Freebie Friday (ends 6/25/10)

He Vowed She Would Marry Him...
Years ago, Honoria Pyne was forced to make a devil's bargain with a mysterious rogue. Now one of the ton's greatest heiresses, her world is shattered when the devil comes to claim his prize. Though she longs to scorn James Marbury, her body remembers too well his searing touch, and the seductive whisper of his voice spurs memories of one passion-filled night—when captor became willing captive, and prisoner became glorious accomplice...when he was all she desired.

Once he'd owned Honoria body and soul, but his need for her was so great that he abandoned a lifetime of dreams for the chance to share with her the delights of desire. Now, restored to his rightful place as heir to an English title, James has returned to London to make amends and to marry his untouchable beauty—whether she wants him or not. Only Honoria is no longer his prisoner...and she had sworn to hate him forever.

But some promises are made to be broken.

Author Biography: Susan Sizemore's life and interests include such varied activities as medieval costuming and embroidery, being a chef, and working in the defense industry. She is owned by her spoiled rotten, beloved mutt dog, rather than the other way around, and this is just fine with her. Current hobbies include hiking and studying t'ai chi. She travels whenever she can, loves history, loud music, movies, good coffee, and writes constantly. She hopes readers enjoy her stories as much as she enjoys writing them. She has won the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart Award and has been nominated for two Romantic Times awards.



Here is this week's Friday freebie

If you are interested please (this is an US/Canada giveaway this week):

1) become a follower or let me know you already are (1 Entry)
2) post on your blog (send link) (1 entry)
3) follow me on twitter (1 entry)
4) post on twitter (send link) (1 entry)
5) please leave your email address so that I can contact you if you win.

Book Review Wednesday

Welcome to Book Review Party Wednesday sponsored Cym Lowell

It is real simple. Link up any (old or new, any genre) book review that you have written to the below MckLinky (Mcklinky will not be available until 9pm EST).

A couple of things to remember while you're linking.

1. Add a permalink to your specific post, not the main page of your blog (only one review per blog).
2. Add my Book Review Wednesday Badge or a link back to the party at the end of your review post.
3. List the name of your blog, Title of Book or Genre. Be sure to use spaces and limit characters to 25. For example: The Lost Symbol, thriller

4. Become a follower of my blog, pretty please.
5. Visit the other linked up reviews and leave comments....it's a party, have fun!
6. I will announce the winner Friday. The winner is chosen from the linked up reviewers using Random Number Generator. All included.

I am so excited to be reading all the reviews! This is always so much fun and gives me the opportunity to add new books to my list (& now check out book covers).

What Are You Reading Monday? #5

Books I completed this week are:
Playing for Pizza by John Grisham (audio)
*The Essential Event Planning Kit by Godfrey Harris
*The Haunted Hotel by Ron Roy
*The Invisible Island by Ron Roy
*The Jaguar’s Jewel by Ron Roy
*Jump by Scott M. Fischer


Bookmarks are still living in the middle of:
Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
The Mystery of the Third Lucretia by Susan Runholt
Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts

Reviews posted this week:

The Essential Event Planning Kit by Godfrey Harris


The Haunted Hotel href by Ron Roy


The Invisible Island by Ron Roy


The Jaguar’s Jewel by Ron Roy


Jump ! by Scott M. Fischer




Author Guest Posts/Interviews this week:
Always looking for some


Books still needing to have reviews written (as opposed to the ones that are simply awaiting posting):
Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts
Back on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber (Audio)
Hero At Large by Janet Evanovich
Jamboree Day by Rhonda Gowler Greene
Let Them Eat Cake by Sandra Byrd(Audio)
The Year Mom Won the Pennant by Matt Christopher (my nephew likes me to read his books sometimes and then we discuss)
Miss Brooks Loves Books (and I don’t) by Barbara Bottner
Playing for Pizza by John Grisham (audio)


Giveaways on the blog this week:
The Reasons For Marriage by Stephanie Laurens (6/18/10)

Mailbox Monday

I just recently sent out several letters to small publishers to see if they might be interested in helping improve my blog with Author Interviews, Guest Blogs or book reviews. The response has been very positive and I have received several books.

For Review from The Americas Group




Courting Failure by Godfrey Harris and Kennith Harris
The Essential Event Plannign Kit by Godfrey Harris
100 Years of Nobel Prizes by Baruch A. Shalev
Leonardo da Vinci's Musical Gifts and Jewish Connections by Giovanni Maria Pala with Loredana Mazzarella
The Essential Moving Planning Kit by Godfrey Harris
The Legacy of Leonardo da Vinci by Godfrey Harris
The Essential Cooking Planning Kit by Godfrey Harris

For Baskerville Enterprises



From Fat to Fit: Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction by Carole Carson
Remembering When I Was Young Gift Set by Carole Carson, Peggy Kenfield (Illustrator)


From Aviary Publishers



My Dog Bites the English Teacher: Practical Grammar Made Quick and Easy by Marian Anders

I also got a couple of books from book blog giveaways.....



Don't Call Me Ma'am by Anna Mitchael from Dollycas's Thoughts



Just Let Me Lie Down By Kristin van Ogtrop from Booking with Bingo


May all your mailboxes be full

Book Review: Jump! by Scott M Fischer

Title: Jump!
Author: Scott M. Fischer
Genre: Children’s - Picture Book

Challenges: PB & J Challenge, 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, Read and Review Challenge 2010, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, 100 + Reading Challenge, Pages Read 2010, Young Readers Reading Challenge 2010, What an Animal II, Monthly Mixer Mele, A to Z challenge


Rating: 5/5
No. of Pages: 32
Published: 2010


Inside Cover: If you were a FROG in a BOG and you saw a BUG on a JUG, what would you do?

Mine: I love anything to do with Frogs and this one is great. This book all started out as a song, but definitely changes well to a book.
This cute little picture book and wonderfully illustrated by the author. It has to do with each animal each smaller animal jumping away from the larger – the cat jumping from the dog, the crocodile jumping from the shark, the shark jumping from the whale

Book Review: The Invisible Island by Ron Roy

Title: The Invisible Island (A-Z Mysteries)
Author: Ron Roy
Genre: Mystery – Children’s

Challenges: To Be Continued…Challenge, 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, Read and Review Challenge 2010, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, 100 + Reading Challenge, Audio Book Challenge 2010, Pages Read 2010, PB & J Challenge, Young Readers Reading Challenge 2010


Rating: 3/5
No. of Pages: Audio (96)
Published: 1999


Back Cover: While picnicking on Squaw Island, Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose find a hundred dollar bill, and when they return to explore further they find an entire cave full of money.

Mine Well it’s summer and time for the summer reading program at the library. This is when most of my children & young adult books. I try to read some of the same books as my nephews. The older one loves the A-Z and Capital Mysteries.
I have to say this is a very cute series. This book takes out to an island (more like a sand barge in the middle of the lake). The kids find money and turn it in to the police, they go out to check to see if there is more money and they find a whole cement box full – mostly on shelves and then in dog food boxes. They get scared off by someone, but they don’t see who it is, since it’s a foggy day.

They soon discover from the police that the money is found to be counterfeit – now the mystery solving starts. They look around to find out who might have poison ivy, since the island is covered with it. They get a clue when Josh has to go get lotion for his own poison ivy. They are on the trail and soon solve the mystery.

Freebie Friday (ends 6/18/10)

The Reasons For Marriage by Stephanie Laurens

The Dashing Duke . . .
Lenore Lester was perfectly content with her quiet country life, caring for her father, and having no desire for marriage. She took steps to remain inconspicuous and tried her best to show indifference -- but no avail! The irresistible Duke of Eversleigh had found her out and was quite persistent in his affections . . .

The Shy Miss!


Here is this week's Friday freebie

If you are interested please (this is an International giveaway this week):

1) become a follower or let me know you already are (1 Entry)
2) post on your blog (send link) (1 entry)
3) follow me on twitter (1 entry)
4) post on twitter (send link) (1 entry)
5) please leave your email address so that I can contact you if you win.

Author Interview - Jackie Fullerton - Revenge Served Cold

Describe your book in five words or less. Daughter, father's ghost, solve murder.

How did the idea for Revenge Served Cold come to you? Revenge is a strong motive for murder. Some actions can cultivate a hatred that survives for years and brings a person to a breaking point. Ross never recovered from being jilted by Kathy. His hurt became an obsession. Inserting the knowledge of an abortion set everything into motion. From that point on, the story took a life of its own.




What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest? The hardest part is the dialogue. To really explore the depth of relationships, a lot of dialogue is required. The easiest part for me is the storyline. My imagination is always working.

What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects? I am currently working on the third book in the Anne Marshall series. I would like to do a few more since I have several more murders in mind and I feel the relationship between Anne and her father has not completely played itself out. After that, I want to get more into the occult. I love vampires.

What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question? Is there any connection between you and Anne in real life. Yes. Anne is a reflection me in many ways from the part-time law student to the loyalty to her friends. The most important connection is with her father. Although my father is still living, we have an amazingly close relationship which I try to demonstrate throughout the story.

Jackie Fullerton
Author
Piercing the Veil,
Revenge Served Cold (5/1/2010)

W...W....W.... Wednesday

WWW Wednesdays are hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.


To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

* What are you currently reading?
* What did you recently finish reading?
* What do you think you’ll read next?


So here we go.....

* What are you currently reading?
Savor the Moment (#3 in the Quartet Series) by Nora Roberts

The Invisible Island (A-Z Mystery Series) by Ron Roy (audio) it's summer reading time for my nephews and I try to read along.


* What did you recently finish reading?

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham (audio) - was not what I expected, but was throughly enjoyed it.

The Haunted Hotel (A-Z Mystery Series) by Ron Roy (audio) it's summer reading time for my nephews and I try to read along.

The Essential Event Planning Kit by Godfrey Harris - recieved to review


* What do you think you’ll read next?

The Jaguar's Jewel (A-Z Mystery Series) by Ron Roy (audio)it's summer reading time for my nephews and I try to read along.

A book that I've gotten review, but not sure which one since I have 5 in the TBR pile

Book Review: The Haunted Hotel by Ron Roy

Title: The Haunted Hotel (A-Z Mysteries)
Author: Ron Roy
Genre: Mystery – Children’s

Challenges: To Be Continued…Challenge, 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, Read and Review Challenge 2010, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, 100 + Reading Challenge, Audio Book Challenge 2010, Pages Read 2010, PB & J Challenge, Young Readers Reading Challenge 2010


Rating: 3/5
No. of Pages: Audio (87)
Published: 1999


Back Cover: A ghostly guest has checked into the Shangri-la Hotel! It's almost Halloween and reports of strange sounds and even stranger sights are coming from Green Lawn's only hotel. Hotel guests and neighbors are being scared away, and it's up to Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose to figure out what's going on--before Green Lawn turns into a ghost town!


Mine: Well it’s summer and time for the summer reading program at the library. This is when most of my children & young adult books. I try to read some of the same books as my nephews. The older one loves the A-Z and Capital Mysteries.

I have to say this is a very cute series. I love the fact that the kids are not scares (well maybe Josh is) about taking on adults. Many children don’t know how to talk to them. The kids have convinced the owners of the hotel that they can solve the mystery, if they don’t the owners will have to sell the hotel to be knocked down. They get to spend the night to see if they see the ghost also. The ghost seems all too familiar with who is stay at the hotel. It goes to each door of the room that the kids are staying in and knows their names. Who else is at the hotel that would know their names?

There are funny smells in the hallway that seem familiar. What could it be? It seems the kids are on to something with this clue. The clue leads them to the only other guests in the hotel – what is the connection?

In the end the kids figure it out and save the hotel from the demolition ball.

Book Review: The Essential Event Planning Kit by Godfrey Harris

Title: The Essential Event Planning Kit
Author: Godfrey Harris
Genre: Reference

Challenges: 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, Read and Review Challenge 2010, Read Your Own Books 2010, TBR Challenge 2010, Reading From My Shelves Project 2010, 100 + Reading Challenge, Pages Read 2010,


Rating: 4/5
No. of Pages: 56
Published: Ninth Edition: October 2009 (The Americas Group – www.americasgroup.com)


Back Cover: A step-by-step system to help anyone organize and manage a memorable event of any size or complexity – meetings, dinners, inspections, exhibits, funerals, conferences, seminars, receptions, parties – by providing reproducible forms and easy-to-follow instructions on how to account for every activity, visualize every moment, and plan for every detail so that a function occurs on time, without stress, and within budget.


Mine“In the United States, most people attend some 24 events a year – birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, weddings, commemorations, receptions, opening, parties, etc.”
That in itself is daunting, but never fear the answer is here…..The Essential Event Planning Kit has a great checks and balance way to help you prepare for an event. No matter how large or small, private or corporate.
One of the best things is the forms that are found in the book that can be copied for personal use:
*Event Activities – the components of the event
* Planning Calendars – either monthly or annual
* Fundraising/Sponsorship – is there a purpose for the event
* Layout map – great for seated events
*Furnishings – to be used with the layout map
* Event Budget – the scariest part of any event made simplier
* Planning Guide – to be used with the calendar as a written timeline
* Event Checklist – the day of the event – who, what, where
* Event Program – who speaks and for how long
* Contingency Considerations – what if it rains and the event is outdoors - better to think of these things early on
* Event Goals & Evaluations – feedback and review is always good

This book is clear, concise and easy for anyone to use. Having done large lunches (400+ people) with a committee some of these forms would have been very helpful. Especially contingency considerations “ if something can go wrong it will”. I like the idea of event evaluations – what went well and what didn’t. The author also suggests that you save your forms for future events, it can help with organizing and avoiding pitfalls.

Guest Blog: C J West - The End of Marking Time

Do we owe it to our fellow man to be industrious?


I had a conversation with an inner city kid once about responsibility. He was eighteen, had a two year old son, and had never held a job. He was similar to Michael O’Connor, the protagonist in The End of Marking Time, in a number of ways. He explained to me in great detail the rules related to obtaining welfare. He knew where you could live, how much the government would pay, and what it would take to get by without holding a job. Before I met him I had only a foggy notion about what the rules might be. He stood on my lawn and told me how lucky I was to have such a big house in a nice neighborhood. What did he want? Money of course.

I was really struck that this kid expected me to give him money because I looked like I had some. When I looked at him, I thought he assumed my money had been handed to me. He told me that he had never met his father. That his friends got girls pregnant and walked away. That he wanted to be different. I told him that no one had ever given me anything. Yes I knew my father and he made me work my tail off to earn my keep in his house.



We talked a long time and learned quite a bit about each other. The thing I couldn’t get over was that he hadn’t invested much effort in himself at all. He didn’t finish school. He had no idea what he could do to earn money except to ask for it and he expected us to pay his bills seemingly forever. The idea baffled me. This kid never expected to do anything of value and he expected the rest of us to pay his way. I’m sure he hadn’t studied economics or political science, but couldn’t he see the injustice that was screaming out at me? How could he aspire to nothing more than putting his hand out for help whenever he needed something?

Don’t you think that if our fellow citizens are going to build microwaves and computers and houses that we should do something of value for them in return?

From the time I was strong enough and fast enough on my feet to be useful, my dad put me to work. Money was tight when I was young and when there was something we could do to earn a buck, we did it. We caught fish. We cut firewood. We worked hard to make our way with what was available. My dad, who turns 67 this year, is retired, but is constantly busy working on one project or another. To this day neither of us knows what to do with ourselves if we aren’t working.

The kid left my house with his money, but I also told him a story about another kid who’s parents hadn’t given him money for cars or college or a house, but had given him the determination and ambition to go and earn these things for himself. I’m not sure which of us learned more that day, but I do know that kid helped me understand how important family is to the path we take in life. When you read The End of Marking Time, you’ll hear echoes of our conversation in Michael and the people trying to help him.

Enjoy The End of Marking Time and please join me for the virtual launch party on June 10th.

What Are You Reading Monday? #4

Books I completed this week are:
Miss Brooks Loves Books (and I don’t) by Barbara Bottner



Bookmarks are still living in the middle of:

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
The Mystery of the Third Lucretia by Susan Runholt
Playing for Pizza by John Grisham (audio)
Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts

Reviews posted this week:


Author Guest Posts/Interviews this week:
6/8 – C.J. West - The End of Marking Time


Books still needing to have reviews written (as opposed to the ones that are simply awaiting posting):
Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts
Back on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber (Audio)
Hero At Large by Janet Evanovich
Jamboree Day by Rhonda Gowler Greene
Let Them Eat Cake by Sandra Byrd(Audio)
The Year Mom Won the Pennant by Matt Christopher (my nephew likes me to read his books sometimes and then we discuss)
Miss Brooks Loves Books (and I don’t) by Barbara Bottner


Giveaways on the blog this week:

Crewel Yule (6/11/10)

Friday Follows

Freebie Friday (ends 6/11/10)

"Snow is not the only thing falling this December...spirits are, too. That's because this year's needlework convention in Nashville is tragically interrupted when Milwaukee shop owner Belle Hammermill tumbles nine stories to her untimely death. At first, Betsy Devonshire thinks the fall was just an unfortunate accident. The trouble is, Belle's unsavory reputation as a seductress, thief, and jealous friend causes suspicions to flare. She had plenty of enemies with more than enough motive. In fact, three of her alleged victims were at the convention, all with anger in their hearts and vengeance on their minds." Is seeing believing, or is there murder in the air? Leave it to Betsy, Godwin, and other knitting hands to unravel the clues that will put the killer to rest...for a long winter's night.

Here is this week's Friday freebie

If you are interested please (this is an US/Canada giveaway this week):

1) become a follower or let me know you already are (1 Entry)
2) post on your blog (send link) (1 entry)
3) follow me on twitter (1 entry)
4) post on twitter (send link) (1 entry)
5) please leave your email address so that I can contact you if you win.