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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Rare Disease Day 2013 - Info & G!veaways

On this day, millions of patients and their families will share their stories to focus a spotlight on rare diseases as an important global public health concern.

“There are nearly 30 million Americans—and millions more around the world—affected by rare diseases,” said Peter L. Saltonstall, president and CEO of NORD.  “Everyone knows someone with a rare disease.  But, while many of these diseases are serious and lifelong, most have no treatment and many are not even being studied by researchers.  This leaves patients and families without hope for a better future.”

On Rare Disease Day, people with rare diseases around the world promote awareness of the challenges of living with a rare disease.  The global theme for 2013 is “Rare Disorders Without Borders.” 

World Rare Disease Day was launched in Europe in 2008 and last year was observed in more than 60 nations.  It is always observed on the last day of February.  On that day, patients and patient organizations will post stories, videos and blogs online and host events to raise awareness of these diseases, which are often called “orphans”.

This year, the observance has special significance in the U.S. because 1983 is also the 30th anniversary of the Orphan Drug Act, which provides incentives to encourage companies to develop treatments for rare diseases, and of NORD, which was established by patient advocates in 1983.

“More than half of the people who have rare diseases are children,” Saltonstall said.  “Challenges faced by patients and their families include delayed diagnosis, few treatment options, and difficulty finding medical experts.  Many rare diseases have no approved treatment.  Insurance may not cover treatments that aren’t approved.  Also, treatments for rare diseases tend to be more expensive than those for common diseases.”

In 1983, the Orphan Drug Act was passed by Congress to create financial incentives for companies to develop treatments for rare diseases.  Since then, more than 400 orphan drugs and biologics have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  It is estimated that approximately 15 million Americans benefit from these products, but that still leaves millions more with diseases for which there is no approved treatment.

For more information about Rare Disease Day activities in the U.S., go to www.rarediseaseday.us.  For information about global activities, go to www.rarediseaseday.org).

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In conjunction with Rare Disease Day, Pandora Poikilos' books will be free from 28th February 2013 till 15th March 2013. To download your free copy, please click on the links below.

Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out is free via KDP Select (Kindle) from now till 3rd March.
Dora's Essentials - Examining Anxiety is free via Smashwords from now till 15th March.
Genetically Modified Foods vs. Sustainability is free via Smashwords from now till 15th March.
Pandora's Reading Room (Short Story compilation) is free via Smashwords from now till 15th March.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

George A. Bernstein - Trapped

TrappedTrapped by George A. Bernstein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Compare two of the characters in this book. Jackee – a once lively female who is now only able to communicate with her eyes. Rhonda – wants everything that Jackee had and will stop at nothing to get it

What part would you change in the story, and why? The cheating husband. But I do not think the story would work with this trait removed.

Did anyone in the book do something you did not like? Phil, but we would need several pages to write everything.

Is the story plot or character driven? I feel this is equal. Almost like a give/take, a character does something and the plot moves along creating a great mix that allows readers to be pulled in.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.


View all my reviews

Orangeberry Book of the Day – Birds of A Feather by Kara Stefanowich

birds of a feather

When Shiloh Lashley, an International Assassin, breaks all the rules and falls in love with Monty Wright, her latest target, she finds herself in a conspiracy with her own name on the hit list — and a deep, dark secret surfacing in the fight to save her love, her life and a past she’s hidden for so long.

Birds of a Feather is a sexy tail spin of murder, money and conspiracy that gets blown to bits when Monty Wright and Shiloh Lashley are both hired by opposing agencies to kill each other. When the assassins finally meet the sparks fly, along with a hail of bullets which lead them straight into each others arms. But when their agencies discover their affair, cities crumble and a barrage of car chases, explosions and gun fights stalk the lovers around the globe, from Berlin, Germany to Tijuana, Mexico. Even as their affair blossoms, the shock still grips the pair as there are secrets a plenty in the world of spies and contract killers.

Can their love withstand the smoke of gunfire, or will their secrets tear them apart and take their lives?

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Suspense / Thriller

Rating – R

More details about the author

Connect with  Kara Stefanowich on Facebook & Twitter

Orangeberry Book Tours – Trapped by George Bernstein

The darkness is still, silent. Jackee Maren’s heart pounds reverberating through her body as fear sears her veins. Someone’s coming. No way out. This time they will kill me. Her breath is short, her chest burns. Must run. Faster. Faster! Her eyes fly open, her heart still racing with blinding fear. Jackee breathes deeply with relief and stares at the ceiling desperately trying to calm herself. The same dream. Something, someone is watching . . . and waiting.

A tragic car accident leaves beautiful, vibrant Jackee Maren completely paralyzed, able to move only her eyes. Jackee’s husband, Phil, is devastated and her two young boys left with nothing but a shell for a mother, but still, Jackee senses the foreboding of an evil presence and knows time is short. Slowly, Jackee learns to communicate with her physical therapist, Kevin, by blinking her eyes.

As evidence comes to light that her car accident was no accident, Jackee knows she must expose the person who wants her dead before they get a second chance. While Jackee works to put all the clues together, she discovers she has the ability to sense the thoughts of others, but she hides this talent from everyone but her sons, not knowing who she can trust. By actively exercising her new psychic ability, Jackee finally learns who masterminded the accident but feels helpless to stop them from trying to kill her again.

Slowly a plan forms to not only ensure her boys are safe forever, but to exact revenge on her would-be murderer. Jackee vows not to rest until this killer understands what it is to be TRAPPED!

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Mainstream / Suspense

Rating – PG13

Connect with George Bernstein on Facebook & Twitter

Blog http://georgeabernstein.wordpress.com/

Website http://suspenseguy.com/

Monday, February 25, 2013

Orangeberry Book of the Day – No Foolin’ by Lisa Scott

Welcome to Willowdale, North Carolina, a small town where the folks are friendly, the romances are as sweet as the tea, and the biddies at the diner gobble up gossip like it’s peach cobbler. This may be their biggest scoop ever.

When sexy Hollywood bad-boy Teague “T-Rex” Reynolds comes to this quiet Southern town, he needs a fake girlfriend to hide the secret that brought him there. School nurse Kate Riley takes the job, but she won’t fall for a movie star, no ma’am. That’s fine with Teague. He hung a closed sign on his heart years ago.
Convincing the press they’re in love is one thing. Fooling each other they’re not is getting harder each day. Despite scandal, heartache, and misunderstandings galore, they might just find the sweet thrill of true love. Book one of The Willowdale Romances.

Lisa Scott is a former TV news anchor who now makes up stories instead of sticking to the facts. Learn more about where her ideas come from and what’s on the way at ReadLisaScott.com

Buy now @ Amazon

Genre – Contemporary Romance

Rating – PG15

More details about the author

Connect with Lisa Scott on Facebook & Twitter

Friday, February 22, 2013

Orangeberry Book of the Day - Kaleidoscope World - Tomica Scavina

Tomica Scavina

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Psychological Thriller

Rating – PG

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Tomica Scavina on GoodReads & Twitter

Website http://www.tomicascavina.com/

 

A collector of kaleidoscopes and lousy relationships, Dahlia Kasper leaves her possessive alcoholic mother and moves from New York to Barcelona. In search of lost bits of her childhood, she starts living in an apartment where her father was murdered when she was four. As soon as she enters the apartment, strange things begin to happen.
Her favorite kaleidoscope becomes a gateway to another dimension where she encounters a ghost of a famous physicist from the 19th century who tries to persuade her that reality is like a moth-eaten sweater - full of holes. He needs her to help him plug up these holes and save the world from vanishing, while the only thing Dahlia really wants to save is her sanity.
This is just a part of Dahlia's problems. An elderly cello-playing neighbor turns her emotional world upside down and her longing for lost home takes her further than she ever imagined she could go. To collect all the scattered kaleidoscope-bits of her life together, Dahlia needs to go through an intense inner transformation that takes courage and a sharp sense of humor.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Orangeberry Book Tours – Rock My World by Sharisse Coulter

Jenna Jax-Anders hit rock bottom in high school. Or so she thought. From rock star heiress to knocked-up has been, she turned it all around, marrying the punk rock baby daddy love of her life. The perfect Hollywood fairytale. Until the day she walked in on him kissing her best friend.

As she struggles to find herself and redefine the world around her, she faces the challenges of raising her over-achieving teenage daughter, the heartbreak of losing her best friend (backstabbing aside), and emerging from the shadows of two famous last names to find her own identity. Oh, there’s also the tiny issue of her husband’s record label, backed by an anonymous mogul whose morally ambiguous creative direction may ruin them all.

But she doesn’t know about that yet.

Buy Now @ Amazon, Barnes & Noble & Kobo

Genre – Contemporary Women’s Fiction

Rating – PG13

Connect with Sharisse Coulter on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://leecoulter.com/tour/

Orangeberry Book of the Day – Undertow by Elle Chardou

undertow

Five years ago, Evie Sandstrom and Finn Reilly were best friends and each other’s first love. Although neither has forgotten this time of their lives, they have moved on from one another and the secrets that continue to haunt them from the past.

Evie, now a college student, has decided to transfer for her junior year to Boston University to be closer to her family…and Finn Reilly is still there — waiting for her — in Charlestown.

During part of a gorgeous summer, the beauty of their love is rekindled again only to be torn apart by Evie’s mother, the beautiful and untouchable superstar, Athena Donahue.

Evie, angry and humiliated, is determined to avenge her mother for what she has done. Athena’s recently married Etienne Fournier, a thirty-year-old French model, and he is dangerously attracted to Evie.

Love and lust collide in the cruelest ways and now Evie finds herself conflicted, swept in the undertow and caught in the crossfire of temptation and desire for Etienne though she desperately wants to maintain the loyalty and fidelity she has promised to Finn.

Evie learns the most valuable lesson of all: falling in love is easy but for a young woman who doesn’t like to commit, maintaining a relationship is the hard part.

Publisher’s Note: Due to mature behavior, sexual references, drug references and language, this novel is recommended for those 17+.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Contemporary Romance

Rating – R

More details about the author

Connect with Elle Chardou on Facebook & Twitter

Blog http://thebeautifulpeopleawritersjourney.blogspot.com/

Sharisse Coulter – Why Writing is a Personal Form of Therapy

Why Writing is a Personal Form of Therapy

by Sharisse Coulter

Anyone who writes either for fun or professionally will find this topic obvious. Most of us probably started out writing in our journals or jotting down random thoughts or rants about our own lives. Rather than speak on behalf of anyone else, I’ll focus on why writing has been my own personal therapy, and how that’s helped my writing get better as well as keep me sane, on a personal level.

Like a child, I want to have some level of control over the world around me when I find myself in situations that make me feel helpless. I may not be able to control things in the real world, but if I sit down to create a story I get to rewrite any narrative I want. I can write a monologue I wish I’d been quick enough to deliver in person, eviscerating someone who wronged me. I can write characters with all the qualities I wish I possessed. I can create a scene where my horrible boss gets what’s coming to him, rather than my thinking evil thoughts while smiling and doing what I’m told.  The possibilities are endless and, even better, I’m in total control.

As much as it’s great to be the master of a universe, even a fictional one, there is another, more important component of therapy that writing fulfills: honesty. In order to create a character, I must be able to see the world through their eyes. Good, bad, or anything in between, every character requires reasoning behind their actions. Whether I relate to the character or not, I must explore their perspective in order to write their part of the story. If the story started with a personal need to vent, I still have to write the foe with honesty, and may come to see the world through their eyes. It might not make me take their side, but a little perspective is always healthy.

The other side of writing is the mask. The mask is like an actor’s role: I get to take on a persona and explore emotions without risking pain to myself. I may be too frightened to explore certain emotional topics. I might not be ready to deal with the weight of them on a personal level. But if I create another world and characters outside myself, I can put them through the same emotions without having to become vulnerable. And a funny thing happens when I do: I learn. I learn to see myself, not as an anomaly incapable of dealing with grief, for instance, but as a person, like my character, who lives in a world they don’t control. Things happen. We react. But if we explore those events honestly, even in fiction, we will see our own faults, desires and even strengths in a new way.

With perspective and honesty, I can create any world I want. I can imagine characters that live out my fantasies or who don’t share my weaknesses. I can experience the world in a new way, through them. And when I’m finished, I can look at my own life with new appreciation and hopefully learn the lesson that experience was meant to teach me in the first place.

Buy Now @ Amazon, Barnes & Noble & Kobo

Genre – Contemporary Women’s Fiction

Rating – PG13

More details about the book

Connect with Sharisse Coulter on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://leecoulter.com/tour/

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Orangeberry Book of the Day - Secrets by Liz Schulte

Secrets by Liz Schulte

While Olivia Martin observed life through her camera, the Abyss gazed back at her. She discovers mysterious men follow her around, people close to her are dying, and her dreams are no longer her own as she falls head over heels for a perfect stranger. A chance encounter leads to an obsession that could destroy everything she has ever known or loved. Olivia is about to find out there is a lot she doesn’t know and sometimes what you don’t know can kill you.

Buy Now @ Amazon & Smashwords

Genre – Paranormal Romance

Rating – PG13

Connect with Liz Schulte on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.lizschulte.com/

Monday, February 18, 2013

Orangeberry Book Tours – The Lucky Escape by Dr. Heather Manley

Merrin and Pearl’s little brother Robbie has swallowed a penny. Now through magic and imagination they find themselves on an adventure through his digestive system where they must grab the penny, save Robbie, and narrowly escape his poopy diaper.

Buy now @ Amazon

Genre – Children’s Book

Rating – G

Connect with Dr. Heather Manley on Facebook & Twitter

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Orangeberry Book of the Day – Genetically Modified Foods vs. Sustainability – Bruno McGrath

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“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein
This ebook points out the surrounding issues of genetically modified fruit and vegetables that consumers are unaware of. While several parties defend the use of technology to create food, there seems to be little being done to increase awareness about this matter to the end consumer. It also points out alternative food sustainability options such as organic farming and land management.
This ebook will indicate that although some parties agree that genetically modified food items are cost effective and considered safe, its long-term results have not been adequately researched and the use of pesticides on these items are far higher than for other types farming or food products.
Buy Now @ Amazon
Genre – Food & Cooking (PG)
Connect with Bruno McGrath on Facebook

NS Wikarski – Pet Peeves Of The Publishing Industry

Pet Peeves Of The Publishing Industry

by NS Wikarski

Everybody knows that one of the chief benefits of hitting yourself over the head with a hammer is that it feels so good when you stop.

The hammer analogy aptly describes my experience with traditional publishing (aka legacy publishing). My first two books were published conventionally and I suffered through all the usual steps of producing a trade paperback. Editor, proof reader, formatter, cover artist, printer, distributor, publicist, book signings, fan conventions. I learned an enormous amount about the book business but, unfortunately, all the effort expended didn’t translate into much net income.

Then came Kindle ebooks and Createspace print on demand paperbacks. At first, I was hesitant to go the digital route but an author friend pointed out that since I still controlled the rights to my work, I might as well make a few pennies by selling electronic copies of what I’d written. Fortunately, my previous work experience included a few decades as a computer consultant so I was quite comfortable with formatting my own manuscripts. Given how many years I’d spent designing graphic user interfaces, I was equally comfortable with designing my own covers.

The distance from writing a novel to seeing it sold online was shortened by a couple of years. The markets that I could reach via Kindle and Createspace were global, not local. I could promote my work via cyberspace tours rather than packing a suitcase to head to yet another low turnout book signing.

Considering the months and months of work it took to create, warehouse, distribute, and market the legacy print copies, I was staggered to discover that my net royalty for each ebook or print on demand copy was exactly the same as what I was netting for the legacy print version of the same book. Best of all, in two years as a digital author, I’ve sold twice as many copies of my work as I was able to sell in nine years as a print author.

In my opinion, digital books are every writer’s dream come true. So why isn’t everybody doing this? I’ve had this conversation with several of my writer friends who are hesitant to take the plunge. For some it comes down to technical timidity. They’re afraid to format their own books much less tackle the daunting task of designing the covers. I have pointed out that they can hire knowledgeable people to help with these chores but they shrug their shoulders. They have no head for business. It’s not for them.

Other writers are extremely uncomfortable without the blessing of an agent and editor from a big six publishing house. It doesn’t occur to them that in order to receive that blessing, they are parting with their own intellectual property and the lion’s share of the income it could generate. These writers have forgotten that without the content they supply, the entire structure of legacy publishing would crumble like a house of cards. I believe the marketplace, not an agent or editor in New York, should decide the value of a writer’s work. Amazon has removed the middleman from the equation. As far as I’m concerned, Vive La Difference!

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Archaeology Thriller

Rating – PG13

More details about the author & the book

Connect with NS Wikarski on Facebook

Orangeberry Book Tours – The Dragon’s Wing Enigma by NS Wikarski

THE ARKANA SERIES: Archaeological Thrillers That Defy History
Volume Three – The Dragon’s Wing Enigma

Think ”Medium meets Indiana Jones in The Lost Symbol.” (Kindle Nation Daily)

Runaway Bride

Cassie Forsythe’s checkered resume never included the job of babysitter. Former college freshman, yes. Amateur relic hunter, certainly. Seer for a secret organization, absolutely. But babysitter? Not likely! Cassie is packing for the next leg of a treasure hunt to recover a legendary artifact known as the Sage Stone when trouble comes knocking at her door. Trouble takes the form of fourteen year old runaway Hannah Curtis. Hannah isn’t your average teenager. She happens to be the youngest wife of aged polygamist Abraham Metcalf. Metcalf leads the religious cult known as the Blessed Nephilim and he covets the Sage Stone for himself.

Unwelcome Guest

Hannah’s untimely arrival creates a predicament for Cassie. The Nephilim isn’t supposed to know that anyone else is hunting the Sage Stone. More than that, the cult must never discover the existence of the Arkana – the secret society for which Cassie works. The Arkana has spent centuries recovering artifacts of ancient civilizations which predate patriarchy–advanced goddess-worshipping cultures on every continent. Their archaeological troves document the lost women’s history of the world and need to be protected at all costs. Unfortunately, Hannah could lead the cult straight to the Arkana’s underground cache of relics. Cassie contacts Faye, the Arkana’s elderly leader, for help. The old woman spirits the girl away to her farmhouse in the country. Faye promises to keep Hannah out of sight so that Cassie and her teammates can resume their quest.

Tricky Trinkets

Cassie, librarian Griffin, and bodyguard Erik face a daunting task. Five sequential artifacts reveal the hiding place of the Sage Stone. The treasure hunters must not only retrieve the relics before the Nephilim, they must also substitute forgeries in place of the real artifacts to keep the cult from discovering that it has competition. Luck has been on their side so far. They’ve recovered the first artifact with their foes none the wiser. The Arkana team flies to Malta, hoping to unearth the second artifact among the ruined temples of a long-dead civilization. After a fruitless search of the archipelago, their quest leads them northward into the Basque region of Europe. Meanwhile, Abraham’s son Daniel is combing the same terrain and narrowing the gap between them.

Dragon’s Wing Dilemma

In an isolated mountaintop cave, the treasure hunters learn that the next relic can only be discovered if they “keep true to the dragon’s wing.” The clue baffles them. What does it mean? Cassie and her friends are running out of time. With Nephilim operatives closing in, will they all survive this mission? Will the cult capture Hannah and breach the defenses of the Arkana itself? Follow the dragon’s wing to learn the answers.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Archaeology Thriller

Rating – PG13

More details about the author

Connect with NS Wikarski on Facebook

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Orangeberry Book of the Day - Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out - Pandora Poikilos

Anya Michaels is having the time of her life. She has the man of her dreams by her side. She has graduated at the top of her class. She has the job others were lining up for. Between late night drinks at her favourite bar and fancy dinners at the most expensive restaurants, she has a string of adoring friends. Everything changes when she hears the dreaded words, “You are sick.”
Being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder, her world starts to fall apart, one piece at a time. Now dumped, her four year relationship is nothing but a memory filled with pictures, thoughts and a very broken heart. Her job becomes an even further challenge as she tries to hide her condition. Her friends suddenly have more important things to do, what is a party without a party girl? Perfect could not crumble any faster.
Soon, caught between situations, people and pieces of life that she never dreamed of planning for herself, Anya begins to wonder if her brain condition is all that bad. As she absorbs the changes in her life and realization sets in, she begins to wonder if she is the only one saying: Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out.
Buy Now @ Amazon Kindle
Genre – Women’s Fiction
Rating – PG
Connect with Pandora Poikilos on Twitter

Friday, February 15, 2013

Quality Reads UK - Special Feature

HOT STUFF

This is a monthly feature where we will share our top reads of the month.

Books are picked by our book club members and we do not receive any compensation for the books listed on this page.

PRAISE FOR BROKEN PIECES:

‘So ridiculously amazing, I can’t take it’ ~ Gabe Berman, Author ‘Live LIke A Fruit Fly

‘Engrossed. It is a grippingly brilliant work’ ~ Frank Feather, author and blogger

‘Any woman who has had a former lover (or two or three) will be able to relate to this. Her writing is very poetic.’ ~ LS Hullinger, reader, writer

‘A brilliant and intense must read’ ~ Jeffery Rowan, reader

Out less than three weeks, Broken Pieces already hit the Paid Top 10 list on Women’s Studies!

Welcome to bestselling author Rachel Thompson’s newest nonfiction work! Vastly different in tone from her previous essay collections A Walk In The Snark and The Mancode: Exposed, BROKEN PIECES is a collection of pieces inspired by one woman’s life: love, loss, abuse, trust, grief, and ultimately, love again.

This is NOT a humor book! It IS a book about relationships, a study of women, a book with heart.Want to see why people love it? Why they call it ‘riveting, powerful, insightful?’

Read it and see why Broken Pieces is tearing up the lists for Nonfiction, Women’s Studies, and books for women!

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Non Fiction

Rating – PG13

More details about the author

Connect with Rachel Thompson on Twitter & Facebook

Marching With Caesar-Conquest of Gaul is a first-person narrative, written in the form of a memoir as dictated to a scribe of Titus Pullus, Legionary, Optio, First Spear Centurion of Caesar’s 6th and 10th Legion. The memoir is written three years after his retirement as Camp Prefect, when Titus is 61 years old.

Titus, along with his boyhood friend Vibius Domitius, joins the 10th Legion in the draft of 61 BC, when Gaius Julius Caesar is the governor of Spain. Titus and Vibius are assigned to a tent group, with seven other men who will become their closest friends during their times in the legion. Titus, Vibius and their comrades endure the harsh training regimen that made the legions the most feared military force in the ancient world. The 10th Legion is blooded in a series of actions in Spain, led by Caesar in a campaign that was the true beginning of one of the most brilliant military careers in history.

Three years after joining the legions, the 10th is called on again, this time to be part of the subjugation of Gaul, one of the greatest feats of arms in any period of history. During the subsequent campaigns, the 10th cements its reputation as Caesar’s most favored and trusted legion, and is involved in most of the major actions during this period.

This first book of a completed trilogy closes with Caesar crossing the Rubicon, and the 10th preparing to march to war, this time against fellow Romans.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Historical Fiction

Rating – PG

Connect with RW Peake on Twitter

Website http://www.marchingwithcaesar.com/

In the second book of the critically acclaimed Marching With Caesar series, Titus Pullus and his friends in the 10th Legion are called on to serve as the agents of change as their general, Gaius Julius Caesar singlehandedly changes the Roman Republic to Empire. From Spain and the dusty plains of Pharsalus, to the streets of Rome itself, Titus must survive the battlefield and navigate the treacherous world of Roman politics.

Helping Titus are his surviving tentmates, including his best friend Vibius Domitius, but like the rest of the Republic, their friendship is tested by the strife and fratricide that comes with civil war. At the same time, Titus has to deal with the challenges that have confronted career military members throughout the ages as he tries to balance the demands and heartache created by the long absences from his young family.

Nevertheless, through it all Titus and the men of the 10th Legion continue Marching With Caesar.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Historical Fiction

Rating – PG13

Connect with RW Peake on Facebook & Twitter

Blog http://blog.rwpeake.com/

Evolved Publishing presents a wild journey to a sister planet of Earth, in “The Silver Sphere” by Michael Dadich. [YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi]

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Shelby Pardow never imagined she could kill someone. All she wants to do is hide from her troubled father… when she is teleported to awaiting soldiers on the planet Azimuth. Here she is not a child, but Kin to one of the six Aulic Assembly members whom Malefic Cacoethes has drugged and imprisoned. He seeks to become dictator of this world (and then Earth by proxy).

His father, Biskara, is an evil celestial entity, tracked by the Assembly with an armillary device, The Silver Sphere. With the Assembly now deposed, Biskara directs Malefic and the Nightlanders to their strategic targets. Unless….

Can Shelby find the other Kin, and develop courage and combat skills? Can the Kin reassemble in time to release or replace the Assembly, overthrowing Malefic and restraining Biskara?

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This eBook is DRM-Free.

Buy Now @ Amazon & Smashwords

Genre – YA / Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Rating – PG

Connect with Michael Dadich on Facebook & Twitter

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Orangeberry Book of the Day - A Stairway To Danger - Ben Woodard

Ben Woodard

1923. An eyeless body. A menacing stranger. And a tangled mystery.

If Clive Cussler and Lee Child wrote a teen book featuring a deadly gang, resourceful boys, and nonstop excitement it would be A STAIRWAY TO DANGER.

Fourteen-year-old Tom is learning farm life from his older cousin, Will, when they stumble on a deserted barge—or is it? The boys smell a mystery and snoop around, but what they find is bigger and more dangerous than anything they could have imagined.

A STAIRWAY TO DANGER is a fun, page-turning thriller with a dark side.

Buy now @ Amazon

Genre – YA / Mystery

Rating – PG

Connect with Ben Woodard on Twitter

Orangeberry Book of the Day - Ethan Justice: Origins by Simon Jenner

He’s a new kind of hero. Join him for his very first adventure.

John Smith’s life is dull and uneventful. Despite a privileged upbringing and education, he is an underachiever of the highest calibre. When Smith wakes up with Savannah Jones, an escort provided by his best friend, Mark Bradshaw, his life is changed forever. Eager to pay Jones, to avoid her pimp breaking his legs, he confronts his friend for the money – but there is one small problem – Bradshaw is dead. But what was the murderer after?

Fisher has lost his job and wants payback. Bradshaw had the one weapon that could grant him the ultimate revenge but torture hadn’t loosened his tongue. Smith and Jones are dragged into Fisher’s grand plot to destroy the bureaucrats responsible for taking the one job where his lust for murder was an asset. No longer part of the elite SAS, Fisher’s licence to kill is revoked. With only vengeance and an unnatural lust for his sister on his mind, Fisher will relish the destruction of anyone that stands in his way.

Jones, an escort for less than a day, must pay her pimp a thousand pounds or be sold to an interested third party with highly unsavoury tastes. Jones needs Smith to pay the money and Smith needs Jones to… well he’s not quite sure, but he clearly likes having her around. Together, armed with nothing but their wits, they become the pawns of an anti-terrorist agency in a plan to capture Fisher before he exacts a revenge that will take thousands of innocent lives.

Can the underachiever become the hero, save the day and get the girl? Find out in this dark story of murder, deceit, lust and revenge. It’s a fun and wild ride into a disturbing world.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Action / Adventure

Rating – PG15

Connect with Simon Jenner on Facebook

Website http://simonjenner.com/

Author Interview – Suzanne de Montigny

 

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Middle Grade Fantasy

Rating – G

More details about the book

Connect with Suzanne De Montigny on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.suzannedemontigny.com/

 

How did you celebrate the sale of your first book? We went out for Chinese food with friends and my husband got up early to buy me flowers.

What is your guilty pleasure? Fiddling and acupuncture. I know, it sounds very strange, but once they stick the needles in, you just lie back in the low lights while Diana Crawl croons away softly in the background. All I can say is, “Ahhhhhh.” It’s like lying on a Mexican beach drinking Pacifico cerveza.

What TV show/movie/book do you watch/read that you’d be embarrassed to admit? I love kids’ books, especially Diary of  a Wimpy Kid. Oh, how I laugh hysterically when I read one of those books. I can’t imagine that anyone in the world wouldn’t laugh as hard as I do when I read them.

Finish the sentence- one book I wish I had written is…. The Little Prince. How a guy can take such a simple story that’s complete and utter nonsense, make you follow along, completely intrigued, and then fall in love with the little prince so you cry at the end, is beyond me. I never get tired of that book in French or English.

Favorite places to travel? Europe. Anywhere in Europe. There is so much history and culture there. It takes me back in time. I just love it.

Favorite music? Bach. Always Bach. There is no more spiritual composer who has ever lived, although Vivaldi comes close.

In your wildest dreams, which author would you love to co-author a book with? Kit Pearson. One of our famous Canadian authors. I love her work.

Orangeberry Book Tours – The Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy

 

 

A loud, hissing sound filled the air. The unicorns looked up, their eyes filled with horror.

Azaria, a unicorn colt, is intrigued when the young clairvoyant dinosaur, Darius, foresees a terrifying change in the world. When a giant fireball smashes into the earth, the unicorns struggle to survive the hurricanes and starvation that follow. Danger of a more sinister nature threatens when the creatures-that-walk-on-two-legs settle in the valley and their leader, Ishmael, discovers the healing power of the unicorns’ horns. Azaria, now a young stallion, must use his wits to save the herd from complete extinction.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Middle Grade Fantasy

Rating – G

Connect with Suzanne De Montigny on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.suzannedemontigny.com/

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Review: The Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy (The Shadow of the Unicorn, #1) by Suzanne de Montigny

The Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy (The Shadow of the Unicorn, #1)The Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy by Suzanne de Montigny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What makes a minor character memorable? Adiva because even though Ishmael was horrible and deserved to die she would not allow the townspeople to kill him.

What did you enjoy about this book? While reading it, this book allowed me to escape to another time and place. A time when hard work was required, no cellphones, internet, television, life was simple.

Tell five ways the main character is like you. Strong, always sees everything as black & white, makes allowances for people who do not understand, willing to chance, helps others

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

View all my reviews

Monday, February 11, 2013

Orangeberry Book of the Day – Grimm End by ST Cameron

Grimm end

Sara Cross never knew that her great-grandfather was still alive until an evil creature sent by his enemies burns down their house and sends her family to seek refuge at his estate on the shores of Lake Superior in northern Minnesota.

Arriving in the small, isolated town of Shadow Bluffs in the valley below his estate, they find that they have stepped into a strange world filled with magic wielders, shape shifters, and the living dead. It is also home to the Moira Sisters, three dark wielders who want to use Sara and her family to steal from her great-grandfather a centuries-old chest containing a dangerous power.

Sara’s family, already fragile after the disappearance of her father several years earlier, is brought to the breaking point as Sara, trying her best to hold her family together, sees them torn apart one-by-one by the strange creatures that inhabit the dangerous town.

When Sara learns that she too has an ability to wield magic, will it be enough combined with the developing talents of her two brothers to fight back against the Sisters? Can she rebuild what is left of her family and keep them together and, more importantly, alive?

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Paranormal Horror

Rating – PG15

Connect with ST Cameron on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://stcameron.com/

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Orangeberry Blast Off - Cargon: Duty & Sacrifice by Kimberly Gould

In a post-apocalyptic world, Eve has discovered power of more than one nature. In Honour and Privilege, Eve became heir to the throne. In Duty and Sacrifice, she explores and defines the power of the elite. At the same time, electricity is being harnessed for the first time in centuries, providing the first glimpse into the ancient people who left the world as it exists. The horror of this revelation could shake their society as much or more than a servant becoming monarch.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – YA / Sci-Fi Fantasy

Rating – PG13

About the author

In 2009 Kimberly returned to writing beginning by expanding on the work of others, filling in scenes left out of books she enjoyed, elaborating back stories of lesser known characters, and in some cases, writing beyond the end of a book or series.

With these stories, she learned how to craft a novel of her own and finally saw the opportunity to explore ideas she had jotted down, not expecting to return to again. She also found she enjoyed the endeavour so much that the need to write and create filled her. Now she can’t imagine going a week without writing a short story or a chapter for a novel.

Kim and Allen still live in Edmonton with their daughter Delilah, born at the end of 2006.

Connect with Kimberly Gould on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://kimmydonn.com/

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Friday, February 8, 2013

Street Team - Dark Side of Sunset Pointe - Michael Allan Scott

 

Excerpt:

image

Early evening in Phoenix. A blazing sun still high above the western horizon. One hundred nine degrees in the shade. Those with the wherewithal and accumulated vacation time fled north to the cool pines or west to the balmy California coast weeks ago. Only the dregs of humanity, conscripted company workers and hardcore entrepreneurs are left to bake in the Valley of the Sun’s August heat. Yet beneath the surface layer of superheated atmosphere and social veneers there is another, more subliminal furnace raging—its fumes, stoking the fires of Hell.

Just off the intersection of Greenway and Tatum a white stucco box of an office building squats under a clay tile roof, heat rising off the reddish tiles in shimmering sheets. Mounted on the wrought-iron entry gate, the building directory announces the tenants: Suite 101—Whiting Realty & Development. The office is closed for the day yet the overburdened air conditioning units grind away, sheltering the last remaining occupant from the sweltering heat.

Bloodshot eyes stare at a spreadsheet, the monitor’s image shimmering with harsh reality. Too many negative numbers expose an ugly truth. Anxiously perched on the edge of his high-backed leather executive chair, Gary Whiting waits with the phone to his ear. Dreading the final ring, Whiting lets it go to voicemail, again. He loosens the knot in his power tie and hangs up. This time, without leaving a message.

The four Excedrin have knocked his headache down to a dull throbbing at the base of his skull, but his eyes still ache. He’s been crunching numbers for their Sunset Pointe development project, staring at the monitor all damn day. He rubs at the knots in his stomach through his rumpled white dress shirt, thinking maybe he should eat or maybe he should just shoot himself. He taps the return key with a jittery thumb, hitting it too many times, trying to put the numbers out of his mind. He needs to talk to his partner, Rodriguez. As a last resort Whiting tries Rodriguez’s home number and gets his wife, Connie.

“Is Mike there?”

“Hi Gary. Did you try his cell?”

“Yeah, a couple times”

“Try again in a couple minutes. He’s not around here, haven’t heard from him all day.”

“Thanks Connie, tell him to call me if you talk to him.”

As he hangs up, his pulse pounds in his temples. Shit! Got to get ahold of that asshole, Rodriguez.

Whiting runs a trembling hand through thinning hair, his scalp hot and moist. They’ve got to do something about these numbers. Short stubble on raw cheeks twitches as he anxiously works his jaws. They could lose the whole damn project. Thirty million! He can’t believe it, he’s bet everything on this project. And with the hard-money loan, they’ve got a bigger nut than ever. Shit! Those hard-money bastards, they’re Rodriguez’s contacts. Of course they had to have the money to finish—all the construction cost overruns. Fucking Rodriguez. His fingers manically drum on the hardwood desktop, their nails ragged, bitten to the quick. They’re in way too deep to quit now.

Sunset Pointe

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Mystery & Thrillers

Rating – R

More details about the book

Connect with Michael Allan Scott on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://michaelallanscott.com/

Book Blast: Wildflowers by Schledia Benefield

From the author of Plain Jane comes a new young adult novel by Schledia Benefield
 


Have you ever feared what may be hiding deep within you?

Darkness often skulks in the blood of unsuspecting victims, but Aster McGrath is acutely aware of the violence coursing through his veins. After all, he is the son of a murderer, and everyone in the town of Bayville, Mississippi says he will end up just like his father.

When Susan Blackman moves into town, Aster has already embraced his brutal nature, but her gentle spirit draws him in and slowly melts the icy exterior of his heart. Taming his savagery, she professes her love, but will the good within him be able to overcome the evil lurking deep inside? Or will the fiend break free of its fetters and seek blood?
Fans of Nicholas Sparks' A Walk to Remember will fall in love with the young love, tough choices, sacrifice and redemption found within the pages of WILDFLOWERS.
Buy it TODAY in ebook & paperback at Amazon
 
 
 
About the Author:

imageSchledia Benefield is the author of Plain Jane, Pretty Boy, and her soon to be released novel, Wildflowers. She attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College but chose to be a stay-at-home mom for many years. She devoted eight years of her life to working with youth as a youth minister and has been invited to speak in a rehab to hurting and wounded women, giving them hope for a better future. She was the Keynote Speaker for Division 14 of the Key Club International’s divisional rally.
Born and raised on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Schledia holds a sense of pride in her southern heritage. She presently lives in Big Point, Mississippi with her husband and four of her five children. On top of writing novels, she writes youth and children’s church curriculum, and she works as a substitute teacher at East Central Middle School. In her spare time, she reads, sews, and spends time with her family.

Social Media Links:
http://schlediabenefield.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/Schledia

Buy Link:
Amazon (ebook & paperback) http://amzn.to/WPszMD

Thursday, February 7, 2013

February Authors Only Kindle Fire Giveaway

 

February Authors Only Kindle Fire Giveaway

 

Kindle Fire HD Giveaway!

The winner will have the option of receiving a Kindle Fire HD (US Only)

Or $199 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)

Or $199 in Paypal Cash (International)

This giveaway is sponsored by these Authors:
The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson

One Classic Latin Lover, Please by Marcia Lynn McClure

Betrayal by Anne Patrick

Belleyache by Crystal Marcos

Ethan Justice: Origins by Simon Jenner

I Have People by Taylor Dean

For What It's Worth by Karey White

A Kiss of Ashen Twilight by Rae Lori

The Unraveling by Holly Barbo

Fateful by Cheri Schmidt

Dracian Legacy by Priya Kanaparti

Cascade Brides by Bonnie Blythe
A World Apart by Camelia Miron Skiba
Reality Bites, Tales of a Half-Vampire by Shaunda Wenger
Face-Off by Stacy Juba
Two Equals by Marta Szemik

The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw by Suzy Turner
One for Kami by Charlene A. Wilson

Freak of Nature by Julia Crane

Grace Doll by Jennifer Laurens

The Secret of the Scarlet Stone by T.L. Clarke

Gallagher's Hope by M.K. McClintock

The Spy Lover & Prize Winning Pacific Stories by Kiana Davenport

Rejected by Heather Bixler
Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy Bennett

A Hard Act to Follow by Henry Bushkin

Starseed by Liz Gruder

One Classic Latin Lover, PleaseThe Reluctant BacheloretteBetrayal (Wounded Heroes, #3)Bellyache: A Delicious Tale Ethan Justice: OriginsI Have PeopleFor What It's WorthA Kiss of Ashen Twilight (Ashen Twilight #1)The Unraveling (Sage Seed Chronicles, #3)Fateful (Fateful, #1) Dracian Legacy (Dracian, # 1)Cascade Brides: The Complete SeriesA World ApartReality Bites: Tales of a Half-VampireFace-Off (Book One)Two EqualsThe Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw (Morgan Sisters, #1)One for KamiFreak of NatureGrace DollThe Secret of the Scarlet Stone (Gabby Girls Adventure, #1)Gallagher's Hope (Gallagher, #2)The Spy LoverPRIZE-WINNING PACIFIC STORIES  (SPECIAL EDITION, BOXED SET VOL I-III)RejectedRapunzel UntangledA Hard Act to FollowStarseed
Giveaway Details
1 winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire HD (US Only), $199 Amazon Gift Card or $199 in Paypal Cash (Internaitonal).
Ends 2/28/13
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 

 

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