Happy Poetry Day! ~ Springing

Soft fuzz forms on the tips of blooms to come.

They plump with anticipation.

Birds soar the sky for the first time in months.

Pointing their way to their Northern destinations.

The white landscape turns to caramel under the closer heat.

Hills transform into mounds of sugary sweetness.

Sweet water runs from the maples

Sharing their golden splendor with us.

Seeds itch.

Ground softens.

Bodies transform.

Sun shines.

We are springing.

Brain to Books Sister Team Blog Tour: The First by A. Claire Everward

Today I get to post twice! Such an amazing time celebrating books, books, books!

So, to go along with our two-for-one, let's meet a duo who together have published a terrific looking novel! Not only that, but they are sisters to boot!

I am so excited to be one of the first to see the cover, and hear all about it! So it is such a thrill to be able to present it to you!

Let's meet these terrific gals!

With one sister a debuting author and the other a debuting publisher, how can it go wrong?

A. Claire Everward

Kate Anne Everward

“Forever Looking Forward”. That’s their motto. And that was what they were thinking when they decided to drop everything and just do it.

Once upon a time a sister told her sister that her imagination is going wild, that she has so much to say and stories chasing through her head (don’t worry, no voices) and that escaping into that endless world of imagination makes everything (well almost everything…) tolerable. So the sister sighed indulgently and told her sister, you want to write, write. We’ll publish. People love to read.

Anna Claire Everward is now an author with already two book series on their way. And her sister? Kate Anne Everward became her publisher and PR agent. That’s how Author & Sister was born.

Ready for the book yet?

Let's see what it's all about!

The First

A debut novel by A. Claire Everward

Find Her.

Is the ancient directive that has once again reawakened in the hearts of those who hide.

Kill Her!

Is the frantic command of those who fear their rise.

Aelia returns from a vacation that did not go quite as she expected, to a life she does not quite feel at home in but that is, at least, hers. Or so she thinks. Within days of returning she is targeted by a hit man and she has no idea why.

But then neither does he. All Kyle Rhys knows is that to protect humanity, this woman must die. At least, he thinks, killing her will be easy. After all, the organization that has raised him has prepared him for her death his entire life.

So why can’t he kill her?

What? Whaaaat? Need to know more?!

Is this cover gorgeous, or what?

Let's meet this fabulous new author!!

A. Claire Everward takes the world far too seriously. Passionate and sensitive to her surroundings, she takes it all to heart, sometimes too much so. but it makes her fight for what she believes in. She is direct, although she tries not to be, at least not always. Like every artist she has her quirks, some understand them and some don’t. She prefers to keep to herself and spend time with her characters, and for her escaping into writing is always the best refuge. She would say it maintains her sanity but her sister Kate says that sanity does tend to be overrated.

Claire spent years away from home getting an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering and a graduate degree from the same faculty, with a risk management specialty. During that time she lived in the university, surrounded by forested hills and too much silence, and so to keep away the boredom she also took on an MBA, and now she feels ridiculously over-educated.

She tried to work in her field, she really did, and even put her education to good use in the finance field for a while. But eventually her love for writing took over, and she decided to leave it all and move to the world of her imagination. Her characters had a lot to do with that—they had lived in her mind, waiting patiently for her to be ready, for too long, they felt, and so they finally decided enough is enough and took over. And Claire didn’t put up that much of a resistance. She has always loved to read, but writing, that’s a whole new world she soon knew she could never give up.

She lives with her two cats, a brown tabby named Mary Boleyn who is much smarter than her and who likes to take over her laptop exactly when she wants to write, otherwise she starts throwing all kinds of stuff off the desk, and a black cat named Henry VIII who loves to jump on top of the kitchen cabinets and scream at the ceiling. Especially at five in the morning.

Nowadays, when she’s not rudely peeping into the lives of her characters, or having in-depth conversations with them, which she does tend to do quite often, Claire actually manages to do some writing. The First is only the first of her novels. With a sequel on its way and a whole new series to follow, Claire is turning her dream to be an author, a reality.

The second half of this incredible duo!

After ten years working as a PR expert specializing in crisis and reputation management, voicing other people’s thoughts and needs and making sure they got what they want, Kate knew it’s time for a change. She’d always been a dreamer, a bookworm who escaped to her imagination when things got tough, and when her sister, another bookworm (they got it from their bookworm mother) came to her and told her she wanted to be a writer, and already had stories and books to show her, Kate decided to help her dream come true.

And so from crisis manager she became a book publisher/marketer/literary PR agent. Her career had taught her how to fight for what she believes in, and she was tenacious to begin with, and now she’s using it all. While her sister writes, Kate is learning everything she can about the traditional and self-publishing world, and is talking to anyone, anywhere out there. She and her sister Claire have now created Author & Sister, so they can publish Claire’s books and tell the world their story.

Kate lives with her laptop (Yogi) and her 10 kg gorgeous red-haired cat who never sleeps. At least not when she wants him to. She is now starting to voice her thoughts, dreams and truths in her and her sister’s blog and is even considering writing a story of her own.

Want to stalk? Here's where to go!

Author website

Publisher Website

Author on Facebook

Publisher on Facebook

Twitter and Instagram @authorandsister

Goodreads

While you're in the mood to stalk, I can't say goodbye without a self plug.  ;)

Feel free to check out my website for Sigrun, the Bandamann Saga!

Have a wonderful weekend, and have fun at the book fair!

The Call to Search Everywhen blog tour and launch party!

We're celebrating the release of Time for the Lost and the box set of the YA time travel series, The Call to Search Everywhen, with a blog tour and a Facebook party! Join the party for bookish games and giveaways. Keep reading for an except from the latest book in the series, Time for the Lost.

Read Calla and Valcas' full story in this collection of the first three books in The Call to Search Everywhen! More than 600 pages of YA time travel adventure inside the following full-length novels:

 In TRAVEL GLASSES, Calla Winston falls into a world of worlds after meeting Valcas, a time traveler who traverses time and space with a pair of altered sunglasses. He offers his further protection in exchange for a promise. After learning that his search for her was no mere coincidence, she tracks down the inventor of the Travel Glasses in hopes of discovering more about Valcas' past and motivations. With Valcas hot on her trail, Calla hopes to find what she's looking for before he catches up.

 In INSIGHT KINDLING, Calla faces charges against her for changing the past. Despite the risk of becoming lost, she accepts a dangerous travel mission that may help her find her father. She teams up with a group of talented travelers and discovers that she has a special travel talent of her own. But will that be enough to protect her and her teammates before they complete their mission?

TIME FOR THE LOST completes the story line of the first three books in the series. The travel team reunites for a mission they never saw coming: a journey to a world caught between life and death, and hidden within the deepest recesses of time. Ivory rediscovers a friend and Ray learns the meaning behind his tattoo. But the connections they make between travelers and the lost may twist the core of the Time and Space Travel Agency inside out.

Excerpt from Time for the Lost

Carefully, I climbed the clock, placing my feet on the times of other worlds, in order to see more along the top. Fragile materials supported my weight as if I weighed nothing—were nothing—but a breath of air in time and space. I climbed on, grabbing timepieces with my hands and pulling myself upward along the tower. The skin on the back of my neck prickled when I reached the topmost third of the tower. An hourglass sat perched on the tower’s tapered tip, like a golden star crowning one of Earth’s Christmas trees. The top half of the glass was mostly full. Both halves rested on a crescent moon-shaped base. The hourglass hung balanced, lightly swinging back and forth, ready to flip over when empty. I made my way back down the tower, wondering whether time ever ends, whether it could be eternal—how a system of worlds with World Builders could possibly have an end. My brain ached as I tried to make sense of it all, wondering where to begin searching for Calla. My attention turned to something bright and painful: a miniature White Tower, representing the world my parents created, the timeline of which reset when I was born. The White Tower replica had no clock hands. There were no digital measures of time, no sand trickling from the top of a glass. But I knew how the time was recorded and what time it was at the tower, based on the brightness of its glow. Like the sky which backlit the clock tower, the White Tower was a dazzling white. From what I’d learned as a child, the more brightly it glowed, the later its time and the closer to its end. I tightened my grip and groaned. “Why does every search lead back to the White Tower? Have I traveled here to the Clock Tower only to be faced with it again?” I descended a few more steps toward the base of the tower. “Is there no way to escape the past—to leave it behind me?” “You don’t appear to be biding time, friend.” I nearly fell from the tower. I glanced beneath me to see who’d spoken. The man who looked up at me was thin, with a nose as straight and long as his gangly limbs. He regarded me with eyes of purple ice. His hair, white like snow, was bound in a loose tail. Friend indeed. I exhaled, relieved. Everything about him radiated Aborealiandescent. I jumped the last few feet from the Clock Tower and signaled to him, the way I would have greeted anyone in my mother’s home country, Aboreal. His amethyst eyes met mine as he drew his lip into a thin line. He signaled back, and then frowned. “I disclaimed Aboreal long ago, but I respect the gesture.” “You’re from my mother’s homeland,” I said. “I just wanted to be sure.” The former Aborealian nodded and held out his hand. “Valcas Hall,” I said, clasping it. He grinned. “You can call me Nick.” I squinted. Aborealians had no last names, so I hadn’t expected one. Aborealian citizens were simply individuals of Aboreal. But the man’s first name didn’t fit the metric. Nick didn’t have the same significance to it as Ivory and Sable, shades of white and black. He should have had a name that reflected his wintry hair. Nick meant nothing in Aborealian. I opened my mouth to say something. “I’ve renamed,” he said. “When I denounced Aboreal, I changed my first name and adopted a surname of sorts.” “Which is?” “Time,” he said. “I’m now Nick, no longer of Aboreal, but of Time.” Nick of Time. Was this guy serious? If he noticed my cringe at the horrible pun, he didn’t show it. “What brings you to this part of the worlds, friend?” “A search.” I looked around, disturbed. “How did you get here?” “I’m the keeper of the Clock Tower. Welcome to my home.”

***

Get the series for Kindle, Nook, and iBooks.

Chess Desalls is the author of the YA time travel series, The Call to Search Everywhen. She's a longtime reader of fantasy and sci-fi novels, particularly classics and young adult fiction. Her nonfiction writing has led to academic and industry publications. She’s also a contributing editor for her local writing club’s monthly newsletter. The California Writers Club, South Bay branch, has awarded two of Chess’ stories first place for best short fiction. When she's not reading or writing, she enjoys traveling and trying to stay in tune on her flute.

Connect with her on: Twitter Facebook Tumblr Instagram Goodreads Pinterest

Book Review: Soul Keeper, The Series by L.A. Starkey

Soul Keeper, The Series by L.A. Starkey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This series is simply amazing. An in depth, intimate look into the lives of the Greek gods unlike any other I've read in the past. Oh, they are still up to no good, manipulating the lives of humans and each other. But in this story, L.A. Starkey gives us a much closer look at what makes them do the things they do bringing us closer to the lives of gods than ever before.
Deceived is where we meet Sam, and her friend Julie. Two teenage girls seemingly average. Strangers enter their lives, and the Greek tragedies as we know and love them are swung into motion. Here we see Sam learn of her destiny. How she comes to terms with it is lovely in this first book of the series.
This brings us to Destroyed. Not only the name of the second story in this series, but the continuation of Sam's journey. We are brought right along with her, when she is swept up in a quest, furthering the tragic events. The development of characters, Sam, Julie, Marcus, Nick and Stephanie are remarkable. You feel each one's decisions, heartbreak, excitement and sadness.
Finally, we enter the Descent. "At the core of every evil is pain." By this time we even get an inside look at the feelings and heads of the gods. It's something I wondered whether or not would be done right, and rest assured, it was. These gods became more real to me than ever before, and it was a thrilling ride!
This series brought me through just about every emotion there is. From sadness, fear and heartbreak to lust, deceit, friendship and true love, this series was truly special. The writing is fantastic, and I felt like it was from the depths of my own head and thoughts. I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys stories about relationships, love and adventure!

View all my reviews

It's Like the Full Moon Book Tour!

See other reviews, interviews, and follow this tour here.

Title: It's Like the Full Moon

Series: Sayings Series 1
Author: Glorie Townson

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Reading Level: Adult

Content Rating: PG-13

Formats: paperback and ebook

Pages: 235

Words: 57,000

Rebecca has just turned thirty. She’s happy living a perfectly comfortable and predictable life. She’s even ready to marry her long-time boyfriend whenever he finally gets around to asking her. But all that changes when her best friend whisks her away to Italy for a much-needed vacation.

In the midst of site seeing and finally letting loose, Rebecca manages to catch the eye of a young English tourist; but doesn’t let it go to her head. By the time she’s back in the states and back in the arms of her long-time beau, Rebecca has already forgotten about Peter, Paten, Paul…whatever his name was, that is until he shows up at her brother’s cabin in the woods.

A life of normalcy, routine, and stability gets turned upside down as Rebecca decides whether or not she’s truly ready to get married. And if so, who is the one she’s really meant to be with?

This book is currently available for Pre-order as an ebook through Amazon.com and as a paperback direct from the author. Be sure to pre-order your copy at its reduced introductory rate! 

Pre-order Kindle | Pre-order Paperback | add to Goodreads

Let's imagine for a moment that Glorie, the author of It's Like the Full Moon, is going to release a soundtrack for her book. Now let's travel back in time a bit to get a handle on this feat. It's the 90's and Glorie's going to need to release a double density audio DVD in order to get all the songs onto one disc. The A and B sides of this dream disc are listed below. Please enjoy the You Tube playlist of side A below and subscribe to the channel to experience side B.

Glorie Townson is more than just a pen name for the author, Toi Thomas; she's an entirely different personality. Glorie is the softer side of Toi, who puts down her comic books and picks up a volume of Robert Frost poems. Like Toi, Glorie is happily married to her wonderfully supportive husband, and together they share a home with their pet turtle, Betty. This is Glorie's first publication, but she's already feeling the inspiration to pen another tale, to which she'll gladly share with the world. 

Website&Blog | Amazon Author Central | Goodreads

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The Eye of Mares Blog Tour

The Eye of Mares Blog Tour

 

To celebrate the release of the second instalment in the Rise of the Elohim chronicles, the Eye of Mares is going to blog hopping like a headlining rockstar, multiple showings for over the course of two weeks, with a new page shared with each appearance, continuing from where the last one went off and today I get to host the latest page:

The Eye of Mares – Part 16

 

…“You think that’s funny, Kazza?” Davidos called out in a brutish voice, which also sounded a little dopey as well. 

“Yeah, I do,” Kazza replied, just as Jason kicked Davidos again. 

Kazza always rolled up the sleeves of his tunic to catch as much of the sun he could. On his left arm, he had a circle shaped, black coloured birthmark. A pentacle and a crescent moon sat inside the circle. 

It was the symbol of the Shanzi, a defining mark only found on Children of Tormenta. The mark burned onto their arms once the Shanzi made their return to the world of Oceania. 

Like Zach, Kazza was also a Child of Tormenta. It wasn’t unusual to have more than one present at one time, but never before had there been two such Children present on the same island, at the same time, for their education. However, unlike Zach, Kazza had yet to discover his own special ability. 

Attached to his belt, was a sheath home to Kazza’s very own Falchion, as he like Jason, were the only students besides Zach, who had been promoted to a real sword. However, as Davidos had yet to graduate from wood to steel Jason desired to see it so, hence their little sparring session, just one of many. 

With silent steps, a middle-aged man approached cautiously. Unlike his students, he wore a violet coloured tunic, with white undershirt and tights. The man snuck up behind Kazza. 

“You’re not joining in?” the man asked. His thick, gruff accented voice caused Kazza to flinch and turn round. 

“Master Mako,” Kazza remarked, bowing his head, showing respect. 

“Good morning, Kazza,” Mako greeted warmly, as he moved his brown coloured eyes to Davidos and Jason. 

At a height equal to Zach’s, Mako had greying black…

 

 

Darkness didn’t just fill the sky, but ruled the land as well. Clouds thicker than land itself shielded the islands below from the sun above. Not even a single beam was able to penetrate them.  What was once a land full of life had become nothing more than a desolate wasteland, where only a handful of each species were granted to live by their new masters, the Shanzi

The Elohim no longer walked the lands of Sancti, allowing the army of pure darkness to rise up yet again and wage war against life yet again. The Watchers fought to the best of their ability, but already more than half the realms had fallen to darkness, among them, the realm of Mares.

Rough waters surrounded a single island, shaped like an eye, as waves crashed into its cliff face. Two dark beings stood on watch, enjoying the darkened world around them. Every tree and plant had died, only to be brought back to life twisted and filled with darkness.

One of the beings was shorter than the other, whereas the second was a large beast. Both were pitch black, but whereas the shorter one was slender and beautiful to gaze upon, the second was hideous.

It towered above its companion and held a long and deadly double sided axe in its enormous clawed hands. On either side of its forehead were long cruel horns as well as on its body. The beast wore dark grey body armour that…

 

****Here concludes todays Page****

 

 

Be sure to check out the continuing blogs to watch the story continue, or pick up a copy direct from Amazon: The Eye of Mares – Out now!

You could even let the adventure continue and check out its prequel, where the story began and the series was created: The Spirit of Iris – Out now!

 

 

 

****Book specifics****

 

Author: Rocky Rochford

Illustrator: Ashleigh Longman

Title: The Eye of Mares

Series: Book 2 of the Rise of the Elohim Chronicles

Genre: Illustrated YA fantasy adventure

Book Content Rating: Suitable for ages 12 and up

Tag-line: “Darkness has many forms and Mares is its playground.”

Blurb:

Nearly four years have passed since Zach drew blade against the Shanzi Shimay and now the time has come for him to draw his sword once more. The Realm of Mares has fallen victim to invasion as three terrifying beasts of darkness, seek to destroy the world around them, as they await the inevitable arrival of their King. 

With dark times ahead, the numbers of the Watchers on Iris has grown, as Zach is joined by seven fellow students, all too eager to prove their worth. It's not long before the students are put to the test facing off against the Nein Navy and uncover a dark secret. 

The stage is set and the Battle for Mares is under-way. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rocky Rochford Biography

​Rocky Rochford is your standard guy, if your standard guy scuba dives, partakes in underwater photographer and is a wake-boarding, adventure seeking, sword collecting, marine conservation supporter. After living life on the road and the places between, he finally settled down but not without benefiting from all the lessons life had to teach him.

​Self-professed “Student of Everything, and Master of Nothing,” Rochford does not choose what he writes, but writes what chooses him, be it fantasy, crime, poetry, philosophy or even adventure. Life is a journey we all get to experience, just like a good book.

​Every read into another of his typed works is another trip into the imagination of his mixed up, crazed and deranged mind and this year along those works include the likes of full novels and novellas such as:

London Calling – a Deep Water Novel (Spy Thriller)

Don’t Even Blink – Part of the Don’t Turn Around Trilogy (Horror)

Wait and Bleed – The Don’t Turn Around Collection (Horror collection of the entire Don’t Trilogy)

And now The Eye of Mares – Book 2 of the Rise of the Elohim Chronicles (Illustrated YA fantasy adventure)

 

 

Other works released by him, are a number of short stories pertaining to horror, paranormal and romance, as well as other works released as part of an anthology:

The Devil You Know (Paranormal short)

Salt in the Wound – Part of the Entwined Saga(Paranormal short)

The Food of Love (featuring Him & Her) – An Anthology by Solstice Publishing (Romance filled Anthology)

Him & Her (Romance Standalone release)

Don’t Say A Word (Horror)

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Volume II (featuring The Devil Before) – An Anthology by the Solstice Shadows (Paranormal themed Anthology)

Awethology Dark (featuring Ghosts) – An Anthology by the #Awethors (Adult stories pertaining to a darker theme)

The December Awethology Dark Volume (featuring Seven Years Bad Luck) – An Anthology by the #Awethors (Adult stories pertaining to a darker theme, set around December)

 

****Welcome to the World of Rochford****

 

 

Social Media Links:

Rocky Rochford’s website: rockyrochford.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamRockyRochford/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RockyRochford

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7310280.Rocky_Rochford

Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Rocky-Rochford/e/B00O3AA3KU/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1449272442&sr=8-1

 

 

 

Rochford writes a little something for everyone, so if Mares isn’t your cup of tea, you can guarantee one of his many other works certainly is!