Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Guest Post: Arianna Skye

UFI welcomes Arianna Skye Author of Wings of Desire. Thanks for Joining us!!

What Dreams Can Make

They say everyone dreams, but not everyone remembers those dreams. Lately, my sleep has been plagued by dreams—more than usual. And these dreams are strange—like out of this world weird. It took me a while to realize what was happening. It is this incessant nagging that I call a muse. I’ve named him Henry,because a muse so annoying can’t possibly be a woman. And even more infuriating are those long extended vacations he takes without notice, leaving me here to fend all by my lonesome. But he always manages to save the day, in true muse fashion.

Right now Henry doesn’t want me to write only about faeries (Fey Chronicles Series) or Demons (Demons Unleashed series as Sidney Ayers). In one instance, he’s ready to take me out of this world—literally.

Yep, I’ve been having dreams that seem more like Star Wars than Lord of the Rings. Ray guns and space ships and stars exploding. It’s mind-boggling, because I don’t know anything at all about writing futuristic. I did try at one time to write one, but let’s just say there was failure to launch.

And when I’m supposed to be writing Demons, Henry sends me a dream about time- travelling back to ancient Rome. Quite a stretch from Star Wars. Then again, some of the dresses Princess Leia wore looked sort of like a toga—but I digress. Seriously though, out of all the time periods he could choose, he picks Rome? I said I wanted to write a ménage once, maybe he thought I meant orgy. Sorry Henry, I can’t handle more than three people, four at the most. There’s just too many body parts to keep track of. My props to anyone who can, though.

So the muse isn’t always on track with some things, but other times he’s spot on. Heck, apparently even muses are human—nah, not really, but they do think like us at times.
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Find Arianna and her books
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Wings of Desire
February 14, 2012
 Not your (grand)mother's fairytale...

Rhiannon Kinsley's life goes from boring to downright crazy when a freak lightning bolt strikes her laptop. To make matters even more bizarre, strange words and symbols flash across the computer screen and she hears a mysterious voice. Time to call the men in white coats! Then Cerne Silverwing, an intriguingly sexy man, appears. He insists she's a faerie princess whose fate will determine his own. What a crock! Now she knows who really needs those white coats.

With the Dark Faerie forces threatening their kingdom, Cerne kidnaps Rhiannon and brings her to Fey, a land where magic knows no bounds. He's performing a duty to save his kingdom and nothing more--a duty that will bring him his wings and the strengthened magic that comes with them. If he doesn't unite with the princess as her consort, those wings will never grow. But this princess grew up in the land of laptops and instant messages, and she's convinced they're both crazy. Despite their differences, the two are thrust together to defeat the whip-wielding Dark Faerie Queen before she takes over their kingdom. Passion and peril aside, will Rhiannon and Cerne discover their true destiny?
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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Independent Book Blogger Awards

Bloggers: Enter your blog now for a chance to win a trip to Book Expo America in New York City! 

Readers: Tell your favorite blogger to enter now. Voting opens Tuesday, April 10, 2012! Come back to vote and send the best blogs to the finals. 

One of my fabulous followers brought this great contest to my attention. The Independent Book Blogger Awards voting starts TODAY. I would be honored if you would take a moment to vote for UFI.

Click here to Vote for UFI!!!
(can also vote by clicking vote on the right side of UFI main page)

There are 4 categories in the IBBA and One Winner from each category will receive a trip to BookExpo America 2012: round trip coach air transportation, three (3) night hotel accommodations, and free admission to Book Expo 

As a Thank you for taking your time to vote for UFI I am having a giveaway.

If the winner is from the US they will receive a box of books- There will be at least 12 books which will include both ARC's and Finished copies.

If the Winner is from outside the US they can pick one book (up to $10) from the Book Depository
a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Releases: 4/8-4/14


Tues April 10

Happy Reading!!!

Monday, April 9, 2012

Guest Post & Giveaway: Linda Poitevin

UFI welcomes Linda Poitevin Author of The Grigori Legacy Series. Thanks for Joining us!!

In My Library

I’ve always known that I have somewhat eclectic reading tastes, but until I started writing this post
and checking out what’s actually sitting on my bookshelves, I didn’t realize how eclectic. Where my husband’s interests are clear from the bookcase designated as his (military history all the way!), one would be hard-pressed to pigeon-hole me that easily.

Starting at the top, I have a sizeable collection of gardening and herb books, including titles such as Rodale’s Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, Healing Herbs, The Magic and Medicine of Plants, and The All-New Square Foot Gardening.

On the next two shelves below, there’s a good number of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series (I’m still working on that collection), a handful of books inherited from my grandfather (The Yearling, The Three Musketeers, and Bob Son of Battle), several YA novels that my daughters and I particularly enjoyed (including Nancy Farmer’s A Girl Named Disaster, several Tamora Pierce books, Ashfall by Mike Mullin, and a full set of C.S. Lewis books).

Dropping down another shelf, we have a number of books dealing with Asperger’s Syndrome, dyslexia, and parenting, including The Gift of Dyslexia and The Gift of Learning, both by Ron Davis, and several books by Barbara Colorosso. These are followed by a number of books that remain from my days of home-schooling my youngest: Usborne’s Natural World; The World of Science; 1000 Questions and Answers; The Story of Canada; Snowball Launchers, Giant Pumpkin Growers and Other Cool Contraptions; The Periodic Table; Big Numbers; The Mystery of the Periodic Table; Universe in Your Pocket; The Pinball Effect; Kingfisher History Encyclopedia; and many more.

Then we’re into the odds and ends: The Everything Fix-it Book; Feng Shui in a Weekend; OM Yoga Today; Pride & Prejudice; Little Women; How to Write Better Essays; The Book of Tarot; Dunwich’s Guide to Gemstone Sorcery; A Dictionary of Angels; Angels—An Endangered Species; 20,001 Names for Baby; Bible Baby Names; The Hidden Face of God; The Lightness of Being; and a whole host of writing craft books. Also nestled in here are childhood keepsakes: Goodnight Moon; The Giving Tree; Love You Forever; The Velveteen Rabbit; A Child’s Garden of Verses.

Bill Bryson gets a place of honor on my shelves: The Mother Tongue, A Short History of Nearly Everything, and A Walk in the Woods are particular favorites.

As far as fiction goes, I rarely buy my own fiction because I live amongst avid readers who bring a wide variety of books into the house and I read pretty much whatever happens to by laying around: my daughter’s collection of Charlaine Harris books; my husband’s preferred spy/thriller books (Grisham, Ludlum, Crichton, Cussler); another daughter’s collection of the Bronte Sisters and Jane Austen novels; and my youngest daughter’s varied collection of YA urban fantasy and dystopian books.

See? Told you my tastes were eclectic, lol! So tell me, what’s on your library shelf?
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Linda Poitevin is the author of a new urban fantasy series, The Grigori Legacy, from Ace Books. Book one, SINS OF THE ANGELS, will be out September 27/11. Book two, SINS OF THE SON, follows in May 2012. In her other life, Linda is wife, mother, friend, gardener, coffee snob, freelance writer, and zookeeper of too many pets.

Linda is a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, Quebec Writers' Federation, Romance Writers of America, RWA Futuristic Fantasy Paranormal Chapter, and Ottawa Romance Writers' Association.
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Find Linda and her books
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Sins of the Son
Grigori Legacy #2
March 27, 2012
When homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis sees a photo of Seth Benjamin on a police bulletin, she knows that Heaven's plan to halt Armageddon has gone terribly wrong. As the only mortal who knows of Seth's true nature, only she can save him. Aramael was a hunter of Fallen Angels until a traitor forced him into earthly exile. Now, with no powers and only a faint memory of Alex, his mortal soulmate, he will stop at nothing to redeem himself-even if it means destroying Seth in the name of the Creator...
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International 

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Week in Review: 4/1-4/7



Books Ive Bought/received

* Blood on the Bayou by Stacey Jaye - purchased at B&N

* Back From the Undead by D.D. Barant - Purchased at B&N

* Blooded by Amanda Carlson -eARC- Publisher

*  Just One Drop by Quinn Loftis- Ecopy- Bewitching Book Tours

* A Patch of Darkness by Yolanda Sfetsos- Ecopy- Author

* Lies & Omens by Lyn Benedict- Publisher

* Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson- Publisher


Books I read

Nice Girls Don't Live Forever by Molly Harper
Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors by Molly Harper
The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
ReVamped by Ada Adams
Blood on the Bayou by Stacey Jay

Reviews posted


Protector's Mate by Katie Reus
Magic Without Mercy by Devon Monk
Sins of the Son by Linda Poitevin
Devil's Punch by Ann Aguirre

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


* Monday I put up a Promotional post and Giveaway for The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa.  Make sure to check it out and enter. It is a great new book.


* So far none of the winners that were notified this week have emailed me back. Make sure to check your spam mail if you are one of the winners and have not gotten an email (you can always email me as well). I will have to pick new winners after 48 hours.


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*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.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Giveaway on the Web: Jess Haines Stalking the Others

Jess Haines is having a giveaway through Goodreads for her newest book that is set to release July 3, 2012. If you have not started her H&W Investigations series you are totally missing out it is one of the must purchase series on my bookshelf.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Stalking the Others by Jess Haines

Stalking the Others

by Jess Haines

Giveaway ends June 22, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Winner: Delilah Dawson Giveaway

Thank you to everyone who entered!!

Prize: Perfume and soap sample and signed postcard
The Winner chosen by Rafflecopter is.....