Leap Into Books Giveaway Hop

Congratulations to our winner!
Jolene and Family
june111 (at) att (dot) net

Enter to win the latest young adult ebook release from Tribute Books.

1) Become a Google Follower of this blog.
2) Leave a comment with your email address.

***

Night Sky
by Jolene Perry

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.

http://night-sky-book.com/

Young Adult Paranormal Giveaway Hop

Congratulations to our winner!
Memrie
darkangel231988 (at) gmail (dot) com

Enter to win the latest young adult ebook release from Tribute Books.

1) Become a Google Follower of this blog.
2) Leave a comment with your email address.

***

Until Next Time:
The Angel Chronicles, Book 1
by Amy Lignor

How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.

When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.

From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart.

http://www.the-angel-chronicles.com

Kerry Downing - Time Slice - Guest Post

My thanks to Kerry Downing for stopping by The Plot Thickens for a guest post during the blog tour for his book, Time Slice.

Guest Post

What is a plot, you ask? Good question, astute reader! I had to look up the exact definition myself and here’s one of the many that I found:

From Novel-Writing-Help.com:

A plot is a series of linked events concerning a character who urgently wants something important that won't be easy to get. The events should reach a satisfactory conclusion.

Over the years, I’ve read a number of books that try to help an aspiring author figure out what a plot is and how to plot their story. I’ve tried it, but it’s never worked for me. To be truthful, it takes all the enjoyment out of writing. And if there’s no enjoyment in telling the story the way that only you can tell it, why even bother? If everything has to be figured out before you begin, it feels less like a creative endeavor and more like homework.

Granted, I’ve only got two books under my belt so I’m far from an expert, but I can tell you what I’ve found so far.

In my first novel, The Collective, I thought I had all of the major events of the story plotted out. They were carefully laid out and written down in a nice outline. Event one happens which causes event two, and so on, all the way up to the final, climactic event. Once I started writing, however, not all of the events still fit with what the characters were becoming. My characters were taking on a life of their own, making their own cause and effect as the story unfolded. I kept revising the plot as I went along. In fact, I think I was revising the plot all the way up until the last day or two of writing. It wasn’t so much of an outline of what I was going to do as it was a recap of what I had done. The final story looked nothing like what I had envisioned.

When I began Time Slice I just started writing. I had the kernel of the story (the strange device that my main character would find that would allow him to travel in the time stream) but really nothing else. I let the characters manufacture the cause and effect for me, just like what happens in real life. It was much more enjoyable and, I think, resulted in a better novel.

I’d like to make one more point before I end, related to the final portion of the definition of plot listed earlier: The events should reach a satisfactory conclusion. To me, this means the story should end logically. There shouldn’t be any huge, surprise twist at the end that the reader had no way of knowing about. The story may not end the way the reader wishes, but the ending should fit with the rest of the story. And, if it happens to also be a happy ending, so much the better.

About the Book
Time Slice

Book Details:
Price: $14.95 paperback, $4.95 ebook
Format: paperback, ebook
Published: June 2011
Pages: 256
ISBN: 9781603818520
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy
Buy Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble,
Kindle, Nook, Smashwords

Blurb:
Ordinary People. Extraordinary Adventures. Science Fiction with Heart.

Newly retired workaholic Roy Washburn is not ready for a life of leisure. On a trip to the mall with his wife, he finds a small metal cylinder with odd markings. One nudge of the cylinder's triangle-shaped pointer and Roy finds himself embarking on an exciting new adventure in the Time Stream.

There he meets The Traveler, a tall, gangly being who shows Roy how to use the cylinder to visit other civilizations that co-exist on "his" Earth, each occupying a different, thin Time Slice. The Traveler solicits Roy's help in recovering an object invented by his murdered father and beyond his own reach. Roy is his last hope.

At first it seems that the Traveler's wish might be easily granted. But after Roy's wife Emily becomes ill and his daughter's long-held resentments rise to the surface, he can no longer "travel" at a moment's notice. He also discovers the very real physical and mental risks involved in roaming the Time Stream.

Despite the dangers, Roy is determined to help the Traveler. But he can't do it alone. Fortunately he has a loving wife and a core group of loyal friends. But first he must convince them--and his daughter--that he isn't crazy ...

About the Author
Kerry Downing

Kerry Downing set out to become a meteorologist, but was hooked by the world of computers instead, becoming a systems analyst and programmer. Astronomy and science fiction are his passions. He’s been gazing at the stars at all hours of the night since the age of 10, when he received his first telescope. As for science fiction, Arthur C. Clarke and his brand of “it really seems as if it could happen” has always been his favorite. In the 90s, Kerry found the third love of his life: his wife, Lucy. They live in St. Louis, Missouri, with their five children. Time Slice is Kerry’s second science-fiction novel. His self-published, debut work is The Collective.

Connect with Kerry:
Web Site
Twitter
Blog

About the Tour

Tribute Books Blog Tours

Time Slice Blog Tour Site

Tour Participants:

February 1
Crazed Mind

February 1
The Book Connection (author interview)

February 2
Heidi Ruby Miller - Just a Girl (author interview)

February 2
I Am A Reader, Not A Writer (author interview)

February 3
Live to Read

February 4
Feeding My Book Addiction

February 5
Book Lover's Hideaway

February 5
Red Adept Reviews

February 6
Peace Love Books

February 7
My Tower of Books

February 7
Sapphyria's Book Reviews

February 8
Carabosse's Library

February 9
Book Dragon's Lair

February 9
Broken Teepee

February 9
Wakela's World

February 10
Flutey Words

February 13
Bibliophilic Book Blog

February 14
City Girl Who Loves to Read (author interview/guest post)

February 15
Book Junkie

February 15
The Plot Thickens (author interview/guest post)

February 16
Adventures of Frugal Mom

February 17
The Prissy Book Snob

February 17
The Wormhole

February 18
Minding Spot

February 20
Books-n-Kisses

February 21
Livre De Amour (Books of Love)

February 21
vvb32 reads (guest post)

February 23
Mom in Love with Fiction

February 24
Mom Reads My Books

February 25
The Bookshelf Review

February 27
Celtic Lady's Reviews

February 28
Mission to Read

February 28
The Character Connection

Valentine's Day Books with Love Hop

Congratulations to our winner:
cody / evrythngzen
cody [at] wilger [dot] com

Enter to win the latest young adult ebook release from Tribute Books.

1) Become a Google Follower of this blog.
2) Leave a comment with your email address.

***

Until Next Time:
The Angel Chronicles, Book 1
by Amy Lignor

How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.

When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.

From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart.

http://www.the-angel-chronicles.com

Follower Love Giveaway Hop

No entries = no winner :(

Enter to win the latest young adult ebook release from Tribute Books.

1) Become a Google Follower of this blog.
2) Leave a comment with your email address.

***

Until Next Time:
The Angel Chronicles, Book 1
by Amy Lignor

How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.

When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.

From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart.

http://www.the-angel-chronicles.com

Dorothy James - A Place to Die - Guest Post

My thanks to Dorothy James for stopping by The Plot Thickens for a guest post during the blog tour for her book, A Place to Die.

Guest Post

How I Developed the Plot of A Place to Die

When I was a couple of hundred pages into A Place to Die, my first murder mystery, I decided to read a book on how to write a murder mystery. I found one easily, and the author argued convincingly that a good mystery needs to be mapped out ahead of time: You need a detailed outline and biographies of the main characters, and then with everything in place, you can concentrate on writing the novel: In control of the basic material, you will not have to grope around discovering what the story is all about. You will be a professional mystery writer.

I thought, he may be right but I can’t do it that way. To me the excitement of writing a murder mystery was not so different from that of reading one. What had kept me turning the blank pages of my mystery so far had been the desire to know what came next. If I had known the main facts from the beginning, if I had known exactly what my characters were like, where would be the genuine throb of interest that would keep me turning my pages?

I did know from the beginning where I wanted to set the novel: In an old people’s residence in Vienna. A running theme in the novel would be the whole fascinating business of growing old. I would use the device of a murder mystery to explore a group of old people, their carers and their families. They would reside in a closed society, as in the traditional country-house murder mystery, and the investigation of the murder would necessitate the interviewing of residents, one after the other.

Thus the murder, which occurred on the first page, long before I knew the murdered man, let alone the murderer, triggered the plot. And the plot of course revolved around the search for the murderer. This search, I decided at the outset, would take about four days, during which the Inspector could plausibly stay in the home himself, living under the same roof as all the “suspects.” The characters would grow out of their interaction with each other—and the plot would be carried forward by the characters.

I had to hold a lot in my head as I went along. The “clues” dropped along the way had to be accounted for. I played a game with myself: Never go back and change details to make later plotting easier but rather make the developing plot fit in with had gone before.

Why did I do it this way? Because I would have been bored stiff, just following details of an already worked out plot. Is it easy to plot this way? No, in fact, I am just coming up to the difficult end of my second novel, and the detective and I have not yet worked out who the murderer is. But for me that’s what makes plotting a lot of fun.

About the Book
A Place to Die

Book Details:
Price: $34.99 hardcover, $23.99 paperback, $3.03-$9.99 ebook
Format: hardcover, paperback, ebook
Published: April 2010
Pages: 436
ISBN: 9781450082709, 9781450082693
Genre: Murder Mystery
Buy Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble,
Kindle, Nook, iBookstore

Blurb:
Eleanor and Franz Fabian arrive from New York to spend Christmas with Franzs mother in her sedate retirement home in the Vienna Woods. Their expectations are low: at best, boredom, at worst, run-of-the-mill family friction. But when the wealthy, charming Herr Graf is found dead in his apartment with an ugly head wound, the Fabians are thrust into a homicide investigation.

Some residents and staff have surprising connections to the dead man, but who would have wanted to kill him? Inspector Buchner tracks down the murderer against a backdrop of Viennese history from the Nazi years to the present day. Witty, suspenseful, lyrical, this is a literary whodunit that will keep you guessing till the last page.

About the Author
Dorothy James

Dorothy James was born in Wales and grew up in the South Wales Valleys. Writer, editor, and translator, she has published short stories as well as books and articles on German and Austrian literature. She has taught at universities in the U.S., England, and Germany, makes her home now in Brooklyn and often spends time in Vienna and Berlin.

She wrote A Place to Die in her attic apartment on the edge of the Vienna Woods. She has traveled far from Wales, but has not lost the Welsh love of playing with language; she writes poems for pleasure as does Chief Inspector Büchner, the whimsical Viennese detective who unravels the first mystery in this new series of novels.

Connect with Dorothy:
Web Site
Facebook
Twitter
Blog

About the Tour

Tribute Books Blog Tours

A Place to Die Blog Tour Site

Tour Participants:

February 6 (guest post)
Proud Book Nerd

February 6 (guest post)
Bibliophilic Book Blog

February 6 (author interview)
You Gotta Read

February 7 (guest post)
vvb32 reads

February 8 (guest post or author interview)
The Character Connection

February 8 (author interview)
I Am a Reader, Not a Writer

February 9 (review)
Kritters Ramblings

February 10 (review)
A Lovely Shore Breeze

February 10 (guest post or author interview)
The Plot Thickens

February 13 (guest post)
Book Dilettante

February 13 (review)
Books and Needlepoint

February 13 (review)
Tic Toc

February 14 (review)
Reviews by Molly

February 15 (guest post or author interview)
City Girl Who Loves to Read

February 15 (review)
The Book Connection

February 16 (review)
Book Dragon's Lair

February 16 (guest post)
Books-n-Kisses

February 17 (review)
Simple Wyrdings

February 18 (review)
Lesa's Book Critiques

February 21 (review)
Words by Webb

February 22 (guest post)
Mama Knows Books

February 23 (guest post)
Fighter Writer

February 24 (review)
Minding Spot

Young Adult Giveaway Hop

Congratulations to our winner:
Tina Anthony
tin8882007 [at] yahoo [dot] com

Enter to win the two latest young adult ebook releases from Tribute Books.

1) Become a Google Follower of this blog.
2) Leave a comment with your email address.

***

Until Next Time:
The Angel Chronicles, Book 1
by Amy Lignor

How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.

When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.

From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart.

http://www.the-angel-chronicles.com



***

The Priest and the Peaches
by Larry Peterson

Historical fiction novel set in the Bronx in the mid-1960s

Take a seven day journey with the five, newly orphaned Peach kids, as they begin their struggle to remain a family while planning their dad's funeral.

They find an ally in the local parish priest, Father Tim Sullivan, who tries his best to guide them through the strange, unchartered and turbulent waters of "grown-up world." A story that is sad, funny, and inspiring as it shows how the power of family love and faith can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

http://www.ThePriestAndThePeaches.com