Winner: Love's Eternal Embrace by Karen Michelle Nutt

Thank you to everyone that entered!!

PRIZE: One e-copy of Love's Eternal Embrace

The winner chosen by Rafflecopter is…

Guest Post & Giveaway: Marie Treanor

UFI welcomes Author Marie Treanor. Thanks for Joining us!!

Let’s Talk Kilts! By Marie Treanor

I know kilts fascinate the rest of the world – I should explain at this point that I’m Scottish! – so I thought I’d talk about why in the world Scotsmen wear them!

Well, actually, they don't wear them nearly as often as you might think! Big party occasions like weddings and New Year, traditional events like Highland games, pipe band marches, or formal events where other people might wear evening dress, are the times you're most likely to see them in any quantities.

Kilts have become a symbol of "Scottishness", of patriotism, but it might surprise you to know that the original kilt looked very little like the Highland dress of today. Today's kilts, grew out of a romanticized version of what was basically poor Highland peasant costume, and Sir Walter Scott generally gets the credit for "inventing" it.

The irony is that Lowland gentlemen, and noblemen, would at once time have despised the kilt as the garb of the Highland lower orders. It was basically a blanket, often brightly coloured, that could be slept under at night, and then wrapped around the body and pinned for day wear. And yet, in the early years of Queen Victoria's reign, it became fashionable on high days and holidays for all Scotsmen from whatever region, including those of the highest rank, to wear a new, romanticized version of the once despised kilt. Why?

Basically, a resurgence of Scottish pride. The Jacobite Rebellion (1745-46) had somewhat unfairly tarred the entire Scottish nation with the same brush of disloyalty and rebellion. Highland culture, in terms of language and dress, was outlawed, and it was very hard for any Scots to thrive in this general atmosphere of mistrust. Victoria, however, fell in love with the Highlands, and with Sir Walter Scott's romantic view of Scottish history. At least partly as a result, the Scots as a whole adopted Highland symbols like the kilt, to represent their own patriotism, their newly rediscovered pride in their own nation.

OK, I know what you’re going to ask me. What do Scotsmen wear under their kilts?

Whatever they like, of course!

Although – sh-sh - just as you hope, it’s traditional to wear nothing at all .

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Marie Treanor lives in Scotland with her eccentric husband and three much-too-smart children. Having grown bored with city life, she resides these days in a picturesque village by the sea where she is lucky enough to enjoy herself avoiding housework and writing sensual stories of paranormal romance and fantasy.

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Find Marie and her books

Website / Newsletter / Facebook

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Blood Eternal
Awakened by Blood #3
Oct 4, 2011

Despite the growing passion that unites them, all is not well between Elizabeth and Saloman. She refuses to follow him as he builds his influence among the human population and consolidates his rule over the vampire world. A shocking revolt is just the latest crisis that's call him away.

But under Saloman's regime, vampires have become less concerned with secrecy. And after he joins forces with vampire hunters, Elizabeth begins to understand the inevitable collision of the two worlds. She could be a conduit between humanity and the undead-is she can manage to play both sides and stay alive...

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Interview & Giveaway: Kersten Hamilton

UFI welcomes Kersten Hamilton Author of The Goblin Wars series. Thanks for Joining us!!

What can you tell my readers about yourself that they might not know from looking on your bio or reading in another interview?

Let’s see…I’ve shared about the shrapnel in my arm…I’ve discussed my dysgraphia…it is easy to see that I hunt dinosaurs and write all kinds of books… I’ve said repeatedly that if a movie is ever made of my life, Jonny Depp should play the part….I don’t know that I’m interesting enough to go on and on about. Oh, how about this: when I was six and living in Alaska, I went hunting grizzly bears with a single shot twenty-two. By myself. Fortunately, I didn’t find any. 

What do you enjoy doing on your down time?

Down time? What’s that?:)

What is your Favorite part of writing? 

Character creation. I’m not satisfied until I know them well enough to slip into their skins and live their different perspectives. I picture each scene as a dance where the ‘voice’ of each character must be clearly and honestly portrayed. I like the end result of writing this way, but it is emotionally exhausting. I dread having to write the scenes with bad guys. I can’t force myself to slip inside them, so I model them on evil people I have known.

Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write?

None, and that’s a good thing because I live a rather chaotic life. If any order or routine were necessary, the books would never get written!

What are some of your Favorite books or Authors in the Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Genres?

There are so many Urban Fantasy/Paranormal books being published right now, so many excellent authors; I wouldn’t want to leave anybody out!  Can I just mention some of my older favorites that people might not have read in hopes that they will track them down? I like Charles De Lint, who was writing in the dawn of the Urban Fantasy and is writing still. I love the mythic elements in his books. I liked Zenna Henderson’s The People stories. I love Neil Gaiman’s writing especially his short stories and novels such as Neverwhere or The Anansi Boys. I like Charles Williams, who wrote unsettling paranormals such as All Hallow’s Eve long, long before Paranormal was a genre....This list could go on forever. But then, I wouldn’t get any more books written!

How would you pitch The Goblin Wars Series to someone who has not heard of it before?

I feel awkward talking about my own book, and never know what to say. So I’d cheat, by letting other people talk about them. Like this: “…a fast-paced adventure with a backbone of Celtic myth and heart of romance.” Pat Esden “One of my favorite things about your book is Teagan and Finn and they’re relationship. Teagan is smart and brave and doesn’t do dumb things that make you want to pull your hair out. Meanwhile Finn is absolutely sexy and cocky and sexy and brave and sexy… They’ve got great chemistry.” Ello from The Inkpot “Hamilton is a wizard at creating tension, building on characters’ strengths and weaknesses until the plot really takes off.” Kirkus “I loved the characters, the dialogs that had that witty and querky feeling I adore, the world-building…. I loved it because it was so utterly different from other YA fantasy novels. It was all at once touching, hilarious, action-packed and fast-paced.” Roxanne, The Honeyed Knot

Can you tell us a little bit about the world that The Goblin Wars Series is set in? 

This book, like the author, is comfortable with certain ancient Celtic sensibilities. The ancient Celts built no walls between the natural world and the supernatural, the secular and the sacred. In the Celtic world, no hero journeys alone, and you learn who you are through the journeys you choose to take.

Do you have a favorite scene in Tyger Tyger?

I like so many scenes in that book. I laughed a lot while I was writing it. I laughed really hard when Teagan met Finn, and when she was explaining to him where the phrase “warmed the cockles of my heart” came from. I love any scene with Aiden or Mr. Wylltson in it. I like the scene where Mamieo, Finn’s tiny grandmother, takes on the arrogant young goblin who has come hunting them…. I guess I’d have to say I love the whole book!

Which character was your favorite to write about? What about the hardest to write about? 

In Tyger Tyger, it was Finn. He has lived a very exciting life. It was fun learning about it, and understanding why he is the way he is. In the second book, In the Forests of the Night, I really enjoyed writing about Teagan. It is very clear why Tea and Finn love one another.

What Other Projects can we look forward to reading from you?

After the Goblin Wars series is done?:)

I have just sold a very fun steampunk chapter book THE MESMER MENACE, set on the eve of the Great Mesmer War of 1901, featuring a boy inventor, President Teddy Roosevelt, evil hypnotists, robots, a lightning harvester, and a dashingly brave and loyal dachshund named Noodles. It was extremely fun to write. I am finishing a “Holes”–esque older MG dealing with suicide, Catholicism, immigration issues and one undead school administrator. After that, I have a TOP SECRET YA project in the works. I can say that it has something to do with an ancient poem and an awesome hero…. 

:) Thank you for interviewing me on your blog, Stacy!

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Find Kersten and her books

Website / Twitter

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Tyger Tyger
Goblin Wars #1
November 15, 2010

Teagan Wylltson's best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures--goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty--are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn't worried. Her life isn't in danger. In fact, it's perfect. She's on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She's focused on school, work, and her future. No boys, no heartaches, no problems.
    Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives. Finn's a bit on the unearthly beautiful side himself. He has a killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. And either he's crazy or he's been haunting Abby's dreams, because he's talking about goblins, too . . . and about being The Mac Cumhaill, born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby's right. The goblins are coming.

 
Book 2 In The Forest of the Night will be released October 22, 2011



Are you a Librarian?? If so you can enter her Book Trailer contest for a copy http://home.comcast.net/~kerstenhamilton/Trailer/IFN_trailer.html

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New Releases Oct 16-22

Tue Oct 18

Beautiful Chaos (Caster Chronicles, #3) by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

Lord of the Wolfyn (Royal House of Shadows, #3) by Jessica Andersen

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Swear (Swoon, #2) by Nina Malkin

 

Let me know if you see a mistake or if I'm missing something. Happy Reading!!

Guest Blog, Review & Giveaway: Jennifer Harlow

UFI welcomes Jennifer Harlow Author of Mind Over Monsters. Thanks for Joining us!!

Tales From the Darkside by Jennifer Harlow

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
-e.e. cummings

I was never what one would call a normal girl. Apparently when I was six weeks old, my mother gazed down at her bundle of joy only to find that joy staring up at her with fierce determination (her words, not mine), and Mom got a chill. Even as a babe I was scaring people. This got worse as I got older. When other girls were playing with My Little Pony, I was making She-Ra Princess of Power and her minions go on quests to stop slavery or conquer my brothers' He-Men and Transformers. Growing up with only brothers did not help me find my inner girlie girl. I don't think I ever had a tea party or played house (unless it was a fortress made of skulls), but ninja princess and assassins were standard after school. (I have been killed approx 124 times by various brothers who loved to come up behind me, run their finger across my throat or point a Nerf gun to my head, and inform me I was dead. Don't worry, I gave as good as I got.)

Then at the ripe age of eight I was introduced to horror movies. It all started with Tremors. For those of you not into cult classics, Tremors is a movie starring Kevin Bacon where giant underground worms attack a small desert town. It's way better than you think. My best friend's brother showed us this film, and I spent the next five years sleeping on the top bunk in case the worms happened to show up in Virginia and Florida in search of a little girl Happy Meal. (It could have happened!!!) It scared the beejepers out of me, but triggered something deep inside me. I loved being scared, it was thrilling. Thus began my love of all things gory and horrific. (Thank you Ned and Susan Hannon). Horror is my favorite genre of book and movies. Zombies, Freddy Kruger, demons, I love them all. Then, as pedophile fever began on all the news shows, I got into serial killers as well. I was the only pre-teen who knew who Dahmer and Bundy were. The fact that life could turn on a dime, that pure evil can show up in the least likely places not in the form of a preternatural monster but your next door neighbor was fascinating. It still is. It’s why I was a psychology major. Needless to say not many of my peers or even family members felt the same.

As you may have guessed my parents were pretty liberal when it came to their children. As long as we weren't in physical danger to ourselves or each other we could explore the world and learn the consequences. (See top bunk incident). They got a lot of crap from other parents and relatives for my strangeness. My grandmother actually pulled my mother aside one day to voice her concern about me "going over to the darkside." She was worried I would be influenced by all these dark ideas and either kill someone or invite real darkness into my life. She even put this concern into painting form, which still hangs in my hallway to show how close I came to being engulfed by the darkness. (Yeah, me and Darth Vader).

I got the last laugh, though. I did not become a serial killer or suicidal cutter as many worried…at least not in real life. Yet. No, I became something worse. An author.

My first book, Mind Over Monsters, features zombies, werewolves, vampires, a mass murderer, and a machete named Bette. I still watch horror movies, I still engage in more masculine activities like shooting and going to comic book stores with my bros instead of the salon. So the strange child did grow into a strange adult. With a book deal. I’m still that six-week-old filled with fierce determination, though now I scare people on a massive scale while laughing manically all the way to the bank. Sometimes going over to the darkside can be a good thing. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise or I’ll get my machete.

What about all of you? Horror for girls has gone far more main-stream since my time thanks to urban fantasy and Twilight. Do you still get crap for liking vampires and werewolves? Are there things you like that make you feel like an outsider? Discuss.

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Jennifer Harlow spent her restless childhood fighting with her three brothers and scaring the heck out of herself with horror movies and books. She grew up to earn a degree at the University of Virginia which she put to use as a radio DJ, crisis hotline volunteer, bookseller, lab assistant, wedding coordinator, and government investigator. Currently she calls Northern Virgina home but that restless itch is ever present. In her free time she continues to scare the beejepers out of herself watching scary movies and opening her credit card bills.
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Find Jennifer and her books

Website

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Jennifer Harlow
Author:Jennifer Harlow
Release Date: October 8, 2011
Publisher: Midnight Ink
A F.R.E.A.K.S Squad Investigations Book #1
ISBN:  0738726672
ISBN13: 9780738726670
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Publisher

Paranormal heroes take on zombies in this funny and thrilling debut 

Very few people know the truth about Beatrice Alexander. She's no ordinary schoolteacher with a fondness for classic movies. Beatrice can move objects with her mind, an embarrassing and dangerous skill that she's never learned to master—or embrace. After nearly killing her brother by accident, she joins F.R.E.A.K.S. The Federal Response to Extra-Sensory and Kindred Supernaturals is a top-secret offshoot of the FBI that "neutralizes" ghouls, trolls, and other monsters threatening humanity.

Beatrice has no desire to become Buffy the vampire slayer. But F.R.E.A.K.S. offers training to control her power. Also, she doesn't feel like such a freak next to the other supernatural members, including a cute former detective who's a werewolf and an unbearable vampire determined to seduce Beatrice. Despite a natural instinct to flee from hideous, bloodthirsty zombies, Beatrice must prove herself on her first mission to find a cunning necromancer.

MIND OVER MONSTERS ended up being a very pleasant surprise. I was not really crazy with the cover so it took me a bit to want to really read the book but once I picked it up I had no problem getting into the story. Bea was easy to like. She has always known she has magic but was scared of it. She always seemed to end up hurting the people she cared about. In the beginning of the book she is recruited into a secret government agency full of other people with gifts and supernatural status. She ends up finding a place where she fits in even though there are some ups and downs and doubts. There is a bit of a love triangle going on between her a werewolf and a vampire. I'm hoping for some more romance with the next book though as there is not much in this one. There are zombies of course so some of the scenes are pretty gory but there is some great zombie fighting scenes. I enjoyed the entire story. There was plenty of mystery, suspense, investigating, and interesting powers on display. I will definitely read the next F.R.E.A.K Squad book when it comes out.

I gave it 4/5 stars

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This is a blog tour wide giveaway.

- 5 Copies of Mind Over Monsters

 RULES
1)  Must fill out THIS FORM
2) Open to U.S. Shipping Addresses only

Week in Review: 10/9-10/15

Books Ive Bought/received

* Article 5 by Kristen Simmons-ARC- From publisher

* The Shadow Reader by Sandy Williams- From publisher

* Magic on the Line by Devon Monk- From Publisher


Books I read (ok looks like my reading wont be suffering as much as I thought lol)


Trance by Kelly Meding
Ink by S.J. Davis
Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
If I die by Rachel Vincent
Craved by Stephanie Nelson
Bound By Blood by P.A. Lupton

Reviews posted
 

Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent
Crave  by Melissa Darnell
Soul Thief by Jana Oliver
The Girl of Fire and Thorn by Rae Carson

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* New Releases for the week. Was there anything you were looking forward to reading?


* Michael Griffo stopped in on his blog tour for his newest release Unwelcome on Tuesday


* Thursday we got a great story on How to Kill a Vampire by Author Karen Michelle Nutt. She is also giving a way an e-copy of one of her books Love's Eternal Embrace.

*If you see something on my books Ive read list that you are dying to know about let me know I'm back logged on reviews and can move it up on the list if I know people are wanting one.

* I love comments so if you see something you like (or not) please comment away and let me know.

Review: The Girl of Fire and Thorn

The Girl of Fire and Thorn
Author:Rae Carson
Release Date: September 20, 2011
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Fire and Thorn Book #1
ISBN:   0062026488
ISBN13: 9780062026484
Genre: Young Adult
Review Copy Source: Netgalley

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he’s not the only one who needs her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.

 This was an interesting book. I really like the other version of the cover and it is what originally got me interested in reading the book (I know shocking). 

Elisa starting out was the sheltered insecure overweight daughter of a king. She knows that she is the chosen one although she really doesn't know what that involves. She starts out in the book by being married to the king of another territory and doesn't understand why it was her instead of her beautiful, more likeable sister. She travels to his territory only to find out that the king does not want anyone to know they are married so she struggles to understand what she is supposed to be doing and what her place is. She ends up being kidnapped and that is when she starts transforming into a strong confident person. 

I really enjoyed Elisa as a character. I enjoyed watching her grow and learn and turn into a strong leader. I felt the author did a fantastic job with conveying the emotions through out the book. I never found myself bored with the story, the plot was interesting and engaging. There was plenty of enjoyable supporting characters to help Elisa realize what she can be. I also liked that some of the main supporting characters ended up being lost and it wasn't the beautiful, every dream comes true happy ending that a lot of books end up being.  The world the book was set in was described well. I could picture pretty much all the places the author took us. I am definitely excited to see what happens next for Elisa. She has a difficult road to defend and I will enjoy seeing how she handles it. 

I gave it 4/5 stars