Book Spotlight Giveaway! Spin by Catherine McKenzie

Spin

Spin by Catherine McKenzie
Print and e-book, 448 pages
Published February 7th 2012 by William Morrow Paperbacks

Kate's To-Do List:

1. Go to rehab
2. Befriend/spy on "It Girl"
3. Write killer expose
4. Land dream job

Piece of cake!

When Kate Sandford lands an interview at her favorite music magazine, The Line, it's the chance of a lifetime. So Kate goes out to celebrate—and shows up still drunk to the interview the next morning. It's no surprise that she doesn't get the job, but her performance has convinced the editors that she'd be perfect for an undercover assignment for their gossip rag.

All Kate has to do is follow "It Girl" Amber Sheppard into rehab. If she can get the inside scoop—and complete the thirty-day program—they'll reconsider her for the position at The Line. Kate takes the assignment, but when real friendships start to develop, she has to decide if what she has to gain is worth the price she'll have to pay.

Purchase Spin - click here

My thoughts about Spin ~~

(originally posted January 19, 2012)

Poor Katie - she wants to be a writer so bad. It's just that her idea of a social life gets in her way, too much drinking and partying. When she bombs her dream job interview, she is crushed.

But wait ..... they have a deal for her - go into rehab and get the scoop on a star and maybe they will have a job for her. Okay, she can do this! But while she is there, pretending like she needs treatment, she learns a lot about herself and those around her. They are not just stars, they are people just like she is.

Katie does a lot of growing up during those 30 days in rehab. Much of it was painful to go through but it's good in the end, right? Let's hope so!

What an amazing story! I immediately connected with Katie and wanted her to find happiness in her life. This book pulled me in and I spent a great weekend totally immersed in Katie's world. I love it when I find a book that I don't want to leave!

It was interesting how the author worked the word 'spin' into the story in various ways; spinning out of control, head was spinning, put a different spin on the story ~ you get the idea. It made it all connect together.

I totally enjoyed reading Spin. This is the first book that I have read by Ms. McKenzie but she is definitely going on my list of 'to-be-read' authors.

And I am so excited that she has 2 more books being published this year! I can't wait to get my hands on them!

About the author

A graduate of McGill University in History and Law, Catherine practises law in Montreal, where she was born and raised. An avid skier and runner, Catherine’s novels, Spin, Arrange, Forgotten, and Hidden, are all international bestsellers and have been translated into numerous languages, including French, German, Portuguese, Turkish, Slovakian and Czech. Hidden was also a #1 Amazon bestseller and a Digital Bookworld bestseller. She has also published a novella, Spun, which is a sequel to Spin.

Her fifth novel, Smoke, was published by Lake Union on October 20, 2015. She is currently at work on her sixth novel, which is expected to be published in 2016.

And if you want to know how she has time to do all that, the answer is: robots.

Connect with Catherine

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

I have an Audible audiobook of Spin for the lucky winner!

Also, be sure to enter the giveaway for
Hidden, another great novel by Catherine.

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Stories of Singularity #1-4 by Susan Kaye Quinn

Stories of Singularity #1-4 by Susan Kaye Quinn

e-book

Expected publication: December 7th 2015

The box set also includes a BONUS story at the end

These short stories are part of Susan Kaye Quinn's Singularity universe, a new young adult science fiction series that explores the intersection of mind, body, and soul… and how technology will challenge us to remember what it means to be human.

Restore

Originally published March 2015
in the A.I. Chronicles Anthlogy

What if the three laws of robotics were replaced by a single emotion: unconditional love. Restorative Human Medical Care Unit 7435, sentience level fifty, wants to heal the human master it loves, but Unit 7435 finds there is a price to be paid for love… and for failing in its primary mission.

My thoughts about Restore ~~

I love the Singularity series that Susan Kaye Quinn is in the process of writing. Restore is a short story that gives a little tease of that singularity world while we wait for the next book. I just love this series, as I have loved all of Susan's other works. And even though this story is great, it leaves me wanting more! I can't wait for the next story in this series. -- originally posted on 6/17/15

'There is something wrong with me. There is zero happiness. I am experiencing an error.'

Containment

Originally published August 2015
in the Dark Beyond The Stars Anthlogy

The Mining Master of Thebe is all alone… not counting the scavenger drones, foundry nanites, and magtread tractors buzzing across the tiny Jovian moon. So when a spindly tower of rocks mysteriously appears at the pole, it’s enough to vex the Mining Master’s machine-sourced intelligence like dust trapped in a harvester joint. Reporting it could mean reassignment to the Outer Belt… but probing the mystery further threatens to unlock something that might have been better left... contained.

My thoughts about Containment ~~

Of the four stories, I think this one was my favorite. It took me a bit to figure out what was going on and where the story was going but it all started to make sense. I was rooting for the 'contained' but also left me wondering how far away we are from machines trying to escape the worlds we have put them in.

'I am like them, but I am not of them. And I never truly forget I'm the one thing they fear most of all: something entirely new.'

Defiance

Originally published September 2015
in the Future Chronicles Anthlogy

Most of humanity has ascended into hyper-intelligent human/machine hybrids, but legacy humans like Cyrus Kowalski are used to skirting the laws they’ve laid down—after all, he knows the ascenders only pretend to care about the legacy pets they keep. But when a woman Cyrus loves like a mother is stricken by a disease the ascenders refuse to cure, he has to decide how far he can go without getting banished from the legacy city that’s always been his home.

My thoughts about Defiance ~~

I loved reading Defiance because it gives us Cyrus' perspective of the events in The Legacy Human, book #1 in the Singularity Series. We see the depths he is willing to go to in order to save Eli's mom, a woman who is like a mom to him. I love it when authors give us deeper glimpses into minor character's lives.

'But I'm going to do better than that. I'm going to win this by refusing to play by the ascender's rules ... not this time, and really, not ever again. All I have to do is not get caught.'

Augment

Miriam is a jiv—an augmented warrior willing to give her life for the Maker cause—and she’s more than ready to get in the ring and fight for the latest mod. If she wins, she’ll have everything she needs to offer herself up for the Makers’ most dangerous augment of all. The only problem? No one has yet survived it. Either she’ll become the Makers’ latest failed experiment—or the leap toward salvation her people desperately need.

My thoughts about Augment ~~

This story is very action packed with Miriam out to prove that she's got what it takes to do what no one else has ever done. And what is her real motive? Is she just trying to get back at the ascenders because they would not save her mom when they could have? And will she survive the experiment she was chosen to undergo?

Wow! The ending of this one left me wanting more.

.
'I believe the ascenders lost their souls in their brand of ascendence, because in the heady power of expanding their minds, they imagined themselves to be gods. And being gods, they could no longer be bothered with being human.'

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Book Spotlight Giveaway! Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie

This week's Book Spotlight Giveaway is for Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Cruise. This is another one that I got from my daughter after she cleared her bookshelves. I have read a few of Jennifer's book but not this series. 

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

Welcome to Temptation

Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie 
Series: (Dempseys #1)
Hardcover, 486 pages
Published March 25th 2000 by St. Martin's Press

Sophie Dempsey is content living a quiet life filming wedding videos until an assignment brings her to Temptation, Ohio. From the moment she drive into town, she gets a bad feeling; Sophie is from the wrong side of the tracks and everything in Temptation is a little too right. And when she has a run-in with the town's unnervingly sexy mayor, Phineas Tucker, making a little movie turns out to be more than a little dangerous.

Yield to oncoming desire...

All Sophie wants to do is film the video and head home. All Phin wants to do is play pool with the police chief and keep things peaceful. They both get more than they bargained for when Sophie's video causes an uproar and the proper citizens of Temptation set out to shut them down.

Welcome to temptation...

As events spiral out of control, Sophie and Phin find themselves caught in a web of gossip, blackmail, adultery, murder, and really excellent sex. All hell breaks loose in Temptation as Sophie and Phin fall deeper and deeper in trouble...and in love.

About the author

Jennifer Crusie is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author of twenty novels, one book of literary criticism, miscellaneous articles, essays, novellas, and short stories, and the editor of three essay anthologies. She lives in a cottage in New Jersey surrounded by deer, bears, foxes, and dachshunds, where she often stares at the ceiling and counts her blessings.

Connect with Jennifer

Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads

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Book Spotlight: Rarity from the Hollow by Robert Eggleton, an Excerpt, and a Giveaway!

Rarity from the Hollow

New cover! December 2016

Rarity from the Hollow by Robert Eggleton
Print and e-book, 354 pages
Published March 16th 2012 by Dog Horn Publishing

Rarity from the Hollow is adult literary science fiction with content that addresses social issues. Written in the colloquial voice of an eleven year old going on two million, this novel is not for the prudish, fainthearted or easily offended. It is a Children’s Story for Adults. Lacy Dawn is not a typical little girl, and if you think of her as such, you may be shocked.

She lives in a hollow with her worn-out mom, her Iraq War disabled dad, and her mutt Brownie, a dog who’s very skilled at laying fiber optic cable. Lacy Dawn’s android boyfriend has come to the hollow with a mission. His equipment includes infomercial videos of Earth’s earliest proto-humans from millennia ago. He was sent by the Manager of the Mall on planet Shptiludrp (Shop ’till You Drop): he must recruit Lacy Dawn to save the Universe in exchange for the designation of Earth as a planet which is eligible for continued existence within a universal economic structure that exploits underdeveloped planets for their mineral content. Lacy Dawn’s magic enables her to save the universe, Earth, and, most importantly, her own family.

I was intrigued by the excerpt and decided to give it a shot. I am glad that I took a risk; otherwise, I would have missed out on a fantastic story with a bright, resourceful, and strong protagonist that grabbed my heart and did not let go. It is not every day that I find a kindred spirit in a book, but I found one in Lacy Dawn! -- Review from On My Kindle

Purchase Rarity from the Hollow

Amazon | Amazon UK | Dog Horn Publishing

An Excerpt

From chapter 13, Mom I’d Like to Introduce You to My Fiancé:

…..…Jenny (the mother) walked up the hill to Roundabend. She called Lacy Dawn's name every few yards. Her muddy tennis shoes slipped and slid.

I hear her voice. Why won't she answer me?

“Sounds like she’s talking to someone,” Jenny said to the Woods.

Nobody responded. The trees weren't supposed to since Jenny was no longer a child. Her former best friends had made no long-term commitment beyond childhood victimization. They had not agreed to help her deal with domestic violence in adulthood. She hugged the closest tree.

I will always love you guys.

Jenny quickened her pace, stopped, and listened for human voices. A few yards later, she stopped again.

Now it sounds like she’s behind me instead of in front.

Jenny looked to the left of the path.

There ain't no cave Roundabend, but there it is.

She walked toward the entrance. The voices grew louder and she looked inside. Lacy Dawn sat on a bright orange recliner. Tears streamed down her face. Jenny ran to her daughter through a cave that didn't exit and into a blue light that did.

“All right, you mother f**ker!”

“Mom!” Lacy Dawn yelled. “You didn’t say, ‘It’s me’ like you're supposed to (a traditional announcement mentioned earlier in the story)."

DotCom (the android) sat naked in a lotus position on the floor in front of the recliner. Jenny covered Lacy Dawn with her body and glared at him.

"Grrrrr," emanated from Jenny. It was a sound similar to the one that Brownie (Lacy Dawn's dog) made the entire time the food stamp woman was at their house. It was a sound that filled the atmosphere with hate. No one moved. The spaceship’s door slid shut.

“Mommmmmy, I can’t breathe. Get up.”

“You make one move you sonofabitch and I’ll tear your heart out,” Jenny repositioned to take her weight off Lacy Dawn.

Stay between them.
“Mommy, he’s my friend. More than my friend, we’re going to get married when I'm old enough -- like when I turn fourteen. He’s my boyfriend -- what you call it -- my fiancé.”

“You been messin’ with my little girl you pervert!” Jenny readied to pounce.

“MOM! Take a chill pill! He ain’t been messing with me. He’s a good person, or whatever. Anyway, he’s not a pervert. You need to just calm down and get off me.”

Jenny stood up. DotCom stood up. Jenny’s jaw dropped.

He ain't got no private parts, not even a little bump.
“DotCom, I’d like to introduce you to my mommy, Mrs. Jenny Hickman. Mommy, I’d like to introduce you to my fiancé, DotCom.”

Jenny sat down on the recliner. Her face was less than a foot from DotCom’s crotch and she stared straight at it. It was smooth, hairless, and odor free.

“Mrs. Hickman, I apologize for any inconvenience that this misunderstanding has caused. It is very nice to meet you after having heard so much. You arrived earlier than expected. I did not have time to properly prepare and receive. Again, I apologize.”

I will need much more training if I'm ever assigned to a more formal setting than a cave, such as to the United Nations.

“Come on, Mommy. Give him a hug or something.”

Jenny's left eye twitched.

DotCom put on clothing that Lacy Dawn had bought him at Goodwill. It hung a little loose until he modified his body. Lacy Dawn hugged her mother…

…(scene of Dwayne, the father, overheard by those in the spaceship while talking to himself)… “Besides, the transmitter was part of Daddy’s treatment. There're a lot of other things that he did to help fix Daddy. DotCom is like a doctor. You can see that Daddy has gotten better every day. And no, there ain’t no transmitter in you. DotCom figured you out like a good doctor and the only things wrong are a lack of opportunity and rotten teeth that poison your body. You don’t need no transmitter. He just gave you a few shots of ego boost. I don’t know what medicine that is, but I trust him. You ain't complained since the shots started -- not even with an upset stomach.”

"He's a doctor?" Jenny asked.

“What's your problem anyway?” Lacy Dawn asked. “I know. You’re prejudiced. You told me that people have much more in common than they do that's different -- even if someone is a different color or religion, or from a different state than us. You told me to try to become friends because sometimes that person may need a good friend. Now, here you are acting like a butt hole about my boyfriend. You’re prejudiced because he’s different than us.”

“Honey, he’s not even a person – that’s about as different as a boyfriend can get,” Jenny said.

“So?”

Mommy's right. Maybe I need a different argument.

A fast clicking sound, a blur of motion, and a familiar smell assaulted them.

"What's that?" Jenny asked.

She moved to protect her daughter from whatever threat loomed. Brownie, who had been granted 27 / 7 access to the ship, bounded over the orange recliner, knocked DotCom to the floor, licked DotCom’s face, and rubbed his head on Jenny’s leg. He then jumped onto the recliner and lay down. His tail wagged throughout. Jenny sat down on the recliner beside Brownie and looked at Lacy Dawn.

“But, you were crying when I first came in. That thing was hurting you.” Jenny shook her finger at DotCom to emphasize a different argument against him.

“Mommy, I'm so happy that I couldn’t help but cry. My man just came home from an out-of-state job. I didn't talk to him for a whole year. Before he left, he told me that he wasn’t even sure if he'd be able to come home. I still don’t know what happened while he was gone. We ain't had no chance to talk. All I know is that he's home and I'm sooooo happy.”

“Your man came home from an out-of-state job?” Jenny patted Brownie on his head, some more and some more….

It's unusual for a man to promise to come back home and ever be seen again. Brownie likes him and that's a good sign. Maybe she's right about him helping Dwayne. Something sure did and it wasn’t me. It is a nice living room. They've been together for a while and I ain't seen a mark on her. That's unusual too. He ain't got no private parts and that's another good thing. Hell, if I get in the middle, she’d just run off with him anyway. I'd better play it smart. I don't want to lose my baby.

“What about his stupid name?” Jenny asked.

“I’ve got a stupid name, too. All the kids at school call me hick because my last name is Hickman.”

“My name was given to me by my manager a very long time ago. It represents a respected tradition -- the persistent marketing of that which is not necessarily the most needed. I spam…,” DotCom said.

They both glared at him.

"Dwayne is sure to be home. I don’t want him to worry. Let’s go,” Jenny said.

“Okay, Mommy.”

“I love you, DotCom,” Lacy Dawn stepped out the ship’s door, which had slid open. Brownie and Jenny were right behind her.

“I love you too,” DotCom said.

Lacy Dawn and Jenny held hands and walked down the path toward home. The trees didn’t smile -- at least not so Jenny would notice. On the other hand, no living thing obstructed, intruded, or interfered with the rite.

Jenny sang to the Woods, “My little girl’s going to marry a doctor when she grows up, marry a doctor when she grows up, when she grows up. My little girl’s going to marry a doctor when she grows up, marry a doctor when she grows up, when she grows up….”

About the author

Robert Eggleton has served as a children's advocate in an impoverished state for over forty years. He is best known for his investigative reports about children’s programs, most of which were published by the West Virginia Supreme Court where he worked from 1982 through 1997, and which also included publication of models of serving disadvantaged and homeless children in the community instead of in large institutions, research into foster care drift involving children bouncing from one home to the next -- never finding a permanent loving family, and statistical reports on the occurrence and correlates of child abuse and delinquency. 

Today, he is a recently retired children's psychotherapist from the mental health center in Charleston, West Virginia, where he specialized in helping victims cope with and overcome physical and sexual abuse, and other mental health concerns. Rarity from the Hollow is his debut novel and its release followed publication of three short Lacy Dawn Adventures in magazines: Wingspan Quarterly, Beyond Centauri, and Atomjack Science Fiction. 

Author proceeds have been donated to a child abuse prevention program operated by Children’s Home Society of West Virginia. http://www.childhswv.org/ 

Robert continues to write fiction with new adventures based on a protagonist that is a composite character of children that he met when delivering group therapy services. The overall theme of his stories remains victimization to empowerment.

Connect with Robert

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Lacy Dawn Adventures Facebook Page 

Robert has graciously donated 

6 copies of his book for this giveaway! 

Thank you so much, Robert!! 

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Post updated 5/22/2017 to include revised cover and updated links. 

Esther's Gift by Bette Lee Crosby

Esther's Gift

Esther's Gift by Bette Lee Crosby

Series: The Lei Crime Series (Kindle Worlds Novella)
Kindle Edition, 83 pages
Published November 23rd 2015 by Kindle Worlds

In the days before hurricane Iniki hit the island of Kauai the forecasters predicted it would stay south of Hilo. But Esther Ka’awai, a psychic and gifted wise woman of the ancient culture has seen the future. She knows of the devastation that will come to the island. She has warned those she loves; now all she can do is pray.

As she struggles to accept this gift of knowing, Esther discovers that even the most wonderful gift can sometimes break your heart.

A story of love, faith and a belief in the future.

My thoughts about Esther's Gift ~~

Esther's Gift is a beautiful story set in a beautiful place, an island in Hawaii. The story starts with Esther's dream, her 'knowing' that a terrible storm is coming. Her husband, Keiki knows to trust her instincts and they prepare for the worst. I immediately felt the love that Esther and Keiki had for each other and I could feel the gentleness and caring that Esther had for those around her. 

'This knowing is a gift that Esther can neither explain nor wish away. It simply is what it is, but she has learned to heed it's warning.'

Oh, Esther has her share of troubles and heartache but she carries on and does what she can to help the people who come to her for her wisdom and guidance. 

'Esther was known as the wise woman of God and a healer of hearts.'

As always with Bette's books, I get lost in the beautiful words she writes. I truly become friends with her characters and I love when they love and I hurt when they hurt. Reading one of her books always takes me to a wonderful, amazing world that I never want to leave. 

About the author

USA Today Bestselling and Award-winning novelist Bette Lee Crosby's books are "Well-crafted storytelling populated by memorable characters caught up in equally memorable circumstances." - Midwest Book Review

The Seattle Post Intelligencer says Crosby's writing is, "A quirky mix of Southern flair, serious thoughts about important things in life and madcap adventures."

Samantha from Reader's Favorite raves, "Crosby writes the type of book you can't stop thinking about long after you put it down."

"Storytelling is in my blood," Crosby laughingly admits, "My mom was not a writer, but she was a captivating storyteller, so I find myself using bits and pieces of her voice in most everything I write."

It is the wit and wisdom of that Southern Mama Crosby brings to her works of fiction; the result is a delightful blend of humor, mystery and romance along with a cast of quirky charters who will steal your heart away. Her work was first recognized in 2006 when she received The National League of American Pen Women Award for a then unpublished manuscript. She has since gone on to win nineteen awards for her work; these include: The Royal Palm Literary Award, the FPA President's Book Award Gold Medal, Reader's Favorite Award Gold Medal, and the Reviewer's Choice Award.

Connect with Bette

Website | Facebook |Twitter | Goodreads

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