Book Recommendations - End of a Blog Tour

Thank you everyone who took part in my Virtual Blog Tour hosted by Goddessfish.com.  Aside from a snaffu here and there with Blogger causing issues, the tour went off extremely well.  The turnout of commentors and enterants into the contest was more than I imagined.  I am so pleased and so very greatful to everyone who stopped buy.

The winners of the Amazon Gift Certificates are:  Karen H. and Lyra L7.  If you have not already received my emails to you, please contact me ASAP.

Thanks again to everyone who supported the tour. 

~*~

As some of you already know there was an issue with Thursdays post (2/16/2012).  I have decided to post it here so that it doesn't go to waste.  

Book Recommendations

By Courtney Rene

I love to read.  I don’t mean it’s an enjoyable pastime for me.  I mean I LOVE to read.  I would spend every waking moment with my nose buried in a book if it was plausible.  As for recommendations, well, my book recommendations change all the time, but for this moment in time, here are a couple that have made my list. 

And…I broke them out a little differently.  This is not just your everyday ‘top’ list.  This is a list by Genre.  That way there is something for everyone.  I have also provided Amazon links just on the off chance you want to check any of these reads out. 

Okay, here we go…

HISTORICAL:

1.         Ride the Wind, by St. Clair.  I have been recommending this book for several years.  I just love this book.  It’s historical, it’s thriller, it’s horror, and it’s romance.  It’s fiction and yet its non-fiction.  In a word, it is fantastic. American Indian heritage at its best and its worst.  Ride the Wind 

ROMANCE:

2.         The Harmony Series by Jodi Thomas.  These are easy reads.  Not all that much in the way of the “S” word but very entertaining.  It is full of people that you can get attached to.  From the young all the way to the old and all that’s in between.  I do believe there will be another book added to this series but I can’t tell you when.  I hope it is soon as I could use a nice read.

Welcome to Harmony

Somewhere Along the Way 

Comforts of Home 

YA/TEEN:

3.            Spinners, by Donna Jo Napol. This is the tale of Rumplestilskin from the point of view of, Rumplestilskin.  This is an amazing telling and a take on the story that I never would have thought of.  Phenomenal read.  If you have not read this, go and do it.  Now. Seriously.

Spinners

            Gone, by Michael Grant.  This book could also be considered both paranormal and horror.  Michael Grant is no shrinking violet when it comes to gore and the scary.  It’s an end of the world as we know it book only with children being the only ones left to rule their world.  Great, vivid telling of a book.   

Gone 

THRILLER:

4.            Windmills of the Gods, by Sidney Sheldon.  I don’t know what I expected when I picked up this book.  It was one that had been recommended to me, and frankly sat on my TBR pile for months before I finally cracked open the binding.  It begins with a bang and all the way through it is nail biting action.  I should have read this long ago. 

Windmills of the Gods 

HORROR:

5.         I had a hard time thinking of a good recommend for Horror.  There are so many that have gone the way of just blood and guts, which I like but that is not actually scary for me.  I had to go back a ways to come up with good scary reads.  So my picks in the horror department are:

Lightening, by Dean Koontz. 

Lightening 

The Mist, by Stephen King. 

The Mist 

You can’t go wrong with either of these authors.  These two books are two of my favorites. 

CHILDREN’S:

6.         Small Pig, by Arnold Lobel.  This is a sweet story about an unhappy pig that runs away from home, goes to the big city, and realizes that home is where he belonged all along.  I love this book.

Small Pig

Junie B. Jones, Barbara Park.  This series is fun to read even as an adult.  The zany Junie B. Jones cracks me up with some of her antics.  It is also an easy learning to read type of book. 

Junie B. Jones 

NON-FICTION

7.         Get Out of My Life, but First, Could you Drive Me and Cheryl to the Mall, by Anthony Wolf, PhD.  The best parenting book for teens that I have found.  Whether you have a boy or a girl, this is a must read.  Better if you read it BEFORE they hit the teen years, but just as helpful if you wait until you are struggling with a hormonal nightmare.

Get out of my Life... 

That’s all I have for now.  However, if anyone is ever in need of a book recommendation, feel free to drop me a line and ask me.  I am very opinionated and happy to give my thoughts to any that want them, and sadly to some that don’t. 

Cheers.

Ctny

Blog Tour - Shadow Warrior

As anticipated, my virtual book tour hosted by Goddess Fish Promotions, for my paranormal YA Novel, Shadow Warrior, begins today and continues all week long.  

I will be giving away $10 Amazon.com gift certificates to two randomly drawn commenters during the tour. So comment today AND follow my tour -- the more you read and comment, the better your chances of winning.
My schedule for the week:

Monday, February 13, 2012 you can find me at:  It's Raining Books
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 you can find me at:  The Fairy Tale Nerd
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 you can find me at:  Good Family Reads (Yay!  Its up everyone.  Day late, yes, but better late than never.  Head on over to hear about outlines and far off places)
Thursday, February 16, 2012 you can find me at:  We Fancy Books  (Nope not this one either.  Sorry everyone.  No idea what the heck. Let's hope Friday is on board).
Friday, February 17, 2012 you can find me at: Reader Girls

Let me know what you think of the tour.  I will be in and out of all these blogs throughout the week.  Please stop over and say hello. 

ctny

Chronicle - The Movie

First:  there is great new interview up here:  Long and Short Interview

Even though the interview is of me, I am still allowed to call it great, because they did a wonderful job with it.  Be sure to head over and check it out. 

This week I am doing my thoughts (I am not calling it a review) of the movie – Chronicle.

This is a movie, about three high school friends who gain superpowers after making a discovery.   They soon find their lives spinning out of control as they embrace their darker sides. (Darker sides? Okaaaaay…)

 

It stars:  Michael B. Jordan, Michael Kelly and Alex Russell

Okay, that’s the short blurb.  Mine would be three high school boys (not friends at first), make a strange and wild discovery in the form of what I would call a meteorite with life in it.  After this discovery they begin to exhibit “powers” in the form of telekinesis, which after weeks of practice to hone their skills they can fly, push air, move objects, all with their minds.  They also have a connection to each other.  They never really explain how or why they have this connection but they seem to know when one of the three are in trouble, which by the end of the movie, they all are. 

Add in that one of the boys is a jock, an all American football hero;  one is the clown/mild partier;  and one is the outcast with a dying mother and abusive father.  Out of the three, guess who wigs out?

The story is of their growth, their found friendship, and how power ruins it all. 

My rating?  I give it a 9.  I really truly enjoyed this movie.  My emotions were all over the place with the main characters.  Laughter, sadness, joy, anger, frustration, pity, even a bit of “ewww”.  The effects were so cool.  It had a great sense of humor.  The ending was what I thought it should be. I wanted more, but it was a good place to stop.  If you like paranormal super power movies, you will love this one.  I really did.    

That's all for this week.  Next week is the start of my blog tour so be sure to check back for blogs and dates and places to go.  Have a great one.

ctny

How's Your Year Going So Far?

First a bit of housekeeping.  Beginning February 12, 2012 through February 18, 2012 I will be neck deep in a blog tour hosted through Goddessfish.com. 

Stay tuned for blog addresses and dates.  They will be coming soon. 

March 10^th I will be attending the Tucson Festival of books in…..Tucson.  I have two panels I will be taking part in on March 10^th as well as two time slots for meet and greet and autographing.  If you will be in the Tucson area at the university on the 10^th come and hunt me down.  I will love to say hello.  For more information on the festival you can go here: http://tucsonfestivalofbooks.com/

It’s the end of January, already!  At the beginning of the New Year, I put together a list of a few things that I planned on doing better this year.  I decided to do an update of how those things are going for me. 

1.             Thankfully I am reading more.  Yay!  As of today I have read 9 books for the year.  I am reading 2 more and have a list of MUST reads already going. 

2.         Sadly I am still struggling with the small stuff.  I almost think its because I am cooped up inside and the small stuff is staring me in the face.  Like last night for instance, it was late, I was tired and instead of going to bed like any normal person, I had to first, do that last load of laundry and put away the dishes.  I think I am going OCD. 

3.         I have however been able to say the big word “NO” with a bit more ease.  I said no to helping set up a website for a “friend”.  That was easy as I suck at websites.  Code and boxes and html….way way over my head.  But then I also said no for the first time EVER to a cake request.  I was so proud of myself until that is, I said I would do whatever I could to help out.  What is wrong with me?  Am I not busy enough?  That “no” word is so hard.  It feels mean.  I don’t like it. 

4.  I am excelling at spending more time doing the things I want to do.  It may not seem like it, if you read 2 and 3 above, but I am.  Really.  For instance, I have left the branches and sticks that fell to the ground over the last few weeks due to the wild wind and rain.  It’s been really hard as I see them every time I go outside.  I have also set up a 1000 piece puzzle that my 10 year old and I have been working on and I have left it..in the living room.  GASP!  All in all I am doing many of the little things that I needed to make me a bit happier in my daily grind of life.  That’s all I was looking for in this one.  So I am doing well. 

All in all the year is shaping up pretty well.  What about you?  Have you already chucked out your resolutions and plans for the year?  I’m still working hard on my goals, so far.  Next month could be different.

Author, Kim Curley

Today I am with fellow writer, Kim Curley.  She is one of the talented authors of the new apocalyptic anthology, titled, Earth’s End.  The cover is awesome dont you think?  Be sure to check it out. 

Instead of doing your standard author interview I decided to give Kim the reins and have her write a letter to her favorite author.  I hope you all enjoy her words as much as I did. 

Dear Mr. King:

Hello-my name is Kim Curley. I appreciate you taking the time to read my letter. I am an aspiring author who wanted to take the opportunity to say, ‘Thank you!’ for all your hard work, and for sharing all your stories with the world.

I realize most of your fans would be writing to you about their favorite book that you’ve written. Or, they might critique one of your books transformed for the big screen or television. This fan would like to commend you about a book you wrote called, “On Writing.”

As a new writer, I found your book to be both educational and entertaining. You are honest with the reader up front when you announce that this book is not an autobiography, but the story of how one writer (you) was formed. As you stated in your second forward, the book is small to cut out the BS. I appreciate your honesty and for putting so much information into what might be considered by your fans to be a “short” book.

“On Writing” encourages people to do what they already know how to do naturally: tell stories. We’re all storytellers in our own way. After all, isn’t this how we as humans first learned to communicate with one another (after we quit hurling rocks and beating each other with clubs, that is)? Going from one tribe to another, sharing our stories of where we came from, teaching one another skills? Legends, myths, and folklore came from storytelling. And, most of us have one of “those” relatives who are especially gifted at regaling us with their tales of days gone by.

What endears the reader to “On Writing” is that you don’t sugar-coat anything (there’s that no BS application again!). Thank you for being honest about your upbringing and your struggles as a son, husband, and father. Although you worked long, hard hours to pay the bills and keep your family afloat, you still managed to pursue your writing ambition.  

Early in the book, around page 50, you speak of an incident that occurred when you were a young boy. You were affronted by a teacher who had taken a copy of your plagiaristic V.I.B-Very Important Book-and waved it in your face and asked why you wasted your abilities on such a piece of junk. You said it wasn’t until you were older that you realized that no matter what your talents are, someone will be out there trying to make you feel ashamed of what you are doing. Although there are many aspects of your book that I admire, this statement spoke loud and clear to me.

I am grateful to your acknowledgments of those who nurtured your writing career. You point out the importance of editors and having fresh eyes peruse your written work. Editors can be viewed as evil incarnate, or writers who couldn’t get their careers off the ground so they’re taking out their frustrations on the rest of us.  We know that these are the people who will tell us what does and doesn’t work. If we can’t take their criticism at face value, then we’re in the wrong business.

At the end of your book, you show an excerpt from your story, “1408.” The reader is given the opportunity to peruse the unedited version before going on to the revised portion. Writers are very fond of their words. We stare at blank pages or screens, forming words out of letters, breathing life into each sentence and paragraph. The most difficult obstacle I feel writers face is cutting words or sections out. We ignore our inner editors’ pleas to take away words or phrases, fearing if we do, we kill our story. However, I can say from experience that throwing out sections that don’t work is exhilarating! A recent published story I wrote was my eye-opener. When I reread the story after my first draft, I sat back and asked myself: would I want to read a story like this off a store shelf? I shook my head no. After I asked a writer colleague for input on the story, I was told that the story actually began several paragraphs down (almost an entire page!). I went back and read the story beyond the beginning: light bulb moment. No matter how attached I had been to those words, I threw out a huge chunk and the words flowed like a creek after a good rain: strong and steady. 

Mr. King, thank you again, for taking the time to share “On Writing” with those of us who are learning and struggling to put ourselves out there. You have written innumerable books and stories in your lifetime, but I feel like this book was written especially for me, or at least the writer in me. In any case, we both thank you, very much.

Sincerely,

Kim Curley

Kim Curley began her writing journey in 2008, taking an online course titled, ‘How to Sell Your Fiction Novel.’ With the encouragement of a friend from work, she enrolled in a correspondence course and became a 2010 graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature of West Redding, Connecticut. In 2009, she became a member of SCBWI-Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Although she enjoys writing children’s lit, her goal is to branch out and write for adults as well. She prefers writing fiction/fantasy, to provide escapism for readers everywhere. “I write what I would want to read, when I get the chance to read.” A housewife and mother, she resides in the Pacific Northwest. Her story for Wicked East Press Sci-Fi/Apocalypse Anthology, “Earth’s End,” titled, “Faith: An Apocalypse Story,” is her first published piece for a book.

http://cupcakesblogcorner.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/kim.curley1

http://twitter.com/kim_curley

    

Shadow Warrior

It's official, my book, Shadow Warrior is out and available. 

 Shadow Warrior

by Courtney Rene

Sunny finally makes her first jump to the Kingdom of Acadia that is on the other side of the shadows, for what she hopes is a vacation.  Only her vacation turns into quite an unwanted adventure.  Aside from new and unexpected issues regarding her relationship with Leif, Sunny meets the rebel group, makes new friends, fights with controlling her powers, and finds herself neck deep within a county that is torn apart by two sides, each fighting for power.  Acadia is not quite what she imagined.  How is she, one young girl, supposed to unite the Kingdom as well as unseat a King to take her place as ruler of Acadia. 

~*~

Where can you find it?  It's at my publisher's site which is located Here.

Or you can find it on amazon Here

For all you NOOK users, it is supposed to be available for the NOOK but it is not yet showing on their website but I will keep on top of that. 

It is in both ebook format and print book, so either format you prefer you are set to go.  Any questions?  Let me know I will do what I can to answer them. 

~*~

Be sure to stop over next week as I have Author, Kim Curley

Welcome to 2012

We made it into the new year of 2012!  Yay!  We have to make this one a good one, esp. since we are all going to die in December (Thank you Mayans).  I personally don't think the world is going to end this year, and frankly if I am wrong, I will be dead and wont have to hear all the "I told you so's" anyway.

Goals for the year?  I have decided to not do goals this year.  I do however have a list of things that I am going to try to do better. 

1.  I am going to read more.  I used to read a book every day or two.  Now I am lucky to read one a week.  I miss it.

2.  I am going to try to not sweat the small stuff.  So I was two whole minutes late out the door this morning.  Yes, we had processed food three times last week!  Oh no!  The laundry is behind again!  Gasp!  I will not stay up all night to get caught up, I will just have to catch up tomorrow.

3.  I am going to try to say no, when I want to and not feel guilty into saying yes.  For instance:  Yes, I make cakes, and I decorate them, and if I have the time and the desire, I will happily make you one for free.  If I don't feel like it or really just don't have the time, I am not going to say yes, just because I know it is what you want to hear. 

4.  The weeds can wait but the butterflies can't.  I am going to spend more time doing the things I want to do (catch lightening bugs in the gloaming, run wildly through the park being chased down by my children, sit down and play a 3 hour game of monopoly with my family) and not the things that I HAVE to do (the list is endless, dishes, laundry, bills, work, cooking, cleaning........).  Yes all the necessary things will all still get done, but it will be on my schedule and not someone else's idea of what my schedule should be. 

That's really all.  I suppose I should add exercise more and eat better, but I'm not.  I try to do that everyday.  I don't need it on my list to taunt me.  Some days I will and some days I wont.  That's life and I intend to enjoy mine, esp. since the world is coming to to a end in 12 months time.

Did anyone set goals or resolutions for the new year?  If so, what are they?

ctny