Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon - Prizes! #SpringHorrorRAT


This is the prize promotion page for all the prizes being given away for the read-a-thon. We have several amazing book prizes donated from some very generous authors...and me! At the end of this post, you will find details regarding how the prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the read-a-thon. You will also find the form to fill out if you're interested in winning a prize.

Note: The fine authors who so generously donated books would greatly appreciate a review, if you win, on your blog and/or on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you!


WINNERS - (MELISSA C, SARAH, BECCA BOOKLVOER, FRANCES, JORDAN)
Yosemite Rising: A Zombie Novel by Julie Dawn  ( 1  2  3  4  5 eBook copies {All formats - International} ) 

A legend that will change the world.
It’s been 150 years since the Ahwahnee Indians lived where Yosemite National Park now stands. Their last surviving Chief appears to Elizabeth Hutchings, a twenty-year-old biology student, the very day her parents die. Within 24 hours, she too is clinging to life as his whispers echo in her thoughts.

An ancient prophecy has begun. A plague rips through the world’s population, taking everyone and everything she has ever cared about. As agents of a mysterious organization called Meadowlark hunt her, she must find the strength to fight the infected even as she struggles to keep herself alive.

Just when she thinks she can’t go on, a man from her past arrives. He holds the key to understanding the prophecy. If she can unravel its secrets, she not only may change her own fate—but the fate of the entire world.


About the author
Julie Dawn grew up in southern Jersey, spending the summers collecting bee stingers in her feet. After graduating from Richard Stockton College, she dipped her toes in the environmental field for a few years, got married, moved to North Carolina, and finally got to become a mom. Four years of living in state parks was enough to make her relocate to the Oregon Coast. Under bright stars, she started writing again, determined to change the world one story at a time.

Website

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(WINNERS - BECCA BOOKLOVER, SARAH, MELISSA C.)
Fanny Price: Slayer of Vampires by Tara O'Donnell  ( 1  2  3 eBook copies {All formats - International} ) 
The classic Jane Austen novel gets a chilling twist as a series of secret letters reveal a menace to Mansfield Park more frightening than a visit from Aunt Norris. Discovered by modern day descendants, this tale of terror told by Fanny Price, who wrote to but never dared to send to her seafaring brother William, chronicles her struggles to defeat the double trouble danger brought on by Mary and Henry Crawford.

This sinister set of siblings with sharp wits and even sharper fangs manage to cast a spell of amiability that hides their deadly desire for Bertram blood. Armed with surety of purpose and a specially sharpened keepsake,can Fanny put aside her creepmouse manners in order to protect the only true home she knows and love,as well as her beloved Edmund? Or does she have enough difficulty keeping Lady Bertram awake during tea time? While Fanny may speak softly, she does find herself carrying a big stick suitable for staking!

About the authorTara O'Donnell is also the author of other books such as The Hench Woman's Handbook and The Austen Avenger,all of which have cover art specially designed by her sister Stephanie O'Donnell. She also has a pop culture blog called Living Read Girl (livingreadgirl.blogspot.com), where she talks about movies and TV as well as books. Tara has had humorous pieces published in Galley Cat's Longest Literary Remix series and the anthology Bad Austen: The Worst Stories Jane Never Wrote. Her interests include the works of Jane Austen,Gilmore Girls and the adventures of Wonder Woman,plus vampires and cats (not in that exact order!).

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(WINNERS - Carol, Christian)
Amador Lockdown by Coral Russell One signed paperback - U.S. AND One eBook - International

"You always save the best lies for yourself." Something has moved into the Amador Hotel. Hector, Marcos, Bev, and Tony of the Paranormal Posse are called in to either debunk the haunting or get rid of whatever is causing the problems. With the surprise arrival of Hector's son, he tries to keep his professional and personal lives separate, but whatever is haunting the Amador Hotel has other plans.
Finalist in Horror Contest 2013

About the author
book whorshiper kpop listener kdrama addict trytheworld kinda person peace lover wannabe 바둑 Master bias @bbangSH83 Go here for a #free #ebookhttp://www.blog.kybunnies.com/read-for-free/
BookBunny group READING CHALLENGE: IndieRead2016

On a more professional note, I have a Masters in Teaching English to English Language Learners and taught ELL students for ten years.

I've lived in Korea and traveled to Canada and Mexico and visited 47 out of the 50 United States. The last three are on the bucket list...

I have a tremendously supportive family that indulges my writing whims.

NaNoWriMo Winner 2015 - first draft of Crowning Fantasy Book 2 finished
Crowning Fantasy Book 1 released May 2015
Sacrifice named Best of 2013 by Indie Reader 5 star review. Available through Library Journal's Self-e program Ohio.
Amador Lockdown Finalist in Horror Contest 2013
Sweet Trade of the Red Coral 1st Place in Pirate Themed Contest 2011
Peace on the Peninsula won the 2003 McCaleb Peace Initiative

Coral on Goodreads
Contact the author at coralrussellbooks@gmail.com

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WINNER - FIONA
The Beach by Jaye Francis  One Kindle eBook - International
Alan loves the beach. More than a weekend respite, it is his home, his refuge, his sanctuary. And for most of the year, he strolls the sand in blissful solitude, letting nature—and no one else—touch him. But spring has given way to summer, and soon, the annual invasion of vacationers and tourists will subdivide the beach with blankets, umbrellas, and chairs, depriving Alan of his privacy and seclusion—the fundamental touchstones of his life.

Resigned to endure another seasonal onslaught of beach-goers, Alan believes there is nothing he can do but prepare for the worst.

But fate has other plans.

Delivered to him on the crest of a rogue wave, the strange object appears to have no purpose, no practical use—until Alan accidentally discovers what waits inside. Now he must attempt to unravel an ageless mystery, unaware that the final outcome will change his life, and the beach, forever.

In the companion novella Short Time, you’ll meet a respectable but bored middle-class executive, who exchanges his future for six months of excess and extravagance, only to discover out the price he must pay for his hedonistic indulgence is beyond anything he could have imagined. (Goodreads)

Excerpt from The Beach by Jaye Frances: The breeze was too warm for a sweater and the water too cold for swimming.

Useless weather, he thought. Good for nothing.

The mild transition between spring and summer didn’t appeal to Alan. He was already missing the winter seas and the raw, wet air that hurt your lungs if you drew it in too fast. In spite of his disfavor with the calendar, he still had the beach and today it was just the way he liked it—empty, not another soul for as far as he could see. The beach was his church, and he worshiped best alone.

He walked at a slower gait than usual, taking it all in, knowing that within a few weeks the crowds would return, littering the sand with their ice cream wrappers and cigarette butts, and contaminating the clean, salty air with the ear-stench from a hundred black and silver boom-boxes bought on sale from the local drug and notions.

Several summers ago he had tried to teach them, to show them how their seasonal invasion—their thoughtlessness and stupidity—was damaging the beach and the wildlife that lived there. They had responded with blank expressions and glassy-eyed indifference, some arrogantly turning up their radios to drown him out, to push him out of earshot.

As bad as the tourist-filled days were—so bad he never ventured outside in the afternoon—the evenings were far worse. That’s when he found his precious beach wounded and bleeding, the sand punctured with empty beer cans and still-glowing cigar stubs. Even more vulnerable, the higher dunes were frequently left suffocating in tons of grease paper, used Kleenex, and the occasional disposable diaper—damning evidence that raging human scum had f*cked his beach.

One night, after trying to diffuse his anger with a fifth of Johnnie Walker Red, he had admitted the truth—if only to himself: He would kill them if he could. Club them with the very same shovel he used to pile up their wretched trash, and then let the birds pick their bones.

He pushed the thought from his mind. They would be here soon enough. Right now, he had the beach to himself, and he would savor the solitude for a couple more days, maybe a week, depending on this useless weather.

Alan was taking his usual late afternoon walk along the shoreline. As he inhaled the salt-laden mist and felt the tightly-packed sand crunch under his feet, he easily imagined the light breeze at his back gently urging him toward a large outcropping of exposed granite at the south end of the strand.

As he covered the final hundred yards separating him from the rocky projection, he slowed his pace. No matter how many times he saw it, he couldn’t help but appreciate the enduring strength of the weather-worn monolith. Dark and craggy, it was an unremarkable monument. But for Alan, its stubborn and defiant stand against the elements gave it character and personality, and he always approached it with a kind of pantheistic reverence.

The Beach-Paperback on Amazon
The Beach eBook on Amazon


About the author
Jaye Frances is the author of “World Without Love,” a suspense thriller series with an erotic edge, including Betrayed, Reunion, and Redemption. Her other books include The Beach, a sci-fi supernatural tale about the possibilities—and horror—of wishful thinking; The Kure, a paranormal-occult romance novel; The Possibilities of Amy, a coming-of-age story of first love; and Love Travels Forever, a collection of poignant short stories. When she’s not consumed by her writing, Jaye enjoys cooking, taking pictures – lots of them—and sipping a glass of merlot with a side of dark chocolate. Jaye lives on the gulf coast of Florida, sharing her home with one husband, six computers, and several hundred pairs of shoes.

Goodreads author page

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WINNERS - CHRISTIAN, NADIA, MALLORY, CECILY, MICHELLE, FRANCES, JORDAN, MELISSA, SARAH, BECCA BOOKLOVER )
Niedermayer & Hart by M.J. Johnson  5  6  7  8  9  10 eBook copies - International
Jim Latimer reads of fellow photographer John Loxton's suicide in a daily newspaper. An old friend offers Jim an opportunity to take over Loxton's next assignment. He enters the orbit of Niedermayer & Hart, porcelain dealers with elegant headquarters in Hove. Jim's friends Ruth and Erich sense something isn't right and try to warn him. He is brought face to face with a terrifying manifestation of evil that had its inception in mediaeval Acre.

A band of unlikely vigilantes takes on an implacable enemy.

This is a story of friendship, courage and steadfastness, taking the reader on more than one journey before it arrives at its conclusion in the Berwyn Mountains of North Wales.

More than just a fight for life - these friends are playing for the highest stakes of all. (Goodreads)

The prologue to the supernatural/thriller Niedermayer & Hart by M J Johnson.



Praise
"It was a thoroughly engaging read for me, and the story filled up my mind with fear, danger, history, myths, loss and love."
Aditi, Software Technician, West Bengal, India

"When I was just three pages in I sensed the invisible hand reaching out from between the pages. By the end of Chapter One I was quite happily in its vice-like grip. And it held me to the end. Great stuff. Five stars."
Andrew, Script Editor, New York

"To be honest I'm not sure how I came by a copy of this story but boy am I glad I did."
Bernadette, book review

"The author has a sample of this book on his website. I didn't even read the whole thing. I read the prologue and rushed off to buy it. I was intrigued and needed to find out more. If you love a well-told, absorbing story, give this one a try."
Brinda, Wisconsin, USA

Learn more about the author and read more reviews at the author's website.

Amazon UK

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(WINNERS - TARA, CORI)
The Awakening by D.B. Coulson  2 signed paperbacks - U.S. only


A Story of Terror and Dark Romance set in the French Quarter of New Orleans

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina had reached maximum strength as the storm surged through the city of New Orleans. Driven by hurricane force winds, a heavy, metal trash barrel crashed into the door of a tomb at St. Louis No. 1 cemetery, ripping the hinges from the stone. Andrea, Sonja and Nicholas, a terrifying menage a' trois from a rural valley outside of Sighisoara, Romania, escaped from the tomb and the secret U. S. military project Operation Voodoo, and found shelter in the Iberville Housing project bordering the French Quarter.

As the world descended into the horrors and massive death of World Wars I and II, a clever and nurturing Mother Nature devised a plan for these three children to remain vibrant and very much alive by creating a natural strain of living vampires. News of these three special children soon spread. Captured by the Nazis in 1941, they were confined to an experimental hospital for genetic engineering. Now, after decades of persecution, they are free...and very hungry.

Please join us in the five-book series, LES TROIS SOURIS AVEUGLES, as alpha male Nicholas, his artistic lover, Sonya, and their beautiful, intelligent and very lethal childhood companion, Andrea, find their way as they awaken to a new life of romance, hedonism and acquired wealth in the French Quarter of New Orleans.


About the author
D.B. Coulson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in a time when Tulsa was purported to be the oil capital of the world. His father was employed in the vast boundaries of the "oil patch" as a land man so moving around from town to town chasing that "black gold" was a way life. D.B.'s father was an accomplished artist and musician when he was not chasing down oil rigs and dodging tornados, so the love of music and art came easy to D.B. as a boy and young man. Being a good athlete in football and wrestling, a young D.B. had to make a choice between music and sports in college. Music won out and the road to creative writing and song writing powered by a vivid imagination became the preferred pathway of life. Playing rhythm and blues music in a very successful rock and roll band kept D.B. on the road where he learned to appreciate the life of a traveler and musician. The love of travel and adventure became part of his soul as he traversed the American Southwest in his earlier years.

In the late sixties he spent a week in New Orleans in the French Quarter, where he fell in love with the European, French-designed walking district known as the Vieux Carre' or Old Square as we say it in English. To this day the French Quarter of New Orleans is still one of his favorite haunts. Powered by an education in world history, philosophy and art, D.B. decided to see this great world he had read so much about and left America for Europe, where he traveled extensively in the late eighties.

Loving the road, the sights and scenery of this wonderful Earth, he discovered that there are many sides to human behavior as he frequented the pubs, taverns, art galleries and music halls along his journey. Not all roads are paved with flower beds and scented vines, he discovered. Some roads are treacherous, with dank dark corners and hard hearted characters that would prefer to do harm as much as good. Discerning between good and evil is a daunting task as one travels the more interesting and less traveled highways and byways of life. This LES TROIS SOURIS AVEUGLES series is but one of the offerings of D.B. Coulson from his travels around our world as he delves into the unknown in search of the good, the bad and the bizarre of what this planet Earth has to offer.

Author Website


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WINNER - JORDAN
The Vagabond's Son: Prelude to a Legacy by L.F. Falconer  One signed print copy - International

Epic Fantasy Finalist, 2015 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards
Once upon a time there was a boy who lived inside a nightmare …

Book One in The Legacy of Skur series by L.F. Falconer, this uncommon, biographical dark fantasy takes an introductory glimpse into a world locked in the midst of imposed evolution, and not all the magical folk who inhabit the Black Wood are creatures of the light.

Born to an outlaw and favored by the goddess, after Adalanto escapes a childhood of brutality, he is suddenly thrust into a society he never knew existed. Struggling to adapt, he battles the ghosts of his turbulent past, while rising to a position of power. Yet in the midst of civil insurgency, he betrays the king he has sworn to protect and takes to the woods in rebellion, coming across the one with the power to change his life for better, or for worse.”

Praise
“Falconer took me by storm. I was so engrossed in this book that I literally could not put it down.”--- Jennifer Hass, Reader Views

“I found myself turning the pages faster than usual and actually ‘felt’ something.”---Lance Carney, author, Ripped Tide

“Worthy to be in the company of the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Tim Burton. Brava, Ms. Falconer!”—Stephen Fisher, Readers’ Favorite


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From author Michael Brookes...

WINNER - MALLORY HEART REVIEWS
Horror trilogy The Third Path (The Cult of Me, Conversations in the Abyss, The Last True Demon)  Three books (signed) - ONE winner - International)


The Cult of Me
In my youth I developed a talent for reading other people’s minds and with practice, forcing my will upon them. I have never encountered anyone capable of resisting my thoughts and for a time I enjoyed the fruits of my power. A terrible tragedy led me to a darker place and then I wielded my ability not simply to satisfy my desires but to torment and judge the throng of humanity around me.

Years passed until I realised that my life lacked meaning and I lived without purpose. It wasn’t a difficult change to make. And with that choice I have one final act to inflict upon the world and they will remember my name with fear for ages to come.

The Cult of Me is the first book in The Third Path trilogy. Reviews and purchase information


Conversations in the Abyss
The second book in 'The Third Path' trilogy.

Stealing Lazarus’s miracle gifted him immortality. Combined with his natural ability of invading and controlling people’s minds this made him one of the most dangerous people on Earth.

But the miracle came with a price. His punishment was to be imprisoned within the walls of an ancient monastery and tormented by an invisible fire that burned his body perpetually. To escape the pain he retreated deep into his own mind.

There he discovers the truth of the universe and that only he can stop the coming Apocalypse. Reviews and purchase information


The Last True Demon
The Last True Demon is the concluding book in The Third Path trilogy.

Stealing Lazarus’ miracle granted me immortality. Unfortunately, as I discovered upon a cold slab of stone, it didn’t make me indestructible. According to a dark prophecy I should have been the one who could stop the Antichrist bringing his Father to the Earth.

I learned the hard way as he ripped the miracle from my flesh. Now I’ve passed over and I’m in the ruins of the Garden of Eden with the Friar, Hammond, and Venet, a wounded angel. There’s a slim chance we can save humanity. All we have to do is find God and convince him to intervene and save us all.

The only problem?

He doesn’t believe that we exist…  Reviews and purchase information

WINNER - CECILY
Books 1 and 2 of the Mitchell & Morton series (Faust 2.0, The Church of Virtual Saints)
Two books (signed) - ONE winner - International



Faust 2.0
The Internet witnesses the emergence of a new entity.

Is it the rebirth of an ancient evil in a new realm? Or something more dangerous?

A sexy looking avatar is granting wishes for people across the Internet. But nothing is ever truly free and for those accepting the gifts a terrible price must be paid.

Sarah Mitchell must learn the truth of this creature and stop it while it can still be stopped. She must also find out why a mysterious lawyer is present at every step.

Faust 2.0 is the first book in the new Mitchell & Morton series.  Reviews and purchase information


The Church of Virtual Saints
While experimenting with human consciousness Adam Samuels discovers a being which transforms his life. It’s a religious experience beyond anything possible in the conventional world, and together the two lay down the plan for humanity's ultimate quest - to become like God.

But some consider the development a threat to mankind itself, and will stop at nothing to put an end to it.

Despite the destruction of the artificial intelligence known as Misty Felice, GCHQ investigator Sarah Mitchell and hacker Dan Emmet each continue to suffer from its twisted legacy.  

The Church of Virtual Saints follows on from Faust 2.0.  Reviews and purchase information

(WINNERS - Nadia, Michelle)
One Two original art prints  One Two winners - International

Check out the prints available at Old Ones Productions

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WINNERS - CHRISTIAN, FRANCES, CAROL, FIONA, NADIA)
Dishonor Thy Wife by Belinda Austin   1  2  3  5 eBooks - International
A Suspenseful, Sexy, Psychological Thriller. A Tale of Obsession, Secrets, and Revenge.

After six years of a sexless forced marriage, Ronni finds she enjoys herhusband spying through the keyhole of her bedroom door. She begins toperform for him, even remembering his past violent outbursts, becauseBrad returned home to Austin from a Philadelphia business trip a changed man, or so she thinks.

Once Ronni has a taste of forbidden passion, she is addicteduntil Brad begins acting like a Jekyll-Hyde. She believes Brad may bebipolar, never realizing that something far more sinister is going on.

What happened at a Philly medical convention sets off a chain of events that begs the question, does a woman really know the cracksbeneath her husband's skin?


About the author
Belinda loves to create novels with twists and turns, and love stories that will squeeze your heart. Her goal is to entertain and touch you by making you laugh, cry, get angry, i.e. go through the emotional experience that makes us all human and by doing so, humanize her characters.

Her aim with her books is to grab the reader by the shirt collar and drag him or her into the novel, and not let go until the end. She hopes that the reader will not just read her story, but experience it, with chills, blood pounding, brain bursting, etc.

She is a Zumbaholic.

Author Website

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READ-A-THON HOST PRIZE

TWO INTERNATIONAL WINNERS WILL RECEIVE... 

WINNER - JANE
A $5 AMAZON DIGITAL GIFT  (One winner) 

WINNER - FIONA
YOUR CHOICE OF 3 BOOKS FOR $10 FROM THE BARGAIN BIN AT BETTERWORLDBOOKS.COM  (One winner)

Giveaway Details
This is a read-a-thon participant only giveaway. To be eligible, you must have signed up, participated and added a link to the official read-a-thon wrap-up post (I will give everyone until Wednesday {4/27} at 11:59pm CDT to complete their wrap-ups) AND filled out the Google form below to show your interest in winning. We have a total of 33 prizes. This means there will be 33 winners. I will award prizes on a first come, first served basisI will draw the 33 winners with random.org and email all 33 at the same time. The first person who emails me back with their choice gets that prize. I will mark off the prizes as they are taken. In the event that we end up with left over prizes, you will have a chance to win a second (and perhaps third) prize. All eBook prizes will be sent to winner via email (or you will be given a coupon code) so please specify what format you require in your email. Winners will be chosen after the wrap-up post deadline (see above). 

Good luck!

1 comment:

  1. Wow!! Always gratifying to be a winner!:) My first choice is the Michael Brookes horror set; not sure if that counts for 3', if not 2) Yosemite Rising; 3) The Awakening. Excellent prizes. Thanks to Michelle and to all the generous authors. Reviews will follow.:)

    ReplyDelete