The Crossroads Tour: Leanna Renee Hieber & Joy Preble

1. What is your favorite Halloween tradition?

Telling ghost stories. One of my earliest memories is of telling ghost stories to my friends, I was born to write Gothic novels.


2. Would you share an embarrassing or funny Trick-or-Treat moment with us?

I was a really good and gory Marie Antoinette one year and no one would come up to the porch of my friend’s house where I was trying to pass out candy because the kids were too freaked out. So was my mom.


3. What is your favorite Halloween candy?

Taffy!


4. Would you rather be a monster or an alien?

Monster! Specifically, I’d choose to be a vampire. One of the old school ones. No sparkles.

Click image for review

1. What is your favorite Halloween tradition?

Trick or treating. I don’t go anymore since I don’t have little kids anymore but in theory, if I could convince myself the neighbors wouldn’t shut their doors, I’d be out there with my bucket. Socially-acceptable candy begging? How awesome is that?


2. Would you share an embarrassing or funny Trick-or-Treat moment with us?

I grew up in the city of Chicago and in our neighborhood there were mostly elevator buildings. Once my two girlfriends and I got stuck in this old elevator and had to actually jump out when it finally opened a number of inches above the floor. It was scary at first, but then it was just Halloween funny – all of us jumping out in our costumes and candy falling everywhere and then running down seven floors of stairs because we began screeching to each other that the building was haunted.


3. What is your favorite Halloween candy?

All the mini stuff: peanut M&M packs and tiny Kit Kats and mini peanut butter cups and those little packs of Swedish Fish! Yum.


4. Would you rather be a monster or an alien?

Alien. Monster sounds so judgmental. But I think I’d be a malevolent but glamorous alien.

Click image for review

How The Tour Works:

Each day of The Crossroads Blog Tour, a new research question will be revealed on The Crossroad Blog Tour main page: HERE.

And each day the answer to that question will be found within one of the different blog posts by Crossroads Tour authors. Your job is to get the question, read the blog posts, and collect all answers by the end of the tour.  

At the end of the tour all of your answers are to be emailed to Judith at: judithgraves@ymail.com by midnight on October 29, 2012.

The Grand Prize:

A KINDLE, preloaded with an ebook from each of the Crossroads authors. That’s right folks, a free KINDLE and 13 free EBOOKS! 

The Other Bloggers:

Late Bloomer Online
Scribing Shadows
For What It's Worth
Confessions of a Bookaholic
Mundie Moms Book Reviews
Most Wanted Monsters
A Life Bound by Books

The Crossroads Tour: Kiki Hamilton & Dawn Dalton

1. What is your favorite Halloween tradition?

As a kid, I loved sorting the candy into piles so I could evaluate my bounty…now, I like putting out the decorations – giant spiders and spider webs and lots of witches…


2. Would you share an embarrassing or funny Trick-or-Treat moment with us?

The only one I can really remember was when I was 6 (which was a LONG time ago) and I was trick-or-treating with my older brother and sister. We went to this one door and Morticia Adams opened the door. At the time (which was the 60’s, the Addams Family was in its heyday.) Back then, you couldn’t see her feet on the TV (which was B&W – I know – I’m so old!!!) but in real life this woman at the door had these webs that went out kind of like an octopus – OMG – it scared me so much I just turned around and booked it. I don’t think my brother and sister caught up with me until I was home!


3. What is your favorite Halloween candy?

M&M’s plain – of course!


4. Would you rather be a monster or an alien?

Definitely an alien, I think. Lots more potential for adventure.

Click image for review

1. What is your favorite Halloween tradition?

Halloween at my house is a big deal – even more so than Christmas. Over the years, my husband and I have collected a number of creeptastic decorations, from animated zombies to giant spiders and chicken wire ghosts. Starting in early October, I begin decorating the inside of the house (every room), and a few days before Halloween, we go to town on the yard – and see how many kids we can scare before we load them up with candy. A few years ago, my husband built a coffin…which is where he likes to hide and stalk his young prey. Creepy, right?

This year, we’re renting the local community hall and hosting a haunted house / Monster Bash. I can’t wait!


2. Would you share an embarrassing or funny Trick-or-Treat moment with us?

When I was a kid, my parents were extremely creative with Halloween costumes. My stepdad made me a glowing finger for my ET costume, and my Mom dyed a mop head blue so I could have hair like Gonzo, the saxophone player from the Muppets. I never got embarrassed by those costumes…but I think this year is going to be different.

My husband is 6’6” and I’m super short. For years he’s been bugging me to dress up in a special costume and I keep resisting. This year he’ll get his way. He’ll be the Jolly Green Giant…and me his Brussel Sprout. * blushes *


3. What is your favorite Halloween candy?

Tootsie Rolls! I steal all of my stepdaughter’s.


4. Would you rather be a monster or an alien?

Definitely a monster because they get to hide under beds and in closets.

How The Tour Works:

Each day of The Crossroads Blog Tour, a new research question will be revealed on The Crossroad Blog Tour main page: HERE.

And each day the answer to that question will be found within one of the different blog posts by Crossroads Tour authors. Your job is to get the question, read the blog posts, and collect all answers by the end of the tour.  

At the end of the tour all of your answers are to be emailed to Judith at: judithgraves@ymail.com by midnight on October 29, 2012.

The Grand Prize:

A KINDLE, preloaded with an ebook from each of the Crossroads authors. That’s right folks, a free KINDLE and 13 free EBOOKS! 

The Other Bloggers:

Late Bloomer Online
Scribing Shadows
For What It's Worth
Confessions of a Bookaholic
Mundie Moms Book Reviews
Most Wanted Monsters
A Life Bound by Books

The Crossroads Tour: Stacey Kade

1. What is your favorite Halloween tradition?

I’ve always loved carving pumpkins. It’s a huge mess, but a sanctioned one. As a little kid, I always thought that was the best part. That and the first year I got to carve a face on my pumpkin instead of my dad doing it for me.


2. Would you share an embarrassing or funny Trick-or-Treat moment with us?

Oh, dear, I’m not sure I have one! As part of minister’s family, our Halloween nights were pretty tightly regulated. ;) I did have an obsession with a Spiderman mask when I was like three, and apparently wore it everywhere. There are, unfortunately, photos.


3. What is your favorite Halloween candy?

Reese’s peanut butter cups.


4. Would you rather be a monster or an alien?

Alien, no question! :)

Click image for review

How The Tour Works:

Each day of The Crossroads Blog Tour, a new research question will be revealed on The Crossroad Blog Tour main page: HERE.

And each day the answer to that question will be found within one of the different blog posts by Crossroads Tour authors. Your job is to get the question, read the blog posts, and collect all answers by the end of the tour.  

At the end of the tour all of your answers are to be emailed to Judith at: judithgraves@ymail.com by midnight on October 29, 2012.

The Grand Prize:

A KINDLE, preloaded with an ebook from each of the Crossroads authors. That’s right folks, a free KINDLE and 13 free EBOOKS! 

The Other Bloggers:

Late Bloomer Online
Scribing Shadows
For What It's Worth
Confessions of a Bookaholic
Mundie Moms Book Reviews
Most Wanted Monsters
A Life Bound by Books

The Crossroads Tour: Judith Graves & Jackie Morse Kessler

1. What is your favorite Halloween tradition?

I love decorating for Halloween, although I don’t have to do much. My office IS Halloween – I usually just take the stuff I have inside my house and display it on the outside. ;)

Perhaps due to my current WIP with Dawn Dalton, KILLER’S INSTINCT, a monster-hunter tale featuring the living dead, the last few Halloweens we’ve had a zombie motif going…it’s bloody awesome. Half-eaten hands bursting through fake graves, severed feet and arms lying about, blood spatters on the bay windows and zombie caution tape around the perimeter of our front Lawn of the Dead.  We’ve invested in a few life-sized, motion-activated zombies to give it that something dreadful this October. There are tons of great props available if you can scare up a few bucks – or if you’re devilishly crafty you can make your own. Start here for ideas: http://www.spirithalloween.com/product/sv-flesh-eating-zombie/


2. Would you share an embarrassing or funny Trick-or-Treat moment with us?

A few Halloween’s ago, a group of my friends thought it’d be cool to dress up in our ghoulish glory and then go to the movie theatre and spend the evening going from one horror movie to the next. The goal – to see at least three films that night.

We started with a 3pm matinee, which kinda ruined any of the night-time thrill factor, but still we watched a horror flick, grabbed some supper at mall cafeteria and then headed to the next 7pm show. Unfortunately, there were only two horror films released that Halloween (lame, I know) and for our last scare of the night we ended up watching the 9pm dollar-showing of Tuck Everlasting - dressed up as werewolves, a zombie nun, a mad-scientist, and Freddy. Now, Tuck Everlasting is a great film (and a great book!), but I’m sure we looked anything but scary as we bawled our eyes out.


3. What is your favorite Halloween candy?

Any thing with chocolate / molasses / sugar / high calories – or what’s left over from our Halloween handouts.


4. Would you rather be a monster or an alien?

A MONSTER ALIEN! Those are terrifying beasties. Seriously. Alien was one of the greatest sci-fi / horror films EVER… same with The Thing – the original, thank you very much.

Click image for review

1. What is your favorite Halloween tradition?

Eating too much chocolate and doing it FOR THE LOVE OF HOLIDAYS. :)

2. Would you share an embarrassing or funny Trick-or-Treat moment with us?

I wish I had one! I don’t. I’m very boring.


3. What is your favorite Halloween candy?

Chocolate. No, I’m not picky. :) If I really had a choice, I’d love Australian Tim Tams. Must be Australian chocolate, not US chocolate. The taste is different, really! (I blame Keri Arthur for my love of Australian Tim Tams!)


4. Would you rather be a monster or an alien?

Eh, I prefer playing God when I write. :)

Click image for review

How The Tour Works:

Each day of The Crossroads Blog Tour, a new research question will be revealed on The Crossroad Blog Tour main page: HERE.

And each day the answer to that question will be found within one of the different blog posts by Crossroads Tour authors. Your job is to get the question, read the blog posts, and collect all answers by the end of the tour.  

At the end of the tour all of your answers are to be emailed to Judith at: judithgraves@ymail.com by midnight on October 29, 2012.

The Grand Prize:

A KINDLE, preloaded with an ebook from each of the Crossroads authors. That’s right folks, a free KINDLE and 13 free EBOOKS! 

The Other Bloggers:

Late Bloomer Online
Scribing Shadows
For What It's Worth
Confessions of a Bookaholic
Mundie Moms Book Reviews
Most Wanted Monsters
A Life Bound by Books

My Bookish Wants & Gots (25)

My Bookish Wants & Gots is a weekly Saturday feature at The Book Vixen. I list the books I want - which can be old, new, or upcoming releases - and the books I recently got.

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

Goodreads

Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare…

Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well—until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core.

Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he’s determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached.

But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won’t be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her… down to the very soul.

Burnout by Adrienne Maria Vrettos

Goodreads

On the day after Halloween, Nan wakes up in a subway car. She is not dreaming. She doesn’t know where she’s been or what she’s done. She’s missing a whole day from her life. And she’s wearing skeleton makeup and a too-small Halloween costume that she doesn't remember putting on.

Nan is not supposed to wake up in places like this anymore. She’s different now, so far from that dangerously drunk girl who hit bottom in the Nanapocalypse. She needs to find out what happened to her, and fast. As she tries to put together the pieces of the last twenty-four hours, she flashes back to memories of her previous life. But she would never go back to her old friends and her old ways. Would she?

The deeper Nan digs, the more disturbing things get. This time, she may have gone one step too far. This time, she may be a walking ghost.

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa
Goodreads
Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

Savage Hunger by Terry Spear
Goodreads
In the heat of the jungle, jaguars are clawed, dangerous, and hungry for love. With hopes of overcoming night terrors and thanking the man who saved her life, Kathleen McKnight returns to the Amazon. A jaguar at heart, Connor Anderson doesn’t just protect her, but wants to claim her for his own.

The Crossroads Tour is Coming...

This Sunday October 21st we kick off the Crossroads Blog Tour, with my first guests being: Judith Graves and Jackie Morse Kessler!  There are thirteen authors across eight different blogs, and at the end of it all you’ll have the chance to win a brand new KINDLE preloaded with a title from each of the participating authors!

And…if that isn’t awesome enough for you…Mundie Moms will be hosting a Twitter chat on Monday the 29th from 8-9 CST / 9-10 EST (#TheCrossroadsBT).

How The Tour Works:

Each day of The Crossroads Blog Tour, a new research question will be revealed on The Crossroad Blog Tour main page: HERE.

And each day the answer to that question will be found within one of the different blog posts by Crossroads Tour authors. Your job is to get the question, read the blog posts, and collect all answers by the end of the tour.  

At the end of the tour all of your answers are to be emailed to Judith at: judithgraves@ymail.com by midnight on October 29, 2012.

The Other Bloggers:

Late Bloomer Online
Scribing Shadows
For What It's Worth
Confessions of a Bookaholic
Mundie Moms Book Reviews
Most Wanted Monsters
A Life Bound by Books

Forgotten Fridays (34)

I invite and welcome anyone interested to post their own Forgotten Friday and join in the fun! I feature a book that I have read and have forgotten how much I enjoyed it. Some books might recent reads and some might be older reads, but I hope this helps these (sometimes forgotten) books earn a spot on your own TBR pile!

Conspiracy Game by Christine Feehan
First Published: October 2006
goodreads

GhostWalker Jack Norton is a genetically enhanced telepathic sniper on a mission to rescue his brother in the jungles of the Congo. Then he meets Briony, a beautiful rebel on a mission of her own - and hiding secrets that a shadowy enemy would kill to discover.

Haunted by Joy Preble

Haunted:
Anne Michaelson is trying to forget everything that happened last year. But it's hard to do when her heart aches for Ethan "and there's a wild-haired woman stalking her...

Ethan Kosinsky is embracing his newfound mortality. But something is drawing him back to the girl he left behind--back to Anne and back to the magic...

A mysterious stranger is hunting Anne wherever she goes. No one sees her but Anne. When she searches for the woman's identity, Anne exposes secrets about her own life-- things that will change her life forever. And when the gorgeous Ethan returns, her life gets a lot more complicated.

Anne thought her journey with the Romanov family had ended, but it was just the beginning...

Haunted by Joy Preble is the second book in the Dreaming Anastasia trilogy, and I still love Joy’s use of Russian Folklore; the story is filled with even more magic and mystery than the first. I really enjoyed Anne’s character in this one, even if at times I found her to be a bit indecisive. I most enjoy a story when the main character is not dependent on someone else, and for the most part Anne was pretty independent, but she constantly bounced between her attraction to Ethan and her want for Ben as a normal boyfriend. But when the need arose, she was willing to sacrifice anything to defend those she loved against the rusalka (a Russian mermaid), who is connected to Anne in an unexpected way.

This book picks up a few months after where Dreaming Anastasia ended and Anne is immediately thrown back into the world of magic and danger. Anne believed that the powers she obtained in order to free Anastasia would disappear as time went on, only that is not true; her powers are growing, and Baba Yaga (the witch from Dreaming Anastasia) is not finished with her yet. 

My Book Boyfriend (88)

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader and co-hosted by Lesley of My Keeper Shelf, in which we swoon over boys in books!

William Becker Richmond 

(A.K.A Rieker)

Book: The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

Series: Faerie Ring

He’s a well-to-do young man in London during the late 1800’s; circumstances in his life caused him to need a change, so he pretends to be a street urchin. He has smoky grey eyes, framed by incredibly long dark lashes, sculpted cheekbones, a straight nose and a strong jaw. His hair is long and dark and he has a tall, rugged build. A long, narrow scar resides under one eyebrow and another along his jaw, giving him an air of danger.

Quotes:

Surprised, Tiki watched Rieker’s face for a moment. “But why? Why would you protect me?” Rieker turned his dark eyes on her. A strange fluttery feeling filled her chest, and Tiki found it hard to draw a deep breath. For a moment everyone else melted away, and it was as though only the two of them were in the room. She stared back, the slow thud of her heart suddenly noticeable in her chest. “Because”—Rieker’s voice softened—“you need protection. You don’t seem to understand what you’re part of.”

“You’re not just a pickpocket with fast hands.” Rieker’s eyes locked on hers. “I found a girl caring for other orphans like a mother. A girl who’d befriended an old bookshop keeper who had lost his daughter. A girl who can read and is helping others learn to read.” His voice softened. “And a girl so beautiful at times, you take my breath away.”

Rieker lowered his head toward her. Tiki leaned into him, the physical pull between them more than she could deny. She rested her hand on his chest, a sudden yearning filling her. His fingers slipped behind her head as his lips descended on hers, warm and urgent, as though he wanted to claim her before she was snatched from him.

Future Favorites (103)

Future Favorites is an awesome blog feature created by Alex over at Electrifying Reviews. I post about a book that is yet-to-be-released that I can't wait to read!

With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent

Release Date: March 19, 2013 by Harlequin Teen

What does it mean when your school is voted the most dangerous in America?

It’s time to kick some hellion butt…

After not really surviving her junior year (after all, she did die), Kaylee Cavanaugh has vowed to take back her school from the hellions causing all the trouble. She’s going to find a way to turn the incarnations of Avarice, Envy and Vanity and the rest on each other. And so she—and her gang—make plans to protect her friends and finish this war, once and forever.

But then she meets Wrath. And Kaylee realizes that she’s closer to the edge than she’s ever been. Especially when one more person she loves is taken…