What Are You Reading Monday? #34

Books I completed in the last week are:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)
Honor Thyself by Danielle Steel (Audio)
Earthquake In The Early Morning by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #24)


Bookmarks are still living in the middle of:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)

Enchanted Thyme by Ariane Smith with Chef Michael Wilson


Up Next:
The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham
This Time Together by Carol Burnett (audio)
One Zillion Valentines by
Abraham Lincoln by
Frog Knows Best by
George Bush by
Valentine Mice by


Reviews posted this week:


Author Guest Posts/Interviews:
Book Tour – Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris (February 21)

March is Author Month – Interview A Day
Author Interview – Lin Wellford (March 1)
Author Interview - The Long Night Moon by Willie Elizabeth Towles (March 2)
Author Interview - Ice Rose by Alison Neuman (Fireside Publications) (March 3)
Author Interview – (March 4)
Author Interview - Independence Day Plague by Carla Suson (March 5)
Author Interview - Barbarians in the Kitchen by Ginny Connors (March 6)

Author Interview - Chessie Bligh by Thora Gabriel (Chessie Bligh-Publisher) (March 7)
Author Interview - FACES IN THE MIRROR: OSCAR MICHEAUX AND SPIKE LEE by John Howard (March 8)
Author Interview - Essays on Living with Alzheimer's Disease: The First Twelve Months by Lois Wilmoth-Bennett, Ph.D. (March 9)
Author Interview – (March 10)
Author Interview - Bring Yourself to Love: How Couples Can Turn Disconnection into Intimacy by Mona Barbera (March 11)
Author Interview - Littluns: And the Book of Darkness by Mark Glamack (March 12)
Author Interview - Alaska Hoops: Tips and Tales from the Girls' Locker Room by Becky Crabtree (March 13)
Author Interview – A Life of Integrity by Trish Knight (March 14)
Author Interview - The Dog Walked Down the Street: An Outspoken Guide for Writers Who Want to Publish by Sal Glynn (March 15)
Author Interview - Mary Stevens (March 16)
Author Interview – (March 17)
Author Interview - Choose to Be Happy: A Guide to Total Happiness by Rima Rudner (March 18)
Author Interview - Turtle Hope by Jennifer Brown (March 19 )
Author Interview – (March 20)
Author Interview – (March 21)
Author Interview - The Journey of the Little Red Boat by George Smith (March 22)
Author Interview - Joan West (March 23)
Author Intverview - Eat Smart in France by Ronnie Hess (March 24)
Author Interview - UFO by Kyle Lovern (Woodland Publishing) (March 25)
Author Interview – East Wind by Jack Winnick (March 26)
Author Interview - Accidental Cowgirl by Mary Lynn Archibald (March 27)
Author Interview - Stillwaters by Crystal Rhodes (Crystal Ink Publishing) (March 28)
Author Interview - The Magical Adventure of Tara and the Talking Kitten by Diana Cooper (March 29)
Author Interview - Above Honor by Donald Himelstein (March 30)
Author Interview - Judith Finkel (March 31)


Special Blog Hop Giveaways
Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop (March 17 – 20)
Fool for Books Hop (April 1-2)

Books still needing to have reviews written (as opposed to the ones that are simply awaiting posting):
Honor Thyself by Danielle Steel (Audio)
Earthquake In The Early Morning by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #24)
Twister on Tuesday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #23)
Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks (Audio)
Happily Ever After by Nora Roberts (Quartet Brides #4)
Revolutionary War On Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #22)
Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Gertrude McFuzz by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
The Big Brag by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Thidwick, the Big-Hearted Moose by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Mercedes McCambridge)
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Billy Crystal)
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Dustin Hoffman)
The Grinch That Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Walter Matheau)
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Ted Danson)
Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #21)
Daisy, Maisey and Lazy by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Not So Scarey Scarecrow by Emma Parker (ebook)
The River Between Us by Richard Peck (Audio)
The Chocolate Snowman Murders by Joanna Carl
The Moovers and the Milkshakers by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Butterfly Race by Emma Parker (ebook)
Teddy Is Real I Think by Emma Parker (ebook)


Giveaways on the blog this week:

Freebie Friday - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (end 3/4)

GoodReads Review:
Say you've spent the first 10 years of your life sleeping under the stairs of a family who loathes you. Then, in an absurd, magical twist of fate you find yourself surrounded by wizards, a caged snowy owl, a phoenix-feather wand, and jellybeans that come in every flavor, including strawberry, curry, grass, and sardine. Not only that, but you discover that you are a wizard yourself! This is exactly what happens to young Harry Potter in J.K. Rowling's enchanting, funny debut novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. In the non-magic human world--the world of "Muggles"--Harry is a nobody, treated like dirt by the aunt and uncle who begrudgingly inherited him when his parents were killed by the evil Voldemort. But in the world of wizards, small, skinny Harry is famous as a survivor of the wizard who tried to kill him. He is left only with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, curiously refined sensibilities, and a host of mysterious powers to remind him that he's quite, yes, altogether different from his aunt, uncle, and spoiled, piglike cousin Dudley.

A mysterious letter, delivered by the friendly giant Hagrid, wrenches Harry from his dreary, Muggle-ridden existence: "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Of course, Uncle Vernon yells most unpleasantly, "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" Soon enough, however, Harry finds himself at Hogwarts with his owl Hedwig... and that's where the real adventure--humorous, haunting, and suspenseful--begins. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, first published in England as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, continues to win major awards in England. So far it has won the National Book Award, the Smarties Prize, the Children's Book Award, and is short-listed for the Carnegie Medal, the U.K. version of the Newbery Medal.

What Are You Reading Monday? #33

Books I completed in the last week are:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)
Twister on Tuesday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #23)


Bookmarks are still living in the middle of:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)

Honor Thyself by Danielle Steel (Audio)
Enchanted Thyme by Ariane Smith with Chef Michael Wilson
Earthquake In The Early Morning by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #24)


Up Next:
The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham
This Time Together by Carol Burnett (audio)
One Zillion Valentines by
Abraham Lincoln by
Frog Knows Best by
George Bush by
Valentine Mice by


Reviews posted this week:


Author Guest Posts/Interviews:
Book Tour – Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris (February 21)

March is Author Month – Interview A Day
Author Interview – Lin Wellford (March 1)
Author Interview - The Long Night Moon by Willie Elizabeth Towles (March 2)
Author Interview - Independence Day Plague by Carla Suson (March 5)
Author Interview - FACES IN THE MIRROR: OSCAR MICHEAUX AND SPIKE LEE by John Howard (March 8)
Author Interview - Essays on Living with Alzheimer's Disease: The First Twelve Months by Lois Wilmoth-Bennett, Ph.D. (March 9)
Author Interview - Bring Yourself to Love: How Couples Can Turn Disconnection into Intimacy by Mona Barbera (March 11)
Author Interview - Alaska Hoops: Tips and Tales from the Girls' Locker Room by Becky Crabtree (March 13)
Author Interview – A Life of Integrity by Trish Knight (March 14)
Author Interview - The Dog Walked Down the Street: An Outspoken Guide for Writers Who Want to Publish by Sal Glynn (March 15)
Author Interview - Mary Stevens (March 16)
Author Interview - Choose to Be Happy: A Guide to Total Happiness by Rima Rudner (March 18)
Author Interview - Turtle Hope by Jennifer Brown (March 19 )
Author Interview - The Journey of the Little Red Boat by George Smith (March 22)
Author Interview - Joan West (March 23)
Author Intverview - Eat Smart in France by Ronnie Hess (March 24)
Author Interview – East Wind by Jack Winnick (March 26)
Author Interview - Accidental Cowgirl by Mary Lynn Archibald (March 27)
Author Interview - The Magical Adventure of Tara and the Talking Kitten by Diana Cooper (March 29)
Author Interview - Above Honor by Donald Himelstein (March 30)
Author Interview - Judith Finkel (March 31)


Special Blog Hop Giveaways
Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop (March 17 – 20)
Fool for Books Hop (April 1-2)

Books still needing to have reviews written (as opposed to the ones that are simply awaiting posting):
Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks (Audio)
Happily Ever After by Nora Roberts (Quartet Brides #4)
Revolutionary War On Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #22)
Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Gertrude McFuzz by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
The Big Brag by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Thidwick, the Big-Hearted Moose by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Mercedes McCambridge)
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Billy Crystal)
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Dustin Hoffman)
The Grinch That Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Walter Matheau)
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Ted Danson)
Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #21)
Daisy, Maisey and Lazy by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Not So Scarey Scarecrow by Emma Parker (ebook)
The River Between Us by Richard Peck (Audio)
The Chocolate Snowman Murders by Joanna Carl
The Moovers and the Milkshakers by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Butterfly Race by Emma Parker (ebook)
Teddy Is Real I Think by Emma Parker (ebook)


Giveaways on the blog this week:

The Debutante Divorcee by Plum Sykes (ends 2/25)

Surfing Saturday Blog Hop

Welcome to the 29th Surfin' Saturdays hosted by Chubby Cheeks Thinks, Two Monkeys & a Washtub, And Then There Were Four, The Coupon Challenge and Dandy Giveaway!
Each week we will be surfin' a different social network. You will have to check back every Saturday to see where we will be! One week it may be a facebook hop and then the next an email hop! It will be lots of fun and you will get to meet new people and see old friends as well!








We kindly ask that you follow these simple requests


1.Follow the hostesses in the first five spots (We will follow you back! Just please leave a comment letting us know that you are following us!)
2.Please only link up the network that is being hopped that specific week.
3.No spam please. These will be removed.
4.It would be wonderful if you are linking up this week if you could add our button to your sidebar or in a post to help spread the word! :) The more people that join, the more fun it will be! (Plus if you add our button to your sidebar you can grab 5 extra entries into any ONE giveaway!)
5.If someone follows you please feel free to follow them back! If you follow me and leave a comment you are guaranteed a follow back!

Blog Hop Friday

Freebie Friday - The Debutant Divorcee by Plum Sykes (ends 2/25)

GoodReads Review:

A major national media event when published in hardcover, this delicious follow-up to Bergdorf Blondes was an immediate New York Times bestseller and confirmed Plum Sykes status as a literary superstar.

Sylvie Mortimer has just married and is blissfully happy with The Divine New Husband, Hunter. Sylvie s new friend, Lauren Blount, is very rich, very young, very thin, very pretty -- and very, very divorced. The most reckless and glamorous of Manhattan s Debutante Divorc�e set, Lauren captivates Sylvie, the group s token newlywed. But while Lauren sets out on a morality-lite, orgasm-heavy Make Out Challenge, Sylvie discovers her marriage isn t exactly an Eternity ad -- especially when the city s most notorious Husband Huntress zeros in on her spouse.

Follower Love Blog Hop Winners

Crazy In Love - Lani Diane Rich - Elizabeth Tan

No Greater Love - Danielle Steel - Annette E

Valentine Pontifex by Robert Silverberg - Michele Luker

Bridal Scandal by Stephanie Laurens – Leanna Morris

What Are You Reading Monday? #32

Books I completed in the last week are:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)
Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks (Audio)
Happily Ever After by Nora Roberts (Quartet Brides #4)


Bookmarks are still living in the middle of:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)

Honor Thyself by Danielle Steel (Audio)

Up Next:
The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham

Reviews posted this week:


Author Guest Posts/Interviews:
Book Tour – Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris (February 21)

March is Author Month – Interview A Day
Author Interview – Lin Wellford (March 1)
Author Interview - The Long Night Moon by Willie Elizabeth Towles (March 2)
Author Interview - Independence Day Plague by Carla Suson (March 5)
Author Interview - FACES IN THE MIRROR: OSCAR MICHEAUX AND SPIKE LEE by John Howard (March 8)
Author Interview - Essays on Living with Alzheimer's Disease: The First Twelve Months by Lois Wilmoth-Bennett, Ph.D. (March 9)
Author Interview - Bring Yourself to Love: How Couples Can Turn Disconnection into Intimacy by Mona Barbera (March 11)
Author Interview - Alaska Hoops: Tips and Tales from the Girls' Locker Room by Becky Crabtree (March 13)
Author Interview – A Life of Integrity by Trish Knight (March 14)
Author Interview - The Dog Walked Down the Street: An Outspoken Guide for Writers Who Want to Publish by Sal Glynn (March 15)
Author Interview - Mary Stevens (March 16)
Author Interview - Choose to Be Happy: A Guide to Total Happiness by Rima Rudner (March 18)
Author Interview - Turtle Hope by Jennifer Brown (March 19 )
Author Interview - The Journey of the Little Red Boat by George Smith (March 22)
Author Interview - Joan West (March 23)
Author Intverview - Eat Smart in France by Ronnie Hess (March 24)
Author Interview – East Wind by Jack Winnick (March 26)
Author Interview - Accidental Cowgirl by Mary Lynn Archibald (March 27)
Author Interview - The Magical Adventure of Tara and the Talking Kitten by Diana Cooper (March 29)
Author Interview - Above Honor by Donald Himelstein (March 30)
Author Interview - Judith Finkel (March 31)


Special Blog Hop Giveaways
Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop (March 17 – 20)
Fool for Books Hop (April 1-2)

Books still needing to have reviews written (as opposed to the ones that are simply awaiting posting):
Revolutionary War On Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #22)
Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Gertrude McFuzz by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
The Big Brag by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Thidwick, the Big-Hearted Moose by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Mercedes McCambridge)
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Billy Crystal)
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Dustin Hoffman)
The Grinch That Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Walter Matheau)
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Ted Danson)
Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #21)
Daisy, Maisey and Lazy by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Not So Scarey Scarecrow by Emma Parker (ebook)
The River Between Us by Richard Peck (Audio)
The Chocolate Snowman Murders by Joanna Carl
The Moovers and the Milkshakers by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Butterfly Race by Emma Parker (ebook)
Teddy Is Real I Think by Emma Parker (ebook)


Giveaways on the blog this week:


Love Hop (February 8-13)
Winners –
Crazy In Love - Lani Diane Rich - Elizabeth Tan
No Greater Love - Danielle Steel - Annette E
Valentine Pontifex by Robert Silverberg - Michele Luker
Bridal Scandal by Stephanie Laurens – Leanna Morris

In The Still of the Night by Jill Churchill (ends 2/4/11)Winner - Brooke DeSpain

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen(ends 1/28/11)Winner – Ashley Holt


Naughty Neighbor by Janet Evanovich (ends 1/14/11) Winner - Joanne

A Painted House by John Grisham (ends 12/31/10) Winner – Jessica Lay

Happy Valentine's Day 2011

Follower Love Blog Hop (2/8 - 13)

Welcome to the Follower Love Giveaway Hop!

This event is hosted here at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. 200 Blogs have each signed up to host a book related giveaway and we are all linked up together allowing you to easily enter one giveaway then hop to another one.

Tips:
Print off the linky list of giveaway sites and cross them off as you enter them.
You don't have to go in order - you can start in the middle or at the end of the list and work backwards.

The Follower Love Giveaway Hop runs from Tuesday, February 8th to Sunday, February 13th. Winners will be announced on each blog on Valentine's Day.






Valentine Pontifex (Majipoor: Lord Valentine #3) by Robert Silverberg
The extraordinary story continues in this volume of the bestselling Majipoor Chronicles, begun in Lord Valentine's Castle. Now dark dreams disturb Lord Valentine's sleep, a forewarning of the danger that threatens the peace of Majipoor. The Shapeshifters have set in motion a terrifying plan to regain their stolen world.



Crazy In Love by Lani Diane Rich
Flynn Daly is turning thirty. And thirty is the age where she has to, gulp, get a job. Not just any job, but a job working for her real estate magnate father, a man who's tired of supporting his daughter through her many careers. So when their great-aunt Esther Goodhouse, proprietress of a historic inn nestled in Nowhere, New York, dies, Flynn finds herself smack dab in the country, contending with a hotel staff that's unsure of their new boss, a scruffy, sexy ex-policeman named Jake Turner who's convinced that Esther's death wasn't as natural as it seemed, and the ghost of Aunt Esther herself, who starts showing up in Flynn's dreams and undoing all the personal touches that Flynn tries to make to her new home.




No Greater Love by Danielle Steel
While hearts may go on after a tragedy occurs, they are never the same. Prolific bestselling author Danielle Steel revisits this familiar theme in No Greater Love. Twenty-year-old Edwina Winfield is forced to assume the role of head of the household, becoming both mother and father to her five younger siblings after her parents and beloved fiancé drown during the disastrous sinking of the Titanic. Determined never to marry, Edwina must also run the family newspaper until her younger brothers are old enough to step in. But next-in-line Phillip heads first to Harvard and then is tragically killed during World War I. Fun-loving George is wooed by the lights of Hollywood and exquisite sister Alexis follows in his footsteps. While tending to the youngest children, Fannie and Teddy, Edwina must assist the rest of her siblings out of their many scrapes and escapades. Along the way, she comes to terms with her loss and is finally able to put the events of the fateful night of April 15, 1912, the night the Titanic made its final voyage to the bottom of the sea, behind her and let love into her heart once more.




Scandal’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens
When Catriona Hennessey's uncle's cleverly crafted will offers her the choice of either marrying the scandalous Richard Cynster or leaving her innocent cousins penniless, Catriona is appalled. If she marries at all, she wants a consort who would allow her to continue to act as healer and serve "The Lady," as the women in her family have always done. She knows Cynster is far too overbearing to be that person. The Lady, however, has other ideas. Laurens takes full advantage of the current New Age interest in ancient Goddess worship to weave a steamy story with strong, well-matched protagonists, lively action, and love scenes that melt the pages. Although the novel is set during the British Regency, the period has little influence on this patricular story; readers who want a bit more Regency flavor might enjoy earlier books in the Cynster series. Laurens (A Rake's Vow, Avon, 1998) lives in Victoria, Australia.

What Are You Reading Monday? #31

Books I completed in the last week are:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)
Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks (Audio)


Bookmarks are still living in the middle of:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)

Happily Ever After by Nora Roberts (Quartet Brides #4)
Honor Thyself by Danielle Steel (Audio)

Up Next:
The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham

Reviews posted this week:


Author Guest Posts/Interviews:
Book Tour – Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris (February 21)

March is Author Month – Interview A Day
Author Interview – Lin Wellford (March 1)
Author Interview - The Long Night Moon by Willie Elizabeth Towles (March 2)
Author Interview - Independence Day Plague by Carla Suson (March 5)
Author Interview - FACES IN THE MIRROR: OSCAR MICHEAUX AND SPIKE LEE by John Howard (March 8)
Author Interview - Essays on Living with Alzheimer's Disease: The First Twelve Months by Lois Wilmoth-Bennett, Ph.D. (March 9)
Author Interview - Bring Yourself to Love: How Couples Can Turn Disconnection into Intimacy by Mona Barbera (March 11)
Author Interview - Alaska Hoops: Tips and Tales from the Girls' Locker Room by Becky Crabtree (March 13)
Author Interview – A Life of Integrity by Trish Knight (March 14)
Author Interview - The Dog Walked Down the Street: An Outspoken Guide for Writers Who Want to Publish by Sal Glynn (March 15)
Author Interview - Mary Stevens (March 16)
Author Interview - Choose to Be Happy: A Guide to Total Happiness by Rima Rudner (March 18)
Author Interview - Turtle Hope by Jennifer Brown (March 19 )
Author Interview - The Journey of the Little Red Boat by George Smith (March 22)
Author Interview - Joan West (March 23)
Author Intverview - Eat Smart in France by Ronnie Hess (March 24)
Author Interview – East Wind by Jack Winnick (March 26)
Author Interview - Accidental Cowgirl by Mary Lynn Archibald (March 27)
Author Interview - The Magical Adventure of Tara and the Talking Kitten by Diana Cooper (March 29)
Author Interview - Above Honor by Donald Himelstein (March 30)
Author Interview - Judith Finkel (March 31)


Special Blog Hop Giveaways
Love Hop (February 8-13)
Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop (March 17 – 20)
Fool for Books Hop (April 1-2)

Books still needing to have reviews written (as opposed to the ones that are simply awaiting posting):
Revolutionary War On Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #22)
Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Gertrude McFuzz by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
The Big Brag by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Thidwick, the Big-Hearted Moose by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Mercedes McCambridge)
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Billy Crystal)
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Dustin Hoffman)
The Grinch That Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Walter Matheau)
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Ted Danson)
Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #21)
Daisy, Maisey and Lazy by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Not So Scarey Scarecrow by Emma Parker (ebook)
The River Between Us by Richard Peck (Audio)
The Chocolate Snowman Murders by Joanna Carl
The Moovers and the Milkshakers by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Butterfly Race by Emma Parker (ebook)
Teddy Is Real I Think by Emma Parker (ebook)

Author Interview - Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn

Describe your book in five words or less.
Romantic Victorian mystery with a twist.

How did the ideas for your books come to you?
I never know! It can be a line from a poem or a song, a snippet of historical fact I’ve seen in a documentary. Something will appeal to me and I’ll seize on it and start playing the “what if?” game—what if that terrible thing was done by a woman instead of a man? What if the victim of this crime was unlikable and his murderer was justified? What if that motive drove a peaceful person to the brink of madness? Then I start putting the pieces together into a book. With a series, it’s also about keeping a certain rhythm to the books. If my characters have spent the last book abroad, maybe it’s time to bring them back to London. Or if they’ve had an urban setting, maybe it’s time to go to the country.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?
The hardest was actually learning how to balance being a writer with being an author—very different energy and very different skill sets are required for both of those jobs. I am still working on that, in fact. I have never traveled in the middle of working on a draft, but I know I will have to in 2011, and that’s going to be a new step for me. I’m looking forward to it! The easiest part is the work itself. I love what I do beyond measure, and I’m very disciplined, so even on the days when I want to moan and groan about having to write, I do it anyway and pretty soon I’m relaxed into the groove of writing again.

What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects?
I have just turned in the fifth Lady Julia book, The Dark Enquiry, out in July, so there will be some copy editing going on this month!

Why did you choose to write for specific genre?
You should write the book you want to read. I love Elizabeth Peters and Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt, so when I started the series, it was very natural to me to write a book that is essentially a mystery with a bit of romance to sweeten the pot. I also have a Southern Gothic streak, so my books usually have some odd little twist. My books are very reflective of who I am, both as a person and a writer.

What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?
Fabulous! I’m always happy that they’re anticipating the new book, and I’m always thrilled to share it with them. That NEVER gets old!

What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
I’ve been asked everything except my shoe size! 7 ½ , for the record.

What was your road to publications like?
Long and tedious. I wrote my first novel when I was 23; I did not get a publishing deal for 14 years! But I never quit because writing is what I do. To me, getting published didn’t make me a writer—it made me an author. When I finally landed a book deal, it was for Silent in the Grave, the first Julia Grey book, and two sequels. Very shortly after, I was offered a second deal for three more books, so I was quite suddenly a person under contract for six books, only one of them already written. It was terrifying, but exhilarating, and I am so very happy to do what I do.





Author Bio
A sixth-generation native Texan, Deanna Raybourn graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a double major in English and history and an emphasis on Shakespearean studies. She taught high school English for three years in San Antonio before leaving education to pursue a career as a novelist. Deanna makes her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband and daughter and is hard at work on the next installment in the award-winning Lady Julia Grey series.

Deanna Raybourn

Author Interview - Robert Pielke

Describe your book in five words or less.
*Time-travel, alternate-history, aliens

How did the ideas for your books come to you?
•Ever since I was a kid, I would always tell myself stories to put myself
asleep. This hasn’t changed. I still do. Sometimes the stories are inspired by
a movie or TV show I’ve seen and sometimes from just a comment or idea
someone came up with in passing. But no matter what the source of the
impetus, there’s a story to be constructed.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?
•There’s no “hard part” of writing…there’s always a difficulty of finding
the time to do it, and I need a block of hours to devote to it. I can’t write
in “snippets” of time.

What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future
projects?
•My current project is to finish the trilogy. A New Birth of Freedom: The
Visitor is the first book. I’m already working on the third ANBOF: The
Translator. The third will be ANBOF: The Historian, and I already know how
the trilogy ends. Alternate Dimensions Press is publishing it.
I’m also finishing up a revised update of my non-fiction book, Rock Music
in American Culture: You Say You Want a Revolution? I originally did in the
mid-80’s and there was pressure from “the masses” to bring it up to date.
McFarland & Co. is publishing it.


Why did you choose to write for specific genre?
•It’s more the case that the “genre” chose me! Ever since I was that kid I
referred to above, I’ve always imagined myself in the films and shows and
books that I was watching or reading. And when I was “there” I sort of had
to “do” something interesting – hence a story arose. And since I read a lot
of history, liked historical films and shows, my stories were pretty much
the very essence of “alternate history.” Plus, I liked some kinds of science
fiction a lot – especially stories about time-travel and contact with aliens.
So, if you add this all together, what do you get? A sort of “mish-mash” of
genres the found me a willing victim.

What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?
• I’m always astounded that anybody likes anything I’ve written. It always
seems like they’re talking about somebody else. (I sound like this happens
daily! Hahahaha….hardly)

What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
•Q: “What do you read when you’re writing?”
A: “Absolutely nothing of any significance! I can’t read a novel if I’m
writing a novel and I can’t read anything that has any bearing on what I’m
writing. For example, with A New Birth of Freedom, which has to do with
Gettysburg, Lincoln and the Civil War, that ruled out even Doris Kearns
Goodwin’s Team of Rivals. When I try to read what others have written, I
get so involved in their writings that I’m afraid I’ll be influenced by their
style, or – more often – I’ll wind up editing their writing, imagining how
they could have said it better.

What was your road to publications like?
•It began when I was in elementary school, when I wrote my first novel.
I called it “White Cloud.” It was the story of an American Indian boy who
grows up to be a chief who unifies all the Indian nations into a formidable
force that checks the Europeans from co-opting the hemisphere. It was
alternate history! And it was three pages long, one single-spaced paragraph
and I knew I wanted people to read it. That was the beginning.



ROBERT PIELKE, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, now lives in Claremont, California. He earned a B.A. in History at the University of Maryland, an M. Div. in Systematic Theology at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, and a Ph. D. in Social Ethics from the Claremont Graduate School.

He taught on ground and online for countless years at George Mason University in Virginia, El Camino College in California and online for the University of Phoenix. Now happily retired from “the job,” he is doing what he always wanted to do since he wrote his first novel at ten in elementary school. It was one paragraph, three pages long and, although he didn’t know it at the time, it was alternate history. Since then, in addition to his academic writings in ethics, logic, and popular culture, he has published short stories, feature articles, film reviews, a non-fiction
analysis of rock music, You Say You Want a Revolution: Rock Music in American Culture, a boring academic treatise, Critiquing Moral Arguments, a savagely satirical novel on America and its foibles, proclivities and propensities, Hitler the Cat Goes West, and an alternate history,science fiction novel, The Mission.

Most recently, he has updated and revised his book on rock music and it is being republished by McFarland & Co. Alternate Dimensions Press has published A New Birth of Freedom: The Visitor, the first book of an alternate history/time-travel/first-contact science-fiction trilogy. The second of the three, The Translator, is already underway.