Monday, February 26, 2018

Happy Book Birthday, Grayghost by Tamara Grantham with Giveaway!

I'm excited to help announce the release of the final book of a series I've thoroughly enjoyed from the very beginning. It's packed full of action, fairies, dragons, trolls and so much more. . .plus, it flip-flops between a rich fantasy reality and the modern world. Although this one is not for younger readers, it isn't 'inappropriate' for the young adult audience either. There are a couple explicit scenes, but never graphic and, actually, very, very few, since the romance is by no means the driving force in this one.

But enough said. . .
CONGRATULATIONS, TAMARA!





Grayghost 
by Tamara Grantham
Fairy World MD., #7
Crimson Tree Publishing
Fantasy, Romance




The final installment in the epic Fairy World MD series by Tamara Grantham. 

It’s been four years since Olive Kennedy sealed the portals between Earth and Faythander. Four years that she’s been living on Earth, working as a consultant to the Houston PD. It helps keep her mind off other things—like being separated from her husband and her dragon king stepfather.
Her ex, Brent Sanchez, works with her on the police force and helps her solve crimes. His friendship is a comfort—but also a reminder of what she’s missing. Everything changes when Olive discovers a broken mirror at a murder scene. It contains magic, and although it shouldn’t exist, it could be used as a portal to Faythander. Dark forces are at work, and the one person she wants by her side to help her is literally a world away. Olive will stop at nothing to solve the murder and return to the only place she calls home.
New from award-winning author Tamara Grantham, Grayghost is the thrilling conclusion to the best-selling fantasy series Fairy World MD.


SNEAK PEEK

Page 111… Discovering the Medusa Basilisk
Kull walked in front of me, and my father behind. We didn’t speak. It seemed as if even the sound of our voices would break the fragile spell shrouding the room. I wasn’t sure what sort of creature would have been held prisoner here. I studied the lines of runes covering the sand, realizing the spell might have been more complicated than I’d first thought. A few of the symbols I recognized, but most spells were never written. Still, some of the characters were familiar. The Ӿ-shaped symbol meant light.
“The runes,” I murmured. “Can you read them, Kull?”
“Yes, a few.”
“What do they mean?”
He pointed to a symbol near the center. “That arrow-shaped symbol means serpent. It’s been repeated quite a few times.”
I wasn’t getting a good feeling about this. I hated snakes.
“Wait,” Kull said, holding out his hand to stop me. “Look there.”
In front of him, an onyx statue carved to look like a snake lay across our path. Kull took a step forward, and held up his lantern. As the light touched the scales, the snake transformed, and flaming blue eyes opened.
The snake hissed, revealing its fangs. Kull removed his sword in one swift motion as the snake coiled, preparing to strike. He swung at the head, but the snake darted back, then slithered toward the center of the room.
Its lithe body slid over the sand, destroying the runes as it went. The room rumbled, and the floor sank in the center as a hole opened. The sand drained through it, emptying like an hourglass. The snake disappeared through the hole. We stood with our weapons ready.
“There go the runes,” Rolf said.
“And the snake. You think it will be back?” Heidel asked.
“Maybe Kull scared it off?” I said.
“Not likely,” he answered.
“What was it doing here?” Rolf asked. “You’d think if a snake lived down here, it would’ve disrupted the sand and all those runes before now, wouldn’t it?”
“It wasn’t an ordinary snake,” my father said. “I believe it was a basilisk.”
“Those are real?”
“They’re real, but they’re not going to turn you to stone, thankfully. Still, they’re extremely dangerous. I believe our light must’ve woken the beast. It had most likely been in this tomb for centuries, protected by the runes that kept it asleep. However, the spells to keep it unconscious are very sensitive, even light disrupts their balance.”
Kull cursed. “So, we’ve unleashed a basilisk?”
“Yes, but the question is—what sort of basilisk is it?”
“There are different types?”
“Yes, let’s hope it’s not a shape changer. Then we might be in some trouble.”
The sand continued pouring through the hole, its sound like waves moving through water.
“Let’s not wait around and find out,” Kull said. “Follow me.” He moved swiftly across the chamber toward the doorway on the opposite side. As I followed, I glanced at the hole. Most of the sand had drained, leaving only patches on the floor, the tiny crystals turning blue under the fey light.
When we approached the doorway, a stone slid over the opening, booming shut. We turned, but the entrance we’d come through also sealed. At the center above the hole, an image in the shape of a female appeared. Her form was translucent at first, with metallic skin, almost as if she were made of bronze. She was hairless and nude, though she had no features, like a mannequin. Slits replaced her eyes, but as her head swiveled and she focused on us, they opened and burned blue, like the snake.
My father cursed, catching me off guard. “It’s a Medusa Basilisk. Have your weapons ready.”



And here she is. . .
Tamara Grantham is the award-winning author of more than half a dozen books and novellas, including the Olive Kennedy: Fairy World MD series and the Shine novellas. Dreamthief, the first book of her Fairy World MD series, won first place for fantasy in INDIEFAB’S Book of the Year Awards, a RONE award for best New Adult Romance of 2016, and is a #1 bestseller on Amazon in both the Mythology and Fairy Tales categories with over 100 reviews.
Tamara holds a Bachelor’s degree in English. She has been a featured speaker at the Rose State Writing Conference and has been a panelist at Comic Con Wizard World speaking on the topic of female leads. For her first published project, she collaborated with New York-Times bestselling author, William Bernhardt, in writing the Shine series.
Born and raised in Texas, Tamara now lives with her husband and five children in Wichita, Kansas. She rarely has any free time, but when the stars align and she gets a moment to relax, she enjoys reading fantasy novels, taking nature walks, which fuel her inspiration for creating fantastical worlds, and watching every Star Wars or Star Trek movie ever made. You can find her online at www.TamaraGranthamBooks.com.


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Saturday, February 24, 2018

Review: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Car by Kate Dopirak


TWINKLE, TWINKLE LITTLE CAR
by Kate Dopirak
Illustrated by Mary Peterson
Picture Book
ages 4 to 8



A little red car beeps good night to all of his four-wheeled friends in this fresh take on the classic song, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

Twinkle, twinkle, little car,
how you love to travel far.
Now it’s time to go to bed.
But you want to drive instead.

It’s time for Little Car to go to sleep, but he isn’t tired yet! So he cruises around town saying goodnight to all of his friends, from the tractors in their shed to the buses and taxis in town to the cranes and diggers at the construction site. Finally exhausted, Little Car putt-putts home where at last his beep-beep dreams begin.




 MY TIDBITS

Taking an original twist on the well-known song, this book follows an energetic car who isn't quite ready for bed.

It's time for bed, but Little Car isn't ready to call it a night. He zooms through town, visiting everything from planes to tractors to firetrucks as he burns off energy so he can slow down to a good night's sleep.

Young car fans will enjoy this book. Little Car is cute and just right for the younger crowd as he brums off onto the road. His encounters with trucks, tractors, airplanes and more are just the kind of thing little motor vehicle fans love to see. By placing the rhyme into a well-known children's song, the entire book gains a very familiar feel children will find reassuring and fun. However, singing it might grow a bit redundant.

The illustrations are bright and simple, great for the younger listeners to peer at and enjoy. The text is also very fitting, and the rhythm flows nicely the entire way through. Some of the ideas in the rhymes came across a bit long-grabbed, but this isn't something younger listeners will notice.

Summed up, this is a wonderful read for all those who dream of cars and other vehicles, but I would recommend it for a slightly younger audience, ages 2 to 4.



And here they are. . .

The Author. . .
Kate Dopirak loves walking her puppy, watching her sons play basketball, and convincing her husband to share a cheese plate instead of wings. She also loves to write for kids. Kate is a teacher, a reading specialist, and the Assistant Regional Advisor for Western Pennsylvania SCBWI. She is the author of You're My Boo and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Car. Visit her at KateDopirak.com.

The Illustrator. . .
Mary Peterson was born and rasied in Iowa on a small family farm surrounded by cornfields and lots of animals. Those early years in the company of critters large and small continue to provide inspiration for her art. She is the illustrator of many books ofr children and lives in Los Angeles, California. 










Sneak Peek: Control Freakz by Michael Evans with Giveaway

Friday, February 23, 2018

Cover Reveal: School Dayz by Jennifer Digiovanni



School Dayz

by Jennifer Digiovanni
Swoon Romance
YA Contemporary
eBook









When Avery Thornton needs to escape a first day of school disaster, she ducks into an equipment room to hide and meets someone else who’s also having a really bad day. Eli Fields just got demoted to third string on the football team, a sport he doesn’t even really want to play. On the hunt for a dance partner before her competition season begins, Avery discovers Eli’s secret, non-football life outside of school. She thinks he could be the dance partner she’s dreamed about. But Eli wants no part of dancing with Avery. When someone else steps in as Avery’s partner for competitions, she and Eli begin practicing steps “just for fun.”
But, is that really all that Eli wants? And although Avery has found a perfect partner, she’s learning that perfection doesn’t necessarily equal happiness.


And here she is. . .

Jennifer DiGiovanni is a freelance writer and YA author of the School Dayz series. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading, working on home design projects, or trying to meet the daily goals on her Fitbit. She also likes to try new sports and activities, from archery to ballroom dancing, with varying degrees of success.

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Sneak Peek: TruthStone by Mike Shelton with Giveaway