Showing posts with label #halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #halloween. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Spooky Reads

Posted by Susan B James on 3:00:00 AM with No comments
Happy Halloween. In honor of the eerie holiday I offer you some spooky reads.
While I have been know to scare people,
Me as The Real Butcher in AHS Roanoke.

I myself am not much of a spooky reader.

I went afield to my LARA and Soul Mate Facebook groups and asked for suggestions. Christiana Miiller, Aurora Peridot and Allison Morse sent me suggestions. Here they are, I've linked the titles to Goodreads.

But first: S.C Mitchell's book There's No Such Thing As Werewolves is currently free on Amazon. I've read his book, Blame it on the Blarmlings and enjoyed it, So I picked up my free copy.

The list sent me gave me a few books that I as a non-scary reader wanted to read.

Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie The thought that Jen Crusie wrote a spooky book which I apparently forgot about sent me haring off to the library for a copy. I had a wonderful time reading it last week. Just my degree of scary. I highly recommend.

Summer of Fear by Lois Duncan (YA)

Ghosts by Noel Hynd

Bag of Bones by Stephen King (There is no way I'm ever reading, or watching Stephen King. The only thing we have in common is that we were both scared to death by Bambi as children.)


14 by Peter Clines This sounds interesting. If anyone has read it, please comment on how scary it is.

 Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead by Christiana Miller
I've read this one. It's funny and spooky. Just the right amount of spookiness for me. I don't mind ghosts and magic. But I don't want to be up all night imagining terrifying things.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Read that book in high school and loved it. The film versions are both good, but the one with Julie Harris is the best. (Allison Morse) 
Hailed as the perfect work of unnerving terror. Not going to read it ever. (Susan)



Interview With A Vampire by Anne Rice

For Paranormal Erotic Romance with Vampires, Laurel K. Hamilton


Haunted Ground by Erin Hart Ireland. Archaeology.Mystery. A perfectly preserved head of a young woman with long red hair. I marked it to read.

Night of the Living Deed by E.J. Copperman I marked this one to read on Goodreads.

We're Off To Find The Witch's House by Richard Krieb (children's book. I want to read this to my grandson.)

The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox 
(Christiana says, not specifically Halloween, but a fun paranormal)

Murder in the Neighborhood by Janis Lane (a Halloween mystery,)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (children's book) I remember blogging in a first lines post about this book. It's pretty amazing.

Every Witch Way But Wicked (edited by Barbra Annino -Christiana  said, "it's a charity Halloween anthology that I'm in, that benefits Kids Need to Read)
I like short stories and I like the charity and it is 2.99. I bought it,

The New Vampire's Handbook: A Guide for the Recently Turned Creature of the
Night by Joe Garden

Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore

Hell House by Richard Matheson

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
I read Practical Magic several ears ago. Not scary and very good.

 Phantoms by Dean Koontz.
Last, but it ought to be first. From the woman who won the Who Can Write the Scariest Novel contest that Lord Byron thought up in 1816 - Mary Wollstoncraft Shelley
Frankenstein 

If you want to add your favorite horror read in comments, please do. Happy Haunting.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Pamela DuMond with a comedy/mystery and her How-to book -Staying Young

Posted by Susan B James on 3:00:00 AM with 7 comments


Pamela DuMond is here with two giveaways, a great cookie recipe and the latest entry in her hilarious Annie Graceland mystery series, Cupcakes, Bats, and Scare-dy Cats which is available on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo and Nook

Dear Sue:
 Thanks for having me on your blog again. You and your crew are so fun and welcoming!

My new book Cupcakes, Bats, and Scare-dy Cats (An Annie Graceland Cozy Mystery, #6) published in November 2015.

Description:
 Annie Graceland has a pinch of psychic ability. It turns out her cat, Theodore, does too! 
Annie’s helping out her new neighbor by dog sitting. Her apartment complex has a “NO DOGS” rental policy, and the creepy manager, Anthony Spiggottini, accuses her of violating the lease and threatens to evict her. She’s out at a Halloween party with her handsome detective boyfriend, when Anthony busts into her place, and literally lets the dog and cat out. She’d gladly have killed him, but someone beats her to it. 
Now Annie’s searching for her lost cat while dealing with Anthony’s ghost who refuses to accept that he’s dead. It’s a good thing she doesn’t know that Theodore, Mozart the dog, and Bloody Mary, (the spirit cat they conjured), are running loose on Venice streets, tracking down murder suspects. 
Cupcakes,Bats, and Scare-dy Cats is a hilarious, pet-friendly cozy mystery, told through the eyes of the cats, the dog, and Annie.
 I can't wait to read this one! I love the series.
You asked how Annie Graceland came to be.

I grew up on I Love Lucy re-runs and inhaled the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series. I’m a huge fan of actresses/comediennes Sandra Bullock, Debra Messing, and Meghan McCarthy. I wanted to create a funny mystery with a feisty, well-intentioned, fish-out-of-water heroine who possessed a pinch of psychic ability. It seemed like a recipe for entertaining stories that included trouble, laughs, nostalgia, and a few tears. 
This is my 6th Annie Graceland Cozy Mystery and I plan on writing more.

I had a few problems writing Cupcakes, Bats, and Scare-dy Cats.
 It wasn’t so easy writing the cats’ and the dog’s POVs. (Especially not the dog’s…) Too frequently I found myself staring at my two cats wondering what they’d say in these odd situations. I was grateful no one could ‘read my mind’ while I wrote this book, because I felt a little ridiculous.

As a ‘Thank You’ for having me on your blog, I’d like to offer 1 free e-copy of Scare-dy Cats, as well as 1 copy of my book Staying Young: Simple Techniques toLook and Feel Young.

Happy Holidays!
 Xo
 Pamela DuMond


Staying Young: Simple Techniques to Look and Feel Young

You want to drop that extra weight you gained when you concentrated on your kids, or quit smoking. You want to look and feel younger no matter what your age. You want easy ways to reduce your back and neck pain.

STAYING YOUNG will give you easy tips and inexpensive techniques to do just that.

This book makes it easy to look and feel younger without spending hours, or giving up your favorite cocktail, or hamburger.

STAYING YOUNG offers tiny changes that are easy, take a moment or two and bonus--are inexpensive. Tips to lose weight (the author just lost over twenty-five pounds using these very tips.) A stretch for your tight shoulders. Simple ways to decrease neck and lower back pain. Reminders how to regain youthful posture and movement.

STAYING YOUNG is a tool for those of us who, no matter what age we clock in at, choose to lose the back pain, ditch some pounds, feel better, and look younger. This self-help book is filled with easy tips and techniques that include clearly-written descriptions and photos that will help you look and feel better.

For thirty plus years, Pamela DuMond, Chiropractor, has worked on the various body parts of the rich and famous, as well as the rest of us normal folks. She's treated members of the Chicago Bears and other celebrity athletes. She's worked with actors, movie producers, studio heads and rock stars. She's treated people on TV sets, on breaks between filming, theatrical musical productions, and behind the scenes during rock concerts. Now she brings all this experience to you!

Lose weight. Feel great. Age-proof yourself!
I'm entering the giveaway myself. Both these books sound great. And, as promised, here is the recipe. Rafflecopter is below. Enjoy.

Toffee Square Cookies
 By
Margaret Dieman

Ingredients:
½ C melted butter
3 C rolled oats
1 C brown sugar
1 Tsp salt
1 egg beaten
½ C dark syrup???
1 Tsp??? vanilla
¼ C sifted flour
1 six oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Instructions:
Combine butter and oats and mix well.
Combine the flour, sugar, salt, the egg, vanilla, and dark syrup and mix well.
Blend these two mixtures together thoroughly. 
Spread evenly in the bottom of a greased 9X13 baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.
Return to the over for 1 to 2 minutes to melt the chocolate. Sprinkle with nuts if you wish.
Cool and cut into squares.
         Should yield approximately 24 squares.
Holiday Heaven!! 
Happy reading and eating. And then buy Pam's book to get back in shape.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Bewitching Desires 12 Otherworldly Stories for Your Halloween Delight # Giveaway

Posted by Susan B James on 3:00:00 AM with 20 comments

Dearest Readers
Want a good Halloween Read?

Because I love you I am giving away three copies of  Bewitching Desires.  Of course, if you don't want to wait, you can get these twelve bewitching tales right now for only 99 cents.
               iBooks Buy Link    Amazon Buy Link    Barnes & Noble Buy Link 

(An incredible bargain. I couldn't resist it )






Bewitching Desires features 12 interwoven stories based in Savannah on the holiday of Samhain, or as humans refer to it — Halloween. While the witches of the Savannah coven prepare for the holiday, there is much afoot. Readers are magically transported into the world of witches, warlocks, shifters, angels, demons, elves, ghosts, werewolves and even a Valkyrie. 
This collection was put together by Rebekah R. Graniere,  a Fantasy & Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance & Sci-Fi Author whom I strongly suspect  has wizard blood. Her debut novel Dead Awakenings, released in January 2014 hit Amazon’s Best Seller List the first day. Plus Rebekah released five more books in 2014 and how many in 2015? I know she has another coming out on November 3rd. - The Rise of the Fae (The Society Trilogy Book 2


Here are the blurbs and covers for the twelve stories. I truly love these covers! Rafflecopter at the end of post, but for 99 cents, why wait? I am giving away Kindle copies.
Kissed By the Reaper
Rebekah R. Ganiere
Some loves are worth a battle with both heaven and hell to keep.

Rose committed an unpardonable sin right before she died. As penance, she has been reaping souls for Lucifer for over twenty years. On Halloween night she finds herself in Podunk nowhere ushering souls back to hell when she runs into the mysteriously handsome Gabriel who's not at all what he seems. After chasing him into a cornfield and battling an angel to get Gabriel's soul, she leaves with more questions than answers.
Gabriel is an angel hiding out as a jumper. A soul that jumps from body to body to stay hidden on Earth. But when he finds himself mortally wounded there is only one person he can turn to for protection. The feisty and beautiful reaper who tried to kill him the year before.
With Gabriel recuperating in her bed, Rose is summoned by her boss to hell where he makes her a proposal. Find the jumper Gabriel and deliver his soul, and she will be set free. Fail and become Lucifer's bride forever. It should be an easy choice. Problem is, Gabriel is the first person Rose has been able to touch without scaring to death in the last twenty years. And just his presence has begun to bring back hidden memories from her human life. In the end Rose will have to make the ultimate decision. Choosing Gabriel or choosing herself.


All’s Fair: Love & Warlocks
Tami Lund
Sometimes what you think you don’t want is exactly what you need.

Blurb:  Adanna Granier is the reluctant Supreme Witch of the Savannah Coven, marked for the position at birth, as defined by the scrollwork permanently tattooed on her face. All she wants is to be human. But when attractive warlock Anton Burke shows up hours before the Halloween coven meeting, Adanna begins to rethink her determination to stay away from her own kind.
Anton Burke has come to Savannah for one purpose: to usurp the Supreme. Instead of doing his job, he finds himself attracted to her in a way he has never felt before. When strange occurrences start happening, Anton must decide whether to stand by Adanna – or destroy her.

 Micah’s Mess
Niki Daninger

When an envious warlock bent on taking coven rule from his sister, saves an angel, he learns there is more to life than his bruised self-worth.

Blurb:  Micah is a self proclaimed selfish-ass, who wants nothing more than to take over the Savannah Coven. He doesn’t need an angel looking over his shoulder, and he doesn’t need to feel responsible for her safety. But fate intervenes. As the two travel across the southern half of The United States, they must face demons—his and hers, and discover the one thing that can save them both.  



Love Spell
Jennifer Ray
When an inexperienced witch messes up her spell and the man of her dreams falls in love with her, she must figure out how to undo the mess, even if that means she’ll lose him forever.

Blurb:  Keira Weathersby loves to help people with the matters of the heart and the body as a witch and pharmacist. But when her childhood rival demands her help, Keira will have to use her craft on the one man she can’t get out of her mind or heart.
Wade Hadley’s girlfriend enjoys leaving hints that she wants to get engaged. The only problem is he doesn’t want to get married right now especially when he’s unsure of his feelings.
When Keira messes up a love spell and Wade professes his love for her, she must figure out how to undo her spell, even if that means Wade will run back to his dreadful girlfriend.

The Banshee and the Barista
Danielle Donaldson
A young banshee can't escape the death that constantly surrounds her, but she can't seem to keep the handsome barista at arm's length despite the shadow hanging over them.
 Blurb:  Jenny was thirteen years old when she accidentally killed her parents. It seems like every time she opens her mouth, people around her start dropping dead. She's learned to live with her power, keep her mouth shut, and stay away from people. She's learned the art of healing through touch with the help of her coven. Yet, Mac, the motor-mouth barista from the local coffee shop, wiggles into her life and shows her that her witchcraft is much stronger than she originally thought. Jenny discovers that being a Banshee doesn't have to be a silent life of sadness.

Promised Magic
    Sheri Williams
Will the girl he was promised to as a child, be the one to unlock his magic?

Blurb:  When Brior was a child he had an idyllic home life, living on a farm, mostly out of the general population.  But when disaster strikes and his parents die, he is thrust into the foster system. All the while he’s harboring a secret. A secret that will change his life when he turns 18. When he wakes up with magical powers Brior doesn't know what to do. Adrift in his life for a few years, it isn't until a mysterious letter arrives that his life changes.
Promised to a child from another magical family at a young age, Brior will leave all he knows to find the girl from the letter. To find out more about his powers. With the help of the girl from the letter, he will unlock his hidden abilities, and become the man he was always meant to be.

Drifter’s Moon
Michele Mohr
A witch’s magic is put to the test when she becomes the target of a vengeful ghost at a haunted motel on Halloween.
Blurb:  Savannah James is a Natural Gray, a rare type of witch that can successfully practice both white and black magic. Feeling trapped by her coven’s strict rules, she decides to fly her broomstick solo and break the news of her resignation at their big annual meeting on Halloween.
Trouble has other plans for her when she unexpectedly finds herself tracking down her con artist ex-boyfriend Levi the day before the big event to recover her priceless moonstone necklace he stole from her.
When a locater spell leads her to an off the map truck stop diner in rural Georgia, she crosses paths with lonely drifter Jesse King, a green eyed, all American country boy from her childhood.
Craving a little love and adventure in addition to the menu items at the greasy spoon, Jesse offers Savannah a ride after an her intense run in with Levi at the diner, and they end up at the creepy roadside motel, the Drifter’s Moon.
While rekindling their friendship as adults, Savannah and Jesse quickly learn things aren’t what they seem underneath the dust and outdated décor of the motel, and checking out might be harder than they think. Is Savannah’s magic strong enough to defeat a vengeful ghost and break a decades old curse to get to the coven meeting on time, or will she and Jesse become the motel’s new permanent residents?

Where the Heart Belongs
Maria Arell
Kilyn goes from being an orphan to having a large family in a matter of days, but is she ready to embrace her heritage?

Blurb:  After being orphaned at a young age, Kilyn has finally settled in Savannah, Georgia, and is quite content with her life. A letter arrives and turns everything upside down and brings Felix, who Kilyn feels inexplicably attracted to. But can she trust him?
Felix was sent to keep Kilyn under a watchful eye, but can he keep his distance? He’s used to doing things on his own, but she is tempting him in ways he hadn’t thought possible. And what comes first, love or family?


A Stolen Spell
A.E. Snow
Can Isadora save Savannah from an evil spell and her own family?

Blurb:  Isadora Blackwood is a shy, reserved librarian. She’s passionate about history and preservation and happens to be the keeper of the histories for the witches of Savannah, a job she takes very seriously. Spells, stories, and memoirs lie in her care, and she’s devoted her life to the work. On Halloween, Isadora arrives at the library to find that the history of her own family, the notorious Blackwoods, and an ancient and dangerous spell have been stolen.
To complicate matters, Graham Hart, a visiting professor arrives in town, and Isadora finds herself enamored of him. With his help, Isadora goes on a wild goose chase across Savannah to find the spell and the thief. The hunt leads them to the famous Bonaventure Cemetery, an antebellum mansion, and a wild Halloween masquerade ball.
Will she be too late to save Savannah from evil and from the Blackwoods? 

The Heart of a Hunter
Andra Shine
Ashley, a spoilt young witch must break a love spell, defeat her enemy and learn some manners, to win the heart of her true love.

Blurb:  With all her power, most things in Ashley’s life come easy, but when her aged aunts cast a true love spell on her, the spoilt young witch must learn to think of someone other than herself. When she rescues a hunted man, she doesn’t know if she will end up at the hands of her enemy, or in the arms of her true love.
Ashley must choose between lust and love, self and others, hunted and hunter. It should be like taking Halloween candy from a baby; after all, it’s only her heart at stake.


Running with Magic
Sonja Fröjdendal
Sunshine is a witch who can bottle emotions, but with the ruler of demons and his son crazy for her, loving the right demon is hell.

Blurb:  Sunshine is a witch who can bottle emotions and that’s not her only talent. With a long line of witches behind her, she isn’t scared that she has a hot demon following her.
 She does mind that his father has taken a shine to her too, and as ruler of the night demons, has sent an army to capture her as his bride.
Even with her occult powers and a dragon as her ride, Sunshine is finding that loving the right demon is hell.


Magical Shift
Kay Blake
Sparks fly when a young telekinetic witch is put under the protection of a rugged, but handsome stranger who is more than what meets the eye.

Blurb:  Paige has always been a loner. After the death of her nana, she takes solace in her job and taking long runs in the woods. Her usual place of solitude is threatened by an unknown presence and a rather handsome mystery man who lands on her doorstep quite literally. 
Falling in love with the handsome stranger wasn’t part of the plan, but that is exactly what begins to happen. When old friends and secrets start to unravel, Paige is left with trying to find a balance between what she thought she knew and what her heart says.

If even one of these stories piqued your interest, you've got a bargain. Or you can just try to win one. But you won't receive it till after Halloween. So
     iBooks Buy Link    Amazon Buy Link    Barnes & Noble Buy Link 

Or enter Below. Happy Reading.


a Rafflecopter giveaway