¡Miraculous!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: Love At Absolute Zero by Christopher Meeks and Giveaway!

2012-02-29T06:00:00.067+09:00

Giveaway!

Christopher Meeks is offering two AWESOME Love At Absolute Zero-themed prize packages tour-wide (US only). There's a bunch you can win, including copies of his books, a specially-designed mug, journal, and other neat swag! It ends February 29th at midnight, so check it out right away! For details and to enter, fill out this form, then read my review :)

Love At Absolute Zero by Christopher Meeks

Release Date: July 22nd, 2011

Publisher: White Whisker Books

Page Count: 304

Source: From author, via Bewitching Book Tours for review, as part of the Love At Absolute Zero virtual tour

Love At Absolute Zero is the story of Gunnar Gunderson, a 32-year-old physicist at the University of Wisconsin. The moment he's given tenure at the university, he can only think of one thing: finding a wife. This causes his research to falter. With his two partners, Gunnar is in a race against MIT to create new forms of matter called Bose-Einstein condensates, which exist only near absolute zero. To meet his soulmate within three days -- that's what he wants and all time he can carve out -- he and his team are using the scientific method, to riotous results.

What Stephanie Thinks: When it comes to the social scene, particularly the female social scene, Gunnar Gunderson has never had the luck. He likes women, he's sure -- in fact, he likes them a lot -- but having grown up a dorky little science geek, as an adult, his charisma is slightly lacking to say the least.

As a character, I absolutely adore Gunnar! He's perfectly awkward and well-intentioned and adorable. I could definitely relate to some of his mishaps -- how his life never plays out the way he imagines it. Just because he's a physics professor doesn't mean he's not imaginative. And in a sad way, I learned, just because he is thirty-two, a grown man, doesn't mean he's not naïve. One too many times, he's had his heart fooled, which may be the bane of his inability to score. But he needs game, he discovers. Call it a mid-life crisis, but he needs game -- he needs a woman -- and he needs her now.

With the help of supportive (even if ludicrous) fellow-science-nerd friends, and a rock-solid mom and sis, Gunnar learns that the true meaning of love cannot be defined and planned accordingly; that the true meaning of love lies subjectively within the individual, and that it never, especially in the beginning, plays out how you will expect it to.

Meeks's writing, I feel, isn't highly laudable. I admire how he can incorporate humor and physics together into a love story (now that I think about it, that feat itself is pretty impressive), but the style is a little stiff, doesn't flow very well. Nothing that keeps me up at night. The story's very readable, though; I didn't have any trouble getting through it, and didn't have to force myself to keep turning pages.

If you're in for a rather untraditional happily-ever-after love tale with a little bit of science geek innuendo and a whole lot of genuine emotion -- something we rarely see from the male perspective, but what I think Meeks does an incredible job at conveying -- then pick up Love At Absolute Zero to give it a try!

Stephanie Loves: "'The most painful state of being is remembering the future, particularly one you can never have."

Radical Rating: 8 hearts-Would recommend to lots of really good friends. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: King of Paine by Larry Kahn

2012-02-24T22:05:00.001+09:00

King of Paine by Larry Kahn

Release Date: April 26th, 2011

Publisher: North Atlanta

Page Count: 353

Source: Directly from author for review

A desperate patient. A rumored cure. How far would you go to find the fountain of youth?

Frank Paine is not your prototypical FBI agent. He's an ex-Hollywood stud with a kinky past, an irreverent wise-ass who craves forgiveness from the woman he loves. When a ruthless stalker uses Frank's indiscretions to ensnare him in an erotic cat-and-mouse death match, his investigation points toward a missing biochemist. His hunt for her secret haven takes one tragic turn after another, until he finds himself facing an impossible dilemma. Someone will die as a result of his decisions, and it may be his soulmate. Or him.

What Stephanie Thinks: Can I first just say that the blurb of this book, as well as the cover, really, don't do it justice? The blurb makes it sound like a fantasy novel, and the cover, something incredibly sex-targeted. While sex is one of the main themes of this story, it's not what you're thinking, it's not just another piece of erotica. The "fantasy" aspect isn't so over-the-top, either. In fact, it's very scientific, very legal, in a way that I never expected just from the cover. Even with the sensitive issues of BDSM and euthanasia, I think King of Paine makes for brilliant, overall completely satisfying suspense science fiction -- one that enters mainstream, and one that ought to be way better recognized.

Frank Paine is basically the ideal romantic suspense hero. I know this book doesn't come of as a love story -- that's another thing to add to the list of what one wouldn't expect from this novel -- but beyond the FBI cracking down clues and delusional serial killers exploiting heinous sex crimes, King of Paine is a love story. Paine has the good looks and the charm and the mentality. What he doesn't have, is atonement for his past, nor riddance of the ghosts that haunt him of the woman he screwed up with majorly many years before, but still loves, even to this day. But when she, Jolynn Decker -- former small-time actress now-turned bar dancer, thanks to his fuck-ups -- suddenly shows up again after all this time, the fact that her entrance is ill-timed to the case he's working on, can't possibly be a coincidence. The top-secret case involves humiliation, sex humiliation, via the dangerous world of online BDSM chat rooms and other methods of kink. And both Frank and Jolynn turn scarlet as they remember their own kinky past. However, Frank realizes he can't allow his past with Jolynn to impede his dilemmas now. Because if he keeps extracting his old ghosts, he won't ever be able to progress in the present.

I know some of you are wincing right now. BDSM and sexual internet perversion in a mainstream novel? Yessir. Trust me, even though the topics are a little racy, the story is more than just twisted fiction. I seriously think King of Paine is the most canny and intelligent suspense piece I've ever read. Kahn's literary style is, I cannot stress enough, very impressive, and his organization and consistency of thought (which are the essential elements of a good whodunnit) amazes me. His diction is grandiose, never boring and always intriguing, but he does all this without sounding unprofessional or perverted, in the way that many authors of similar genres do.

What I think I'm keenest on, is how this book covers so many branches of interest. Not just the sex, but also the federal suspense, the science of youth, the medical world, the secrets. Accolades to Kahn for his ability to somehow weave all of this together.

As for characters, the two I like best, surprise surprise, are Frank and Jolynn. Frank, while he is the typical sexyass hunk (you know how fond of them I am), is also just in my opinion, the perfect man. Not perfect as in flawless, because he has many imperfections as we humans tend to, but perfect as in respectable and admirable even with his mistakes and shortcomings. He doesn't let his status -- both social and physical -- get to his head, which I love about him. He stays grounded by the woman he loves fiercely, even though he knows she'll hurt him most, and that kind of courage pulls at my heart. Jolynn's character on the other hand, isn't as deeply probed, but I think she would be the kind of person I'd get along with well in real life. Witty and beautiful in that ethereal, unattainable way, she's another character I fell in love with and rooted for during the entire book. The secondary characters (Frank's coworkers, the prime suspects, the old friends) are likable also, and I think characterization is another one of Kahn's many strengths.

I really don't think my review does this book justice either. It's just THAT good. Sorry if my thoughts are a bit messy, but if my review isn't clear enough, you must go check this one out. At times, some of the scientific facts and law-related data become dull, but overcoming them heightens the adrenaline of its plot, trust me. This book will become your newest obsession as well as your biggest nightmare. Yes, I fucking dreamed about it. What the hell. It is a medical suspense and legal thriller and contemporary literary sex propaganda all rolled into one. It is fucking fantastic, not only for its stunning depth and complexity, but for its all-encompassing message that love, even when all hope is lost, shall prevail, but only if you really try, and only if you are willing to sacrifice all you have now and all you worked for in the past, to make it work out.

Stephanie Loves: "Running a hand through his clipped hair, Frank knew in his heart Jolynn was not playing him, at least not in the way Jero imagined. The problem was that his heart had betrayed him before."

Radical Rating: 9 hearts- One of my all-time favorites! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

the sweetest revenge

2012-02-08T23:40:00.000+09:00

Is it more potent to stay silent and smile my tears away, or to act cool but plot a secret and more destructive vengeance? I'm never one to stand to the side, but then again, Korea isn't my playing field, so maybe just this once, I shouldn't fight back.

The problem is, this isn't just once; this is the second time I've been screwed over by a stupid guy. I've never not had a chance with a guy I'm interested in. Boys I like have always liked me back, and in the States, always pursued me. The rules here are a bit different though. This is the first time I've been teased. I have never been "the other girl" because I'm so used to being the girl. I don't like this new feeling much.

It isn't like I've ever been looking for a relationship, either. But the opportunities keep arising, and then are snatched away just as fast.

This is the longest time -- six months -- I've gone without a relationship. Unless I count the few guys here and there I've gone out with. But I don't -- they were trivial and I had a little fun with them, nothing more.

I hate the feeling of being single.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: The Rogue's Pirate Bride by Shana Galen

2012-02-01T06:00:00.161+09:00

The Rogue's Pirate Bride by Shana Galen

Release Date: February 7th, 2012

Publisher: Casablanca (Sourcebooks)

Page Count: 339

Source: Directly from author for review

REVENGE SHOULD BE SWEET, BUT IT MAY COST HIM EVERYTHING...
The marquis de Valère escaped certain death in the French Revolution and is now an infamous privateer. Out to avenge the death of his mentor, Bastien discovers himself astonishingly out of his depth when confronted with a beautiful, daring young woman who is out for his blood...

FORGIVENESS IS UNTHINKABLE, BUT IT MAY BE HER ONLY HOPE...

British admiral's daughter Raeven Russell believes Bastien responsible for her fiancé's death. But once the fiery beauty crosses swords with Bastien, she's not so sure she really wants him to change his wicked ways...

What Stephanie Thinks: If you're familiar with my book preferences, you'll know that while I'm open to reading any sort of story (as long as it is fiction), historical romance is the one genre I try to stay away from. As displayed in my rather discouraging review of Carlyle's The Bride Wore Scarlet, I find it difficult to enjoy the remarkably cliché stubborn-heroine-attempts-to-resist-horny-but-foxy-as-hell-hero storylines, as well as the so-called "taboo" of very proper ladies behaving so improperly (that, my mindless little pigeons, was only exciting in The Other Boleyn Girl, and it stopped being exciting when "historical romance" actually became a mainstream genre) and find that the little bits of history in between aren't as interesting as they're intended to be. History is for textbooks, not romance novels. This ideology probably explains why I only enjoy one out of every five historical romances I read. Stop holding your breath, Shana, dear. The Rogue's Pirate Bride was that lucky one.

While the typical feisty heroine motif does annoy me a bit, Raeven comes off as a lovable, rather than bitchy, character, due to her vulnerabilities. She's mad clever -- which is a trait I suppose comes along with sailing on ships full of men with her father from the age of four -- but she's also tender, and like every girl, has had her heart broken once, and is fearful of opening it up again. The overly self-assured sexyass hero (here, he's a duke turned pirate -- the kind of man a girl happens to capture the attentions of, only in a romance novel) also irritates me a bit, but Galen does a marvelous job of making me love him too. Swoon swoon sigh: that basically sums up my reactions to their heat-and-banter relationship.

Galen has a writing style that is entirely consuming; I read this in two sittings! The plot moves along quickly, so I didn't find myself getting bored (even within the typically-dull historical tidbits) at all. The dangers of the life of a pirate in Bastien's case, and a rebellious admiral's daughter, in Raeven's, were a constant adrenaline rush. Swashbuckling brawls and heart-thudding suspense kept me at the edge of my seat.

On the other hand, there's a bit of a compassionate reflection in this book as well. Bastien's lived off his mentor and crewmates ever since he lost his family -- poor victims of the Revolution -- so the concept of family is something he's never really known. Raeven helps him realize what the true meaning of family is, and shows him that with enough hope, family is something he can once again have.

I didn't realize this book is the third in the Sons of the Revolution series. This implies that SPOILER yes, Bastien does have brothers, whose stories are told in the previous two books. However, I picked this one up not knowing the series' sequence, and I understood it just fine. It could be considered just a connected stand-alone novel, as the main characters of the first two books only play minor cameo roles in this one. I have a tendency of doing this -- meaning, reading books out of order -- with series(es?)... as demonstrated by my consumptions of Nicola Cornick's The Brides of Fortune and Maya Banks's KGI series.

Sorry... I tend to ramble when I really like a book. Consider this über-long review as praise for a scorching thrill of a novel full of sexual tension and cutting humor :^) I'm impressed by the buzz of Raeven and Bastien's rocky but tempestuous relationship (and blown away by the sex!), as well as the encompassing compelling drama of this regency-set novel. Speaking of which, it doesn't all take place in England, like most regency romances do. There's a bunch of France too. Oui oui. Shana Galen is an honor to the historical romance family; books like hers make me reconsider my distaste for the genre, and that kind of influence, to be able to sway me in that manner, is not, I repeat, not, an easy thing to do.

Stephanie Loves: "'There's nothing complicated about our relationship. I hate you and I want you dead.' After I kiss you half a dozen more times." -- ahh. Haven't we all secretly lusted over someone we promised ourselves we would hate?

Radical Rating: 9 hearts- One of my all-time favorites! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: Fangs Rule: A Girl's Guide to Being a Vampire by Amy Mah

2012-01-29T06:00:00.123+09:00

Fangs Rule: A Girl's Guide to Being a Vampire by Amy Mah

Release Date: March 1st, 2011

Publisher: Reardon

Page Count: 124

Source: Print copy from author, via Bewitching Book Tours for review, as part of the Fangs Rule virtual book tour

Fangs Rule: A Girl’s Guide to Being a Vampire is a Young Adult book for anyone between puberty and senility as it takes a close-up look at life as a female teenage vampire in easy-to-follow A-to-Z advice for the reader. The book is also full of manga art which helps show the human world what life is like in a vampire world...

Everything is explained from how to polish your fangs to fashion tips and ways of climbing across a ceiling wearing a nightdress without showing your underwear.

Fangs Rule is a must for every teenage vampire and from these pages you will see why Amy says “Vampires don’t sparkle! ... they bite!

What Stephanie Thinks: This A-to-Z guide is an innovative approach to the paranormal Young Adult genre. Rather than hopping on the bandwagon of sparkly sexy vampires (Amy Mah actually dispels these clichés... gotta love her for that, if anything!), a little bit of classical gothic vampirism is shown within the pages of this book, as well as a lot of gore. And of course the sex. But not the explicit adult kind. As a book for teenage girls, all exhaustive information that has to do with sex is more oriented toward how it should be dealt with in the pubescent years, and for the most part, humorously. So I wouldn't call this inappropriate, by any means.

Mah is a real hoot. Her style of writing is rather childish, but it definitely captures a teenage girl's essence -- it's so flustered, that I can't help but think it cute. Her liveliness and enthusiasm make for real knee-slappers; I found myself chuckling more than a few times throughout this book. The advice given not only is helpful (for those teen girl vampires out there), but it also all ties together to bring the reader into understanding Mah's world of the paranormal. I appreciate how she is able to do this without writing an actual novel, just with a simple list!

The book has its flaws too, however. The grammar and conventions are poor -- as an independently-published book, that much isn't a surprise. There are a lot of "errrr"s" and "ummmms" and ".................."s that aren't fit for a book. It just is incredibly unprofessional, not to mention, annoying. Some topics are also really uncomfortable in a painfully awkward "why on earth would you bring something like that up?" way. For example, there's a whole section about why a certain species of vampire (the undead housemaids) don't wear underwear. Use your imagination to figure out what this reason is (hint: they're basically sex slaves....). Yeah, she went there. It's not that things like that are particularly improper, it's just that they're really, really weird.

The illustrations are well-drawn, but they're a bit irrelevant. Vampire powers will be discussed, and out of the blue, on the next page, will be a picture of an old man with a caption that says "This is my uncle in his nice suit" or something. Gave me lots of "lolwut" moments.

Looking past the editing mistakes (did Mah even have an editor?), and inopportune subject matters, I liked this one a lot. The manic tone is quite amusing, and the teenage experience (that she describes skillfully) relatable. Kudos to Mah for telling a vampire story without actually writing a story... even without a definite plot, this book, with a cast of characters and a detailed exposition, could be considered a great Young Adult novel thanks to the dazzling vampire realm it creates.

Stephanie Loves: Amy Mah brilliantly sums up a teenager's unfair, unlucky, and incredibly awkward life: "For some reason boys are fascinated with boobs, and with plastic surgery so easily available nowadays I don't see why they don't get their own..." -- so why is it that they like ours so much -___- Us girls don't obsess over their weenies like that.

"[Blooding] is the when quality time is spent with your dad, no longer, in which he no longer is the old-fashioned monster of a male that storms into your bedroom without knocking while you're changing and demanding that you apologize to your mother for something that she is shouting at him about." -- the story of my family in one sentence.

"If your boyfriend suddenly decides to go commando, just tell him he looks untidy. A boy standing still naked is okay, but as soon as he walks about, not all his bits move at the same pace, and it is more amusing-looking than sexy. You may have heard of girls swooning (fainting) when seeing a boy naked, but I expect this was just an excuse to stop from pointing at them and getting into a fit of giggles over what they see." -- I reckon so too! LOL

"Remember that it is normal to turn the head slightly when you kiss. Nine times out of ten it will be to the right, which of course means that the first time you kiss a boy, he'll be the one out of ten sort, and you'll knock noses." -- in every kiss you have as a teenager, he will be the one out of ten sort. It soon shall pass.

"There's a truth in the old saying: 'Go to bed with a stranger and wake up with a friend.'" -- well I never! This puts a whole new perspective on the concept of sleeping with the enemy. So forbidden (hot).

Radical Rating: 8 hearts-Would recommend to lots of really good friends. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

edenfantasys has it all

2012-01-25T11:14:00.000+09:00

Edenfantasys has a lot more to offer than just products. Edenfantasys is a beautiful place as a community, whether you need support or valuable opinions.

The forums are always full of fun discussion topics and are updated frequently. Go check them out to see if there's anything that might be of interest to you. If you have any questions or need help, this is your place to shine! Fellow Edenfantasys members will step up to try and help you to the best of their ability. How great is that?

Clubs are huge -- there are so many, with lots of people involved as well. There's really a variety of interests available. Kink club, lit club, screenwriter's club, cook's club, porn club, film club, and so on... I'm in three clubs myself! Such a fun way to bond with fellow aficionados and review and discuss your favorite activities and products.

And last but not least, customer service! Their support department is speedy, considerate, and always helpful. If you have any problems with any of your orders or with the site, submit a support ticket and a friendly representative will be there to solve or explain the issue right away.

As per FTC Guidelines, I would like to disclose that Edenfantasys, an online retailer of sex toys, compensated me with a gift card to their store in exchange for this post. Regardless, the content is 100% original -- I was not paid to say or advertise anything -- and all thoughts, opinions, and ideas are solely my own.

❤author: Becky Due Interview and Giveaway!

2012-01-20T19:09:00.000+09:00

❤ I'm thrilled to welcome author, Becky Due, to the blog today. Welcome to ¡Miraculous!, Becky! Will you please share a short bio with us?

Like the main characters of my novels, I spent many years running from my life, looking for love, crying a little and laughing a lot along the journey of finding myself. Through writing, I found my passion. I am the author of several books and I’m currently working on my next novel. Happily married Scott and I live in Colorado, Florida and Alberta, Canada with our two furry "kids".

❤ Tell us about you books, and more specifically, The Dumpster, which I reviewed recently!

Well, if you’re looking for something — love, friendship, entertainment, laughter, hope, inspiration, strength — you’ll find it in my novels. The women in my novels are never rescued by men; these women rock!

Winner on the 2011 National Indie Excellence Book Awards (Romance), The Dumpster: One Woman’s Search for Love, is about an average woman looking for love in all the wrong places. This is a lighthearted novel where you can relax, have fun and hopefully laugh out loud.

❤ I know I sure did! What inspired you to write your first book and then how did you get published? Tell us your call story.

I’ve always enjoyed writing, so moving into a writing career seemed natural to me. The publishing story is a long one. After finishing my first novel, The Gentlemen’s Club: A Story for All Women, I sent out the query letters and had many agents interested, but because I couldn’t afford a professional editor at the time, I felt defeated. I kept writing, working hard and saving my money. By the time I could afford the help I needed, writing and publishing had changed. Therefore, I started my own publishing company, and the rest is history. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. It’s challenging, but I love my career.

❤ How much of your actual life gets written into your fictional stories?

Of course, I’m in every book in one way or another. It is usually all of the ridiculous stuff I do that finds its way into my books. I don’t think I’ll ever tell what is fiction and what really happened. I have so many great friends who also find their way into my stories, but usually because they are just so amazing to me.

❤ What are your biggest motivations for writing?

I have to write. I’m not happy unless I’m writing… just ask my husband. My biggest motivation comes from my readers. I’m crazy in love with my readers. They are the best!

❤ Can you honestly say being an author is your ideal job? Do you ever sometimes wish you hadn't begun a writing career?

I am so thankful for my career. I feel blessed everyday; I get to do what I love. When I have down days, like we all do, I give myself a break. I take the day off and do something else I enjoy, like painting, going to the movies or napping in front of the TV.

❤ How would you describe your writing style and tone?

I write the way I like to read. When I pick up a book, I hope it moves along quickly. I want to live in the story for a short time, and then I want to get back to my life with a new, empowered, inspired outlook. And that is what I try to do in every one of my books.

❤ Give aspiring writers a piece of advice you wish you had known before getting published.

A book will not market itself — make sure you have a marketing and sales plan. This career is a lot of hard work and takes a lot of your time, but like anything, if you want it badly enough, go for it.

❤ Are there any books or authors you idolize?

I’ve been touched by so many authors and books, but I’d have to say, Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote is my favorite book. I’m very sentimental and I read that book at a time when it made an important impact on my life. Books have a way of doing that.

❤ What's a question you always want to be asked during interviews? How would you answer it?

Well, I think it is interesting how we get little signs throughout our life, guiding us to our purpose. I had so many little signs along the way, and I wish I had listened much sooner. I’m thankful I figured it out. I hope all women tap into that inner voice and find their passion. We have the power to change our lives anytime we want, at any age.

❤ What’s the most interesting comment you have ever received about your books?

“I’ve decided to go back to school because of Returning Injury: A Suspense Celebrating Women’s Strength.” The woman could not put her finger on what part of the book inspired her, but she said something in the story made her want a better life.

She did go back to school -- in fact, she will graduate next year.

That’s the kind of thing I hope for with every book I write.

❤ Wow! The effect books have on readers is an amazing one. What's next for you?

I’m working on my next novel — editing stage — and I have another project that started as a screenplay, but I’ve decided to rework it into a novel.

❤ I'm certainly looking forward to them! Where can you be found on the web?

Website | Facebook | Twitter

❤ Before we conclude this interview, is there anything you'd like to ask our readers?

I’d love to let your readers know that I am giving away a package of my books to celebrate this interview. You’ll receive The Gentlemen’s Club: A Story for All Women, Touchable Love: An Untraditional Love Story, Returning Injury: A Suspense Celebrating Women’s Strength, The Dumpster: One Woman’s Search for Love, and my children’s book, Blue the Bird: On Flying.

Giveaway!

You heard her right! Becky's giving away all FIVE of her books today! To enter this fabulous giveaway, leave a question or comment for Becky.

Giveaway runs through February 3rd, 2012 at 11.59 pm (your time).
This giveaway is open to ALL readers 18 and older (by the prize provider's request), international folks included!

Please include your email address in your comment! If I don't know who to contact once you are chosen as the winner, your prize will be forfeited.
As a reminder, you do not have to follow my blog to enter, though it is always very much appreciated ❤

Good luck!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: The Dumpster: One Woman's Search for Love by Becky Due

2012-01-19T13:55:00.000+09:00

The Dumpster: One Woman's Search for Love by Becky Due

Release Date: December 29th, 2010

Publisher: Due

Page Count: 187

Source: From author, via Dawn Seidel, for review

Nicole, a cute, chubby, twenty-something woman, is looking for love in all the wrong places. Who would have guessed that a dumpster in the back alley below her bedroom window would hold the key to finding love?

What Stephanie Thinks: To sum up The Dumpster with a few words, I would say: quick, easy, and entertaining. Kind of how I like my men. (.......uh). It isn't just that the plot is fast-paced, but the book's pages just fly past me. Definitely something you can read in one or two sittings, or in between train transfers, or while sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office.

The story itself is very cute and perky; even in times of despair, there's lots of preaching about how Nicole is really a strong, independent woman, and that even though she may have hard times, that doesn't change the fact that she's lovable and wonderful. Gooey girly stuff like that. Nicole is, as in most chick-lit books, fun and friendly -- I wish I had a friend like her! She has insecurities like all of us do (man problems, moral problems, fat problems...) but she is blessed with great friends and a loving family to support her.

For most of the novel, Nicole's conflict is that she can't seem to find a guy... a guy who'll stick, anyway. She's attractive, and she's got a great personality (as her friends, her awesome partners in crime, assure her), but guys just see her for sex, as an easy lay, and it's about time she do something about it.

Enter the smelly dumpster that turns her life around, which sits right outside her bedroom window. Nicole hates it at first, but eventually it turns into a figurative "dumpster" where she can literally throw out everything that is troubling her (i.e. her "fat" clothes, her ex's clothing, and so on). The moment this idea clicked for me, I was thrilled at how Nicole was solving her own problems.

I must admit the tone of the book is rather childish -- too girly, too immature -- at times. There were moments I wanted to slap Nicole (she's a bit of a ditz) but she's still a good person at heart. This book is one to read when you really don't want to think too much, when you just want a good laugh (the situations Nicole gets herself into are hysterical!), or when you just need something to get you out of the dumps. Due very simply tells a pleasant story about a woman finding her true love by first finding herself, and I recommend it to all lovers of chick-lit and women's fiction.

Stephanie Loves: I love Becky Due's sense of chick humor! "Nicole thought she had gone to heaven. Frank was perfect in every way. But then he didn't ask her if she wanted any [cotton candy]. He didn't even look at her as he paid the guy and said, 'I love this stuff.'

What a jerk. He'd better share.

Frank sat next to her stuffing his face with her blue, fluffy sugar. And if that wasn't bad enough, his elbow kept bumping her breast each time he took a mouthful, reminding her of what she was missing. Then he leaned over and offered some to Mark, who passed. Frank offered it to Roxanne and she passed too. Nicole was about to have an oral orgasm when he finally offered her some. She could not believe what came out of her mouth. 'Oh, no thank you. That's a little too sweet for me.'"-- LMAO. We all have our moments.

Radical Rating: 8 hearts-Would recommend to lots of really good friends. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥♥♥♥: A Black Girl's Poetry for the World by Kimberly LaRocca

2012-01-08T01:18:00.000+09:00

A Black Girl's Poetry for the World by Kimberly LaRocca

Release Date: April 13th, 2011

Publisher: CreateSpace

Page Count: 123

Source: Directly from author for review

Kimberly LaRocca knows all about challenges, the ones we can’t control, and those we create. She also knows about standing tall and staying proud, no matter what.

While celebrating self-determination and human pride, A Black Girl’s Poetry for the World also presents insightful poems exploring all aspects of the human experience. From lost loves, strained relationships and the difficulty of forgiveness to raw anger and intense sexual desire, LaRocca ‘tells it like it is’ and literally bares her soul in her poetry.

What Stephanie Thinks: The intimacy of this collection of poems -- on the life, love, and losses of Kimberly LaRocca -- really puts a memorable touch on it. Narrated often in the second person, her carefully spun words really jar the reader and show them not only the trials and tribulations of her life, but more importantly, that she's overcome all of them and has emerged as the strong, radiant woman she is today.

As poetry, however, it falls a little flat. Vocabulary is simple and figurative language is mediocre, so there isn't much of a extraordinary value to the words. Everything written is very honest and raw, though, so that makes it really personal and relatable. The wording is sometimes awkward, and some metres have ill-fitting word choices for the sake of rhyming patterns. I cannot stress enough that rhyming does not make for good poetry. Sometimes it can even take away. But I'm not the author, so I have no place to dictate; I'm just saying the poetry would have flown a lot more naturally had it not been forced to rhyme.

I like how the poems (each no more than eight stanzas, or one page) come together to make up the "autobiography" of LaRocca. Of course, nothing is ever clear-cut and as poetry, her life story is open to interpretation, but the basic foundation the reader gets is pretty solid. I wouldn't say this collection of poems is anything phenomenal, but it sure is a frank, sassy, easy read that demonstrates the value of being able to hold one's head high even after a heartbreak, as well as the value of learning to dance in the rain after the storm.

Stephanie Loves: At one point, we all get fed up with a lost love, fed up with constantly caring and being the one who gets hurt, so we become determined to make them feel in every which way, as if they're the one who lost something good. LaRocca describes this emotion perfectly in A Love Like Mine:
"You're gonna miss me when I'm gone.
Miss what we had,
The way I kissed you late at night.
You're gonna miss me so damn bad.

You say you don't care,
That there are many more like me.
I really hope you find her soon,
So you can finally see.

Yeah, you think you know it all,
Thing it's all a big game.
But time will tell,
And your heart will know
She and I aren't the same.

Go ahead.
Make your move.
And please, hold your breath
Until she loves you like I do."-- it's like this: I am the best he has ever had (and will ever have), but he won't know it til I'm gone. Appeasing in a really bitchy, determined way. I like that sort of power trip (because 100% of the time, he's the one who comes running back anyway).

Radical Rating: 6 hearts- Satisfying for a first read, but I'm not going back. ♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: Well with My Soul by Gregory G. Allen

2012-01-02T06:25:00.056+09:00

Well with My Soul by Gregory G. Allen

Release Date: October 11th, 2011

Publisher: ASD

Page Count: 327

Source: Directly from author for review

Brothers testing the bonds of blood...
Jacob and Noah Garrett are brothers harboring a lifelong resentment towards each other while dealing with their own compulsive obsessions. One is a liberal gay man who forsakes his family and moves to New York City from Tennessee to make his mark on the world. The other is a southern conservative who is left at home holding the proverbial family bag. The story follows their loosely intertwined lives through the wild times of the late seventies and the restraint of the Reagan years in which one brother ends up becoming a minister and preaching his doctrine while the other believes there are some things people are born with and not meant to change. Well with My Soul is told through the perspective of both brothers and shows how misguided choices can drastically affect those around you for years to come; and how family may be all that one has when looking for peace to stifle the embers that smolder beneath the surface.

What Stephanie Thinks: The southern family values give this book a bit of a slow start, but the pace picks up thrillingly when Jacob, the elder and more attention-seeking of the Garrett brothers, moves out to begin his career as a high-profile male model in the Big Apple. There, he discovers the ecstatic delights of sex and drugs, and is finally fully able to embrace his gay identity with his loving partner, Gary. For a large portion of Well with My Soul, partying and bright city life contrasts with the drawl Noah's day-to-day routine back home in Tennessee with stern but compassionate Mama. However, one disastrous night, and one epiphany spirals those simple themes into a hardcore debate of faith and self. Ultimately, not-so-extraordinary lives are affected by long-term decisions, we learn -- and they could even dwindle down to matters of survival.

Gay sex in New York in the 80's only really leads to one thing: the AIDS epidemic. I'm a complete RENThead; I can't say I'm still not moved by the history of the HIV disease, no matter how many times I come across it in cinema and literature. It makes for a tragic chronicle, especially when intertwined in a love story, and it's one of those things that makes my heart twist at every mention of it.

Allen's universal message -- that being untrue to oneself, in time, will have its consequences --- resonates in his soulful and devastating novel. While the prose itself isn't anything special, and the dialogue often weak, the characters are heavy and realistic, and the plot so developed, that it's hard not to become engrossed. I recommend this one to anybody who enjoys southern literary fiction, gay fiction, and doleful love stories like Larson's RENT.

Stephanie Loves: "'We're all whores in one way or another.'"

Radical Rating: 8 hearts-Would recommend to lots of really good friends. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

please release me, thanks.

2012-01-01T19:28:00.000+09:00

That moment when your mind flutters to someone twenty-four hours a day and you silently but desperately beg them to just get the fuck out of your head. And it doesn't work.

❤publisher: Nicole Langan Interview and Giveaway!

2011-12-31T13:12:00.001+09:00

❤ I'm excited to host a new type of interview! Typically I interview authors, but today, for the first time, I want to introduce to you guys, Nicole Langan, owner of the independent publishing company, Tribute Books. The company will be undergoing a few changes this upcoming new year, so I thought I'd end 2011 by interviewing her at !Miraculous! :) There's a giveaway for the winner's choice of a print or ebook title from Tribute, so stick around! Please help me welcome Nicole to the blog.

❤ Hello Nicole! Tell us a bit about Tribute Books's newest endeavors.

In 2012, Tribute Books will transition into being an ebook publisher for young adult titles.

Manuscripts that have already been professionally edited will receive greater consideration. Our preference is to work with authors who have already been published through a royalty-paying press and who know the ins and outs of book promotion. An established social media platform is a must, and we will not consider writers who do not have a well-followed blog, Facebook page, or Twitter account.

Our preference is for damn good writing, the particular topic is secondary in importance. However, books written with a series in mind or those that delve into the paranormal will have a slight edge.

Interested authors can submit their manuscripts via email to info@tribute-books.com. There will be no charge for the authors we select to work with, and they will receive 50% of the net profits of their ebook sales in quarterly royalty payments. We're looking for Microsoft Word documents with a maximum of 350 pages of text with no photos, charts, illustrations, graphs, etc.

❤ How did these innovations come about?

Our main reason is the explosion in popularity of e-readers such as the Kindle, Nook and iPad. Over the course of 2011, we've watched our ebook sales outpace our print sales by 2 to 1. The under $5 price point of most of our titles and the ease of purchase and delivery are surely contributing factors.

On a business level, the young adult genre sells especially if it is well-written and has a paranormal romance theme. On a marketing level, the devotion of the young adult fan base is unparalleled. On a personal level, I thoroughly enjoy a good young adult novel and review many on my blog at http://tributebooksreviews.blogspot.com.

❤ How is Tribute different from other independent publishers?

I'm a believer in doing what you love and working with like-minded people, when it's at all possible. I'm most excited about working with authors who enjoy promoting their book on a daily basis. Ones who know the ins and outs of the time and effort it takes to make a book a success because I'm ready and willing to work with them every step of the way.

I believe in the power of social media. I even conduct monthly blog tours for outside publishers and authors in order to help them increase the online presence of a book. Book bloggers are a powerful force in the book industry. With more and more book stores closing and book review columns being cut from major newspapers, readers are depending on bloggers to help them find the books they want to read. They are turning to the internet as a reference point to fill this information gap.

In my opinion, social networking is the bread and butter of any author's promotional efforts. Without it, it's like trying to paddle upstream without a canoe. Readers want to connect with the person who wrote the book. They crave interaction with an author. Nothing beats getting a writer to comment on a blogger's book review post or getting a personalized thank you tweet from your favorite author. The days of authors being isolated from their fans is over. They're now able to build an online following and receive instant feedback for their work. They have the opportunity to take part in creating their own literary community.

❤ What is the best way your audience/readers can help out during this change?

My hope is that we are able to recruit some talented writers of well-written, well-crafted stories in order to develop an eager fan base for the titles we publish. We want readers to be excited about the ebooks we produce. Young adult authors have the most devoted fan followings out there, and we'd like to introduce that audience to a whole new host of talent.

❤ Where can Tribute Books be found on the web?

We try to keep an active online presence with our website, Facebook, Twitter, and blog. We'd love to have anyone who loves young adult literature to join us for the ride.

❤ Thanks so much for your time at ¡Miraculous!, Nicole. This interview definitely gave me some perspective on the ebook industry and independent publishing as a whole. It was fun too!

Giveaway!

Nicole has been lovely in offering one lucky reader ANY book of choice from Tribute's bookstore! While the majority of them are ebooks (including their first Young Adult novel, The Priest and the Peaches), you non-comformist print junkies (aka people like me *wink*) still get an awesome selection out of their print titles too:

These six books are all available in ebook format too of course!
To enter this fabulous giveaway, leave a question or comment for Nicole. Yup, that's it! :)

Giveaway runs through January 13th, 2012 at 11.59 pm (your time). International readers may enter for their choice of ebook, but to enter the print book giveaway, you must have a US mailing address under the prize provider's request.

Good luck!

have yourself a merry little christmas ❤

2011-12-25T11:54:00.000+09:00

I can't believe another Christmas has gone by.

Apologies have no place during this season, but I really do need to say sorry to all my lovers for not posting as often as I should.

To those who have stuck with me through the earnest blogging months: from the bottom of my heart, thank you. You guys are one of the biggest reasons my blogs exist.

To those who have gotten bored with my weeks of absence: fuck you.

Actually, in all this spirit, happy holidays.

2012, here we come.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: Demi and the Dolphins: A Lesson in Ecology by Alyssa K. Harrell

2011-12-16T01:52:00.003+09:00

Demi and the Dolphins: A Lesson in Ecology by Alyssa K. Harrell

Release Date: August 29th, 2011

Publisher: iUniverse

Page Count: 98

Source: Print copy from Bohlsen PR for review

Captain Demi is young, smart, and beautiful, but she is also stubborn and selfish. She comes from four generations of tuna fishermen. She is the youngest captain and the only female to have taken over the family business.

New laws governing tuna fishing with nets is making business difficult for her. Her family has been net fishing for generations, why should things have to change now? Demi doesn't care if net fishing drowns dolphins; they are not how she makes her living.

Demi and her crew are anxious to finish their run and head home. They need a big catch and the quickest way to do that is with the illegal nets. Convinced it is okay to do as long as no one is around to catch her, Demi prepares to drop the nets on a school of tuna. She knows some dolphin will get caught as well and drown, but all she cares about is making money.

Demi is unaware that one of her crew is also a spy for the police, and he is watching her every move in order to catch her in the act of using illegal nets. An accident occurs that puts Demi's life in peril. What happens next is magical, and becomes life changing for her.

What Stephanie Thinks: My first impression of this book was that it was going to be lame. I'm not gonna lie. The cover is obviously hand-drawn, resembling a ten-year-old's masterpiece, and the blurb makes Demi seem like the idealistic girl ("young, smart, and beautiful"!) in an idealistic problem (harming dolphins, oh no!!!!). While the drawings are pretty giggle-worthy (at best....) and the summary rather weak, I was completely wrong about Demi and the Dolphins. It teaches young kids a valuable lesson in a fantasy story involving child-approved characters and situations. How do I know they're child-approved? Well, because they were written by a child itself!

The fact that Alyssa wrote this at age 10 impresses me greatly. Obviously, this has been grammatically revised, but just the ideas spanning from the pages, as well as the intent to teach society a lesson about ecology, are sophisticated. This presented maturity is what maintains any bit of poise in this middle grade novel; it's what makes it enjoyable.

As for what wasn't so enjoyable, well... take a look:

Actually, this picture is sort of enjoyable LOL.

Here's a clear winner:

I hate when I can't tell if a girl's hair is made out of tuna or not, and when her arms look like a man's -_-

All right, I'll put my crap together. I don't mean to mimic. Because aside from the often-absurd illustrations, Demi and the Dolphins is actually a well-rendered message directed towards a thoughtless society that is so self-serving as to allow its own needs come before Earth's. I think middle grade learners will find this one effective, and also trust parents and teachers will appreciate the "kid style" of it as well.

Stephanie Loves: "When the police first approached [Mikey] earlier in the year to help with the sting operation, he thought they were talking about operating on a stingray!"

Radical Rating: 8 hearts-Would recommend to lots of really good friends. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

every time the rules change, you don't know how they change you

2011-12-14T11:07:00.000+09:00

OK I'm actually in a really aggressive mood right now. My emotions lie somewhere in between exasperated and irritated as fuck, so bear with me. If this is interesting enough for you, keep reading, but don't judge. If it's too long for you, go fuck yourself.

I didn't move to Korean expecting to be romantically involved with anyone because I knew guys here would be different. I'm the type of girl who goes for the All-American boy (whether it be the sweet boy next door, to the badass dickface I hate falling for), and I knew in advance that type would be hard to find here. Korean boys, even the ones at this "international" school (where I'd say about 90% of the alumni are ethnically Korean), are definitely not like American guys in any which way. Not only the way they dress (cardigans, skinny jeans, loafers, anyone? Oh and don't get me started with the ear piercings), but also in personality (they are SUCH babies). But before I rant too much, I do want to put it out there that what I didn't expect was for them to actually be interested in me. Of course, I was open-minded (I've never dated an Asian guy but it's not like it's because I don't like them. That would be incredibly hypocritical/racist/absurd) to the notion of getting involved, but I didn't know it'd be this hard.

See, here in Korea, boys play hard to get. They do it consciously, and they do it to mess around with girls' heads on purpose. They act interested, then they fall off like leeches. One moment they're trying to convince you to go out with them, the next, they're hurt that you would even consider rejecting them and stop talking to you all together. I'm sorry... do guys have periods on this side of the world? Seriously. What. The. Fuck.

These are the kind of games GIRLS are supposed to play, not guys! Not in American standards anyway. Maybe my expectation of boys has become so high after growing up in the States (not that they were all that great even there), but isn't it common knowledge that boys do the chasing? Relationships are never easy, but now that I, for the first time, find myself constantly staring at my phone for a text message reply or staying on Skype til one in the morning in hopes that he'll come online so I can see his face that late in the night, I know why people come up with really depressing quotes and love songs and all that gooey shit.

I wasn't a bombshell in the States or anything, but guys definitely always came up to me when they were interested... and they stayed if the attraction was genuine. In some way, I even think I'm more "popular" at this school -- not in the conceited sense, but in that I'm well-known as not only the new girl in town, but also as the Twinkie as they maliciously call it. I know it's a derogatory term, but having never been referred to it before I moved to Korea, I'm not really going to let it get to me. It just means I'm Asian in physique but Western in ethics (yellow on the outside, white on the inside!) -- and it was definitely coined by some conformist Asian motherfucker who didn't fit into society after immigrating to the US. I don't want to sound condescending, but people are telling me that the more Korean kids are jealous of what I have -- the ability to speak fluently and live comfortably in a country everyone wants to speak fluently and live comfortably in -- so I'm not going to let their name-calling bother me. I'm sure if American kids were as blunt, egotistical, and publicly critical as they are, they would give them a whole lot of more shit than they could ever give to a 외국인 (Korean for "foreigner" as I'm called!) here. So I'll bite my tongue for now.

What I don't think I can hold in for too long, though, is the fact that my Twinkieness may be the reason guys are being so fickle around me. It's obvious they're interested (again, she said so humbly, but requests for phone numbers, comments/likes on all my Facebook pictures/statuses, and just plain being asked out, lol, gives me that impression. I'm not just fooling myself this time) but don't know how to keep a conversation alive. And they think that they can't keep my attention either. But the irony is that I am SO easy to please! I'm also very hard to anger, but more than a few times, boys here have pissed me off. I'm normally the chill one in the relationship (maybe not as chill as the guy... but he's always had to take part of the responsibility because I'd refuse to take it :p) but that's slowly changing. Huh. Maybe this gender reversal thing will give me a new perspective on relationships, which could potentially be a good thing. But for now, I hate it. I just want guys to approach me first again.

I'm compiling a bunch of random cheesy quotes because that's what I've been doing instead of studying for finals right now. Not all of it reflects my current mood, but it's definitely the kind of shit I find myself writing when I'm upset.

My love's labor:

Maybe one day you'll actually care about me.

When you love someone, you give them the unadulterated power to hurt you.

Truth is, I don't love you anymore. But it takes more than even you to destroy a girl like me.

I've accepted the fact that we can't be, but I've also accepted that you're going to be that one person I carry with me for the rest of my life, the one whose presence and thought is always going to make my heart jump a little and my stomach tie up in knots no matter how happy I am otherwise, and no matter how long its been.

We're all wandering straight along a crooked road.

Yeah, well, my heart wants to hurt you back, but I, for one, am not so self-serving as to let it.

Maybe if I wasn't so good at pretending to be happy, I might learn to actually be happy.

And these are a few I found and fell in love with:

Same old story that everybody knows: it's one heart holding on, one heart letting go.
-- Garth Brooks song

Just because her eyes don't tear doesn't mean her heart doesn't cry. And just because she comes off strong, doesn't mean there's nothing wrong.
-- Unknown

Separate's always better when there's feelings involved.
-- OutKast song

To be with a man who hasn't tried every line, who hasn't broken up with a woman every which way you can break up with them, is kind of nice.
-- Uma Thurman

Trust is a fragile thing. Once earned, it affords us tremendous freedom. But once trust is lost, it can be impossible to recover. Of course the truth is, we never know who we can trust. Those we're closest to can betray us, and total strangers can come to our rescue. In the end, most people decide to trust only themselves. It really is the simplest way to keep from getting burned.
-- Desperate Housewives

I would rather be hit than ignored. I know how bad that sounds. I needed to tell you.
-- PostSecret revelation

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: G Is for Games edited by Alison Tyler

2011-12-12T00:19:00.001+09:00

G Is for Games by Alison Tyler

Release Date: July 28th, 2007

Publisher: Cleis

Page Count: 137

Source: Print copy from Naked Reader Book Club, via Edenfantasys for review

Feeling lucky?
Games of skill and games of chance are rife with sexual possibilities. The clever feint that lets your opponent think he's got the upper hand, the thrill of risking everything on a sudden, bold gambit, the visceral charge of raking in a pile of chips, and then, of course, there's something to be said for cheating... From party games to devilish gambles, here are stories to get you in the mood to play.

What Stephanie Thinks: There's a particular excitement in taking a gamble, a certain thrill in knowing that your every move will influence the unknown outcome of a game. Tyler's anthology in the Erotic Alphabet series maybe be petite and pocket-sized, but it definitely packs a powerful punch into its pages so small.

There's nothing unsophisticated about each of these short stories. They're shameless, yes, but they're also polished and provocative. The quality of the writing is wonderful, which I really appreciate (because typo-less erotica so hard to come across!), but that's what I've gotten used to with most Cleis Press and Alison Tyler books. The authors themselves are prolific; some of my favorite are included, including Cheyenne Blue and Rachel Kramer Bussel.

The stories each are different, in that they feature different thrilling situations or different seductive games. It's never just a round of strip poker or Spin the Bottle in G Is for Games; it's everything from Twister (think about it...just THINK about it!) to mind games to to sports (both spectator and athletic) to oh yeah, a very complicated, yet very delicious round of Seven Minutes in Heaven ;) You won't get bored with the variety in this collection of naughty mishaps...mishaps that end up being sinfully, sinfully good.

I have to say this is a new favorite on my erotica shelf because of how tempting it is in its simplest form. There's nothing over-the-top about this book, nothing unnecessary, so it's elegant in the most extraordinary way. I could get used to this kind of thing, the poshness and the cream. I definitely am going to look into the other letters in this hot alphabet.

Stephanie Loves: "Now she lifted her powder-blue skirt, eased it over the tops of her thigh-highs, and wondered just whose game this was. His gaze flickered to her legs. Locked there. His hand tightened around his wineglass. Heady stuff to keep a man's eyes on you like that. To keep his eyes there -- the top man at the top agency in the country. Her breathing quickened. She liked the rush of this. She liked these wicked rules."

Radical Rating: 9 hearts- One of my all-time favorites! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Pardon me, but...

2011-11-30T01:43:00.001+09:00

I swear I'm going to marry him one day.

♥♥♥♥♥♥: Alison Wonderland by Helen Smith

2011-11-28T20:01:00.003+09:00

Alison Wonderland by Helen Smith

Release Date: August 16th, 2011

Publisher: AmazonEncore

Page Count: 189

Source: ARC from Little Bird Publicity for review

"I need some information. Can you help me get it?"

"OK." I'm opening my post but I have a pen and pad ready.

"I need some statistics about which part of the country babies are abandoned most often, what time of year, and where to find them -- outside hospitals or police stations or under hedges or in phone boxes."

"Oh, OK. Yes, of course." I move the phone receiver into my left hand and hold it against my left ear so that I can make some notes. Mad cow, I write.

After Alison Temple discovers that her husband is cheating on her, she does what any jilted woman would do: She spray-paints a nasty message for him on her wedding dress and takes a job with the detective firm that found him out. Being a researcher at the all-female Fitzgerald's Bureau of Investigation in London is certainly a change of pace from her previous life, especially considering the characters Alison meets in the line of duty. There's her boss, the estimable Mrs. Fitzgerald; Taron, Alison's eccentric best friend, who claims her mother is a witch; Jeff, her love-struck, poetry-writing neighbor; and -- last but not least! -- her psychic postman. Together, their idiosyncrasies and their demands on Alison threaten to drive her mad... if she didn't need and love them all so much. Clever, quirky, and infused with just a hint of magic, Alison Wonderland is a literary novel about a memorable heroine coping with the everyday complexities of modern life.

What Stephanie Thinks: I will say that Helen Smith, like all British literary novelists do, has a certain restless charm in her writing. For once though, I didn't totally fall in love with the story behind it.

Alison Wonderland's premise doesn't even sound terribly exciting; from the blurb, I hardly gain an understanding of what exactly, the plot and main point of the book are. After reading it, I still haven't gained a sense of them. Such a shame, because it's a completely readable novel. The prose is paradoxically both smooth in tone and choppy in structure. It sounds weird, but it fits well. Alison's insights are attentive, and her friends lively and distinguished. But the storyline is so erratic: random crimes occur and fantastical creatures appear, which I cannot relate to the book at all -- and it overall makes for a confusing and tiresome read.

To sum this book up, I would say it's a bit of Sherlock Holmes meets Bridget Jones... except a little lot hilarious and a lot less sexy. However, in my opinion, the cleverness and conscience Smith discloses through her writing parallel with those of Doyle and Fielding, so it isn't all that bad of a read.

Stephanie Loves: "I stare out at the sea, trying to make out the horizon. I cannot see where the sea ends and the sky begins. The stars are very bright, a shower of electric lights. When I look back at the sea I can see the stars reflected in the water. I didn't notice them before; I only saw the blackness. I can't see where the sky ends and the sea begins."

Radical Rating: 6 hearts-Satisfying for a first read, but I'm not going back. ♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins

2011-11-27T02:32:00.002+09:00

Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins

Release Date: November 1st, 2011

Publisher: HQN (Harlequin)

Page Count: 378

Source: ARC from Little Bird Publicity for review

She's having serious prom-night déjà vu...
Posey Osterhagen can't complain. She owns a successful architectural salvaging company, she's surrounded by her lovable, if off-center, family and she has a boyfriend—sort of. Still, something's missing. Something tall, brooding and criminally good-looking…something like Liam Murphy.

When Posey was sixteen, the bad boy of Bellsford, New Hampshire, broke her heart. But now he's back, sending Posey's traitorous schoolgirl heart into overdrive once again. She should be giving him a wide berth, but it seems fate has other ideas...

What Stephanie Thinks: The heartbreak of high school romances -- times in our lives we all consider HUGE deals when we're actually involved in them, but actually look back upon ten years later and laugh at -- is wistfully and emotionally conveyed through Higgins's latest. She's back with everything we love about her: the nostalgia, the sentiment, the kickass heroines, and sexyass heros of her usual novels, but this time around, she incorporates the importance of parents -- whether birth parents or not -- and the timelessness of childhood in Until There Was You.

Posey is a well-developed, likable character; her clumsiness and quick wit are sure to grow on the reader because even as a prime dork, she is so relatable. Even though I hated her at times . . . . . . (I mean, the girl can EAT but doesn't ever gain weight!), she is probably my favorite character in the whole book. Actually, scratch that. If possible, I like Liam even better. He's one of those male protagonists (that, I am getting used to in Higgins's books) I can't help but fall in love with. He's a bad-boy gone sexy single dad. Le swoon.

Higgins blends together a perfect concoction of romance, humor, and childhood longing in Until There Was You. From the glory days of childhood sweethearts to the "high school was probably the worst era of my life" reminder, this contemporary romance that flits upon Posey's socially traumatic high school experiences, connecting them to her present dilemma, will charm and engage you. While it isn't one of those lingering, addicting reads, it's definitely a fun contemporary with a heartfelt twist, and is one you enjoy through every page.

Stephanie Loves: "He glanced in her basket. Tapioca pudding, at least four pints of Ben & Jerry's, whipped cream, a block of Cabot's cheddar, a Pepperidge Farm coconut cake, two frozen pizzas with cheese-stuffed crust, and a carton of Egg Beaters. 'Watching our cholesterol?'
Her eyes narrowed. 'The Egg Beaters are for my dog.'"

Radical Rating: 8 hearts-Would recommend to lots of really good friends. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: 7 Scorpions: Rebellion by Mike Saxton

2011-10-16T01:19:00.006+09:00

7 Scorpions: Rebellion by Mike Saxton

Release Date: May 13th, 2010

Publisher: Strategic Book Group

Page Count: 443

Source: From author, via Strategic Marketing Group, for review

The world was turned upside down by the swift and brutal attack of a dictator known only as Zodiac. Planting flash bombs in every major city across the world, he detonated them simultaneously, sending the survivors into chaos and anarchy.

In the wake of the destruction, Zodiac unleashed the dreaded Seekers, a group with the ability to radiate an aura of intense fear, which would complete the enslavement and extermination of humanity.

A former vigilante, turned government super soldier experiment, emerges from his self-imposed exile to challenge the new status quo. Can Vincent Black, with his makeshift team of unlikely allies, overcome the demons of his past to help preserve the future of humanity?

What Stephanie Thinks: Saxton has a completely original and well-planned story going on in his first installment of the 7 Scorpions series. The characters are engaging, amiable, and while not 100% realistic, do together, create the perfect cast of "action film" stars we love to read about.

In a time of the world's despair, one man, one villain, attempts to take over and recreate society, and the protagonist, super-human Vincent Black -- an example of what results when the government messes with things it shouldn't mess with -- seems to be the only key in stopping him. A myriad of futuristic technologies, fantastical creatures, and gruesome, nearly video-gamesque violence is captured between the pages of this dystopian novel.

While I think the story itself is a keeper, I can't say the same thing about the writing style. It doesn't flow properly, and it's very mediocre and repetitive. It's something I would expect from someone who is not a writer by trade, but still has the perseverance to carry on such an imaginative narrative. While not overly lush (I consider it the exact opposite, actually -- it's quite acute), Saxton's technique still unnecessarily detailed; for example, characters' clothing choices are always elaborated upon, there is always a dialogue tag, the same punchlines are used over and over again, et cetera.

There are definitely some moments I wince while reading -- just because of the awkward or overrated wording -- but if you're in for an adventurous, action-packed read, definitely consider Rebellion to keep you intrigued.

Stephanie Loves: "Lexi gave Josh a little poke in the ribs. 'C'mon Josh, where's your sense of adventure?
'I left it in my other pants,' he replied sarcastically." -- see what I mean by unnecessary?? This line would have been grand, had "he replied sarcastically" been left out. We KNOW the phrase was a sardonic attempt at humor. We don't need a narration to elaborate upon it.

Radical Rating: 7 hearts- A few flaws here and there, but overall enjoyable. ♥♥♥♥♥♥

Marie Treanor Cover Lovin'!

2011-10-05T08:00:00.060+09:00

As part of the fabulous tour group, Bewitching Book Tours, I'll be hosting Marie Treanor's newest paranormal release, Blood Eternal, as well as a couple of her previous titles, at the blog today.

Blood Eternal is the third installment in the Awakened by Blood series, a passionate and intense vampire romance thrill. Originally, I had planned on reviewing this one for today's post, but because of a little mix-up, I don't have my review copy yet! Yikesies. So I promise I'll have the review as soon as I read the book. But for now, enjoy Marie's gorgeous book covers :)

Blood on Silk, the first book in the series. This cover is HOT -- my favorite out of all her covers, to be honest. The dress is sinfully red and totally provocative, and the background and font are just spooky enough to be thrillingly... paranormal.

Blood Sin, book numero dos. While the dresses are pretty much the same in the above two covers, I don't like this one as much. I just think the girl's position is awkward, and looking at the cover doesn't really give me the chills the first one does.

Last but not least, today's main course!!! I present you the cover of Blood Eternal, which came out just yesterday (hot off the press!). I love it. The two cover models have this perfect, almost taboo, chemistry that steams up the pages.

A bit about the author: Marie Treanor lives in Scotland with her eccentric husband and three much-too-smart children. Having grown bored with city life, she resides these days in a picturesque village by the sea where she is lucky enough to enjoy herself avoiding housework and writing sensual stories of paranormal romance and fantasy.

You can find out more about Marie and her books at her website or on Facebook.

❤author: UL Harper Interview and Giveaway!

2011-09-27T07:00:00.074+09:00

❤ Today, as part of a Pump Up Your Book virtual blog tour, I will be hosting sci-fi author, UL Harper with an interview and giveaway. Welcome to ¡Miraculous!, UL! Will you please share a short bio with us?

U.L. Harper is an after-school program Site Director in Long Beach, California. Over one hundred students attend his program.

He previously worked as a corporate manager, and a journalist for a now defunct news agency in Los Alamitos, California. Newspapers are part of his writing background but he also dabbled in poetry. His poetry is published in The Body Politic chapbooks.

He is the author of In Blackness, The Flesh Statue, and the short story called Guidelines for Rejects.

❤ Tell us about your newest release, In Blackness.

As children, Lenny and Saline’s parents brought them to Southern California to escape the nightmares. But after their parents die in a horrible car accident, their adoption by longtime family friend, Busek, proves nightmarish in its own right. Busek is abusive to his son, Dustin, and does very little to hold the young family together. The trio of kids become friends and grow up as a family. Outwardly, they are unruffled by life’s events, yet as teens the emotional aftermath of Saline and Lenny’s parents’ deaths lingers and eventually catapults Lenny and Saline on individual journeys back to their old hometown.

Saline journeys with a small church group which has regular excursions to her old hometown in Lowery, Washington. She discovers the group is protecting a powerful secret that will change her life.

Lenny, on the other hand, becomes stranded in King City. There, he meets someone who unexpectedly and unknowingly guides him to a place in Washington where something might be waiting for him. Impulsively, he makes his way there and discovers that the simple world he has been living in is vastly different from what he could have ever imagined.

Meanwhile, Dustin remains in Southern California and meets a group of youth who stumble upon the city's plan to replace the local library with a jail. In the process of this discovery they learn of one of the largest secrets society has ever kept, a secret waiting for them underground, in blackness.

❤ What inspired you to write it and then how did you get published? Tell us your call story.

First off, this book has been in the works for a while. Inspired to write it is not how I look at it. It was a work ethic. It had to be done. These characters had to be written. I’m sure there was a succinct inspiration at some point but that has long left. It wound up being duty to myself and the characters involved. They had a story and I had a word processor, so everything worked out. That fact that it can be purchased is only a miracle. And that’s it.

❤ How much of your actual life would you say gets written into your fictional stories?

I add in all of my real life. In fact, there is barely any fiction. Aliens appear in this story, so obviously that didn’t happen in my real life, but the places the characters visit, the people they meet, the food they eat, what the characters smell and think and even become, is pulled directly out of the real world. I often get frustrated by stories that start off by saying it was based on a true story. Well, what story isn’t?

❤ True point! What are your biggest motivations for writing?

I need to write. Once the story is there, I have to get it done. I still use writing to expel emotions so it’s a meditation tool as well. How’s that for motivation? I’m cranky if I don’t write.

❤ How would you describe your writing style and tone?

My style is to-the-point but oddly vague. I like to let the reader to connect the dots, if I can. I like to say exactly what is happening, but only show emotion. I can’t stand talking about emotions. It bores me to tears reading about why someone is crying. If they’re crying for a reason, then I’ll know what that reason is. I tend to write the same way.

❤ Give aspiring writers a piece of advice you wish you had known before getting published.

Oh, here’s a piece of advice: your originality is in your tone and in your characters. Your story will not be new or original, most likely, no matter the twist or how many vampires you add to it. Stories usually come down to the same social issues or political schemes or relationship conflicts. But we can meet a new character still, I think. We can still appreciate a solid vibe, and oh yeah, style counts.

❤ What's something about you that might surprise your readers?

I actually have a sense of humor: why did the punk rocker cross the road? Give up? Because the chicken was nailed to his chest.

❤ What's the most interesting comment you've received about your books so far?

Someone said I write how I talk. Everything is fine and then it’s all loud and crazy and out of control.

❤ What's next for you?

Sequels, of course, and in between, I’ll have something called The Miracles of Arthur Lowe, a story about a man who can clearly perform miracles but with rare and interesting motives.

❤ Books to look forward to! Where can you be found on the web?

At my website: ULHarper.com.

❤ Thank you for being here today, UL! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your writing better :)

Giveaway!

❤ Thanks to UL's tour publicist, Pump Up Your Book, one lucky reader will win their very own copy of In Blackness. To enter the giveaway, tell me:

How do you find new or lesser-known authors? Are you a big fan of any indies in particular? If so, name them! I love supporting indie authors and want some recommendations.

Giveaway runs through October 10th, 2011 at 11.59 pm (your time). International readers may enter for a Smashwords DOWNLOAD of this book, but if you want to enter for a print copy, you must be a US or Canada resident.

Good luck!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: Commune of Women by Suzan Still

2011-09-26T07:00:00.008+09:00

Commune of Women by Suzan Still

Release Date: July 16th, 2011

Publisher: The Fiction Studio

Page Count: 380

Source: From author, via Pump Up Your Book, for review, as part of the virtual blog tour

On an ordinary Los Angeles morning, six unrelated women converge on Los Angeles International Airport. A hornet's nest of chaos ensues, and the women find their survival depends on their ability to navigate a web of interpersonal and cultural conflict.
Sophia, adept at the arts of survival, who takes the lead;
Pearl, an ancient bag lady whose wisdom becomes guidance;
Erika, a top executive whose business trip is cut short by a bullet wound;
Heddi, a Jungian analyst who must use her skills to help the others;
Betty, an overweight, histrionic housewife who endangers everything;
Ondine, a wealthy and neurotic artist whose self-absorption turns to action;
Each much use her slender resources and innate abilities to survive.

For four days, the women sustain themselves by telling their life stories, which grow darker and more intimate as the days pass. Meanwhile, Najat, abandoned by her male companions in a control room with a view of the entire terminal and of televised rescue efforts, struggles between her own conscience and the dictates of her group, the Brothers.

Commune of Women explores what happens when ordinary citizens meet their worst nightmare. It is a novel of travail, gritty determination, compassion, and the will to prevail.

What Stephanie Thinks: Suzan Still takes an insightful and deep approach to women's fiction in this novel of multiple perspectives that all have one thing in common: control. Or rather, lack thereof. Each woman, each life portrayed, couldn't be more different. Each individual, shaped by what they have experienced and developed with, is unique. However, after gathering, each realizes, that they are actually quite the same.

I enjoy how each protagonist gets their own narrative. Only one of the seven characters speaks in the first person, but all the third-person perspectives are equally intimate. Still is keen on characterization, very much based off verisimilitude, which strengthens the sense of sympathy I gain for each of the main characters. Najat's story especially, the story of the opponent, or in this case, the perpetrator of the initial tragedy, touches me and has me rethinking my values of who I condemn as "good" and who I convict as "bad". Personally, I hate prejudice but it's always in my subconscience; it's in everybody's. Knowing on the other hand, that what we judge has its own mindset itself, is both puzzling and enlightening, but it has the ability to keep us in check, which I think is most important.

Stylistically, this book is not phenomenal. At best, I would call it lush, in that it is finely detailed. However, there's really no suspense or poise to it. I find it bland and catch myself trudging through it. It doesn't take away from the storyline too much, but it's definitely something that bothers me.

Commune of Women is a book of interest, but not really something outrageous. I like the story enough to get through it, but not enough to highly suggest it to someone in search of a recommended read. As I personally am interested in depth psychology, I was able to connect with this book, but conventionally, most people may not see it the same way.

Stephanie Loves: ". . . it's not possible to grieve for anyone else until you've truly grieved for yourself."

Radical Rating: 7 hearts- A few flaws here and there, but overall enjoyable. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: The Legend of Lady MacLaoch by Becky Banks

2011-09-25T07:00:00.074+09:00

The Legend of Lady MacLaoch by Becky Banks

Release Date: May 23rd, 2011

Publisher: Ha'iku

Page Count: 249

Source: From author, via Romancing the Book, for review as part of the Becky Banks blog tour

A legendary love, an unforgiving curse, and the discovery of a lifetime.

Centuries ago, a vengeful curse buried itself deep into the history of the MacLaoch clan and become a legendary tale told by all those not cursed by its words.

In present-day Scotland, the laird and chieftain of the MacLaoch clan is an ex-Royal Air Force fighter pilot who has been past the gates of hell and returned a changed man. Rowan MacLaoch does battle with wartime memories and a family curse that threaten to consume him -- unaware that his life and that of the history of the clan will be changed forever by the arrival of an American woman.

Cole Baker, a feisty recent graduate of a master’s program, stumbles upon the ancient curse while researching her bloodlines. Moved by the history of the MacLaoch clan and the mystery of its chief, she digs into the legend that had been anything but quiet for centuries.

On their quest for answers, Cole and Rowan travel to places they have never before been and become witnesses to things they have never before fathomed. The legend -- one started with blood -- will end with more shed as its creator finally exacts her justice.

What Stephanie Thinks: Cole Baker has always been proud to be Cole Baker -- all-American, no-nonsense, overly frisky Cole Baker. It isn't until one Christmas evening when her grandfather breaks news that her name isn't Cole Baker at all. She's actually Cole Minary, and is introduced a Scottish surname she's never even encountered in her life. Curiosity and a hard head have Cole setting out on a quest to find about her bloodlines, but she discovers more than what she could have ever hoped for, instead.

Fictional Scottish history and dark, brooding mystery ignite the pages of The Legend of Lady MacLaoch. An ancient curse brings Cole to Scotland and into the arms of Rowan MacLaoch, chieftain of the MacLaoch clan. He is the modern version of the sexy Scottish hero (kilts and all!!!!) and though I've never read a Scottish historical before, I'm pretty sure I could get used to them. Their chemistry is undeniable, and is a gorgeous demonstration that love can often both be happenstance and eternal, if not redeeming. Rowan is a romance hero I've gone ahead and fallen in love with (who saw that one coming?), and Cole is a independent, admirable heroine. She however, does come off as extremely rude at times. I know it's supposed to be portrayed as "feisty", but if I was acquainted with her in real life, I feel I'd constantly tingle with the urge to bitchslap her.

The plot is surprising, but not shocking in terms of the conclusion. It's fairly predictable, in fact, it's just that there are minor twists within the story I never see coming.

Banks's writing is suspenseful and provocative. The story is consuming; I was unable to put it down! Her characters are witty -- a fine combination of hilarious and smart -- and in the end, they are definitely the type that linger. I am impressed by Banks's marvelous debut; definitely pick this one up if you're in the mood for heated romance mixed with a striking image of Scottish history, as well as the intrigue of mystery and revelation.

Stephanie Loves: "'Mother, Roger is an ex-boyfriend from high school; one that was very sweet but incredibly unmotivated in life except for the pursuit of ass.'"

Radical Rating: 8 hearts-Would recommend to lots of really good friends. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥♥♥♥: Cheri on Top by Susan Donovan

2011-09-18T07:00:00.037+09:00

Cheri on Top by Susan Donovan

Release Date: August 30th, 2011

Publisher: St. Martin's Press (Macmillan)

Page Count: 308

Source: ARC from Carolyn at Romance Novel News

SHE'S GOT EVERYTHING SHE WANTS
Sun-drenched beaches, designer-label clothes, drop-dead-gorgeous boy-toys... all paid for with a series of high-risk real estate deals. That’s the lifestyle Cherise Newberry and her BFF Candy enjoy after leaving rural North Carolina for Tampa—until the market tanks and they lose everything. Cheri is surviving on Ramen Noodles and temp jobs when she gets a call from home to come back and run the family’s small-town newspaper. Just one catch: She’ll become the boss of her high school crush—and former brother-in-law—who might have the power to crush her all over again...

BUT HE'S WHAT SHE NEEDS
But Cheri is surprised to see how “bad boy” J.J. DeCourcy has grown into the hard-working and principled managing editor of The Bigler Bugle. Still, according to Cheri’s bitter sister, he’s not to be trusted. If Cheri’s going to co-exist at the with this sexier-than-ever man from her past, she needs to stay professional -- and keep her distance -- even though he sets her on fire. When they’re handed the biggest news story in the town’s history, Cheri must trust J.J., even it means putting her life in danger... and her heart on the line.

What Stephanie Thinks: I'm normally a fan of contemporary romances, especially the ones with twisted plots: once-shy, past-heartbroken heroine kicks back into town with intentions of leaving a bruise and a seemingly unstoppable ferocity in her heart. Of course her childhood heartthrob is going to see her and think "Wow, I missed out...". Of course.

Because essentially, that's really all that happens. I wish there could have been more plot, more structure and depth, to this story, but there certainly isn't. While Donovan does a great job of describing JJ as the ultimate sexy hero (drool drool), and while Cheri herself is pretty likable of a character, their so-called "romance" really doesn't do anything for me.

I hesitate to even call this one a romance. It mostly evolves around a long-term dispute over Cheri's family's newspaper business, The Bigler Bugle. Someone's been snatching funds from it, which has slowly been leading to its decline over the years. Maybe this book could have made for a good sexy mystery, but considering a) the perpetrator is revealed at the very beginning, and b) the romance isn't sexy in the least, I can't find myself thinking it too special.

Stephanie Loves: "'I laughed so hard once, I fell out of the boat.'
'I think the twelve-pack of Bud Light probably had something to do with that, Cheri.'"

Radical Rating: 6 hearts-Satisfying for a first read, but I'm not going back. ♥♥♥♥♥♥

❤author: Greg Kiser Interview and Giveaway!

2011-09-14T19:50:00.001+09:00

❤ Today, as part of a NURTURE Virtual BOOK Tourz™ blog tour, I will be hosting author, Greg Kiser with an interview and giveaway. Welcome to ¡Miraculous!, Greg! Will you please share a short bio with us?

Happily married to a wonderful and inspirational wife, Serena, with two beautiful children – Miller and Grace.

Graduated from Southern Polytechnic University in Atlanta with a BS in Electrical Engineering. Then earned an MBA from the University of South Florida.

Currently Client Service Director at Cisco, a fortune fifty high-tech multinational corporation.

Written extensively for fortune fifty high-tech firms in describing next generation networks and painting pictures of the true evolution of technology for the consumer.

My short story, Did They Tell You, was selected for the 2010 San Francisco Writer’s Conference Anthology, and is currently available on scribd.com, no charge.

❤ Tell us about debut release, inSyte.

It’s set in Tampa Bay, Florida and the year is 2020. Ex-Navy SEAL Mitch “Double” Downing discovers how to tap into the internet with his mind. His new inSyte provides transparent access to the sum of all human knowledge recorded since hieroglyphics.

If knowledge is power, Mitch just became the strongest man in the world.

But inSyte has ideas of its own as the software exposes a politician’s “divine” plan that will unwittingly slaughter millions of people. Is killing the man the only way to prevent Armageddon? The politician’s daughter would probably disagree. And she happens to be the love of Mitch’s life. Losing Kate would be too damn much collateral damage.

At the center of the conflict is a wolf-like killer who will stop at nothing to murder the ex-Navy SEAL. And Mitch must come to grips with inSyte’s dark side – a dominating addiction that soon controls his thoughts and places him on a steep slide to self-destruction.

❤ What inspired you to write it and then how did you get published? Tell us your call story.

I listened to Rudy Giuliani speak a year after 9/11. This was in August of 2002, just under a year since 9/11. Rudy spoke to a crowd of about 5,000 folks. He described the events of that day and it was very emotional, everyone loved the guy, he was held in such admiration.

He told the crowd that every great leader will possess spirituality. And when you have millions of people that you’re serving, there’s a natural temptation to believe that God put you there, there must be a divine intervention. Then the tendency is to think that any gut feeling you have, gut decision, must be God’s decision.

So Rudy talked about how you have to avoid falling into that trap, you have to remain objective and realize you’re only human and they are your decisions.

I found that fascinating because I had never heard a politician talk like that. I think there are a number of politicians in the US and abroad, recently and not, where pragmatism was nowhere to be found. I wanted to explore that in a novel. Come on, there’s all kinds of room for conflict.

As for publishing, I self-published on Amazon. The only way to go these days ;) Really pretty simple. Of course, the average book that self-publishes on Amazon sells 100 copies to, you guessed it, friends and business associates and the like. So the trick is – how do you market the book further; drive sales?

At the end of the day, it’s all about word of mouth. So you have to get your book out there and it has to be good and then you need for word of mouth to help.

So – be sure it’s ready for prime time before you decide to self-publish. I waited 3 years after my first draft because I wanted my novel to be as good as it could possibly be. Along the way I had some serious people read it and provide candid feedback. Enough good feedback to know I was onto something, enough bad feedback to keep me busy writing and rewriting and, yes, deleting!

❤ How much of your actual life would you say gets written into your fictional stories?

The best parts, because they're what gives my writing color, richness. There’s one scene in my book where my protagonist and his love interest meet at his apartment. She’s looking at photographs on a bookshelf and she sees one of him as a child with his family. The thoughts she has are directly related to thoughts I had looking at a picture of my young niece many years ago with her family.

It’s the little moments in life that must be woven into your book to make it real.

❤ I so contend to that! If inSyte were made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters?

What a great question! I’ve actually thought about that. Why not? It’s fun. Here goes:

Mitch: Ryan Gosling
Kate: Kristen Stewart
Cheslov: Daniel Craig
Woody: Sean William Scott
Mayor: Alec Baldwin
Phelps: Željko Ivanek

❤ What are your biggest motivations for writing?

To get all this stuff that is swimming around in my head out. If I didn’t write, I’d probably explode. I’ve always had a really dark mind and I think that writing about scary things helps me stay sane.

❤ How would you describe your writing style and tone?

Real. Direct. I spent many, many hours searching and deleting ‘had’. I rewrote to put as much as I could into present tense. I read through sentences and deleted words that were unnecessary. I read all the dialogue aloud to ensure I had contractions and cuss words but not too much of either because I wanted it to be real.

Real.

❤ I notice myself doing that too, when I write. Give aspiring writers a piece of advice you wish you had known before getting published.

Don’t let ANYBODY read that initial draft. It will suck.

Also, be ready for criticism. You may think it’s the best novel, potentially, ever written. It’s not. You need direction from others to make your book be all that it can possibly be.
Finish your first draft and then refine, rewrite, make it real. Until you love it. I’d say a year or more. For me, it took three years after the initial draft to get it where I wanted it to be. And at least one year before it was ready for anyone else to read.

Because before that, it sucked. To be clear, I never thought it sucked when I finished writing sections. Only when I re-read them months later.

You see, here’s another bit of advice. Don’t spend too much time on the polishing when you first get the words down. You’re just building the foundation. The polishing and finishing comes later.

❤ What's something about you that might surprise your readers?

I was on a Nuclear Cruiser in the Navy. That might surprise some people.

❤ Who are some books or authors your idolize?

Stephen King and Thomas Harris. Gods.

❤ If you could be any fictional character, who would you be?

Wow. That’s a really interesting question. Certainly not Ned Beatty’s character in Deliverance.

I’d say Clint Eastwood’s character in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Why? Because he was just so damn cool.

❤ What's the most interesting comment you've received about inSyte so far?

I loved the description of Cheslov from the Kirkus Review:

Woven throughout a story with many finely crafted twists, turns and revelations is the charismatic, mysterious, murderous Cheslov Kirill. As a classic merciless political operator, Kirill is unforgettable and chillingly, complexly rendered, especially for a man who uses a school of sharks off the Florida coast for corpse disposal.

❤ What lovely feedback! What's next for you?

Thinking about a sequel. Just thinking. Letting my mind sort through it subconsciously.

❤ I look forward to reading it! Where can you be found on the web?

At my website: www.gkiser.com.

❤ Before we conclude this interview, is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?

How many pages do you give a book to ‘grab’ you? Honestly? If you say it has to grab you off the bat, well, OK – everyone says that. But plenty of books will grab you in the first chapter, the first paragraph, even the first line. But the subsequent chapters have to follow it up. How many of those will you read before you decide you’re into it, or not?

What’s the criteria to grab you? Can you define it? Plot? Characters? Action? Drama? Conflict?

❤ Thank you for being here today, Greg! It was a pleasure getting to know you and inSyte better :)

Giveaway!

❤ Thanks to Greg's tour publicist, NURTURE Virtual BOOK Tourz™, one lucky reader will win their very own print copy of inSyte. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this interview with an answer to Greg's question.

Giveaway runs through September 28th, 2011 at 11.59 pm (your time) and is open to US, Canada, and UK residents only.

Good luck!

❤author: Lynda M. Martin Interview and Giveaway!

2011-09-06T00:00:00.057+09:00

❤ Today, as part of a NURTURE Virtual BOOK Tourz™ blog tour, I will be hosting author, Lynda M. Martin with an interview and giveaway. Welcome to ¡Miraculous!, Lynda! Will you please share a short bio with us?

I was born in Scotland, started school in England, then immigrated to Alberta, Canada with my family at the age of six. I grew up close to the town of Medicine Hat, Alberta, went to university in Montreal, Quebec, lived in Manitoba for several years, and returned to Alberta. Along the way, I married an American and began a cross-border life that culminated in my now living on the Gulf Coast of Florida -- a life we share with two mastiff dogs.

I have two daughters, all grown up, and four grandchildren, whom I don’t see as much as I would like, but love with all my heart

I hold a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, a career that paid the bills and years of courses relating to childhood development and child protection, a career that satisfied my heart. Oh -- and also a number of courses in writing, which is a passion that fulfills my soul.

I’m a private person and have used an avatar for all my publishing, both on the internet and print, as well as the cover of my novel. Recently, I became a little daring and started sharing my real image (age having wreaked enough change; recognition, which might have compromised some connections from the past is unlikely.)

❤ Tell us about debut release, This Bird Flew Away.

I will use the words of my wonderful editor, New York Times bestselling author, Kathryn Lynn Davis:

This is a tender, wrenching, funny, brilliantly written novel about so many kinds of courage, so many layers of beauty and strength, and the bonds of family (however unique they may be) that help us survive even the worst life makes us suffer.

❤ What inspired you to write this book?

This particular story came to me following a discussion I had with some friends over the unrealistic portrayals of victims of abuse portrayed in the media. I think it was an episode of “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” that set me off, so twisted and dramatic. I pontificated on my issues with the vision that survivors were “ruined,” psychotic and suicidal. This is not true to my experience with real-life survivors at all.

I decided to write a story and a character that more truly represented survivors and their journey to healing, something optimistic. I have always been amazed at the ability of children to go on being children no matter what misery surrounds them. That’s why I call this novel a celebration of one girl’s triumph.

❤ There's always more intrigue in the What if...s and the truths we can't acknowledge superficially. How did you get your book published? Tell us your call story.

I quickly gave up on the idea of acquiring an agent and going the traditional route after receiving an interesting collection of rejection letters. My favorite came in three minutes after the query was sent and said, “After careful consideration, we’ve decided this work is not for us…” One agent asked for the manuscript and sat on it for a year before responding to the query on the rudest of terms.

As a newcomer to this country, I was loathe to self-publish, and began to query the boutique publishers. With five queries, I had four offers to publish and chose the one that let me have a free hand in the book’s final design, including cover art. (Do you like the image on the cover?)

Certainly, going with an independent publisher means more work in the promotion and marketing, but on the other hand, traditional publishing houses do not give you much time to prove your work in the marketplace. This way, This Bird Flew Away can take the time to build readership.

Would I go the same route again? I haven’t decided.

❤ The cover image seems relevant to the book! How much of your actual life would you say gets written into your fictional stories?

Quite a bit. Bria, the main character, is an amalgam of many girls I’ve known in the past, including characteristics of my own daughters, foster daughters, cases I’ve worked on, and yes, with a good dollop of my own tumultuous youth.

Many of the other characters are loosely based on people from real life, though none are exact.

The clinical treatment described is based on reality, as is the psychologist, Mrs. Friesen. In my years of involvement with troubled girls, it’s been my great privilege to work with some wonderful professionals.

Bria’s subsequent behavior, including her fixation on her guardian, Jack, is quite typical of young female survivors of abuse and exploitation, much to the consternation of the men in their lives.

So yes, my actual life experiences play a big role in this book. A necessity, as I strove to make it as realistic as possible.

❤ How would you describe your writing style and tone?

The first word that comes to mind is intimate. My characters tend to share all. I think that’s why I so enjoy the first person voice -- so chatty, so open. What editors sometimes call the restriction of the first person (no getting inside another character’s mind) seems more of an opportunity for character development to me. The whole world and the people in it are seen only through the narrator’s perception.

This Bird Flew Away has two first-person narrators, Bria and Mary (her foster mother), as though you were sitting at a table and these two women took turns telling you the story. Jack, the third major character is seen only through their eyes, so we can never be sure that what we are told about him is the entire truth. We must judge him for ourselves.

This story had to be told in such an intimate manner for it to work.

❤ Interesting... Give aspiring writers a piece of advice you wish you had known before getting published.

Be aware that in most cases, you will be entirely on your own when it comes to marketing and promotion. Unless you’ve written what is judged to be the next bestseller, the resources given to you are likely to be minimal. If, like me, you’re no marketing genius, make sure you have the resources to get the assistance you will need. Keep your expectations reasonable.

But more importantly, write to please yourself, from the heart, and leave the thought of markets, sales, fame (most unlikely) and financial rewards aside.

❤ That's down-to-earth and realistic. Who are some books or authors you idolize?

If I had to point to one novel as being representative of great skill, I would choose To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee has crafted what I’d consider the perfect novel, tight writing -- not one superfluous word, -- superb character development, an understated tone, major themes, the intertwining of two plots into one without a single seam showing, excellent pacing and above all, masterful setting and atmosphere.

❤ What’s a question you always want to be asked in interviews? How would you answer it?

What do I consider a writing success? Finishing the book. Writing until you’re happy with the end project. Now, you’re a success. Anything else is icing on the cake.

❤ If you could be any fictional character, who would you be?

Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, an independent woman at a time such women are rare, who appears to be welcome everywhere she goes and is possessed of an excellent mind.

❤ What’s the most interesting comment you have ever received about your books?

"Different people will draw different things from this story, but one thing is sure; no one will leave untouched." – Morton Rand, Fiction Factory

❤ What's next for you?

The sequel to This Bird Flew Away, with a working title, Fly High; Fly Blind, is in draft form and currently in the hands of some selected readers for their input prior to final revision and edit. I have not yet decided how and when this book will be published.

I am currently working out the skeleton for a new novel, entirely removed from these characters and subject matter, one based on life’s later problems. For the past while, I’ve been working with the elderly, helping them stay in their own homes and providing companionship and care. Listening to their stories, helping them overcome their problems and just getting to know these people has given enough grist for several novels.

I also write articles for various sites and organizations, but hold a personal publishing page on Hubpages, where I share my thoughts and views on all kinds of subjects. This has become a favorite place of mine, where I am free to publish as I wish. To my great surprise, it has developed a large readership and led to a number of other opportunities.

❤ Where can you be found on the web?

Website | Hubpages | Facebook | Purchase Book

❤ Thank you for being here today, Lynda! It was a pleasure getting to know you and This Bird Flew Away better :)

Giveaway!

❤ Thanks to Lynda's tour publicist, NURTURE Virtual BOOK Tourz™, one lucky reader will win their very own print copy of This Bird Flew Away. To enter the giveaway, leave a meaningful comment or question on this interview post for Lynda.

Giveaway runs through October 6th, 2011 at 11.59 pm (your time) and is open internationally.
Meaningful comment means something other than "Hi, please enter me in this giveaway." Your comment or question should be thoughtful and relevant.

Please leave your email in your comment so I know who to contact as the winner.
As a reminder, you do not have to follow my blog to enter, though it is always very much appreciated :)

Good luck!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: In Leah's Wake by Terri Giuliano Long

2011-09-02T07:00:00.103+09:00

In Leah's Wake by Terri Giuliano Long

Release Date: October 1st, 2010

Publisher: CreateSpace

Page Count: 345

Source: From author, via Novel Publicity, for review

Protecting their children comes naturally for Zoe and Will Tyler -- until their daughter, Leah, decides to actively destroy her own future.

Leah grew up in a privileged upper-middle class world. Her parents spared no exprese for her happiness; she had all but secured an Ivy League scholarship and a future as a star athlete. Then she met Todd.

Leah's parents watch helplessly as their daughter falls into a world of drugs, sex, and wild parties. While Will attempts to control his daughter's every move to prevent her from falling deeper into this dangerous new life, Zoe prefers to give Leah slack in the hope that she may learn from her mistakes. Their divided approach drives their daughter out of their home and a wedge into their marriage.

Twelve-year-old Justine observes Leah's rebellion from the shadows of their fragmented family. She desperately seeks her big sister's approval and will do whatever it takes to obtain it. Meanwhile she is left to question whether her parents lover her and whether God even knows she exists.

What happens when love just isn't enough? Who will pay the consequences of Leah's vagrant lifestyle? Can this broken family survive the destruction left in Leah's wake?

What Stephanie Thinks: A family's struggle to keep themselves together and their irresponsible college-bound daughter in control is beautifully told in this debut novel. Long's writing style is absorbing and fast-paced, though the story itself drags on a bit. I would skim a few pages here and there, and constantly would find myself calculating how many pages I had left to read. This certainly will suck the joy out of a leisurely read. However, the overall plot is both lively and poignant, making it a touching story of the strength of sisterhood and turmoils of parenthood.

Each of the characters are really fleshed out, which I love. For the most part though, they are not likable. Leah, for instance, is a girl who has it all. She's a deep and relatable character, but she's incredibly whiny, ungrateful, and melodramatic. Long creates the perfect caricature of misbehaving teenagers within her, but I don't think most teenagers behave as exaggeratedly as she does. Both the parents have good intentions, and I can tell the author created them from her personal experience. It's clear this book was written by a loving mother. Will and Zoe aren't flawless, which we learn as the plot progresses. I find Will selfish and Zoe weak, but again, that's strong characterization. I really do love Justine, though. She's so genuine, that I want her to be MY little sister!

The way children are described makes it evident that the author is an experienced mother. The topics of drugs, sex, and wild parties, however, seems to be shocking to her. They say you should write about what you know, and Long details the obscure nit and grit rather awkwardly, but still maintains a realistic tone in her multidimensional family. Then again, it's not like only drugdealers can write edgy fiction, so I do give her props for the variety.

This almost frightening account of adolescence is stirring and thought-provoking. It piques the question of whether or not parental perfection is truly achievable, and also induces those What if? worries all mothers and fathers wonder in their lifetimes. Leah's slow, deliberate deterioration truly hits home and lingers in the mind, even once it is all over.

Stephanie Loves: "Through everything that had happened with her family this fall, through all their trials and travails, her mother's retreat into the fuzzy world of her pain pills, her family's dizzying fights, even while Leah was away, though she'd missed her sister terribly, Justine had stayed strong. Now, the tears fell, releasing all that pent-up emotion. And there was no holding back."

Radical Rating: 7 hearts- A few flaws here and there, but overall enjoyable. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

❤back to the books giveaway hop!

2011-08-31T23:59:00.001+09:00

the season ❤ I don't know if school's started in the States yet, but I'm already a month into my semester abroad here in sunny South Korea! Not that this is particularly exciting... in fact, I think I hate school. But September is precisely the time we go back -- whether or not it's school we are going back to -- to the good old times; the nostalgic fresh start, the scent of eraser shavings, the pleasantly sporadic butterflies in the stomach. This school year's probably my busiest yet, and though you may hear me complain about it on a regular basis (or not... as I've been MIA from the blogosphere for quite some time -- I'm sorry, I'm sorry!), knowing each new school year brings a new experience makes it all the more worthwhile.

the hop ❤ The Back to the Books Giveaway Hop, hosted by Kathy at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Buried in Books, works like this: each participating blog hosts a giveaway and then we link up together allowing our followers to hop easily from one giveaway to another. For followers, it means lots of chances to win free books. For blogs hosting giveaways, it means lots of new visitors and followers. It's a win-win! The Back to the Books Giveaway Hop is scheduled from September 1st at 12.01 AM until September 7th at 11:59 PM (your time).

the prizes ❤ I've noticed most of us have "wishlist" books everywhere: on Amazon, Paperbackswap, and even Goodreads! In honor of this, one lucky winner will receive some books on their wishlist! If you are chosen as the winner, I'm email you and you send me your top ten choices of books you'd like to read. And according to the prices (I'm not made of money!), I'll buy you as much as my student budget allows :) If you're in the US, I can guarantee this will be at least three books (unless you want a ridiculous special edition hardcover with author's autograph crap book that costs more than my monthly rent).
If you're international, and provided Book Depository ships to you, you will receive one wishlisted book (under 10 USD). Yay to wishes being fulfilled!
the rules ❤ Since this is a follower hop, I will have to make (+1) following my blog a mandatory entry (on your left). For additional entries, you can (+2) follow me on Twitter (@lovestephaniexx) and (+2) fill out this little opinion survey. It's just a form that asks for your thoughts about my blog; I want honest opinions! AND you should give it a whirl because all submissions are entered for a chance to win a $25 gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble :) That's up to five entries total.

Leave a comment on this post saying you follow (include GFC name), along with your email address. Let me know if you have any additional entries, too (include Twitter handle and/or form submission email). No GFC name or Twitter name or Email = No entries!

So for example, if I am entering the giveaway, I would leave a comment saying:

+1 Follow your blog! (GFC name: ❤Stephanie)
+2 Follow you on Twitter! (Twitter name: @lovestephaniexx)
+2 Filled out the form! (Email: thestephanieloves at gmail dot com)

And that would give me five entries.
the small print ❤ I'm not saying this because I'm a complete bitch who wants to make your life a living hell, but because I've noticed something going on with a lot of follower hops. The point of them is not to temporarily follow that blog and unfollow as soon as the giveaway is over. The point of the follower hops is for the blogs generously offering giveaway prizes to gain more readers and followers -- in return, participants receive the opportunity to win great prizes such as books, gift cards, and swag. I'm not just speaking on behalf of myself, because seriously, I'm so grateful for the followship I have (love every each and one of you!), but I know for a fact this happens with lots of other blogs as well. Being part of the blogging community, I just want to let my two cents be heard. And not to sound cheeky, but a lot of us bloggers use Qwitter, which is an app that tells us exactly who unfollows us on Twitter, so we're not as oblivious as you think. If you are so inclined as to read more about how I feel on this subject matter, please refer to this blog post.

the end ❤ Sorry my rant was a little anal. I'm not trying to be mean. YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU so don't even go there, darling. Be sure to enter all of the other giveaways going on for this hop; there are so many great prizes being given away!

xo and always!

❤ Stephanie

❤author: Sandra Byrd Interview and Giveaway!

2011-08-22T07:00:00.008+09:00

❤ Thanks to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, I've gotten the opportunity to feature author, Sandra Byrd, at the blog today. She's here to tell us about her promoted release, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn, and will be ending with a lovely giveaway, so stay tuned!

Welcome to ¡Miraculous!, Sandra! Will you please share a short bio with us?

Absolutely! I've published more than three dozen books in the fiction and non-fiction markets, including this one, To Die For. Which is a dream come true for me! I've also shared many of the writing secrets and skills I've learned with the new writers I edit, mentor, and coach. I live in the Seattle, Washington area with my husband and two children. For more Tudor tidbits, please visit my Tudor-themed website!

❤ A pleasure to have you! Tell us about your books.

This series, Ladies in Waiting, is a series of three books in Tudor England, each story being told from the point of view of one of the Queen's closest friends. From a young age, we women are wired for friendship. Little girls link arms in exclusivity with one another on the playground. The most devastating betrayals during our middle and high school years often come not from boys but from the friends we thought loved us and in whom we'd trusted. I have several friends with whom I've been close for more than twenty years and know they have my back, and I, theirs, no matter what. So when I began to write novels set in the Tudor period I wondered, who were these Queens' real friends, those who would remain true in a treacherous court? Ovid wrote, "While you are fortunate you will number many friends, when the skies grow dark you will be alone."

I began with Anne Boleyn and her close friend, Meg Wyatt.

To set the stage as it were, your readers might like to visit my blog to find some delicious Renaissance recipes or learn more about knights and ladies. Or take a walk through the Castles and Palaces page on my site, or visit the Tudor Hall.

❤ That's such a fascination premise to begin historical stories upon! When and why did you begin writing?

I knew that I wanted to be a writer at six years old, as soon as I'd learned to read the Bobbsey Twins books. Really! When I was a kid, I wanted three careers: to be a hair stylist, to be a waitress, and to be an author. After I mohawked my Barbie I knew I wasn’t cut out for the hairstylist career. I actually was a waitress in a Jewish deli when I was a teenager, and I worked for a caterer. Writing, however, was the real passion. And it stuck.

❤ What inspired you to write your first book, and then how did you get published? Tell us your call story.

I think because I loved reading so much as a girl, and because I know that the 8-12 years are critical to cementing a love of books in a kid's heart, I started with tween books. I have written several tween series and still love writing for that age. The girls are so hopeful, so full of life, burdened, certainly, with the problems of adolescence but they mostly feel as though they can overcome. I wrote up the first book in the first series and had a published friend read it over for me. After corrections, I sent it out. And sent it out. And sent it out. I garnered thirteen rejections before I found a house that was interested. But then, once started, I was off and running.

❤ How much of your actual life gets written into your fictional stories?

I think there is a little part of me in nearly every character, perhaps every female character,
anyway. I think most writers draw upon their own emotional experiences and perhaps life
experiences though nothing is completely autobiographical. Probably the most influence from my own life comes from the characters and subjects I write about. You have to spend long hours researching and reading about and thinking about your characters, so you need to set the books in a time and place, and with people, that you really like. Otherwise, you just won't want to spend time with them. And if the writer doesn't want to spend time with them, the readers won't, either! So I often write about London, and Paris, both of which I love.

❤ That rings true to every writer, to some extent. What are your biggest motivations for writing?

Deadlines. :) No, really, I love to disappear into a good book and my way of, hopefully, giving back is to provide good books that other people can disappear into, too.

❤ Can you honestly say being an author is your ideal job? Do you ever sometimes wish you hadn't begun a writing career or had gone down a different path?

It is the best job in the world! It is also a very hard one, because you put yourself out there to be criticized. I never wish I hadn't begun a writing career. I love it too much for that, but getting reviews can be hard. The best part is getting feedback from the readers. That makes it all worth it.

❤ How would you describe your writing style/tone?

I love first person because it's intimate, and I read a book to disappear into someone's life, so I hope to write that way, too. I hope I'm honest with my characters and I like to add humor and wit when I can. I try to write people three dimensionally: physical, mental, and spiritual, because we are all made up of those elements in real life.

❤ That's so insightful! What's next for you?

Book Two, which releases next year and is called The Secret Keeper, is about Kateryn Parr and one of her maids of honor. The third book will be set in the Elizabethan Court...

❤ Where can you be found on the web?

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Purchase Book

I hope your readers will also sign up for my e-postcards (where I am also giving away two Kindles) so I can keep in touch!

❤ Before we conclude this interview, is there anything you’d like to say to our readers?

First, I'd like to thank them for their time in reading this interview and considering my book! Secondly, as an author, I always like to know: What keeps you deep in a book, and what about a particular author's work brings you back to his or her next book?

❤ Thank you for being here today, Sandra! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your books better :)

Thank you for inviting me to your blog "home"!

Giveaway!

❤ Sandra has generously offered a print copy of To Die For for one lucky reader! Leave a comment answering Sandra's question, and you're entered!

Giveaway runs through September 6th, 2011 at 11.59 pm (your time) and is open to US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand readers only.

Please make sure you properly answer the giveaway question for your entry to count.

Include your email in your comment so I know who to contact as the winner.
As a reminder, you do not have to follow my blog to enter, though it is always very much appreciated :)

Good luck!