31/03/2014

BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY - THE RIPPLE EFFECT ROMANCE NOVELLA SERIES: SILVER LININGS BY KAYLEE BALDWIN

Updated Silver


Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin

 Drew Westfall wants nothing more than to forget what he had to do in the name of "smart" business. Cutting off all ties with his parents—including handing over the entire contents of his trust fund to a charity—he takes off for Bridger, Colorado where his best friend has an extra room for him. It doesn't take long for him to realize that his business degree won’t do him much good in a town as small as Bridger, but he's broke and has nowhere else to go. Eden Torresi has every reason to wallow. Not only did she have to sell her house to pay for her mother’s medical expenses, but she also had to drop out of school and is in a relationship with a guy unwilling to commit. But Eden isn't the wallowing type. Instead, she chooses to spend most of her time taking care of the seniors at Silver Linings Assisted Living. When she learns that her boyfriend's new roommate is down on his luck, her caring nature makes her want to reach out to him and offer what help she can. But the more time they spend together, the more complicated things get, especially when the seniors of Silver Linings decide to play matchmaker.

29/03/2014

MY BOOKS & MUSIC SATURDAY

My love for books is known beyond borders, since I've been blogging in English for a while now and I have been sharing my passion with readers living in so many different contries. 
What has happened is that in the last years,  I've read many books,  but not so many in my native language, which is Italian. That's a pity,  of course,  but as we usually complains in the book blogosphere, "so many books, so little time!"
Today has been pretty special as for books & me and the outcome is ... there are a few Italian books I am going to read soon. 
I'll be in the panel of reading judges in a literary contest, we are 29 and have the task to choose the winner in the fiction section. I'll have to read 3 novels, debut releases by new authors for important  Italian publishers. The event, Fieramente il Libro is at its second edition here in my town and I'm flattered and honoured to be involved. It'll take place on 27/28/29 June 2014. I can't wait! I'll keep you informed, of course, and I'll start reading soon. 

28/03/2014

A NEW COMEDY WEB SERIES & GIVEAWAY - UNPLANNED MOTHERHOOD DEBUTS TODAY!

unplanned motherhood
Unplanned Motherhood is a non-fiction collection of short stories written by moms and dads about their funny inspirational or motivational journey as a parent. Unplanned Motherhood is based on the web series created by Lena Sledge.
Unplanned Motherhood is a comedy web series for perfectly imperfect families, starring Lena Sledge as Layla, a wife and mother of five that gives parenting advice on her real life mommy blog. Her unique parenting style contradicting with her perfect parenting advice lends to a distinct brand of humor. With each episode we see Layla teaching her kids life lessons as she discovers more about herself and the advice she gives to her readers. Unique to this web series is the actual blog that Layla writes where she gives the perfect parenting advice and after many of her posts, follows the tag line; to see how I really handled the situation watch this week's episode.
This web series is special because the viewers of the web series and the readers of the real life blog get to interact with Layla and let her know if her advice is on the money or share their own parenting advice. To follow the Unplanned Motherhood blog go to www.lenasledge.com. Stay tuned. Unplanned Motherhood debuts March 28th!!!!

27/03/2014

ALIVE ALIVE OH, ALIVE ALIVE OH ... IN DUBLIN, THAT IS.

Dublin - Grafton Street
Were you curious to know more about my trip to Dublin? Well, I thought it was better to wait on. I didn't want to write on the heat of the moment. It would have been rushed and unfiltered. Time always sweetens, softens and smooths the excesses. I've waited and waited but now I've decided it's rather time to confess the truth, nothing else but the truth. Gosh, I'm being quite melodramatic. Too much if you think I have no crime to confess, only my disillusionment. Yes,  if you expect an enthusiastic report,  don't read further, just stop here.

I had promised myself  "never again" after this experience back in 2011. Instead, here I am,  I did it again. I'm a repeated offender, so no clemency for me.  I totally agree.

Where can I start from? Do you want to know what Dublin was like, my friends? Let's start from the few positive memories.
I posted pictures on my facebook and twitter and they were incredibly sunny and colourful, weren't they? In fact, we were blessed with good weather,  which anyone who has been to Ireland at least once knows it is so rare.
Dublin was as lively and welcoming as I had expected it to be. Dubliners were hard-working,  helpful, kind, talkative though a tiny bit loud and out of control on Friday and Saturday nights. There was always music and a festive crowd in the city centre, though St. Patrick's day was yet to come (quite soon,  since we were there from March 5th to 11th).

25/03/2014

BLOG TOUR & GREAT GIVEAWAY - THE RABBIT AND THE RAVEN BY MELISSA ESKUE OUSLEY

Tynan Tierney, Kruor um Beir of Cai Terenmare



A major theme in The Solas Beir Trilogy is the multi-faceted nature of evil. Sometimes people have bad intentions and cause harm. Sometimes people mean well, and end up hurting someone. But does it really matter to your victim what your intentions were? Maybe. Maybe not. What if you’ve made a terrible mistake and hurt someone? Can you be forgiven? Can you be redeemed? These are questions explored throughout this young adult series, and I’ll leave it to you, the reader, to come up with the answers.

Tynan Tierney is the Kruor um Beir of Cai Terenmare, the King of Blood and Shadows. As such he has authority and power over all those who serve the Darkness. The Kruorumbrae are nasty, shape-shifting creatures with a craving for the blood and life force of humans and those in the Light. They relish invoking fear.

24/03/2014

BREATHTAKING - SEVEN BESTSELLING NOVELS OF LOVE AND SUSPENSE AT A VERY SPECIAL PRICE

Breathtaking: Seven Bestselling Novels of Love and Suspense
Boxed set is only $ 0.99 March 24th through March 29th.
 
Unbelievable by Sherry Gammon

Deliah Dreser's in town to take care of family business. They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, but there's more to Lilah than meets the eye. Cole's in danger of losing his heart when this firestorm throws sparks his way. Is she simply playing him for the fool in order to exact revenge for her brother's murders? Bestselling author Sherry Gammon's reviewers exclaim; "She has a gift for touching her readers with beautiful, gripping stories that you can’t put down."

Home Before Dark by Christy Barritt 

Nothing good ever happens after dark. Those were the words country singer Daleigh McDermott’s father always repeated. Now her father is dead, and Daleigh finds a hidden journal hinting that his death was no accident. Small town mechanic Ryan Shields is the only one who seems to believe Daleigh. As the two work to unravel the mystery, it becomes obvious that someone wants them dead. They must rely on each other—and on God—if they hope to make it home before the darkness swallows them whole. Award-Winning Suspense Novelist and Bestselling Amazon Author, touted as "scary, funny, passionate, and quirky" by USA Today.

22/03/2014

ACTING AND ... CASTING THE RUNES - INTERVIEW WITH ANTONIA & NOEL BYRNE, THE BOX TALE SOUP

My fascination with the theatre and the acting job brings me to virtually meet interesting, fascinating people from time to time and I can't resist the temptation to discover more about their world. This is why I have invited Antonia and Noel Byrne, The Box Tale Soup, to tell us about their experience and everyday life as actors. Their new show, Casting the Runes, is going to debut soon and they are really busy with the rehearsals. They have accepted anyway to answer my questions and I thank them heartily. 

What is the history of your Box Tale Soup Productions?

Antonia - Noel and I met performing together in 2009 (we were playing Romeo and Juliet!) and after a while doing freelance acting work for theatre and television, we realised what we really wanted to do was make our own theatre. We decided, first of all, that we wanted our shows to be extremely portable, so that we might turn up almost anywhere and be able to perform. The first item we purchased, therefore, was a vintage trunk (seen in Northanger Abbey) and we decided that all the props, costume and set we used in the show had to fit inside it. We chose Northanger Abbey, as it's one of Antonia's favourites, and then everything else, including the decision to use puppets, flowed on from there. We now have three productions, Northanger Abbey, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and our newest, Casting the Runes.

21/03/2014

AT THE THEATRE (AND NOT ONLY): THE GREATEST LOVE STORY OF ALL TIME OR THE MOST ANNOYING TEENAGERS IN LITERATURE? - MY ROMEO & JULIET WEEKEND

I've been recently involved in a discussion on Facebook about Romeo and Juliet, the young protagonists of Shakespeare's tragedy (1595),  who were included in a top ten list of literary annoying teenagers. I really couldn't agree with that dismissive judgement nor with the low consideration given to such finely written characters. Please, don't touch my Shakespeare!

I have myself kindly underestimated Romeo as a dreamer and an incostant lover at times (dying for love for Rosaline and suddenly desperately in love with Juliet?) but he is such a realistic embodiment of teenage fast crushes and violent passions, and that cannot be denied. I couldn't agree with whom  defined the two young lovers as annoying characters.

The audience at the Gran Teatro - Rome
Virtual discussion apart, my real life has been full of emotions connected to the story of the two star-crossed lovers from Verona of late.

Last Saturday afternoon I was at Gran Teatro in Rome with niece and sister and friends to see a musical: Romeo e Giulietta, Ama e cambia il mondo (adaptation of the original French work “RomĂ©o et Juliette” by G. Presgurvic).
I had decided to join  them out of curiosity,  knowing nothing about the show and its cast. As you can

20/03/2014

BOOK BLAST & GIVEAWAY - THE FORTUNE CAFE', A NOVEL IN THREE PARTS

Fortune Cafe
The Fortune CafĂ© a novel in three parts

MIS-FORTUNE: Emma, a waitress at The Fortune CafĂ© will do anything to avoid opening a fortune cookie. Each fortune is rumored to somehow magically come true. Being a girl grounded in reality, she doesn’t have time for that kind of nonsense. But when trying to prevent a food fight at the cafĂ©, Emma accidently cracks open a fortune cookie: “Look around, love is trying to catch you.” If there is one thing that Harrison, her former best friend in high school is good at, it’s catching her unaware. 

LOVE, NOT LUCK: Lucy has always been lucky . . . until her parents meet her fiancĂ©’s parents at a disastrous lunch at The Fortune CafĂ©, and she breaks her lucky jade necklace. Even worse, her fortune cookie reveals that “True love is for the brave, not the lucky.” How is she supposed to read that? She’s always considered it lucky how she met her fiancĂ©. But after breaking her necklace, Lucy’s luck takes a dive. And when her fiancĂ© dumps her, the only person she can turn to is Carter, the unluckiest guy she knows.   

18/03/2014

FATHERS AND SONS, THOSE FLAT ON THEIR BACKS AND THOSE DREAMING OF A WALK IN THE MOUNTAINS ... GLI SDRAIATI BY MCHELE SERRA

Hello everyone! It's been a while,  I know,  since I posted something really personal but here I am, ready to update you about my latest adventures and misadventures as ... a reader . 

I haven't been reading much. Not since my father sudden illness and his too quick departure.  I haven't read much since last December. I don't know why, exactly. I happened to start and immediately drop more than one book. I finished just one and not because I particularly liked it. And of that one I'm going to tell you.
It is a small Italian book titled "Gli sdraiati", in English something like, the lying down, or "those  flat on their backs".  (Apparently,  I am not that good at translating, I can't find a better one for this title, can you?). 
Anyway, the mentioned book is about a father and his relationship with his teenage son. Yes, teenagers.  They are  the lying down .
The more I try to understand them, the more I realize I can't. Is it only me?  It is not just due to the generation gap, it is because I have never been like them. I was a teenager once, I still feel like one at times, but I was never like them. Not like the ones I have in front of me every day, at least. It is like we are not separated by a generation but by an era, a geologic era.

17/03/2014

HOME MATTERS BY JULIE N. FORD - BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY

Home Matters Updated



Home Matters by Julie N. Ford

 According to her mother, Olivia Pembroke was born to be a star. But how is she supposed to be famous when she can't even get a decent acting gig? Her lucky break comes when she lands an audition for a wildly popular home improvement show. Even though she has no design training and has never even held a power tool, she refuses to let that stop her. She's confident that her destiny is finally within reach. When her affections are torn between her heartthrob co-host and the irritating, yet somehow endearing lead contractor, does she continue to reach for the stars? Or does she design a new happily ever after? One that leads not to the fading lights of fame and fortune, but to a love that will burn forever.




12/03/2014

AVALON SERIES BLAST & GIVEAWAY

Avalon

Avalon: Web of Magic

Three very different young teens, Emily, the shy one, Adriane, the outsider, and Kara, the power shopper, are all drawn to a secret place deep in the woods where they discover a portal to another world. Wondrous animals have emerged from the portal, desperately seeking the magic that will keep them alive. Though the animals are peaceful and good, what follows them through the portal is twisted and evil and bent on destroying them all. The Fairimentals have chosen these three fourteen-year-olds to protect the magical animals. To save them and their world, the girls must overcome their differences and band together. They begin a perilous quest to discover Avalon, the lost, legendary home of magic, little knowing the terrible dangers they will face along the way.



07/03/2014

BOOK BLAST & GIVEAWAY - THE BOXCAR BABY BY J.L. MULVIHILL

Boxcar BabyThe Boxcar Baby by J.L. Mulvihill

Born in a boxcar on a train bound for Georgia. At least that is what Papa Steel always told AB'Gale. But now, fifteen years later, the man who adopted and raised her as his own is missing and it's up to AB'Gale to find him. Aided only by a motley gang of friends, AB'Gale train hops her way across the United States in a desperate attempt to find her papa and put her life and family back the way it was. Her only guide is a map given to her by a mysterious hobo, with hand written clues she found hidden in her papa's spyglass. Here is the Great American Adventure in an alternate steampunk dystopian world, where fifteen-year-old AB'Gale Steel learns that nothing is as it seems, but instead is shrouded in secrets and mysteries ... and that monsters come in all shapes and forms. The Boxcar Baby is the first book of the Steel Roots series.   

 Praise for The Boxcar Baby

  “Miss AB’Gale Steel, is a pure spitfire girl, full of strong-minded grit, who draws strength out of adversity, and endures hardship by bracing herself against self-pity.” – Jorie Loves a Story 

“One thing I really loved about this one was it was fast paced and moved quickly. Mulvihill did an amazing job making realistic characters.” – Bee’s Knees Reviews “J.L. Mulvihill is quite a talented writer and I think she has such a creative mind to come up with this Steampunk Southern American Adventure.” – Book and Movie Dimension

05/03/2014

M.L. LEGETTE, FAIRY-TALES & MEMORIES - THE ORPHAN & THE THIEF BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY

I don’t wear make-up. I hate high heels. I positively detest dressing up. So it’s probably a bit of a shock that all I wanted to be when I was little was a princess in a poofy pink dress. I actually owned many versions of said poofy pink dress in matching plastic shoes. If you met me when I was seven and asked ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ I would have promptly answered ‘Cinderella!’

So what is it that makes children love fairy-tales so much? I don’t really know. My enjoyment of them in my youth obviously did not have a lasting impression on my wardrobe, so what is it? Generally speaking, boys make their own suits of armor out of cardboard and pretend to slay dragons and goblins in the backyard, while girls wear glittering, plastic crowns and run about with fairy wands.

This was my childhood, by the way.

04/03/2014

MARCH KINDLE FIRE GIVEAWAY

March 2014 Kindle 


Win a Kindle Fire HDX, Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash ($229 value)   This is a joint AUTHOR & BLOGGER GIVEAWAY EVENT! Bloggers & Authors have joined together and each chipped in a little money towards a Kindle Fire HDX 7". 
  

03/03/2014

BOOK BLAST & GIVEAWAY - THE LELAND DRAGON SERIES

ReclamationRedheart cover
Redheart 

Enter the lands of Leland Province, where dragon and human societies have long dwelled side by side. Superstitions rise sharply, as a severe drought strips the land of its bounty, providing fertile ground for the darker ambitions of Fordon Blackclaw, Dragon Council Leader, who seeks to subdue humans or wipe them off the face of the land. As the shadow of danger creeps across Leland Province, a young dragon named Kallon Redheart, who has turned his back on dragons and humans alike, comes into an unexpected friendship. Riza Diantus is a young woman whose dreams can no longer be contained by the narrow confines of her village, and when she finds herself in peril, Kallon is the only one with the power to save her. Yet to do so means he must confront his past, and embrace a future he stopped believing in. A tale of friendship, courage, and ultimate destiny, Redheart invites readers to a wondrous journey through the Leland Dragon Series.

   Praise for Redheart

“Redheart is a captivating and enthralling book.”- Evie Bookish

 “Gamber has written a hypnotic tale that lulls you into a dreamy state of ethereal bliss, as you enter into the world of the Leland Dragons!” – Jorie Loves a Story

 “I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a great fantasy novel.” – Jess Resides Here

 “The story itself is very beautifully told, and Gamber does a phenomenal job creating personable characters and down to earth themes, all dealing with different aspects, such as social, psychological, feministic, archetypal, and philosophical issues.” – A Book Vacation




02/03/2014

WAITING FOR THE OSCARS: WHICH ONES HAVE I SEEN? 12 YEARS A SLAVE, HER, THE GREAT BEAUTY

Oscar Weekend is finally here! The 86th Annual Academy Awards air live tonight Sunday, March 2, at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT on ABC, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres.
Have you seen any of the nominated movies? I've seen only: 12 Years A Slave, Her, The Great Beauty.  What about you instead? Looking forward to tonight's show,  where some of the anxious nominees will become excited winners, let's discuss these three movies which are among them.

12 Years A Slave


The true terrible story of Salomon Northup, 12 Years a Slave,  is a movie based on an incredibly touching account of one man's fight for survival and freedom. Salomon is a free middle class black man living in North America, a musician, when he is deceived, kidnap and forced to live as a slave for twelve years. 
As in other of his films - Hunger or Shame for instance - director McQueen wants the audience leave the theatre disturbed and upset. No censorship, no filters: the ugly truth is there in all its tragicality, it hurts, it shocks, it makes you sorrowful. Neither the happy ending can relieve you from the sense of loss and brutality you experience watching this movie.