*Nerd* Book Blast: Reunited by Colleen Houck + Giveaway: win SIGNED copies of the entire REAWAKENED series !

Hello everyone and welcome to the NERD BOOK BLAST for 

REUNITED by Colleen Houck!

Today you can learn about Colleen's new book and even enter a giveaway to win a  copy of every book in the Reawakened series!

Enjoy!

REUNITED by Colleen Houck
Series: Reawakened
Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press (August 8, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399555684
ISBN-13: 978-0399555688

After surviving her otherworldly adventure, Lily wakes up on her nana’s farm having forgotten everything. Her sun prince, her travels to Egypt, and her journey to the Afterlife are all distant memories.

But Lily is not the girl she once was. Her body is now part human, part lion, and part fairy. And if that isn’t bad enough, she must now harness this power of three and become Wasret: a goddess destined to defeat the evil god Seth once and for all.

With the help of her old friend Dr. Hassan, Lily departs on her final voyage through the cosmos and across the plains of Egypt. On the journey, she will transform into the being she is destined to become.

Reunited is the heart-pounding conclusion to the Reawakened series. 

It is time for Lily to find her sunset.

Praise for REAWAKENED Series

"[A] must-read for thrill-seekers and fans of alternate worlds."—RT Book Reviews

"Rick Riordan fans who are looking for another series will delight in this fantasy."—SLJ

"Littered with Egyptian mythology and snappy dialogue, this romantic adventure is a good choice for graduates of Rick Riordan or fans of Houck’s Tiger’s Curse series."—Booklist

"Fans of paranormal romance will love the Egyptian spin on this story of devotion and sacrifice, and Lily’s humor, combined with plentiful dangerous escapades, will keep readers engaged."—VOYA

"The author weaves her story out of Egyptian lore, cinematic magic, selfless love, and . . . is clever enough to remain surprising even to the last sentence."—Kirkus Reviews

“Houck’s moving depiction of the love between Lily and Amon is memorable."—Publishers Weekly

"Wonderfully written and…the heart-pounding adventures are topped only by the heart-melting romance."—The Deseret News

"A sparkling new novel with a fully imagined world and mythos, and crackling romance! Egyptian mythology has never been this riveting!"—Aprilynne Pike, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Wings series, on Reawakened, book one in the series

There’s no help for one such as me. My nature makes me what I am. And what I am, is hungry. His eyes changed. The very countenance of his face blackened even darker than his shiny skin.

Come to me, young one, he said silkily, his voice making all the noise of the ship and the churning water around me disappear. You are the tincture that will soothe my parched throat. Come into my mouth and I will cover you like a storm covers the sea. You will drown in me but it will be a peaceful death, like lying on a carpet of moss as the pale moonbeams slowly drain the life from your body.

 I obeyed. I climbed up onto the mossy hill and lay down, cushioning my head on the spongy bed. It was peaceful. The voice was right. This was my path, my purpose. My body would feed the hunger of the cosmos. There was a horrible sting, a pressure on my leg. But soon I forgot about it and rested again. My mouth tasted funny, like I’d bitten into a rotten peach. The bitter, swollen taste turned into a burning that licked my veins with fire. I whimpered.

Then a great explosion rocked me violently from my bed. It was dark. Just a strip of light at the base of the door. My leg was pinned to the bed and it hurt, badly. Suddenly, the door flew open but it opened the wrong way. The thing poking my leg wrenched away and I realized exactly where I was. In the mouth of the snake.

Copyright © 2017 by Colleen

Website / Twitter / Goodreads / Instangram

Facebook / Pinterest 

New York Times Bestselling author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, paranormal, science fiction, and romance. When she’s not busy writing, she likes to spend time chatting on the phone with one of her six siblings, watching plays, and shopping online. Colleen has lived in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, California, and North Carolina and is now permanently settled in Salem, Oregon with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers.

Photo Content from Colleen Houck

--Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter

- 1 Winner will receive the entire Signed REAWAKENED series (four books in total) 

by Colleen Houck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read More

NEW + REDONE Cover Reveals: The Temptation Series by Karen Ann Hopkins

Hello everyone! 

From time to time a book or series will get a complete book cover overhaul, which often happens after the book(s) have been out for a while. Wherever to give the book a new look to increase sales or just a fresh re-beginning most times we as readers either love the new covers or aren't a fan and prefer the old ones. 

Today I will be sharing a brand new cover(s) reveal for one of my favorite book series, TEMPTATION by Karen Ann Hopkins! She's also one of my favorite authors too, just putting that out there, again. ;)

I absolutely adore the new covers and I hope you all do too!  So let's get started...

Book #1, Temptation

Here's the old cover. 

and here is the new one!

Wow, look at the difference! While the original cover is very pretty this new one is simply gorgeous!

The colors remind me of a sunset. The font used and placement is eye catching and beautifully done. 

I love the Amish horse and buggy in the foreground and the image of the girl portraying Rose is spot on! Just an outstanding job all around. 

Book #2, Belonging

Here's the old cover. 

and here is the new one!

The original cover for Belonging was actually my favorite one in the series. To be completely honest I like it better than the new cover. Although I will say the new one is quite beautiful. I love the golden colors used and again the use of the buggy in the foreground gives the book a more Amish feel, which helps new buyers know the book is an Amish novel simply by the cover. 

Book #3, Forever 

Here's the old cover. 

and here is the new one!

Oh my goodness! 

Now THIS is a perfect cover! I have mad love for Forever's new cover! It's breathtaking! 

It features my favorite colors, blue and purple. You can see the horse pulling the buggy in this one and my favorite part is the snowy blizzard in the background. Again the girl portraying Rose on the cover is beautiful and elegant. There is nothing about this new cover I dislike, not one darn thing! It's easily my favorite the bunch. 

Book #4, Rachel's Deception cover will be posted tomorrow. 

So be sure to come back to this post of see it!

The artist behind these new covers is Jenny Zemanek of Seedlings Design Studio!

The series will be re-released with these new covers in late August! I will be announcing the official date on my blog coming soon...

In the meantime, if you have never heard of the series or have but have yet to read the books I welcome you to check out my review for Temptation, Belonging and Forever. 

So I ask you all, what cover do you love the most? What are your thoughts on the new cover re-design? Do you prefer the new ones or the old? Leave me a comment and let me know. 

 To learn more about the author, Karen Ann Hopkins look below.

 Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats. Karen's main job is home schooling the kids, but she finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lived in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.

Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her first horse at the age of eleven. The feisty horse's name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen's steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, she found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Karen is currently working on her Amish mystery series, Serenity's Plain Secrets, along with the YA paranormal/fantasy series, The Wings of War, and the continuation of the Temptation series. Karen is also excited to announce the Temptation series has been optioned for TV by Pilgrim Studios and is available on Audible.

"I loved joining Rose and Noah during their journey in the Temptation series by Karen Hopkins."-Katie McGarry, acclaimed YA author

Read More

Waiting on Wednesday #45: Renegades by Marissa Meyer

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm waiting on...

Renegades by Marissa Meyer 

Hardcover, 416 pages
Expected publication: November 7th 2017 Publisher: Feiwel & Friend 

Genre: YA - Fantasy

Secret Identities.
Extraordinary Powers.
She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew.Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.  

I'm so excited to read another series my one of my very favorite authors!! Who else is excited about RENEGADES?!

So what book(s) are YOU waiting on this Wednesday?
Leave us a comment. I'd love to know. :)

 

Read More

Rarity from the Hollow by Robert Eggleton || Guest Post and Giveaway!

Hello everyone and welcome to a guest post and giveaway 

for Rarity from the Hollow by Robert Eggleton!

Today you will be able to learn all about the book as well as read a great guest post from the author. 

Robert has also offered to giveaway 6 ebook copies of his novel here today. Hope you all enjoy this post and please enter the giveaway at the bottom. :)

Rarity from the Hollow by Robert Eggleton

Paperback: 284 pages

Publisher: Dog Horn Publishing

Genre: YA - Fantasy 

ISBN-10: 190713395X

ISBN-13: 978-1907133954

Lacy Dawn's father relives the Gulf War, her mother's teeth are rotting out, and her best friend is murdered by the meanest daddy on Earth. Life in the hollow is hard. She has one advantage -- an android was inserted into her life and is working with her to cure her parents. But, he wants something in exchange. It's up to her to save the Universe. Lacy Dawn doesn't mind saving the universe, but her family and friends come first.

Rarity from the Hollow is adult literary science fiction filled with tragedy, comedy and satire. A Children's Story. For Adults.

Purchase at: Amazon & Doghornpublishing

“The most enjoyable science fiction novel I have read in years.”

—Temple Emmet Williams, Author, former editor for Reader’s Digest

“Quirky, profane, disturbing… In the space between a few lines we go from hardscrabble realism to pure sci-fi/fantasy. It’s quite a trip.”

—    Evelyn Somers, The Missouri Review

. "…a hillbilly version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy…what I would have thought impossible; taken serious subjects like poverty, ignorance, abuse…tongue-in-cheek humor without trivializing them…profound…a funny book that most sci-fi fans will thoroughly enjoy." -- Awesome Indies (Gold Medal)

“…sneaks up you and, before you know it, you are either laughing like crazy or crying in despair, but the one thing you won’t be is unmoved…a brilliant writer.” --Readers’ Favorite (Gold Medal)

“Rarity from the Hollow is an original and interesting story of a backwoods girl who saves the Universe in her fashion. Not for the prudish.” —Piers Anthony, New York Times bestselling author

“…Good satire is hard to find and science fiction satire is even harder to find.” -- The Baryon Review

Prevention and Treatment

Child Maltreatment: Current and Futuristic Technologies

Rarity from the Hollow, my debut novel, is best classified as adult literary fiction with a science fiction genre backdrop. However, much of the content is more real than not, and the story is based upon real-life personal experiences. I’ve worked in the field of children’s advocacy for over forty years. In 2002, I accepted a job as a children’s psychotherapist for our local mental health center. It was an intensive day treatment program that served kids with serious mental health issues. Many of them had been abused, some sexually. It was during one of those therapy sessions that I met my protagonist, Lacy Dawn, a skinny eleven year old who presented resiliency so powerfully that it inspired other victims toward recovery and empowerment.  

During my career, one of the most frustrating attitudes that I’ve encountered, held by professionals and the public alike, has been that nothing can be done to prevent child abuse. This is simply not true. If somebody would have listened to Lacy Dawn’s pleas for help earlier, her family might have been stabilized before she went through a world of hurt.  https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childmaltreatment/prevention.html The mission of Rarity from the Hollow is to sensitize readers to the huge social problem of child maltreatment through a comical and satiric science fiction adventure.

Yes, child welfare funding is inadequate. I’ve never heard anybody disagree. Most of the funding, however, is spent on after-the-fact out-of-home placements, such as foster care and group homes. https://www.openminds.com/market-intelligence/executive-briefings/how-are-states-spending-child-welfare/ As evidenced by research, it is nineteen times less expensive to prevent child maltreatment than to incur the financial costs of its impact. https://msu.edu/user/bob/cost.html Half of author proceeds from Rarity from the Hollow are donated to the prevention of child maltreatment. http://www.childhswv.org/

I know that it sounds weird, but I modeled the flow of my story after a mental health treatment episode involving a traumatized child: harsh and difficult to read scenes in the beginning of the story similar to how, in treatment, therapeutic relationships must first be established before very difficult disclosures are made; cathartic and more relaxed scenes in middle chapters as detailed disclosures are less painful; and, increasingly satiric and comical toward the end through an understanding that it is “silly” to live in the past, that demons, no matter how scary, can be evicted, and that nothing controls our lives more so than the decisions that we make ourselves.

Perhaps it sounds even weirder, but as I wrote my novel I imagined a therapeutic impact – that those of us who had experienced child maltreatment benefiting from having read Rarity from the Hollow. That’s a giant target audience. So, the story had to be hopeful, to inspire. While prevalence rate is difficult to come up with and there is no estimate of how many read novels, approximately one quarter of all adults believe that they were maltreated as children – physically, sexually, or psychologically. Internationally, forty million children are abused each year: http://arkofhopeforchildren.org/child-abuse/child-abuse-statistics-info.

So far, eight of ninety-eight independent book blog reviewers have privately disclosed to me that they were victims of childhood maltreatment and that they had benefited having read my story. One of these reviewers publicly disclosed: “…soon I found myself immersed in the bizarre world… weeping for the victim and standing up to the oppressor…solace and healing in the power of love, laughing at the often comical thoughts… marveling at ancient alien encounters… As a rape survivor… found myself relating easily to Lacy Dawn… style of writing which I would describe as beautifully honest. Rarity from the Hollow is different from anything I have ever read, and in today’s world of cookie-cutter cloned books, that’s pretty refreshing… whimsical and endearing world of Appalachian Science Fiction, taking you on a wild ride you won’t soon forget….” http://kyliejude.com/2015/11/book-review-rarity-from-the-hollow/

Here’s another very touching review of Rarity from the Hollow that included public disclosure of child maltreatment by a book blogger: “…I enjoyed the book so much that a few months after reading it I just picked it up again…reminded me of stuff in the past but somehow it also made me feel less alone. It made me realize that there are so many children in this world getting abused, going through the stuff I have been through…. The fact that there’s sci-fi/fantasy in it (such as genderless alien DotCom) kinda makes the book easier to read, less heavy on some moments… I highly recommend this book to anyone who’s 18+ but do keep in mind it’s a very heavy book to read yet so worth it.” https://booksoverhumans.com/…/rarity-from-the-hallow-by-ro…/

While sticking close to the mission of sensitizing readers to the huge social problem of child maltreatment, I wanted to produce a story that readers would enjoy: “…a hillbilly version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, only instead of the earth being destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass, Lacy Dawn must…The author has managed to do what I would have thought impossible; taken serious subjects like poverty, ignorance, abuse, and written about them with tongue-in-cheek humor without trivializing them…Eggleton sucks you into the Hollow, dunks you in the creek, rolls you in the mud, and splays you in the sun to dry off. Tucked between the folds of humor are some profound observations on human nature and modern society that you have to read to appreciate…it’s a funny book that most sci-fi fans will thoroughly enjoy.” http://awesomeindies.net/ai-approved-review-of-rarity-from-the-holly-by-robert-eggleton/

“…Full of cranky characters and crazy situations, Rarity From the Hollow sneaks up you and, before you know it, you are either laughing like crazy or crying in despair, but the one thing you won’t be is unmoved… Robert Eggleton is a brilliant writer whose work is better read on several levels. I appreciated this story on all of them.” https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/rarity-from-the-hollow

I retired from direct practice over a year ago and have been working very hard to tell the world about my novel. It’s a traditional small press publication and doesn’t have a high dollar marketing budget behind it. The final version paperback was released to Amazon on November 3, 2016, and the eBook was released on December 5, 2016. Both are currently on sale. As an Advance Reading Copy and final, Rarity from the Hollow has received considerable praise. Yes, my ego is stroked when the story receives a glowing book review, especially ones that indicate that my work might outlive me: “… Brilliant satires such as this are genius works of literature in the same class as Orwell’s Animal Farm. I can picture American Lit professors sometime in the distant future placing this masterpiece on their reading list.” https://marcha2014.wordpress.com/2017/01/06/5-stars-for-rarity-from-the-hollowby-robert-eggleton/. “…It feels timeless, classic and mature in way that would ensure its longevity if more people knew about it… a distinctive approach to the adult-fairytale/modern-retelling sub-genre…I would even say it could be read in a college setting both for the craft itself and its unique brand of storytelling. The premise is brilliant." https://taylaroi.wordpress.com/2017/04/04/rarity-from-the-hollow-by-robert-eggleton-a-revised-book-review/.

All things considered, however, especially as we face potential federal budget cuts for U.S. domestic spending and international aid under the Trump administration, reductions that would adversely affect needful children, what would really make me feel good would be to raise a little money to help out kids. Children’s Home Society of West Virginia is a nonprofit child welfare agency established in 1893 that now serves over 13,000 families and children each year in a most impoverished state with inadequate funding to deliver effective social services. I used to work there in the early ‘80s and stand behind its good work. Some of the ways that this agency helps to prevent child maltreatment are:  

• Adoption, including pregnancy counseling and assistance with legal services;  
• Birth to Three, which assists families care for children who exhibit developmental delays and strengthens the families’ abilities to care for their children at home;
• Comprehensive Assessment and Planning for children and families involved with child protective services to ensure the appropriateness of services and safety of the children;
• Child Advocacy Centers within which children suspected of having been maltreated can be interviewed in a supportive environment by all involved parties (police, social workers, medical staff, defense, etc.), including video recordings, so as to prevent the children from further trauma by exposure adversarial courtroom proceedings;
• Parenting Education for parents involved in divorce proceedings;
• In-Home Child and Family Services to keep families intact when there is no imminent danger to the child but supportive services, such as case management or transportation is needed;
• Exceptional Youth Emergency shelters serving youth with disabilities;
• Foster Care in private family homes that sometimes adopt the children initially placed there if freed for adoption through legal proceedings;
• One mid-town youth center that focuses on after-school and summer academics, delinquency prevention, and parental development;
• Right from the Start which targets high risk birth mothers and high risk infants to ensure that proper medical, economic, and social service needs are met;
• Emergency Shelters (9) for youth in crisis (this was where Robert worked as the Director of Shelter Care – He started 5 of these family-like settings but the network has since expanded);
• We Can, a program that recruits volunteers to augment services provided by child protective services workers;
• And, a Youth Services program in an under-served part of WV that turns around mostly younger teens who are heading in the wrong direction.

So, yes, prevention works, but what about the butt holes that hurt kids? Can they be “fixed” so that they stop their maltreatment of others? As a professional and personal opinion, I would never trust treatment alone to cure a pedophile. I believe in accountability, punishment, and ongoing monitoring to protect us all from that worst type of human. At the same time, it has been my experience with other types of child maltreators, present in all countries, religions, cultures, socioeconomic classes…, that many abused children still love their biological parents and that some abusive parents dearly love their children. This was the situation in Rarity from the Hollow. Lacy Dawn, more than anything in the universe, wanted for her parents to be cured of their mental health problems that contributed to the maltreatment. The father is a war damaged Vet suffering from PTSD, night terrors, and anger outbursts, who was raised in a subculture that respected the value: “spare the rod and spoil the child.” I see posts by proponents of this value every now and then on Facebook.

Yes, access to mental health and substance abuse treatment, psychotherapy and medical models that exist today are evidenced based – they work, and decrease the occurrence of child maltreatment because if a parent is “messed up” it’s a correlate. The problem appears to be access to treatment. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/25/looking-for-evidence-that-therapy-works/?_r=0 Antipoverty, job training, employment and similar economic development programs, social issues included in Rarity from the Hollow, can also reduce child maltreatment. I live in West Virginia, the state with the poorest economic outlook in the U.S. http://business.wvu.edu/centers/bureau-of-business-and-economic-research And, the state with the highest overdose death rate in the nation. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/statedeaths.html In Chapter Two, “Recess” in my story, Lacy Dawn counsel peers at school whose parents have lost jobs because of the coal mines shutting down, an issue that has risen to national prominence and one reported basis for the U.S. pulling out of the Paris Accords on the environment, now a controversial news item. It seems like a lot of stuff in life in general in one way or another affects child maltreatment rates because children are the most vulnerable. Part of the treatment of the father in my story involved job training and gainful employment.  

In Rarity from the Hollow, what appeared to be fantastical means implemented by an alien who was sent to Earth were used to treat the mental health problems of the parents that contributed to the maltreatment of Lacy Dawn. In a nutshell, her genetic spawn had been manipulated for millennia as the best hope for becoming the savior of the universe. The alien, named DotCom, a recurring pun in the story, lived in a spaceship hidden in a cave behind Lacy’s house and his mission was to recruit and train her. Lacy didn’t mind saving the universe, but her family and friends came first – as a prerequisite to accepting the job that the alien offered was that her parents had to be “fixed.”   

While I’ve appreciated compliments by book reviewers who have spoken about my wild imagination, for the first time publicly, I want to confess that the fantastical means employed by the alien in my story to treat the parents were based on today’s medical reality. I’ve already mentioned that in the beginning of Rarity from the Hollow, Dwayne, the abusive father was a war damaged Vet experiencing anger outbursts and night terrors. The mother was a downtrodden victim of domestic violence who had lost hope of ever getting her G.E.D. or driver's license, or of protecting her daughter. Diagnosis and treatment of these concerns affecting the parents, as representative of many similarly situated, was based on emerging technologies presented at the 2015 World Medical Innovation Forum: https://worldmedicalinnovation.org/ . Yes, in real life, like in my story, patients have been hooked up to computer technology for medial diagnosis and treatment.

Additional exciting research was presented at that Forum and may one day may revolutionize psychiatric treatment. Most relevant to my story were: (1) smart brain prosthetics, wireless devises being tested for potential to relieve depression, PTSD, Bipolar Disorder…neural engineering to manipulate brain signals; (2) sophisticated imaging systems that are minimally invasive to brain circuitry for diagnosis (3) and, healing the brain with neuromodulation and electroceuticals to treat depression and schizophrenia. http://hitconsultant.net/2015/04/30/tech-revolutionize-neurological-psychiatric-care/

The question, it seems, is not whether child maltreatment can be prevented and treated, but instead: Are we adults willing to invest in the future by protecting kids? The next Lacy Dawn Adventure is Ivy. Also comedic and satiric, an alien invasion set in an almost forgotten town used as the command center to get humans so egocentrically addicted to a substance that they forget all about their children, a potential demise of our planet so that it can be exploited for mineral content. Anything that you can do to assist this project would be appreciated. I am available if anybody has any questions or wants addition info: Website / Facebook / Twitter

Robert Eggleton has served as a children's advocate in an impoverished state for over forty years. Locally, he is best known for his nonfiction about children’s programs and issues, much of which was published by the West Virginia Supreme Court where he worked from1982 through 1997. Today, he is a retired children's psychotherapist from the mental health center in Charleston, West Virginia, where he specialized in helping victims cope with and overcome maltreatment and other mental health concerns. Rarity from the Hollow is his debut novel. Its release followed publication of three short Lacy Dawn Adventures in magazines. Author proceeds support the prevention of child maltreatment.

To win a copy of the book please fill out the form below. :) Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read More