EXCERPT: Searching For Normal by Alison Neuman

by Alison Neuman

Searching for Normal is a book about following in the great tradition of creative nonfiction. Detailing her personal experience from the onset of a rare and painful illness at the age of three, Alison Neuman recounts her personal journey coming to terms with an ever-shifting conception of 'normality'. The disease having shaped her life in ways most could never imagine, a carefree childhood quickly morphed into a blur of ongoing hospitalizations, increasingly reduced mobility, and overwhelming fatigue and pain. But amidst her constant battles with her health, Alison emerged as a champion. Searching for Normal will leave readers awed by Alison's perseverance and strength of character. Her story serves as a pertinent reminder that 'normal', is in the eye of the beholder.

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EXCERPT: But when I got back home, my internet search of dementia quickly reduced me to tears. Each prognosis had the sufferer's identity slowly stripped away, until their spirit, their essence completely disappeared. There was no cure; there was no way to stop it. For the first time in my life, I truly felt alone.Medications helped Mom in her rehabilitation from the strokes, and we began to be able to reopen the lines of communication as her vocabulary returned. But I had resigned myself to the fact that things would by and large get worse, and not better. And I'd also resigned myself to the fact that as her condition progressed, and she ultimately passed away, much of my life would come to an end. There was no way that I could manage in this big scary world without her. She made the world feel safe. She made life livable when my disease stole everything else from me.…I gladly became her caregiver, helping her with all the daily tasks of living as she had done for me for so many years. I took over her dressing, bathing, and cooking as much as I could. And as the disease progressed, I became adept at playing the sort of charades necessary to interpret the meaning of the words that were lost to her as they traveled through the neurons of her brain. It seemed particularly cruel to me, in my endeavor to become a writer, that language was letting her down.

Meet the author:

Alison Neuman lives in Alberta, Canada, where she works as a freelance writer. Nearing the end of her studies at Grant MacEwan College, she was inspired to complete the first draft of Ice Rose: A Young Adult Spy Novel. The YA novel integrates her love for gadgetry with the broad imaginative license afforded by the secret agent genre, and features a female protagonist in a wheelchair. It was published in 2010 by Fireside Publications. Alison’s work has appeared in MacEwan Today, Westword, and the Edmonton Journal as well as on three tracks of the CD release, Outside The Window, and as a credit on the script for Cheryl Kaye Tardif's screenplay adaptation of Whale Song. She was also an "Edmonton Stories' top-ten finalist, a winner in the "Expressions of Hunger" in the Emotional Poetry Category (2009), and a nominee for the Northlands Award for Emerging Artist (2012), Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award, and Avenue’s "Top 40 Under 40." Alison was also honoured in 2011 for her human rights work in advocating for the rights of the disabled. One of her greatest achievements is an integrative camp she started for children from all walks of life—both with and without disabilities. Camp Mission Access uses a secret agent theme and activities as children of all abilities complete mission activities. Since 2010, she has been a member of iDANCE Edmonton, performing regularly. A musical version of Searching for Normal, will debut at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival in August 2013. Alison is currently working towards her Master of Arts at Athabasca University and, when time permits, completing her next YA novel.

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BOOK BLAST: Best Served Cold by Tawdra Kandle

 

By Tawdra Kandle

Sometimes revenge is your only choice. . .

Julia worked for weeks planning the perfect surprise birthday party for her boyfriend, Liam, but that night, she was the one who got the biggest shock. He broke up with her in front of all their friends, humiliating her in the process. Clearly revenge was in order. The plan is simple. Make him jealous, win him back, and then crush his heart. Fair is fair. However, there is one little hiccup and he has curly brown hair and dimples. Jesse is everything she wants. With him, she could almost forget her bruised heart. Almost. Julia has one choice: let Liam walk away after everything he did, or lose a chance at love in pursuit of payback. AVAILABLE NOW Amazon/Barnes and Noble/Smashwords





Tawdra Kandle has been a writer since pens were invented. Her first published story appeared in Child Life magazine when she was 13 years old. She took a brief hiatus of about thirty years to hone her craft, get married and have four children before publishing the young adult quartet The King Series. She has since published books in both the adult and new adult romantic genre. Tawdra lives in Florida with her husband and children, both skin and fur-types. Oh, and yes--she has purple hair.  


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PROMO: Marriage Fix by Sandra Edwards

By Sandra Edwards

Lecie de Laurent is dying to cut the apron strings and strike out on her own. With the house and the money she's inherited from Edouard Renault, she finally has her chance without financial repercussions from Papa. California is an intoxicating place for the sheltered, high society girl from France, and she's not ready to leave when her father insists she return home. Lecie's father, Maurice de Laurent is a powerful man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants--just ask her brothers, Julian and Andre. When Maurice threatens to have Lecie deported (thinking she'll come home), Lecie retaliates in true de Laurent fashion. Nick Matthews desperately needs cash, after his fiancée leaves him deeply in debt the day before their wedding. On the verge of losing his popular restaurant, Nick decides to seek out an investor to help pay off the debt. The answer to both their problems just might be wrapped up in The Marriage Fix.

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About the author:

NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY Bestselling Author Sandra Edwards writes award-winning romance in a variety of subgenres such as paranormal (mostly time travel and reincarnation), contemporary, and suspense. She lives in the U.S. (west coast) with her husband, two kids, four dogs and one very temperamental feline. Sandra's books often push the envelope and step outside the boundaries of conventional romance. For more info on Sandra's books, visit her website at sandrawrites.com.

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REVIEW: America's Darlings by Gail Bridges

by Gail Bridges

Genre: Erotica

This book contains explicit content not intended for people under 18 years of age. Leah Collins is a sexual gymnast, a brilliant athlete poised to compete in the Mexico City Olympic Games of 2112. She takes pride in her advanced skills in the sexual arts, but performing Courtesan’s Treat and Raging Volcano in front of thousands of cheering fans is no easy task, especially when sexual malfunctions threaten. At her side, a pillar of strength and compassion, is her best friend, Benson White. He is the one who scrapes her from the ground when her self-destructive tendencies surface. Benson is a talented sexual gymnast in his own right, the other half of America’s Darlings. They hope for a gold medal. What neither of them expects is to fall in love.

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Rating: 4 stars

REVIEW: I'd like to thank Promotional Book Tours and the author for allowing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It's been awhile since I've read any erotica. I was pleasantly surprised to read a book that was not only extremely hot and sensual, but it had an actual plot to it. It was tastefully written, as tasteful as erotica can be. I cared about the main characters, Leah and Benson, and hated when Leah got into a smidgen of trouble. The only bad part of the story was that I didn't feel any real chemistry between Leah and Benson, so when their story develops, I couldn't connect with that.

If you look at the book from just the sexual side of it, it has everything that good erotica has. Multiple partners, different scenes, different chemistries. If you take the sex out of it, you still have a half-way decent story about two Olympic athletes and their team, struggling to reach the gold in their sport.

Meet the author:

I have three grown children. I live in Seattle, Washington with my husband and our five cats. In the past I have worked in a variety of different artistic media. I have a BFA in painting from the University of Washington, and for over fifteen years I made award-winning Fine Art Jewelry (silver and handmade ceramics) and sold my work at local and regional Fine Art and Craft shows. My business, Vivid Arts, flourished - but always, I felt driven to write. Two years ago, no longer able to deny the writing muse, I took an open-ended sabbatical from my art shows. Since then, I've written two novels and a number of published and unpublished short stories.

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REVIEW: Stern Desire by Leah Shay

by Leah Shay

Her love can heal him; his love can set her free. The moment Kyra walked into billionaire Jared Stern’s hospital room and introduced herself as his nurse he knew that this paragon of loveliness was what he needed to mend his damaged soul. Jared knew he had to have her. They shared an instant mutual attraction. Drawn together by some irresistible force they stirred emotions in each other that neither had felt in years. But, Jared’s dark inescapable secrets plagued him, and they were a constant reminder why he was not right for her. Kyra’s trust in men had been severely destroyed and for years she felt nothing but mistrust and anger towards them. Jared’s mysterious nature reminded Kyra why she had built a fortress around her heart protecting herself from men like him. Reluctantly, Kyra gave way to Jared’s relentless pursuits. Will she jeopardized her career knowing that anything other than a nurse-patient relationship could be risky and lead to her losing her job or even her license? Will Jared’s secrets smother their hot steamy love affair, or will he do the unthinkable to trap Kyra into the relationship? One thing about secrets they rarely stay in the dark.

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RATING: 3 stars

REVIEW: I'd like to thank Promotional Book Tours and the author for allowing me a chance to read the book in exchange for an honest review.

The book itself was a relatively easy read. The story line went quickly, I kind of liked the characters. Jared was a controlling bratty billionaire. Kyra went against all of her ingrained truths about being a nurse when she fell in love with him, which makes me think she has absolutely no self-control. Jared loves this because he can mold her like putty. It sounds bad, but the author wrote it thoroughly enough for me to come up with those conclusions. As deep and altering as their love may have been for either of them in the book, I didn't feel it. That's where the writing fell flat. 

This was a very sexual book. Lots of sex scenes, some of them pretty hot, but it all went ice-cold whenever I read the words "v-jay" or "magic stick". Sorry, those terms do nothing for me. Maybe they do something for other people, but not this girl.

I wish I could have liked this book more.

About the author:

Leah Shay grew up on a small beautiful carefree island in the Caribbean. With the warm blue Caribbean Sea as her backyard she loved to walk the white sandy beach and got loss in the stories unfolding in her head. She had always been an avid reader and spent all her free time nose-deep in a book, or telling stories to enthused listeners. She loves reading, dancing, traveling, and music. As a child she would read anything she could get her hands on. Her local library was her favorite place, and looked forward to every weekend her mom would take her there. Her dream was to become a teacher, but fate led her down another fulfilling career path. She is currently a part-time registered nurse with a whole lot of stories to tell. To relieve her cluttered mind of the many stories floating around in her head she finally decided to put them down on paper, hence the first book in the Stern Desire series was born. Currently she lives in Miami, Florida with her husband and two children. She just can’t be away from year round summer and beautiful beaches.

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REVIEW: Ethereal Influence: The Inquisition by Lana Bradstream

Title: Ethereal Influence: The Inquisition
Author: Lana Bradstream
Series: Ethereal Influence #2
Publisher: Self-published
Published Date: June 16th, 2013

• ASIN: B00DFQLQJU
• Buy It Link: Amazon

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Synopsis: The Inquisition is a time of turmoil and fear. It is a time of horror and atrocities, when the faith of people waiver. Inquisitor Nikolaus is experiencing a lack of faith as he orders torture and death for scores of people - some of whom he believes were innocent. Lorenz, an angel of God, is sent to restore his faith and bring him back to God. But, the fallen angel Jakob is intent on capturing Nikolaus' soul with the aid of Ayla, a real witch who has surrendered her own soul.

Review: I'd like to thank the author for allowing me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is all about choices. Ayla starts out in this horrible situation, but how does she respond to it? She responds with hate and anger and a thirst for revenge. Ultimately, that turns her down a dark path that ends in an expected way. Was her soul ever in question? Could she have ever been good? In the beginning, absolutely. But by the time of her choice, there was no question. She was a lost soul. Could she have been redeemed? Possibly, but again, her choices led her down the path of evil.
Nikolaus starts out in a relatively good situation, his needs are taken care of, he's good at what he does, but he realizes that what he does as an Inquisitor is evil. Instead of just going along with it, he's in a moral dilemma of what he should do. Most of the book deals with this moral dilemma, encapsulated in the two characters of the dark angel and the light angel. Will he choose good, or will he choose evil?
I didn't really like the idea the author set forth that all witches were evil, sacrificing, Lucifer-loving people, because they are not, and they weren't. Perhaps a few, yes, but far fewer than are portrayed in many writings.

REVIEW: Knight of Wands by SM Blooding

by SM Blooding

Book 2 of the Devices of War Trilogy

Genre: New Adult Fantasy Steampunk Adventure Publisher: Blooding Books Book Description: (Can be read as stand-alone) Return to a world of mind blowing visuals, heart stopping action, and ships that sail the skies. Nix, Queen of Wands, has exactly what she wants—Synn El’Asim, the greatest Mark the world has ever seen. Even though she bound his soul to hers, he is not easily controlled. If she wants him, she must do the one thing that pains her most. Let him go, and give him what he desires. Peace. Armed with a treaty bearing Nix’s seal, Synn sets off to bridge the gap between the world’s two reigning tyrants—the Hands of Tarot and the Great Families. He struggles to trust Nix as he fights for control of his soul. He’s going to need every ounce of restraint when dealing with his mother, leader of the Great Families. She will not give up her power without a fight. Nix will honor her treaty only if Synn agrees to become her knight. His mother refuses to sign the peace agreement if he falls into the queen’s control. Frustrated, Synn does the one thing neither woman saw coming. He invites all the tribes, currently voiceless in the war between these two ruling tyrants, to partake in the treaty negotiations. All they have to do is prove their worth in his Peace Games. As Synn’s influence and subsequent power grows, a new fight begins. Who will control Synn’s League of Cities? Can he protect more people as a leader of the Great Families, or as the Knight of Wands?

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 RATING: 3 1/2 stars

REVIEW: I'd like to thank the author and Promotional Book Tours for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
When I signed up for this review, I was a little leery, as it is the second book in a series, and I never do well with jumping into the middle of a series.However, the author promised that it could easily be a stand-alone. It sounded like an awesome book, so I jumped on the chance to read it.
I got burned again. If you can get past all the back story that you're missing that's hinted at or not having the world and culture explained to you, then, yes, its a wonderful stand-alone book. For the first 50 pages, I was utterly and completely lost. Why does this psycho queen have this person? What the heck is a Knight and why is it so important? What are the Tarot, or the Hands? And who is this guy, in charge of an entire people or something?
Once we got past that however, the book got better. It got significantly better. It was almost completely understandable. There was a lot of the culture I didn't understand, though I think I picked up on a bunch of it along the way.
So if you're going to read this book, go for it. Its wonderfully written, and a great world. However, do both of us a favor and read the first book first.

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Praise for Fall of Sky City

Wow! What did I just read?? The story was deliciously complex, full of fear, wonder, magic, gadgets, gizmos, one heck of a psycho Queen and wonderful friends. Every character brought something to the story, each with a unique personality that came to life through the book, each with their own fears to overcome. Victoria Limbert I love the world Blooding has created. She managed to create it in a way that it combines specs of all my favorite movies, books, etc. It’s a mixture of young adult fantasy, steam punk, dystopia, sci-fi, paranormal and even some tiny bit of romance. Fall of Sky City is a diverse book that is intense, a little bit violent, and a whole lot of awesome! I look forward to reading the next book of the series! Unputdownable Books SM Blooding is a new author to me, but this is definitely not the last book I’ll read by her. Synn El’Asim is a powerful character–the reader sees him grow from a young man who has not yet come into his power to a strong man who is courageous enough to fight for what he believes in–his family and his people. The world building Ms. Blooding does is nothing short of remarkable. A world composed of flying ships, ice worlds, danger, and intrigue. My World of Dreams This book is action-packed and intense. You feel like you’re part of the drama. This story is intense. The action is perfectly paced. I had trouble putting the book down. I really felt for Synn from the very beginning. He goes through so much. As soon as he gets his mark, he is plunged into one situation after another. Queen Nix, who is horrifying by the way, pushes Synn to new levels, in more and more diabolical ways. With the help of friends and family, Synn becomes a strong leader. Waiting on Sunday to Drown I’m amazed of the world Blooding has created and built. It has Sky, Land, and Water Cities. These cities each has its own technologies, language, and a whole different way of life. These worlds remind me a lot of Avatar the Last Airbender and Star Wars, which I both loved wholeheartedly. Bahrain Newspaper Article Review!

Meet the Author:

SM “Frankie” Blooding lives in Colorado with her pet rock, Rockie, and Jack the Bird. Jack has refused to let her to take up the piano again, but is warming to the guitar. It might help that Frankie has learned more than two strings. She’s added a few more Arabic words to her vocabulary, but don’t invite her into conversation yet—unless, of course, you’re willing to have a very . . . slow . . . conversation. She’s dated vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, weapons smugglers and US Government assassins. Yes. She has stories.

She’s also an investigator with a local paranormal investigation group, Colorado Paranormal Rescue!

Find out more about her at:

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