The Bookminder Blog Tour

For those of you following along, you will remember the cover reveal for The Bookminder, and the inclusion of a sneak peek of the novel in my holiday book list. Well, it's been lauched and is (along with its author) on tour to celebrate the release. I have a look at the book and a short interview with the author M. K. Wiseman, plus a Rafflecopter Giveaway.

So without further adieu, may I present...

Some links where you can find The Bookminder

Amazon

Xchyler Publishing

Barnes and Noble

Goodreads

The Book Trailer

An Interview with M. K. Wiseman

How did you come up with the concept of your story?

In 2004 I had a very vivid dream that, afterward, wouldn't leave me alone. Said dream basically detailed out one scene from the story, something so different and captivating for me that it stuck. Now, it must be noted that I was not writing at that time, nor did I intend to write in any professional capacity. But as this one nugget of an idea would not let me be, I started to form a story around it – Why were these people doing what they were doing? Who were they?

I think that working in the Preservation Dept of the campus library system had bled into my subconscious and that is where the magick system that rules The Bookminder developed.

How did you come up with the title?

Haha, well, I had to actually do a bit of research to check my brain on this as, over time, there have been several incarnations, besides the working title of Wizard's Librarian. As a (former(?)) librarian, I was really hoping to keep the working title, as homage to my career and the work that had sparked the initial idea. But then we wanted to go with something simpler, brighter, and more “fantasy”.

The 'research' I allude to above? I just unearthed a Facebook exchange between a librarian friend and I from last March. In it she says she quite likes the new title and then asks “Who came up with that?”

My answer? “Honestly I don't remember . . . might have been my editor. We just started throwing things together.” Words that felt book-binder-y but not quite so literal. Things like “Spellbinder / Spellbound” seemed a bit too on the nose.

Please provide some insight into or a secret or two about your story.

The locations in Bookminder are real. Parentino truly did fall to ruins, while its twin fortification flourished. And while the town known as Dvigrad in the story did have another name, Moncastello, in keeping with the attitude of the characters in the story, I dropped the name from their fortification and merely called it Dvigrad. Call it a decision of character politics, if you will.

The tales of what actually happened to Dvigrad are a little muddled but history has the town mixed up in the middle of the Venice and Austrian conflict of the sixteenth century. And the town truly was abandoned due to plague—though history has that date at 1630 and Bookminder has it coming some 50-odd years later.

Who is your favorite author? Who has most influenced your work?

Two questions. Two answers:

Fav author? Have to go with Douglas Adams. His humor is superb. And while my brain tends to go a little sideways when reading his stories, that's part of my enjoyment of his very unique work. I appreciate that there really is no other author with his touch.

As for who has most influenced my work: Brian Jacques. While this may not seem the most obvious choice, hear me out.  His Mariel of Redwall is the very first book that I remember being completely in love with. I read, of course, before that. Quite a bit. But this one book seemed to change reading for me. It became more than merely enjoyable. Stories could be transcendent, not mere personal experiences. Reading could link you to others. Maybe it was just the right book at a certain moment in my life. But I was a lucky enough kid to meet Mr. Jacques on more than one occasion at bookstore readings/signings. He became my author rockstar and it was his stories that changed how I thought of books which, in turn, has influenced my writing at a very deep level.

What activities best give your brain a break? How do you unwind?

Sudoku. I love (so called) “killer” sudoku. Meditation. Running (which, unfortunately, sometimes puts my brain right back into production mode as much as it allows me a break.) I like video games and play pinball whenever I can get my hands on a good machine. Reading, of course. A hard or two of poker is like a brain-vacation. And, weirdly enough, I like to just stare out the window at the scenery watching birds, rain falling, tree branches moving . . . Oh! I almost forgot: Fishing. I have really gotten into that in recent years. Especially ice fishing. That's good stuff.

What are some of your other published works?

I have three short stories out through Xchyler—two steampunk and one paranormal. Those were a blast to write. And if we “count” stories that I published to my blogs for fun, then I also lay claim to two (currently haitus-ed) continuing stories: one steampunk, one . . . not. :)

And here's a just for fun nerd list from our author:

Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Wars (Though I am a sucker for Voyager.)

Hunger Games or Divergent? Neither? I know that sounds terrible. I just never got into the 'dystopian' thing. Too intense for me.

James Bond or Jack Ryan? Erm, *embarrassed blush* I haven't ever read or seen a James Bond novel or movie and actually had to Google “Jack Ryan” to find out who that was.

Sherlock: Robert Downey, Jr. or Benedict Cumberbatch? Jeremy Brett. :)

Spock: Leonard Nimoy or Zachary Quinto? Leonard Nimoy.

X-Men or Avengers? That has changed for me very recently, actually. Avengers now has the lead because of the excellence of the recent movies—great dynamics.

Aliens or Predators? Cue another embarrassed blush . . . Complete and total unfamiliarity here for me.

Minions or Penguins? Penguins.

Batman or Superman? Batman *But only because he has such cool toys!

Harry Potter or Pirates of the Caribbean? That's a tough one because I never really got into Harry Potter in the way that I'm sure this question is asking about and I loved “Pirates” so long as we stick only to the first movie.

Beatles or Rolling Stones? Beatles.

Peter Jackson or James Cameron? Peter Jackson. But only because I am largely unfamiliar with the main body of James Cameron's work.

Steven Spielberg or George Lucas? George Lucas.

Vampires or Werewolves? Vampires

LARP or MORPG? LARP – always wanted to try one.

THE BLOG TOUR

We're celebrating the release of THE BOOKMINDER by M. K. Wiseman with a blog tour and Rafflecopter give-away! Visit each blog each day for more chances to win lots of great prizes. If you like epic fantasy, you'll love this coming-of-age tale of magic and wizards set in the Renaissance era.

January 9-16, 2016

Saturday, 01-09	Bookwhizz
Sunday, 01-10	M. K. Wiseman
Monday, 01-11	Perpetual Chaos of a Wandering Mind
Tuesday, 01-12	Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Wednesday, 01-13	The Howling Turtle
Thursday, 01-14	Dreams to Become
	Semi-short Chic
Friday, 01.15	JD Spero
	Books in the Spotlight
Saturday, 01-16	Creativity from Chaos
	Rambling Reviews

THE GIVEAWAY

Don't forget to enter our blog tour Rafflecopter give-away below, on the blogs above, on our Facebook page, or on Rafflecopter, with daily chances to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Spotlight: Whispered Echoes by Anne Michaud

Today I shine the spotlight on the talented author Anne Michaud and her paranormal fantasy novel, Whispered Echoes. I have a look at the book and an excerpt, plus the Kindle edition of the book is free on Amazon until the November 5th. So enjoy...

Whispered Echoes by Anne Michaud

Whispers of death keep her sister alive.
Echoes of ghosts warn her danger is near.

Alyx lost everything in the fire, her family, her home, her freedom, but she discovered something, too: something lurking in the darkness. To protect her from harm, the ghost of her dead sister haunts the walls of the mental institution holding Alyx captive for the last 9 years. But even she can’t help when patients suddenly act possessed and turn against Alyx, who must find the strength and knowledge to rid them of evil and save their lives.

After a narrow escape from the institution, Transcend welcomes Alyx in with opened arms since she’s the daughter of a former star agent; her mother. They hope to teach her ghost seer abilities to help them keep the leaders of the world in check and give her a normal life. With her friends and newly acquired knowledge, Alyx prepares to battle against evil, but when facing her greatest enemy yet, everything she knows might not be enough to save the people she loves. No matter what her choices, the consequences will be paid in blood – maybe her own.

Whispered Echoes is available at:

Amazon (Kindle edition free until Nov. 5th)

Goodreads

~*~

An Excerpt from Whispered Echoes

A slither, a hiss like hot blood hitting the snow. I stare at their broken forms on the ground, and something dark leaks into the ground, looking very much like Shadowmen. It only lasts a few seconds, but I wait for more to come.

“The bad left, leaving their bones to dust.” Kat speaks close to me, like whenever we’re out in the open. Maybe she’s afraid the wind will take her away or the rain will wash her soul until nothing remains. “We should go. They’re gone too.”

“Just like that, one moment alive, then the next...” Swallowing hard, I turn away from them. These guys had families, people waiting for them to come back home tonight. Something I don’t have. “Rest in peace, for the little you had here.”

Together, we race to the back of the parking lot, where the garage stretches as far as the shallow woods circling the hospital. My sister’s light guides me to the hole in the fence—the same I’ve been using for two months straight trying to escape—and just as I reach it, the garage door clicks open by itself. I hide in the shadow of the wall, but no one comes out, no headlights either. My sister scares the shit out of me at times.

“Please tell me that electric trick of yours will get old soon?” I ask. Katrina stands by the garage door to lure me in, and when I won’t move from my spot, a car honk comes from inside. “Curiosity killed the damned, Kat. Stop playing games. Let’s go.”

Only the soft hits of ice falling on the tin roof next to me answer back, and so I go to the opened door to have a look-see. Last time we played hide and seek, I’d just come in the hospital. I’d just turned nine; she was forever sixteen.

“Surprise!” Kat glows next to a huge SUV, smiling so bright it’s hard to look at her. The driver’s door is opened, the vents throwing up so much hot wind inside that fog comes out in clouds outside. My sister invites me to step in, but it’s probably more trouble than it’s worth. Stolen property is much worse than just running away, no? Oh, and driving into people and cars and killing everything—much worse. “It’s Docteur Lise’s,” I tell her, as if she doesn’t know. I clutch my coat. The ceiling light almost warms me up just from looking at it. A car is faster than legs, but... “I can’t drive and I don’t have a license.”


“It’s too cold. You won’t make it alive to Close Falls.” Katrina never lies. She never plays pretend to get her way. She’s not like me. “And hurry, because the others have seen and they’re not happy about the massacre.”


Voices echo all the way from the second floor of the building, the door hanging open above nothing, the stairs twisting on the ground. From this distance, white lab coats flap in the wind, which means the nurses are back to themselves. Whatever that means, because frankly, they haven’t been themselves for a while.

“You’d be better at this driving thing,” I say to Kat, who brought me all the way in here when I could be running outside. Well, stuck in high winds and freezing pellets falling from the sky, but still out of here. “Oh wait, is that why you got me in here? You want to test it out?”

“Only if you let me in,” Kat says, getting ready to plunge into my body. “You don’t have to—it might not work, but we have to try.”

“OK,” I say, not fighting as her ghostly shape becomes mine.


It’s like sitting in the backseat, really. She moves my body and she guides my movements, with no struggle on my part. I trust her; she’s my sister—even if it does feel like I might vomit. The intrusion feels so weird.

“No wonder my friends are all possessed,” I whisper. “This is easy peasy.”

I sit down behind the huge steering wheel, and the letters BMW stare back at us. Then I watch my hands on the steering wheel, the motor roaring from within. OK, I’ll admit that my sister controlling electricity that easily is kinda cool.

“It’s wicked cool,” Kat says, her voice coming from inside instead of my side.

As the SUV rolls out in the rain, the pellets come down harder than before on the hood, and on the roof they sound like gunshots. A flash of white comes from the second floor and then nothing: they spotted our runaway car, so they know we’ll be harder to catch.

“What are you doing?” I ask my sister, as she turns the wheel to stay in the parking lot instead of racing out of here. Oh no, I think she’s losing control of our vehicle: she’s driving directly toward Nurse Ruth’s tiny red car. “Careful, you’ll wreck everything!”

“Quiet, sis.” I feel a smile cracking my cold skin as our huge SUV rams into the car and pushes it to the deep ditch at the end of the lot. A final slip and it’s gone from view. And a bit of Kat logic, “If they don’t have anything to follow us with, they just won’t.”

“Um, maybe the cops will?” I don’t need to fight my body to point at the boulevard below the long driveway of the hospital park. Red and blue lights glitter in the dark, far away, but still too close for my liking. “Step on it, Kat.”

 About the Author:

Anne Michaud is an author of many talents, especially getting distracted by depressing music and dark things. She likes to write and read everyday, and speak of herself in the third person.

Since her Master’s degree in Screenwriting from the University of London, England, Anne has written, directed and produced three short films, distributed internationally after being shown on a selective festival circuit.

And then, after hundreds of hours spent on studying and making films, she changed her mind and started writing short stories, novelettes and novels. Some have been published, others will be soon enough.

Keep your eyes open, she’s behind you.

You can find Anne Michaud on:

Goodreads  Website  Twitter  Facebook

Book Spotlight: Timesnatched: Pole Star

Today I present another book spotlight, this time for the Young Adult time travel novel, Timesnatched: Pole Star by B.D. Boyle. Pole Star is book one, in the Timesnatched series, soon to be followed by book two, Southern Cross. Enjoy this look at the first book in the series...

Timesnatched: Pole Star by B.D. Boyle

Three teens are flung twenty years into the future where time coins and bohrium bracelets can mean the difference between life and death. Thrown together in a dystopian New York City, an American farm boy, English school girl and teen scientist will have to quickly unite and join the Coalition of Liberty. The girl’s quiet life along Wigan’s Pier is behind her and she is now faced with trusting the daring young American and the geek kid who can almost invent something from nothing. The boys will either save them all from this strange turn of events or they’ll plunge them even deeper into a frightening world of oppressive dictators, rebel forces and teenagers who are kidnapped for their future talents.

Excerpt:

Why is Grandpa doing this? Why is he meddling with things he knows nothing about? Questions bombarded Nicolas Wycliffe as he stared at the gold coin in the palm of his hand.

Nicolas lifted his eyes to the golden red glare of the London night sky. In the minutes he had been standing there, the shrill scream of bombs hurling toward the earth had overpowered the drone of the Nazi bombers. The ground under his feet shuddered and he quickly slipped the coin into the safety of his coat pocket. He saw a sign on the street corner and sprinted for the stairway of the London Underground. His long legs took him to the subterranean tube that wound under London proper. Vast numbers of people crouched in the semi-darkness, seeking shelter from the Blitz that was showering London with fire and exploding bombs. The firestorm above was sucking the city of its precious oxygen; but down there, in the depths of the Underground, Nicolas Wycliffe found relative safety—at least for now.

After raking his fingers through his unruly cowlick, Nicolas attempted to wipe from his thick glasses the black soot of the war zone above. He glanced around at the poor souls who cowered nearby and then sank to the floor, his back to the stone wall. This was the night he had read about in history books, the night his grandfather had told him about so often that Nicolas could have recited the tales by heart. “It was a scene from the bowels of hell, to be sure.” His grandfather described the fateful night of December 29, 1940. “I was with my cousin and childhood friend, Molly McGruder. We were running through the streets of London, half expecting a bomb to land on us at any moment.” The old man often paused and reflected at that point in the story. His eyes looked up as if watching the scene on a giant screen. “Molly stumbled and fell; I reached out to help her when the brick wall of a building fell on her, throwing me ten yards away into a pile of rubble. I ran to her, but I knew it was too late. My dear friend and cousin was gone from my life.”

Nicolas sighed. Here he was in London on that horrific night in 1940, trying to find his grandfather who had taken one of two prototypes of the time coin he had invented just two months before. Nicolas himself had not even had a chance to test the little machine properly before he discovered the missing coin. From journal entries he knew exactly where his grandfather was headed. And, thanks to the history books, he knew when. A quick Internet search revealed the GPS coordinates of the warehouse that had fallen and he drove to the location for the time jump.

There was a momentary hush in the Underground. All eyes turned to the ceiling. Nothing. Nicolas jumped up to take advantage of the lull. When he emerged on the surface once again, he glanced at the map he had saved on his cellphone and took off running. In minutes, he was on Shoe Lane. Firemen were training a fire hose on a burning book factory amidst the penetrating heat. People were shouting and the ever-present pungent odor of smoke billowed high into the sky. Nicolas searched the alleyways and down every sidewalk. Coughing, he ran until his lungs were bursting. He leaned over, hands on his knees, to take a rest and then he saw them—two young teenagers walking rapidly hand-in-hand. One was unmistakably the teen version of Nicolas’ grandfather, for he had seen his boyhood pictures many times. The other was a girl in school uniform with curly, red hair. Her pretty freckled face was etched with fear. She must be Molly McGruder, Grandpa’s cousin, thought Nicolas. He stood in the smoky shadows observing the pair when from around the corner a tall, lanky older gentleman rapidly approached the couple.

“Grandpa, no!” shouted Nicolas.

The grandfather ignored the warning and in an instant embraced the two teens.  They struggled to get out of the old man’s grasp when suddenly a large portion of the tall, brick building broke free from the roof structure. Nicolas watched in horror as the massive wall descended toward the helpless trio below. At that instant, a firebomb lit up the street like a giant flare and there was no mistaking what happened next—the three victims disappeared into thin air just as the bricks landed in a massive pile on the street. Nicolas pursed his lips, reached into his pocket for the gold coin, and whispered, “Oh, Grandpa, what in the world have you done?”

Timesnatched: Pole Star is available at Amazon

Author Bio:

Searching for fast-paced adventure stories with uplifting plots and wholesome characters left B.D. Boyle frustrated and ready to try her hand at it. That’s how “Timesnatched” came to be.”  Writing clean, teen fiction has become a passion for Barbara Dillree Boyle who traveled all over the world for twenty years with her husband in the U.S. Air Force. “Raising eight children in four different countries was a fast-paced adventure in and of itself,” says Boyle. She and her husband reside in a high mountain valley in the Idaho Rockies.

For more on the author and her books:

Amazon Profile

Website

Book Spotlight: Forte by JD Spero

Today I'm part of the blog tour for a great YA fantasy book, Forte by award-winning author JD Spero. It's another wonderful release by Xchyler Publishing, and I'm happy to spotlight this book. Also, there's an excerpt and a great Rafflecopter giveaway at the end of the post so be sure to check that out.  So on with the show, and enjoy...

Forte by JD Spero

Forte is available at: 

Amazon

Xchyler Publishing

~*~

 Johannah Davies (JD) Spero was born near a pristine lake in the Adirondacks and has lived in various cities such as St. Petersburg (Russia), Indianapolis, Dallas, and Boston. She has pursued her love of narrative through degrees in English, Russian, and teaching—and has worked as an actress, a yoga instructor, a web design entrepreneur, freelance writer, and a high school English teacher. She lives in the Northeast with her husband and three young sons.

Drawing on her experience as a high school teacher—this time with a social concern, Spero infuses the rites of passage for the teenager—cliques, first kisses, peer pressure, and bullying—with magic. This stresses how tenuous and critical this time is for young people in a new, fascinating way. Written from Sami’s point of view, Spero’s narrative puts the reader into the mind of a fifteen-year-old who must navigate the tumultuous waters of being the new girl—the underdog who starts to win and is intoxicated by it. Truly a page-turner, this action-packed story will have readers of all ages eager to see what happens next. 

Spero’s debut novel, Catcher’s Keeper, was chosen as a Finalist in the 2014 Indie Excellence Book Awards contest and also made the top 5% out of 10,000 entries in the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.  

www.jdspero.com

Facebook, Twitter: @jdspero, Goodreads

The Author Visits

www.theauthorvisits.com

Excerpt

(Main character, Sami McGovern, a natural musician is recruited to try out for volleyball.)

Finally, the time has come. I ride the giant wave to the locker room, letting myself get sucked into the energy. It’s like every single freshman girl is going to tryouts. The excitement is contagious. The locker room has transformed into a sort of primping party. It’s a more amped up version of backstage before one of my piano recitals. I’m giggling as I change into gym clothes and follow the others onto the court.

But I stop short on the sidelines.

Payne has the girls running the court lengthwise, tapping the endline paint with their fingers, and running back. What’s this exercise called again? I see Maddie, Shaunie, and Thalia. Pixie is here too, looking miserable. She’s not awful, though.

“Nice work, Maddie,” Payne calls across the gym.

Okay, so Payne has favorites. No biggie. Has she already made the cuts? I have better chances trying out for the New York Philharmonic. What am I thinking? I’m no athlete. They’re all going to laugh at me. Maybe it’s not too late to make a quick exit.

“Are you playing?” asks a voice beside me.

My eyes don’t leave the court. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just watch.”

“Me, too, then.”

“Why?” I turn and am startled to see it’s the girl with the scarred neck.

“I thought you might want a friend.”

The scars look terrifying up close—shiny, raw strings of bumpy tissue that used to be skin. My mouth is stuck open, and I blink like mad.

“I’m Brenna,” she says with a huge smile. “Sports aren’t really my thing.”

“Sami.” A tiny wave. “Me, neither.”

“What are we doing here, then?” She laughs.

“You have a really nice smile.”

“You sound surprised,” she teases.

I must turn redder than her scars, my face is so hot. Because it’s true. I was surprised. Am surprised. It’s wrong, but I can’t help it.

Payne’s whistle interrupts us. “You girls joining tryouts or just socializing in your gym clothes?”

No time for apologies. Payne’s eyes are focused solely on me. “Come on. You’ve missed the warm up. On the court now. Let’s go.”

A nervous laugh with Brenna, and I concede. Whatever. This tryout is another orientation thing, right? A rite of passage for the new girl. It will be over soon, and I’ll go home and use my fingers the way they were meant to be used. Piano. What kind of tune will I conjure, what will my muse inspire? I’m daydreaming as I wander into the middle of the court.

Payne’s voice rings louder than her whistle.

“No, Sami. Right in front.”

In front? Me?

Payne grasps my shoulders to place me at the net when I feel something strange. My chest tightens with panic—a force enters me, making my insides quiver. What’s happening?

Zap!

A jolt, vibration. A charge surging out from my chest to my fingertips, my toes.

Zing!

The faces around me blur, but the ball is radiant. A blue glow. The ball sails over the net. Bumped. Set. To me? I leap, and it’s like my feet sprout wings. Out of nowhere I reach and—

Pow!

It slaps the opposite court untouched. A clean strike.

“Point,” Payne cheers.

My body tingles. How on earth did I do that? And then I do it again.

I zone in. That neat leather ball leaves a laser-blue contrail as it’s punched into the air. I know what will happen next. I can predict its path! Am I the only one who sees it glow like that?

Bump, set, spike!

Wahoo! I’m a giant, tapping a ping-pong ball with my big paw. Easy. I’m above everything. Everyone. Even Brenna—the one person who’s tried to be my friend—now wears a worried grin. Something has separated us.

I’m separate from everyone.

The ball comes again. Soaring, my hand curved in perfect form, I guide it over at cheetah-speed that somehow feels slow. My arm retracts within a millimeter of the net, but it feels like yards away.

Pow!

Everyone cheers. For me.

How did I get so good?

My eyes go to Payne, who’s already studying me. As much as I want to, I cannot turn away. My arms and legs tingle—itching to move, to play ball. The veins in my wrists pulse like a heartbeat. My birthmark throbs on my hand, ready to throttle that volleyball. I make fists, trying to contain it.

I stare back at Payne, the question ringing loudly in my mind: Did you do this?

She gives me a slow, wry smile. Goose bumps rise on my suddenly-athletic arms.

I think I’ve just made the team.

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Book Spotlight: Sevara: Dawn of Hope

Today I have a book spotlight for the YA fantasy novel, Sevara: Dawn of Hope by Damian Wampler. Enjoy!

Sevara: Dawn of Hope by Damian Wampler

Sevara’s orphanage teaches wife etiquette instead of arithmetic, domestic duties instead of grammar, and stick fighting instead of phys ed. There’s a swimming pool (but no water) and a doctor (who sells the unwanted girls to slave traders). All girls must become servant-wives, or be kicked out onto the streets with nothing. Sevara refuses to marry, and doesn’t last long on the outside.

Luckily, someone has been watching her.

Given incredible powers, Sevara must choose between protecting the city, and saving the only man she’s ever loved. Dawn of Hope is a one hundred thousand word young adult novel that will appeal to readers of all ages, and is suitable for children over the age of thirteen.

Sevara: Dawn of Hope is available at:

Amazon

Author Bio:

Damian is a lifelong documentary photographer who originally hails from Newark, Delaware. Damian earned a bachelor's degree in English and Anthropology from Boston University and boarded a place bound for Kyrgyzstan shortly after, where he taught English for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer. Later, he earned a Master's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Russian, Eastern Europe and Central Asian Studies, and returned to the Kyrgyz republic as a Fulbright researcher. He returned to the United States to study digital photography at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He also wrote and produced a full-length play which premiered June, 2009. Damian is also the writer and creator of the Sevara graphic novel.

Author Website: http://www.sevarawillrise.com