TWRP TWEET-4-ALL!

The authors of The Wild Rose Press are planning to take over Twitter! Wednesday, July 13th, we're going to blast the Twitter-verse with tweets about our own books, and our colleagues' books. Then we'll re-tweet and hashtag away until everyone will have to click the links and find out what great authors we all are!

My Wild Rose Press release is my paranormal/fantasy romance Through Hell and High Water.


Blurb:

What if your life is nothing but a spell full of lies…?

When Melaina attends her friend’s Halloween party she never expects to be thrust into a surreal world. But she finds herself irresistibly drawn to a broad-shouldered stranger who somehow knows her name. When one of the guests disappears in flames, the sexy hunk whisks her away…and spins a fantastic tale.

Oren knows Melaina is a real-life water nymph under a faery’s memory spell. Melaina is his soul mate and their betrothal restored power to the naiad people--until a demon decided he'd rather have Melaina for himself. Now, the demon has tracked her down and Oren must find a way to restore Melaina's memory before it is too late.

Melaina is astonished. Naiads? Faeries? Demons? But she can't ignore her attraction to Oren--or the way his touch is making her body remember things her brain can't...


Excerpt:

A plan had just begun to take shape in my head when I saw “him” across the room.

He stood tall and broad shouldered, his pale skin practically glowing in the light. His blond hair, slightly darker than my own, barely skimmed his shoulders and framed the most handsome face I think I’d ever seen. High, sculpted cheekbones melded into a solid jaw set with determination. His shirt stretched across a muscular chest, and the blue fabric matched my own costume.

My breath caught as my eyes committed each minute detail of him to memory. My mouth watered as my eyes eagerly drank him in. He had the bottom of his shirt tucked into the narrow waistband of black leather pants that hugged a pair of firm thighs like an embrace.

When my gaze returned to his face from the little visual vacation it took over his perfect body, I found him staring at me with a pair of ocean-blue eyes I thought of drowning in. Something about his eyes reminded me of the ones that stared back at me from the mirror each day. That fact I noted with a start. Whoa.

I stood mesmerized as he walked towards me. He moved with a grace unlike any man I’d ever seen, gliding across the room with fluid and deliberate strides.

He stopped in front of me, his eyes even more striking and blue up close, and they were intently studying me. I looked down for a moment, confusion clouding my brain. I realized we were standing in the middle of the room. Apparently, my feet had a mind of their own and decided to meet him halfway, because I had no memory at all of giving them the command to move.

Available for purchase from:
The Wild Rose Press
Amazon.com
All Romance eBooks
Barnes & Noble

To Read, Or Not To Read

One of my fellow authors, Lisa Pietsch, posted a blog recently about a children's book that had caused a bit of a stir at another author's school board meeting. The book in question was Newberry Award Winner The Giver by Lois Lowry.

Apparently, some of the parents were concerned that this book was on the reading list for the fifth graders at that school, and felt it was too mature for that age group and requested the book be removed from the list.

I am always one to take the side of the book, but I wanted to find out about it before I made my decision. So, I picked up The Giver from my local B&N and settled in for what I hoped to be a good read.

The book blew me away.

I was sucked in to the story at once, fascinated by the world Lois Lowry created. The Giver takes place in a futuristic "utopian" society where everything is organized and controlled. There is no worry, no hunger, no war. But in trade, there is also no individuality, no joy, no love. People make no decisions for themselves. The young hero, Jonas, is about to turn twelve and get his job assignment for the rest of his life. He is chosen to be the community's new Receiver of Memory. All memories of all life before will be transferred to Jonas to bear alone, so that society may continue to exist without the burden. Jonas discovers many things that he can't belive have been "lost" to the community, such as colors, music, snow - but he also finds out what pain is, loss, and in the end discovers the hipocrisy that this utopia is built on, driving him to make the first and possibly final choice in his young lifetime.

There are so many things to spark discussion for young people in this book. The topic of what utopia means, or world peace, or what sacrifices might have to be made for a society to run without trouble. What emotions really mean, and how can we say someone is wrong if they have never been shown another way? Not to mention the underlying theme of how a world would be if no one was treated as an individual - complete and total equality. I would have loved to have read this book as a student, and I see no problem with the 7-12 year age rage it is rated.

I think parents that get up in arms over books that obviously were chosen for their literary contribution to the learning process should step back and take a real look at why they are uncomfortable. Turn it around. TALK about it with your kids. Use the opportunity to get to know your child better and how he or she thinks.

That's the power of books for children.

Use it.

It's My Birthday and I'll Blog if I Want To!

So today, I turned 35. Yeah, that's right. I'll admit to my real age. Most people are shocked to find out my age, thinking I'm younger (yay), but I've lived those years, so I might as well own them!

It's been a really nice birthday, too. I slept in late - one of my favorite things to do, because sleep for me can be fleeting. I got all girly and put on a dress with sexy red pumps - hubby approved. Then we set off to see what we could get into...

We ended up seeing the new Disney/Pixar movie Up. Having seen mostly action/adventure movies lately, I was in the mood for something different. I wasn't prepared for the emotional journey this little film took me on! It was sad, touching, funny, exciting - I loved it! I spent the first 20 minutes bawling my eyes out. It was worth it, and I highly recommend you see it!

Then we went to Ruby Tuesday's and had a great steak dinner. It was a bit of a splurge, but we had a coupon! (lol!)

After my belly was full, the hubby took me to one of my favorite places - Half Price Books! This place is like a candy store to me, and I bought a load of stuff - 3 Katie Macallister books, a Cheyenne McCray novel , a Mary-Janice Davidson anthology, and a book by Amber Benson. The good old TBR pile just grew immensely!

(I also got a build your own TARDIS kit with David Tennant on the front. Excuse me while I squee like the fangirl I am!)

And now, I'm home, in front of the laptop, sharing my day with all my online friends! All the birthday wishes just make me smile so much!

I plan on curling up with the hubby this evening and watching the Primeval finale. My sister is also supposed to call (she's in Texas). Then perhaps the hubby will help me with a little novel "research". (hint, hint. nudge, nudge. know what I mean?)

So, here's to me, my friends, my family, and the hope of more great years to come!

Happy Birthday to Me!