Thursday, October 31, 2013

Spooktacular Blog Hop


Today on my blog I have the last stop on the Spooktacular Blog Hop. On my post it's all about decorations as I love to go all out for it. I buy a new prop every year except for this year as I am trying to move so I didn't get to the store this year. But here are a few I have bought the past few years. Don't forget to look for the word in red as you will need it to complete the sentence. So let's get started and have a Spooky Time here!

 I always enjoy seeing the looks on all the kids and parents faces when they see my yard. It makes all the weeks of planning and arranging the props worth it when they get scared, laugh, or want to take photos in my yard.

This is a prop my friend sent me that I just love. If I could I would hang it up all year round. Who knows maybe one of these years Dracula will show up and have a pint or two. lol!



This is the new prop I bot last year. He terrified my niece so badly until her grandma got her think of him as a big puppy dog. So now every time she sees anything that has a werewolf she always says look tia it's a big puppy dog just like you have.



Here is my witch who loves to cackle and lure little children to her cauldron for some treats. She sometimes manages to get a few who are willing to try her special potion she brews.


These next props are by far my favorite ones I own. I started my buying of props with the butler who I have named Lurch and surprising enough he is the one everyone is the most scared of. For some reason everybody thinks he is real. I have had to get in between many teens who want to punch him as they think he's gonna grab them. Standing with him is the Countess my 1800's vampire. She scares kids the second most as they think she will drain them. I always love to see how everyone will react to Lurch and Countess.


Here! is an over view of my yard with all my decorations.


Thank you for stopping by my blog for the last day of the Spooktacular Halloween Blog Hop! I hope you had fun going to all the blogs and reading about our Halloween traditions, top tens, etc. Don't forget to enter the giveaway below. I will also add all the previous links in case you have missed any of them so you can go back and check them out and get the word in red. I will leave you with one more photo of me meeting the Queen of Darkness herself Elvira last year around Halloween.
Happy Halloween!!!
~Sabrina

Blog Hop List:
October 19: Racing to Read
October 20: Author Ellie Dunn
October 23:  Wasn't able to post but here is the word you need: of
October 24: Tsk Tsk What to Read
October 25: Author JD Nelson
October 26: Author Tich Brewster
October 28: Tish Thawer
October 29: Author Gracen Miller
October 30: Author CJ Pinard
October 31:

I would like to say Thank You to all the Authors and Bloggers who participated.

Giveaway:

31 Days of Halloween

On our last day of 31 Days of Halloween I got 2 awesome ladies to share their Top Ten with us. One is an author and the other a book reviewer. I thought it would be a great way to end 31 Days of Halloween. So let's get started and see Nellysa's list first:


Well, as you might know…Halloween is almost here! So here you have some book recommendations, and a little bit about how I see Halloween.
If you don’t want to sleep at night:

1~    Pet Sematary by Stephen King (When I was a little girl I read just a couple of pages at the beginning, and then, I read the ending because I thought the book was boring…it traumatized me).

Top ten favorite books that will give you the chills:

1~ Anna Dressed in Blood by Blake Kendare (Anna #1)
2~ House Guest by Allen John Paul
3~  The Doll by J.C. Martin
4~  Fearscape by Nenia Campbell (Horrorscape #1)
5~ A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner
6~  The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

Not scary but paranormal related

1~ Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost (Night Prince #1
2~  Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (Night Huntress #1)
    3~ Here be Sexist Vampires by Wright Suzanne (Deep in your Veins #1)
    4~ Blood Will Tell  by Samantha Young (Warriors of Ankh #1)
      5~ Scary Mary by S.A. Hunter (Scary Mary #1)
      6~Reviving Bloom by Michelle Turner (Bloom Daniels #1)
      7~Hope(less) by Melissa Haag (Judgement of the six #1)
      8~The Feed by Stunich C.M. (The Hunstwomen #1)
      9~Angelfall by Susan Ee (Penryn & the End of Days #1)
     10~Ember by Jessica Sorensen (Death Collectors #1)

    
      The festivity that I love the most in the U.S.A is, definitely, Halloween. Kids go outside with their costumes while looking for candy, people go to parties dressed as they want and you can see how creative they suddenly get, everything (or almost everything) has decorations with spiders, skeletons, ghost, there are scary movies’ marathons etc etc (Yeah I like scary things xD). In my country we don’t celebrate Halloween a lot, of course, there’s always people who go out to “hunt” for candy, but most people forget about it so there’s no candy to huntL. One of my dreams (I have too many, but bear with me) is to go to Disneyworld on Halloween because it’s SO beautiful! Everything is Jack-Related (you know Jack? The pumpkin king?). Plus, if your house/room/bathroom is really messy, it doesn’t matter! After all is Halloween!  I mean, what’s not to like? Happy Halloween everyone! :D
    
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      Now for Becca Vincenza's Top Ten list:

    
10 Top Halloween Things
10
Favorite Halloween Movie
Hocus Pocus, I am a terrible scary movie goer. It’s just sad really, my friend asked me to go see oh well there were a couple, but two that I clearly remember were Drag Me to Hell, and the Grudge 2 now if you have ever seen these movies you probably know “scary”-wise they really aren’t that bad. I was hiding under my coat for half the time. So yes I am all the way, all the time HUGE HUGE Hocus Pocus fan. In my opinion best Halloween Themed movie out there, unless you count Nightmare Before Christmas but that is always a hard one because its Halloween Town but it is about Christmas! Hahaha!
9
Favorite Halloween Tradition
I suppose for my favorite Halloween tradition I would have to say… man that is a hard one. I guess dressing up, for a good I think probably 7 years in a row I was a witch, every year, finally broke tradition and went as baby vampire, yes a baby vampire. I don’t know where I got the idea but there it is. I was also in like 5th grade at the time! The past few years I haven’t really dressed up I don’t have anywhere to go on Halloween anymore, and my best friend was always working on Halloween as she had a seasonal job at Spirit Halloween. But the whole idea, totally awesome.
8
Most Missed Halloween Activity
So my Dad plays violin and viola – yes there is a difference ;) anyways. He used to play with this one orchestra which for the life of me I cannot remember anyways they always had a Halloween concert. It was awesome people dressed up for it, they had little skits. The best one was when my Dad’s outfit was a man in the tub, oh yes. If you thought your parents were embarrassing well, when your Dad is up on stage with a shower cap on, surrounded by suds well then you can come to me. No but in all honesty those there awesome shows and I miss seeing them.
7
Favorite Halloween Treat
Well candy of course! I am going to get yelled at so much for this but … it’s true, I am not a chocolate girl. Nope! I always gave my chocolate away to my siblings and they would hand over there skittles to me. I love skittles! I use to make my mom buy Halloween candy for all the Treater-Trickers that would stop by our house… we live on a very small private street and NO ONE trick or treated on our road. The skittles were for me. Hehehe. So yeah the fruity candies were for me. And Paydays.
6
Favorite Vampire Book
Oh my… this is a hard one. Well I suppose my favorite vampire series would be Morganville Vampires and Black Dagger Brotherhood. Um Captive by Erica Stevens would probably be my other favorite vampire book. I know none of these are the scary type of vampires, well maybe Black Dagger Brotherhood could be considered scary ;).
5
Favorite Witch Book
I am going to have to go with the Beautiful Creatures series. To be honest I don’t think I have come across a whole lot of just witch books, at least I haven’t read any in a very, very long time. Again no real scary witches for me. Unless we are counting the sisters from Hocus Pocus ;).
4
Favorite Werewolf Book
Now this is just evil because there are too many, far too many. I am a werewolf girl, yes, yes it’s true. Um but if I had to pick a “scary” sort of werewolf book I would have to go with Silence of the Wolves by Hannah Pole because it’s yeah a bit of a romance but also suspenseful and a bit scary at some points. More action than anything but the creatures that are dealt with in that book *shudders*.
3
Scariest Short Story
So yeah this is a bit old but I think the scariest short story that really freaked me out is “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Gilman. “It was nursery first and then playroom and gymnasium, I should judge; for the windows are barred for little children, and there are rings and things in the walls.” One the creepiest lines, ever maybe out of context it doesn’t work as well but this short story seriously I had to read a couple times to get my head around it. And I still get the goosebumps thinking about it.
2
My biggest Fear – especially around Halloween
Ventriloquist dummy. Oh my god! Have you seen one of those little devils? Scariest things ever. After seeing the Twilight Zone episode with one it was a set in stone fear. Then a year or so ago Doctor Who had an episode with one in it as well, oh my I thought I was going to pee my pants!
1
Kay so last Halloween thing.
I guess I can tell you about the first and ONLY time I did the Haunted House. My friend calls me up, it’s pretty late, and ask if I wanted to hang out and see a movie. I say sure! We didn’t go see a movie. Instead she was trapping me into going to Haunted House with her. Now the one we went to was not the worst, I know this but oh God. Getting into the very first room, you are in pitch black room and waiting instructions. I am sandwiched between my friend and her sister – who I also knew very well. Along with them heading the line was her sister’s boyfriend and our caboose was her sister’s best friend (I know all these people by the way). So we begin, I am already freaking out. The further we go in, the worst I seem to be getting but our caboose – thank god for her because she just kept making jokes, keeping it light. When the allusions was SHATTERED. Someone from our high school that had a class with my friend, stops us and says her name, you would think this would help me through the rest of the “house” it was more of a trail – no. Haha, we get to the end and they put this vibrating thing on my leg, with the sound track of a chainsaw in the background. I scream my head off and I am out the door.  

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Thank you ladies so much for sharing your Top Ten with us for 31 Days of Halloween. 

Thank you everyone for joining in the Halloween celebration. 

Giveaway:
To win an ebook of 5.99 or less tell me your favorite Halloween costume. Don't forget to leave your email in case you win. Good Luck!

Happy Halloween!!!!
~Sabrina             




Wednesday, October 30, 2013

31 Days of Halloween

Today on my blog I have author Candace Knoebel and she sharing her Top Ten Vampire books with us and she is also giving away 2 ebooks which are so good! But first let's get to know more about Candace:


Candace Knoebel is the award-winning author of Born in Flames-a young adult fantasy trilogy. Published by 48fourteen in 2012, Born in Flames went on to win Turning the Pages Book of the Year award in February of 2013.
Candace Knoebel dreamed of being a dancer ever since she could remember. With a love of all things art, she saw herself moving to New York and pursuing her passion as an artist. But all that changed on October 10th, 2002 when she met the love of her life. Her dreams diverged and after marrying her high school sweetheart and having two beautiful children, she realized she missed her creative side. Through lunch breaks and late nights after putting her kids to bed, she built a world where she could escape the ever-pressing days of an eight to five Purgatory. Since then, she crawled out of Purgatory and has devoted her time to writing and sometimes heelying.

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Books:
Red mirrored scales race up my arms as the haze of pain blurs my vision. My bones crack, breaking to realign. I scream. It is then that the realization of my unavoidable fate sinks in; I am of a dying race. I am dragon. 

Aurora Megalos, orphaned and teetering on the edge of adulthood, thought finding her past would curb the sting of being an outcast. Having no memories of the time before she awoke on her foster mother’s doorstep, she yearns for the emptiness inside her to be filled. With her fellow orphaned best friend, Fenn, by her side, she has nothing to lose and everything to gain. But something powerful stirred within her that she couldn’t explain. Something wanted out. 

In the dark of night, a crazed Seer, dubbed Mr.Creepy, erases everything she’s ever known with an impending prophecy. She now faces two paths. Return to her true home to protect a dying race against a growing evil, or stay hidden in the safety of our realm with a shot at a true love. With a vengeful Arch Enemy stopping at nothing to see her dead, she’s running out of time; a decision must be made. What would you choose?


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The Stone of Immortality has always been kept under the watch of the Draconta. That is, until the betrayal of a Fate. Now, everything is about to change.

Aurora Megalos accepted her destiny without blinking-even if it meant succumbing to her dragon side. Deemed the Progeny, she left the ordinary life she knew and has done everything in her power to learn the ways of her new home and what it means to be part dragon. But when her mentor, Astral, suddenly disappears, she is forced to take the reins with war on the brink. She sets out on an epic journey to find what her arch enemy, Zordon, is after. What she discovers is far worse than she could’ve ever imagined. She will be tested and pushed to the limit. Lives will be lost, love will be found, and most importantly, a battle will begin.


Buy Links:

Top Ten Lists:

Top Ten Vampire, Werewolf, & Witchy Books:
1. Twilight Series
2. Vampire Academy
3. Black Dagger Brotherhood Series
4. House of Night Series
5. The Vampire Diaries
6. Evernight
7. Dark Carpathian Series
8. Interview with the Vampire
9. City of Bones
10. Beautiful Creatures

Top Ten Scariest Movies:
1. The Ring
2. Paranormal Activity
3. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
4. Evil Dead
5. The Grudge
6. House on Haunted Hill
7. The Silence of the Lambs
8. The Wicker Man
9. The Conjuring
10. Exorcist

Thank you Candace for sharing your Top Ten lists with us. We have a lot of the same ones. 

Giveaway:
For your chance to win of Candace's ebooks Born In Flames or Embracing the Flames:
Tell us your Favorite Halloween memory. Don't forget to leave your email to be contacted if your the winner.

Happy Halloween!!
~Sabrina



Everafter Blog tour


Today on my blog I have the Everafter Blog tour. On my stop is Sarah Gilman and her book ghosts of the Falls. There is a spotlight, interview, review, and giveaway.


Determined to prove she’s fit for the family business, exorcist Jade Clarence knows the assignment waiting in Maine is her last chance. Born into a family of exorcists, Jade’s unorthodox ideas have gotten her into trouble in the past...and cost the life of a client.

After haunting a Maine state park for more than a century, Dutch Hutchinson will do whatever it takes to bring an end to his unfulfilling existence. When an act of arson brings a beautiful exorcist to town, Dutch takes corporeal form in order to spend his last hours in her company.

Jade quickly uncovers Dutch’s true identity and finds herself falling for the man behind the spirit. But when Jade’s legacy threatens their future, they will have to overcome the greatest of odds—life and death.

Review:
Sarah has done it again! If you love her angel books than you will love her story of a sexy ghost and feisty exorcist.

Even though this was a short story it still had everything that makes a story make you fall in love and hope everything works out for the couple. The way Sarah writes she had me feeling like I was at the falls seeing all the gorgeous scenery along with Dutch and Jade. And the fact that Sarah based this off something that actually happened just gives this story something extra. The chemistry between Dutch and Jade is explosive! It scorched through the pages. But what I loved most about this story was the ending. It was unexpected but fit the characters and story line perfect. But, if you want to know if a sexy ghost and feisty exorcist can come together than you need to read this book. 
5/5 Bloody Fangs  

Book Links:

Author Bio:
Sarah Gilman started her first novel in third grade. She never finished that story, but never gave up the dream. Her fascination with wings also began at that age, when images of the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis captured her imagination and never let go. Now a paranormal romance writer, she employs her love of writing to bring the allure of winged creatures to the pages of her novels. Sarah lives in Vermont with her supportive husband and two spoiled cats.

Sarah writes for Entangled Publishing.

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Author Interview:
How did the idea for this book come to you?

Inspiration came from an actual event in the late 1800s and the urban legend that resulted. The Connecticut River, which runs between Vermont and New Hampshire, served as a way to move trees south during the heavy logging activity of the time period. Working the logs on the river was extremely dangerous, and in what is now Hartland, VT, a teenaged logger was killed. Charles Barber was buried on the riverbank by the loggers, who also made him a hand-carved stone, after his father took his wages and abandoned the body.

The Legend: Along with spirits of Native Americans, the ghost of the logger has been witnessed by fishermen and other visitors to the area.

The tale made me sad and I couldn’t stop thinking about it, which is a sure sign that something needed to be written. A version with a happy ending, that is!

Do you plan to write more in this world?

For the time being this is a one-shot deal, though I have experimented with an additional book for Jade and Dutch. We’ll see!

Do you enjoy writing about Angels or Ghosts more?

If it’s paranormal, I’m interested. Both angels and ghosts are my favorites relative to werewolves and witches, though.

Romance plots with ghosts are tricky. There are only so many ways to play the ghost-as-a-main-character card, which makes ghosts an appealing challenge.

Can you give us a sneak peek on what you’re working on now?

I’m working on a half dozen things, including another book in my Return to Sanctuary series, a new dragon series, a vampire short story, and an angel epic fantasy (with romantic elements, of course!).



Thank you for stopping by my blog today. I wold also like to say Thank You to Sarah for letting me review your book and interviewing you and say Thank You to Bewitching Book Tours for letting me participate in this tour. Don't forget to enter the giveaway below.
~Sabrina


Monday, October 28, 2013

Hunter's Moon Blog Tour


Today on my blog I have the Hunter's Moon tour. On my stop there is a spotlight, review, and giveaway.


Sasha’s future was stolen from her the moment she was bitten. Now she's on the run from the Nero Organization that transformed her from a human detective into a shape shifting jaguar assassin.
When a rogue bounty hunter threatens her younger sister, she'll be forced to fight, and with nowhere else to turn, Sasha will need to trust the one man who has every reason to want her dead.
Aren is a werewolf with a secret. While protecting his twin brother and Alpha of the Pack, he found his one mate for life. Sadly she's also the jaguar assassin who tried to kill them both. Now Aren is struggling between his animal nature to love and protect her, and his loyalty to the Pack.

Review:
This is book 2 in the Moon series by Lisa and it’s just has sexy and addicting as the first book Moonlight. But it’s so much more action packed, heart pounding, steamy tension, and heart breaking and let’s admit it we all love that in a book.

Sasha life changed the minute she was bitten and turned into a jaguar assassin. But when a bounty hunter threatens her younger sister, Sasha has no choice but to fight and turn to the one man Aren who hates her for help. Aren is holding a secret that he found his mate however she tried to kill him and his twin brother. But when Sasha needs his help Aren is torn between loving and protecting her like a mate should and his loyalty to his pack.

As I stated in the begging of my review this book is even better than the first one which doesn’t happen all that often. But with each of Lisa’s she just gets better and better. I loved both of these characters in book one and I couldn’t wait to read their story. Aren is my kind of sexy werewolf. He will do anything and everything for his mate and I would love to be Sasha and sink my claws into Aren and never let him go. The chemistry between them can burn the pages of the book it’s that HOT! But Sasha needs to get past all her trust issues if she and Aren have any chance and if you want to know if she does than you have to read Hunter’s Moon for yourself. 5/5 Bloody Fangs

Book Links:

Author Bio:
Lisa Kessler is an award winning author of dark paranormal fiction. Her debut novel, Night Walker, won a San Diego Book Award for Best Published Fantasy-Sci-fi-Horror as well as the Romance Through the Ages Award for Best Paranormal and Best First Book.
Her short stories have been published in print anthologies and magazines, and her vampire story, Immortal Beloved, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award.
When she's not writing, Lisa is a professional vocalist, performing with the San Diego Opera as well as other musical theater companies in San Diego. You can learn more at http://Lisa-Kessler.com


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Thank you for stopping by my blog today. I would also like to say Thank You to Lisa for letting me review your book and for letting me participate in this book. Don't forget to enter the giveaway below.
~Sabrina

Pendomus Book Blast


Today on my blog I have the Pendomus book blast. On my stop there is a spotlight and giveaway.


Humanity has colonized on the tidally locked planet Pendomus. 


Residing between extreme heat and frigid cold is the complex known as the Helix. Within lies a highly sophisticated society functioning solely on humans fulfilling their life’s purpose as determined by their natural aptitudes and daily brain scans. 



Seventeen-year-old Runa Cophem has found her calling studying the ancient trees nearby and anxiously awaits a professional placement which will allow her to continue her work. 



Runa’s life takes an unforeseen turn when she’s brutally attacked and left for dead in those woods. Rescued by a stranger with blue hair, she’s immersed into a surprising way humanity has survived without the Helix. Fueled by a yearning to understand and an attraction she didn’t even know was possible, Runa tries to make a new life for herself. Yet, there’s much she doesn’t know about herself, about the planet, and the forces controlling her from afar. 



What she needs are some answers.



Book Links:



Born and raised in central MN, Carissa Andrews has always loved books. She started her career at 15 in a bookstore, just to be able to afford her book fetish. By 19, she worked for a magazine publisher. At 22, she was working for printers to learn their trade. At 27, she went back to school for graphic design, and became an award winning designer. Little did she know all of her experiences would lead her to becoming a self-publishing power house.


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Thank you for stopping by my blog today for the Pendomus Book Blast. I would also like to say Thank You to Book Nerd tours for letting me participate in this blast. Don't forget to enter the giveaway below.
~Sabrina