ARBITRATE BY MEGAN THOMASON - BOOK BLAST & GIVEAWAY

Arbitrate 

It's one year later. And everything has changed.

Remember The Second Chance Institute (SCI). Earth’s benevolent non-profit by day, Thera’s totalitarian regime by night. They’ve stepped up their game on Earth and on Thera—infiltrating political parties, preying on the downtrodden, and planning offensive maneuvers. The SCI’s abuse of their charter leads to Arbiter oversight and bitter consequences.

Remember Kira Donovan. Broken, burdened, and evading those who wish her harm, Kira enlists the Arbiters’ help when forced to return to the clutches of the SCI and her angry, estranged love.

Remember Blake Sundry. Exiled, determined, and packing an agenda, Blake seeks assistance on Earth and Thera to use his newfound knowledge to bring down the SCI.

Remember Ethan Darcton. Overworked, emotional, and holding a grudge, Ethan hunts down his stolen property, but finds himself in awkward territory, stuck between the Arbiters and the SCI.

Full of action, competing agendas, romantic entanglements, humor, twists and turns, arbitrate is Megan Thomason’s third installment in the award-winningdaynight series after daynight and clean slate complex (a daynight story).

 

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Praise for arbitrate: "There are a lot of books I finish and feel happy, this one I finished and my head is swirling, in a totally awesome way! Not only does it have a great story with characters that you like (and some you just hate as they are the enemy) but the book also gets you thinking, thinking about the implication of effects of different actions and courses in life. This story has action, fighting, plots and plans, romance, love triangles, family, betrayal - has it all." --Emily Barton, Emmy Mom One Day at a Time blog, 5 stars

A LIGHT IN DARK PLACES - BOOK BLAST & GIVEAWAY

A Light in Dark Places

In December, 2009, Susan Cox Powell was reported missing from her home in West Valley City, Utah. As law enforcement tried to piece together what had happened to Susan, her husband, Josh Powell, became the only person of interest in the case. For Jennifer Graves, Josh’s sister, the nightmare started long before Susan’s disappearance. From her experiences growing up in the Powell family to the terrifying moment when she first started to believe her brother was a killer, she relied on her faith to stay strong. She devoted herself to the safety of Susan’s boys, Charlie and Braden, whom she hoped to be able to raise as her own. When the boys were murdered by their father in February, 2012, Jennifer was more than devastated, but she had to believe there was a reason for it all—including the deaths of her beloved nephews. In A Light In Dark Places, Jennifer shares her struggles and her triumphs. In coming to terms with such tragedy she finally was able to embrace the truth that we all have the power to choose our own path—and there is always hope, no matter how dark things may seem.

EGYPT RISING BLOG TOUR - AUTHOR INTERVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

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First of all, Mr Schatt,  welcome to FLY HIGH! How would you introduce your “Egypt Rising”  to our readers in, let’s say, about 50 words?

An American archeologist's teenaged daughter finds herself caught up in the Egyptian revolution of 2011 and the target of Islamic extremists. She discovers hidden passages under the Sphinx that lead her to a secret that has been buried for centuries. She also discovers a frightening weapon that makes her a target for people willing to do anything, including murder, to possess it.

 YA fiction is a very  popular genre with several interesting series out there who have sold and go on selling millions of copies. A few of them have female heroines, just like your “Egypt Rising”.  What is your personal approach to the genre?

I deliberately created a female heroine because I think young women can always benefit from them. I wanted to create a teen who considers herself very ordinary in an extraordinary situation that would force her to use the intelligence and courage she didn't know she had. Rather than fantasy, I wanted to have my heroine deal with some very real situations such as growing fundamentalism in Egypt.

THE BATTLE FOR ARCANON MAJOR BY ALEXANDRA MAY - BOOK BLAST & AMAZON GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY

The Battle for Arcanon Major

“As daughter of our ruler I grew up in the crossfire of an ongoing war... All I’d ever wanted to be was a great warrior and ultimately lead my people into victorious battles." With only a small army at her command Halíka Dacomé, a skilled warrior and daughter of the Elemental King, is ready to lead one final battle to save her planet. A battle against the savage, bloodthirsty Primords who want to extinguish the diminished race of Elementals once and for all. But before battle commences her father is given an ultimatum from the enemy leader, Arfron Uhnok. If the king agrees, Halíka Dacomé must marry Arfron Uhnok to prevent further bloodshed. If the king disagrees they, as a race, will all perish. Horrified by her fathers decision Halíka Dacomé leads her army onward regardless of the consequences. Because her heart belongs to another. A love that blossomed many years ago. A love that her father has forbidden. Halíka faces her toughest battle yet and learns that not all battles are those fought with a sword... The Battle for Arcanon Major is an epic love story set against the backdrop of war and is the first Prequel to Elemental: The First.

BOOK BLAST & GIVEAWAY - FROM GODS BY MARY TING

About the book

Did you just see a flash of lightning across the sky on a clear sunny day? It’s not from Mother Nature. It is most likely from Mason Grand, swoon-worthy demigod, one of Zeus’s descendants. Skylar Rome is supposed to be having the best summer ever before she heads off to college. Little did she know, her whole life was about to change while visiting her cousin. Nearly drowning at the beach due to unknown forces, one of the Grand brothers she’d just met, Mason, saves her life. Cool, collected, mysterious, and dangerously good-looking, Skylar is drawn to him from the start. Though she knows he is the type of guy good girls stayed away from, it seems he is always saving her life, and the attraction was inevitable. Upon meeting the brothers, strange things begin to happen. When she accidentally kills one of the brothers, it throws her life into turmoil, as they search to find the answers. Implausibly, she gets caught up in a world of the decedents of ancient gods, all who have super powers. Not only is her discovery difficult to accept, evil beings are after her. Running out of time and running for her life, she must unravel a mystery. What do they want from her? Forced into a battle set into motion long before she was born, will she find the answers, or will she die trying?  

JUGGLING SCHOOL & FAMILY: 7 TIPS FOR MOMS TURNED STUDENTS

(by guest blogger Vera Reed)

While many people try to squeeze in their college education before becoming a parent, sometimes life doesn’t work that way.  Some of us find ourselves swept up with families before we’ve even had time to consider college.  Other moms may decide to launch a new career, or start a first one after having been a full time housewife.  No matter what the reason, being a mother and student at the same time is a subject in itself, so here’s a crash course in the basics.

  1. Set aside dedicated study time

Many moms delude themselves into thinking they can be a model mom and student at the same time.  If your kids are still young enough to need full supervision, this is a big mistake.  For moms with small children, then, be sure to schedule regular study slots and pre-arrange a babysitter.  If you’re already paying for school, additional child care might be a cost you’d rather avoid, so if it’s an option, you can try and find family, friends or older children that will watch your younger children while you’re still on site if needed. 

BOOK BLAST & GIVEAWAY - ANGUS MACBAIN AND THE ISLAND OF SLEEPING KINGS BY ANGELA J. TOWNSEND

Angus MacBain and the Island of Sleeping Kings

 Angus MacBain is unaware that his ancestral roots hail from an ancient sect of Scottish kings. When his dying grandfather gives him a dragon pendant, thirteen-year-old Angus learns of a legacy that will take him across an ocean to the island of Iona and thrust him into a heritage he did not know he had. He soon discovers that his mother, whom he had believed dead, is really a seal fairy, in hiding from a dangerous enemy. To save her, Angus must undergo a perilous journey of destiny and power to battle an evil Dacian knight and those who serve him. With only his family shield and the advice of a wizened vampire hunter to protect him, Angus must navigate dangerous terrain and dark enemies, in a land where the past and the present mingle, and sleeping kings wake.

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 Author Angela Townsend 

Angela Townsend was born in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Missoula, Montana. As a child, Angela grew up listening to stories told by her grandparents, ancient tales and legends of faraway places. Influenced by her Irish and Scottish heritage, Angela became an avid research historian, specializing in Celtic mythology. Her gift for storytelling finally led her to a full time writing career. Angela divides her time between writing, playing Celtic music on her fiddle, and Irish dancing. She resides in Northwestern Montana, with her two children Levi and Grant. Angela's novel, “Amarok,” was published in November 2012 by Spencer Hill Press. It has been on Amazon’s best seller list in three categories, and was reviewed by the School Library Journal. “Amarok” is available in print and audio editions through Amazon.com as well as at large chain stores, including Walmart.

SPOOKTACULAR GIVEAWAY HOP - ON WITCHES, VAMPIRES & ALIKE

Is there anything most appropriate than this Spooktacular Hop to accompany us straight to the scariest and most exciting night of the year? Halloween is so close and we must get into the right mood to welcome it again.  Thanks to Kathy at I Am a Reader not a Writer for organizing such a huge spooky event and happy hop to all of you. 

Here are the prizes I've chosen for you, dearest readers of FLY HIGH! I'm giving away a kindle copy of  book 1 +  book 2  in the All Souls trilogy,  Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness. I'm reading and greatly enjoying book 1 just these days and I highly recommend it!

AUTHOR GUEST POST: M.M. BENNETTS, CASTLES, CUSTOMS AND KINGS

To be honest, the runaway success of the English Historical Fiction Authors has taken us all by surprise.

It started small, you know.  Tiny.

It was the brainchild of Debra Brown, who, after writing her first novel set in the Victorian era and needing a 'web presence' set up this daily blog in which historical novelists wrote short essays about the bits and bobs of English history which they'd learned in the course of their research for their own novels.

It was a great idea.  Great for everyone involved.

Great for the authors--because let's face it, we do enormous amounts of research, studying ancient texts or period newspapers, visiting sites for our novels in the torrential rain (I know--I was the driver that day and it was POURING!), eating things that fortunately most cookbooks omit these days, learning skills from the past, and reading thousands of books, all so that we can put our readers 'in the room' of whatever era we're writing about.

But, to tell the truth, with all that, sometimes we only use 1% of what we've uncovered or studied in our books.  Thus, for us, this brilliant idea gave us the opportunity to showcase some of what we've picked up along the way--because let's face it, as authors and researchers, we love history.  Adore it.

BOOK BLAST & GIVEAWAY - TWISTED, BEING NORMAL IS OVERRATED. WIN A $50 AMAZON GIFT CARD!

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Twisted 

Cayden Rivers wants nothing more than to be normal, but we don’t always get what we want. For years he has been hiding a secret, afraid of being labeled a “freak”. Every day he goes to school, plays football, spends time with his girlfriend, and helps carry his drunken adopted father to bed. Nobody knows the truth about his unnatural speed and strength, including his life-long friend Camilla. Suddenly, four strangers enter Cayden’s life, and not only do they know his secret, they also have one of their own. With their help, Cayden discovers there is more to his power, something much more dangerous. Something other people will kill to possess. Camilla wishes her parents were around more. She gets lonely sleeping in her big empty house night after night. Sure, she has all the money she could ever need, but the only person who is there for her is Cayden. He has his own family and a girlfriend who takes up most of his time, so Camilla knows he won’t be there for her

BOOK BLAST & $100 AMAZON GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY - BLOG THIS BY CAMI CHECKETTS

Blog This by Cami Checketts 

Will protecting children throughout the world cost Natasha her own family? Devastated by the loss of her brother, Natasha Senecot works to expose the dangers of Matthew Chrysler’s violent video games, succeeding in bankrupting and humiliating him. Chrysler retaliates and sends a hit man after her. Natasha is forced to fake her own death to protect her children. But after witnessing another tragedy, Natasha must come out of hiding. In a race against time, Natasha must expose Matthew Chrysler before his assassin shatters her world and those she loves.  

Amazon

Praise for Blog This 

  "From the very first chapter, Blog This grabs your gut and your heart with surprising action and touching moments. Cami Checketts blends suspense, humor, and good clean romance into a story that will stick with you." ~Daniel Coleman, Author of Gifts and Consequences 

 "LOVED it. LOVED it. LOVED it. Have read all of Cami’s books but Blog This is on the top of my list. Read it twice and enjoyed it just as much as the first time I read it. Just when you think you know what is going to happen you’re led into a different direction. Had a hard time putting the book down and was anxious to see how it was going to end." ~Elsa Akinason   

BOOK BLAST & GIVEAWAY - JACK TEMPLAR AND THE LORD OF THE VAMPIRES

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Jack Templar and the Lord of the Vampires 

Jack is back. After his adventures at the Monster Hunter Academy (which included fighting a goblin army, befriending an ancient werewolf, and battling two fire breathing dragons), Jack Templar was hoping for a rest. No such luck. In Book #3 of the Jack Templar Monster Hunter series, Jack embarks on a quest to track down and acquire the first of the five mythical Jerusalem Stones, an ancient power found by his ancestors the Templar Knights. Only the reunited Stones can stop Ren Lucre, the Dark Lord who holds Jack’s father hostage and prepares for an all-out war against an unsuspecting human world. But each Stone is held by a different Creach Lord and recovering them will not be easy. Jack and his friends begin their quest by seeking out one of the most powerful and dangerous keepers of the Stones, the Lord of the Vampires. The fate of the world rests on Jack’s shoulders and he will be tested like never before. But true monster hunters always do their duty…come what may. Jack Templar and the Lord of the Vampires.

THE PARADISE: WHAT'S IN STORE FOR DENISE AND MORAY IN THE UPCOMING NEW SERIES?

Emun Elliot as John Moray

US costume drama fans will finally have the chance to make their acquaintance with the charming protagonists of BBC series The Paradise tonight, October 6,  thanks to PBS Masterpiece. Episode 1 will introduce them into the world of Mr Moray, the alluring department store he manages in Durham, a town in the North of England,  where strong-willed and ambitious Denise Lovett starts working as a shop girl. The story is loosely based  on Emile Zola's   Au Bonheur des Dames.

BBC 1 viewers,  instead, were left at the end of series 1 in November 2012 with a romantic cliffhanger and are eagerly waiting for season 2, which premiers on 20th October! (watch trailer) . And they wonder: What's in store for Denise and Moray in the new episodes? What about the Glendennings, Katherine and her father? I've tried to guess what series 2 could be like in one of my posts about this series but, apparently, I was wrong ... well,  not completely though. Now I must warn you: don't read on ,  if you mind spoilers!

EGYPT RISING - BOOK BLAST & GIVEAWAY: WIN A $50 AMAZON GIFT CARD

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Egypt Rising Some ancient secrets should remain buried. An American teenager in Cairo finds herself in the middle of the Egyptian revolution fleeing militant Islamic extremists. She leads her worst enemy and the boy she thinks about much too often on the adventure of a lifetime. When she discovers an ancient artifact that was buried for thousands of years, she learns that very powerful people will stop at nothing, including murder, to learn the secrets of a long-dead civilization.   

Amazon

Praise for Egypt Rising From the first page, and quite possibly the first sentence, I was hooked on this refreshingly different YA read that is suitable and enjoyable for all ages! ~Dii  

FALL KINDLE FIRE GIVEAWAY

This is a joint AUTHOR & BLOGGER GIVEAWAY EVENT! Bloggers & Authors have joined together and each chipped in a little money towards a Kindle Fire HD 7".

Giveaway Details 1 winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire 7" HD (US Only), $199 Amazon Gift Card or $199 in Paypal Cash (International).

BOOK BLAST - CERBERUS BY P.K. GALLAGHER + $50 AMAZON GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY

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Cerberus: Book 1 of Parish by P.K. Gallagher 

Paranormal YA Fantasy   For Kaeden Parish, life in Solace has always followed certain rules—everything makes sense, everything can be planned for, and everything is as it seems. Unfortunately, the secret harbored by his gorgeous, albeit guarded girlfriend is about to shatter all of that. After a successful attack on his life opens his eyes to a world of war, shadows, and supernatural creatures—a world he didn’t plan for—Kaeden finds himself resembling the sort of monster he has always feared. As he desperately struggles to resist a new temptation, danger draws ever nearer, threatening the ones he loves most. A prophecy tells of a final battle and great destruction, and Kaeden must decide which side he is on, a choice that could mean the end of the world. In Book 1 of the Solace Series, P.K. Gallagher pulls readers into a realm where good and evil are at war, and the outcome of it all rests on one

BOOK BLAST - JUST ELLA BY ANNETTE K. LARSEN + $50 AMAZON GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY

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Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen Book Summary 

A Proper Romance Ariella was only looking for a distraction, something to break up the monotony of palace life. What she found was a young man willing to overlook her title and show her a new and vibrant way of life. But when her growing feelings for Gavin spiral out of control and clash with the expectations of her station, she will discover that the consequences of her curiosity are far more severe than she’d imagined. I watched in helpless horror as two guards hauled Gavin to his feet and dragged him from the room. My voice was frozen, unable to protest as another guard took hold of my arm, leading me upstairs. From the confines of my room, I stared into the darkness beyond my window, hoping to catch one more glimpse of Gavin. He was gone, and I wondered if he would have been better off if he had never met me. I write clean romance. Why? Because that’s what I love to read, but over the years I’ve discovered it’s quite a challenge to find good clean romance. I believe it’s a genre that many people are looking for and too few authors are writing. My first novel, Just Ella, took me many years to write because I wanted it to be more than just a cutesy love story. I wanted it to have depth, to feel genuine. Hopefully I succeeded, but you’ll have to be the judge.

BOOK REVIEW - THE ALCHEMIST BY PAULO COELHO

  

(by guest blogger, Ramya Raju)

 O Alquimista, the original Portuguese version of the now popular book, brought its share of despair to its creator, Paulo Coelho. Though published, and sold in some measure, the publisher had told Coelho that it was never really going to be big. A disappointed Coelho had left the city and gone away for a while, before he decided that he believed in the book and had to make it happen!

He was back with a bang, and was working hard - knocking doors to make the magic happen. This, in a sense, can be called his Personal Legend, also the core theme of the book.

The Personal Legend is an interesting idea. Each individual has a different legend – a unique goal to achieve, a unique desire to fulfill. You have to believe in your personal legend and work to make it happen. And when you do that, magically, things begin to happen and they move you forward on your path. According to the author, the universe conspires to make it happen for you.

I personally, have one deep reservation about the personal legend theory. What if your desire or goal is to destroy the world? Will the stars favour you even then? What if your desire clashes with the desires of others? What will happen? Whom will the universe favour? For whom will the universe conspire to make it happen? And finally, is there nothing bigger than a personal desire or goal? The book does not answer these questions.