Guest Post: Dane Cobain on How My Book Blog Helps Me to Keep Up With Current Trends

It's always a great idea to get to know more authors and their insights! 

Since we believe that creating a book blog has benefited us in many ways, we would like to encourage you to create one yourself. We'll be handing the baton to Dane Cobain, who is not only an author but a book blogger as well, to show you his perspectives on book blogging. 

How My Book Blog Helps Me to Keep Up With Current Trends

Hi, folks! My name’s Dane Cobain, and I’m the author of a book called No Rest for the Wicked, as well as the proud owner and operator of a book blog called SocialBookshelves.com. In fact, that’s what I’m here to talk to you about today!

One of the perks of owning a book blog is that you get sent a lot of freebies – in fact, I’ve been offered free train travel and two nights in a 5* hotel in York so that I can cover York Literature Festival, and I’ll be talking about that a lot more in the coming months.

As a writer, it’s actually an invaluable source of inspiration, because I get sent books that I just wouldn’t usually buy. I’m a big fan of a lot of old authors, and so I could quite happily only purchase books from before I was born without being too upset.

But owning a book blog means that I get sent all kinds of stuff, from contemporary thrillers to children’s books, non-fiction and even erotica. One time, someone sent me an erotic novel which was customised to feature myself as the main character, and it was actually pretty good. Maybe not one to read on the bus, though.

If I didn’t receive this constant stream of contemporary work by the publishers and publicists that I work with, then I wouldn’t be able to compete with those same writers in the crowded marketplace. Plus, it’s a constant flow of new inspiration – literature is like a pool that we all swim in, and I find that the best thing to do is to just jump right in by reading any book that takes your fancy.

As a reader, I don’t confine myself to individual genres – in fact, that’s kind of what I’m like as a writer, but as a reader it’s even more noticeable. I don’t think that there’s a single genre that I wouldn’t be interested in reading, as many of my PR friends have found out.

So if you’re looking to be a better writer then you should work on being a better reader, too. Think about setting up a book blog – it’s a lot of fun, and you’re guaranteed at least one reader because if you do, I’ll check it out myself!


No Rest for the Wicked: Synopsis

When the Angels attack, there’s NO REST FOR THE WICKED.

Father Montgomery, an elderly priest with a secret past, begins to investigate after his parishioners come under attack, and with the help of Jones, a young businessman with an estranged child, Montgomery begins to track down the origin of the Angels.

The Angels are naked and androgynous. They speak in a dreadful harmony with no clear leader. These aren’t biblical cherubs tasked with the protection of the righteous – these are deadly creatures of light that have the power to completely eradicate.

When Jones himself is attacked, Father Montgomery knows he has to act fast. He speaks to the Angels and organises a final showdown where he’s asked to make the ultimate sacrifice.





Rarity From the Hollow by Robert Eggleton



Target Audience:
Piers Anthony found that my novel was “…not for the prudish.” Kevin Patrick Mahoney, editor of the once noteworthy site, Authortrek, found that it was, “…not for the faint hearted or easily offended….”   An early voice in the 1st chapter speaks about things that no child should know. It is that of a traumatized child – a voice most of us never listen to, or want to hear, but in real life is screaming. This passage is mild in comparison to some of the stuff that kids have said during actual group therapy sessions that I facilitated over the years. By child developmental stage, it is similar to the infamous early adolescent insult in E.T: “penis breath.” It is tame in comparison to the content of the popular T.V. series, South Park , which was devoured by millions of teens.  

Except for a scene involving domestic violence in the 3rd chapter, this early dialogue is the only mildly graphic content. There are no graphic sex scenes in the novel. The renewed romance between the protagonist’s parents does include sexual reference. The android coming of age during his pursuit of humanity is reality based. However, Lacy Dawn never lets the android get farther than to kiss her on the cheek. The android expresses no interest in sex – he falls in love, all consuming love by the middle of the story. The “F word” is used once, but there is no other profanity.

Rarity from the Hollow is A Children’s Story for Adults.

Synopsis:
Lacy Dawn is a true daughter of Appalachia , and then some. She lives in a hollow with her worn-out mom, her Iraq War disabled dad, and her mutt Brownie, a dog who's very skilled at laying fiber optic cable. Lacy Dawn's android boyfriend, DotCom, has come to the hollow with a mission. His equipment includes infomercial videos of Earth's earliest proto-humans from millennia ago. DotCom has been sent by the Manager of the Mall on planet Shptiludrp: he must recruit Lacy Dawn to save the Universe in exchange for the designation of Earth as a planet which is eligible for continued existence within a universal economic structure that exploits underdeveloped planets for their mineral content. Lacy Dawn’s magic enables her to save the universe, Earth, and, most importantly, her own family.

Link for excerpt: http://www.wattpad.com/12596126-rarity-from-the-hollow-excerpt


1.
 The most enjoyable science fiction novel I have read in several years

Rarity from the Hollow by Robert Eggleton is the most enjoyable science fiction novel I have read in several years. Who could think of an intergalactic handbook for entrepreneurs? Who could turn a tree-hugger into a paranormal event of death-defying significance? Who could create characters so believable, so funny, so astonishingly human (and not)?
Robert Eggleton, that’s who.
I put this book on my IPhone, and it followed me everywhere for several days. Strangers smiled politely at my unexpected laughter in the men’s room toilet stall. They looked away as I emerged, waving the IPhone at them as if it might explain something significant.
Oddly, the novel explains a great deal that has become significant in our society. Rarity from the Hollow is satire at its best and highest level. It is a psychological thriller, true to traits of mankind (and other species). It is an animal rights dissertation (you will laugh when you understand why I write that). It celebrates the vilest insect on earth (make that Universe).
The characters created by Robert Eggleton will bug your brain long after you smoke, uh, read the final page. Thanks for the laughs, the serious thoughts, the absolute wonder of your mind, Mr. Eggleton. A truly magnificent job.

by Temple Emmet Williams Author, former Reader’s Digest  Editor
http://warriorpatient.com/blog/2015/05/18/58/

2.

A Universe On the Edge

RARITY FROM THE HOLLOW.  Robert Eggleton. Doghorn Publishing.  Published 2012. 

Lacy Dawn is a little girl who lives in a magical forest where all the trees love her and she has a space alien friend who adores her and wants to make her queen of the universe. What’s more, all the boys admire her for her beauty and brains. Mommy is very beautiful and Daddy is very smart, and Daddy’s boss loves them all.
Except.
Lacy Dawn, the eleven year old protagonist, perches precariously between the psychosis of childhood and the multiple neuroses of adolescence, buffeted by powerful gusts of budding sexuality and infused with a yearning to escape the grim and brutal life of a rural Appalachian existence. In this world, Daddy is a drunk with severe PTSD, and Mommy is an insecure wraith. The boss is a dodgy lecher, not above leering at the flat chest of an eleven-year-old girl.
Yes, all in one book.
Rarity From The Hollow is written in a simple declarative style that’s well- suited to the imaginary diary of a desperate but intelligent eleven-year-old – the story bumping joyfully between the extraordinary and the banal.
The central planet of the universe is a vast shopping mall, and Lacy Dawn must save her world from a menace that arrives in the form of a cockroach infestation. Look again and the space alien has made Daddy smart and happy – or at least an eleven year old girl’s notion of what a smart and happy man should be. He has also made Mommy beautiful, giving her false teeth and getting the food stamp lady off her back.
About the only thing in the book that is believable is the nature of the narrative voice, and it is utterly compelling. You find yourself convinced that “Hollow” was written as a diary-based autobiography by a young girl and the banal stems from the limits of her environment, the extraordinary from her megalomania. And that’s what gives Rarity From The Hollow a chilling, engaging verisimilitude that deftly feeds on both the utter absurdity of the characters’ motivations and on the progression of the plot.
Indeed, there are moments of utter darkness: In one sequence, Lacy Dawn remarks matter-of-factly that a classmate was whipped to death, and notes that the assailant, the girl’s father, had to change his underpants afterward because they were soiled with semen. Odd, and often chilling notes, abound.
As I was reading it, I remembered when I first read Vonnegut’s “Cat’s Cradle” at the age of 14. A veteran of Swift, Heller, and Frederick Brown, I understood absurdist humour in satire, but Vonnegut took that understanding and turned it on its ear.
In the spirit of Vonnegut, Eggleton (a psychotherapist focused on the adolescent patient) takes the genre and gives it another quarter turn. A lot of people hated Vonnegut, saying he didn’t know the rules of good writing. But that wasn’t true. Vonnegut knew the rules quite well, he just chose to ignore them, and that is what is happening in Eggleton’s novel, as well.
Not everyone will like Rarity From The Hollow. Nonetheless, it should not be ignored.

by Bryan Zepp Jamieson

 http://electricrev.net/2014/08/12/a-universe-on-the-edge/

Unfortunately, we were unable to read this book because we think that it isn't for us. BUT, we would really like to broadcast this to others because we think that for people who are into this genre, this book might actually be a book to remember, and some of the author proceeds goes to a charity for child abuse prevention program in his home state. This post is really important to us because we want to help out even in just a simple way like this. We hope you guys give this book a try, and if you do leave a review anywhere you can whether it's in your blog or Goodreads, Amazon, etc. However, if you think that this book is not right for you, or you simply don't have the time then you can also help out by just spreading the word, maybe a post like this or even just a tweet about it.

A little effort goes a long way.

Have a great day everyone! x

*This post is not sponsored in any way.

Release Day Blitz: Incite by Erica Crouch + GIVEAWAY!!!

 

Book Info Incite, by Erica Crouch

Publisher: Patchwork Press
Release Date: February 17, 2015

Synopsis: Earth is in ruins, and the war of Heaven and Hell has spilled over into the mortal world. In the frozen wasteland of the apocalypse, Azael and his band of cohorts search for Pen and Michael with orders to kill. Little does he know that his sister has incited a rebel army of her own.

Angels and demons alike stand side by side, ready and willing to fight for a future they didnt realize they could have. Change doesn't come easy, though. Pen is wary of joining New Genesis's revolution, but when Azael shows his hand and Pen learns all that he holds over them, she chooses to fight back, no matter the risk. She only has to survive, one hour at a time.


Purchase Links
Apple iBooks http://bit.ly/16feNxu


Blurb for Ignite (Ignite #1):

Penemuel (Pen) fell from grace over a millennium ago, yet there are still times she questions her decision to follow her twin brother, Azael, to Hell. Now that the archangel Michael has returned, threatening Lucifers vie for the throne, she begins questioning everything she has always believed.

As Hell prepares for warspreading a demonic virus and pilfering innocent souls to build an armythe lines separating the worlds blur. Fates erase and the future is left unwritten. Azael is determined that he and his sister will continue to serve as demons together, but for the first time in her life, Pen is not ruled by destiny. She has the freedom of choice.

With choice comes sacrifice, and Pen must decide which side shes willing to risk everything fighting for: the light, or the dark.


Blurb for Entice (Ignite #1.5):

With the aftertaste of Heaven still strong, Pen and Azael cloak themselves in their new demonic destinies, fighting for Lucifer against the angels. Pen, warring against former friends turned vengeful enemies, still struggles with defecting to Hell. But in one short battle, they go from forgotten to famous, thrust into the spotlight where she has no room for uncertainty.

Suddenly top-tiered demons, theyre tasked with seeing through hells new agenda: corrupting man. But tarnishing Eden isnt as simple as they thought it would be, especially when theyre forced to work with another team of demons who are trying to claw their way up the ladder of power.

Entice is an e-novella that prequels Pen and Azaels story in Ignite.



Erica Crouch Biography
Erica Crouch is a young adult and new adult author from Baltimore, Maryland. She has a strange blended aesthetic of cute and spooky, and her books reflect her ever changing mood. (You may find romance, you may find goresometimes both in the same book, but probably not at the same time. Probably.)

Erica is the cofounder of Patchwork Press, an author-powered publisher of middle grade, young adult, and new adult titles. She is the head of editorial services and design, with nearly fifty projects to her name. Find a complete list of Ericas books at ericacrouch.com.

Book Tour: I Know Lucy by Melissa Pearl







Title: I Know Lucy
Author: Melissa Pearl
Publisher: Evatopia Press
Publication Date: April 20, 2014
Genre: YA Romantic Suspense
Rating: 4/5

SYNOPSIS:  Lucy Tate is on the run. After witnessing the brutal murder of her parents, she's spent five years in hiding -- taking on different personas and faking her way through life. The authorities can't be trusted, so she remains in the shadows, always one beat ahead of the man who is forever hunting her. That is, until she meets Zach Schultz, a senior at Monte Vista High and the one guy she can’t bear to leave. Suddenly her natural instincts to lie, steal, and run are overshadowed by something else...the desire to stay. It’s her one shot at a normal life.
Curious by nature, Zach is immediately drawn to the new girl at school. How can a person look both confident and vulnerable all in the same moment? Determined to learn more about her, he tries to get close, but is thrown into a world of lies and confusion. The only thing that becomes apparent is that discovering the truth may get him killed.

TEASERS FOR IKL

ZACH...
When it came to girls I was a fool. I wouldn't deny it. My track record sucked, but maybe this time it would be different. I wouldn't label it love at first sight or anything, but intrigue. Yeah that's it - intrigue at first sight. That girl, whoever she was, had captured me...and it had only taken a glimpse.

ZACH...
"This is different, you guys." I shook my head. "I mean yes, she is gorgeous. And yes, I'm attracted to her, but it's not just her looks. There's something about her. She's intriguing. It's like she's not all she appears to be or something."
"You can tell that after two minutes of interacting with her? Give me a break." Elliot balled up his napkin and threw it on the table.
"I know I don't know her at all yet, but I can tell there's something more there." I rubbed my bottom lip.
"She looks normal to me." AJ shrugged.
"I think she's pretty. She looks sweet, but..." Liesl turned to spy her quickly. "AJ's right. She looks like any other transfer student. What makes her so different?"
"It's something about her eyes. There's a story in them. I can't even explain why I think that. I just feel like she's got a lot of layers and I want to peel back every single one of them."
"I bet you do." Elliot raised his eyebrows.
"Not like that." I threw him a droll look. "I just want to solve the mystery that is Danielle Harrison."
"Dude, there is no mystery." Elliot slapped his hand lightly on the table.
"Yes there is. I can feel it."
"Careful, Zachy, your Nancy Drew is showing." Jaeda's green eyes were large and round as she gave me a playful look.
"I don't care." I shrugged, confident in the truth that I really didn't. "That girl over there has secrets and I'm gonna figure out what they are."

LUCY...
Lucy felt sick, but then came that smile. She hated that smile, but she couldn't help it. She had managed to lift that bracelet without the lady knowing. The art of pickpocketing was a skill she'd had to really practice. Marlin had taught her a couple of months into their time together. At first she'd outright refused to learn, but after three days of garbage scraps, Lucy was going out of her mind. She agreed to do whatever it took to get a decent meal...and so Marlin had become her Fagan and they were an excellent team.

ZACH...
Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed the girl had disappeared on the other side of the street. I picked up a French fry and popped it in my mouth wondering if I had been right. If it was a con, it sucked that she just ripped that guy off by three hundred bucks, although he looked as though he could take it. A slow smile spread across my face. Man, if that had been a con, she was a really good artist. It had been a piece of magic to watch.

ZACH...
"You're eighteen. You're old enough to make your own choices, you know."
I didn't want her to play the rebel and get her in trouble, but I had a damn good point. Her father was being way too protective. No boyfriends in high school? Come on.
Her eyes said something I couldn't decipher and her words were spoken with a softness that pierced me. "Some people don't get as many choices as others."
As if realizing she'd suddenly gone too deep and serious, she forced a bright smile over her lips. Leaning towards me with a playful grin, she touched her lips to my ear. "But I am eighteen and if I really want something, I won't let Daddy stop me."
Her breath was warm and tickled my skin, making goosebumps rise over my forearms. Her soft lips pressed against my cheek before she leaned back with a smile. Her eyes were dancing as she bit her lip. "See you tomorrow, Zach."

ZACH...
Riley was Dani. I wanted to deny it, but I couldn't, because I knew. In my gut, I knew that Dani had secrets and I had just found a layer I could peel back.
I just wasn't sure if I wanted to.


ZACH...
"I can't— Look my parents were killed by a crooked cop and he's still out there. If he finds me..." Dani shook her head, expelling a heavy sigh. "What if he found you? What if he hurt you? I can't live with that, Zach. You have no idea how bad I want to run, how my instinct is telling me to split." She closed her eyes, chewing her bottom lip so hard I thought I might bleed.
"Do you think that cop is still looking for you?"
"I don't know." Her eyes were wide and jittery. "I just don't know...but if he ever does find me, I'm dead, okay? I'm dead."

    

REVIEW:
I Know Lucy is easily one of the best suspense novels we've read. Though it is also a love story, it did not forget that it was also a suspense story which most suspense-romance novels are not able to  achieve. This book kept us guessing until the very end. It was definitely not your typical YA love story.

Lucy seems to be a very strong character. She got through her parent's death and survived five years on the run. Zach started out as a bit immature but soon became a great male lead. He obviously cares about Lucy and not just because she was messed up and he likes being the hero. It may have started out a bit like that but soon, you realize that Zach cares about Lucy (or Dani, as he knows her) past that level. He puts his life and the life of those he loves on the line for Lucy.

The story was told in the first-person POV of Zach portraying the present and the third-person POV of Lucy showing the past in alternating chapters. The book wouldn't have been as great if it wasn't told this way. The slow build up if suspense as Lucy begins to show more of her past was also perfect and leaves its readers hanging on to every word on the page. 

The book ended perfectly with Lucy revealing her real name to Zach.We still don't know what will happen to Lucy, Zach, or the killer but we do know that we can't wait to get our hands on the second book of the series.

 

About The Author
Melissa Pearl was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan... not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with her husband. "Best. Year. Ever!!" She now lives in China with her husband and two sons. She is a trained elementary teacher, but writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit the internet in November 2011. Since then she has continued to produce a steady stream of books. Recently she signed with Evatopia Press and her first Evatopia book is coming out in February 2014 - True Colors, The Masks Series #1. She is very excited to be trying out new things this year while continuing to publish under her own name as well. She has six books planned for 2014 and is excited about writing each and every one of them.
"I am passionate about writing. It stirs a fire in my soul that I never knew I had. I want to be the best writer I can possibly be and transport my readers into another world where they can laugh, cry and fall in love.

Book Tour: Resistance by Jena Leigh



Resistance (The Variant Series #2)
Author: Jena Leigh
Published by: Jena Leigh
Find Resistance Here: Barnes & NobleAmazoniBooksSmashwordsGoodreads
Synopsis: Alexandra Parker might be the most powerful Variant the world has ever seen—but even that won’t get her out of finishing her junior year of high school. 

The challenge of keeping her abilities under wraps during class is daunting enough, but throw one surly, sandy-haired Jumper into the mix, and things can get downright complicated.

Declan’s new job? Watch over Alex while she’s at school and do everything in his power to keep her from losing control. But as sparks of every kind begin flying between Alex and her new bodyguard, she's left feeling more unstable than ever.

When avoiding her abilities results in a surprise visit from her parents’ killer, Alex’s worlds collide with a bang that nearly levels Bay View High.

With her freedom now squarely in the Agency’s crosshairs, Alex will be faced with the fight of her life… and a decision that could forever alter the course of her destiny.

SNEAK PEEK
Kenzie drummed her fingers idly on the top of her desk. Slouched in her seat, she stared unblinking at the black hands of the clock mounted to the wall above the whiteboard. All around the room, students waited in small groups for the bell to release them and their weekend to begin.
Three minutes until the final bell.
Three minutes, and she’d be free.
Three minutes, thought Kenzie, and I’ll be on my way toward my next coffee fix.
That bell really needed to hurry itself up.
She had places to be.
Kenzie sighed. The longer she went without a fix, the harder it was to silence the thoughts emanating from the sea of humanity around her.
Caffeine meant focus.
Focus meant an easier time of keeping the walls up and the voices out.
She wondered, briefly, what telepaths did before the discovery of caffeinated beverages. The thought made her shudder. Control without stimulants in the bloodstream was possible, of course. But it was far from a pleasant way to go. Especially in populated areas.
Wham!
Kenzie jolted upright, the sudden movement causing her desk to bang into the back of the seat in front of her.
Something had just slammed into her mental walls with enough force to send a stab of pain through her temple.
What the crap was that?
Around the room, the steady flow of conversation dried up.
It wasn’t just Kenzie. That pulse had hit everyone.
Even the norms.
Kenzie got slowly to her feet.
A funny thing happens when norms experience Variant abilities firsthand. Instead of seeing the supernatural for what it is, nine times out of ten, they will translate their experience into something that better fits the rules of their reality.
The brilliant light of a jumper’s teleport becomes a camera flash, the telekinetic movement of objects through the air gets blamed on a strong gust of wind, and mental assaults are automatically translated into something external.
“Did you hear that?” asked a freckle-faced blonde from across the aisle. “Sounded like a sonic boom, or something.”
“Yeah! I heard it, too!” said another. “Wonder what it was?”
She supposed the better question was not what was it, but who was it?
The wave came again, this time with twice the strength behind it. Kenzie grabbed for the back of her seat to keep from losing her balance.
Fear.
The wave wasn’t a thought, it was a distilled emotion. Someone, somewhere, was absolutely terrified.
Judging from the nervous expressions on the faces of the students around her, that fear was not only being broadcast to the rest of the school, it was also creeping its way into their subconscious.
Kenzie sifted through the residue of the psychic onslaught in an attempt to identify the source.
The second she caught a glimpse of that all too familiar thought signature,she cursed—loudly, to the surprise of the students standing stock-still beside her—before sprinting toward the door.
Halfway down the locker-lined hall the ground began to shudder, the floor practically roiling beneath her feet.
Earthquake? she wondered.
But this was Florida. Florida didn’t have earthquakes.
Declan appeared at the other end of the hall, running in her direction.
“Where is she?” called Kenzie.
Her brother ducked through a swinging door just ahead of her.
The girl’s bathroom?
Kenzie followed him in.
Oh my god.”
Alex was on her knees in a shallow sea of water, dripping wet, her hands clutching the sides of her head.
Water flooded the room. The porcelain sinks lining the wall lay shattered and in pieces on the ground. A large, spherical indentation was blasted into the wall behind Alex and what could only be burn marksscorched onto the ceiling above.
As Kenzie watched in amazement, strands of water began swirling around her friend, encasing her in a glittering sphere of liquid before losing form and crashing back down around her.
A shimmer of light rippled across Alex’s body, distorting her appearance like a mirage on desert sand.
“I can’t…” Alex was sobbing. “There are too many, Declan. I can’t make them stop!”
Declan edged as close to Alex as he dared, his expression grim.
Alex finally lifted her head to look at them.
Kenzie took an involuntary step backward. She had seen the way a jumper’s eyes changed color, the brilliant violet light causing their eyes to glow brightly in the moments before and after they teleported, but Alex’s normally gray eyes were now shifting colors with every beat of her heart.
Jade.
Violet.
Ruby.
Azure.
Black.
Alex collapsed.
The rumbling in the floor intensified, sending Declan into action. He sloshed through the water, reaching down to grip Alex under her arms.
“Get the door,” he called over his shoulder.
Kenzie held the door for Declan as he dragged Alex into the deserted hallway.
“Take my arm,” he ordered, maintaining his hold on Alex. “Let’s go, Kenzie.”
Terrified of being this close to Alex during a meltdown, but knowing her brother would leave her behind if she didn’t act fast, Kenzie lurched forward and grabbed Declan’s upper arm.
They jumped with the sound of the final bell ringing in their ears.
 AUTHOR INFO

Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, Jena Leigh spent ten years in the mountains of North Carolina before returning home to the lightning capital of North America. A shameless geek, she loves bad sci-fi movies, Skittles, writing cracktastic e-mails to friends and taking shenanigan-filled road trips to faraway concerts. She has a degree in English from Appalachian State University. REVIVAL is her first novel.

Find Ms. Leigh here: webTwitterGoodreads

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