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Thursday, February 22, 2018

Takhayyal writing prompt 82: Pandora's Book!


Who's ready to get their creative juices flowing?

Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's bi-weekly picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal.

We've all heard of Pandora's box, the one that unleashed all the diseases of the world, with the last bit being hope. I'm calling this one Pandora's Book!

Is there hope in this book? 





Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity and explore new genres.
Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction; you name it and write it.

General rules:
·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.
·        Leave the link to your post in comments below OR post your piece as REPLY to this post
·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture
·        Multiple entries allowed
·        It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.
·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets!

Let's IMAGINE!

Monday, February 19, 2018

Dead as a Doornail by Tonya Kappes - Cover Reveal






Today, I'm featuring a cover reveal for a new mystery novel called DEAD AS A DOORNAIL by author Tonya Kappes

So excited about this one!


Ready…..






















Set….. 





















Reveal!!


















Synopsis: 

Beauty is skin deep, but ugly goes clear to the bone. And doesn’t our Sheriff Kenni Lowry know that? Well, she knows a lot of things.
Lucy Lowell takes great pride in writing negative reviews in the local newspaper for anything that does not go her way. When Lucy is found dead, it appears to be from natural causes.
But Sheriff Kenni Lowry knows there is more to it because the ghost of her grandfather, the ex-sheriff, is standing over the body.
His presence can only mean one thing: Murder!
Since Kenni’s relationship with Deputy Finn Vincent has heated up, Kenni is having trouble conducting the investigation without Finn questioning her every move.
Can Kenni unravel the mystery on her own or will she have to tell Finn the real reason she knows it was murder—the ghost of her poppa?
It’s blowin’ up a storm and only Kenni knows how it’ll end.

Add the book on Goodreads.


Dead as a Doornail by Tonya Kappes
will be available on 15 May from Henery Press!

It is Available for Pre-Order Today!! 

Get it via Barnes & Noble and Amazon 


About the Author:
Tonya has written over 15 novels and 4 novellas, all of which have graced numerous bestseller lists including USA Today. Best known for stories charged with emotion and humor, and filled with flawed characters, her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She lives with her husband, three teenage boys, two very spoiled schnauzers and one ex-stray cats in northern Kentucky and grew up in Nicholasville. Now that her boys are teenagers, Tonya writes full time but can be found at all of her guys high school games with a pencil and paper in hand.

Become a member of Tonya's STREET TEAM! It's a gathering place of readers who love Tonya Kappes novels and Tonya gives away prizes! To sign up for Tonya's STREET TEAM, newsletter, view book trailer, and upcoming news, check out Tonya's Website

Find Tonya on Facebook and Twitter.





Saturday, February 17, 2018

Breathe. Breathe. by Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi – Book Review



Breathe. Breathe. by Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi is a collection of dark, fantastical and realistic, beautifully-written, highly visual poems and short stories. It exudes a darkness that readers can both visualise and enjoy reading over and over.


"Night Stalked" is a 10-star poem that had my heart racing throughout. Damn!

It is followed by "The Lure of a Witch", which breaks free from the horror of the previous poem to act as a kind of relief. But don't get used to the relief in this collection.

Al-Mehairi notes at the end of the book that she wrote "The Society of the Fireflies" for her daughter. The poem is one of few light pieces in the collection with a beautiful image carried throughout. Lots of contrast in there as well. Five stars to this one. If I were to quote from it, I'd quote it whole!

"Clock of Doom" is another 10-star dark poem that keeps you on edge throughout. I absolutely love it!

"Click-clock
Tick-tock.

There's no escape
From the claustrophobia
of monotonous chirps,
as the hands move without
empathy or pardon for the soul."

Two main themes recur throughout Breathe. Breathe., namely abuse and violence against women, which I believe Al-Mehairi brings some of from past pains in her life, and the idea of breathing; the need to breathe and let go.

"The Heirloom" is a brilliant story within a poem, which reminded me a bit of Miss Havisham from Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, although the poem's main character in quite different. A 10-star poem that will keep your heart pounding!

"The Lighthouse Keeper's Tale" is a dark paranormal poem that is reminiscent of a Nightwish song called "The Islander", which in turn often reminds me of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." However, I must stress that Al-Mehairi's poem is very different from Coleridge's; they both just have a similar feel with the sea, the keeper, and the overall visual.


I loved the alliteration, rhythm, and flow in the dark and quick-paced poem "Buried Alive", while "The Table is Turned" reminded me of one of the short stories that appear later in the collection. I liked how Al-Mehairi kept giving me hints as to the end of the poem.

A horrifying story within a poem, "Ningyo's Misfortune" is one of two pieces that is based on Japanese mythology. It is a different kind of horror. Although there was a strong shift in narration, the piece is a must-read.

"Nature's Salve" is a dark piece that the reader can literally feel every word of. *shudders*

As with collections, there were some poems that I didn't quite get and others that did not appeal to me but those were few.

"Offers to Nang Tani" is an interesting piece but I felt it could be in prose more. it's a story arising from folklore with great visual.

Other recommended reads from Breathe. Breathe.: "Love Is Poison", "Silent Screams", "You Say You Love Me", "Anxiety of Darkness", "What Lies Beneath", "Catching My Breath", and "The Hunted."

The book also contains five short stories. The first is "Valhalla Lane", which is divided into four shorter episodes that are beautifully brought together to a final conclusion. Well-written and crafted. I couldn’t put them this down despite the violence in it.

There is also "Life-Giver of the Nile", which brings in Egyptian mythology with a dark but interesting twist. Being an Egyptian, I like to see how authors tackle ancient Egyptian mythology and Al-Mehairi did a good job with this one. Although I have mixed feelings about Anuket, the goddess of the Nile, being evil or justifiably-evil.

"Dandelion Yellow" is a very powerful but heartbreaking short story and Al-Mehairi literally saved one of the best for last. The story somehow reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, with a much darker shade, and "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

"She felt she had fallen down the proverbial rabbit hold into hell."

Differently raw and unexpected, "Dandelion Yellow" is definitely a 10-star must read.



Can't decide if "Dandelion Yellow" or "Valhalla Lane" is the no. 1 short story for me. Both are amazing, emotional and painful, and must-reads.

"No dandelion yellow crayon in this brand's box either. Not even a colour remotely similar, just a dark mustard that looked like an old man's time-warped bathroom sink."

Overall, Breathe. Breathe. is a must-read for any poetry lover. It is rich in themes and ideas, from heartbreak and heartache to women fighting back their abusers, to Japanese mythology to an ancient Egyptian goddess taking a human life for a greater purpose. I highly recommend it.

Overall rating: 4.5 stars
                                                                                                          
Note: I received a free copy of Breathe. Breathe. from its author Erin Sweet Al Mehairi in exchange for an honest review.

Update:
New interview with Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi on Nadaness In Motion.


Follow Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi via Goodreads, Twitter, and her Website.

Buy Breathe. Breathe. via Amazon.


About the Author
Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi has Bachelor of Arts degrees in English, Journalism, and History. She has 20 years of experience in the communication and marketing fields and is currently a writer, a journalist, a publicist, and an editor among many other things.

Breathe. Breathe., published by Unnerving, is her debut collection and a mix of dark poetry and short stories and has been an Amazon best-selling paid title, debuting at #2 in Women’s Poetry and top ten in horror short stories. She is also featured in the anthology from Unnerving called Hardened Hearts, which published in December 2017. Her story “Dandelion Yellow,” from Breathe. Breathe. is also featured in the My Favorite Story anthology of the Project Entertainment Network, which published also in December of 2017. This year so far, she was featured in the February issue of Enchanted Conversation: a fairy tale magazine, with her poem “Chained by Love” about a medieval mermaid. She also is the co-editor of a Gothic-themed anthology of poetry and short fiction to premiere Fall 2018 from Unnerving.

Erin is a co-host with her Marketing Morsels segment on Project Entertainment Network’s The Mando Method, an award-winning weekly podcast for new and veteran writers.

You can e-mail her at hookofabook (at) hotmail (dot) com and find her easily at www.hookofabook.wordpress.com. You’ll also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest where she loves new friends.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Something of Substance by Tia Souders - Cover Reveal



Something of Substance
By: Tia Souders


Blurb



Seventeen-year-old Grace Michaels is determined to be thin, even if she dies trying.

Part of the in-crowd at Providence High, she is steps away from being asked out by the most desired guy at school, winning a prom queen nomination, and her parents’ approval. If she can just get skinny enough, be pretty enough, and popular enough.

But Grace is thin on the outside and fat on the inside. No amount of weight-loss ever seems enough. Convinced the melting pounds will solve her problems, every pound lost brings her closer to her goals. But flesh and bone can only hide the weight of her secret for so long before it kills her.

Fans of the emotional and thought-provoking contemporary YA fiction, such as Before I Fall, Tell Me Three Things, and All The Bright Places will fall in love with Souder’s heart-wrenching novel, SOMETHING OF SUBSTANCE.




…Coming 28 March 2018!
Be notified when SOMETHING OF SUBSTANCE releases – Subscribe to Tia’s mailing list: http://eepurl.com/deIqg5


Author Info


Tia Souders is the author of bestselling women’s fiction novel, Waiting On Hope and the upcoming award-winning young adult novel Better Than This (formerly titled Freedom Road). When she isn’t writing, she’s likely renovating their century home. She’s a wine-loving, coffeeholic, with a sweet tooth and resides on a farm in rural Ohio with her husband and children.


Author Links:  Website | Facebook | FB Street TeamInstagram


Snippet

  



Excerpt from Something of Substance by Tia Souders


I count the days until prom like I count calories. Ninety-eight days. Thirteen hundred calories.
I almost puke at the number.
Thirteen hundred. Maybe. I’m not even sure, which scares me more than the weight of the number.
How could I not keep track? And how could I go over? Do I really have no self-control? If I keep this up, I’ll be right back where I started—fat and unpopular.
My forehead beads with sweat and my fingers twitch, as I glance at my alarm clock—only three a.m. I turn on my side, then get up, knowing there’s no falling back asleep now. Not with all the numbers running through my head. Not with the fat I must’ve stored throughout the night resettling on my thighs like it found its way back home.
I tip-toe away, out of bed, afraid someone might hear me, which is unrealistic since my mother’s snore rivals a bass drum and my father sleeps like the dead. As for my sister, Kelly, she couldn’t care less what I do.
When I come to a stop in front of the full-length mirror on my bedroom door, I don’t even take the time to assess my silhouette in the moonlight. Instead, I lift the soft cotton of my t-shirt. My eyes home in on my ribs, barely visible under a layer of fat, then move to the paunch above the drawstring of my pajama bottoms. I poke at the skin there and grimace at the cushion I find. All I see are the two cookies I ate at Cara’s house last night and I wonder how many calories were in each bite. Fifty? Twenty-five? I have no idea and my ignorance scares me. I had fun and felt too safe, too included. I let those feelings cloud my judgment and lull me, blanket me into false security, where I allowed myself to lose control.
Stupid.
As I lower my shirt, I silently berate myself, then drop to the floor and lie on my back. With closed eyes, I cross my arms over my chest and start sit-ups. I count as I go. One. Two. Three. I do this until the memory of the cookie fades and my abdomen aches. When I can do no more, I stand back up and bend forward in a deep lunge. I ensure my knee touches the ground each time, my legs at perfect ninety-degree angles. Ten laps around my room, I tell myself, then I’ll try and go back to sleep.
I once read sleep burns more calories than lying awake, something about your body recalibrating your metabolism. I don’t buy it. Regardless, there’s no way sleep burns more than lunging, so as my thighs begin to burn and catch fire, I allow the sensation to ease the fluttering in my chest and the rise of bile in my throat.
Right lunge. It will be okay. Left lunge. I’ll be okay.
I won’t gain ten pounds from two cookies.
But I could gain one.
When I finish, slightly sweat-damp and out of breath, but feeling a tiny bit better, I get back under the covers of my bed. Though I’m too hot with the thick comforter pulled up tight under my chin, I leave it there because it will make me sweat. And while perspiring won’t burn excess fat, it might help me lose water weight, giving me the tiniest bit of peace to help me relax into the mattress and slip off into a light slumber.





As part of the cover reveal, there is a giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway





Sunday, February 11, 2018

K.N. Lee releases Legend, Dragon Rising series book 1 + Giveaway



Book: Legend
Dragon Rising (Book 1)
by K.N. Lee
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Synopsis:

Dive into the world of fallen angels, dragon shifters, demons, and vampires in the Dragon Rising novellas, where one woman must decide if she is content with hiding, or if she will grab her sword, shield, and armor to fight the evil destroying our world. Fans of The Vampire Diaries and True Blood will love Legend. 


An angel. Two smoking hot dragons. A demon ex-boyfriend. Rae must confront her past to protect her future. But, how can she fight evil when their attraction is unmistakable? 

Once a general in the Divine Army, Rae now spends her days masquerading as a human. Falling in love with the handsome surgeon in her hospital was dangerous enough. But, when her demon ex-boyfriend starts stalking her, he is the worst of her problems. A powerful dragon shifter wants her in his harem, and will do anything to get her, even destroy the world to win her heart. 


New York Times bestselling author, K.N. Lee presents a unique urban fantasy world that mixed sword and sorcery with paranormal romance. Download your copy of this fast-paced novella serial today! 

Trigger Warning: Adult situations, violence, and a cliffhanger ending. For mature audiences.
THIS IS A SERIAL/SERIES OF NOVELLAS. EXPECT SHORT, SEXY, ACTION-PACKED FANTASY

**ONLY .99 CENTS!!** 
Get the book via Goodreads and Amazon.






K.N. Lee is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She is the author of the Dragon-Born Saga, Eura Chronicles, Wonderland University, and the Chronicles of Koa series. When she is not writing twisted urban fantasy, epic tales of dragons, pirates, and mermaids, and dark poetry, she does a great deal of traveling and spending time with her family. Wannabe rockstar, foreign language enthusiast, and anime geek, K.N. Lee also enjoys gaming and sketching. She is a winner of the Elevate Lifestyle Top 30 Under 30 "Future Leaders of Charlotte" award for her success as a writer, business owner, and for community service.

She is signed with Captive Quill Press and Patchwork Press and represented by Hershman Rights Management.

K.N. Lee loves hearing from fans and readers. Connect with her via her WebsiteFacebookTwitterInstagramGoogle+Pinterest, Amazon, and Goodreads

  

Keep up with the rest of the blog tour.

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Takhayyal writing prompt 81: Little Guy/Girl?


Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends, and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's bi-weekly picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal.

Are you ready for the newest writing challenge? I figured I'd find something slightly different this time.

I wonder what this little guy - or girl - is thinking and up to...

I can bet by the look in their eyes that it goes under the "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good" quote from the Harry Potter books.

Image found via Pinterest. Owner/Artist unknown.


Of course, your piece can be about anything as long as it inspired by the above image.

Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity and explore new genres.
Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction; you name it and write it.

General rules:
·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.
·        Leave the link to your post in comments below OR post your piece as REPLY to this post
·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture
·        Multiple entries allowed
·        It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.
·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets!

Let's IMAGINE!