Dust billowed over her bare feet, warm as the sun caressing her bare arms.  Climbing the steep hill up into the cloudless blue sky she considered what she would tell her mother about her new friends in grade three.  They liked the pretty summer dress her mother had made, especially the cherries scattered along the hem.

She thought about the chores waiting for her when she arrived home.  The hens would reluctantly allow her to snatch their eggs from under their warm bottoms.  Peas needed to be picked and potatoes dug up for supper.  She didn’t mind.  Nor did she mind the almost two mile walk home from school.  If she was outside, no matter the weather, she was happy.

It wasn’t until she reached the crest of the hill that she saw him.  It was a shock.  He was walking in the same direction as she.  Why hadn’t she seen him on the road ahead of her before? If he had come through the fields, she would have noticed.  She sized him up as being a stranger having unusual clothes.  He walked leisurely.  Nervously, she raced on past the stranger.  He called to her.

In spite of being shy and not allowed to speak to strangers, the young girl quickly lost her fear.  After a brief conversation, she walked down the driveway to her home.  It suddenly struck her that this was no ordinary stranger.  She ran back to the road, but the stranger was gone.  It was then she knew she had met her guardian angel, or in later years, known as her spirit guide. Throughout her life, his special message for her remained unchanged and guided her, even at her darkest behavior.

That was the beginning of a journey down the road of the paranormal.  Several years later, her guardian angel saved her from drowning. Lying on the bottom of a lake, exhausted from trashing to stay afloat, she heard him say, “If you stand, you can breathe.”  She had just enough strength to straighten her legs before passing out.  Her nose was just above the water.

She went on to experience space/time travel, telepathy, and connecting with higher beings.  Later, she became a healer, sending healing energy on the wings of a higher power to people and animals across the planet.  In her practice of meditation and shamanic journeys, she travelled to dimensions that defy description.  Her experiences beyond the physical realm have profoundly affected her view of her life’s journey, and beyond.

Yes, the young girl was Feather Stone.

ABOUT  THE AUTHOR…As a Canadian, Feather Stone was allowed the freedom to explore a kaleidoscope of infinite ways of being human.  The only restrictions imposed by her parents were that racism was not acceptable and deliberately causing suffering to any other being or creature for any reason was not tolerated.  Upon meeting her spirit guide when she was a child, Feather’s life became a journey of experiencing the paranormal.  Through her practice of meditation, Reiki, and study of Shamanism, she’s been able to shift to dimensions that defy description.

On February 15, 2002, Feather was honoured to receive the Exemplary Service Medal from Lieutenant Governor Lois Hole (representative of HRH Queen Elizabeth II) for her service as a paramedic with Edmonton’s Emergency Response Department.  She and her husband are now enjoying retirement and loving their sheltie, Jasper, and two cats, Smokey and Leo.

Her motto?  Change your thinking, change your life.

Website | Blog |  Facebook | Twitter |GoodReads

Caught in a reckless attempt to stop Dark forces, Sidney Davenport, a young, rule breaking, spirited member of the secret paranormal community of Guardians, finds herself imprisoned on a naval ship and slated for execution. Her struggle with the unfamiliar emotions of fear and anger becomes even more complicated when she can no longer fight her attraction to the very man who has orders to perform her execution.

Captain Sam Waterhouse, a meticulous naval captain who’s suspected of treason, teeters on a precipice between Darkness and Light. When he receives an unusual prisoner, a paranormal journey begins to unravel his disciplined life. All the while, humanity is unknowingly at great risk when two Dark forces team up to acquire control of an elusive power. Sidney and Sam attempt to quiet their powerful feelings for each other, only to discover they can save each other, and in doing so, they might even save the world.

Through stunning imagery, an intricate and adventurous plot, and a strong cast of characters, Feather Stone gives readers a fascinating glimpse into the future—a future that is chilling, yet full of hope. – FROM AMAZON

• Paperback: 277 pages
• Publisher: Omnific Publishing; 1ST edition (2011)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005PJ04RK

BUY THE BOOK… Barnes & Noble | Omnific Publishing | Amazon | Goodreads

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS… And now the giveaway! As part of the NURTURE Your Book Tour, we’re giving away ONE copy of THE GUARDIAN’S WILDCHILD by Feather Stone to a lucky commentor of this post. This giveaway runs now through the end of the month and is open to those with a U.S/Canadian mailing address.

Good Luck!

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She had just turned twenty.

She was spending the night at our house so we could take her to Hope Center the next morning. The center was only a mile from where we lived, while Shyloh’s parents lived nearly an hour away. Shyloh had to be at Hope Center at 8:00 sharp for intake in the morning, so we had offered to take her.

Late that night, I heard her sobbing and rushed to her room. She had gotten a call on her cell and learned that her boyfriend was dead. He had died of an overdose. He, too, had been planning to go into treatment, in a different rehab facility. The two of them had great plans for their life together after they both “graduated” from rehab. Shyloh had been telling me all about their plans earlier that evening.

For Tim, that life was never to be.

For Shyloh, the hard work was just beginning.

Shyloh tells her story in WAKING UP HAPPY, and so does her mother – my daughter – Andrea.

I’ll never forget the times when Andrea was a teen and I was wakened in the middle of the night by calls saying that she had nearly died. Several times she overdosed on alcohol and ended up in a coma. We didn’t know if she would survive with brain damage – or if she would survive at all. Once she was found lying outside in the winter cold, where she would have frozen to death if she hadn’t – just by chance – been found.

Leaving Shyloh at Hope Center that morning was wrenching – as much as it had been leaving Andrea at a similar facility when she was fifteen. I couldn’t imagine how Shyloh would manage the huge weight of her grief over Tim’s death, while far from her friends and family and recovering from her addiction at the same time.

But Shyloh did the work, learned the lessons she needed to learn, and rose from the ashes of her previous life in a way I could never have imagined. She began attending meetings at a place called Connections, an oasis of recovery here in Madison, Wisconsin.

As I got to know others at Connections, I realized that all of them had stories that were begging to be told. Like my grandaughter Shyloh – like my daughter Andrea – like me myself – they had faced a crossroads, changed their lives completely, and learned to live with joy and purpose.

I began interviewing people and writing down their stories. While each person had chosen a different path, their journeys had many things in common with my own.

Ever since I’d quit drinking in 1984, I had been collecting exercises, tips, and wisdom to help me forge a new life. Along the way, I had uncovered a few secrets about change. First, I had learned that profound change was, indeed, possible. I had also discovered that it didn’t happen as quickly as I wanted. At first I was constantly frustrated at my turtle-like pace. But then I found the most important secret of all. If I did just one tiny thing differently each day, those small changes, in time, added up to a totally different life. One by one, I left my addictions and bad habits behind. And one day, I realized I was waking up happy.

WAKING UP HAPPY fell into place as I blended people’s stories with the exercises and steps that had worked for them and for me. Each time one of the storytellers in WAKING UP HAPPY learned a lesson in their life, I added activities that readers could do to make those same changes in their lives.

I realized that the book would be helpful not only to those recovering from addictions but to anyone who wanted to make a change in their life. I saw that the strategies for change were similar whether a person wanted to quit smoking, spending too much money, eating the wrong foods, continuing an unhealthy relationship, biting their nails, or compulsively and rudely checking their text messages while with their friends.

Even people who are very successful in their lives are often so invested in working and achieving that they destroy their relationships and let stress ruin their health. Stress can lead to early death. So it can be life-changing to replace overwork with calming, self-enhancing habits.

It became clear to me that by combining the true stories of people who had changed their lives, along with the strategies that had led to real change, I could provide keys that everyone could use to become their best selves and live the most fulfilling lives possible.

And now that WAKING UP HAPPY has been published and I have been hearing from readers, I cannot tell you how amazing it is to watch others pick up those keys and unlock the doors just waiting to swing open.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Juliana (Jill) Muehrcke is the award-winning author of many books and articles. Founder and editor of the international magazine Nonprofit World (snpo.org), she has studied at the University of Colorado and the University of Michigan and has a BA degree, specializing in English and psychology, from the University of Washington. Jill is listed in Who’s Who (MarquisWhoswho.com). In her spare time, she enjoys teaching yoga and eating ethnic food. For many years, in several cities, including Seattle, Honolulu, and Madison, she has written restaurant reviews.

Her latest book is Waking Up Happy: A Handbook of Change with Memoirs of Recovery and Hope.

You can visit her website at www.WakingUpHappyBook.com.

Listen to Jill on the Joy Cardin Show at http://wpr.org/search/ideas_program_search.cfm?StartYear=3&keyword=muehrcke&x=0&y=0.

No matter what kind of change you want to make in your life, this book holds the keys. As inspirational as it is practical, this first-of-a-kind handbook focuses on the positive steps of recovery and change. Powerful, absorbing, and beautifully written, it tells people’s true stories, the turning points that changed their lives, and their secrets to waking up happy, along with exercises you can follow to create a new life for yourself.

Brave and honest, Jill Muehrcke’s memoir and the stories of others recovering from addictions, habits, and intolerable situations are filled with triumphs and epiphanies, as well as concrete, step-by-step advice and guidance.

Lessons learned are summarized into secrets you can use to forge your own life-changing journey. The book ends with 365 Steps on Your Journey – one simple step for each day of the year. If you do just one thing from this book every day, you’ll see dramatic growth.

• Publication Date: Dec 07 2011
• ISBN/EAN13: 0960297871 / 9780960297870
• LCCN: 2011925975
• Page Count: 286

BUY THE BOOK… Createspace

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…We’re giving away ONE copy of WAKING UP HAPPY by Jill Muehrcke to a lucky reader of this post. This giveaway is open to those with a US/Canadian mailing address and runs through the month of May. Winners will be notified as a reply to their entry in Rafflecopter, on The Book Faery Reviews Facebook Page, and within the RSS feed email that goes out Monday-Friday. Winners are typically announced within a couple of days after the end of the month.

To enter this giveaway, use the Rafflecopter widget (if you are unable to use the widget for whatever reason, email thebookfaeryreviews@gmail.com and we’ll happily manually add your entries in).

However, my son said to me, “Don’t you know, Mom, that God wouldn’t have made you a writer if he didn’t think you could do it.” Okay, so how do you quit after that? You don’t! I didn’t. I went on to write Murder Uncorked and got an agent and within two weeks had a three book deal with Penguin. I wound up selling nine books with them. After six years of writing for them, I ventured off into the world of Indie publishing and have never looked back.

I am writing under a pen name for my thrillers because they are so different from my mysteries. They are a separate “brand”. This way a reader doesn’t get confused when they download a Michele Scott book versus an A.K. Alexander book.

I was wondering who else is using pen names out there and if so, what is your reasoning? If you’re not a writer, does it matter to you as long as you know what the book is about, or does it help you to be able to recognize which name delineates the type of book you will be reading? Do you think it’s a good idea?

Thank You!

Cheers,
Michele

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…I started writing when I was nine-years-old. I used to write short stories on my dad’s notepads. One day he read one and he said to me, “You are a writer.” It stuck. My dad is still my biggest supporter and he is also my mentor in many ways. I went to college at The University of Southern California. My parents though didn’t think that “creative writing” at USC was a major that would likely be lucrative in the long run, so I figured I would be logical and look at writing in the journalistic field. God (the Universe), etc. had a different plan for me. Soon after I graduated from USC I gave birth to my first son. He was six weeks premature and he had some health issues, which caused me to decide that going into a career at that time would not benefit my son. So, I stayed home with him and I wrote my first book. That first book is tucked away in a box somewhere because it’s pretty darn bad, but it gave me the confidence I needed to know that I could start, write, and finish a book. From that point on, it took me twelve years to become a published author and several manuscripts. It has been a wonderful and amazing process, and although many challenges have presented themselves along the way, I have never quit writing. It is my passion!

My other passion is Horses. These amazing animals are very dear to my heart and I have been known to take in “strays.” My daughter and I are very active in the horse world. My daughter is involved in pony club and three day eventing.

I enjoy work with other writers when I can , especially kids. I designed a program for young writers to help them learn how to write short stories and picture books to writing complete novellas for older kids. I have mentored several students now and it’s a joyful experience to see young writers and their creative minds at work. It is something I am working on expanding with some local teachers in my area.

Family and friends are extremely important to me. I am the proud mother of three amazing kids who have always supported me and are just great, awesome human beings (yes, I know I sound like every mother in the world about their kids, but I really mean it). My husband is my best friend and a very patient man, which is a real positive—he is married to a writer after all. We also have three dogs, a kitty, and eight horses.

When not writing, riding, or being a taxi-cab driver for my youngest, I try to find time to do a little yoga, meditate or cooking. I love cookbooks and cooking!

A.K.’s recent release is Daddy’s Home. You can visit her website at www.michelescott.com/books/ak-alexander.

A KILLER STALKS HIS PREY…
A calculating and deadly killer is in search for what he terms as his perfect family. Preying upon single mothers and their innocent children, the police have dubbed him “The Family Man.”

HE WATCHES THEM…HE TAKES THEM…
He plays out his role as the perfect father. When things don’t go so perfect in his insane fantasy world, the family man kills.

HOLLY JENNINGS IS ON THE CASE…
Crime Scene Investigator Holly Jennings of the San Diego Police Department is determined to track him down and see that justice is served. With Holly being a single mother herself, this man’s crimes are deeply personal to her, and turn more so when a friend and her daughter become the latest victims of “The Family Man.”

Along with tracking an evil killer, Holly is dealing with her own internal demons. She is raising her daughter Chloe alone after the death of her husband–a death she feels guilty for.

To complicate her life further, Holly is doing her best to avoid possibly falling in love again with charming veterinarian Brendan O’Neil. As Holly delves deeper into solving the murders, she finds herself being sucked into a game of cat and mouse by “The Family Man,” that may lead her down a dark path too horrible to bear. One that may cost her gravely-her family, her new found love, and even her life.

• File Size: 421 KB
• Print Length: 282 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1456332015

BUY THE BOOK… Amazon Kindle

THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…Thanks to Michele Scott through the Pump Up Your Book Tour, we’re giving away ONE copy of DADDY’S HANDS to a lucky reader.

He spends an amazing amount of effort to get to one particular feeder, stretching, hanging upside down, falling off and getting back on. While I admire his tenacity, he isn’t very smart: The same food is laid out plentifully on two easily accessible feeders nearby.

He makes this much harder than it should be.

If you’ve ever found yourself doing this, too, your busy schedule keeping you from enjoying each day, consider these tips:

• Slow down. You can’t do everything. When you say “no” to one thing, you say “yes” to something else.
• Identify what gives you energy and what drains your energy.  Look for ways to do more things you enjoy and to trim the drainers.
• Be clear about What’s Most Important in your life. Schedule time for family and friends, to take a trip, learn something new or enjoy a hobby. If time with children or grandchildren is a priority, put it on your calendar, so that it doesn’t slip away.
• Don’t panic when you get swamped. Allow yourself a “get-it-done-hour” and focus on your to-do list, checking off as many things as you can. 
• Be aware of how much time you spend on distractions, such as online wandering.  We waste a lot of time on things that don’t matter, neglecting more important or enjoyable activities.
• Deal with nagging problems. Often you can take care of small hassles more simply than you realize.  Make a list of issues you deal with again and again. Pick the one that slows you down the most and find a solution.

Have lots of fun along the way, and don’t make life harder than it needs to be. I’d love to hear your tips on how to slow down and enjoy each day more.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Author Judy Christie loves to help busy people slow down and enjoy each day more – in her series of novels about Green, Louisiana, and her Hurry Less Worry Less nonfiction books. Judy started her writing career as the editor of The Barret Banner in elementary school and has kept a journal since she was nine (and still has all of them). She likes wandering around flea markets, walking in the park near her North Louisiana home and visiting friends and family on her vintage green Kitchen Couch. Her most recent books are Downtown Green, fifth in the Green series, and Hurry Less Worry Less for Moms.

For Judy’s free tips on how busy moms can hurry less and worry less, listen to her weekly podcast: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hurry-less-worry-less/id435253514.

Visit her website at www.judychristie.com, Twitter  and the Official Tour Page.

Busy moms know the feeling. They’re constantly trying to fit everything – work, laundry, family fun, shuttle service, you name it – into 24-hours. They want to enjoy each day with their family but sometimes feel like they’re in quicksand and don’t know how to get started on a new path.

Author Judy Christie offers hope, inspiration, practical ideas and reminders of how important it is to step back and take a fresh look at your life in Hurry Less, Worry Less for Moms. The book includes a study guide for group or individual use.

Take a deep breath and refresh your life or that of a busy mom you know with chapters such as: A Map for Mom: Being the person you are meant to be; Organization versus Procrastination; Prayerful Not Fretful; and Making Choices, Facing Changes.

BUY THE BOOK… Amazon | Kindle Store | Barnes & Noble

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS… We’re giving away ONE copy of HURRY LESS WORRY LESS FOR MOMS by Judy Christie to a lucky reader of this post. This giveaway is open to those with a US/Canadian mailing address and runs through the month of May. Winners will be notified as a reply to their post comment (email does go out when there is a reply on their original comment), on The Book Faery Reviews Facebook Page, and within the RSS feed email that goes out Monday-Friday. Winners are typically announced within a couple of days after the end of the month.

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1. Start a binder. This is a habit I’ve freely borrowed from Phyllis A. Whitney’s wonderful Guide to Fiction Writing, though over the years I’ve adapted her own “notebook method” to suit my own needs. Before I read her writing guide I was forever losing track of all the little bits of paper on which I’d taken notes, and forgetting ideas that came to me at odd times, but now whenever I get the first germ of an idea for a book I start a 3-ring binder for it. I label the binder, section it off with dividers like I used to do for schoolwork, and fill it with lots of lined paper. And on the first page I write the date I got the idea for the book, and what the idea was. My standard sections are always “Work Calendar”, in which I keep track of my writing progress day by day; “Plotting”, in which I write down any and all ideas that come to me (and paste in those messy little jotted notes I make while in the bathtub); “Outline”, in which I occasionally (but only occasionally) try to guess what might happen in the next few chapters; “Characters”, which I use mainly for writing down names and keeping notes on any real-life historical characters, and “Revisions”, in which I keep track of all the things I know I’m going to need to go back and change in the second draft (especially helpful if I decide to change someone’s name or age, which has happened). The rest of the binder is divided into a heap of “Research” sub-sections, depending on the book. In my binder for my book The Winter Sea, I have “Research” sub-sections for the 1708 invasion attempt, Jacobite spies, Scottish clothing for 1700-1710, English and French clothing for the same period, the Scots and Royal navies, Cruden Bay, James VIII of Scotland, Union Politics, The Irish Brigades, and several other things that would likely bore the average person but were fascinating to me and essential to the story.

2. Do the preliminary research. Research, for me, is an ongoing exercise. Throughout the writing of a book I’ll be continually reading sources, searching out material, and checking facts, and this will fuel my writing which in turn will raise more questions that I need to find the answers to…and on and on it goes. I don’t expect to track down everything I’ll need at the beginning, but I like to make a start. I scout out my locations and visit the ones I can visit (though sometimes for various reasons I’m midway through the writing before I can actually manage the travel). I talk to people who work in the same fields as my characters. And I start reading what books, articles, and original documents I can, always with an eye to finding more. But I don’t let this stage stop me from the next step, which is…

3. Start writing. Don’t wait for inspiration to strike, just sit down and start putting words on the blank page, that’s the only way I know to start a story. Again, I tend to defer to Phyllis A. Whitney’s advice that “Probably the best way to start any story, long or short, is to show a character with a problem doing something interesting”, but I realize the first line—or even the first page—of my first draft won’t necessarily be the first line or first page of the finished book. I don’t look for perfection at this stage, I just want to feel my way into the book and start “hearing” my characters, getting to know them. Often for the first few chapters this is a very slow process for me, but at some point there’s almost a “click” I can feel and the book comes to life for me.

4. Keep going forward. Which sounds basic, but I’ve learned not to go back and tinker with what I’ve written while I’m working on the first draft. When I sit down to start work each day, I read over what I wrote the day before, just to get back in the rhythm of the story, and then I go forward from there. If I feel the urge to change something that’s already happened, I simply make a note in the “Revisions” section of my binder and ignore it till the second draft, instead of wasting a lot of time polishing a scene that might not even make it into that second draft, let alone the final book. This lure to go back and rework what I’ve already written instead of pushing on with something new is what used to keep me from finishing my books when I was a teenager, only now I’ve got wise to it. Giving in would, for me, be like trying to drive from New York to L.A. if every morning I had to get up and start back in New York again. I’d never make it to the west coast doing that, just as I’d never write “The End” if I kept “polishing” instead of pushing on.

5. Ignore the urge to throw it out and start again. With every book I reach a point when I’m convinced the story’s going nowhere; that it’s rubbish, can’t be salvaged, and not nearly as compelling as the NEW idea I’ve just had for this OTHER book… I’m writing my eleventh book, just now, and I’ve been writing books and finishing them for two decades, but I still run up against this wall in every one of them. I’ve learned to just ignore it. All it means is that I’ve reached the Dreaded Middle of the novel. It will pass. The thing is, when I start a book I have a lovely, perfect vision of it, and by the time I reach the middle, what I’ve written doesn’t look at all like that first vision. As a teenager, I used to think this meant I’d done it wrong, but now I know it always works like that. I only have to soldier on and make it to the end, and then I’ll get to re-work everything in second draft, and things will look much better. Never like that perfect vision that I had at the beginning, but that’s fine. There’s always the next book, I promise myself…

6. Reward yourself. To keep myself going through the Dreaded Middle, I give myself little rewards. These change, according to the novel and my mood. Sometimes it’s a glass of wine every 50 pages. Sometimes it’s a night out at the movies every 100 pages. Right now, because I’m in a bit of a difficult part, I’m letting myself watch one episode of Scarecrow and Mrs. King on DVD every time I finish a chapter. The thing is to find whatever works as a treat for you, and use it to help yourself through to the end. And your end reward should be BIG. Something wonderful. A whole day in your pajamas with a pot of tea, and other people’s books to read. Or dinner at a fancy restaurant. What you choose is up to you—the challenge is to finish what you’re working on, so you can write “The End” and claim your prize.

So there you have it: The Susanna Kearsley method. If there’s any part of it that you can use, I hope it helps. If not, at least you’ll have a little insight into how I spend my days. And if you’re sitting down to write your novel, just remember the important thing is simply to keep at it. Best of luck!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Susanna Kearsley’s writing has been compared to Mary Stewart, Daphne Du Maurier, and Diana Gabaldon. Her books have been translated into several languages, selected for the Mystery Guild, condensed for Reader’s Digest, and optioned for film. She lives in Canada near the shores of Lake Ontario.

FOLLOW THE AUTHOR… Website | Facebook | Twitter 

The first time Julia Beckett saw Greywethers she was only five, but she knew that it was her house. And now that she’s at last become its owner, she suspects that she was drawn there for a reason.

As if Greywethers were a portal between worlds, she finds herself transported into seventeenth-century England, becoming Mariana, a young woman struggling against danger and treachery, and battling a forbidden love.

Each time Julia travels back, she becomes more enthralled with the past…until she realizes Mariana’s life is threatening to eclipse her own, and she must find a way to lay the past to rest or lose the chance for happiness in her own time.

Read the first chapter here.

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (April 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402258674
• ISBN-13: 978-1402258671

BUY THE BOOK… Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | Other Stores

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…Review to be posted VERY soon. I can tell you though that it’s a good one!

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review from Sourcebooks.

Because I have such vivid dreams and I often talk about them, my friends have often asked if my dreams inspire my stories. I didn’t think so until I began to dream about bears.

Several years ago I started dreaming about bears several times a week. During one year, it seemed as though I was having bear dreams nightly. I dreamed of grizzly bears and black bears. In the dreams, the bears were often chasing my husband Mario. I was often trying to protect him from the bear.

In one dream I climbed a tree to escape a bear. Then I looked down at my own hands and saw they were claws: I had become a grizzly bear. In another dream, a bear was on a rampage in my neighborhood. Terrified, I confronted him. I told him I would become his bear-wife if he would stop his violence. He agreed to my bargain.

During this time of the bear dreams, I researched bears, bear mythology, and bear folk tales. I discovered that many indigenous people believed humans were related to bears. Bears were often totem or spirit animals for healers. If someone dreamed of a bear, then she was probably a healer. Many cultures believed bears could become human and humans could shape-shift into bears.

The Siberians had elaborate rituals and ceremonies for hunting the bear, as did many Native American tribes. They believed the bear offered itself up to the hunters as a sacrifice. The hunters had to be respectful and follow the rituals carefully so that they didn’t dishonor the bear or its spirit when they killed the animal.

Around the time of my bear dreams, I went to a workshop at Breitenbush Hotsprings in Oregon. Breitenbush is deep in the forest near Mount Hood, away from any town or city. We were surrounded by the wild. While I was there, I read an article about the Scythian mummies unearthed in Siberia. One of the mummies, the so-called “Ice Maiden,” had tattoos on her body, and she’d been buried with a conical hat and other accoutrements that indicated to the archaeologists that she might have been some kind of priestess or shaman.

As I read the article, I got chills. I knew I had to write about her. I devoured any information I could find out about her, the Scythians, and the nomadic cultures of the Altai Plateau in Siberia.

The story for Her Frozen Wild began to unfold as I did research during the day and dreamed of bears during the night. It became a story about the ancient shapeshifting People, the ascendants of the Scythians of the Altai Plateau. Tattoos and cave art became an important part of the story, too, acting as a kind of pathway to enable time-travel and shapeshifting.

Although the “plot” of my bear dreams never became part of the story of Her Frozen Wild, the dream where I placated the rampaging bear by becoming his bear-wife was at the heart of the novel. In my dream, I essentially agreed to become part of the bear clan. In the novel, the main character, Ursula, comes to terms with her own family history: Her grandmother had become a bear-wife decades earlier. More importantly, Ursula embraces her own true wild self.

Dreams can be potent symbols for our lives and creativity. I often put my own dreams in my novels as a character’s dream. Dreams have their own logic, and I’m hesitant to make them up out of whole cloth, so when one of mine will work, I’ll use it.

In the case of Her Frozen Wild, I’m not sure the novel would exist today if I hadn’t had so many dreams of bears. I always understood the visceral fear of bears human have, but because of my dreams, I also came to understand their raw power, mystery, and sacredness.

After I finished writing Her Frozen Wild, my frequent intense bear dreams stopped. Every once in a while, I will dream of a bear. I’m always glad for the dream. I feel as though I’ve been visited by a relative. Nowadays I’m always on the lookout for some wild or strange creature who might start frequenting my dreams. Who knows? They might just inspire my next novel.

copyright © 2012 by Kim Antieau. All rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Kim Antieau has written many novels, short stories, poems, and essays. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, both in print and online, including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Asimov’s SF, The Clinton Street Quarterly, The Journal of Mythic Arts, EarthFirst!, Alternet, Sage Woman, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. She was the founder, editor, and publisher of Daughters of Nyx: A Magazine of Goddess Stories, Mythmaking, and Fairy Tales. Her work has twice been short-listed for the Tiptree Award, and has appeared in many Best of the Year anthologies. Critics have admired her “literary fearlessness” and her vivid language and imagination. She has had nine novels published. Her first novel, The Jigsaw Woman, is a modern classic of feminist literature. Kim lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, writer Mario Milosevic.

Her latest book is Her Frozen Wild. Learn more about Kim and her writing at www.kimantieau.com.

Scientists in the Altai in Siberia uncover the 2,500 year old frozen mummy of a tattooed priestess. This mummy has the same genetic material as American archaeologist Ursula Smith whose mother disappeared in Siberia 30 years earlier. Ursula travels from the U.S. to Siberia to unravel the mystery of the “lady” and meets Sergei Ivanovich Polyakov, a Russian doctor who graciously invites her into his home. After they become lovers, she discovers Sergei has the same tattoos on his body as the tattooed lady. He tells a disbelieving Ursula that they have met before and she is destined to save the ancient People, considered as devils by some and shape-changing gods by others. A shaman takes Ursula to one of the sacred timeless caves where Ursula’s mother vanished. When Ursula allows the shaman to tattoo her, she is thrown back in time where she must unlock the mystery of the People and their link to her past in order to save them and Sergei—even if it costs her her life.

A rumble came from the cave. Or the ground shook. Something cried out: a baby’s wail? The men raised their spears all at once, as if they were one being with many arms. Asya’s brother and the other man rushed out of the cave. A dark blond darkness followed. The darkness roared, a sound that shook the snow mirrors and cleared Asya’s vision. The men fell upon the bear, plunging their spears into his flesh easily, as if he were a Christmas duck and their spears were forks and they were all fighting for the best piece.

Asya screamed. “Why are you killing this man?” She dropped to the ground and cradled the bear’s head in her lap. She leaned closer and tasted his breath; as he died, he whispered secrets to her.

Her father pulled her up; the bearman’s head thudded against the frozen ground.

Blood soaked Asya’s clothes.

“She’s the bear’s wife,” one man said. – FROM AMAZON

• Paperback: 382 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (January 11, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1467917796
• ISBN-13: 978-1467917797

BUY THE BOOK… Amazon print | Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble Nook | Smashwords

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…We’re giving away ONE copy of Her Frozen Wild by Kim Antieau to a lucky reader of this post. This giveaway is open to those with a US/Canadian mailing address and runs through the month of April. Winners will be notified as a reply to their post comment (email does go out when there is a reply on their original comment), on The Book Faery Reviews Facebook Page, and within the RSS feed email that goes out Monday-Friday. Winners are typically announced within a couple of days after the end of the month.

To enter this giveaway, use the Rafflecopter widget (if you are unable to use the widget for whatever reason, please contact thebookfaeryreviews@gmail.com and we’ll happily manually add your entries in).

…the MANDATORY question to answer in the comments below is…What was the last dream you remembered?

My first novel, From the Ashes, is a thriller set primarily in New York City. Because the city itself is a very integral part of the novel, extensive location scouting and site research was necessary to create the level of detail and verisimilitude that the story demanded. I was blessed with the opportunity to take several research trips to New York not only to visit the key locations where the novel’s secrets would be revealed, but also to discover unique details that I couldn’t glean from photographs or travelogues. If my characters were going to experience something, I wanted – as much as possible – to experience it as well. From minute yet important details about famous monuments, to the routes that my characters would take through a park or Midtown Manhattan while being chased by assailants, I got to see the world through my characters’ eyes, and, in doing so, I could envision what they would do, what they would need to react to, where they would go, and what they would experience in real-time, five-senses immersion. At one point in the story, one of my characters climbs on a world-famous Manhattan monument. Wanting to see what he would see, I did the same. Not only was I able to see what my character would discover – something that, without having climbed up there, I would not have been able to see – but I was also surprised to find that none of the many passersby paid any attention to my climbing on the monument, a surprising detail that I have my character reflect on when the same thing happens to him.

Though much of writing is conducted in a study, office, or other writing sanctuary, there’s something truly magical about the creative process when you are physically exploring the locations that your characters will inhabit. From being inspired by international vacations and everyday travels to seeing a particular site through your characters’ eyes, leaving the lonely cloister of your writing workshop and venturing out into the physical realms where your stories will be set is one of the most fully inspirational experiences as a writer for me, and it’s one reason that, as much as I love exploring and discovering new places and the creative possibilities they hold, I will never run out of stories to write.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…An avid reader since the age of three, Jeremy Burns was devouring novels by the time other children his age were still learning their ABCs. Blessed (and, at times, cursed) with a decidedly active imagination and an insatiable curiosity for nearly everything, Jeremy made learning and storytelling two of his chief passions. After earning his degree in History from Florida State University, Jeremy accepted a position teaching literature, creative writing, political science, and philosophy at an international school in Dubai. Like the characters in his books, Jeremy is an intrepid explorer whose own adventures have taken him from Mayan ruins in the Yucatan to the pyramids of Egypt, from medieval castles across Europe to the jungles of Bangladesh, and beyond. To date, Jeremy has traveled to more than twenty countries across four continents, seeking adventure, discovery, and ideas for future novels. When not exploring a new corner of the globe, Jeremy lives in Florida, where he is working on his next thrilling novel.  For more info on Jeremy and his upcoming projects, visit www.AuthorJeremyBurns.com and www.facebook.com/JeremyBurnsBooks. 

A DEADLY CONSPIRACY

Graduate students Jonathan and Michael Rickner, sons of eminent archaeologist Sir William Rickner, are no strangers to historical mysteries and archaeological adventures.  But when Michael is discovered dead in his Washington, D.C. apartment, Jon refuses to believe the official ruling of suicide.  Digging deeper into his brother’s work, he discovers evidence that Michael was murdered to keep his dissertation research buried.

A DEVASTATING NATIONAL SECRET

Joined by Michael’s fiancée Mara Ellison, Jon travels to New York where he uncovers the threads of a deadly Depression-era conspiracy – one entangling the Hoover Administration, the Rockefellers, and the rise of Nazi Germany – and the elite cadre of assassins that still guard its unspeakable secret.

THE LABYRINTHINE PATH TO THE TRUTH

Finding themselves in the crosshairs of the same men who killed Michael, Jon and Mara must navigate a complex web of historical cover-ups and modern-day subterfuge, outwitting and outrunning their all-powerful pursuers as they race through the monuments and museums of Manhattan in a labyrinthine treasure hunt to discover the last secret of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., before their enemies can bury the truth – and them – forever.

• Paperback: 394 pages
• Publisher: Fiction Std (January 17, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1936558327
• ISBN-13: 978-1936558322

BUY THE BOOK… Amazon.com (trade paperback or Kindle) | Amazon.co.uk (trade paperback or Kindle) | Barnes and Noble (trade paperback or Nook) | Apple’s iBooks Store | Sony’s Reader Store

Let’s now check out how her interview went…

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I’m so happy to have a chance to sit down and talk to Catherine O’Brien, the St. Paul, Minnesota Homicide Detective who, along with her partner Louise, just wrapped up, an extraordinary case. 

Stacy: Hi Catherine, Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions for everyone today.

Catherine: No problem.

S: Tell us a little about yourself.

C: What do you want to know?

S: How long have you been a police officer for starters? 

C: For ten years. I started in patrol and worked my way into homicide.

S: What made you want to be  a police officer?

C: An overweening need for justice. I think I read to many Justice League Comics growing up.

S: Your partner Louise says you have an Elliot Ness complex.

C: Of course she does. (Rolls eyes) What cop doesn’t secretly dream of taking down the mob? In the cold gray light of morning, Louise dreams of a bust like that too.

S: Louise told us a little about you, tell us a little about her.

C: Louise is possible the worst driver on the planet, and I’m not kidding about that. I call her Prius the Chariot of Death. She’s incredible talk, which makes me feel like a hobbit by comparison. She’s also really smart. As a package she’s annoying. I mean tall, pretty, smart, couldn’t she have a hunchback or something to even it out? But she’s the only person, besides my husband, who can tolerate me for any length of time, so I can’t complain.

S: Tell us about your husband Gavin. 

C: He’s hot. I’m not even sure why he’s with me. Louise reminds me all the time that he’s too good for me, and she’s right.

S: How does he feel about your career?

C: He hates the days when there’s danger, which is understandable. It causes some conflict between us, but we work it out in the end.

S: You’ve implied that Randy (Digs) Ray has a crush on your partner Louise.

C: No, I don’t imply. It’s a fact that anyone can see. Blind people in outer space can see it every time he’s in the same room with Louise. Louise is the only person who doesn’t see it and I think she’s lying, or being coy, though I’ve never known her to be coy.

S: Tell us about this case you just wrapped up.

C: It was just another day on the job. I still don’t see what all the fuss is about.

S: Well, the victim was rather high profile. 

C: Yeah, Nathan Stanley was a successful business owner, but I think the real reason everyone was so interested in this case is because he was friends with every big shot in town. Plus the sex and the blackmail. That always gets people’s juices flowing. I’m sure that’s what caught the attention of the media.

S: Your partner Louise was shot during this investigation?

C: Yes, and we’re never going to hear the end of it. I swear she’s such a baby about this. I’ve been shot three times and it’s not fun but you deal with it and move on.

S: So what’s next for you? 

C: I’m being forced to go on vacation.

S: Most people like vacations.

C: Well, most people are the poster child for traveler’s aide. Every vacation I have is a complete disaster. But Gavin really wants to spend some time together, and I can’t work right now anyway, so we’re off to the lake. Just saying that made me a little nauseous.

S: Good luck on your vacation!

C: Thanks.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Stacy Verdick Case was born in Willmar, Minnesota.  After a brief stint as a military brat, where she lived in Fort Sill Oklahoma and Fort Campbell, Kentucky, her family moved back to Minnesota.

Stacy currently lives in a suburb of St. Paul with her husband and her daughter.  Her Catherine O’Brien mystery, A Grand Murder, is available from Before the Fall Books.  Her second Catherine O’Brien mystery Murder is a Family Affair, will be released shortly.  Stacy is hard at work on her third book in the series.

FOLLOW THE AUTHOR… Website | Twitter | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads

Prominent businessman, and friend of the chief of police, Nathan Stanley is stabbed on the frontsteps of his Grand Avenue Hill home. Catherine O’Brien and her partner Louise Montgomery are tasked with figuring out who-done-it, in two days or less.

The investigation is complicated by the fact that Stanley wasn’t a nice guy.  His assistant, Tracy, provides a list of people who had reason to kill him.  The list includes a fashion designer ex-wife, a business partner, his mistress’s husband, an assistant, and their very own boss the Chief of Police.

The only evidence they have to go on is a missing cell phone, a stolen book, the victim’s letter opener, and an ugly pair of Alpaca wool mittens.

Join Catherine and Louise as they sort out the clues in A Grand Murder.

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Before The Fall Books (August 9, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0983713707
• ISBN-13: 978-0983713708

  

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Interview subject: Jameson Clares

Jameson Clares: Uh, okay. I’m a senior in high school. Lived in Las Vegas my whole life. Both my parents work at the Paris Hotel on the strip. We live in a nice house with a great pool. I’m captain of the swim team ’cause it’s the one place where I feel like I know what I’m doing. I’m student body VP. I like that because it’s something else to put on a college application, but I’m not the Pres, so it lessens the responsibility a bit. I’m close with my parents, which not everyone can say, but as long as I keep my grades up and stay out of trouble, they leave me alone. That, and they’re at work until 3 AM or so. It’s cool having night owls for parents. It’s also cool that I can get in the back door of most hotels on the strip, and I’ve never once actually paid to see any of the shows that come through town. 

(Jameson lets out a puff of air) Sarah . . . yeah. (rubs hand over head) Well, I’ve known her forever. I wanted to ask her out when we first started hanging out, but didn’t because we were spending time together, and so I thought it would just happen, but it never did. I tried to date a few other girls, but I liked Sarah more and so if Sarah had something going on, or something she wanted to do, I’d follow her. None of those relationships lasted long. And now? I’m not sure. Sarah hasn’t totally been herself this year, and I’m not sure how I feel about her anymore.

(A large, white, smile spreads) Sky . . . she’s . . . she’s almost not real, you know? Like everything about her is strong, but smooth, and confident, but quiet. She’s gorgeous, and when she’s walking next to me, I’m sort of amazed that she’s there. From the first night we met she’s had this honesty thing, and even though it can be awkward, it’s like, I always know where I’ll stand with her, and I like that. There’s something comforting about it, but at the same time she puts me more on edge (in a good way) than anyone I’ve ever been around. She’s addictive, that’s for sure. Full of opposites, but addictive.

She is also the author of The Next Door Boys and the upcoming Knee Deep.

Jolene Perry’s… Facebook | Twitter | Website |  Blog | Goodreads

After losing Sarah, the friend he’s loved, to some other guy, Jameson meets Sky. Her Native American roots, fluid movements, and need for brutal honesty become addictive fast. This is good. Jameson needs distraction – his dad leaves for another woman, his mom’s walking around like a zombie, and Sarah’s new boyfriend can’t keep his hands off of her.

As he spends time with Sky and learns about her village, her totems, and her friends with drums – she’s way more than distraction. Jameson’s falling for her fast.
But Sky’s need for honesty somehow doesn’t extend to her life story – and Jameson just may need more than his new girl to keep him distracted from the disaster of his senior year.

• Format: eBook
• ISBN: 9780983741862
• ISBN: 9781466052338
• Pages: 247
• Release: March 1, 2012

Night Sky… Website | GoodReads

BUY THE BOOK… Kindle | Nook | Smashwords | PDF

One of the phrases I ended up using is “Motor Mind.” It’s been fun to hear how some people are taking the phrase on in classrooms, families and work places. Motor Mind is that ongoing, non-stop thinking we tend to do when we are busy, in high gear, and stressed. It’s an internal talking to ourselves that goes on as if it had its own motor and an endless energy source. Motor Mind activity can include going over conversations with ourselves that happened at work yesterday (or in an argument ten years ago), reviewing the To Do list for today, or telling ourselves stories about our friends, families, or the usual star in many of our bigger and smaller dramas… ourselves.

Motor Mind is deceptive, because it really can feel like the non-stop thinking is going on all by itself, as if we have nothing to do with it. And it’s true that over-thinking is a deep habit, especially in our stressed, over-doing modern society. At every turn there is another bit of information grabbing our attention for us to think about. For many stressed people, it can be a challenge to turn Motor Mind off at night and rest deeply; it’s as if we’ve forgotten where the turn off switch is.

The truth about Motor Mind is that we have more control over our thinking than we may know.  Thoughts come and go, but the key is in whether or not we pay attention to a thought and start adding mental and emotional fuel to the thinking fire. Often the greater the emotional intensity around a thought, the more difficult it is to let go. But it can be freeing to realize that we can have control over how much emotional and mental fuel goes into that fire. We can get all riled up about a thought or memory and tell ourselves drama-filled stories about how something should have gone differently – that’s actually a choice. Or we can choose again when we notice a lot of intensity or emotion around something that happened, and ask ourselves questions about what we want or need: do I need to speak up here? Do I just need to let this one go and move on?

While Motor Mind can seem to run us, that’s actually the tail wagging the dog. We have much more choice about where we put our attention and what we do internally than we are taught in most families or schools. Noticing when Motor Mind revs up, and choosing to pull the emergency brake or at least slow down, puts you back in charge, and can lead to feeling freer, more in control, and happier.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Dr. Laura Maciuika is a clinical psychologist, teacher, and transformation mentor. She specializes in supporting the transformation of old patterns and internal blocks into new-found inner freedom, joy, and success.  Laura is the author of Conscious Calm: Keys to Freedom from Stress and Worry.

FOLLOW THE AUTHOR… Blog | Twitter @lauramaciuika | Facebook

Ready to transform stress and worry for good? When you are stressed and worried, looking for lasting stress relief can be overwhelming. There is so much information it’s hard to know where to start and what to do. Conscious Calm makes it simple. This book focuses on the internal patterns of stress that often go unnoticed, and shows you how to undo those patterns so that lasting calm becomes possible.Conscious Calm reveals 9 Stress Secrets that can keep you stuck in stress, and 9 Conscious Calm Keys to experiencing stress relief and peace of mind. Integrating science and wisdom from both East and West, Conscious Calm uncovers the inner stress traps that we fall into, and provides a clear, step by step guide to transforming stress into lasting calm, inner peace and greater happiness.

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Tap Into Freedom Publishing (October 26, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1937749029
• ISBN-13: 978-1937749026

BUY THE BOOK… Amazon | Barnes & Noble

I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review as part of the Pump Up Your Book virtual book tour.

Brodie, tell us a little about yourself.

(Shifting uncomfortably) Uh, do I really have to do this?

Yes. Just the basics.

Fine. I’m thirty-six. Divorced. One child, a daughter, 15. I run several restaurants and stores in Hope’s Crossing, Colorado, where I’ve lived most of my life. I love my daughter, my mom Katherine, my community. What else do you need to know?

What has been the toughest moment of your life so far? 

Easy. Four months ago, when I received the phone call from the police that my daughter Taryn had been severely injured in a car accident and wasn’t expected to survive. My world changed in that moment and everything else became unimportant. That she defied the odds and survived is a miracle. Now we need another one to help her regain all the skills she’s lost from her brain injury.

What do you think will help you achieve those results for Taryn? 

Evie Blanchard, as much as I hate to admit it. She’s our best hope right now. She used to be a world-renowned pediatric rehab therapist in California, with years of experience helping children just like Taryn take their lives back. We need her to help us. I don’t care if she had her reasons for walking away from her career. I’ll do whatever it takes to convince her to help my daughter. 

Why are you so uncomfortable with your attraction for Evie Blanchard? 

(Blowing out a breath) Why is that your business?

Just answer the question, Mr. Thorne. 

I don’t know. She’s beautiful, yes. A guy would have to be dead not to notice. But she’s just so … chaotic. I like order and structure. It’s important to me, for a lot of reasons. Evie is not any of those things. She’s color and light and energy. I just find the whole package a little overwhelming.

What mistake do you most regret?

Not cherishing every moment with my daughter before her accident. I wasn’t a very good father, too busy with my various businesses to give her the attention she needed. I couldn’t understand Taryn. Nothing I said to her came out right and we always seemed to be fighting. She didn’t like my rules and I didn’t like some of her irrational choices. I know I failed my daughter by picking a lousy woman to marry and be her mother. And I failed her by not trying harder to understand her once she hit about thirteen. All that will change now, if only we have a second chance. I’m counting on Evie to give us that.

What do you see as your biggest strength? 

My resolve. I want my daughter to get better and I won’t consider any other alternative. I’ll do anything for Taryn, even if that means bringing Evie Blanchard into our lives.

Thank you for talking to us, Brodie. Readers, to find out more about Brodie and Evie and their story, pick up WOODROSE MOUNTAIN, second in my Hope’s Crossing miniseries, on sale March 27.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…I’m not one of those people who knew from birth she was destined to become a writer. I always loved to read and throughout my childhood I could usually be found with a book in my hands. To the disgust of my friends, I even enjoyed creative writing assignments that made them all groan. But I had other dreams besides writing. I wanted to be an actress or a teacher or a lawyer.

Life took a different turn for me, though, when my mother made me take a journalism elective in high school (thanks, Mom!). I knew the first day that this was where I belonged.

After I graduated from college in journalism, I took a job at the local daily newspaper and I reveled in the challenge and the diversity of it. One day I could be interviewing the latest country music star, the next day I was writing about local motorcycle gangs or interviewing an award-winning scientist.

Through it all — through the natural progression of my career from reporter to editor — I wrote stories in my head. Not just any stories, either, but romances, the kind of books I have devoured since junior high school, with tales about real people going through the trials and tribulations of life until they find deep and lasting love.

I had no idea how to put these people on paper, but knew I had to try — their stories were too compelling for me to ignore. I sold my first book in 1995 and now, more than 30 books later, I’ve come to love everything about writing, from the click of the computer keys under my fingers to the “that’s-it!” feeling I get when a story is flowing.

I write full-time now (well, as full-time as I can manage juggling my kids!) amid the raw beauty of the northern Utah mountains.

Even though I might not have dreamed of being a writer when I was younger, now I simply can’t imagine my life any other way. – FROM THE AUTHOR’s SITE

FOLLOW THE AUTHOR… Facebook | Twitter | Website | Blog

He was the one you called when you needed rescuing … But who was Taft Bowman going to call when he needed help? Because ten years ago Laura Pendleton, the love of his life, had left town without a word, then or since. Now she was back, with a new last name–and two adorable, high-needs little ones in tow. Well, Taft had been stupid enough to let her go once before…he wasn’t about to make the same mistake again. He’d never stopped loving her–and one look at those adorable little faces and he knew that he was meant to be with Laura and her kids forever. All he had to do was convince her that this time he was a man she could count on!

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: HQN Books; Original edition (March 27, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373776373
• ISBN-13: 978-0373776375

BUY THE BOOK… Amazon.com | B&N.com

And Cornish pixies (or piskeys) could be be the most magical and evil of all.

According to Pixie Folklore and Legends by Enys Tregarthen, God once called on Adam and Eve after they’d been driven from Eden. Eve was washing the children (she had a lot by then) but still had some unwashed. She presented the clean children to God, and when when He asked if she had other children, Eve said no because she was embarrassed that some were still dirty. God was upset at her deception and so decreed that the children Eve hid must remain hidden. The children went away into the forests, hills, and lonely places where they remain hidden from man, ‘not good enough for heaven and not bad enough for hell’.

So maybe they have a reason to be annoyed. But a quick note to kids—don’t fight bath time!

When they’re in a good mood, pixies might clean your house when you’re not looking (please come to my house—see I left out milk for you!), and have parties complete with tiny horses and chariots when you’re asleep. If you happen to wander into a ring of stairs, you’ll be pixie-led, destined to wander aimlessly, speaking jibberish (or maybe that was too much whiskey—which oddly enough rhymes with piskey—but I digress).

Truly evil pixies are called spriggans and have been known to steal babies from their cribs, leaving behind one of their own kind called a ‘changeling’. A formerly sweet, perfect child grows into a sullen troublemaker. Who’s with me in saying they’ve met one? I know, right?

Kiss Me, I’m Irish explores a bit of this world against the perhaps not-so-magical backdrop of a jaded musician trying to break into the music business coupled with a young lady with a weakness for Irish gentlemen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Living so close to Nashville has provoked Bella to take up fiddle lessons. Until her tunes no longer sound like amorous alley cats, she writes romance with a touch of weird. FIND THE AUTHOR… Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

 

In 1830, Emily Musgrave is heading to a convent for misbehavior with Irishmen. In modern-day Tennessee, Liam Jackson is playing his Dobro in seedy bars. It’s doing nothing for his career and even less for the dark places in his soul. Pixie mischief can not only change time-lines, it can change hearts. Because sometimes a girl just needs a little magic in her life.

Kiss Me, I’m Irish is available for Kindle, Nook, in print, and for Smashwords.

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…Thanks to Bella Street, we’re giving away ONE e-book of Kiss Me, I’m Irish. This giveaway will run now through the end of March and is open worldwide. Winners will be notified via our RSS newsletter (goes out Monday-Friday when there is a new post), our Facebook page, and as a reply in the comments. Please like us on Facebook (see sidebar) and subscribe to our email (see sidebar).

When I was a child back in the Mesozoic Era, whenever a kid would tell us to stop doing something the common retort was always “It’s a free country”—in other words, I can do whatever I like.  Indeed, relatively speaking, we live in a free society that is governed by laws which ensure us certain inalienable human rights.  It sounds lofty and grand, but really, if it were all that perfect, why is it that one of the greatest problems from which we as a people suffer is from offenses and pain inflicted upon us from other “free” people?

Think about this.  When someone hurts you or offends you, do you carry the stress from it for days, months, even years?  Do you lose sleep over it thinking of things you should have, could have, said or done about it?  Or do you lie awake tossing and turning, struggling over what you are going to do about it next time it happens?  This sounds very much like a prison of the mind.

In all likelihood, the person who has offended or hurt you is not even thinking about what they’ve done.  They may not even realize they’ve done something wrong, or worse, they may not think that what they’ve done is even wrong.  What are you going to do to resolve this?

You have a few choices (though some really aren’t):

1. You can retaliate and do the same to them as they did to you
2. You can cut them out of your life entirely
3. You can forgive them

No doubt we’ve tried each one of these methods and perhaps have even succeeded to varying degrees at feeling better.  But I have a feeling that neither methods 1 or 2 have given you true, lasting peace.  And why is that?  It’s because once you have been hurt/offended by someone, something like a chain has linked you to the offender.  Retaliation or trying to cut them out of your life does not remove that chain because it is in your mind/heart.  Of course, you will need to separate yourself from someone who is endangering you, and method 2 in this case is a must.  But that chain still exists, even after the offender dies.  How do I know this to be true?  Think of all the people you know who are still hurting and suffering because of something someone did or said, long after that person has died.

To forgive (method 3) is the only possible way to remove that chain that binds you to the offender.  That offender may not even care to be forgiven, or may be dead.  But in order to be free from that chain, you must release them from their offense that is tied to you.

This does not mean that you will condone their behavior, nor does it mean you must allow yourself to suffer at their hand again.  It only means that you will release this person from a debt they owe you.  Unless you’ve developed amnesia, you won’t be able to forget what happened.  But you will no longer bring it up with them again.  And to take it a step further, you will no longer bring it up to yourself again.  The latter is most important.

You have the power within you to free yourself (and your offender) by offering clemency or grace to the underserving.  This is the type of life-changing grace—unearned, unmerited—that transforms lives.  It will transform your own life, and possibly even the life of that person who has offended you.  But if you’re looking for freedom from a life sentence of bitterness, true forgiveness is the only “stay of execution you’ll find.”

You’ve no doubt heard it said:  To err is human, to forgive is divine.  This platitude is more true than we might realize.  To forgive those who’ve wronged us goes against our human nature.  We seek out justice and even revenge when someone has wronged us; to let go is unnatural.  And yet, we need something more powerful than our human nature to free us from the chains of offense.  That is where we need the supernatural to help us where we fall short.

I turn to God for the strength to look beyond my hurts and memories of offenses against me because I’ve learned long ago that I cannot on my own strength accomplish what is needed to forgive someone.  But I’ve also learned that I become a stronger person when I allow this divine power to flow through me and release myself from the chains that bind me to my offender.

The next time you see an angry, bitter or depressed person, try to picture them walking around dragging their offender by a chain attached to both of their necks with them everywhere they go.  And perhaps encourage that person to break those chains and to live in freedom.

That’s the power of forgiveness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Joshua Graham is the award winning author of the #1 Amazon and Barnes & Noble legal thriller BEYOND JUSTICE.  His latest book DARKROOM won a First Prize award in the Forward National Literature award and was an award-winner in the USA Book News “Bests Books 2011” awards.

Connect with Josh at the following:
www.joshua-graham.com
www.facebook.com/j0shuaGraham
Twitter:@J0shuaGraham

THE DESCENT INTO HELL IS NOT ALWAYS VERTICAL…

Sam Hudson, a reputable San Diego attorney, learns this when the authorities wrongfully convict him of the brutal rape and murder of his wife and daughter, and sends him to death row. There he awaits execution by lethal injection.

If he survives that long.

In prison, Sam fights for his life while his attorney works frantically on his appeal. It is then that he embraces the faith of his departed wife and begins to manifest supernatural abilities. Abilities which help him save lives– his own, those of his unlikely allies–and uncover the true killer’s identity, unlocking the door to his exoneration.

Now a free man, Sam’s newfound faith confronts him with the most insurmountable challenge yet. A challenge beyond vengeance, beyond rage, beyond anything Sam believes himself capable of: to forgive the very man who murdered his family, according to his faith. But this endeavor reveals darker secrets than either Sam or the killer could ever have imagined. Secrets that hurtle them into a fateful collision course.

• Genre: Adult, Suspense,Mystery,Thriller
• Publisher: Dawn Treader Press
• Publication Date: July 5, 2010
• Pages: 448

BUY THE BOOK… Amazon | Barnes&Noble

CLICK THE BANNER TO FOLLOW THE TOUR
Which I created by the way for Partners in Crime…

K.T.: Why do we have to be so conspicuous? You know I don’t do scenes.

NDV: Puh-leaze. Get over yourself. If it’s any comfort, no one is interested in you if they can’t place you in the industry.

K.T.: You’re such a comfort.

NDV: One tries.

K.T.: I’m surprised Angie put up with all that smug. It’s so…

NDV: Put up with me? Girl, are you kidding? I deserve a Nobel Peace prize for all the years I hand-held that woman. Mind you, that’s all in the past now. You know, since Prince Charming’s in the picture permanently.

K.T.: Speaking of which, where are they? I thought they’d be joining us for lunch?

NDV: Uh-uh. Angie’s got the decorating bug since becoming a mother. That nesting thing, I’m guessing. Anyway, she and Jake go back to that wreck of a house in Grandview every chance they get to fix something, tear down something or plant something.

K.T.: I thought she was dead set on staying in SoCal.

NDV: Well, love does strange things to people doesn’t it?

K.T.: Are they moving back there permanently?

NDV: I’m thinking they’ll be doing summers in New York, maybe even the winter holidays, too, for a while. Angie was promoted to Principal this year and I don’t see girlfriend chucking her career anytime soon.

K.T.: Jake still teaching at UCLA?

NDV: Oh yeah. BMOC. His students just looove him.

K.T.: I bet Angie has plenty to say about that.

NDV: Actually, not a word. Jake and I were talking about that very topic last week and he didn’t seem surprised at how sanguine Angie is with his popularity with the female students.

K.T.: Because…?

NDV: Because he never gives her any reason to doubt how much he adores her.

K.T.: So they’re still gooey?

NDV: Nauseatingly so.

(Our conversation got cut short when a movie star plopped down at our table and monopolized all of Nigel’s time.)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…K. T. Wells has been telling stories since before she could read. She used to narrate books for her baby brother, concocting a plotline from the pictures. Not much has changed. One of her husband’s favorite pastimes is to listen to her tales after asking her to tell the story of people they observe in restaurants, airports or the subway.

Fascinated by the human condition, K. T.’s writing captures the emotions that drive the engines of our hearts. She is captivated by the rituals of love and believes everyone is entitled to a happily ever after.

Join her in celebrating her first published novel – Nobody’s Angel.

You can visit her at http://ktwells.wordpress.com.

Twenty years ago Jake and Angie were the couple everyone wanted to be. When they split two halves of the same heart broke. With their high school reunion looming, will they find their way back to each other or continue to be haunted by what was? An ensemble of friends is pulling for them, but will it be enough?

Jake and Angie’s twentieth high school reunion sets the perfect stage for their lifelong friends to reunite the former sweethearts. Major roadblock – they have to trick Angie into coming home after twenty years. An elaborate ruse ensues at the same time they work on browbeating Jake into attending.

Maneuvering through emotional minefields rates a 10 for difficulty level, particularly when Angie lives the maxim: Time does not heal all wounds. And Jake? Check the Wiki pic next to Pride comes before the fall. Yep, that’s him tripping all over himself year after year.

But the firm conviction that these two were meant to be together propels a cast of quirky, determined friends into action. When tragedy derails the best laid plans, will Jake and Angie’s love rise to the occasion?

• Format: eBook
• Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group (December 15, 2011)
• ASIN: B006MQ6A1E

BUY THE BOOK… Amazon

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…Thanks to the author, as part of the Pump Up Your Book Promotion book tour, we’re giving away ONE e-book copy of  Nobody’s Angel by K.T. Wells. This giveaway will run now through the end of March and is open worldwide. Winners will be notified via our RSS newsletter (goes out Monday-Friday when there is a new post), our Facebook page, and as a reply in the comments. Please like us on Facebook (see sidebar) and subscribe to our email (see sidebar).

To enter, answer this question…

Have you ever wondered where you old high school flame is today?
Would you ever reconnect (if you weren’t already with your other half today of course)?

Me? Well I’m happy to say that I’m STILL with my high school sweetheart who’ve I’ve known for about 20 years and today we’re raising 3 kids!

Logging in millions of miles on numerous airlines, while chasing new technologies and the proper funding to move them forward, provided me long hours to read hundreds of novels. It finally got to the point where the written stories were less exciting than the brutal and thrilling reality of what I was facing on a daily basis.

So how does someone who’s never written a novel before, or even taken a course in writing beyond the mandatory English Lit 101 course in college, start their first manuscript with ANY hope of ever seeing it published? To be honest, if I didn’t have the scars and obsessive traits developed over the years of being a start-up entrepreneur… I have no idea how or why anyone would do such a thing.

I just defaulted to what I know, and what I’ve been doing over the past 25 years in my own industry. The process is very similar to establishing a new company. You start with a design concept, do the research, develop it, start production, and eventually strive to get it to the market. To me, it became second nature, but I had no expectations, until it became a finished product. Then I had to “step it up” and attempt to make it as successful as possible. So with a Literary Agency, Publicist and Publisher all in tow, the readers will now decide if EQUITY of EVIL is worth reading or something that stimulates others to go “write their own”! Regardless… the second novel is well underway and I’m enjoying the process all over again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Rudy A. Mazzochi is best known as a medical device and biotechnology entrepreneur, inventor, and angel investor, with a history of starting new technology ventures throughout the U.S. and Europe. He’s been privileged to have the opportunity to see the newest innovations in healthcare and work with some of the most brilliant researchers, scientists and physicians in the industry.

Authoring more than 50 patents, he has helped pioneer new companies involved in cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, neurosurgery and even embryonic stem-cell development. Through these efforts, he has become the recipient of many technology and business awards, including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Healthcare and the Businessman of the Year Award.

Combining these experiences and opportunities, with thousands of hours of travel and long evenings in hotel rooms, he found the initiative to start writing a collection of medical thrillers based on true events, the first of which is entitled EQUITY of EVIL.

You can visit his website at www.rudymazzocchi.com.

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A Venture Capital Fund makes a risky investment to start a challenging new business that appears capable of reaching profitabililty with modest capital requirements. The real challenge: optimizing one of the most frequently performed surgical procedure in the World — Abortion.

Founding Partner, Roman Citrano, a successful entrepreneur turned venture capitalist, soon struggles with what he believes is his choice to establish the controversial new company. He soon realizes that he and others are but pawns on a massive, ugly chessboard being manipulated to benefit a far larger, illicit market in human organs for transplantation. Unknowingly, prime, hyper-enriched organs are spawned from the aborted fetuses and grown like hydroponic vegetables.

An unfolding world of deceit, rape, human trafficking and assassination becomes deeply personal as Roman’s sole love interest secretly uses one of his new abortion services to terminate her untimely pregnancy. When she disappears, his frantic search becomes a hellish nightmare that grows worse by the hour.

Based on true events, this bold novel involves some of the world’s oldest, most emotional and controversial issues. At the core of each matter is man’s predisposition to control and take ownership of the human spirit for the sake of profit and person gain… such is the dark and brutal new world where life becomes the equity of evil.