GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ I Smell Sheep: August 2014

Sunday, August 31, 2014

The Genesis of The Imaginarium Convention- Part III: The Programming (part 2)

Ever wonder what goes into creating a convention? Stephen Zimmer has agreed to take us through the steps. He has agreed to do a six week series about what it took to put together Imaginarium which will make its debut this September. 


The Programming (part 2)


Planning programming for an event the size of Imaginarium is no easy feat. It takes time, patience, and a very strong sense of humor. When Stephen and I first started kicking around panel topics and scheduling ideas several months ago, I thought I was ready for the job...boy, was I ever wrong. I've learned a lot in the last two months, though, and I've enjoyed every step of the process.

As Stephen mentioned last week, we have a wide array of panel topics and programming. There's guaranteed to be something for everyone at Imaginarium, from the how-to panels on writing your first novel to fun fandom trivia and Q&A sessions with our special guests. We offer so many topics I still have a hard time keeping all of them straight!

Not only do we have close to 150 separate panels and events packed into the weekend, we also have close to 130 guests. Matching up people to panels and slotting events to fit individual schedules isn't as easy as it sounds, either. If you were to ask some of our guests, they'd probably tell you that somewhere along the way I lost my mind and added them to unimaginable things. I've since apologized and done my best not to be crazy. I just hope they forgive me one day.

But that sentiment right there embodies the whole essence of my involvement in Imaginarium. Every creative writer has been to an event at some point in his or her career where it became painfully obvious that the creatives were the low guests on the totem pole. It hurts to think you're being taken for granted and given the raw end of what seemed like such a good deal. My philosophy from the start has been to make our guests feel like they're part of something. I want to see them happy with their schedules and excited to be involved in the event we're building. That excitement is catching, and if the guests show enthusiasm, our attendees will pick up on it. It's about building an atmosphere while offering a worthwhile event.

So anyway, that's what we did... now let's talk about the how.

It started with a series of spreadsheets. One was broken out to represent time slots in each panel room. The second was a listing of every panel broken down by track – with only enough slots beneath the headers as we had seats on the panel. The third, and probably most important, as the spreadsheet to represent individual panelists' schedules. Slots were determined based on the number of panels each person requested. If a workshop was offered, it went into the schedule. If a specific event was offered, it went into the schedule.

The next step was to make sure nothing conflicted on each. Every time I entered something on one sheet, it filtered over to the other two. If something was removed, I backed up and redid what I'd done. Back and forth, over and over, there were days when both my husband and Stephen thought I'd gone insane.

And of course, I made mistakes. Hence the panelists thinking I'm nuts comment earlier. As I said, wrangling that many guests isn't easy.

I started with the panels with the fewest number of requests. Those were assigned first, promising no conflicts and keeping them full. I moved through the list that way, building from the bottom up to ensure each panel got the love it deserved. Some of the decisions were extremely hard – there are so many wonderful, knowledgeable panelists that sometimes I literally had to flip a coin to determine which person got what seat. Those were the ones that hurt the most.

And then there were the “Ask an Author” lists. Almost every panelist we have signed up for “Ask an Author”, and I couldn't think of a fair way to assign those. Since we had several open slots (even as many times as we counted, we still undershot it!), I went crazy and set up multiple panels, each centered on a different genre – Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Urban Fantasy/Horror... and even then it was still so hard to decide!

Now I want to take a minute to talk about the panels themselves. With over a dozen separate programming areas, we've tried to incorporate chances to answer as many questions as possible. We have panels on gaming – both for writing games and running them. We also focus on the publishing world, editors and their functions, and the craft of writing itself. We have fandom favorites based on some of today's hottest books, shows, and movies as well. Our romance writers get to shine as they discuss the craft of writing true love, and our speculative authors will take our attendees on a walk through the improbable. We even offer panels and workshops on the creative writing areas people don't immediately think of when they hear “creative writing”. We have panels for poets and songwriters, screenwriters, and even those who specialize in blogging and non-fiction. Imaginarium is a place where any creative type can feel at home.

Stephen and I have had our heads together every single step of the way, and even now we're coming up with new topics we think would interest our panelists and readers...but I suppose we'll have to save those for next year.


***

About the Author:
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South Carolina native S.H. Roddey has been writing for fun since she was a child and still enjoys building worlds across the speculative fiction spectrum filled with mystery and intrigue. She brings to the literary world a unique blend of humor, emotion, and wild ideas filled with dark themes and strong characters. Having already traversed the murky waters of both the independent press and self-publishing markets for short fiction, Susan is proud to have found a home with Seventh Star Press for her Soul Collectors novel series. In her spare time, she also writes paranormal and contemporary romance as Siobhan Kinkade.

In addition to writing she is also a voracious reader, wannabe chef, and video game addict with two full-time jobs: administrative social media professional, and mom to two cats, a teenager, and a precocious toddler with an affinity for computer keyboards. She also enjoys the perks of being married to her best friend and full-time muse. Check in on her any time at www.SHRoddey.com


Sunday Swag: Brandy Walker


Sunday Swag Team!
Riverina Romantics 
 I Smell Sheep 

Today's feature Author: Brandy Walker


About the Author:
As a teenager Brandy would spend time at her Nana and Papa’s writing angst filled stories of unrequited love. All revolving around whatever cute boy she had a crush on at the time. The stories, which no longer exist, were a way to get out the emotions bottled up inside. After a time her interests changed and writing got left behind.

After rediscovering her love of reading, romance to be specific, story ideas starting popping up in her head. With some prodding from her friends she decided to try her hand at writing romance and has written around ten stories in various states of completion. With a plan in place she’s hoping to bring more of her stories to life.

Brandy is a Navy brat, prior enlisted Army, current Army wife, and mom. She lives in Washington State with her husband of 18 years, three kids and one dog.



swag pack: trading cards, pen, chapter book, postcards


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Saturday, August 30, 2014

Book Review: Wickedly Dangerous (Baba Yaga #1) by Deborah Blake + giveaway

Wickedly Dangerous (Baba Yaga #1)
by Deborah Blake

You may think you know about Baba Yaga: the wicked witch of Russian fairy tales who lives in a hut that moved about on chicken legs, rides in a mortar and pestle, and eats small children if they misbehave. But you’d be wrong. For Baba Yaga is not one woman, but rather, a title carried by a chosen few whose job it is to guard the borders between our world and the Otherworld and keep the balance of nature.

Barbara Yager is a Baba Yaga; trained since childhood by the previous holder of the title. Older than she looks, powerful beyond measure, and so far removed from the life of normal mortals, she has little in common with the human life she was born to. She travels through the country in an Airstream trailer, riding a classic BMW motorcycle and masquerading as an herbalist and researcher while she fulfills her duties. When she is summoned by a woman who is desperate to find her missing child, Barbara finds herself tangled in a web of lies and deceit, battling human enemies and Otherworld creatures, and most unexpectedly, her own heart.

Liam McClellan is the Sheriff of rural Clearwater County. Since a tragedy tore his life to pieces years before, he has dedicated himself to his job; protecting and serving the people who look to him to enforce the law. But after three children disappear in four months, without a trace or clue, Liam is beginning to wonder if he should hang up his badge. The sudden appearance of a beautiful woman with a dubious background and a curious habit of turning up where he least expects her makes him place her at the top of his suspect list, despite her uncanny gift for helping those in need. But as the danger mounts, and weird and inexplicable occurrences beset Liam and those he vowed to keep safe, he has to wonder if Barbara Yager is his enemy—or his only chance to save the lives of innocents in a world he no longer recognizes.

Natural gas drilling, political shenanigans, grieving parents, three mysterious motorcycle riders, twisted beasts out of nightmares, and yes, there are dragons. Because when Baba Yaga comes to town, nothing will ever be the same again.

You have probably heard of Baba Yaga—the archetypal wicked witch of Russian tales who lived in a log hut that walked about on chicken legs, rode through the forests in a giant mortar that she steered with a pestle, and ate small children if they didn’t behave. According to legend, Baba Yaga usually appeared as an ugly old crone, although she also wore other faces, and sometimes gave aid to a worthy seeker, if such a one could pass her tests.

You probably think you know who Baba Yaga is. But you’d be wrong. Because I am Baba Yaga, and this is my story

What can I say but Baba Yaga puts the rocks in my jellyroll and I loved Wickedly Dangerous. This tale is a wonderful blending of the legend of Baba Yaga brought up to date with all the flair a modern urban fantasy could possibly offer.

The story opens in a small town where children have gone missing. The hunky, emotionally damaged Sheriff, Liam, is out searching in some of the more remote areas for possible clues when he stumbles upon a clearing with an Airstream trailer parked smack dab in the middle and a beautiful Barbara Yager in residence. Barbara is the current Baba Yaga and she has been tasked to guard the borders between our world and the Otherworld to help maintain balance in both. Barbara is not really sure why she has been summoned this area, but she knows all is not right in Clearwater County, and finds herself caught up in the middle of all the intrigue surrounding the missing children and vows to bring them home and deliver justice.

The writing is very well executed and the characters are memorable, as well as a delight to get to know. The synopsis gives a great overview of the storyline and I will not try to improve on this, but will add that Wickedly Dangerous delivers humor, as well as intrigue with plenty of action, and a little side serving of smexy thrown in the mix. The ending is very satisfying and overall, in my opinion, this is a superb beginning for a new urban fantasy series, which I am eagerly anticipating following. I would recommend this book to fans of good meaty urban fantasy reads. I received this book from NetGalley.

5 Sheep




DeniseZ
.
About this Author:
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Author of seven non-fiction books from Llewellyn. Circle, Coven & Grove: A Year of Magickal Practice (2007), Everyday Witch A to Z (2008), The Goddess is in the Details (2009), Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook (2010) Witchcraft on a Shoestring (2010), Everyday Witch Book of Rituals, and The Witch's Broom. I am also the author of the Baba Yaga series from Berkley Romance, including Wickedly Magical (novella), Wickedly Dangerous, and Wickedly Wonderful.
When not writing, Deborah runs The Artisans’ Guild, a cooperative shop she founded with a friend in 1999, and also works as a jewelry maker, tarot reader, and energy healer. She lives in a 100 year old farmhouse in rural upstate New York with five cats who supervise all her activities, both magickal and mundane.

Friday, August 29, 2014

Sheep Book Review: A Hidden Element by Donna Galanti


By: Donna Galanti 
Release Date: August 28, 2014
Paranormal Mystery 

Plot: 
Evil lurks within…
When Caleb Madroc is used against his will as part of his father’s plan to breed a secret community and infiltrate society with their unique powers, he vows to save his oppressed people and the two children kept from him.

Seven years later, Laura and Ben Fieldstone’s son is abducted, and they are forced to trust a madman’s son who puts his life on the line to save them all. The enemy’s desire to own them—or destroy them—leads to a survival showdown.

Laura and Ben must risk everything to defeat a new nemesis that wants to rule the world with their son, and Caleb may be their only hope—if he survives. But must he sacrifice what he most desires to do so?

Book two in this dark paranormal world picks up a few years after we first meet the power couple Ben and Laura. A Human Element (Book 1) does a great job of laying down the foundation of this trilogy. These books are not by any means for the faint of heart. They are dark and twisted, with intense sexual situations, torture and abuse. So be warned up front, if you can't handle this type of story. 

While it's not my cup of Chai tea, I did get into the story. Donna casts a deeper look into her characters, with her colorful writing, and you get a broader view of both the good and bad characters. With an alien race that's able to control human minds, it really is true that with great power comes great responsibility! Oh the things you can abuse with mind control! Yikes! 

With the alien leader now laser focused on Laura's teenage son, she's one hell bent momma out to protect her child from their clutches! I was right there with her. This one is intense and I can't stress that enough. I like a good nail bitter but I really had no clue if a happy ending was coming. 

If you like the darker side of paranormal and a damn good mystery, then grab this one with both hands! 


Getting 3 and 1/2 Sheep
KD 

Sheep Book Review: Demons (Darkness #4) by K.F. Breene

Demons (Darkness #4)
By: K.F. Breene

Paranormal Romance 
173 pages


It’s been a long road, but Sasha has finally claimed her role as the least knowledge mage in history. She’s also acquired a new, incredibly grumpy bodyguard, and a spunky new BFF. With her team by her side, she learns the ropes of this new profession.

Her experience level is about to be fast-tracked, however.
On a routine trip to check out a perimeter breach, she encounters a hideous demon called by an experienced magic worker. It is this terrifying discovery that unlocks a deeper problem: Stefan’s troubled past and the reason he gravely mistrusts the Mata.

While Sasha struggles to fight the physical demons, Stefan struggles to fight the demons of his past. If he fails, his future in Sasha will be lost.


Sexy covers aside, face it they are hot, this PNR series continues to be one of my top favs. It has everything you could want and adds new elements you didn't even know to crave. It's, in one word, astounding. 

I will continue to gripe about the short length of these books. Each one is under 200 pages and that my friends should be a crime! You can't tease us with some much awesomeness and then cut us off cold turkey! I need time to come down from my reading high, and when you gip me of at least 200 pages....I want to break stuff! 

Yeah, ok I am nuts for these books. But that's a wonderful thing! 

To be fully invested in a saga, we readers live and breath for this stuff. And this sensational author delivers again and again. 

If you've wanted to read this series, get on it right now. Every new edition adds to the overall wonder of the world that's been created. The main characters continue to grow with each other and as indiviulas. No one overshadows the other and our strong woman remains just that. 

She's everything I could want and need in a gal and her anchor Stefan just keeps the flames of lust and alpha hotness burning till the sheep come home! 

I'm addicted to this adventure in the world that's been laid before me and I can't wait for the next story! 



Getting 4 and 1/2 Sheep
KD


Review: Into the Darkness by K.f. Breene
Review: Braving the Elements (Darkness #2)
About the Author:
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A wine country native, K.F. Breene moved to San Francisco for college just shy of a decade ago to pursue a lifelong interest in film. As she settled into the vibrant city, it quickly became apparent that, while she thought making and editing films was great fun, she lacked cinematic genius. For that reason, her career path quickly changed direction. Her next goal was a strange childhood interest, conjured at the dining room table while filling out a form. For some reason, her young self wanted to be an Accountant. Thinking on it now, she often wonders how she had any friends. Regardless, it was the direction she finally took.

While she could wrangle numbers with the best of 'em, and even though she wore the crown as the most outspoken, belligerent accountant in the world, her mind got as stuffy as her daily routine. It was here that she dusted off her creative hat and began directing movies in her head.

Weregoats Deserve Equal Rights Too! (Strangely Funny II Anthology Book Tour) + giveaway

Guest Post: Weregoats Deserve Equal Rights Too!
by Pamela Kinney
Hello, I am here to ask for equal rights for weregoats among the were community. I mean most werecreatures are of the predator side. But there are those who change at the full moon into a more…um…goaty type. Okay, so maybe we are paranormally challenged. But dang it, we deserved the same considerations as werewolves, wereleopards, werelions, werebears, and others! I didn’t ask to become a weregoat and maybe I am not most women’s idea of the sexy alpha male, but I am a person. One that gets furry and has horns and hooves three times of the month, but still, a man the rest of the time. Come on, guys, give us what we are asking for…. 

Pamela: *As I shove Alvin Middleton out of the room* Ha ha…that’s Alvin Middleton. He is still not happy being a weregoat. He doesn’t know how it happened, or why. But I agree about his demand for equality among the werebeasts. Without that, he just might become food for some hungry werewolf, or werehyena.

Predators are not the only kind to become a werebeings. There are stories about wereelephants in African legends. So why cannot the weregoat be accorded the same noble thoughts as the elephants gets in African myths. Weregoats may have a noble past. Think of Pan and satyrs of Greek myths, fauns, too.

The faun is a rustic forest god or place-spirit. The faun is a half human - half goat (from the head to the waist being the human half, but with the addition of goat's horns) manifestation of forest and animal spirits which would help or hinder humans at whim. It was believed that fauns inspired fear in men traveling in lonely, remote or wild places, but were also capable of guiding humans in need.

Followers of Dionysus are more accurately satyrs; the wild and orgiastic spirits that harassed nymphs. Fauns and satyrs were originally quite different creatures: whereas fauns are half-man and half-goat, satyrs originally were depicted as stocky, hairy, ugly dwarfs or wood woses with the ears and tails of horses or asses.

Ancient Roman mythological belief also included a god named Faunus and a goddess named Fauna who were goat-people.

So with the randy satyrs, Pan who played the pipes, and fauns, weregoats may have a grand lineage their curse or shifting abilities came from. Then again, it may be nothing more then a result of black magic, or maybe even a goat has bitten Alvin, even though he claims to have never gone near any ‘old smelly barnyard.’

Whatever, help strike a blow for weregoats everywhere, and do a sit-in or protest that they too, deserve equal rights among the were community. (Even if a goat instead of a wolf wouldn’t look so sexy on the cover of a paranormal romance.)

*Alvin pokes his goaty head in* “Weregoats need love too. Strike a blow for weregoats everywhere. Write your congressman, the pres—” *I slam the door on his snout and lock it. Loud bleats can still be heard coming from the other side of the door.*

Sorry about that. Where was I…ah, yes!

I am giving away a $10 Amazon gift certificate to one winner from the comments left here (means you can get the Kindle or print copy of Strangely Funny II anthology and read Alvin Middleton‘s story in the book.), about either how weregoats can gain more equal rights, or what other werecreatures should have rights too.

Short excerpt from “Weregoat”: 

Alvin Middleton knew he was in trouble when, on the first night of the full moon, he changed into a goat.

Heart pounding, he roamed all night, avoiding from being hit by vehicles and chased by barking dogs. When dawn chased the night away, he huddled naked against a lamp post. Not only that. He smelled foul, too.

Hoping that no one saw him, he snitched a sheet off a clothesline in some stranger’s backyard and wrapped it around his body. He bolted for home, his bare feet finding every sharp stone along the way.

You read the rest of the story and the other humorous paranormal tales in Strangely Funny II, available at KINDLE and PRINT.
 
Strangely Funny II
by Sarah E. Glenn (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Pamela K. Kinney, David Bernard, Jason Norton, Adrian Ludens, Logan Zachary, Cloumbkill Noonan, David Spicer
, D.J. Tyrer, F.R. Michaels, Jason Andrews, Omar J. Sakr, John Lemut, Paul Gleed,Gwendolyn Kiste, Gustavo Bondoni, Marc Sorondo, Anna Taborska, Paul Dixon, Edward Ahern,Jonathan Shipley
Paperback, 278 pages
Published August 1st 2014
by Mystery and Horror. LLC 
A second anthology in the same vein as the first Strangely Funny. Twenty-one talented authors have gathered round to apply a mallet to your funny bone. In this tomb--er, tome, many questions will be answered: Who is the newest sensation in Young Adult romance stories? What happens when a centuries-old wizard becomes the target of a hoarding intervention? Where does a vampire go to get a good drink? And what is the favorite sport in Heaven? The answers to these and many other rhetorical questions lie within these pages.

Pamela K. Kinney 
Journey to worlds of fantasy, beyond the stars, and into the vortex of terror with the written word of Pamela K. Kinney. 
PamelaKKinney.com Blog Facebook

GIVEAWAY
Pamela is giving away a $10 amazon gift card. But you have to comment!
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Thursday, August 28, 2014

Coastal Magic Feature Author Interview: Urban Fantasy Author Elliott James + giveaway

Today we have one of the featured authors from the Coastal Magic Convention! Katie and I will get to stalk meet him there in Febuary 2015. We thought it might be fun to scare interview him before we go.


Sharon: Hello Elliott! You are the author of the urban fantasy series “Pax Arcana” which I am assuming means secret justice or something? Could you tell our readers a bit about the series?
Elliott: It actually means “Arcane Peace.” I sort of got the idea from the Pax Romana, another peace which was imposed on the world by an outside force. In this case, the thing maintaining an uneasy balance between mankind and magickind is a spell that makes normal humans unwilling or unable to see or accept any evidence that the supernatural exists. Do you remember when you were a teenager, and you just couldn’t get your parents to see something that seemed completely obvious to you, and you didn’t understand how they could be so blind? It’s kind of like that. Except, you know, real.


Sharon: Of course the obvious question is…are you charming?
Elliott: No, honestly, I’m introverted and have an odd sense of humor. I alternate between quiet watchfulness and a strange inept combination of empathy, bluntness, and sarcasm. The title comes from my narrator, John Charming, who is the last in a long line of monster hunters. He’s the descendant of all those fairy tale heroes.

Sharon: We like an odd sense of humor so you will fit in nicely here. Might even get to arrange a tour of our dungeon…we have a dragon you know…So in your world the fairy tales were true?
Elliott: They are based loosely on true events. Like, there never was a “Prince” Charming” in my world. There was a family of witch hunters and enchantment breakers called Charming because it described their occupation. But back in the dark ages, heroes in stories had to be elevated to royal status. Anything else might imply that nobles weren’t inherently superior.

Sharon: You have the second book Daring coming out soon. How many books do you have planned in your head for this series?
Elliott: Well, I’m working on the last chapter of the third right now, and I’ve mapped out the fourth. I have a very broad and huge direction that I’d like to move in, and an idea for a fifth book that I love but is a little daunting in terms of the research it will require.


Sharon: Do you like doing the research for your books?
Elliott: I love it right up to the point where I realize that I haven’t brushed my teeth or showered in two days and that I’m sitting in a puddle of urine. Or is that too much information? Would it help if I clarified that the puddle is, you know, my own urine? Hypothetically?

Sharon: *looks to Katie* He said hypothetical... *turns back to Elliott gives thumbs up* 

Sharon: A lot of our readers love a little smexy in their books. Is there any romance?
Elliott: I tried to put some romance in it because the character is sort of connected to the Prince Charming tradition, but one of the conceits of the book is that he’s not at all polished or perfect or smooth, and it’s more urban fantasy than paranormal romance. My version of love at first sight is two damaged people having an instant connection that is at least partly desperation and co-dependence, and they’re trying to sort out what’s healthy and what’s real and what’s not while a lot of insane stuff is going on.

Sharon: Kind of like Extreme Dating <G>
Elliott: That’s a great name for a horror short story. Extreme Dating.


Sharon: Do you have a favorite mythology to play around with while writing or reading?
Elliott: Well, my favorite fairy tale is probably “The Seven Ravens.” It’s so creepy! But I try to tap into different mythologies for every book. Eastern European and Indian for the first book. Native American and Russian for the second. And I’ve been reading up on Japanese mythology and customs and religions a lot for the third.



Sharon: If you could own any piece of art in the world what would it be?
Elliott: Honestly, something huge, solid gold, and tacky. Maybe the ancient Egyptian equivalent of plastic pink flamingos. And a blow torch.

Sharon: We might be able to arrange that…we have a bunch of these down in the dungeon. You can have one.

Sharon: You will be attending Coastal Magic in Feb. This will be your first convention as a guest! What made you decide to try one out? Is this your first con you've ever visited?
Elliott: This will be my first convention on every level, and the reason I’m going is because Jennifer Morris told me about it on my author’s Facebook page. I’m not really sure what to expect.
Sharon: Don’t worry. Readers who go to cons are well behaved and nothing crazy goes on…nope.
*rubs hands together and cackles*


Sharon: Your bio says you are into martial arts *pulls out nerf mid-range bo staff* What kind?
Elliott: I’ve moved around a lot and never stuck with one just because of the way the dojos fell. Never less than a year, never more than three, some Karate here, Kung Fu there, Tae Kwando, Judo, Aikido. Most recently I was doing mixed martial arts when my instructor moved (I’m pretty sure it’s not because he was getting scared). I haven’t mastered anything, but at least it’s been good cardio, and knowing a little about a lot comes in pretty handy as a writer. I have a similar relationship with yoga.

Sharon: If you had to be one of the Disney Prince Charmings who would it be?
Elliott: As far as I can tell, Phillip from Sleeping Beauty was the only one who was worth a damn. Unless you count any male Disney protagonist as a Prince Charming, and then Aladdin would be fun. A sentient pet monkey. Sarcastic talking parrot. Flying carpet. Genie. Rich girlfriend with a pet tiger….wow. Not that I’d want to replace my girlfriend.

Sharon: Coastal Magic is in Daytona Beach! Have you ever been? What would you like to do there beside meet the I Smell Sheep ladies (that would be me and Katie)?
Elliott: Never been. But it’s going to be February and the convention goes into the evening, right? So really, I haven’t thought much beyond good sea food and some morning runs and night walks on the beach. If you know the place and have better ideas, I’m open to suggestion. Unless you’re a hypnotist.
Sharon: *looks at the flock then back at Elliott* Yeah, things go into the evening <G> And of course I’m not a hypnotist!
*quietly puts away pocket watch*
Elliott: Well, just so you know, I’ve never, ever played poker, but I’d really like someone to teach me…

Rapid Fire:

Sharon: Coke or Pepsi?
Elliott: Whichever you’d trade me a cup of coffee for.

Sharon: is there an author out there that doesn’t live on coffee? But you have to pick one because we have a friendly (not) competition going on around here….Katie is team Coke and I am team Pepsi *quietly retrieves pocket watch*
Elliott: Well, Pepsi’s the underdog. And it sounds more like an Elvish name. So sure. But honestly – and I realize this is probably a Dungeon offense – in any scenario where it’s midnight and I’m nodding off at the wheel, and I pull into a service station for some emergency caffeine and the coffee looks like something a heavy smoker coughed up…I’m getting a Dr. Pepper.

Sharon: mountain river or sand and surf?
Elliott: Mountain river.
*Banjo music starts playing*

Sharon: blade or gun?
Elliott: blade.


Sharon: yard sale or thrift store?
Elliott: Idle browsing or specific need? If I have to choose, I guess the thrift store needs the business more. The yard sale people can donate their stuff to the thrift store and write it off on their taxes.

Sharon: Tim Burton or Michael Bay?
Elliott: Gahhhhhh! This is like that “Would You Rather” game! Leather fetishes and mopey protagonists, or explosions as primary characters? Burton I guess.
Sharon: lol, do you have a favorite type of movie/director?
Elliott: I should probably say something lofty, but the truth is my go to is probably movies or directors who combine action and some element of Sci-fi or horror or fantasy with humor and romance. Edgar Wright. James Gunn. Joss Whedon. J.J. Abrams.


Sharon: tennis shoes or flip flops?
Elliott: Tennis shoes.

Sharon: Chinese or Italian?
Elliott: Chinese.
Thanks for visiting us! While our readers answer a question and enter the giveaway I’ll take you to the dungeon. Just grab the fireproof suit…Jake can be a bit trigger happy, but he makes great s’mores.

Daring (Pax Arcana #2)
by Elliott James
Paperback, 400 pages
September 23rd 2014 by Orbit
THE WEREWOLVES HAVE A NEW LEADER...AND HE CANNOT BE STOPPED.

Something is rotten in the state of Wisconsin.

Werewolf packs are being united and absorbed into an army of super soldiers by a mysterious figure who speaks like an angel and fights like a demon. And every Knight Templar—keepers of the magical peace between mankind and magickind—who tries to get close to this big bad wolf winds up dead. No knight can infiltrate a group whose members can smell a human from a mile away...no knight except one.

John Charming. Ex knight. Current werewolf. Hunted by the men who trained him, he now might be their only salvation. But animal instincts are rising up to claim John more powerfully than ever before, and he must decide if this new leader of wolves is a madman...or a messiah.

DARING is the second novel in an urban fantasy series which gives a new twist to the Prince Charming tale.



Charming (Pax Arcana #1)
Short Fiction in the Pax Arcana world:
Charmed I'm Sure
Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls
Pushing Luck
Surreal Estate
Dog-Gone



About the Author:
An army brat and gypsy scholar, ELLIOTT JAMES is currently living in the blueridge mountains of southwest Virginia. An avid reader since the age of three (or that's what his family swears anyhow), he has an abiding interest in mythology, martial arts, live music, hiking, and used bookstores. Irrationally convinced that cellphone technology was inserted into human culture by aliens who want to turn us into easily tracked herd beasts, Elliott has one anyhow but keeps it in a locked tinfoil covered box which he will sometimes sit and stare at mistrustfully for hours. Okay, that was a lie. Elliott lies a lot; in fact, he decided to become a writer so that he could get paid for it.


Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Book Review: ACCIDENTALLY…OVER? by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff Book Tour

ACCIDENTALLY…OVER?
By: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
(August 26, 2014; Forever Mass Market; $8.00)


When it comes to Máax, the God of Truth who refuses to follow the rules, there's more to him than meets the eye. Literally. Because Maáx is invisible! Which is probably why, after seventy-thousand years, he's still unable to find a mate.

Ashli Rosewood was never meant to die. In fact, her death might be the very reason the gods are now faced with stopping that pesky doomsday right around the corner. If only there was a way to undo the past. Cue Máax. Seven feet of divine masculinity and the unruly god charged with saving Ashli. With a little help from an ancient Mayan tablet, Máax will travel back in time and set things right.

Easy, right? Wrong. Because Máax has one teensy challenge. He's invisible. And every time this impatient, powerful deity gets anywhere near Ashli, he spooks her right into harm's way. Meaning...she dies, and he has to start all over again.

Cliff, banana peel, runaway storage container filled with Belgian chocolates, bee sting, the list goes on and on. Does the Universe have it out for this girl? Sure seems that way. But why? And what will Máax do when he begins to suspect that not only is Ashli the key to stopping the apocalypse, but she may be "the one" he's been waiting seventy-thousand years for. How will he save the one woman the Universe insists on killing and who wants nothing to do with him?


Accidently….Over? is book 5 in the Accidently Yours Series. Well, there are technically 7 books in the series all together with a few .5 Novella’s along the way.

Maax is the God of Truth he cannot lie or can he? He is another Deity with a job to do. Maax’s job was to save the word from the apocalypse. All he had to do was go back in time and keep one mortal woman Ashli Rosewood alive. That should not be that hard right, Maax was a God. Ashli was just a simple Mortal. Maax had a few obstacles preventing him to succeed in his task. The Apocalypse info came directly from Maax’s crazy Brethren (aka sister) who did not always tell the truth or the whole truth and was always up to no good. He was not sure if this was another one of her mind games. Maax was invisible and the woman Ashli who he is supposed keep alive is the key to the Apocalypse however the universe wants her dead.

The characters were easy to like. How could I not like them their individual craziness kept it exciting. The God of bees had a bee hive as a hat. Cimil’s crudeness was sometimes over the top. Can we say ‘selfie’ but It was Cimil’s character so you had to take it all in stride. Maax was an overbearing extremely sexy god. I know he was invisible, your mind has to paint the picture for you and in my mind he was beautiful and sexy. He was a God so let’s go with it. Failing his mission was not an option for him. Maax fell in love with Ashli instantly and Ashli of course hated him, actually she was not sure what she thought of him. Ashley dies practically every visit which was kind of funny. You have to read it to understand why I found it funny.

I do recommend book one first Accidently in love with…. A God? It will help make more sense. Reading the series is not a necessity. This was a fun and easy to read romance with lots of feuds, tears and steamy scenes. In fact most of the characters in the book had some sort of love story and in the end was it all about love? You need to read to find out.


4.5 In love Sheep



TammyK
Excerpt


Máax stared down at the hysterical, screaming woman. He was about to offer a few calming words, such as “Shut the hell up,” but then something peculiar happened.
What the fuu . . . ? He stumbled to the side but caught himself. He’d never experienced anything so unusual, so potent. But what was it? It didn’t hurt. No, quite the opposite. It felt like a sack of fucking wonderful dropped on his head.
Máax looked at the woman once more, and it hit him again.
Click.
He gasped. She was doing this to him? How? There was no logical explanation, other than . . .
He lost his train of thought. Gods, she is magnificent.
Holy Christ! He stepped back and stared at Ashli. Is that . . . Am I . . . ? He was drooling! Like a hungry dog!
The odd, euphoric sensation hit him again, nearly tumbling him over. Nothing in his seventy thousand years of existence could help him articulate the sensation. It was as if the damned woman had jumped inside his body, soldered herself to every molecule of his light, and then sucked away any rational thought. The hollow pit in his chest, one he hadn’t known existed, felt instantly placated. That spot now felt warm and mushy. The center of gravity shifted from beneath his feet toward the direction of the woman and began pulling him to her like a shooting star.
Oh, shit. She’s my mate? He took two more steps back. No. No. Hell no! But how? And why now? He’d never asked the Universe for a mate. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to be tethered to some . . . some weak mortal woman, or any woman for that matter. Where was the godsdamned logic in that? For fuck sake, he was a lone wolf—answered to no one and nothing. And he was invisible,
went where he liked when he liked. (For the time being, anyway.) After he went on trial for his recent multitude of offenses, he’d be entombed for a very, very, very . . . yes, very fucking long time! And now this, this . . . woman had messed it all up! Filii canis! Now he was truly going to suffer. He’d have something to miss!
Then another truth dawned on him. Cimil set me up! Again! He was going to kill her. And, gods fucking dammit, did the woman—this, this, Ashli—have to be so godsdamned hot?
Infernum. Her beauty was beyond that of any deity. Dark golden-brown skin, hair like black-licorice ribbons wild about her face and trailing down her back, and exotic eyes, turning up in the corners like a feline’s. And her lips . . . Her lips were plump and full, just the sort a man longs to feel sliding over every inch of his—
Get a hold of yourself, man! But holy saints she was hot. What was he going to do?
Why don’t you start by saving her, asshole?
Right. First things first, though; he had to get her to stop screaming. “Ashli, I command you to stop screaming.”
Her beautiful hazel eyes widened, and she bolted toward the dusty, narrow road that ran along the beachfront.
Sanguine ad infernum! She’s running away? “Ashli, I command you to stop. I won’t hurt—”
A large silver bus came out of nowhere. “No!”


About the author:
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Before taking up a permanent residence in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mimi spent time living near NYC (became a shopaholic), in Mexico City (developed a taste for very spicy food), and Arizona (now hates jumping chollas, but pines for sherbet sunsets). Her love of pre-Hispanic culture, big cities, and romance inspires her to write when she's not busy with kids, hubby, work, and life...or getting sucked into a juicy novel.

She hopes that someday leather pants for men will make a big comeback and that her writing might make you laugh when you need it most.