing does not come easy for Gwen. Her gypsy powers, which are growing stronger, are triggered through touch. Now her power smight just help her in the fighting department.

Gwen is still best friends with Daphne and that bond has grown stronger in the last few months. Her crush on Logan is very apparent and his rejection has cause Gwen to hurt deeply. The Reapers have continued attacking and Gwen is number one on their hit list. Reapers are known to revenge their own.

Students being students still want to have fun. And what can be more fun than partying at a secluded skiing resort with other Academy’s from around the world. Daphne convinces Gwen to go even though there have been several attempts on her life which of course she does not rely this information to anyone because Gwen wants to fight it herself. This sets up for some hairy situations and will clearly test Gwen’s strength and Logan’s devotion. With the introduction of students from another Academy, Estep creates the perfect set up for us to wonder who is out to get Gwen. Is it someone close to her or someone she has just met?

Another great book by Estep and one of my favorite moments is a very intense moment between Logan and Gwen (when you read or if you have read you should know what moment I mean). I did find that the person out to get Gwen wasn’t a surprise to me but overall it was an astounding read. I was not able to put the book down once I started reading it. Perfect for YA urban fantasy lovers.

RATING
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 PURCHASE KISS OF FROST

THE SERIES

SPECIAL PROMOTION
In addition to the giveaway below, Kensington is offering an e-copy of the novella, First Frost for FREE at all major eBook retailers! Click HERE for Amazon and HERE for Barnes and Noble. This offer is good from 11/28-12/5. Starting 12/5 Touch of Frost will be $3.99 at all major eBook retailers until 12/7 (I will be posting about it that day so if you want to be in the loop sign up for my email subscription on the side bar!). Also on 12/5 Barnes and Noble will for one day only offer Touch of Frost as their Daily Find and reduce the price more to $2.99!!

GIVEAWAY
Thanks to Kensington Books I have one copy of Kiss of Frost to give to a lucky winner! Just fill out the rafflecopter form below (make sure the title of the form shows the prize as Kiss of Fost. If it doesn't just click the title of this post and the right form should come up).
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Sunday, November 27, 2011

In My Mailbox (November 27, 2011)


In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. Anyone can participate in IMM and you are not limited to only sharing books that arrive via your mailbox. You can also share books that you've bought or books that you've gotten at the library. If interested please click the link above and sign up!

TRADE
Now that my new Books for Sale/Trade has been up and running I have received some good books on trade:
 
The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory (ARC)
Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire

WON

Switched by Amanda Hocking (ARC)
Kiss of the Rose by Kate Pearce (Signed)
Blood of the Rose by Kate Pearce (Signed)
Mark of the Rose by Kate Pearce (Signed)

REVIEW

My Wicked Little Lies by Victoria Alexander (ARC)
The Gilder by Kathryn Kay (ARC)
By the King's Design by Christine Trent (ARC)

Thank You Kensington!

BOUGHT

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison
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Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Thanksgiving! 
Remember to Gobble till you Wobble!!

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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Winner: Hell on the Heart by Nancy Brophy

Thanks to Nancy Brophy for this great giveaway!
Congrats to Zoey for winning an e-copy of Hell on the Heart!


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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Teaser Tuesday: A Vampire Christmas Carol

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two "teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page!
 They were no longer in his mother's bedchamber but in the second-best parlor of the house, a cozy room not far from the kitchen where Ebenezer and Fan had taken their lessons as young children.

Without the spirit saying so, Scrooge knew that time had passed.
~pg. 88
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Monday, November 21, 2011

Review + Giveaway: The Hunter by Theresa Meyers


The Hunter (The Legend Chronicles Book 1) 
By Theresa Meyers
Published: November 1, 2011
Publisher: Zebra Books
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher

FIRST LINE 
“Aren’t you Cy Jackson’s boy?”

REVIEW
The Jackson brothers are considered the Chosen. Winchester, Remington and Colt were trained to hunt down supernatural beings. In the first book in this trilogy we are introduced to Colt Jackson, the youngest of the three brothers. Meyers starts the book with Colt’s first experience with a demon and right away we are shown the bravery inside of him. You also see that Colt has always felt left behind because his father tried to protect him from the world that his brothers were already deep into. Unfortunately, a demon took that choice away from Cy and he was forced to train his youngest to be a hunter like his brothers.

Now Colt only knows hunting and strives to live up to his father’s notorious reputation. He is an outlaw whereas his brothers have set up shop in respectable jobs and have turned their back on the hunting life. Colt feels it is his responsibility to find all the pieces to the Book of Legion before humanity perishes. To do this, he must pair up with a demon. The demon who shoes up is a feisty succubus, Lily, with an agenda of her own.

Lilly has been studying the legend looking for a way out of her bargain with Rathe (part vampire, part archangel and all demon lord) who made her a succubus after offering a deal to save her sister. Rathe has his own agenda, revenge, against Colt after he killed his baby girl (who was a vampire). Knowing that eventually Colt will succumb to Lilly’s advances, he sends her to help Colt find his piece of the Book.

Neither banked on falling in love and on this Indiana Jones adventure find that they will do anything to save each other’s life. Loved all the fun steampunk attributes of this book combined with a western theme. Marley Turlock was one of my favorite characters. He is the inventor that builds all the Jackson boys toys. The best one is Tempus, the mechanical horse, of Colts. If you love steampunk you will love The Hunter and will look forward to the next book and reading about another delicious Jackson brother!

RATING
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PURCHASE THE HUNTER

GIVEAWAY
Thanks to Kensington Books I have one copy of The Hunter to give to a lucky winner! Just fill out the rafflecopter form below (make sure the title of the form says The Hunter giveaway. If it doesn't just click the title of this post and the right form should come up).
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BLOG CREATED JUNE 20, 2010