Guest Post: Kelly Hashway!!!

First let me thank Natasha for letting me be here today. This is a great blog, and I'm honored to be part of it. 

One thing you should all know about me is that I pride myself on being weird. I'm a former middle school language arts teacher and my students could vouch for my weirdness. But my philosophy has always been, "If you're not weird, you're boring." I don't want to be boring. My students didn't want me to be boring either. So, I embrace the weirdness within. And I really think it's made me a better teacher and a better writer. Why? Because what is better than making a child smile? That's right, nothing.

My mind comes up with some pretty crazy things, but they make for good stories. Sometimes stories I never even set out to write. I've published about seventy short stories for children of all ages, so you can see I put my crazy thoughts to good use. The story I'm most proud of right now is my debut picture book, May the Best Dog Win. This is the story of Dash, an adorable mixed breed dog who has the life until the new Super Sweeper 5000 shows up on his doorstep. Dash doesn't know what to make of Sweeper at first, but the more he looks at Sweeper the more Dash thinks Sweeper is a strange new breed of dog. But is Sweeper the new favorite dog? You'll have to read May the Best Dog Win to find out. If you want to get your hands on a copy of your very own, you can head over to Amazon or my website. I'm selling autographed copies through the contact button on my site:http://www.kellyhashway.com.

In addition to May the Best Dog Win, I have six other picture books on submission to different publishers. I also recently signed on with my agent, the amazing Lauren Hammond of ADA Management, who will be representing my full-length middle grade and young adult manuscripts. If it's not already obvious, I write full-time. Aside from being a Mom (and yes, I do believe that word should always be capitalized) writing is my favorite job in the world. What other profession lets you use your imagination to write stories that will bring smiles to children's faces? 

Right now, I'm busy promoting May the Best Dog Win by visiting schools, setting up book signings, and participating in interviews. If you'd like to learn more about where I'll be or about my other published works, please drop by my website.

Thanks again to Natasha for letting me spend the day here. Please feel free to leave questions or comments. I'll be stopping in all day to respond.

Kelly Hashway

Author

May the Best Dog Win

Read Now - http://bit.ly/itiBjq

Twitter - @kellyhashway

Guest POST: Tamworth Grice (aka @tamworthgrice)

Hello everyone. I am Tamworth Grice’s Evil Twin. Recently, we sat down together for an interview. Here’s a transcript of that talk:


Evil Twin: Tell us a little bit about yourself, Tammy.
Tamworth Grice: Please don’t call me Tammy. You know I don’t like it.
Evil Twin: Oh, sorry. (Malicious snicker) Tell us about yourself.
Tamworth Grice: I don’t like to talk about myself too much, because I like to keep the focus on the book. But here are some stats: I’ve got brown hair and eyes. I wear glasses because I’m blind as a bat without them. I live in the western part of the U.S. I love animals, although I don’t have a pet right now. I’m still mourning the passing of my beloved dog and cat—
Evil Twin: (Interrupting) So what is your book about?
Tamworth Grice: It’s about an eighteen-year-old girl who thinks her favorite rock star is sending her messages through his music to kill people. She’s going through a very difficult time: her father has died, the family has suffered economically, she’s at her third school in two years, she’s taking summer-school classes to make up credits so she can graduate, she’s dealing with living in a new town where she doesn’t know anyone, and so on. She fixates on Ian Magick, a “bad boy” rock star with a sort of Satanic image, because his music seems to speak to her. And then she begins to think that literally he’s speaking to her.
Evil Twin: Sounds boring as hell. Except the Satanic part, of course. What inspired you to write this book?
Tamworth Grice: Several things. I read about how Ozzy Osbourne had been sued by a father whose son committed suicide. Osbourne had a song called “Suicide Solution,” and a depressed teenager played the song as he shot himself in the head. The family said Osbourne was subliminally, through his music, telling his fans to kill themselves. Osbourne won the case, but the idea of rock stars sending subliminal messages intrigued me.
Evil Twin: That’s it? That’s all that inspired you? How dull.
TG: That’s not the only thing. At around the same time, I got two DVDs from the library. One was a docu-drama about Frank Sinatra, and I was fascinated by the behavior of his fans. These girls—who were called the “Bobby Soxers” —would scream, cry, scratch their faces, and tear their clothes off at his concerts. Some writers described it as “wartime hysteria.” This was during World War Two when the girls’ fathers, brothers, boyfriends, and husbands were literally risking death on the battlefield. So I put the subliminal messages idea together with the concept of a girl who fixates on a rock star at a difficult time in her life.
ET: (Yawns)
TG: And the other DVD was about Charles Manson.
Evil Twin: (Perks up) Now that’s interesting. Tell me about that.
Tamworth Grice: I was intrigued by the fact that Manson—this little and kind of creepy-looking guy—had such personal charisma and such a hold over his followers that they would even kill for him. I would maybe understand if they killed people when Manson was right there, thinking it was “kill or be killed.” But he wasn’t even there for the murders. And the victims were innocent people Manson didn’t even know—so there was no motive for the murderers of avenging a slight against their leader. Plus, Manson was a rock-star wannabe. So all three ideas—Osbourne’s subliminal messages, Sinatra’s charisma, and Manson’s murderers—came together in Listening to Ian Magick.
Evil Twin: I wish we had more time to talk about Manson. . . .
Tamworth Grice: Would you like to hear about what I’m working on next?
Evil Twin: Not really. But tell me anyway.
Tamworth Grice: My next book is about a Goth girl whose estranged older brother, a cop, dies under mysterious circumstances.
Evil Twin: Anything about Satan in that one?
Tamworth Grice: You’ll have to wait and see.
Evil Twin: (Groans) Well, that wraps up our interview. (Dismissively) Good bye.
Tamworth Grice: Wait. You didn’t say how to get the book—
Evil Twin: I said we’re done.
Tamworth Grice: (Speaking quickly) The book is called Listening to Ian Magick . . .
Evil Twin: It’s over.
Tamworth Grice: . . .and it’s available through Amazon as an eBook for Kindle at ninety-nine cents.
Evil Twin: (Angrily) That does it! (Vanishes in a puff of smoke)
Tamworth Grice: Uh, um, well, thank you for the interview, Evil Twin. Bye


Tamworth is giving away a copy of her book too!! You know the rules! You MUST be a follower, you must tweet "Happy Birthday Week @luvlovemedew!! I want a copy of LISTENING TO IAN MAGICK by @Tamworthgirce hellota-ta.blogspot.com!" last but not least...you must comment with email and GFC name!

Guest Post: Sammie Spencer (aka @authorsammie)

Hi guys - Tasha has so kindly let me take over her blog to tell you a little bit about myself and my sexy witch book, Amaretto Flame. ;-) My name is Sammie Spencer, and I'm a mom of two humans and two dogs. Their names are Cassie, Christopher, Cooper, and Freckles. I'll let you guess which are the humans. My book is about a witch named Olivia. When she screams, people die. She makes a mistake and as punishment, she's sent to a human town to live as one of them for the summer. Considering she's been shunned by humans her whole life, this isn't really a good thing. However, she soon discovers they're not as bad as she thought...especially the sexy, rugged Jackson Vance. (hubba hubba) BUT...when the Venator (witch hunters) attack the town, she's got to figure out how to save herself, her new human friends, and her family. 

It's hard to say what inspired me to write. It has always been there, hiding inside of me like a weird mutant just waiting to rip itself out of my chest. Except, instead of a mutant, it's words. I have always loved books and reading, so writing was only the next step. 

Right now, I'm working on Shadow Wishes, the sequel to Amaretto Flame. Super awesome, and my poor coven will be put through the ringer, I tell you. If you're interested to read about my witches (and that sexy musician I mentioned), you can buy Amaretto Flame through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, andSmashwords. Thanks for lettin' me chat it up with you! 


Sammie Spencer
http://sammiespencer.blogspot.com

Find Me On: 
Amazon
Smashwords
Goodreads
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter


Sammi is giving away a copy of Amaretto Flame and all you have to do to enter is leave a comment with your twitter name and your GFC name (you must follow) and tweet the following: "Happy Birthday Week @luvlovemedew!! I want a copy of Amaretto Flame by @authorsammie  hellota-ta.blogspot.com Birthday Week Extravaganza!" 

GUEST POST: Dennis Sharpe aka @witlesslackey

Hey everybody!! So excited it's my birthday week and to celebrate I am having some really awesome guest posts...and GIVEAWAYS!!! I know how you all love giveaways!! 

There will be a new guest blog everyday starting today with Dennis Sharpe (a.k.a. @witlesslackey) and he has a book called Blood & Spirits! 

MAKE SURE TO READ THE WHOLE POST THERE MAY OR MAY NOT BE A SURPRISE AT THE END ;D

Hello there. My Name is Dennis Sharpe and I’ve been asked by Tasha to take over blogging duties here today. This is my first “guest blog”, so I hope I don’t offend. I have a little blog of my own, but I focus there on reviews of books I wanted to read, and what writing projects I’m currently working on myself. So, as you can imagine, this is bit different for me.

I was provided with a list of things I’m supposed to talk about, but it wasn’t as in depth as my usually commissions for articles and the like. I was told to tell a bit about myself so I’ll start by telling you, again, that I’m a writer. By that I don’t just mean that I put words in order on a page or a website. I mean that I create with words. I’ve been reading and writing, in a fairly non-stop fashion since I was about 5 years old. I think I was first inspired to write by my mother – but don’t tell her that.

What I create isn’t for everyone, but I’m happy to say that I cultivated a small but loyal following. I write poetry, lyrics, screenplays, teleplays, articles, and a wide variety of fiction (of varying genres and lengths). I have even been known to sing lyrics I’ve written in a couple of bands and direct a couple of screenplays I’ve written as indie films.

So, yeah. I’m a writer. I’m a reporter. I’m a director. I’m a singer. I’m a guitarist. What I am most proud of, however, is that I am a single father of three of the most beautiful children to ever take steps in this world. I know that’s a matter of opinion, but it’s my opinion, and I’m the one writing the blog, so there you go.

I was also asked (and I believe it to be the actual purpose of my visit here on this blog) to promote my recent book release, “Blood & Spirits”. It’s a dark tale of Middle American urban fantasy, with vampires, and spirits, and zombies (oh, my!). The story centers on Veronica Fisher, a madam in a small town who also happens to be a vampire. Veronica, not entirely of her own free will, adopts Rachel Gregory, an eight year old ghost, who she begins to love and care for. Rachel goes missing and all sorts of badness ensues, causing Veronica’s well structured, if not wonderfully highbrow, life to fall apart. She finds herself dealing with a seedy and sexually perverse zombie with a proclivity for ritual magic, and trying to track down grave robbers and any other leads she can find to get Rachel back. Her extended “family” includes not only the girls of her brothel, but Frank, her right hand man, leg breaker, and non-heterosexual life partner, as well as Lucy, a potent spirit, friend, mentor, as well as a dead madam in her own right.

The book is gritty, raw, and disturbing at points, or so I’m told. It is also worth mentioning that it is only book one of “the Coming Storm” trilogy. The other two books should be out by years end if all continues as planned. But we all know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and writers…

Outside of Veronica and all the paranormal misadventures in her little world (I’ve written more than 20 manuscripts total in said world), I’m also working on a series of paranormal YA books, as well as a younger series that started as “Daddy, write a book for me.” from my 3 year old daughter, Sadie. I also have a stand alone steampunk offering in the works, as well as a very ‘adult’ oriented zombie novel I’m editing as well. I tend to stay as busy writing as time allows.

If you’d like to pick up Blood & Spirits you can do so at Amazon.com (in eBook, or Print formats) as well as Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, or the Sony eReader store. You can also follow my crazy works in progress on my Facebook page, or at my blog.

Links:

Amazon Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Spirits-Coming-Storm-Trilogy/dp/1456325639/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1304344915&sr=8-7

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Spirits-Coming-Storm-ebook/dp/B004XJ500Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304344915&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble Nook: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Blood-Spirits/Dennis-Sharpe/e/2940011297779/?itm=1&USRI=blood+%26+spirits

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/57811

Sony: http://ebookstore.sony.com/author/sharpe-dennis_222552

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dennis-Sharpe/128559037179613

Blog: http://witlesslackey.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @WitlessLackey

Website: http://www.dennissharpe.com

Dennis is giving away a copy of Blood & Spirits and all you have to do to enter is leave a comment with your twitter name and your GFC name (you must follow) and tweet the following: "Happy Birthday Week @luvlovemedew!! I want a copy of Blood & Spirits by @Witlesslackey  hellota-ta.blogspot.com Birthday Week Extravaganza!" 

Possession Giveaway

Hey head on over to Weaving Colors and enter the 50 follower giveaway for a copy of Possession!!! DO IT NOOOOOOOOOW!!! Ends tonight!

Heartless by Sara Shepard

Heartless by Sara Shepard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Um any book that I can finish in a matter hours is good in my book. I started Heartless yesterday and finished the last 2 chapters this morning...OMG SARA SHEPARD!! I FREAKIN LOVED HEARTLESS!!! Possibly my favorite out of the series...so far!

Before we begin I need to say CONGRATS TO MS. SARA SHEPARD!! THE LYING GAME HAS BEEN TURNED INTO A TV SERIES AND WILL PREMIER ON ABC FAMILY AUGUST 15!! CONGRATS SARA ON HAVING TWO AWESOME SERIES TURNED INTO TWO AMAZING SHOWS!

Now for the real reason you are all here....

First off I am going to say this...I am now creeped out by construction workers!! Let me explain...Jenna gets killed by a construction worker that also worked on Ali's property and well let's just say that A led the cops to the construction worker. Before this happened the girls were arrested for having conspired with "Ian" to kill Ali. They get released after the construction worker is caught.

A sends Emily to Amish country (glad it's her and not me) to find out somethings about Darren Wilden and boy oh boy is she in for a HUGE surprise...one that might make the little liars believe that Wilden did kill Ali.

Spencer finds out a terrible secret about her parents...let's just say Spencer and Melissa have some siblings they didn't know about. This news causes the Spencer to think that her mother killed Ali and she lets the cat out of the bag spilling the horrifying secret that rips her family apart. Spencer also finds out the truth about her adoption....she isn't adopted. Olivia (the woman who stole Spencer's college fund)was a surrogate. Mr. and Mrs. Hastings found Olivia and asked her to carry Spencer after Mrs. Hastings had issues carrying Melissa. Mr. Hastings' mother did not approve and that's where the "natural born grandchildren" thing came from. Oh yea Spence and Andrew get back together :D

Hanna is sent to "rehab" for her eating disorder and meets a friend names Iris. Iris has a few secrets of her own, including being a rat for the paparazzi that have started following the girls around after Emily claims to have seen Ali the night of the fire...did I leave that out? Ok so Hanna starts to hang out with  Iris but Ali visits her in a dream and tell her that Iris is dangerous. Tara another resident at the rehab center tries to warn Hanna but in typical Hanna fashion she ignores Tare because she isn't cool enough. Well when People magazine releases an article about the little liars, Hanna notices something that is hard to believe and things that only Iris would know are published in the article but it's what Hanna sees in one of the pictures that causes her to believe that Iris is Ali's killer.

While running to Spencer's house before the fire Aria finds Ian's ring and when she tells the others what she has found, they convince her to keep it and not tell the police. This lands Aria in trouble when she arrested with the others. Aria goes to a medium who turns out to be a fake but Noel Khan (IKR) convinces her to see another medium and this time the medium gives Aria a very puzzling and disturbing message "Ali killed Ali".

Now that the construction worker has been arrested this can't be true can it? Or can it? Who is Iris really and what does what Hanna saw in the picture have to do with Iris (hope that made sense to you all)?  Who is A? I mean really...who is she/he/it? What really happened with Wilden? And how did the construction know so much about our little liars and everything else (hint, hint)? Can't wait to read Wanted! Hopefully starting it this weekend.

Check out the giveaway where you can win a copy of Death Pact and some awesome products from Mary Kay!! Only at hellota-ta.blogspot.com



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SMBG WInners

To find out if you won prizes during Small Blog Big Giveaway click here and congrats to all the winners!!!

300 follower giveaway

Awesome giveaway going on at kSquaredGlamour!! They are giving away a Chi iron and blow dryer along with styling products!!! Get over there and enter but on do the minimum I want this giveaway!!

Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award!!!

So this evening while I am getting my hair done I check my email and find that Bookittyblog (click here to view her blog!!!) has given me the Irresistibly Sweet Award!! I know super awesome right!! So check out the following about me as part of the award! Thanks so much doll!!

How the Award works:

•Thank and link to the person who nominated you.

•Share seven random facts about yourself.

•Pass the award along to 15 deserving blog buddies.

•Contact those buddies to congratulate them.

Here are seven random facts about me. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did writing them!

1.I think I am adopted...

2.My puppy Sugar wants nothing to do with me even though I feed her bathe her, cloth her (yes I dress her don't judge me) and take her everywhere with me. She ignores me when we are together and will only listen to my hubby

3.I have a new addiction to Starbucks. I hate coffee but love the Coconut Mocha latte because it taste like an Almond Joy...oh yea I hate coconut

4.     I am a Mary Kay consultant! Check out my site here

5.I hate to write about myself...it's so hard to figure out what to say

6.The ac in my house no matter what I set it on is stuck on the North Pole setting and if gets any colder it might snow

7.I love Hello Kitty!! Just about everything in our kitchen and bathroom is Hello Kitty!!!

Here are my 15 favorite bloggers who deserve The Irresistibly Blog Award. You rock! 

1. BooksDevoured
2. Jill Scribbles
3. Me,My Shelf, And I
4. Witlesslackey
5. Ivyreads
6. Roof Beam Reader
7. Back Book Reviews
8. Kimberly Krey
9. Tamworth Grice
10. Emma Michaels
11. The Book Vixen
12. Fictitious Delicious
13. The Book Shopaholic
14. Bookish Brunette
15. Alys Book Away

Guilty Pleasure (Bound Hearts #11) By Lora Leigh

Guilty Pleasure by Lora Leigh
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

From Barnes & Noble "Marty Mathews had always known about the secret, forbidden pleasures that the women she had grown up with enjoyed. Women whose husbands or lovers were members of the exclusive “Club,” where they took a selected “third” into their beds. And there is one man—a dangerous, forbidden man—who is part of this world and who has haunted Marty’s dreams for years. But she had been the FBI agent assigned to shadow him, making him completely off limits. . .That is until Khalid is cleared and Marty is released from her assignment. Now, all bets are off. . .
The beautiful, fierce Marty Mathews is the one woman Khalid hungers for like no other and is the one woman he dare not let himself have. His past dogs his every step and danger lurks around every corner. If he wants to keep her safe, he must stay away from her. But the power of their desire is something they cannot deny—and once Marty is his, Khalid will do whatever it takes to keep her in his bed and in his arms."

Ok so I am going to give this book a 2 out of 5. I wasn't as impressed there was too much sex and I understand that it is a romance novel but still when there is more sex than story, the sex gets old quick. Kahlid was very mysterious and I didn't like that either. He was too mysterious and as his story slowly (and I mean slowly) I started to like him but I was 3/4 the finished with the book before his story fully came out. I also didn't like the way that he treated Marty like she was possession and not a person. I understand his love for her is extremely deep but she is a person not a possession. The father/godfather thing was a bit confusing at first and think it was unnecessary to have two dads but hey I am just the reader not the writer. I am not big on threesomes either so that kind of threw me off too. I recommended this book to my bestie because this is her kind of read but it just wasn't for me. I have read romance novels before but it was nothing like this. If you took the sex out the story was pretty good overall. You do see the way Khalid loved Marty in the ways that he tries to protect her. I enjoyed their love story very much and would probably recommend this book to the right person.


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GIVEAWAY!!

So I am giving away a copy of DEATH PACT by William Manchee  and 4 $20 Gift certificates to my Mary Kay website!! To enter all you have to do is comment and tweet about the following "@luvlovemedew I want to join your Mary Kay Death Pact" (kinda helps me remember which giveaway you are entering since I have two going on right now lol)!! There will be 4 winners that will be chosen at random. The first winner receives Death Pact and a gift cert and the others will receive a Mary Kay gift cert!! Since you are tagging me in the tweet I do NOT need the link!!

Don't have a Mary Kay consultant?? Choose me!! Right now when you place an order of $40 on my site www.marykay.com/n.hurtt you will receive a FREE gift!! The first 7 people to place an order will get a FREE REORDER!! Host a party in the month of June and receive up to $100 in FREE product!! So head on over to see all the products and awards Mary Kay cosmetics has won!! Mary Kay has products for both men and women and has a 100% satisfaction guarantee!! If you are not satisfied with your product you can exchange for something else of equal value!! Father's Day is right around the corner so stop on over and get the father in your life some cologne or something from our MK men's collection (P.S. my hubby loves the MK men body spray and shave foam. He refuses to use anything else!!)

The Magnolia League

The Magnolia League by Katie Crouch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 Let me first start off by saying that I now crave sweet tea and hoodoo doctors. Also, someone please tell me that this book is the first in a series!! I LOVED IT!!

OMG I could not imagine growing up on a commune and then being thrown to the wolves (or debutantes whatever you want to call them) of Savannah!!! Alexandra Lee (or Alex as she prefers) has done just that. Alex grew up on a commune in California but when she suffers a devastating loss she is uprooted and forced to move to Savannah to live with her grandmother Deborah Lee. Miss Lee (do not call her grandma) is the founder of the Magnolia League. An elite and extremely powerful club in Savannah Georgia. Alex doesn't want any part of it, and the ladies of the Magnolia don't want anything to do with Alex's dreads, vintage tees or poor manners. Alex constantly butts heads with Miss Lee especially when Miss Lee sets her up to be "trained" by Hayes and Madison, two younger MG's. Hayes tries to befriend Alex while Madison...well let's just say she could use some work on her social skills. They take Alex shopping and to a party at the Field, where Alex meets Hayes' brother Thaddeous.

Did I mention that Alex left a boyfriend named Reggie on the commune. I didn't well let me recap that real quick. Alex meets a guy at the commune named Reggie and she falls in love with him. He helps her deal with the loss that she endures before her move to Savannah. Reggie tells Alex that he feels her pain because he lost his girlfriend in a plane crash. Alex runs away from Savannah back to California where she meets a girl at on the bus ride. This isn't just any girl...it's Reggie's girlfriend...who he has been with since 11th grade. DOUCHEBAG!!!! Alex spills the beans of their romance and returns to Savannah.

So Alex returns to Savannah and starts to fall into step. She starts hanging with Hayes and Madison without complaining...that is until they take her out to the middle of nowhere and she soon learns the magic behind the infamous Magnolia League. She meets the Buzzards...HOODOO (not voodoo) specialist. Hoodoo is kinda like voodoo but isn't...it's kind of like a religion. You will have to read it to find out more!! Alex starts to go through changes...good changes. Her looks change: no dreads, no acne and she manages to lose 20 pounds in a week (lucky...you know). She starts to seeing Thaddeus and she enjoys the way she feels with him. It's nothing like what she had with Reggie. Things change for them though and not in a good way.

It's time for the Christmas ball (a.k.a. The Magnolia League ball) and Alex finds something out that completely rocks her world. She fights with her grandmother but realizes that Hayes and Madison are really her true friends. Things take a turn for the worse and this sends Alex on a mission that will save her mother.

Loved Magnolia League and I found out that this is book 1 of the Magnolia League series. Can't for book 2. Check out the spells at the end of book. Pretty awesome!! Enjoy this great summer read!!


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small blog BIG GIVEAWAY Starts Today!!!

Click here for all details on small blog BIG GIVEAWAY!!!

Small Blog Big Giveaway Starts Tomorrow!!!

Hey everyone small blog BIG GIVEAWAY starts tomorrow and I am so excited!!! There will be a lot of giveaways (36 books and 11 gift cards) plus the chance to meet new bloggers and authors!!! Also I have bonus entries!! So come back tomorrow and hop from page to page for your chance to win some really awesome prizes!!