Cindy Young-Turner

Alternative Booker Award

The lovely Melissa Robitille has tagged me with an Alternative Booker Award. The idea is to mention five of your favorite books and then tag five other bloggers to do the same. Five? How can I choose five favorites? Hmm. I’ll pick five, but of course there are many more favorites out there.

In no particular order…

1. Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

I can’t say for certain whether this will end up being an all-time favorite, since I just finished reading it last week. I enjoyed it enough to include it in the list, which says something. This one had been on my radar because I’d heard a lot of good things about it from lurking in the fantasy book groups on Goodreads. And recently three people who have reviewed my book said that Sydney reminded them of Vin from Mistborn. So clearly I had to read it! I’ll take being compared to this book as a high compliment. It was right up my alley, with thieves plotting to overthrow an evil empire and a street urchin with a mysterious past. I couldn’t put it down.

2. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

This was my first Neil Gaiman book. I loved the characters and the setting. “Mind the gap” took on a very different meaning when we were in London. I’ve read and enjoyed more of Gaiman’s work, but this one holds a special place in my heart.

3. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

I cried at the end and several times during the book. Amazing, emotionally powerful. And as someone who can’t outline to save my life, I admire the incredibly intricate plot and wonder how in the world she kept it all straight. I have no desire to see the movie version. I don’t think it could do justice to the book.

4. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The book was terribly, terribly bleak and disturbing, but the prose was beautiful. The story haunted me for weeks after I finished it. I was a new parent at the time and the relationship between the father and son tore at my heart.

5. The October Country by Ray Bradbury

My first introduction to Bradbury, bought at a really neat used bookstore in Providence, RI. I loved his prose and the quirky, creepy stories.

So there you have it. I’m not sure what these books say about my psyche, if anything, other than I’m eclectic in my reading tastes. There are a lot more that I consider favorites. If you asked me a week or a month from now, I’d probably come up with a completely different list.

I’m tagging five bloggers to see what’s on their list of favorites:

Book release: The Last Keeper’s Daughter by Rebecca Trogner

Congrats to Rebecca Trogner on the release of her novel, The Last Keeper’s Daughter! Another great book from Crescent Moon Press!

The Last Keeper’s Daughter

Born into old money, Lily Ayres lives at Waverly, her family’s estate situated at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Paris, Virginia. She is a strange, small, almost mute, young woman who has no idea that her father has given her to the Vampire King Krieger. Walter Ayres is the King’s Keeper and part of a secret society of historians who unearth, preserve, and attempt to understand relics of long forgotten civilizations.

Lily has never felt comfortable in the human world, but after she suspiciously falls down a flight of stone steps, and is healed and claimed by Krieger, she realizes there is another world. In this Other Realm she feels a sense of belonging, and begins to untwine the mysterious event which left her mentally and psychologically damaged. When Walter disappears in England, Lily works with human and supernatural beings to uncover his whereabouts. With each new discovery, she is pulled deeper into the vortex of magic, intrigue, and dark desires that permeates the supernatural world. The revelations revealed unfold a story of deception and betrayal that threaten to tear the thin veil between the supernatural and human world asunder.

Get your copy on Amazon

Rebecca is doing a blog tour and has a Rafflecopter on her website for a
$100 Amazon Giftcard: http://www.rebeccatrogner.com/Events.html.

Bio:

Rebecca Trogner lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and frequently crosses the Blue Ridge Mountains that were the inspiration for Krieger’s home. She always dreamed of being a writer, but got sidetracked by the day-to-day adventures of life. With the encouragement of her family, she has finished her first novel and is currently writing the next book in The Last Keeper’s Daughter series. Rebecca lives with her husband and son, and a rescue dog named Giblet.

Website: www.rebeccatrogner.com

Blog: http://blog.rebeccatrogner.com

Twitter: @RTrogner

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/RTrogner

What’s love got to do with it?

I’m part of Lynn Rush’s fantastic What’s Love Got to do With It blog hop. We have a great group of authors posting about love. And even better is the chance to win a $250 e-gift card from Amazon or Barnes and Noble! Think of how many books that would buy! Click on the blog badge or go to http://lynnrush.com/LOVE/ for all of the info and links to all of the participating blogs to see what they have to say about love.

I admit that Valentine’s Day is one of my least favorite holidays, so I thought I’d write about anti-romance. Sometimes love isn’t beautiful. Sometimes it’s messy and ugly and tragic. Personally those are the kinds of love stories I like to read. I’m not sure what that says about me. I’m not a big fan of insta-love and happily ever after where things work out perfectly and the heroine and hero ride off blissfully into the sunset. What happens the next day and the day after that? Love isn’t all hearts and flowers, despite what the greeting card and floral industries would have us believe. Love is actually hard work, and I think that sometimes the smallest unsuspecting gestures are the ones that mean the most.

My characters probably suffer for my views on love. Sadly they don’t have many opportunities for romance or even happiness. Kind of hard to do that when the author has them running for their lives. Feelings get put on the back burner. But even so, there is kindness and the slow building of trust. Lust is easy, but building a real relationship doesn’t happen all at once, especially for people who have been hurt before.

I don’t know if love conquers all, but there’s always hope. Love gives us something to live for, whether it’s romantic love, love of friends, a parent’s love for a child, or even the love of an ideal. Even in the darkest of times, these are the things that keep us moving forward.

So I guess in one sense I am a romantic because I believe in these possibilities. Love can bring pain and suffering, but it also provides joy and beauty. That’s what keeps us coming back for more.

Can you lie next to her
And give her your heart, your heart
As well as your body
And can you lie next to her
And confess your love, your love
As well as your folly
And can you kneel before the king
And say I’m clean, I’m clean

But tell me now, where was my fault
In loving you with my whole heart
Oh, tell me now, where was my fault
In loving you with my whole heart

“White Blank Page,” Mumford and Sons

Blogger Book Fair Day 4: Great Book Find from S.M. Boyce

Here are some great books for you to check out. Fans of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and Eragon should really enjoy this modern twist on the classic epic fantasy genre. This is a really unique tale with a lot of imagery to it.

Best part? You can grab Lichgates (Grimoire Saga #1) for free!

Amazon Rating:

Lichgates (Grimoire Saga #1): 4.5 Star Average

Treason (Grimoire Saga #2): 5 Star Average

Heritage (Grimoire Saga #3): Available Fall 2013

Illusion (Grimoire Saga #4): Available Fall 2014

“The Grimoire Saga has the potential to become a cult classic the likes of the Lord of the Rings”

—The Eternal Scribe {Reviews}

“This would make a great movie. A great book. A great TV show. Great everything. I mean, Boyce sells it at the concept, but she doesn’t stop there. She delivers.”

—Rebecca Hamilton, author of The Forever Girl series

Lichgates (Grimoire Saga #1)

Now an international Amazon bestseller. Fans of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and Eragon will enjoy this contemporary remix of the classic epic fantasy genre.

—————-

Kara Magari is about to discover a beautiful world full of terrifying things–Ourea.

Kara, a college student still reeling from her mother’s recent death, has no idea the hidden world of Ourea even exists until a freak storm traps her in a sunken library. With no way out, she opens an ancient book of magic called the Grimoire and unwittingly becomes its master, which means Kara now wields the cursed book’s untamed power. Discovered by Ourea’s royalty, she becomes an unwilling pawn in a generations-old conflict–a war intensified by her arrival. In this world of chilling creatures and betrayal, Kara shouldn’t trust anyone… but she’s being hunted and can’t survive on her own. She drops her guard when Braeden, a native soldier with a dark secret, vows to keep her safe. And though she doesn’t know it, her growing attraction to him may just be her undoing.

For twelve years, Braeden Drakonin has lived a lie. The Grimoire is his one chance at redemption, and it lands in his lap when Kara Magari comes into his life. Though he begins to care for this human girl, there is something he wants more. He wants the Grimoire.

Welcome to Ourea, where only the cunning survive.

Get Your FREE Copy Now:

Read the 1^st Chapter Free | Add it on Goodreads

Treason (Grimoire Saga #2)

Kara Magari ignited a war when she stumbled into Ourea and found the Grimoire: a powerful artifact filled with secrets. To protect the one person she has left, she strikes a deal that goes against everything she believes in. But things don’t go as planned.

Braeden Drakonin can no longer run from who–and what–he is. He has to face the facts. He’s a prince. He’s a murderer. He’s a wanted man. And after a betrayal that leaves him heartbroken, he’s out for blood.

To survive, both Kara and Braeden must become the evil each has grown to hate.

Buy Yours Now:

Read the 1^st Chapter Free | Add it on Goodreads

Heritage (Grimoire Saga #3)

Kara Magari isn’t normal, and she finally understands why. She’s forced to face a past she didn’t know she had, and she uncovers an ugly truth along the way.

Braeden Drakonin has been slowly rebuilding his life after the betrayal that tore it apart. He may just get the chance to redeem himself…but it will come at a terrible price.

Learn More:

Add it on Goodreads

Illusion (Grimoire Saga #4)

In 2014, the Grimorie Saga comes to an end. Blood is spilled. Love is tested. Loyalty fades. Peace will come at a hefty cost. And in the final moments of the war, both Kara and Braeden will have to make a heartbreaking sacrifice to win.

Learn More:

Add it on Goodreads

About S.M. Boyce

Published fantasy author. Twitter addict. Book Blogger. Geek. Sarcastic. Gooey. Odd. Author of the action-packed Grimoire Saga.

S.M. Boyce is a fiction novelist who loves ghosts, magic, and spooky things. She prefers loose-leaf tea, reads far too many books, and is always cold. She’s married to her soul mate and couldn’t be happier. Her B.A. in Creative Writing qualifies her to serve you french fries.

Boyce likes to update her blog a few times each week so that you have something to wake you up in the morning.

Connect with S.M. Boyce

Website | Blog | Advice for Writers

Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Pinterest | Youtube

Goodreads Page | Amazon Page

Year of the Snake Blog Hop

On February 10, 2013, we say goodbye to the dragon and welcome the snake, a symbol of wisdom and cunning, but also delusion and deception.

In the spirit of the snake, I’m sharing an excerpt from Thief of Hope. Sydney is good at evasion, and there are times when it can get her into trouble. Enjoy the read and then check out the links to the rest of the blog hop participants!

Excerpt from Thief of Hope

Wherein Sydney is forced to tell Willem some of the truth about her past

His smile suddenly faded, and he bent his head toward her. “The man by the booth across from us. He’s been staring at you.”

With a start, she recognized the man at once. Reynald was one of Zared’s acquaintances. She’d never liked the way his beady eyes watched her whenever Zared wasn’t paying attention. Now he stared at her, eyes wide.

“Dammit.” Keeping her face blank, she touched Willem’s elbow. “Let’s go. Now.”

They slipped between the lanes of the market to the empty side streets. Sydney scanned the square. No one pursued them. She swore under her breath. The guard discouraged people from openly selling fantasia in public, so Reynald rarely came to the market. He’d be sure to tell Zared he’d seen her. She swore again.

“He recognized you. Who is he?”

She continued walking. “No one. Just a friend of Zared.”

“Zared?”

Sydney drew in a long breath to calm the panic within her. I don’t need him any more. I’ve moved on. She clenched her trembling hands. She yearned to be free of him. Free of her old life.

“Who’s Zared? Do these people pose a threat to us?”

His piercing blue-eyed gaze seemed to read the thoughts she struggled to hide. “Not sure. They might.”

“No more lies, Sydney. I want the truth. All of it.”

“It’s my problem…not yours.”

“You still don’t understand, do you? Your problems affect the success of our mission.” He moved toward her, close enough to see the blond stubble on his chin. “This isn’t a jaunt around town going to the market and picking pockets. Either you tell me what I need to know now, or I can no longer trust you.”

“All right.” Her heart thumped in her chest. She dared not lose her chance to help Willem’s cause. And she dared not lose his respect. Her feelings for Willem were becoming more than loyalty to the man who would one day be her king.

She stepped back, taking another deep breath. “I’ve known Zared for a while. You could say he’s more than an acquaintance. At least at first. Things changed and I—”

Willem held up a hand. “No need to go into detail. Just tell me what’s important to us right now.”

“Zared may have turned me over the Guild. I’m not certain.”

“Why do you think it was Zared who turned you in?”

“Someone told the guards where I was. Could have been Zared. I ain’t sure.”

“He’s searching for you?”

“He went to Anaria,” she admitted. “He shouldn’t even think I’m alive.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before, Sydney?”

“I didn’t think it was important.”

He took off his hat and kneaded his forehead. “Everything slowing us down is important. Does Zared work for the Guild? Or for Schrammig? Your feelings for him are a dangerous distraction.”

“My feelings are none of your concern.” She balled her fists. “I can deal with Zared. Trust me.”

“I can’t trust you unless you’re honest with me.”

She’d told him enough. Too much perhaps. “Willem, I’m telling the truth this time. I promise.”

“I suppose you’re also going to tell me Old Market Street is on the way to our destination?”

“It’s right near the Black Dog. We can give the money to Betty and still have plenty of time to meet with the resistance.”

Willem adjusted his hat and pulled down the brim. “Very well. But if we run across your friend Zared, I’ll handle the situation.”

They continued on. Every so often, she glanced over her shoulder, afraid they were being tracked. Zared was certainly not the worst of their problems, but, as Willem pointed out, he could be a dangerous distraction.

I’m doing a a Rafflecopter giveaway of an ebook of Thief of Hope.

Now slither on over to the rest of the Year of the Snake Blog Hop posts: