About Time

Release date: 4^th September 2013

Top Billing:  Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy

At the age of 21 Tim is told that he can travel back in time, only on his own timeline and only to change the little things in life. For Tim the only thing he wants is to be in love, but the road to a wonderful girlfriend is not an easy one.

Everyone told me what a great feel good film this was and maybe if I was in a different mood, it might have been but as it was I didn’t really see it. It was the usual British film, very Four Weddings but as the writer was Richard Curtis, it’s not a surprise. The humour was low key and made me smile though the pace was slow and I did look at my watch from time to time.

The two main characters did nothing wrong, they didn’t quite fit for me but I really liked the relationship between Tim and his father. It was so nice to see a strong, healthy love for one another.  This film won’t be on my favourites list but it didn’t do anything wrong, just didn’t do anything special either.

 

Haunted U Author: Jessica Gibson: Release Day Blitz

Title: Haunted U

Author: Jessica Gibson       

Genre: YA Paranormal

Blitz Host: Lady Amber's Tours

Blurb:

Ezzie Lovegreen lives in a world where witches and ghosts are real. That doesn’t mean she’s not surprised when she’s suddenly being haunted by one at school.

With the help of her best friend Stella, her boyfriend Beau, and her grandmother Winifred, Ezzie must find out what happened to the ghost and set her free.

Secrets will be revealed that could change Ezzie’s life forever. Will Ezzie be strong enough to face the challenges set in her path?

Author Bio:

Jessica Gibson is a recovering bookaholic, she's down from four books a week to a more

reasonable one. It was that love of words and creativity that made her dream about writing her first book. That dream was hidden for years, always put on the back burner, filed away in the "someday" section, until her husband Matt gave her the kick in the pants she needed to actually get off her butt and write.
Jessica and Matt live in Southern California and have a serious addiction to reality tv shows like Pawn Stars and American Restoration. They have one son and hope to add to the family in the near future.
Aside from writing, she runs an online event planning business called the Release Day Diva. In addition to novels, Jessica writes and maintains the blog Book on the Bright Side. Keep up with Jessica and her latest releases and events on her blog.

Links:

 Website ~ Blog ~ Book Blog

 Facebook ~ Twitter

Website

Buy Links:

 Amazon.com ~ B & N

Excerpt:

Ezzie pulled her Range Rover behind her dad’s vehicle. Beau parked right behind her in his truck. He was at her door in an instant and held a hand to help her out of the car.

Addelyn was waiting for them in the open doorway, a huge smile on her face, and looking perfectly put together in a lavender shirt-dress and black heels.

“Why, Beau, you are getting so handsome. It’s been ages since we’ve had you over for dinner. How’s your mama?”

Beau smiled and kissed the cheek she offered him. “Thank you, Mrs. Lovegreen. You are looking as lovely as ever. Mama is great. I’ll tell her you asked after her.”

Addelyn nodded and turned back into the house. “Let’s go eat. Dinner should be ready right about now.”

“I need to drop my stuff in my room. You can come, or go find my dad. I’m sure he’s in his study.”

Beau gave her a look. “I think I’ll go with you.”

Heat bloomed in Ezzie's cheeks again. The look he had just given her was anything but platonic. She smiled shyly and led him back to her room but stopped at the door. He had never been in her room before. No boy ever had. This was new territory for her. She shook herself mentally and stepped over the threshold into her room.

Beau stood in the doorway for a moment, looking around.

“You can come in,” Ezzie said softly.

He smiled and walked in, running his fingers across the surface of her desk.

“That was my grandfather’s.”

He nodded. “I remember seeing it in his study when we were kids.” Beau took a step toward her. He bridged the gap between them with his hands, drawing her the last few steps.

“Beau...” Her heart pounded in her chest.

He tipped her chin up and touched his lips to hers lightly. Ezzie lifted her hands up and around his neck, pulling him closer to her. She pressed her lips more firmly against his. She couldn't believe they were really having their first kiss in her bedroom with her parents just down the hall. Beau’s fingers wove into her hair. He finally pulled away a bit and laid his chin against her forehead, his arms still around her.

“Just so we’re clear, I want to be more than just your friend, Ezzie,” he whispered.

If Beau hadn’t been holding her up, she would have fallen to the floor. “I want to be more than your friend too, Beau,” she breathed.

Busy, busy, busy

Well it's all go in this house. Last week I met wonderful people at the Steampunk event in Leeds and this weekend I am off to a writers conference. My first and I have to admit I am really looking forward it.

I feel that I am an outsider getting a sneak peek into the world of publishing, one at the moment I am not sure I should be in the middle of, I know self pity, but we writers need our angst. I am really looking forward to seeing how things work and hopefully take away a few pointers. This is part of the Manchester Literary Festival running through all of October and some of November. http://www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk/

There are some fantastic authors to meet and if you are in the area I suggest taking a look at this great opportunity.

Steampunk Market - Leeds

I had no idea what to expect from my very first event. My books and swag waiting at the door as I left at 7:30 in the morning.

After setting everything up with Ninfa Hayes, a lovely author, and later with R A Smith we sat and waited. What strange and wonderful sights
awaited us. I had seen and heard about the Steampunk genre but nothing quite prepared me for the way they totally and utterly fell into their characters.

  Both women and men looked fabulous and the youth of today could do with a lesson or two on how to dress. The atmosphere was friendly with everyone willing to help.









Other authors were also present and they included Craig Hallam who's catch phrase 'embrace the weird,' was very apt, as well as Alex James and JP Bernett and a representative for L M Cooke. I also met a lovely lady Twinkle, of Twisted Twinkle fame. For those who don't know she makes fairy wings which are absolutely amazing.

JP Bernett

Craig Hallam



Twisted Twinkle
 

Arriving home at 7:30 at night, I was exhausted, not sure how, but it really is tiring to sit and chat all day, honest, and I did it all again next day.

It was a great experience and I am glad I did it. I have learned a few things and hopefully the next will be more successful, well you never know.

Thank you to everyone that came and I hope you enjoyed it as much as me.

White House Down

Release date: 13^th September 2013

Top Billing: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal

While on tour of the White house with his daughter, John who is security for a prominent figure; springs into action when the White house is overrun by terrorist. Now he has to save the President and of course rescue his daughter.

There was always going to be comparisons with this and the earlier release of Olympus has Fallen but other than taking over the White house there isn’t too many similarities. This film is done with a lot of humour, which I think is Channing Tatum’s strength. There is no fantastic acting, no really good bad guy to get your teeth in but there is nothing wrong with it. You know what you’re getting and it doesn’t disappoint. It races from one scene to another, never really taking a breath other than to crack a joke and yes, it was very cheesy at times but it made me smile rather than cringe. It was something I could watch without having to think too hard, knowing everything would work out in the end.

Book Info-

Title: Chasing Flames

Author : Emily Fogle

Genre: YA Paranormal

Audience: 13 and up

Formats: Paperback and E-book

Publisher: Anchor Group

Cover By: Robert Immings

Editor: Melissa Ringsted

Pages: 169 pages

Expected Date of Publishing:      Oct 31, 2013

Blurb-

Aydah Bell was happy in her normalcy; she was never the class clown or the sports hero, never the beauty queen or little Ms. Honor Student. One day, after a pointless family mini-vacation, Aydah returns to school and finds that her sheltered little world has turned upside-down. Besides the fact that she is beginning to crave raw meat, people are also disappearing.

Suddenly, an alarming disappearance in the quiet and serene city she calls home puts the whole town into high-alert. One of Aydah’s schoolmates vanishes during the weekend and is conveniently replaced by a newcomer. To Aydah’s surprise, the new boy is the completely beautiful and oh-so mysterious Liam Bailey.

Aydah finds herself drawn to Liam. He consumes her thoughts and she aches to be with him. In the mix of passion, jealousy, and hatred that follows, Aydah is too distracted to see the horrible fate headed straight for her.

Book Links-

Goodreads

About the Author –

Emily Fogle was born and raised in Southern California. Her dream and ultimate goal was to get her Masters degree in English and become a teacher with enough time to write, as well. However, she soon found out that the best dreams often come true when they aren’t planned. Instead of fulfilling her teaching goal, real life took over and she married the man of her dreams. She now has an amazing 7 year old son and another beautiful baby boy on the way.

She dedicates the majority of her time taking care of her family, volunteering at her son’s school, and being a Cub Scout Den leader. And though she loves every minute of it, the thought of being a writer still tugs at her heart. So, after the busy days are done and everyone is finally sleeping quietly, she squeezes in time for all the other loves in her life: the characters running wild inside her head.

     Now, incredibly, her writing dream is also coming true. Her first novel, Dragon Wars, is being published by Anchor Group. Emily feels sincerely blessed to have been given so much in life and can’t wait to start the next chapter.

Media Links –

Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter/ Website

AWAKEN LAUNCH

I hope you have been looking forward to this as much I have. I was so excited to see my debut novel out there for people to see and I can hardly believe it that book two is ready for you all. To wet your appetite I thought I would share with you the first few pages of Awaken. Enjoy.

 

https://www.facebook.com/events/279076518884306/

Awaken


     Pain ran through Esa’s shoulders, the building tension causing the ache to slowly travel down her back, the summer sun doing nothing to ease the wait. This wasn’t about the journey they were on, or the danger they would face, this was something she couldn’t see or touch. Two years away from the human realm had changed her, made her more suspicious of humans, the place filled her with apprehension and no matter how close Rootu edged toward her, the feeling wasn’t going away.
     Standing on the edge of the village she could see people gravitating towards the boundary. Most of them were there to trade, but she noticed a few families hurrying through, huddled together for protection. She watched a young girl twist from her mother’s grip and race to one of the many stalls lining the path to the boundary mark, cooing over a shiny green necklace with not a care in the world. As the queue shuffled forward the houses petered out and the path meandered up the hill to the mark.
     Joining the line of people, Esa tried to let the heat of the sun warm her tired body as they moved slowly forward. When it was time to cross she looked down at Rootu, who was shifting from one foot to the other and gave him a worried smile, thinking about how much had happened in her two year absence, and what was waiting for them. Placing her hand on the hilt of a dagger she stepped forward with Rootu glued to her side.
     “Pass!” The guard shoved out his hand. “I said pass!” He repeated before Esa had a chance to react. Two other guards pointed their guns directly at her. Showing no emotion, her slender hand reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, which was worthless. Anyone with enough money or influence could get a pass. The black market was thriving on the things. The guard shoved it back in her waiting hand and they walked through.
     Stopping moments after crossing, Rootu turned and questioned the sudden halt. “What is it? Is something wrong?”
     She placed a finger on his lips and smiled. “Just let me listen.” In the far distance she could hear the gentle movement of wind turbines and breathed a huge sigh. “It’s been a long time.” She said absentmindedly. There was a line of people heading down the dirt track, but Esa held back. As she’d already heard them, she knew she had to watch the blades turning above her, before doing anything else. Rootu was already causing a disturbance showing a family a new pet when she shouted over, “this way.” 
     How could she have forgotten the peace she felt amongst the turbines? The movement ran through her entire body, filling her with a calm she rarely felt. When she closed her eyes everything came into focus. Hearing children chattering as they walked with their parents, bird’s song became clearer and the water rushed ever faster through the valley.
     Rootu stood to one side and watched. He knew it had been a long time and for once he didn’t feel the need to interrupt. It had been hard for Esa, for both of them. They were seen as the returning heroes but at what price? With no one else in their lives they had been together ever since. Living in their friend Flo’s home, an elf that had sacrificed her life to save Esa’s in the final battle. He left her alone as long as he could and finally went to join her.
     “I know it’s getting late.” She interrupted his thoughts.
     He’d forgotten how her senses were increased in this place. “It’s just that it’ll be dark in a couple of hours and it might be hard to find shelter.” Holding onto her arm he gently tugged and she begrudgingly stood up. Reluctantly she had allowed Rootu to pull her back onto the path, letting the strap across her chest comfort her, knowing it held the sword of Idis firmly on her back. It had become an extension of her and she never went anywhere without it.
     “We take a look. Stop it, if it’s getting out of hand, and report back to the Council.” She snapped unnecessarily before placing her hand on Rootu’s shoulder, “sorry.”
     He threw her a forgiving smile. “After that, do we have time to play before going home?”
     “I suppose it wouldn’t do any harm, but remember I don’t want to stay in this realm any longer than I have to.” The statement was a warning.
     “It still gives me a little time.” A wicked grin appeared on his face and she shook her head in response.
     Together, they moved quickly, keeping in time, almost able to hear the other’s thoughts, as they constantly checked their surroundings. This had become normal for them and they worked as a perfect little team. Approaching a wood they were welcomed by a field of blue flowers that had been left to thrive and carpeted the start of the forest. Walking through them, Esa could smell their sweet aroma, taking a deep breath her shoulders dropped and her pace slowed, but all too soon they were greeted by darkness as they stepped under the canopy. At this time of year the leaves were full and little light permeated the ground. Inching their way through the tangle of weeds and brambles they found a small patch of grass, which the sun had managed to find, so they stopped to rest and eat. A soft breeze blew against Esa’s neck, but it didn’t bring with it the sweet aroma of flowers and earth she had expected, there was something else out there. Jumping to her feet she drew her dagger from her belt, closely followed by Rootu.
     “We’re being watched.” Though she couldn’t see them, she could sense someone close by. Throwing their packs over their shoulders they quickly made their way out of the clearing, getting caught in the open would make them an easier target. Esa gripped the hilt of her blade as they tried to pick up the pace through the undergrowth. No one approached them and for a brief moment she thought she had made a mistake, but as the land opened up once more a man appeared through the trees a few feet in front of them.
     “You’re on our land.” The man waited for a response but Esa said nothing. “I said you’re on our land.”
     Two more men materialized from the side but Esa knew there were more. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted another two and wondered how many more were hiding under the cover of the trees. Without saying a word they moved into a defensive position, trouble followed them like water gushing down a waterfall so they were always prepared.
     “Drop your weapon.” The first man pointed his sword in Esa’s direction. She didn’t move. “Are you deaf or stupid?” He came a little closer. “You’re out numbered and on our land so you need to pay a tax.” A soft smile played on his lips as he stared at her.
     Esa stood perfectly still and thought about her options. Here in the human realm magic was her last resort, after the Battle of the Realms no one trusted anyone with power, regardless of whether they were good or bad. There was no doubt in her mind that with Rootu by her side, they could take whatever this lot could throw at them. They were nothing more than a bunch of opportunists, but having the knowledge that she could use her power at any moment helped.
     With that thought she smiled back and stated, “You’re getting nothing from us.”
     “I don’t think you are in a position to argue.” There was a disbelieving note in his words and something else. An uncertainty had crept into his voice as to why this young woman and spinner were willing to go up against a larger group, unless they were hiding something.
     “Let us pass.” At this point she reached over her shoulder and pulled her sword from her back, slowly, for dramatic effect. “I said, let us pass.”
     Needing to keep control of the situation and his men, he lunged for her. Esa twisted to one side and used the tip of her blade to kiss his skin. He quickly moved away to find a cut across his hand.
     “Come on. I know you’re not stupid so let us pass and leave us alone.” Esa’s voice was one of calm, but the undercurrent behind it pulled the man up short. After a moment or two he made a decision and signaled to the others. Before they could move in, Rootu threw tiny yellow spheres in their direction and they froze, unable to move at all.
     “What did you do?”
     “They’ll be fine in an hour or so. Now let us go.” Esa stated a little louder this time. It wasn’t hard to see that the man was losing control. With no idea of how many people were out there, she contemplated using her magic, at least a shield to protect them. As ice filled her veins she focused on the man in front of her, black beginning to invade the blue of her eyes. Something was wrong, her shield didn’t materialize, instead pain radiated across her temple as a heavy object smashed into her face and she lurched forward. Before anyone else reacted, Rootu had thrown two more spheres at the unseen men and did his best to protect Esa while she recovered.
     Her head throbbed and she shook it trying to clear her mind, but the blood dripping down her face distracted her.
     “Esa! Can you stand?” He gently pulled her to her feet but she staggered sideways and fell to her knees.
     “Not so tough now, are you?” More stones flew in their direction; Rootu did his best to shield Esa as little stabs of pain scattered across his back.
     “What’s going on over there?” A voice called out from the cover of the trees. The men who were left suddenly disappeared into the shadows.