The Dead and The Enemy by Charles Higson

My teenaged son is a Zombie addict. Not to mention and action junky. And Charles Higson delivers - BIG TIME in these two books of his 3 part series.

Read THE DEAD (pre-qual to The Enemy) first even though it was written after THE ENEMY.

BUY IT HERE



Goodreads Blurb:
This second entry in Charlie Higson's terrifying series about children battling zombie grown-ups begins one year before the action in THE ENEMY, when the disease first strikes.

My Review:

*Read this BEFORE The Enemy*

Intense! Smart kids! Suspenseful zombie drama I could not put down. I found this while searching for a good zombie book that would keep my teenaged boy reading. There is no lovey dovie romances in this one, straight horror, fighting for your life and even death to the teens in this books. Sure there are some parts where I'm like why didn't they do this or that, but the only challenge I had was keeping up with all the characters. However, my son loved the mishmash of different characters coming and going. This is a nail biter that my husband even loved. Even though this was the 2nd book in the series (a pre-qual) I'd read this one first since the second book takes awhile to understand some of the reasons for things happening and even this book doesn't fully resolve the reason why people are getting sick and turning to zombies. I give this a 5 out of 4 stars simply because there were a few left open questions.



Goodreads Blurb:
A sickness has afflicted everyone over the age of 16; anyone who is a "grown-up" has become a decomposing, brainless creature that survives by feeding on children. The children and teens have barricaded themselves in fortified buildings, fighting off attacks from the grown-ups who travel in packs, like hungry dogs. Before long, the young survivors are promised a safe haven in Buckingham Palace and make their way to it, crossing London on a perilous journey that will test them in harrowing ways. But their fight to stay alive is far from over—the threat from within is as real as the one on the outside.

MY REVIEW:

I love it! I couldn't sleep at night, I read this instead of watching The Walking Dead. Of all the characters, I really got connected to 'Little Sam' and his survival during this "Sicko" zombie infested world. I'm glad I read the first book though because this one does little to explain the cause of this disaster. In this one, the body count is also high. It's brutal, intense, suspenseful and frightening....everything a teenaged boy or girl will love in a gory horror filled with smart, weak, hurting, surviving kids. I gave this one 4 stars out of 5 for the unanswered questions regarding the origin of the disaster.

Life, Liberty, and Pursuit by Susan Kaye Quinn

NYIA teen book reviewer is in the house! She's looking at a sweet romance called Life, Liberty, and Pursuit by Susan Kaye Quinn.

Amazon Blurb:
When college-bound Eliza falls into a cruise-ship pool, she doesn't expect to fall in love. And when navy recruit David pulls her from the water, he finds her surprisingly hard to resist. But a whirlwind of rescues, candlelit nights, and beachside misunderstandings pulls them into a four-day love affair that threatens to break their hearts before their love has a chance to start. When David leaves for endless drills and physical training in boot camp, and Eliza returns to Albuquerque to prepare for Princeton in the fall, they dare to keep loving each other and struggle to imagine a future when they can be together. But when miles and mistrust pull them apart, they are forced to choose between keeping true to their dreams and having the courage to love.

NYIA's REVIEW:
Awwww! This story was so cute. I really liked Eliza and wanted her and David to work out. But I think I would have liked a bit more drama. I didn't mind how fast they fell for each other but I was sad about the long distance relationship since I couldn't see anyone being able to do that even with talking on facebook. I really enjoyed it though and give it 3.5 lifeboats out of 5.

AMAZON LINK TO PURCHASE: CLICK HERE

Editing Sucks! But there are tools to make it Better

Editing is a big issue for many writers. Not to mention that one doesn’t usually have the money to pay for a professional editor prior to submitting their novel to Lit Agents or Publishers.

But there is software available to help a writer tighten up their manuscript prior to sending it out for submission. In cases of publishing their own works, using these tools can help get a manuscript as clean as possible prior to sending it to an editor.

WHY CLEAN UP A MANUSCRIPT IF AN EDITOR IS GOING TO?

Editors are human. They make errors, don’t find things, and unknowingly miss obvious errors in works also. No book is without room for improvement. An author should always try to get their work in the best possible shape BEFORE it goes to the editor to ensure that their work is represented at its best.

I’ve paid editors to edit work and there were still errors – even had proof readers after final edits. But the human eye, and talent for editing is rather unique with each editor used.

For example, if you had a bowl full of cherries, some good and some rotten … wouldn’t you rather start cleaning up the bowl with less rotten cherries and wouldn’t you most likely be able to clean up all the messy cherries when there aren’t too many?

HERE ARE SOME TOOL BREAKDOWNS

Use these tools when you have personally edited your manuscript as best as you can: after you have had your work critiqued by other authors and beta read at least 3 times, with cleaning it up yourself thereafter.

Once the above steps are completed, then purchase short membership and use of tool for specific types of errors.

Autocrit – I’ve used Autocrit to find my repeated words and phrases mostly. It has a free offering for testing it out on it’s website. Just use the free feature if you only produce a book a year, but if you are like me and kick out three a year a minimum subscription really helps. I do the gold membership for $47 since I edit in small pieces.

Grammarly – I have a habit of using the wrong word in cases where there are two words that say the same thing but doesn’t mean the same thing. Grammarly is a great tool for helping me find these issues. It’s cheap at $19.95 a month and I only use it the month I want to edit my book. Then I cancel the subscription. I use this on my 2nd and 3rd drafts prior to submitting to agents or an editor for my small press to publish.

MasterEdit – This is a good tool at just $30 if you plan on using it frequently. I haven’t used it yet myself but plan on purchasing it and trying it out next year for the three manuscripts I have planned. I hope to use it after my 3rd run through critique partners and beta readers.

MyWriterTools – This is also a cheap tool, now on sale for $24.95 that works within MS Word as an add-on. It covers all of the features of the above tools and can be useful while writing that first draft. I’m planning on using this also so that I can have a cleaner first draft. Hopefully, it won’t slow my progress.

StyleWriter is also an add-in but for me personally it looks too complex. It has great customizable features though and is free for downloading and trying out. So check it out and see if it meets your needs over the above.

AutomatedEditing – This monthly membership works in a similar way as Autocrit but you can also try it out for free. I prefer Autocrit over this one but most likely due to personal preference.

Kibin – Use this site for a critique of sorts. Great feedback is given here and if you are having problems securing good beta readers (I get mine from absolutewrite.com and yalitchat) or a critique partner here’s a good resource for feedback. Just have thick skin.

Staying Positive for The New Year

I DO BELIEVE DREAMS CAN COME TRUE

When I look at all the wonderful and amazing things that happen to me in 2011 I get a shiver of excitement. Now don't take that to mean that there weren't some serious pitfalls, struggles, sadness and heart clenching moments - there were many. But even though bad things happened, some really wondrous things happened too!

THE BEST THING - DREAM I could DREAM CAME TRUE but with tragedy

I always wanted to meet author, LA Banks, who was a best selling author of the Vampire Huntress series. After stalking uh...following her on twitter, Facebook and such I reached out to her to be a guest on yalitchat.ning.org since she had just self-published her first YA novel, Shadow Walker.

WOULD you believe it, she contacted me and the invite grew to a friendship. Because, well even though she was a Best Selling Author ... she had a heart of pure gold, a loving nature and a giving spirit. She encouraged me to write the then WIP I told her about.

BUT it gets better! I invited her to an event in April, the Maryland's Writer's Convention and she came. Meeting her was a breath of fresh air. She also returned the money we gave her to come as a donation to the organization.

THEN tragedy struck when I found out just 4 months later that she was dying of cancer.

STAYING POSITIVE

I knew at that moment she visited me with the possibility of knowing that she was ill. And all she did was smile and talk about how blessed she was.

DREAMS CAN COME TRUE
and if you believe it, make a plan, be happy with your accomplishments ... who knows you will achieve it or more!

Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol

One of my favorite things to do over the holidays is check out movies. I went to see three. This one is my favorite so stay tuned for the others.



Fandango Blurb:
Blamed for a terrorist attack on the Kremlin, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the entire IMF agency are disavowed by the U.S. government, while the president initiates the Ghost Protocol. Forced to go "off the grid" -- left without resources or backup -- Hunt must somehow clear the agency's name and prevent another attack. Complicating matters even more, Ethan must undertake the impossible mission with a group of fellow IMF fugitives whose actual motives are suspect.

My Review:
Thank goodness this wasn't offered in 3D, lol! Anyways, I love Tom Cruise and knew that he wouldn't do a movie that was half bad so I really looked forward to this one. I wasn't disappointed. There was a jail breakout, building climbing and other impossible challenges for his team to overcome. And you know what? They made mistakes, big ones, but I honestly have to say by the end of the movie I was in love with each character and hated to see them go. I give this a 4 out of 5 stars only because some things just seemed a bit too convenient.

Christmas Favorites

My Dreamy Christmas Songs for 2012

Polar Express - My kids sing this to me for the last 2 years :-D



Mistletoe - Justin Bieber my daughter told me to add this and I like it too!



Faith Hill - I still love this one
http://youtu.be/cSMjgNMdzEI

Ghost Train To Freedom by Faith Reese Martin

Please welcome our TEEN BOOK REVIEWER, Nyia who will be giving us the skinny on this great historical adventure!

Ghost Train To Freedom by Faith Reese Martin



Genre: Children’s Fiction
Pub Date: February 2012
ISBN: 978-1-60800-014-2
Lavishly illustrated by Barry Sachs
Categories: Pre-teen+, Adventure, Historical Fiction
“What Price Freedom?”

Join two teenage time travelers on an exciting adventure as they risk their own safety and freedom to become conductors on the most dangerous train in history: the Underground Railroad.

This subtle history lesson empowers readers to understand that they, too, can take a stand against wrong and make a difference. The author skillfully weaves sound moral guidance around this historic framework into a compelling fantasy adventure.

The book will be accompanied by a Literary Guide for use in the classroom and by homeschoolers.

Faith’s story is packed with meticulous research about the URR and its famous “conductors,” as well as unknown homesteaders and everyday citizens, both black and white, who listened to their hearts and supported these brave people in their efforts to lead so many slaves to freedom and change America forever.

NYIA's REVIEW

When my mom first gave me this book I wasn't interested in reading a historical, much less one about slavery. I just hate that part of American History because it bothers me to know that my great-great grandparents were slaves. But after I read this book I was amazed at how people of both races helped each other and changed history. The book's main character Jinx takes you through time to help people who are helped by the underground railroad. Max is her companion and when they talk the dialogue sounds like an older person but it doesn't make you stop reading. It was suspenseful experiencing what the slaves had to go through to be free. Jinx would see these things through dreams and the book started with the dream that made her travel to the past. The author made learning about history interesting and I'd like to try out some of her other books. I give Ghost Train To 3.5 Freedom stars.

My ‘Boy’ Reading Experiment

I’ve tried for quite some years to motivate my teenaged boy to read books. Even to the extent of writing most of my books in male POV because at least he’d read mine. But this season I’ve branched out. I’ve found several books that my son just couldn’t put down. However, the trick was to get him to pick it up in the first place.

So here’s what I did.

FIND OUT WHAT THEY LOVE TO WATCH

I started watching more TV with my son. From Jersey Shore to Furious Five and finally onto his Zombie obsession with the Walking Dead.

This season though, he was a little ticked off with the Walking dead because he said it was getting – (what’s that horrible word parents hate to hear from their kid?) BORING!

So from my blog visiting activities I found and loved reading a book called ‘Rot and Ruin’ by Jonathan Maberry . I even sent it to my nephew who grabbed me when he saw me to tell me he loved the book I sent.

THE SET UP

So, my husband is an avid reader of scifi and graphic comics. I purchased the book for his Ipad and asked him to read it, then propose to our son to read it with him.
Now my husband pulled this off effortlessly by reading during an episode of Walking Dead and gushing about the book to my son. About how it was better than the show. Then he handed my son his reader during a commercial break.

My son didn’t stop reading the book. The kid read all 400 pages in 5 days!!!!

AFTER THE ENGULFING

After the read the book, they were chatting about it, trying to figure out what was happening with this character or the next.

Then they asked – is there any other books by this guy? Well of course!(this is where series work well) I purchased book 2 in the series ‘Dust and Decay’ and they are eating that up right as we speak.

WHAT SUCKED THEM IN

The characters ‘acted’ like real guys. Sure my son got ticked off at the stupidity of the main character, but the suspense, action, and dialogue he said kept him wanting to read more.

SO, GIVE THIS READING EXPERIMENT A TRY …

Where To Find Sales on Ebooks!

Well now since I have an ereader, I'm always looking for great finds. Sure I have authors that I'm rather loyal to, but I also search for great deals to find out about new authors


Here's some sites I go to find deals on ebooks.

Kindle Daily

Pixel Of Ink

The Frugal eReader

Red Adept

99 cent Network

Daily Ebook Reviews

Randamize Me

Book Trailer Reveal and Review of Explorer X-Beta

Please enjoy the new book trailer created by Alicia 'Kat' for EXPLORER X - BETA



The First Book Review by:
Book Reader's Heaven

AMAZON LINK
B & N LINK

If you are interested in reading the eARC check it out at NetGalley this January 2012.

www.phenomenalonepress.com


If you are interested in reviewing Explorer X-Beta please leave message in the comments with your contact information and I will send you a free copy :-D

When Copper Suns Fall by KaSonndra Leigh

Spotlight Author Guest, KaSonndra Leigh



New Book When Copper Suns Fall

Blurb:
In a not too distant future when angels hide their celestial identities, a teenage girl who uses ancient memories to change current events must face rival demon slayers before she can find the cure to save her brother and prevent a second apocalypse.

A Bit About KaSonndra Leigh,
KaSonndra Leigh lives in the City of Alchemy and Medicine in North Carolina. She holds the Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and is now looking forward to playing CLUE more often. She lives in an L-shaped house where she has created a secret library complete with fairies, Venetian plastered walls, and a desk made out of clear blue glass. When Copper Suns Fall is her debut novel.


Website: http://www.kasonndraleigh.com
Facebook: Facebook profile
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kasonndraleigh
Blog: http://kasonndraleigh.blogspot.com/


LEARN MORE ABOUT ' When Copper Suns Fall '

BUY ON AMAZON Just $2.99

BUY ON Smashwords

New Ebook Cover Reveal! & Giveaway!

Hiya!

Phenomenal One Press is happy to announce new ebook covers for The Pack and Bandits!!!

Yay!

The New Ebook Cover for Bandits:



Purchase for just $0.99 for the month of December
Kindle: Click Here
Nook: Click Here
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/56840

The New Ebook Cover for The Pack: (Effective 12/20/2011)



New cover active on 12/20/2011
Kindle: Click Here
Nook: Click Here

STILL TIME TO SIGN UP FOR FREE PAPERBACK ARC OF

Explorer X-Beta
Middle Grade Adventure



GoodReads Giveaway: Click Here
Sign up to win free copy!