The Maniacal Bookworm: blog tour

We will be hopping from side to side of the globe helping Nate and Sophie find each other, but for that, we need you through the entire tour. Sophie and Nate need to meet at a secret location at the end of the blog tour, but since they don’t want anyone else to know where, they left the address in hidden code.

We will be giving you clues at each tour stop that will help you find the location. Also, at each blog tour stop, we will unveil a part of a picture that discloses the secret location.

These are the rules of the game:

-You’ll need to have read The Year of the Great Seventh to be able to follow the game, or at least, have some knowledge of what happens in the novel.

-You’ll need access to Google maps (Street View).

-At each blog tour stop we will reveal a sentence like this:

Sophie spent an afternoon at the (2676 S Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA—second word written on top of the main entrance door) Park with her friends.

-You’ll need to put that address into Google maps, and using Street View, you need to work out which word is missing. In this case, the answer would the following:

Sophie spent an afternoon at the SKATE Park with her friends.

-We are only interested in the first letter of the word: “S”.

-The next day, we will plot that letter into the four words that will hint the secret location, and we will give you the new sentence. For example:

- - - - - - - - S - - - - - -

-Additionally, there will be a photo of the secret location at each blog tour stop. At the first stop, it will be totally blacked out, but as we go along the tour, we will start unveiling different parts.

-When we get to the last stop, with the photo and the four words that we will have deciphered, you’ll be on your own to find the secret location.

-The first 5 people who send an email to greatseventhtour@outlook.com with the correct solution will win a free hardcopy of The Year of the Great Seventh.

-We will only disclose the winners after the last stop of the blog tour, and will strictly follow the email entries by date/time received to award the books to the first 5 people who discover the secret location. Please remember to include your first name, last name, and address in the email. We will not use this information for any other purpose.

-You can write comments on the blog post. We are okay with people helping each other; however, the first 5 people to send the correct answer win the books.

-If you change your mind about the secret location, you can send more than one email.

-There can only be one winner per address, and you can only win a maximum of 1 book per person.

Let’s hope we can help Nate and Sophie find each other!

Good luck to everyone!

Teresa Orts

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Author Interview&Spotlight&Giveaway: Mia Hoddell

Hey Hey Hey! With me today in the SpOtLiGhT

is author Mia Hoddel talking about her book Deadly to Love (really cool title, btw). So here's some info on the book and, as always, some links to check out:

Title: Deadly to Love (Elemental Killers #1)
Author: Mia Hoddell
ASIN: B00BDQ3QGA
ISBN: 9781291319170
Genre: YA/Paranormal/Urban Fantasy/Romance

Deadly to Love description:

There is a love that is so dangerous, so powerful, so intoxicating that it embraces your heart and smothers your mind until it leaves you defenceless.

Serena knew that but still, it didn't stop her. His name was Kai. He was the most beautiful, irresistible man she had ever encountered. Their attraction was too compelling to fight and she knew she would go to the end of the world beside him. That is love.

However behind the allure was hidden a deadly secret – a secret that threatened her fragile life... But secrets best left unsaid never remain hidden forever. When Kai reveals his true identity, she is exposed to a frightening world she had no idea existed. Controlled by powerful Elemental forces her life is placed in mortal danger.

Unbeknown to them, their lives have been entwined from the beginning and it leads her to discover an even greater secret about who she really is. As the pieces begin to unravel and death becomes a reality, Serena is forced to decide what is more important...her love or life.

Buy Links:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Paperback (Lulu) and will be available on Amazon soon

About the author:

Mia Hoddell lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading and her preferred genre is Young Adult, Paranormal Romance. Before 2009, Mia wouldn't even pick up a book and was more interested in sports. However she finally found some novels that captured her interest and developed a love of both reading and writing. Mia began with poems and after getting two published in separate anthologies she moved onto short stories. Although she enjoyed this, Mia found she had too much to tell with too little space, so later on she created her first series The Wanderer Trilogy, with the first two books; The Sheol and The Flawlessout now. From there other ideas have emerged which she hopes to turn into novels as well. The Elementals is her second series with Deadly to Love being the first book and the sequel being released soon.

Author Links

Blog: http://miahoddell.blogspot.com
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mia-Hoddell-Author/421368247889610?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiaHoddell
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/miahoddell

And now onto the author interview:

1: If you had the power to keep earth at one season for a year which season would it be?
It would definitely be summer; living in England means it rains nearly 24/7 so I would love to have hot weather for a year! It makes me feel happier and I actually get work done, plus everything looks nicer.

2: If you were a Superhero what would your name be?
Hmm… I’m not sure, I would love one power to be invisibility though so I guess I wouldn’t need a name if people couldn’t see me as they wouldn’t know I was around.

4: If you could make one day last a week what would you do during that 'one day'?
Reading on a beach abroad with ice-cream, smoothies and maybe doing a bit of writing too.

5: If you could be any ruler from the past who would you be?
I love Egyptology so I would choose to be a pharaoh, I’m not picky as to which one though.

6: If you be any villain or rebel from a book who would you be?
I’ve read too many books to decide so I will go with the Fire Elemental in Deadly to Love or maybe one of the rebels I have planned for the sequel…but who it is, is a secret.

7: If you could have any job in the world what would it be?
Author – writing is what I love.

8: If you started a band what would you call it?
I don’t think I could ever start a band, I am terrible at music. I can still vaguely play the piano but even after 3years of lesson I was never very good. I think I’ll stick with writing and leave the music to my brother.

9: If you were a character in a book would you be the villain, the kick-butt hero, or the man/damsel-in-distress?
Hmm…that’s a hard one, the damsel in distress usually gets the hot guy in the end but the villains normally have more fun and get all of the cool powers/skills etc. so I am going to have to go with the villain.

10: What's your favourite food?
It changes regularly depending on my mood or the season but at the moment it is Chinese food.

11: What was your inspiration for writing Deadly to Love?
Deadly to Love was originally going to just be a romance with no paranormal aspects, however when I tried planning it I kept writing myself into a corner around chapter 3. At this point I started researching mythological creature and Elementals caught my eye as I thought I could do a lot with them. I found out they were governed by the arch angels but I didn’t like this side of things as I didn’t want to include heavenly powers. Instead I tried to differ to separate them from what was originally out there so my writing is hopefully original. After I found the supernatural creatures my imagination kind of went wild and I invented a new Island on Earth, the characters and the plot. It all fell in place rather easily once I had the paranormal aspects as I was given more freedom with what I could do, rather than keeping it governed by Earth rules.

12: What character was hardest for you to write about?
For this book I didn’t really have one. It flowed so naturally and easily. This was probably due to the fact I had written a four page character profile on everyone in the book so I knew exactly what their personalities were, their back story, what they wore etc. By the time I came to write the book I knew them inside out so I could write without any struggle, hopefully creating believable and relatable characters.

13: What character was easiest for you to write about?
The easiest was Serena as she shared a lot of similar traits in personality with me so I was able to use some personal experiences to help develop her character.

14: Are you working on any other works of art? If so, can you tell us about them?
At the moment I am working on the sequel to Deadly to Love and have planned the next 2 books after that in the series. I am also working on the final instalment in The Wanderer Trilogy but that may take a little longer as I am fitting it around my exams. Besides those books I have another five books planned as a part of two new series and more ideas in my head waiting to be written.

15: Do you have any favourite sayings?
Hmm… I know it’s slightly cheesy but it would probably be “Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you’ll end up amongst the stars” as I try and go for and experience as many thing possible.

Thank you, Ms. Hoddell, for that very awesome interview! And now the moment you all have been waiting for (well, all you that live in the UK).....There's a giveaway! However, it is only open to people who live the UK, so if you live in the UK, here's your chance to win:

1 ebook copy of Deadly to Love through amazon kindle (INT)
Deadly to Love Swag (UK ONLY)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

The New Recruit Blog Tours Dates!

The newest book to hit the stores by Jill Williamson!! : D It has a blog tour going on right now and I don't want you guys to miss it! It's going on all through September and into the second to last week of October. So here are the blogs that are participating and the dates of their blog tour post:

9/16-

Nichols for Your Thoughts - http://bluenichols.blogspot.com/2012/09/i-was-really-excited-to-get-chance-to.html

Further Up and Further In - http://www.furtherup-and-furtherin.blogspot.com/

9/17

Delving into Books - http://delvingintobooks.com/2012/09/17/the-new-recruit/

9/18

Summer’s Writing World - http://writinginsummertime.blogspot.co.uk/

Joy’s Thoughts - http://whatjoythinks.blogspot.com/

9/21

The Realm of Hearts - http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/

9/22

Pages from My Journal - http://alysonschroll.blogspot.com/

9/23

Being Becki - http://beingbecki.blogspot.com/

9/24

Pink Sapphire - http://pinksapphire118.blogspot.com/

9/25

The Christian Fantasy Review - http://www.christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/

Starsongs Magazine - http://www.kidspublished.blogspot.com/

9/26

Kim Vandel - http://www.kimvandel.com/

Land of My Sojourn - http://landofmysojourn.net/blog/

9/27

Christian Teen Fiction Devourer – http://www.ctfdevourer.com/

The Book Fae - http://thebookfae.wordpress.com/

9/28

A Christian Worldview of Fiction - http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/

9/29

A Writer’s World - http://shadowwriterworld.blogspot.com/

9/30

Virtuous Girlhood - http://virtuousgirlhood.com/

10/1

Inspiring Daring - http://www.rachellerea.com/

The Borrowed book - http://www.theborrowedbook.blogspot.com/

10/2

Blooming with Books - http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/

10/4

Legacy of a Writer - http://katie-mccurdy.blogspot.com/

10/5

Christian Book Review Blog - http://christianbookreviewblog.blogspot.com/

10/6

Heavenward Reviews – http://noahsreads.blogspot.com/

10/7

Bookworm - http://bookwormreading.blogspot.com/

10/8

Life with a Mission - http://mylifewithamission.blogspot.com/

My Story Shelf - http://mystoryshelf.blogspot.com

Labor Not in Vain - http://labornotinvain.blogspot.com/

10/9

Writings of Rosie – http://www.writingsofrosie.blogspot.com/

10/10

Endless Antique - http://endlessantique.tumblr.com/

Christian Bookshelf Reviews - http://christianbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/

10/11

Life of a Teenage Writer - http://katelynthekreative.blogspot.com/

10/12

The Ramblings of a Young Author - http://www.ramblingsbybethany.blogspot.com/

10/13

Karen DeBlieck - http://simplyscribblings.blogspot.ca/

10/21

The Maniacal Bookworm - http://themaniacalbookworm.blogspot.com/

And now I'd like to give you some ways for you to help spread the word, if you will. :-)

First, Like The New Recruit on Amazon. Second, Like Jill Williamson on Amazon (she's a very talented writer, you know), Third visit Jill Williamson's author interview with The Maniacal Bookworm Author Interview, Fourth read my review on Replication (also by Jill Williamson, feel free to comment! :) Replication Review, and Fifth watch The New Recruit's book trailer.....

Monday, September 10, 2012

SNEAK blog tour and giveaway!

Sneak! It's Swipe sibling! It's back a better than ever!!! : P So because this is a book tour I'm going to post as much about the Swipe series and the author Evan Angler as I can. Not to mention that I'm linking to all the other awesome blogs on this tour, because each post has something different and I'm pretty sure some even have *whispers* giveaways.

First off, here are some places that you really need to visit:

Evan Angler.com
Buy Swipe on Amazon!
Buy Sneak on Amazon
Evan Angler's guest post
Swipe Review

Okay, now that your computer has shut down because you had to open all these windows.... : )
Here's Swipe's cover and trailer:

And here's the second book in the Swipe series and its trailer:

Here is my review for Sneak:

SNEAK by EVAN ANGLER

Movie Rating: G all ages permitted

Book Rating: @@@@@

Swearing: None

Inappropriate Scenes: None

# of Pages: 274 (paperback)

Genre: YA Sci-fi/Dystopian

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

LLFTB: Never Give Up!

Back Blurb:

When Logan Langly backed out of getting the Mark and went on the run, no one thought he could survive on his own. Without the Mark, you can't buy food, go to the doctor, or use a tablet-you aren't even a citizen.

But when he discovers that his sister is being held in a mysterious hidden prison named Acheron, Logan risks everything to travel through and underground network of the Markless to rescue her.

Logan arrives only to find that Acheron holds more secrets than anyone could have guessed and that all his careful planning is worthless against a government that will do anything to gain absolute control. It seems there is only one place to turn.

But can a banned book with whisper-this pages and warnings about the real meaning of the Mark really hold the Answer?

My Review:

Most of the time a sequel is not as good as the first in the series let alone better. Such is not the case with Sneak. Basically, everything I enjoyed and loved about Swipe was twice as better in Sneak: the cover, the back blurb, the author's bio (however, weird that may sound), the action, and even the story. I loved the sciencey twist to Sneak. Yeah, deadly little viruses are my sort of thing...... While reading Sneak it made me wonder exactly how Angler came up with some of this stuff.Not plot-wise but like their gadgets that they have and stuff. It was so complex and so detailed. Sneak is a really really awesometastic (yes, it's a new word i made up) addition to the Swipe series and I cannot wait to read the next installment this fall! :D Oh, and some certain characters better get together! Otherwise, I will be a very bummed reader. Have I mentioned that Peck reminds me so much of myself? Maybe that's why I like the books so much! : )

*this book was provided by Thomas Nelson publishers. this does not affect my review in any way*

And now onto the giveaway.

What you get: A paperback copy of Sneak.

Rules:

-must be live in US or Canada

-be 13 years or older or have parental/guardian permission

-only enter this giveaway if you really want this book

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the other totally fantastic blogs and bloggers participating in the blog tour!