BLOG TOUR: Sweet Tooth by Tim Anderson + GIVEAWAY!

Hello again!

Welcome back to post TWO for the day here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Yes, it's a two-fer day and the field is split pretty wide between our first guest (a romance trilogy via Harlequin Presents) and our second...the likes of which I'm about to introduce.  This time around we're ushering in the fab team over at TLC Book Tours (Hi Lisa!) with a unique Memoir that's as much about one thing as it is the other.  Confused?  Don't be...or rather if you are, that's okay....we'll get things sorted out here in a second.  Today's blog tour guest and book of choice is...

Sweet Tooth

by

Tim Anderson

This is the story of a young man growing up with type 1 diabetes....and he also happens to be gay.  Now the truly amazing part is that the latter plays second fiddle to the former, meaning that although he's trying to find his footing in life AND love, it's the pursuit of life, as in actual LIVING, that keeps allluding him most.  

I really felt for him trying to come to terms with who he was overall and applaud his efforts at opening that proverbial closet door but as much as he shares in this part of his life, the medical side is just as if not more interesting.  The highs and lows of it all, the reactions and preparations, the possibly humiliating circumstances he found himself in time and again (and yes, some were PRETTY loathsome)....it all adds up to something that others can relate to, learn from, and just maybe not feel so alone. 

It's all told in living color with a definite lack of sugar coating on the truths revealed.  You see how it really is having this diagnosis thrust upon you and though bad at any age, I can't help but think during those formulative teen years when everything else is going all wack-a-do, it's gotta be the pits.  Never knowing when an attack will happen.  Never going a day without pricking you finger multiple times in order to get that all important reading.  Never being able to just scarf down a candy bar or pint of Ben & Jerry's without pretty much counting on a seizure later.  I mean I'm not a big sweets person but still, the restriction, the feeling of having no control over your body....it's got to be frustrating.

In conclusion, this is a vivid account of just what it means to have type 1 diabetes...as well as a coming-of-age and coming-out story shared from the young man who lived through its point of view.  You'll laugh.  You'll cringe.  You may even be offended at times by his openness and honesty, but take it with a grain of salt, or crystal of sugar...life is life.  It's not always pretty, neat, and self contained.  Sometimes it gets messy and colors outside the lines.  We can either flee from it, or deal with it.   I don't know about you, but I'm all for dealing....

Recommended read for OLDER teens through adults due to some content.

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Special thanks to Lisa at TLC Book Tours and their entire team for the chance to bring this blogosphere stopover to all of you.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title as well as their future promotions, be sure to stop by their official site, like them on Facebook, or follow along on Twitter.  To discover more about the author, stop by his official site, or swing by his blog.  This title is available now, so be on the lookout for it at a retailer near you.  Now, this wouldn't be a BLOG TOUR if there weren't other stops along the way, so pay a visit to the official tour page to see where else this author has left his virtual footprints.

So....any final thoughts to share?

Comments to make?

Feelings to express?

How about an interest in checking the book out FIRST HAND?

Well, if that last bit enticed you...now's your chance!

Up for grabs, ONE COPY of SWEET TOOTH by Tim Anderson courtesy of TLC Book Tours.

To enter, just submit your information below and BAM!

You're one step closer to calling this book your own.

(Open to US Residents only, no P.O. Boxes please.
Entries accepted TODAY through Saturday, July 5th at midnight CST.)

Until next time...happy reading!

BLOG TOUR: Fifth Avenue Trilogy via Harlequin Presents!

Hi there guys and gals!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers, where we're sending June off with a bookish BANG worthy of the forth coming holiday.  

It's time to make some fireworks of our own as we play host to a Meryl L Moss Media Relations, Inc blog tour starring a new trilogy from Harlequin Presents.  It's called the Fifth Avenue Trilogy and features stories of "sex, scandal and the Upper East Side"...how much of each, you ask?  Well, I'll let you be the judge.  First though, let's meet and greet the series, shall we?  Ladies and gents, the guys of Fifth Avenue....

Avenge Me by Maisey Yates

978-0-373-43037-6

Scandalize Me by Caitlin Crews

978-0-373-43038-3

Expose Me by Kate Hewitt

978-0-373-43039-0

Austin, Hunter and Alex were inseparable during their school days, but the sudden death of their good friend Sarah Michaels tore them apart. However, her death was not as it seemed. Under the many falsehoods lies a corruption so sordid that New York’s elite would never believe it.

 Now in positions of wealth and power, these men vow to use their influence to bring down the man responsible—Jason Treffen, an infamous philanthropic billionaire. With a plan in place, Austin, Hunter and Alex are ready for anything—until three very different women enter their lives, making them question their motives for revenge.

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Dun dun dunnnn.....

Looks like it's gonna be a hot time in the town tonight! 

Now, let's see if we can catch a peek just how hot things will be....

...exclusive excerpt coming your way in 3...2...1....

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SPECIAL EXCERPT FROM

Ten years ago, one devastating night changed everything for

Austin, Hunter and Alex. Now they must each play their part in

the revenge against the one man who ruined it all.

Read Maisey Yates’s dazzling debut of the Fifth Avenue trilogy:

AVENGE ME

* * *

KATY let out a long breath and started walking back down the

empty corridor, back to the party.

Back toward Jason Treffen.

Talking to him had just about made her lose her mind. It had

taken everything in her not to grab his glass from his hand and

pour it over his head. Then break the glass on his face.

She considered the man as good as her sister’s murderer, so

she was short on charitable feelings where he was concerned.

The door to the ballroom opened, and she froze.

Oh. Her breath left her in a rush, a current of electricity washing

over her skin.

It was him.

The man whose eyes were like an endless black hole, drawing

her in, a force she couldn’t deny or control. When he had looked

at her, she’d felt as if she were grounded to the spot. She’d felt

like he had looked and seen her.

Seen everything. More than that, she’d looked back and she’d

seen him.

Had seen a grief in him. An anger.

It had been, in some ways, like looking into a mirror.

“It’s you,” he said, his voice deep, smooth. Like really good

chocolate. “I was hoping to run into you.”

“Wh-why were you hoping to run into me?” she asked.

“Because you’re the most beautiful woman here. Why wouldn’t

I want to see you?”

“You’re a flirt.”

“That’s the thing, I’m not really.” He put his hands in his pockets,

a wicked half smile curling that sinful mouth.

“I have to get back.”

She started to walk past him and he took her arm, stopped her

progress. She looked up and met cold, dark eyes.

“To who?” he asked, his voice gentle, an opposing force to the

hold he had on her.

There was something about that grip. Commanding. It spoke

to every secret fantasy that lived in the dark shadows inside her.

The parts of herself that had looked at every man she’d even tried

to date and found them lacking.

But not him. He wouldn’t be lacking. Something shivered inside

her, a whisper.

He would know what you wanted.

* * *

The first step to revenge in the Fifth Avenue trilogy

Austin has the plan…

June 2014

Copyright © 2014 by Harlequin Books S.A.

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Woo!

Well, really, what more is there to say?

Well, except...what do YOU think?

Sound good?  What caught your eye?  Any cover favorite?

Oh, and speaking of favorites...

Seeing how this promotion is all about the upscale, ooh-la-la, high end world of good times, fast lives, and money...there was a very special Summer in the City Essentials kit put together for this promotion.  Wanna see the goods?  Check THIS out!

TADA!

Nifty right?

Oh, but you haven't seen INSIDE yet...

Look at all the FABULOUS goodies!

We've got everything from NYX eye color products to Evian facial refreshing mist, Aromaflage fragrance spray to Not Your Mother's heat protection spray for your hair.  Oh and the list goes on and on.  It was a great way to get you in the spirit of the trilogy while helping you feel your beautiful best.

Special thanks to all the sponsors that participated in the promotion and word to readers...get your hands on these products if you can!  So far the ones I've tried out are definitely fab...

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Special thanks to Amanda at Meryl L Moss Media Relations, Inc and the team at Harlequin Books for the chance to bring this AMAZING promotion to all of you.  (THANKS!)  For more information on anything you've seen, read, or thought about here (hey, I can READ MINDS sometimes... ^_^), feel free to click through the links provided.  This series will be made available over the next two months via Harlequin Presents with Avenge Me by Maisey Yates, in stores now.

Until next time...happy reading!

Take Two: Author Q&A on FACEOFF

Hi guys!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers where today we're taking another look at the recent release FACEOFF with a special Q&A set with a few of the authors on their creative process, characters, and views of the finished collection.  Ready to get in on the fun?  Here we go!  First up...R.L. Stine and just why Slappy made an appearance in this Fiction collection....

Why did you decide to use Slappy the Ventriloquist Dummy in FaceOff?

They [Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child] have a real character. They have this albino FBI agent, Agent Pendergast, who’s in all their books, and their books are huge sellers. And I do a different character every month. ‘Goosebumps’ never has the same character twice, pretty much  My most popular character is Slappy, the evil dummy, from ‘Night of the Living Dummy,’ and I just thought, What would happen if we took Pendergast, who’s in the real world and put him in a weird R.L. Stine world where people tell him, ‘Well, you’re not even an FBI agent. We don’t know what you’re doing.’ And then I just threw in this evil ventriloquist dummy, just to be weird.

They said: ‘Why don’t you come up with the story? You come up with the plot, and then we’ll write it and then send it to you and you can rewrite what we did.’ And that was the whole process.

I’m always amazed by people who collaborate. I never collaborate with anybody. I don’t know how it’s done.

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Well, I suppose that's as good a reason as any because really, who's looking for a "living" dummy when considering potential partners in crime or solving crime.  Sounds curious indeed!

Next up...Linwood Barclay on being paired with the infamous Raymond Khoury and how their ideas meshed to create the final story....

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1. What was it like collaborating with Raymond Khoury on Pit Stop?

Collaborating on a story was a new experience for me. Generally speaking, it's akin to a high-wire or trapeze act, except if it it goes wrong, you won't plunge to your death, which is a bonus. You write a chapter, and email it away, like sending off that horizontal bar to a partner on the other side of the stage, sixty feet in the air. They may catch it, but when they send it back, will you be able to grab it? The suspense comes in the waiting, wondering what your co-writer will do, where he will send the story.

2. Why is Glen Garber a good pairing for Sean Reilly?

My Glen Garber character, and Raymond's Sean Reilly were a good pairing. They're actually very much alike. Strong-willed, tough, pragmatic, but not immune to emotion. But Reilly, as an FBI agent, is the pro, and Garber, a guy who builds houses, is the amateur. Plus, he's got something very personal at stake in the story -- his daughter -- that Reilly does not. So they're going to clash at that level.  I think it's possible, after the end of this story, that they could have become friends. At the very least, they'd go for a beer.

3.  Can you tell us about the single line you emailed to Raymond that ignited the idea for this tale?

The line is: "Glen Garber had been given his coffee, but was still waiting for an order of chicken nuggets for his daughter, Kelly, when a woman raced into the restaurant screaming that some guy was on fire in the parking lot." Where did it come from? Who knows. But I knew the story was going to involve Glen and his daughter, a couple of very ordinary people. And I knew they were going to get caught up in an extraordinary situation. I wanted a sentence that would combine those elements. The mundane (waiting in line for fast food)  bumping up against the horrific (a man set ablaze). The line just happened. I wrote a few more hundred words, then sent it off to Raymond, who ramped up the mayhem in the next installment. And then we were off.

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Sounds like a meeting of the minds that really took flight!

Can't say that one didn't get your adrenalin going.

Finally, let's catch up with Ian Rankin on working with Peter James and the real reason behind the setting of their story....

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1. What was it like collaborating with Peter James on In the Nick of Time?

It was fun, as well as challenging. Peter and I have known one another for years. Our biggest problem was how to bring together two quite different cops who work 500 miles apart in different countries! Once we had nailed that, the ride got more comfortable.

2. The characters Roy Grace and John Rebus are like night and day. Was it difficult to create a connection between two very different people?

Rebus and Grace come from different backgrounds, have different philosophies of policing, so we knew they wouldn't exactly be best buddies when they met. But that is always interesting - as a writer you want relationships that provide sparks. Of course, they share one crucial imperative - they want to put away the perpetrators. Doesn't matter where your cops are from or in what ways they differ - they'll have that in common.

3. Explain why you chose Brighton as the setting for the story.

Well, we had to get Rebus to Grace's jurisdiction or vice versa. Brighton made sense because Rebus is a big fan of The Who and in their album Quadrophenia they sing about the fights that used to take place in Brighton in the early 1960s between rival gangs. That gave us the inkling of a plot, and we found a way to make it work!

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Gotta love when our interests work themselves into a story.  It's like the author's are sharing just a little something more with their reading audience outside of their creativity by infusing some of themselves into the characters.

Well, that's all she wrote today, but you can find out more by tracking down a copy of this collection at your favorite bookstore or online retailer.  This Q&A was made possible courtesy of Meryl L Moss Media Relations, Inc.  For more information on this title as well as their future promotions, be sure to stop by their official site, visit them at BookTrib.com, or follow along on Twitter.  This title is available now via Simon & Schuster, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf near you...and in the mean time, feel free to click through the links included above!

Until next time...happy reading!

BLOG TOUR: The Road to Nyn by Brian Michaud + CONTEST!

Hello again!

Welcome back to the site that makes reading a part of your day every day, Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're playing host to a Tribute Books Blog Tour starring a Young Adult Fantasy adventure.  It's sure to remind you of some of the greats whilst still weaving a new story to behold filled with characters to love, loathe, and call friend.  Grab hold of your courage and join me as we welcome today's blog tour guest and book of choice...

The Road to Nyn

by

Brian Michaud

9781493545551

Self-Published

About the book...

In a land where magic is outlawed, a young boy is living a double life. Although Kay is training to be a knight, he has been secretly studying the forbidden ways of magic with Alamin, a powerful but eccentric wizard. 

After passing of the Trial of the Rings and being raised to squirehood, Kay has decided to tell Alamin that he is going to leave his magical studies behind. And why not? Kay hasn’t ever cast a spell without something going seriously wrong–like the random appearance of frogs or hungry wolves–besides, Kay could be banished from the kingdom just for associating with Alamin.

Kay’s plans are quickly obliterated when a horde of goblins attacks his village and captures his family and friends. Now, with his home lying in ruins, everything has changed. Along with Alamin and Felix, a self-serving kleptomaniac sprite, Kay embarks on an adventure that takes him across the Kingdom of Gaspar and into the dark and treacherous caves of the Goblin Realm. What Kay doesn’t realize is that his journey is leading him on a collision course with the Lord of Nyn – a being so powerful that none dare face him...not even Alamin himself!

AMAZON   |   KINDLE

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Okay, if you follow my GoodReads updates, then you know at one point, I was struggling with this read.  It's a bit more HIGH fantasy than I originally anticipated.  Think Lord of the Rings but with a decidedly younger audience in mind and obviously a smaller vocabulary as well as history used.  If you know my reading preferences at all, you'll know that I like fantasy but only to a certain point.  Once you begin to need a separate book to be able to follow all that's happening, who's who, and what's gone down in the past, I'm starting to get that glassy eyed look about me.  Luckily for me, my FIRST impressions were proven somewhat wrong.  That's right; not completely wrong, but enough to land me in the camp of fans.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Kay.  He's a remarkable lad without anything singularly remarkable about him...except his heart, his commitment to do what's right, and his ability to learn from his mistakes.  A contradiction in statements, I know but it's true.  He's a likable fellow, cut from average cloth, but with a future that's much MUCH bigger than himself...and he OWNS it without being a pompous butt.  (KUDOS to him!)  Then we have Alamin, a very wise man indeed...and a bit on the magical side of things.  I love how much he has to impart to Kay and the story in general while still being a bit of a loose cannon.  His double cross of a double crosser is glorious as well.  I could stop there (and I will for the most part) but it's be a shame not to mention Felix, a precocious sprite that creates as much trouble as he assists in getting others out of, and Bibo, a telko that is just adorbs, and the dryads were amazing!  No other way to put it.  It's a cast of characters you won't want to say goodbye to....and for the most part, I think it's safe to say you won't any time soon (I smell a sequel!).

In conclusion, a great read for the intended audience as well as those above and slightly below that age line.  If you're looking for adventure with a young male lead, filled with magic, war, creatures both known and non, and a future not so distant yet unable to be seen....this is definitely a read for you.

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About the author...

Brian G. Michaud lives in a small town in Massachusetts with his wife, Kim. When he is not reading or writing books, he can be found teaching music at a local elementary school or rocking out on guitar with the band, Too Loud.

SITE   |   FACEBOOK   |   BOOK SITE

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Special thanks to Nicole at Tribute Books for the chance to bring this tour to you as well as for the review copy.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title as well as future tours on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided within the post, or like them on Facebook.  This title was self-published November 2013, so be on the lookout for it at your favorite bookstore or online retailer of choice.  Now, this being a book tour, there are other sites and festivities to check out, so pay a visit to the official tour page post haste!  Oh, and for the final creme de la creme.....

ENTER BELOW FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD OR PAYPAL CASH!

(Courtesy of Tribute Books Blog Tours!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Until next time...happy reading!

Writing without limits: BRAIN by Dermot Davis

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers, the place to get your daily fix of bookish fun every day of the week.

Today, we’re jumping into the land of Fiction with a humorous twist…though depending on how close you are to our lead characters personality, is how funny or not funny you’ll find it.  No worries…I’ll explain…but first, the introduction!  Today’s book of choice is…..

Brain:

The Man Who Wrote the Book That Changed the World

By

Dermot Davis

9780984418138

Expression Unleashed Publishing

About the book….

It’s the classic dilemma of the artist:  Do you write what’s in your heart or do you write what sells?  In this modern age of publishing there is a huge chasm between the best selling authors that are rich beyond their dreams and…well, everybody else.  All Daniel Waterstone ever wanted to do was write the great American novel and change the landscape of modern literature forever.  He has two literary books in print but no one’s buying.  His agent won’t even accept his latest masterpiece which he poured his soul into; apparently, it’s not commercial enough.  In a final act of desperation, Daniel decides to write – not what’s in his heart but – what he thinks will sell.  Boy, did he get that one wrong…

AMAZON   |   CREATESPACE

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So.

Daniel Waterstone.

He’s an interesting character.  Yep.  Sure is.

When we first meet our star, he’s riding his self induced high of author-dom dreams as he puts the final touches on his masterpiece….only to have those fantasies come crashing down around him in so many fiery type ridden pages.  In short, he’s a mess.  Life couldn’t get any worse…well, unless you factor in a run in with a “self-help guru” that’s hit the big time.  Yeah, that’s pretty much the straw that broke this camel’s back.  Down, down, DOWN we go into a man sized rabbit hole as we lose lights, transportation, and pretty much all sense of time, space, and self.  Hitting rock bottom with a GIANT thud, he finds himself with nothing better to do than the CRAZIEST thing he can POSSIBLY think of...AND IT WORKS.

Now before anyone out there gets any bright ideas of following his example, allow me to illustrate a view points…

A)      THIS IS FICTION

B)      FICTION IS NOT REAL

C)      FICTION MAY CONTAIN REAL LIFE COMPONENTS BUT STILL…DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME

D)     DO I REALLY HAVE TO LIST ANY MORE?

There…now that that’s been said.

While his idea is INSANE, what happens next is just as (or perhaps even more) outrageous.  I don’t want to spoil it for you but seriously, it defies all logic while still somehow making sense.  Would it happen in real life?  Doubtful…and certainly not with all the explosions, self-realizations, stalking, and mind melding.  That’s just preposterous…right?  Maybe not….which brings to mind the fact that REALITY is most often stranger than FICTION….but in this case, probably not. 

While the story leads you on a goose chase to who knows where, the characters leave their mark for better or worse.  Our leading man doesn’t really lead all that much, including himself, until the false reality he’s created explodes into something much bigger than himself.  It opens doors he previously could only imagine and brings him to a discovery he wasn’t anticipating.  Suzanne, his agent, doesn’t really make a good case for having an agent as she’s a bit of a bad apple but we can see the solid gold intentions of all those in her team that really believe in what they’re doing.  Clare, his potential love interest but not but then again possibly, is a curious cat with some interesting problems but she has a good spirit and an open mind that really helps Daniel on his way.  Like I said, an interesting bunch (and more still left unmentioned) that really breath life into this story of strange coincidences and conundrums. 

So in short, it boils down to this…it’s a book about a man who writes a book about life that’s taken for something it’s not, which somehow turns him into the poster child for all those lost souls seeking something more…with an explosive ending.  (Ha ha ha ha HA!)  It reads well, more intellectual than you’d anticipate, much like our leading man,  and finishes with enough flurry to grant it a final bow.  While it may not be for everyone, really…what book is?  If you’re up for a curious look at the world of the writer, a chance to see behind the hype into the minds of those creating the art we digest on a daily basis, or simply like to view humanity in its many forms of mental stress…this is the book for you!  It’s a great reminder of the things that really matter in life, even if you can’t see it coming.  Take it with a grain of salt, or if you prefer a salt rim, and enjoy the ride….err, read.

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About the author…

Dermot Davis is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and author. His creative work encompasses varied genres and styles: drama, comedy, and, more recently, sci-fi; with a special focus on human themes and characters transformed by life experience. A sometimes actor, he was formerly a child actor in Dublin, Ireland and the co-founder of the Laughing Gravy Theatre (which performed Irish literary works as well as original stage plays of Mr. Davis) where he and other members of the troupe toured the US (culminating with being invited artists-in-residence at the prestigious Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC). He is a 2013 International Book Awards finalist and also a finalist in the 2013 Readers’ Favorite Book Award Contest.

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Review copy courtesy of  author Dermot Davis. (THANKS!)  For more information on the author or the publisher, feel free to click through the links included within the post.  This title is available now via Expression Unleashed, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf near you or at an online retailer of your choosing.

Until next time…happy reading!