Entry for Givaway of Untimed by Andy Gavin

Untimed Book Summary:

Charlie’s the kind of boy that no one notices. Hell, even his own mother can’t remember his name. And girls? The invisible man gets more dates.

As if that weren’t enough, when a mysterious clockwork man tries to kill him in modern day Philadelphia, and they tumble through a hole into 1725 London, Charlie realizes even the laws of time don’t take him seriously.

Still, this isn’t all bad. In fact, there’s this girl, another time traveler, who not only remembers his name, but might even like him! Unfortunately, Yvaine carries more than her share of baggage: like a baby boy and at least two ex-boyfriends! One’s famous, the other’s murderous, and Charlie doesn’t know who is the bigger problem.

When one kills the other — and the other is nineteen year-old Ben Franklin — things get really crazy. Can their relationship survive? Can the future? Charlie and Yvaine are time travelers, they can fix this — theoretically — but the rules are complicated and the stakes are history as we know it. And there's one more wrinkle: he can only travel into the past, and she can only travel into the future!

Link to excerpts from Untimed:
http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/untimed/sample/

 

Andy Gavin's Bio:

Andy Gavin is a serial creative, polymath, novelist, entrepreneur, computer programmer, author, foodie, and video game creator. He co-founded video game developer Naughty Dog and co-created Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter. He started numerous companies, has been lead programmer on video games that have sold more than forty million copies, and has written two novels.

His first book, The Darkening Dream, has been well-received by fans and critics alike. Publisher’s Weekly called it “gorgeously creepy, strangely humorous, and sincerely terrifying.” Untimed is an even more ambitious follow-up. It is a lavish production with a cover by acclaimed fantasy artist Cliff Nielsen and twenty-one full page interior illustrations by Dave Phillips.

Prices/Formats: $5.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $24.00 hardcover
Publisher: Mascherato Publishing
ISBN: 9781937945053 ebook, 9781937945046 paperback, 9781937945039 hardcover
Pages: 325
Release: December 19, 2012

Amazon paperback buy link ($14.99):
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937945049?tag=tributebooks-20
Kindle buy link ($5.99):
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AQN4OZS?tag=tributebooks-20

Please enter for a chance to Win a copy of Untimed by Andy Gavin. Sign up using the rafflecopter below. This givaway is sponsered by Tribute Books.

Watch for reviews and enter for your chance to win.

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Book Review and Givaway: Lifting the Wheel of Karma by Paul H. Magid

Leave a comment and your email to be entered for a free drawing for one of three books to be given away on February 1st.

Article first published as Book Review: Lifting the Wheel of Karma by Paul H. Magid on Blogcritics.

The lessons of Karma are sometimes quick, and available for all eyes to see. The action seems quite obvious. Yet there are the times when Karma is slow to deliver, those times when the receiver may feel that he has eluded the wheel of fate as Karma takes time, and ponders the truth and possibilities of redemption itself.

Paul H. Magid has given us an exciting and strange adventure into the realm of Karma, and what might happen when past and present meet. In Lifting the Wheel of Karma, we follow the life of Joseph Connell, a young man from Montana. He is loved by his family and leads a life as many young men do, but what sets him apart are the visions and nightmares he cannot seem to escape. They change who he is, and set him apart from others.

Joseph’s life takes a turn when he is injured in an accident, but it also brings a knowledgeable old Wiseman into his life, one who lives well hidden in the Himalayas of India. The meeting is quick and yet powerful. Knowing his life will never be the same, Joseph understands that he must convince the man to reveal the secrets he knows, in order for Joseph himself to understand the torment he has been undergoing. What is it that brought this man into his life? Can knowledge finally bring about the peace that Joseph is looking for?

Magid has taken the life of a young man that seems so normal on the outside, and given us a deep and magnetic looks at how dreams and nightmares may be more than just that, but a possible doorway into other lives that may have been. He creates characters that have depth and pain, people you can draw to for their very normalcy. The family he creates resonates with feeling about each other, so much so that the story is very reminiscent of our own family moments.

Magid takes us from Montana and the wide open spaces, with the quiet peace and transplants us into the hustle and bustle of India, full of people and color, with beliefs that are quite varying. The change is such a shock of culture, and yet as Joseph finally finds his wise man, he is immersed back into the quiet he is more used too. The characters continue to grow and evolve, with new ones added, each with a place in this story of life.

His descriptions of the scenes and scenery make you feel like you are there. You can see the sky and the colors, you can feel the atmosphere. You feel as though you too are on this journey and have a stake in the outcome.

If you enjoy mysteries and myths, or just a good story you will find this to be a great example. If you wonder about Karma, or the mystics, Magid has done an amazing job of giving us a place to start. Once I picked up his story I could not put it down, each turn just took me deeper. I found it to be both interesting and enlightening. Magid is an author to watch for.

GIVEAWAYS
Paul will be giving away 3 paperback copies of his book to readers. Please leave a comment and email to be entered. The drawing will be conducted on February 1st. Don't miss out.


Paul H. Magid web site:
http://www.paulhmagid.com/

Paul H. Magid Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/KarmaNovel#!/profile.php?id=100002979900843

Lifting the Wheel of Karma Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/KarmaNovel

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

Lifting the Wheel of Karma blog tour site:

http://liftingthewheelofkarma.blogspot.com/

Lifting the Wheel of Karma Book Summary

A Profound Spiritual Journey of Extraordinary Healing and Redemption

Joseph Connell is a gifted high school athlete from Montana, loved deeply by his family, yet tormented by nightmarish visions he can neither explain nor escape.
He believes the answer to what threatens to crush him can be found in the knowledge possessed by a mystical old wise man, who lives deep within the remote Himalayas of India.
If Joseph is ever to find the peace he so desperately seeks, he must get this wise old man to reveal what he truly knows, but that will not be easy…for this sage knows far more than he admits.
A modern tale that harkens back to the myths of antiquity. It takes you on a remarkable journey, while exploring the themes of healing, redemption, forgiveness, sacrifice, and ultimately...peace within.

Paul H. Magid started writing his debut novel, Lifting the Wheel of Karma, twenty-five years ago while still in high school. It took him so long to complete because he tried repeatedly to abandon it, but the work refused to be forsaken. Eventually he realized that sharing this story with the world was, in fact, his Dharma.
Along the way he has worked as a Wall Street financial analyst, a waiter (not a very good one), a Hollywood Agent Trainee, a real estate developer, a summer day camp director, an award winning screenwriter, and independent filmmaker—including his autobiographical film, A Life Unfinished, which screened in The Hamptons International Film Festival.


Paperback

Price: $15.00

ISBN: 9780984016068

Pages: 192

Release: September 23, 2011

Amazon buy link
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0984016066?tag=tributebooks-20

Barnes&Noble.com buy link
http://www.blogger.com/goog_635423909

eBook
Price: $9.99

Kindle buy link
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005TJ3I4C?tag=tributebooks-20

Enter to win and Review:Secrets of the Magic Ring by Karen McQuestion

Article first published as Book Review:Secrets of the Magic Ring by Karen McQuestion on Blogcritics.

Please leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. One lucky person will be winning a copy of Secrets of the Magic Ring and Celia and the Fairies, given away by Karen. If you have already entered in the teaser drawing, great, entering again here will put your name in the drawing twice. Good luck, the Drawing will be held on December 4th. Don't forget to leave your email, so Karen can reach the lucky winner.

In a heartfelt time of year when the magic of Christmas is upon us, a dose of fun and fairies seems just the thing to add to a child’s holiday list.

In Secrets of the Magic Ring by Karen McQuestion, we are drawn into the mysteries of fairies along with their abilities and reason for being–at least in this part of the woods. When Paul’s rich Aunt Vicky decides to renew her relationship with her sister, she used her wealth to have a new pool built in their yard. Paul is overcome with joy. His friends Celia and Alex will be able to spend more time with him in the summer and after school. Watching the work on the site is almost exciting as the pool itself. One day after the workers have gone, Paul sees something in the hole. Knowing he shouldn’t, he nonetheless decides to use a ladder and retrieve it. Getting the item out of the dirt is difficult but Paul perseveres. As he pulls it loose, he falls to the bottom of the hole.

Scurrying back up the ladder with his prize, he is surprised to find a stranger, a boy waiting at the top of the ladder. Reaching out, he demands that Paul turn the treasure over to him. Paul refuses, and while somewhat startled he feels better when his dog chases the intruder away.

Having to find a place to inspect his treasure in secret is a challenge, but when he finally opens the box, he is mesmerized. Inside he finds a ring. Trying it on, he finds it fits perfectly. Trying a different finger, he finds it fit perfectly there as well. The note in the box with the ring says he will get one wish. It must be a wise wish, not selfish. Excited, Paul does not realize the scope of the trouble coming his way, but the fairies are very well aware of this ring. Used wrongly in the past the wishes often create a great deal of trouble for those who use it. When the ring makes its way from person to person in his family, they are in for a strange and mysterious set of happenings. Only with the help of the fairies can they begin to set right the wrongs that are even now in place.

This is a charming, well-told story, sure to enchant your young reader. The characters are fun and interesting. The children are like those we all know; they have their joys and concerns, and get into trouble as often as they can. Each fairy is assigned a family they watch over. When the ring shows up again after having been lost for so many years, they try to come up with a plan that will make everything right.

Having an imagination and reaching out to capture the attention of those young at heart everywhere, McQuestion has given us a tale full of creativity and kindness.

If you are looking for that special gift for the young reader in your life, look no further. A follow up to Celia and the Fairies, this work stands on its own. This is a marvelous story to peak the imagination, and offer a few morals.

This would be a great book for your child’s library, a classic fairy tale full of friendship and caring. This tale finds a way to bring families together in a way that is both charming and fun.

Rating 5/5

This book was rreceived free from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the information.

Givaway and New Release: Chill Run by Russell Brooks

When you pour your heart and soul into your work, you find it greatly disheartening when success does not immediately follow. To what lengths are some people willing to go to become the success they believe they are meant to be.


In Chill Run by Russell Brooks, we follow the escapades of Eddie Barrow Jr. as his life begins to unravel. A writer, he is on his last bit of hope, his family does not believe in him, and the rejection letters are coming fast and furious. It seems only his best friend Corey, and his girlfriend Jordyn are his only real fans. His life is takes a turn for the worse as his rent comes due and his car begins to act up. If that were not bad enough, he is laid off from his job and his girlfriend leaves him. Life really begins to suck. If he could only get a break, he knows he would do well.

With the input from his friends and in an effort to get publicity in any way he can, he agrees to get caught in a compromising situation with someone of importance. He needs a publicity stunt to get people’s attention, look at all the celebrities who made their fortune and fame in such a way. The plan they have in mind is just a bit mind boggling, certainly nothing he thought he would ever consider. Unknown to him Jordyn also has another career, one as a femdom, a dominatrix. She has a friend who is maledom, and can set him up with one of his jobs. He deals with many important and well-known public figures, and he owes her, she is sure she can get him to give up one of his marks for the deal. Then as soon as Eddie is situated and in a compromising situation with this figure, Corey can call in the news. As with any great news worthy story, Eddie will become famous.

When persons unknown murder the mark during their session, Eddie sees everything. Now he is on the run for his life. Blamed for the murder, he and his friend are tagged as the culprits. As other people they know show up dead, they find themselves in the middle of a massive manhunt. They prepare to turn themselves in for their own safety, but even now they are being hunted as killers, who do they trust. Who can they turn to in this deadly game of chase.. Can they survive long enough to clear themselves? Who do they turn to for help?

In Chill Run, Brooks has given us characters rich in charm and full of fun. Their friendship holds them together, and they are willing to help each other regardless of the danger it puts them in. He has done a great job in making the characters real, taking you through their sadness and despair, as well as sharing their humor. There is a solid core of steal built in, and while they poke fun at themselves and enjoy their camaraderie, no one else can mess with them. They are in over their heads, and yet they stick together doing the best they can to find answers. Eddie often uses the character of his own book as a foil, trying to think like him when looking for a way out of their mess.

The humor and the action set the pace for this thriller, yet the characters themselves draw you in. They remind you of people you know through your own friends and family. This realism has a way of putting you into the story, envisioning the scenes as they occur. The lengths to what Eddie is willing to go for publicity almost seem surrealistic, and yet we do see such things in the news and on the internet almost daily. Using the things that occur in life and putting them to paper, Brooks has created events with a touch of pragmatism.

The scenes are set in Canada, and the antics are at once dangerous and thrilling with a dose of humor. Brooks does a great job of describing the scenes as they occur and keeps you on the hook, wondering how it will all work out, or even if it will.

I would recommend this book for the suspense and thriller fan, it is fast paced and full of action. There is humor and danger, and weaved throughout the backdrop is a story of friends that give their all for each other. This would be a great gift for your thriller fan for the holiday.

Rating 4/5

This book was received as a free download from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

Information for the drawing from Russell Brooks

1. Every person that leaves a comment with their email address (Important) is automatically entered in the draw.

2. To be sure that the contest is fair and impartial, Clinton (my cat) will select the 10 winners for a free eBook copy of CHILL RUN.

The contest will run from Sunday November 27, 2011 to Thursday December 1, 2011 at 9PM EST. The winners will be announced via my blog and my page on YouTube the same evening.

http://russellparkway.com/home.html

Book Links
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/e/2940013475359

http://www.amazon.com/Chill-Run-ebook/dp/B006GIYK42/

Enter to Win Karen McQuestion's Secrets of the Magic ring and Celia and the Fairies

Working with Karen McQeustion is a joy, and her books sparkle with her charm. She has kindly allowed me to post a givaway for her books. With the release of Secrets of the Magic Ring, Karen has only added another fine book to her list of accomplisments.

Enter today for one reader to have a chance to win a copy of both titles. Enter again on Friday December 2nd when I post the review, and have your name entered twice. One lucky reader will have a chance to win both of these books. Good luck. I have embeded the book trailer for Secrets of the Magic Ring below. Dont forget to leave your email, Karen will be contacting the winner when the drawing is over.

The final drawing will be held December 4th.

Book Givaway: Johnny ONE-EYE by Jerome Charyn

Stop by and leave a comment to win a copy of Johnny ONE-EYE by Jerome Charyn. You will have two chances to win, one by signing up on this pre-review page, and again on June 20th when I will have a review posted for a blog tour with Tribute Books.

A wonderful book and " ATale of the American Revolution."

If you enjoy historical fiction, this is the book for you, Jerome Charyn delivers another historical book with humor and political intrigue.

http://youtu.be/ujba3EtLDQo

About the Author

Jerome Charyn (born May 13, 1937) is an award-winning American author. With nearly 50 published works, Charyn has earned a long-standing reputation as an inventive and prolific chronicler of real and imagined American life. Michael Chabon calls him “one of the most important writers in American literature.”

New York Newsday hailed Charyn as “a contemporary American Balzac,” and the Los Angeles Times described him as “absolutely unique among American writers.”

Since the 1964 release of Charyn’s first novel, Once Upon a Droshky, he has published 30 novels, three memoirs, eight graphic novels, two books about film, short stories, plays and works of non-fiction. Two of his memoirs were named New York Times Book of the Year. Charyn has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He received the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and has been named Commander of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture.

Charyn was Distinguished Professor of Film Studies at the American University of Paris until he left teaching in 2009.

In addition to his writing and teaching, Charyn is a tournament table tennis player, once ranked in the top 10 percent of players in France. Noted novelist Don DeLillo called Charyn’s book on table tennis, Sizzling Chops & Devilish Spins, “The Sun Also Rises of ping-pong.”

Charyn lives in Paris and New York City.

Leave a comment for your chance to win, and stop by again on June 20th for a look at the review and your chance to win. the drawing will be end of day, June 20th and the winning copy is supplied by Tribute Books.
Good Luck.

What is it about historical fiction that you enjoy? Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win.