Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon is October 18th. Are you in?

Hour 9 – Don’t Mind the Interruptions

I am going to be offline, but reading for the rest of the read-at-thon. I will update my stats tomorrow. Happy reading everyone!

Hour 8: HOUR EIGHT IS GREAT (or, honoring the readathon’s love of rhyme)

I am about to start Mistletoe Magic by Melissa McClone (part of the Bar V5 Dude Ranch series). I am hosting a giveaway for the series and Mistletoe Magic is FREE on Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/380641 

Readathon Mini-Challenge: 140 Character Cheering

Cheermission accepted! I am mixing this challenge with Hour 5. I am cheering, "Get your read on!" and then prancing in honor of my fellow read-a-thoners. Why? Cause you bookish types are the the best!

ReadyO? Let's Go! Get your read on [prance] Get your read on [prance] #RahRahReadathon #Readathon

Hour 7: Your Lucky Hour

I am going to listen to a few chapters of Shark Tank. 

 

Hour 6 — Read so Hard

Dewey’s Mini-Challenge Name Your Read-a-Thon

My Read-A-Thon Title is Phantom: Jump Start The Secret Life of The Legend

Hour 5 – Prance Your Way Through!

I love the word prance!

Hour 4 – Breakfast & Books

I am having a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich with sour cream and onion potato chips while I listen to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It is narrated by Ben Stiller. I haven't seen the movie adaptation yet. Have you?

Do you like an odd food combination? What is it? http://aliterarymafia.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/do-you-like-an-odd-food-combination-shades-of-truth/

Quotable Quotes

"Ichabod prided himself upon his dancing as much as upon his vocal powers. Not a limb, not a fibre about him was idle; and to have seen his loosely hung frame in full motion, and clattering about the room, you would have thought St. Vitus himself, that blessed patron of the dance, was figuring before you in person." -  The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 
 

Hour 3 – Take 5!

I'm probably gonna pass on the next photo challenges. Snapping pictures and uploading them takes me too much time. I need to upgrade my phone. SMH.

Hour 2 – Got Books?

Coffee or Tea? It's tea all of the way baby! #TeamCSLewis for sure.
 

Need some reading material during the read-a-thon? Join me for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Read-Along and read Washington Irving's classic short story. Grab the free audiobook, download a free ebook, read it for free online, read your own copy, or borrow one from a friend or the library. Whatever works best for you.

Did you know that Amazon/Audible has a number of free audiobooks that are available without a subscription? I decided to "read" the ones that I featured in my 5th Annual Spooktacular Giveaway Blog Hop -  a few of the movie-televisionish ones. Be sure to drop by the post and enter to win.

~~~~~

Goooooood morning, read-a-thon-ers!

(That was said in my best Robin Williams/Good Morning Vietnam voice.)

I am coming around to visit. I have my Diet Coke and grapes on hand and I am ready to mingle!

Opening Meme

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? 
Atlanta, Georgia, United States

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
 Sixth Grave on the Edge by Daynda Jones

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
A peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich with sour cream and onion potato chips

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
This is my fourth read-a-thon! I love a good story. I read from most genres – except horror and poetry (though I try to read two books of each every year). 

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?
I have decided to focus on visiting other participants with this read-a-thon. I am going to listen to audiobooks and try to visit as many people as possible.


Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon is an international reading challenge. For 24 hours, participants read books, post on their blogs (and/or social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc.) about their reading, and visit other readers’ blogs. Participants also take part in mini-challenges throughout the day and win prizes. There are five ways you can participate: Reader, Cheerleader, Mini-Challenge Host, Organizer and Prize Donor.

Are you participating?

THE WOLF'S TORMENT by Stephanie Burkhart: Book Blast with Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the book blast tour for The Wolf's Torment by Stephanie Burkhart, a paranormal romance available now from Desert Breeze Publishing. This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Click on the banner to visit other stops on this tour.

BLURB

It's 1865 and Moldavia is a country nestled against the shores of the Black Sea. Lady Theresa travels from Austria to this country that's haunted by tales of vampires and werewolves. She's going to marry the Crown Prince, but she harbors her own unspoken secrets.

Prince Mihai has just returned to Moldavia to discover he's a witch. He's intent on being a good husband and modernizing his country, but he must find a balance with his supernatural heritage. His best friend, Viktor, accompanies Mihai and marries Mihai's sister. In an unfortunate twist of fate, a werewolf bites Viktor.


Viktor's transformation threatens everyone around him, including his wife's safety and Mihai's happiness, but he's especially dangerous when he's near Theresa. Can Mihai save his family from Viktor's lies and deceptions?

EXCERPT

Mihai led Theresa out to the dance floor. They performed a waltz and he discovered

Theresa had a natural grace, following his lead impeccably.


He flashed her a smile. Theresa was a perfect fit in his arms, and the suddenness of that
realization drove two conflicting emotions through him -- awkwardness because he wasn't expecting to enjoy her company and delight because he did. His father had chosen his bride well.


An aggressive tap on the shoulder stopped him mid-waltz.


"Shouldn't you introduce me?" asked Viktor.


Mihai fought against a frown. He would have liked to have had the dance with Theresa alone. Instead, he thought to mind his manners for now.


"Theresa, this is my best friend, Viktor Bacau."


She politely nodded.


"Do you mind finishing the dance with me?" asked Viktor. Theresa looked at Mihai. Reluctantly, he gave her a slight nod. "I'd be honored to," she said.


Mihai left her side and walked off the dance floor. Sonia was there as well, her gaze fixed on Viktor. Was she experiencing the same thing he was? Reluctance? A God-awful feeling watching him with someone else? Was that the stirrings of jealousy?


He leaned over. "Why are you frowning?" "Why are you?"


"I'm not."


"You are."


Why was his sister so stubborn? "I suppose I'd rather be dancing with Theresa."


"Viktor's just being polite."


"I suspect you'd rather be dancing with him."

Sonia pursed her lips and gently rocked back and forth on her feet. She always did that when Mihai had struck a nerve.

"You and Viktor have spent a lot of time together recently," Mihai continued.

Sonia stopped rocking, surprise in her eyes. "Well, I enjoy his company.

"And I suspect he enjoys yours."

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. She was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire. She served 11 years in the US Army and currently calls Castaic, California her home. Stephanie was married in Denmark in 1991 and has two young sons. She adores chocolate and is addicted to coffee. She writes paranormal, contemporary, and steampunk romance and has two children's books published with 4RV Publishing.


FIND HER ON THE WEB AT:



WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com
 
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart


FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor


GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart

YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee


PINTEREST: http://pinterest.com/sgburkhart/

Buy Links for The Wolf's Torment:

AMAZON KINDLE


BARNES & NOBLE NOOK 


ALL ROMANCE BOOKS


PUBLISHER'S LINK 

GIVEAWAY 

Stephanie will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $10 Starbucks GC to a randomly drawn host.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

5th Annual Spooktacular Giveaway Hop: October 15th to 31st (US)

Thanks for stopping by MAD Hoydenish! I am excited to be participating in the 5th Annual Spooktacular Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer from October 15th to 31st. It is one of the biggest hops of the year!

I will be giving away a spooktacular prize pack containing a copy of House at the End of the Street (a book adaptation of the movie of the same name starring Jennifer Lawrence and Max Thieriot), a few bookmarks and a MP3 player! One randomly drawn winner will be selected via the rafflecopter widget in this post. The giveaway is open to U.S. mailing addresses only. 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Did you know that Amazon/Audible has a number of free audiobooks that are available without a subscription? I decided to feature a few of the movie-televisionish ones in this post since I am giving away a MP3 player.

 

Be sure to hop through all the blogs for giveaways at each stop!

While you are here, I hope that you'll join The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Read-Along: October 17 - 24, 2014

The second season of the hit Fox television series Sleepy Hollow has started. It was one of my favorite new shows last fall. I am a real #sleepyhead. Tom Mison, who stars as Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow, has narrated an audiobook version of Washington Irving's classic short story. And it is free at Amazon and Audible right now. Yep, free.

I am hosting a The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Read-Along from October 17 - 24, 2014 to celebrate its release along with two other Sleepy Hollow-related books. The read-along is conveniently scheduled to overlap with Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon (October 18) and the Wonderfully Wicked Read-a-Thon (October 17 -27). You can join/read any day during the event.

Grab the free audiobook, download a free ebook, read it for free online, read your own copy, or borrow one from a friend or the library. Whatever works best for you. 

CONFESSIONS OF A SELF-HELP WRITER's Benjamin W. DeHaven Discusses Character Creation (+ Giveaway)

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Confessions of a Self-Help Writer by Benjamin W. DeHaven, a literary fiction with humor book available now from Lagniappe Publishing. This guest post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Click on the banner to visit other stops on this tour.

BLURB

A ghost, a philanthropist, a con man, a devout Catholic, a gigolo, a savior, an heir, a common man, and an addict are just some of the words used to describe Michael Enzo, who some sources credit with ghost-writing more than 108 self-help books on behalf of celebrities, politicians and business leaders. After failing to make what he considered to be a positive impact on society he began to destroy those closest to him including Benjamin DeHaven, the author of this book, and former collaborator. Defrauding an industry for almost 20 years by exploiting people's insecurities and profiting from them, more than likely these friends contributed more to the field of self-help, while profiting from it, than they will ever know. Believing they could only understand people's problems by suffering along with them, they lived on the razor's edge. If you've ever picked up a tell-all biography of a celebrity or a title from the self-help section at the bookstore, certainly you would question the source.This is an inside look at the mind of Michael Enzo and it is the author's hope that people will start helping themselves again after reading it. Discover what turns someone from preaching salvation towards seeking its destruction. You won't believe this could be true.

Purchase at: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

GUEST POST

 

Character Creation

Characters are created out of a unique need to be someone else. The hardest part about writing characters is becoming someone else and not writing a character as your interpretation of them. Does that make sense? Also-show me don’t tell me. I need to come to the understanding that your main character is depressed, maybe in her dialogue, or an action. But don’t say, “Jane was depressed because.” I think if you do that you have lost the character. To create you have to constantly question actions. Why did Jane purposely put sweet n low in Paul’s coffee and leave the pink paper out so he would see it?

I never wanted to be a murderer, but if I wanted to write a murder mystery, I would do a ton of research. Which kind of leads to the next question—how can you screw this up? –Hopefully, you don’t have an audience of readers who have murdered people. They are the only one’s who would read that character and say ”That’s not at all what I felt like.” So if you are writing characters based on deep rooted assumptions, this is the best place to play with a reader. Meaning we already know how characters are supposed to act—what if they suddenly didn’t. Those are the characters I like to meet. I love to write characters with an essential flaw and try to make them arc into something different. Not everyone can be who they want, suck it up. (from Confessions of a Self-Help Writer)

AUTHOR Bio and Links

A Graduate of Columbia College in Chicago, Benjamin DeHaven keeps his heart in Chicago and his soul in New Orleans. He holds a MBA from Tulane and a film degree from Columbia. Once ejected from a community college for arguing Frost cried out for acceptance in Birches, he has since written screenplays, traded futures in Madrid, and was Editor in Chief of the Nola Shopper Newspaper, a free art newspaper and the 2nd largest monthly paper in the New Orleans, MSA. . He also has a "shout out" in a Jay "Z" Song.

DeHaven, who currently resides in Las Vegas began his writing career with Stone United, a Chicago based Film Company, which works primarily in independent film. As an unknown fiction writer, he feels the best description of himself, is a sarcastic one and is as follows:

Benjamin W. DeHaven was born on a pool table after a Waylon Jennings' concert in 1977. His personal success is outweighed only by his stunning good looks and adherence to unwritten moral guidelines. He has been described as a thinking man's Tucker Max as well as an idiot's Hunter S. Thompson. His goal is to die from an unwavering commitment to be more like Hemingway.

He and Michael Enzo were friends.


Website

Twitter

Facebook

YouTube

Amazon Author Page

Goodreads Author Page

GIVEAWAY 

Prizes for the tour are as follows:

 • Five signed hardcover copies of the book (US only) 
 • One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

JOIN The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Read-Along: October 17 - 24, 2014 #sleepyheads

The second season of the hit Fox television series Sleepy Hollow has started. It was one of my favorite new shows last fall. I am a real #sleepyhead. Tom Mison, who stars as Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow, has narrated an audiobook version of Washington Irving's classic short story. And it is free at Amazon and Audible right now. Yep, free.

I am hosting a The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Read-Along from October 17 - 24, 2014 to celebrate its release along with two other Sleepy Hollow-related books. The read-along is conveniently scheduled to overlap with Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon (October 18) and the Wonderfully Wicked Read-a-Thon (October 17 -27). 

Grab the free audiobook, download a free ebook, read it for free online, read your own copy, or borrow one from a friend or the library. Whatever works best for you.

Can I count you in to participate or support? Please:

1. Participate: Leave a comment with the URL where we can find your read-along progress. (your blog, Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, etc.). If your profile is public, we can check out your progress. 
2. Support: Help spread the word by blogging about the read-along, joining the read-along thunder clap (see right bar), or sharing this post on your favorite social media sites.
3. Drop by MAD Hoydenish during the read along. I'll be sharing some Sleepy Hollow-related posts.

New to Audible? Yes, there's an app for that. You can download a free Audible listening app for smartphones, tablets, computers, Kindles, and/or MP3 players. You don't have to sign up for a trial to get this book for free.

"In the secluded Dutch territory of Sleepy Hollow, nebbish schoolmaster Ichabod Crane competes with the town hero for the hand of Katrina Van Tassel, the 18-year-old daughter and sole child of a wealthy farmer. As Crane leaves a party at the Van Tassel's farm one autumn evening, he is pursued by the Headless Horseman, an apparition said to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper snuffed out by a stray cannonball during the Revolutionary War." - Public Domain(P)2014 Audible Inc.

I will be giving away a MP3 player during the 5th Annual Spooktacular Giveaway Hop. 

Saddle up, the epic adventure continues Monday. #sleepyhollow http://t.co/ziC5RonZ8l
— Sleepy Hollow (@SleepyHollowFOX) September 18, 2014

THE SEA HOUSE Kindle Fire Giveaway from Elisabeth Gifford

Don't miss The Sea House, a stunning fiction debut from the UK. Set in a house on the windswept coast of the Outer Hebrides, Elisabeth Gifford's haunting tale effortlessly bridges a gap of more than a century. Adeptly interweaving two tales involving residents of the titular house, Gifford sets up an absorbing mystery revolving around local lore and myths about mermaids, selkies, and sealmen. Stretching seamlessly back and forth through time, layers upon layers of secrets are slowly and effectively peeled away in this evocative debut (Booklist).

Celebrate with Elisabeth by entering her Kindle giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 19th. Winner will be announced October 20th at Elisabeth's Blog.

 

Watch the trailer:

Teaser Tour and Giveaway: Who R U Really? by Margo Kelly

Today I have a teaser tour for Who R U Really? by Margo Kelly. This is a young adult thriller and is available for sale now. I think that you'll find the book's premise to be quite unique.

Margo Kelly’s Debut Who R U Really? was Ripped from a Real Life Event

After her daughter narrowly survived a man she met in an online role-playing game, Kelly wrote a breathless young adult thriller with the hopes of helping others spot and unmask internet predators.

When a Nampa, Idaho, police detective said to Margo Kelly’s daughter, “It is your job to tell others—your real everyday friends that you go to school with—tell them what happened to you, so nothing like this can happen to them.” … she agreed.

“My daughter is my hero,” Kelly said, “for being willing to share her personal choices, conversations, and feelings in order to help others, regardless of the negative judgment she might receive as a result.” Additionally, Kelly realized if she wrote a novel about her daughter’s experience, they could help more people avoid the trappings of internet predators. Who R U Really? is primarily a work of fiction, but the essence of the plot is what happened when Kelly’s daughter was nearly abducted. The
fictional elements are based on what has happened to young women across the country on a too frequent basis.

“Inspired by her own daughter's terrifying story, Kelly has painted a realistic picture of how a smart girl can get caught up in something dangerous online,” said the School Library Journal. “Guaranteed to give readers goosebumps—particularly as events heat up toward the end. … A good
choice for families to read together.”

According to the Fall Preview issue of Kirkus Reviews, “Thea’s mistakes, while frustrating to encounter, are frighteningly plausible, and the relationships among characters are well–fleshed out, especially between mother and daughter. Kelly’s first novel is a suspenseful page-turner with multiple suspects, a little bit of romance, and a strong but not overbearing message.”

About the Book:

Who R U Really? by Margo Kelly
(ages 12-18)

When Thea discovers a new role-playing game online, she breaks her parents’ rules to play. And in the world of the game, Thea falls for an older boy named Kit whose smarts and savvy can’t defeat his near-suicidal despair. Soon, he’s texting her, asking her to meet him, and talking in vague ways about how they can be together forever. As much as she suspects that this is wrong, Thea is powerless to resist Kit’s allure, and hurtles toward the very fate her parents feared most. Who R U Really? will excite you and scare you, as Thea’s life spins out of control.

“Kelly has painted a realistic picture of how a smart girl can get caught up in something dangerous online. … Guaranteed to give readers goosebumps.” -- School Library Journal. (http://www.bookverdict.com)

“Thea’s mistakes, while frustrating to encounter, are frighteningly plausible, and the relationships among characters are well–fleshed out, especially between mother and daughter. Kelly’s first novel is a suspenseful page-turner.” -- Kirkus Reviews (www.kirkusreviews.com)

Amazon | B&N | AdamsMediaStore | Goodreads

About the Author:

Margo Kelly is a native of the Northwest and currently resides in Idaho. A veteran public speaker, she is now actively pursuing her love of writing. Who R U Really? is her first novel. Margo welcomes the opportunities to speak to youth groups, library groups, and book clubs.

Author Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter (@MargoWKelly) | Goodreads  

Giveaway:

Hardcover of Who R U Really?

US only

a Rafflecopter giveaway