Monday, January 30, 2012

Big Kindle Giveaway & Free Books to Boot!!! Check it out!!








WIN A KINDLE FIRE IN THE BIG KINDLE BOOGIE

10 Free Kindle Fires, 75 free ebooks, a $500 library donation. Entries for 10 free Kindle Fires are already underway at http://bigkindleboogie.blogspot.com. On Feb. 1-2, bestselling thriller authors J.A. Konrath, Blake Crouch, Scott Nicholson, Lee Goldberg, and Scott Nicholson are making 75 Kindle books free on Amazon. They are also making a $500 donation to the local library of one Kindle Fire winner. Contest is international, no purchase necessary. You can also join the Facebook party at http://www.facebook.com/BigKindleBoogie.

Three easy ways to enter:
Good luck!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

The Apocalypse Gene Tour & Giveaway

Authors Suki Michelle & Carlyle Clark are currently touring with Bewitching Book Tours to promote their newest release, The Apocalypse Gene.  

Giveaway details at end of post.

Global pandemic is raging.

Olivya Wright-Ono's once loving home has been converted to a hospice for the dying. Her ability to see auras forces her to witness, with agonizing detail, the vibrant colors of life consumed by malignancy.

The beautiful and troubled, Mikah, is an elite Empath in the ancient Kindred clan, led by the brooding, ever-morphing, monster named Prime. Mikah has learned a terrible truth . . . the plague is linked to Kindred origins. When Olivya sees evidence of disease creeping into her mother's aura, she has no one to turn to but Mikah. Can he unearth the Kindred secrets and find a cure?

Can she trust this boy whose power allows him to manipulate her very emotions? With her mother's life, and that of the world, in the balance, Olivya and Mikah embark on a quest to stop the Pandemic, only to discover it is far, far more than a mere disease . . .

Links:
Goodreads         Amazon             Smashwords 

Excerpt:
Hot with fury, Mikah slammed the wall with his fist, hardly noticing the pain of torn knuckles. They'd heal in minutes anyway. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. He strode across the room and shoved the computer monitor to the floor, swept his arm across the shelves, scattered artifacts, books, graphic novels, puzzles. Prime. That cold hearted ghoul. That monster and his freakin' songbirds.

            "Damn you, Prime," Mikah said out loud, glaring at the ceiling. "Damn you to hell."

            It was almost funny, wasn’t it? Cursing a demon to hell? He wanted to wrap his fingers around Prime's stalk-like neck – if it hadn't already morphed into some other nauseating configuration – and choke the life out of that lumbering nightmare.

            Prime's shuffling footsteps above stopped. The birds went silent. Mikah froze. Not two minutes ago, Changarai had reminded him that Prime can hear his thoughts. Had Prime heard Mikah speak his name? Felt the disgust in his words?

            Mikah licked his lips. Prime was listening. He just knew it. A minute crept by. The ceiling didn't creak. Mikah was sure that Prime could sense waves of loathing coming from below. He was up there probing Mikah's mind, tasting his hatred.

            Okay. Stay calm. Rein it in. Control yourself. Mikah sat on his bed and began to recite the litany he'd learned as a child, the names of Prime and his five Storied Siblings. Maybe Prime would think it was a fluke, that he'd heard Mikah say his name as part of a memorized lesson. Maybe he'd think Mikah was showing diligence to his studies.

            "Prime," Mikah said, loud enough to be heard. "Tiamat Draconus, Kali Medusa, Scylla Kraken, Phoenix Roc, Sphinx." Breathe. Breathe. He began again at the beginning, "Prime, Phoenix Roc, Tiamat Draconus, Kali Medusa, Scylla Kraken, Sphinx."

            He looked up at the ceiling, said it again, even louder. "Prime, Phoenix Roc, Tiamat Draconus, Kali Medusa, Scylla Kraken, Sphinx."

            After the sixth time through, Prime's footsteps began again. Scrape. Clunk. Scrape.
Clunk. Scrape. Clunk. Different than the shuffling gait from before. Had Prime morphed again? Maybe he hadn't heard Mikah say his name at all, but stopped walking as his body jerked and twisted with yet another change. And what was making that clunking sound? Had one of Prime's legs suddenly become heavy, the other weak?

            Mikah paced the room, glancing at the ceiling with every turn. Adrenaline pumped through his bloodstream. At last, the elevator doors squeaked open, and the monster began his descent to his sub-cellar lair. The freight elevator creaked and shuddered. When it reached the level of Mikah's room, waves of psionic power rolled from behind the walls, jagged and hot. Prime's laughter.

            Mikah held his breath, gripped the edge of his desk, shut his eyes as the elevator passed.

Olivya . . . soon.

 
About the Authors:
Suki Michelle is a life-long Chicagoan, happily divorced and still good friends with her Ex. She lives and writes with her soul-mate, Carlyle Clark. She has one beautiful daughter, Bree, who is the first reader and critic of The Apocalypse Gene, and without her input, it wouldn't be nearly as cool! Suki's other children are of the four-legged type, Dahlia, the German shepherd; Kilala the lazy calico chub-cat; and Koney, the tortoise-shell demon cat from the Seventh Ring. 

Carlyle is a burly dude from San Diego. He can look menacing at a glance, but as soon as he opens his mouth, pure intellectual. They are eternally grateful for the day they met at an on-line writer's workshop. They've been together for four years. On the outside. Suki and Carlyle are totally disparate. On the inside, they are the REAL Neo-Twins. You'll have to read The Apocalypse Gene to find out who the Neo-Twins are, but here's a hint: They are twisted devils with mirror-melded auras. 

As writers, Suki and Carlyle have complementary skill sets. Lyle is plot master and edgy dialoguer. He is a huge fan of Japanese anime, and he draws upon this to choreograph fight scenes. Suki enjoys painting a character's emotional landscape and writing vivid descriptions. They both have wild imagination.

Suki and Carlyle treasure every opportunity to share their work. 

Twitter:  @Suki_Michelle


Giveaway: One lucky reader will win an ebook copy of The Apocalypse Gene.  
1) Open internationally.
2) Contests ends at 11:59 p.m. 08 February 2012. 
3) Leave a comment with your email address in order to be entered. 




Thursday, January 26, 2012

Guest Post: Exposing Children to a Variety of Literature Genres

 


Growing Readers - Exposing Your Children to a Variety of Literature Genres
by Rivka Kawano
As adults who would consider ourselves “readers” we love to consume books like sweets. And of course who wants to eat just ice-cream all day when there is cake, chocolate, truffles, fudge, cookies, and more! While we all have our favorites - variety is the spice of life as they say.

So how do we teach our children to love all different kinds of books? If we want them to love reading more than one genre of literature as adults, we can set the stage by reading books with many different styles now.
Story Books
Want them to love the next great novel? Then make sure you read books that are not just strings of words such as many children’s books devoted to things like shapes or colors. Find true stories that include drama, tension, and resolution such as “The Little White Owl” by Tracey Corderouy.
Poetry
Stories are great, but children can begin to appreciate great poetry at a young age too. Try reading some of the classic to your infant. Babies will love hearing the rhythm and cadence of your voice as you read. As they get older introduce children’s poetry books complete with illustrations.
Picture Books
Aren’t all kids books picture books? Well, yes, and no. I am talking about books that are only pictures. David Weisner has drawn some great ones. These allow you and your child to tell your own stories, and really develop different ideas.
Different Styles
Take a minute to flip through a few books and choose lots of different kinds for your kids. Mystery, romance, sci-fi, fantasy, you can find a corollary to just about every genre in some kids book or another. Can you recognize the early patterns of your favorite? Share it with your child - and help them learn the literary terms in the process.
Read Aloud
Children’s books are great - but definitely don’t stop there! Children are never too young to start hearing books from all different “reading levels.” My boys are 4, 3, and almost 2, and have been loving listening to “The Hobbit” at night when they are going to sleep. Granted, we started with “Moby Dick” and that was just too much for them, which brings us to the next point.
Follow Their Lead
Never, ever, shove books down your kids ears so to speak. If they are not ready for that book yet, try something else. If it is too scary, try something else. If they are bored, or don’t want to read any more that day, or are wiggling and not listening, try something else. If they want to read a different book - let them! Your favorites might not be theirs and vice-versa. That is okay. Ideally, you will be able to find lots of books that you both enjoy. But remember, if you want them to love reading it has to be fun - for them! Make reading a wonderful time for snuggling and talking and learning together. Not just about the books, but about each other. Over time they will be interested in trying more new books. And someday they will be old enough to give you recommendations.
Author Information
Rivka Kawano is a mother and avid book reader who has read more books than she can count, and now loves sharing them with her three children too. You can read her children’s book reviews and ideas at www.BeautifulBooksforChildren.com. Visit her Facebook page to learn about live reading events and monthly book give-aways.