Showing posts with label Blog Tour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blog Tour. Show all posts

Monday, September 14, 2015

Blog Tour: Clockwork Menagerie (Shadows of Asphodel, #2.5), by KarenKincy



I am so happy to be part of the blog tour of: 
Clockwork Menagerie (Shadows of Asphodel, #2.5), by Karen Kincy

As a fan of her work I couldn't resist this opportunity. I've contributed to both her Kickstarter campaigns for her Shadows of Asphodel series and I highly recommend it to all those alternate universe lovers of the early twentieth century. 

Genre: Historical-fantasy romance
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Date of Release: September 1, 2015
Cover Artist: Eugene Teplitsky

Find Online: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

Description:
A companion novella to the Shadows of Asphodel series, from Konstantin's point of view.

Konstantin would love to hide in his laboratory and dissect the clockwork dragon captured from Russia, but the Archmages of Vienna have other plans. He finds himself shipped off to St. Petersburg as the scientific attaché to an ambassador. His orders? Look, but don't touch. Of course, he considers this an impossible request with so much enemy technomancy to explore.

To make matters worse, Konstantin has to work with the dashing zeppelin commander Himmel, a man who should also be untouchable. They can't act on the smoldering attraction between them without risking it all. Faced with an illegal relationship and a devious rival technomancer, Konstantin might not return from this mission in Russia without conquering the forbidden.

About The Author:




Karen Kincy (Kirkland, Washington) can be found lurking in her writing cave, though sunshine will lure her outside. When not writing, she stays busy gardening, tinkering with aquariums, or running just one more mile. Karen has a BA in Linguistics and Literature from The Evergreen State College.

Find Karen Kincy Online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads


My Thoughs

I am so happy I was able to pay a nice visit to the world portrayed in the Shadows of Asphodel's books. This alternate history with gears, zeppelins, complicated magic, war and engaging characters is a must read!

This novella gave me all that I expected regarding previous Karen Kincy's stories. Even got me wanting moooreeeee.

Konstantin is such a great character. Is fun to learn more about his passion for his work, his desires and his loyalties.

The relationship between him and Captain Himmel was believable and perfectly described. This was the first m/m story I've read and I'm glad for it. Love is an amazing theme to weave a cool story.

The setting was absolutely brilliant, I felt the cold weather, the sense of time and space while doing that snowy exploration with Konstantin: from The Trans Siberian Railway descriptions, to St. Petersburg.
The food was so yummy: salmon, spicy ciders, borsch garnished with dill and sour cream, walnut salad, beef stroganoff, tarts stuffed with cherries and sandwiches made with love. I was mouthwatering with these delicious fictional meals! And I laughed when I imagined Konstantin and his allergy to potatoes and tomatoes riding on top of sacks of potatoes.

And a nice canine companion: Fang is so cute! I wish she gets a more prominent role in the future adventures of Konstantin and Himmel :)

Overall I hope there are more stories around Shadows of Asphodel.






Curiosity Quills Press (CQ) is a small hybrid publishing company specializing in genre fiction of the highest quality. With 150+ titles in our catalog already and approximately 6 new books coming out each month, there’s never a dull moment at CQ. We work with major retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Audible to ensure that you, the reader, can find whatever you are looking for at your convenience.

Founded in 2011 by Eugene Teplitsky and Lisa Gus, CQ was initially a resource portal for writing and publishing, created in an effort to help writers, like themselves, survive the publishing industry. After rapid success, CQ morphed into publishing press that over time has solidified its share in the market. Now we spend our days searching for the next great escape!

Monday, September 8, 2014

Blog tour: 'The Undead: playing for keeps' Giveaway & recipe!

https://curiosityquills.com/news/book-release-the-undead-playing-for-keeps-by-elsie-elmore/
This week, I'm participating in the Blog Tour of the book:


The Undead: Playing for Keeps, by Elsie Elmore


Genre: young-adult, paranormal-romance

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Date of Publication: September 3rd, 2014

Cover Artist: Alexandria Thompson

Add to your Goodreads list





Description:

When an undead woman with serious de-comp issues stalks sixteen-year-old Lyla Grimm, her hope of rescuing her rock-bottom reputation takes a back seat. Especially once Lyla’s new talent of resurrecting the dead draws the attention of Eric, a Grim Reaper with a guitar and a chip on his shoulder.

While Lyla navigates the gossip-ridden halls, Eric works to gain her trust and discover why Death’s clients aren’t staying down. If she passes on her gift, his death-messenger destiny might be altered. But the closer he gets to Lyla, the less sure he is of his plan. The dead are way easier to deal with than the living.

Gossip explodes, the Grimm family implodes, and desperation sets in. Death wants the gift and a soul. Lyla and Eric face hard choices with hidden consequences. Sometimes life’s choices aren’t really choices at all.



About The Author:

Elsie Elmore lives in North Carolina with her husband and two kids. With a science education degree from NCSU, she never imagined she would someday write stories that challenge the laws of nature. She loves the color red, has an appreciation for chocolate and coffee that borders on obsession, and wishes fall temperatures would linger year round.

Elsie is a member of several writing organizations: RWA, SCBWI, and WSW.  The Undead : Playing for Keeps is her debut novel.


Find Elsie Elmore Online:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads 



MY THOUGHTS

This book was fun! It has necromancy, an amazing rock band and a few kisses.
What else do you need?

It's told from two alternating points of view, Layla and Eric. Their encounter is triggered by the unexpected disappearance of a dead woman's body from Layla's family Funeral Home. Lost between their own explanations and roles, their confrontations become more and more uncomfortable, as the recently deceased appear to haunt Layla's sanity.

Issues about family obligations, friendship, trust, hope and bullying will certainly keep you glued to this story.

 It made me wonder a lot about those dark teen years, when you learn life is not as simple as it seems and high school is just dreadful. The book was short and satisfying. Although, I wished for more kisses, they were perfect when accomplished :)

What I really like (besides the paranormal necromancy stuff), was the commitment of Layla to her family. Her devotion and love to her parents and brother is something that shone through her ordeals. I also enjoyed imagining the music her brother, Ben plays. I love rock music and being able to infuse such enthusiasm for his band, made Ben a key star in this book. Obviously, Eric's song was swoony enough to make me kind of forgive him.

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I received a copy of this book from its publisher Curiosity Quills in exchange of an honest review, no songs where sang during this exchange. Thank you.

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 photo cookingghilbi_zps9658be6d.gif

For my Fictional Meals section, I decided to focus on the High School cafeteria food fare. My experience and popular culture has infused me with the notion of what to expect in a High School cafeteria. I was gingerly reading through this book when I came across Sloppy Joes. Since I'm not from the US, I have to admit that I was unfamiliar with this meal. So obviously I did a quick search and found out what I was missing! However, since I don't eat beef I wanted to know if a vegetarian solution was possible and voilá..... Jaime Oliver to the rescue! Yes, the same one who has made great efforts to change school's diets has a perfect recipe for this on his website. Enjoy:

Vegan lentil sloppy Joes (Serves 6) 

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 red or yellow sweet pepper, diced
2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 cup (200g) French lentils
1- 28oz (796ml) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
6 whole-wheat or sprouted grain buns, sliced in half

Toppings (optional): relish, pickles, avocado, coleslaw, sliced onions…anything goes! Heat the olive oil in a medium, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, pepper and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until they soften. Sprinkle in the cumin and chilli powder; cook for an additional minute. Add the lentils, 3 cups of water, tomato sauce, tomato paste and Sriracha. Increase heat to high and bring the lentils a simmer. Cook uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more water if the level falls below the lentils. Taste the lentils, and if they are sufficiently tender (stoves and pots may vary) add the salt and balsamic. Stir and serve over buttered buns you favourite toppings.

PURCHASE LINKS



GIVEAWAYS 
(US & CA only, sorry INT'L peeps)




Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Undead by Elsie Elmore

The Undead

by Elsie Elmore

Giveaway ends September 24, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
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