Amazon Tablet & rumors: DO WANT!

I've been somewhat following the rumors that have been floating about the potential Amazon tablet. Jeff Bezos has been rather coy about any potential tablets, never really giving out a definite answer as to when or how their own tablet will be released.

It's pretty much a given as to whether or not it will happen. After all, tablets are the "it" thing right now & it'd be incredibly foolhardy for amazon to pass up an opportunity to offer their own version. They're well known for successfully introducing their own ereader into the general public during a time where ereaders were pretty much a non-mainstream item. Even with the strong competition from Barnes & Nobles, Amazon has still managed to keep the kindle relevant, so I'm not surprised that they'd try to repeat this success with a tablet.

But what type of tablet? The rumors have ranged from the following:

*It'll run on android. (Not really a surprise. Android is really popular.)
*It'll have streaming movies. (Again, not a surprise. I expect that the AT will try to do everything the iPad can do.)
*Amazon is expecting to ship between half a million to a million units a month. (This is a little extravagant but I can see high amounts being shipped, especially if pre-existing kindle users get offered a special deal.)
*There are going to be 2 tablets offered. (Sort of doubting this, but it might be a good idea if amazon were to offer a cheaper, simpler tablet for people on a budget. It'd definitely take some wind out of iPad's sails since one of the biggest complains about the iPad is that it's too expensive.)

Supposedly we can expect the AT to appear sometime towards the end of the summer or mid-fall. I have to admit, I'm definitely intrigued. I've been wanting an iPad for a while but the price really deters me from purchasing one. If I could get something that's just as good for half or a third of the price, I'd probably go for it.

Book Review: The Paradise Prophecy

Title: The Paradise Prophecy
Author: Robert Browne
Publisher: Penguin Group
Release Date: 07/21/2011
ISBN: 9780525952237







The Da Vinci Code is going to both help & hinder Browne when it comes to this book. As both books deal with religious mysteries, the two of them are going to inevitably be compared to one another. The authors having nearly identical last names will only help further this along. It'll help since people will see this book, remember the good times they had reading TDVC, & pick The Paradise Prophecy up. It'll hinder because people won't find a TDVC-esque read behind these covers. Which I view as a very good thing. (Hey, there are enough clones out there.)

In the bestselling tradition of Dan Brown, Douglas Preston, and Lincoln Child comes a spectacular thriller inspired by John Milton's Paradise Lost, in which the final chapter of the War in Heaven is about to play out on Earth, with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance.

THE MYTH:
When God cast the archangel Satan into Hell, ending the War in Heaven, peace prevailed on Earth. Until the fallen angels took revenge in the Garden of Eden. Ever since, mankind has been in a struggle between good and evil, paradise and apocalypse: the fall of Rome, the Crusades, world wars, nuclear proliferation, the Middle East crisis. The War in Heaven never really ended-it just changed venues. For millennia, God's angels have been fighting Satan's demons on Earth to try to prevent Satan's greatest ambition-the apocalypse.

THE REALITY:
Satan has never been closer to his goal than right now.

Agent Bernadette Callahan is a talented investigator at a shadowy government organization known only as Section, on the trail of a serial killer with nearly supernatural abilities. Sebastian "Batty" LaLaurie is a religious historian who knows far too much about the other side-and that hard-earned knowledge is exactly what Callahan needs. This unlikely duo pairs up for a race across the globe, decoding clues left in ancient texts from the Bible to Paradise Lost and beyond. In the process they stumble upon a vast conspiracy-one beyond the scope of mankind's darkest imagination.

This book was fantastic. I'm always looking for something, anything that will give me that heady rush that getting wrapped up in a good book always gives me. I absolutely loved that Browne didn't go the traditional route with this sort of book, which is to give us either a Dan Brown or a James Rollins clone. I also love that he gave us heroes that are so flawed, so initially corruptible. Batty & Callahan play well off of each other, him being the Mulder to Callahan's Scully. I also appreciated how the idea of angels & evil played into the book without going too over my head. This was an easily addictive read & I'm glad to have read it.

I can't help but feel that there will be a few people who will be inevitably disappointed that this book goes more to the supernatural than the whole "historical/mythological treasure hunt" angle that is predominant in the genre. I can understand that to a point, but if they allow that to completely taint their reading they'll be missing out on a really fun read.

The book wraps itself up nicely, but hopefully Browne will write a sequel or two. This is far too good to just be one book & I'm really digging his writing style. It's very addicting.

4/5

(ARC provided by Netgalley)

Check it Out: Contest winner!

Hi everyone!

Sorry for posting the results of the contest so late! I ended up pulling a double shift & spent most of the weekend asleep! Sorry about that!!!

In any case, I picked a winner using random.org (awesome site to play around with, if you're curious) & here's the winner:


Auntie Deb!

I'll be sending you an email with the winning code from smashwords!

Book Review: Sacred Evil by Heather Graham

Title: Sacred Evil (Krewe of Hunters #3)
Author: Heather Graham
Publisher: Mira
Release Date: 07/26/2011
ISBN: 0778312429







If you were like me & was disappointed in the previous book in the series, take an easy breath: this book is better. It's not as fun as the first book was, but it's still much more intriguing than Heart of Evil.

A terror born of Jack the Ripper

The details of the crime scene are no coincidence. The body—a promising starlet—has been battered, bloodied and then discarded between two of Manhattan's oldest graveyards.

One look and Detective Jude Crosby recognizes the tableau:

A re–creation of Jack the Ripper's gruesome work. But he also sees something beyond the actions of a mere copycat. Something more dangerous…and unexplainable.

As the city seethes with suspicion, Jude calls on Whitney Tremont, a member of the country's preeminent paranormal investigating team, to put the speculation to rest. Yet when Whitney and Jude delve deeper, what they discover is more shocking than either could have predicted, and twice as sinister…

It's really hard to write a book with Ripper themes to it & not have the book be incredibly interesting. What really intrigued me about the book is how much Graham took from past events. I was surprised to know that there were a series of murders in New York that closely mirrored Jack the Ripper's style & that even today, the murderer was never caught. That played in well with the modern day killings in this book, making the suspense that much more thrilling & fun to read.

The romance in the book is mostly cut & dry, sadly. The chemistry between our two main characters doesn't really come through as well as I'd wanted it to, although I will admit that their later love scenes are pretty sizzling. The mystery does make up for this for most of the book, so I was well willing to overlook this. The only downfall of the mystery is that the conclusion is a little abrupt. The killer's identity was about what I was expecting but it came about so quickly that I couldn't help but feel like I'd missed out on something. I couldn't help but feel that a quick 5 pages or so would have helped ease the transition from chase to resolution a bit better.

This was still very fun to read & it'll make for an excellent beach read when it's released. Despite a few mild disappointments in the last few books, this is a series that I'd still recommend & am still waiting to see how it all pans out in the end.

3 out of 5 stars

(ARC provided by Netgalley)

Pottermore: Cool or disappointing?

I'll admit that I was just as eager as most to find out what the mysterious Pottermore website was about. Was it new information? New books? Maybe a series of short stories set in the world? The possibilities were endless. The wait & anticipation only made the speculation in the Harry Potter communities grow even more.

And then we found out what it was.



Don't get me wrong. The idea of official ebooks of the series is nice (although bootleg ebook versions abound on the internet) & having interactive content is cool as well. All that additional info on the series that JK claimed she had is cool as well.

It's just that all the site will basically contain are the ebooks & the equivalent of a Harry Potter encyclopedia. It's a little disappointing, to be honest. I will admit that I'm going to check out the website when it opens but probably not in the day or even the month (October, if you're curious) that it opens unless I hear it's really cool.

I don't have anything against the idea of it. It's just that I don't understand all the fanfare. It's like someone constantly telling you "Oh man, this is going to be THE best dinner ever- you wait & see" for a whole week, then you get home on the day in question & it's just a microwaved Hot Pocket. It's still delicious but you were expecting something a little bit bigger & fancier.

Check it Out: Linda Hawley

Today's the last day of the series, so I'm giving you double the author goodness with Linda Hawley!

I notice that your book deals with a not-too-far-in-the-future where everyone is tracked. What made you come up with this frightening (yet entirely plausible) idea?

I want to try to make the world a better place. I am an observer of life, and those observations have led me to realize that many are unhappy with the government’s involvment in people’s lives. The inspiration for The Prophecies trilogy started with that. Tracking through RFID came about after I started to research the technology; it absolutely blew my mind. It’s being used right now in most advanced countries in the world, to track citizens. Taking the next step, into the future use of it in 2015, wasn’t that big of a leap.

Have you based any of the elements in your book on true life experiences or people? Obviously there's some creative liberty taken, but is any of it based on real situations? (That you can tell us, anyway.)

The last chapter of Dreams Unleashed came from an experience that I had. When I wrote it down (in story form), the main character, Ann Torgeson, was born.

What do you do when you hit a creative roadblock?

For me, writing is the easy part. There was one junction in writing Dreams Unleashed, where I ran out of ideas. I was talking in bed with my husband (at 3:00 AM, after writing), and told him that I had no idea what would happen to this character next. I said that my mind was a blank—nothing was happening. The next day, from work, he sent me an email with some ideas he had. One really funny idea stuck, and you'll find it in chapter 22 of Dreams Unleashed; it has to do with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

For some it's the title, for others it's getting that perfect ending: What's the hardest thing about writing for you?

That would be editing. I want to make it clear that I have a content editor that is the Special Forces equivalent. But I detest the editing process; it’s actually painful for me. I lost at least 20,000 words in the editing process of Dreams Unleashed. In those 20k words, was a hat that one of my characters was wearing that I was very fond of. : ( However, with all that said, with very good content editing, the story is fit for comsumption by readers.

You've had an incredible past, working for the government as well as in our military (which I totally appreciate). Do you have any cool stories you can tell us? Did working at these places help or hinder your writing?

I have to be very careful here; I’m sure they’re listening. : /

I really wanted to include the military in this story, as part of Ann’s past, because I wanted to show another side of how the military contributes to government intelligence. I am certain that my understanding of these things helped me write the humor present in Dreams Unleashed. The scene with Ann at the shooting range was one that happened to me, so writing about it was fun.
That’s about all I can say. : /

Why should readers read your book?

This first book in The Prophecies trilogy is about getting yourself strapped in for a wild ride of adventure where anything is possible using the human mind. I have created multidimensional characters that stick with the reader, and that readers can invest in. In this trilogy, connections are everywhere. It’s the kind of novel that you can go back and read it a second time, and glean more from it. It keeps giving.

Can you tell us little bit more about yourself, family, or hobbies (other than writing or reading)?

I've kayaked from one island to another in the Carribean. I've backpacked the Appalachian Trail in West Virginia with the Sierra Club. I've attended a Christmas party at the White House and have been on Air Force One. I've been to Europe many times (I am in love with Paris, which will be a part of book two of The Prophecies). I’ve jumped out of a plane and had my parachute lines tangle, making me think through the emergency rather quickly. Of course, I've sailed the San Juan Islands, which are featured in Dreams Unleashed.

Any funny quirks or pet peeves?

I chew ice when I’m writing a tense passage in my novels. My dentist doesn’t like it.

Anything you want to say to readers and fans?

Recently I received permission from a number of Book Reviewers to use their quotes in interviews. Their objective perspectives are very insightful. Here is what they’ve said about reading and reviewing Dreams Unleashed (book one in The Prophecies trilogy):

“Ann is one of the most complex characters I’ve ever read…. The world is dystopian: the government is the evil Big Brother keeping people safe even against their will. Yet, the characters aren’t depressed or desperate. They try to live their normal lives which includes laughter, too.”
Mervi's Book Reviews

“The book really pushed me out of my comfort zone as I’ve never read any other book similar to this…. From the very beginning, the book kept me intrigued by its mystifying plot and excellent narration. I must laud the author for her ability to write her story in the finest detail, which makes the story sound somewhat believable. Everything was described superbly…. Overall, this novel is a real and pure page-turner.”
Vanessa Eric, The Bornean Bookworm

“The book has some references to current political figures and situations that make it very easy to get sucked into the story. The book is extremely well written and had my attention from the beginning to the end.”
Scott, Indie Book Blog

“It's like a present that you are slowly unwrapping layer by layer.”
Smitten With Reading
“If you put Dana Scully and Fox Mulder into a blender and hit puree, they’d make a mean Ann Torgeson. Dreams Unleashed was a great start to what I’m sure will be a fantastic book series. It poked fun at the TSA, and gave a frightful vision into a not-too-distant world where privacy truly is a thing of the past.”
She Never Slept

Thank you for reading my stories!
Linda

Book/Author Information

The eBook version of Dreams Unleashed is available for purchase now at $2.99 (for all eBook readers) at Smashwords, Amazon, as well as at Barnes & Noble.

You can read a free sample of Dreams Unleashed at Amazon.

The print copy of Dreams Unleashed is due to be published the week of June 20th.

Visit Linda on her website as well as her blog at: http://lindahawley.com/ & http://lindahawley.com/b2e/blog5.php!

Check it Out: Lisa Lim

Hi everyone! This month's series of authors to watch for is winding down, but I've still got a few authors to reveal to you!

Lisa Lim has written a book that definitely strikes a chord with me. It's about a girl who works in a call center & as someone who used to work in an outsourced "call before you dig" call center (Indiana Underground, how can I help you?), I can commiserate with the craziness that abounds in this profession. (Spraypainted dogs, people yelling at me to turn their utilities back on... it was crazy.) This is a profession that's actually ingenious to cast a heroine in- there's a lot of potential for humor, drama, & for one call to take you in some of the most wild directions!

What inspired you to write Confessions of a Call Center Gal?

I’m a chick lit junkie and I've read countless of chick lit novels. The women usually have fancy jobs, and they fancy men who hold fancy jobs. And I wanted to read about a woman I could relate to. A protagonist who is regular chick with a very ordinary job, who falls for a guy with an ordinary job. Although, the guy is anything but ordinary (I like to think).

And I know this sounds cliched, but my English teacher in college prefaced every writing assignment with this advice – “Write what you know.” And I know too much about call centers. One only need to hear the word "call center" and everyone’s blood pressure skyrockets through the roofs. Callers go ballistic and become verbally abusive over the phone, and often feel entitled to unload their personal demons on us. I've seen many of my co-workers on the verge of tears... and I wanted to tell our story.

What do you do in your spare time when you're not writing?

I have three pooches that I adore to bits. They're shelter dogs and my motto is ~ Don't shop! Adopt!

I enjoy walking my furry companions but I find it mildly annoying when people ask, “Oh are you walking the dogs or are the dogs walking you?” Me: *Dry laugh*

Oh, I also love scarfing down bean burritos. Mexican food. *Nom* *Nom*

By the way, I want to marry a bean burrito.

And he will have Mexican Monterey cheese hair.

What’s your typical celebration ritual when you sell a new book or get exciting news about an existing one? Anything strange or quirky we should know about?

Um, did I mention I love bean burritos? I blast the Mariachi music and gobble up bean burritos.

If you could choose one dessert or snack food that you could eat as much as you want of (and never gain an ounce!) what would it be?

Bwarhahahaha. I think you already know the answer to that one.

What was your favorite book growing up and why?

Anne of Green Gables, Sweet Valley High, oh and of course Peter Pan. That book is chock full of memorable sayings that I cherish. *COUGH* If I may? Here goes ~

“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.”

“Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.”

“To love would be an awfully big adventure.”

“To live will be a great adventure.”

“If growing up means it would be beneath my dignity to climb a tree, I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!”

“Wendy,’ Peter Pan continued in a voice that no woman has ever yet been able to resist, ‘Wendy, one girl is more use than twenty boys.”

~ by the great J.M Barrie

If your book were to be turned into a movie, would your dream cast be?

Ohhh this is fab fun. The lead protagonist Maddy would be played by Zooey Deschannel (500 Days of Summer) and Zac Efron or Zac Levi would be cast as Mika—the Belgian stud.

Rex Lee (flamboyantly gay Asian on Entourage) or Jo Koy as Truong Nguyen.

What do you hope your readers come away with after reading your book?

No other emotion quite compares to laughter, and I hope my readers get plenty of laughs.

A fun chick lit that will appeal to fans of Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes. Bridget Jones meets The Office. Madison Lee is a fresh college grad, ready to take on the world of print media. But she has zero luck landing a job. Unemployment is at ten percent and on the rise. Desperate and left with no other options, she accepts a position as a service rep at a call center in Pocatello, Idaho. At the Lightning Speed call center in Spudsville, Maddy plunges into the wild and dysfunctional world of customer service where Sales is prided over Service and an eight hour shift is equivalent to eight hours of callers bashing her over the phone. Oh sure, the calls are bad. But Maddy manages to find humor on the phone and off the phone. And with all the salacious drama behind the calls, there is never a dull moment at the Lightning Speed call center.

Lately . . . Maddy has been pining for her smolderingly gorgeous co-worker Mika Harket. Now things are heating up on the phone--and elsewhere. Don't hang up on this novel. Working at a call center has never been this garish . . . or this delightful.

Confessions of a Call Center Gal: a novel is available on Amazon for Kindle and on Barnes and Noble for Nook for $2.99. The paperback edition is available on Amazon for $12.95.