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October 22, 2016
October 9, 2016
July 22, 2016
Featured Book & Giveaway: Day By Day Armageddon: Ghost Run
HOW TO BEAT THE HEAT DAY BY
DAY…
QUENCH YOURSELF WITH THE BLOODTHIRSTY UNDEAD IN DAY BY
DAY ARMAGEDDON: GHOST RUN!
The much anticipated fourth book in J.L. Bourne’s Day by
Day Armageddon series—an acclaimed military thriller series of the zombie
apocalypse—DAY BY DAY ARMAGEDDON: GHOST
RUN (Gallery Books; July 19, 2016; $16.00) is a sure bet for
fans of the smash hit show The Walking Dead, bringing all-new tales of the
zombie apocalypse! As a commissioned military officer with twenty years of
active military and intelligence community service behind him, J.L. delivers an
intelligent and suspenseful thriller that will terrify die-hard horror fans and
reinforce J.L. Bourne’s reputation as “the new king of hardcore zombie fiction”
(Brad Thor, New York Times bestselling author).
“We have a cure. South of Atlanta, Wachovia Tower, CDC site
B. Need assistance, position compromised. Doc, TF Phoenix sends…AR. BT
BT.”
In a desperate bid to survive a world forever altered…as
the hordes of bloodthirsty undead now dominate the ravaged U.S. landscape…a Navy
commander on a reconnaissance mission for basic supplies stumbles upon an
incredible secret about the possibility of reversing the pandemic’s devastating
effects that have annihilated everything in its path. Now there’s no turning
back—with only his lifelong-honed skills and the aid of an extraordinary
construct, he leads a one-man rescue mission to find Task Force Phoenix and
humanity’s final hope. And the agonizing, split-second decisions he must make
along the way could mean living one more day—or surrendering to the eternal hell
that exists between life and death.
Praise for Ghost Run:
“Day by Day Armageddon:
Ghost Run is a deeply satisfying read for
any fan of survivalist horror, zombie fiction, or military heroes. With its
rousing pace and compelling narrator, it's best savored at a breathless sprint.
The only real surprise is how this series has reached its fourth installment
without a movie or TV deal being set in motion—it’s certainly cinematic enough
in its action-packed flourishes.”
—Criminal Element
An interview with J.L. Bourne:
J.L. Bourne’s interview with Survival
Punk will post on Wednesday, July 20th!
About the author:
J.L. Bourne is a
commissioned military officer and acclaimed author of the horror series Day by
Day Armageddon and the dystopian thriller Tomorrow War. With twenty years
of active military and intelligence community service behind him, J.L. brands a
realistic and unique style of fiction. He lives on the Gulf Coast but is
sometimes spotted toting a rifle and a Bowie knife in the rural hills of
Arkansas, where he grew up. Visit him at JLBourne.com, on Facebook at OfficialJLBourne, and on
Twitter @jlbourne…before
the grid goes dark.
Day by Day Giveaways!
Thursday and Friday of this week, bloggers will give away one bundle (one copy each of books 1-3) in the Day by Day Armageddon series. See the schedule below. You may enter all the giveaways, but you can only win once. U.S. only.
Thursday, July 21st
Friday, July 22nd
Author Interview: Blaise Lucey Author of Blest
Today we welcome Blaise Lucey for an interview:
1. How did you come up with the concept for this book?
It was a lot of brainstorming. Once I
had the initial idea - what would happen if angels and demons lived among us -
it was a matter of figuring out what they were doing there. What had happened to
make it important for angels to be on earth? And what did the demons really
want? How did that fold up into a bigger conflict?
I really love building fantasy worlds, so my
favorite part was thinking about what the worlds of Glisten & Slag looked
like and how they had formed, then weaving in those elements into common world
history & mythology, like Atlantis. The guiding idea there is that the
demons, who thrive in chaos, are trying to figure out ways to control the
humans... and they've been doing it for hundreds of years. Angels believe that
humans should have free will and be free to make their own choices and their own
mistakes. So historical events we know were actually influenced by demons and
angels as they battle across The Field (Earth) in secret.
When I choose character names, I like to
think about how the name sounds when you say it. A name is a reflection of
identity and often kind of drives our destiny in a weird way. "Jim" is a
really unassuming name, while "Claire" sounds complex and layered. I think
that's a great representation of the characters themselves. Jim is used to being invisible at
the start of the book and doesn't expect that to change. Claire is always
thinking and overanalyzing situations.
3.How much are you and the characters alike?
I always write parts of myself into
characters, but then they take lives of their own. I'd say I'm a bit more like
Claire than Jim, especially because Claire is so observant and thoughtful about
what's happening around her. That also tends to drive her crazy as she learns
more about what she's supposed to do when she grows her wings.
4.Do you read a lot and what are you reading now?
I'm always reading! I try to keep
my literary diet really diverse. I'm just as likely to be reading a fantasy book
as I am to be reading a long history book about the mafia. The book that I
finished recently that I absolutely loved was Tales of the Dying Earth by
Jack Vance, which is a collection of Vance's fantasy writing. Cugel's Saga
in particular is just a mind-blowing adventure novel where you're
always encountering some new location or exotic species.
5. What made you decide to go Young adult?
I've always been drawn to the power
of the characters in young adult novels. The protagonists are usually learning
new things about themselves and always trying to uncover truths about the world
that, in a lot of cases, actual adults might be too jaded to see. There's also
the explosive power of first loves - and first losses - which offers a rich
emotional tapestry for the characters to explore as they find their place in the
world.
6. How did the cover come about?
I love the cover of Blest! I
think it does a great job at hinting at a lot of the secrets that get uncovered
as Jim and Claire figure out who they are... and what that means for their
families, their friends, their relationship and, ultimately, the
world.
7. So what is your next project and when is it due out?
I'm really excited about my next
project, The Amnesia Complex. It's a young adult adventure novel set in
the 2090s, so the not-to-distant future. The main character, Jade, is living on
a farm with her dad and her dad's friend. She's never been more than a mile away
from the farm and her dad tells her the rest of the world is totally destroyed
and dangerous. One day, a boy, Luke, shows up outside the farm with his parents.
I won't go into much more detail - I don't want to spoil anything - but let's
just say Jade and Luke embark on a crazy journey on their own to figure out what
actually happened to make the world the way it is.
I just finished it and now I'm
working to find an agent who can help publish & market it. But I'm hoping it
comes out next year!
8. Do you have a daytime job or are you a full time
writer?
During the day, I work for a
tech startup. I do a lot of writing for my job, too, so I'm always
writing.
9. How did you get into writing novels and were you worried about
peoples reactions to your books?
I've been writing for pretty much as long as I can remember. My
earliest "novels" were called Goosechicks and they were a total rip-off
of Goosebumps books but starring baby chickens. They had illustrations, too! I wrote them in 1st
grade. I think my dad still has one of them in the basement
somewhere.
10. One last thing do you collect anything
personally?
I do! I actually collect weird
watches. I like the idea that we've built machines just to keep track of "time"
as we know it. I try to limit myself to only getting new ones when I accomplish
a big goal... like publishing Blest! The watch I got for Blest is
called the Zinvo Blade and has a rotating second hand that looks like a
helicopter blade, like it's flying above the rest of the watch's face. I thought
that was appropriate, seeing as how Jim, Claire, and the rest of the angels and
demons do so much flying in Blest.
Thank you so much for stopping by our blog and letting us get to know you better.
Learn more about Blaise and the book Blest here:
Blaise Lucey:
Goodreads: Here
Website: Here
Amazon: Here
Email: Here
Book: Blest
Goodreads: Here
Website: Here
Amazon: Here
July 21, 2016
Author Interview: D.A. Roach author of Between the Bleeding Willows
D.A Stopped by Read for your Future to
give us this interview:
1. How did you come up with the concept
for this book?
Fall is my favorite time of year and
Halloween is my favorite holiday. I felt inspired to write, so I asked my
daughter to name a supernatural creature she wanted me to write a story about.
She suggested demons because they frighten her. Then I put myself in her shoes
and tried to think of what frightened me at her age (12 yrs old) and I
remembered stories classmates used to tell about a haunted cemetery that was
fifteen minutes away from my house. It was rumored that teens would go there and
worship Satan in the abandoned cemetery at nightfall. So I took the two concepts
and began crafting the
story.
2.How did you come up with the names
for the
characters?
3.How much are you and the characters
alike?
I am not much like any of them. I’m
more like Brogen from my Rarity book...a small number of close friends,
empathic, and nice till you cross me.
4.Do you read a lot and what are you
reading
now?
5. What made you decide to go Young
adult?
6. How did the cover come
about?
I wish I could take credit for the
cover but the folks at Deranged Doctor Designs worked their magic and created
that masterpiece. I told them my plot, mood, and what I envisioned the
characters to look like and they came back to me with that cover. I almost
fainted when I saw it :> And then I wondered if my story did the book
justice. I mean, that’s an AMAZING cover.
7. So what is your next project and
when is it due
out?
I have a short story in the Detours
in our Destination Anthology that comes out May 2016. The anthology includes
stories of overcoming a hardship and rising above. I also have a short story in
the thriller anthology from Limitless Publishing, entitled 13, that comes out
this October. And finally, Within the Darkest Hollows, book 2 in the Demon
Hunter series is due out at the end of October.
8. Do you have a daytime job or are you
a full time
writer?
Full time writer and full time
mom.
9. How did you get into writing novels
and were you worried about peoples reactions to your
books?
My dental hygienist encouraged me to
write down a story about a time in my childhood when my family was going through
a difficult time and made it through with some help from strangers. The story of
their kindness was truly amazing and deserved to be shared, so I tried my hand
at writing and self-published the short tale. Turns out I really enjoyed writing
and kept at it.
Did I worry about people’s reactions? Not initially. I wrote the
story to tell it, hoping that people reading about kindness might encourage them
to want to be kind as well. But when I published Rarity with Limitless
Publishing, I worried about readers’ reactions. It wasn’t just about me anymore,
a company believed my story was worth supporting and I worried that if it didn’t
do well, they wouldn’t consider future
stories.
Now I have some confidence with
writing and have a few books under my belt so I worry less about reviews, and
more about just putting forward my best effort. I enjoy writing and it’s
important to remember that and stay true to writing for that reason. Honestly, I
am too close to the stories to know how they will be perceived. When I finished
BTBW, I reread it and said “Holy cow, that’s actually really good. I wonder if
other people will think that too?” That was my only guide on the quality of my
work...I liked it and enjoyed reading it.
10. One last thing do you collect anything personally?
Rocks. Lol. I love cool looking
rocks. When we go to the beach, I walk the shoreline and pick rocks, then add
them to my garden. My kids come home from school with pockets full of rocks and
I convince them to add them to our plants or garden.
Thank you to D.A for stopping by the
blog and letting us get to know her better.. Review to come.
You can find out more
about D.A. Roach here:
WEBSITE: http://daroachbooks.blogspot.com/
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/DARoachDA/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/daroach12books
BOOK GORILLA: http://www.bookgorilla.com/author/B00AQNBVH2/d-a-roach
AMAZON AUTHOR PG: http://www.amazon.com/author/daroach
March 9, 2016
Waiting On Wednesday
Sooooo....what
book are we waiting on here at RFYF?
I've always been a sucker for re-makes of the classics. So, of course, the Dorothy Must Die series caught my attention! The third book is coming out soon and WE WANT TO READ IT!!
I've always been a sucker for re-makes of the classics. So, of course, the Dorothy Must Die series caught my attention! The third book is coming out soon and WE WANT TO READ IT!!
......
by Danielle Paige
Release Date: 15 March 2016
Publisher: HarperCollins
In this dark, action-packed third book in the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series, Amy Gumm—the new girl from Kansas—must do everything in her power to save Kansas, kill Dorothy, and make Oz a free land once more.
Amy Gumm’s mission to take down Dorothy Gale is not going according to plan. Dorothy has found a way to bridge the worlds of Oz and Kansas, and if the power-hungry dictator of Oz has her way, Kansas will be destroyed forever. Now, Amy has to team up with the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked to save her home, restore the balance between the magic and nonmagic worlds, maybe get the guy—and kill that not-so-sweet Kansas farm girl once and for all.
In the third installment of the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series, Danielle Paige’s twisted versions of beloved Oz characters are back, including the biggest, baddest, most famous of all: the Wicked Witch of the West.
Welcome to the other side of the rainbow. Here there’s danger around every corner, and magic shoes won’t be able to save you
(goodreads summary)
Amy Gumm’s mission to take down Dorothy Gale is not going according to plan. Dorothy has found a way to bridge the worlds of Oz and Kansas, and if the power-hungry dictator of Oz has her way, Kansas will be destroyed forever. Now, Amy has to team up with the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked to save her home, restore the balance between the magic and nonmagic worlds, maybe get the guy—and kill that not-so-sweet Kansas farm girl once and for all.
In the third installment of the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series, Danielle Paige’s twisted versions of beloved Oz characters are back, including the biggest, baddest, most famous of all: the Wicked Witch of the West.
Welcome to the other side of the rainbow. Here there’s danger around every corner, and magic shoes won’t be able to save you
(goodreads summary)
March 8, 2016
Teaser Tuesday
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!
Just do the following:
- Grab your current read.
- Open to a random page.
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
- Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
JoBell squeezed my arm. "So it's okay if you need to take some time to help her. You and your mom are two of the most important people in my life, and I love you both for the way you look out for each other."
by Trent Reedy
March 7, 2016
It's Monday! What Are YOU Reading?
This is a fun meme that allows bloggers to get an idea of what everyone else is reading and perhaps help to find our next must-read. So check out what WE are reading and tell us what YOU are reading!!
......
Surprises abound and sparks ignite in the highly anticipated, utterly romantic companion to My Life Next Door
Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To:
- find the liquor cabinet blindfolded
- need a liver transplant
- drive his car into a house
Alice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To:
- well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters.
For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard.
Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have.
And Alice is caught in the middle.
Told in Tim’s and Alice’s distinctive, disarming, entirely compelling voices, this return to the world of My Life Next Door is a story about failing first, trying again, and having to decide whether to risk it all once more.
(goodreads summary)
......
Cindi is Reading:
by Trent Reedy
by Trent Reedy
......
......
From the author of the acclaimed WORDS IN THE DUST: an action-packed YA novel set in a frighteningly plausible near future, about what happens when the States are no longer United.
Danny Wright never thought he'd be the man to bring down the United States of America. In fact, he enlisted in the National Guard because he wanted to serve his country the way his father did. When the Guard is called up on the Idaho governor's orders to police a protest in Boise, it seems like a routine crowd-control mission ... but then Danny's gun misfires, spooking the other soldiers and the already fractious crowd, and by the time the smoke clears, twelve people are dead.
The president wants the soldiers arrested. The governor swears to protect them. And as tensions build on both sides, the conflict slowly escalates toward the unthinkable: a second American civil war.
With political questions that are popular in American culture yet rare in YA fiction, and a provocative plot that could far too easily become real, DIVIDED WE FALL is Trent Reedy's very timely YA debut.
(goodreads summary)
Danny Wright never thought he'd be the man to bring down the United States of America. In fact, he enlisted in the National Guard because he wanted to serve his country the way his father did. When the Guard is called up on the Idaho governor's orders to police a protest in Boise, it seems like a routine crowd-control mission ... but then Danny's gun misfires, spooking the other soldiers and the already fractious crowd, and by the time the smoke clears, twelve people are dead.
The president wants the soldiers arrested. The governor swears to protect them. And as tensions build on both sides, the conflict slowly escalates toward the unthinkable: a second American civil war.
With political questions that are popular in American culture yet rare in YA fiction, and a provocative plot that could far too easily become real, DIVIDED WE FALL is Trent Reedy's very timely YA debut.
(goodreads summary)
February 29, 2016
Review: Dream a Little Dream (Silber #1) by Kerstin Gier
Summary-
Mysterious doors with lizard-head knobs. Talking stone statues. A crazy girl with a hatchet. Yes, Liv's dreams have been pretty weird lately. Especially the one where she's in a graveyard at night, watching four boys conduct dark magic rituals.
The strangest part is that Liv recognizes the boys in her dream. They're classmates from her new school in London, the school where she's starting over because her mom has moved them to a new country (again). But what's really scaring Liv is that the dream boys seem to know things about her in real life, things they couldn't possibly know--unless they actually are in her dreams? Luckily, Liv never could resist a good mystery, and all four of those boys are pretty cute....
The strangest part is that Liv recognizes the boys in her dream. They're classmates from her new school in London, the school where she's starting over because her mom has moved them to a new country (again). But what's really scaring Liv is that the dream boys seem to know things about her in real life, things they couldn't possibly know--unless they actually are in her dreams? Luckily, Liv never could resist a good mystery, and all four of those boys are pretty cute....
Review-
This book was extremely exquisite. The plots in it, and how fast they could turn was absolutely amazing. The characters and all the details in them as well were very nice. I had fallen in love with every character, and every one of their flaws. the detail in every scenery was amazing as well. I could picture exactly what was happening! I'm very pleased with this book, And I highly recommend it to absolutely anyone with any taste in anything. I am very excited for the next book to come out, That I can hardly wait!
Publisher-Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Reviewer Rating: 5 STARS!!!
Reviewed by~Carman Fickey (Student at Franklin High School)
Thank you to the publisher for the donation of this book to the Read for your Future book program in exchange for a honest review!!
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