Tuesday 31 December 2013

2013 - End of Year Update

2013 Reading Challenge

2013 Reading Challenge
Nicki has completed her goal of reading 150 books in 2013!
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So, another year ends. Despite many hold-ups along the way, I finally made my Goodreads goal for the year thanks to a final dash in the last couple of weeks. I may set my goal for 2014 a little lower to allow for any unforeseen events.

2013 has been a very mixed year for me. On the one hand, hubby and I found a lovely new house which already feels like home, but on the other hand, I have had a lot of stress in my day job the past six months which has had a very adverse affect on my writing and has left me now in a sort of malaise with no enthusiasm to do anything now that I finally do have a little free time over the holidays.

Oh well, the year will be over in less than 12 hours and I hope 2014 will be better for me. My goals for next year are to: 1) finally shift this weight I've put on since moving to Australia 6 years ago (ideally I want to lose about 15 kilos); 2) start writing in earnest again and send something to a publisher within the next year; and 3) get back into blogging as I've been a little slack this year what with everything else going on.

Wish me luck, one and all, and I wish all my readers all the best for 2014 and hope all their dreams and aspirations for the year will come to fruition.

Thursday 26 December 2013

Xmas 2013 Book Haul!

Well, Xmas is over for another year and I got a nice new supply of books to commence my 2014 reading. Check it out....

Saturday 21 December 2013

Excerpt Promo - Blue Moon Over Bliss Lake - a holiday novella by Cate Master

Today I welcome Cate Masters to the blurb to introduce her holiday novella Blue Moon Over Bliss Lake. 

Home for the holidays…

Sierra O’Brien and Carter Grove have a lot of history—and regrets between them. Their high school romance didn’t survive after he went away to college. Despite tremendous business success, Carter never found another woman like Sierra and has two failed marriages to prove it. Sierra’s luck wasn’t much better, but after being widowed, she heads back to Bliss to plan her future. The last thing either expected was to run into each other or to reconnect to the magic that once drew them together.

Can Sierra and Carter make it work this time or are they doomed to repeat the past and let the same mistakes drive them apart? In Bliss, the inexplicable is an everyday occurrence, and anything is possible—especially during a blue moon.

Monday 16 December 2013

Book Review: Raven Flight (Shadowfell # 2) by Juliet Marillier

Title: Raven Flight (Shadowfell # 2)
Author: Juliet Marillier
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publication Date: July 2013
Pages: 365
Format: Paperback
Genre: YA Fantasy
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

Saturday 14 December 2013

Review: Richard II (RSC, starring David Tennant)

There's so much I wanted to say about the new RSC Richard II, I thought a blog post was appropriate - I won't fit it all into 140 characters on Twitter!

Anyone who's ever discussed Shakespeare with me will know Richard II is my favourite Shakespeare play. It knocked Hamlet off the top spot ten years ago (good god, where has the time gone!?) when I first saw the Globe production with Mark Rylance in the title role. I loved it (and Mark) so much I went back and saw it several times during the season. The play became my favourite and I thought no one could ever play the role so well as Mark Rylance. I still adore that version even now, but I must admit that the new RSC version has proven that I can love another version - if not more then definitely as much!

Friday 13 December 2013

Birthday Book Haul

Yesterday was my birthday and I got a nice supply of new books, so I thought I'd share with you all....


Tuesday 10 December 2013

Book Review: Shadowfell (Shadowfell # 1) by Juliet Marillier

Title: Shadowfell (Shadowfell # 1)
Author: Juliet Marillier
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publication Date: Jul 2012
Pages: 350
Format: Paperback
Genre: YA Fantasy
Source: Review Copy from Publisher


Monday 9 December 2013

Book Review: Globish by Robert McCrum

Title: Globish
Author: Robert McCrum
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 310
Format: Paperback
Genre: Non-Fiction
Source: Bought Copy

Book Review: Blood Phantom by Rhiannon Hart

Title: Blood Phantom (Lharmell 0.5)
Author: Rhiannon Hart
Publisher: Curtis Brown Digital
Publication Date: 9 December 2013
Pages: 15
Format: E-Book - PDF
Genre: Paranormal
Source: Review Copy from Author


Sunday 8 December 2013

Guest Blog: Charie D La Marr, author of Bumping Noses and Cherry Pie

Today I welcome author Charie D La Marr to the blog to tell us a bit about her new circuspunk release, Bumping Noses and Cherry Pie....

Hi my name is Charie D. La Marr, creator of the genre Circuspunk. Some of you might know me from Facebook as Persiphone Hellecat and some might even know me from the nine years I spent as a professional clown as Kotton Kandy.

So why, do you ask, does a person who spent nine years wearing the motley suddenly start writing stories where clowns blow up? First of all, that is only a part of Circuspunk. Circuspunk can bring in any other genres that you want—from romance to sci fi and everything inbetween. The stories include circuses, carnivals and fairs, midways, freak shows and sideshows, clown, magicians, freaks, acrobats, carnies … all of it!

Tuesday 3 December 2013

Book Review: The Biology of Luck by Jacob M. Appel

Title: The Biology of Luck
Author: Jacob M. Appel
Publisher: Elephant Rock Books
Publication Date: October 2013
Pages: 234
Format: E-Book - PDF
Genre: Fiction
Source: Review Copy via Author/Publisher


Monday 2 December 2013

Book Excerpt: Unholy Alliance by Juliet B Madison

Today I welcome author Juliet B Madison to the blog to share an extra from her thriller Unholy Alliance.

DI Frank Lyle is about to confront the depths of human depravity and despair.

It’s autumn 1991 and a horde of Anglican clergy has just descended on Ashbeck for an ecumenical conference at St Luke’s church.

DI Lyle and his team are called in to investigate when the mutilated body of curate Martin Hayes is found in the churchyard. They are assisted by Canon Thomas Rice, a former police officer, who is able to see both sides of the coin. But who was Martin Hayes, and did aspects of his troubled past lead to his brutal demise?

As the team get closer to the truth they begin to understand Hayes. But will too much knowledge prove a dangerous thing?