Monday, November 25, 2013

Christmas Spirit Read-a-Thon: All wrapped up! #CSReadathon

 

Sadly, it must come to an end. How did everyone do? Unfortunately, I had so much going on this weekend, I didn't even get to read or even go on Twitter. *frown* However, nothing compares to decorating the house for Christmas with my sons and my sister and her daughter are coming into town on Tuesday with my grand-nephew and niece so they will be delighted with the decorations. Win!

If you do a wrap up, add your name to the linky and I'll stop by and see what you read. I hope you had fun and this little read-a-thon got you into the Christmas spirit. If you're looking for more of a challenge with your Christmas reading, why not join us for the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge? The challenge lasts all the way through Twelfth Night (or Epiphany). You can find out the details and sign up at my Christmas blog, The Christmas Spirit.

Also, tomorrow begins my Sharing the Joy event at my Christmas blog. A season long event, I share recipes, crafts, guest posts, book reviews and other fun and interesting posts, like my Christmas Around the World feature. I'm kicking off tomorrow with a special giveaway so be sure to stop over at The Christmas Spirit!

Thanks to all who joined me for the read-a-thon. I think I'm going to make this a yearly event. Really, how can I resist?!

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Friday, November 22, 2013

Christmas Spirit Read-a-Thon--Starting Line! #CSReadathon


Here we go! Time to kick off the holiday season with style...reading style. If you're joining us, remember these things:
  • You do not have to read Christmas books (I'm not the Christmas enforcer--haha), but if you can squeeze one little one in... *wink*
  • You do not have to have a blog. Join us from Twitter, Facebook or Goodreads
  • Have fun!
If you're on Twitter, stop by and chat with the hashtag #CSReadathon No official chats are scheduled, but I'm sure people will be hanging out or stopping by. Maybe we can share a cup of cocoa or spiced cider. =O)

If you have any questions, contact me or leave a comment.

Happy (Christmas) Reading!

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Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Announcing...the Christmas Spirit Read-a-Thon!!!


To kick off my annual Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge this year, I've decided to have a weekend read-a-thon!

Details:
  • Read-a-Thon dates: Friday, November 22 at 12:00am CST until Sunday, November 24 at 11:59pm CST (adjust your time zone accordingly)
  • You do not have to be signed up for the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge to participate (but I sure would love for you to join us!)
  • I am not requiring that you read Christmas/holiday books during the read-a-thon, but I hope you will pick up one holiday tale, even if it's just to read some children's books with your kids or some holiday short stories
  • to check in on Twitter, we'll use hashtag #CSreadathon
  • as usual, you do not have to have a blog to participate...feel free to link up and check in from Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Hope I haven't forgotten anything. If you have any questions or notice something I've left out, please feel free to contact me via the contact form tab.

SIGN UP!

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Monday, October 7, 2013

FrightFall Read-a-Thon: It's a wrap! #FrightFall


And so, FrightFall has come to its end. I hope everyone enjoyed it! I'd like to thank everyone who participated and also the authors and Kai at Fiction State of Mind who generously donated prizes. Be watching for sign-ups in the next couple of months for A Winter's Respite, January 27 through February 2. I've also got a couple of ideas up my sleeve for in between read-a-thon events so be watching this blog for announcements.

Again, thanks for joining me for FrightFall. My wrap-up post will be over at Castle Macabre. I'm afraid I did not do very well on this read-a-thon.

Add the link to your wrap-up post in the linky below by 11:59pm CST (U.S. time) on Tuesday (Oct. 8). I will start drawing giveaway winners on Wednesday.

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Thursday, October 3, 2013

FrightFall Read-a-Thon: Mid-Week Check-In #FrightFall


So, how is your scary reading journey going so far? I hope the chills are coming your way regularly. HaHa! Share a link to your update below or just update us in the comments. Would like to know how scary your reads really are. ;O) I'll stop by and visit you.

Just wanted to do some quick reminders....

Be sure to stop by and check out the prize page that I finally posted. There's a tab at the top of the blog or you can visit it HERE.

Also, don't forget about our Twitter chat schedule...hope to "see" you there!

Friday from 9:00 to 10:00pm CST
Saturday from 9:00 to 10:00pm CST 
Sunday from 1:00 to 2:00pm CST

Hope you all enjoy the rest of the read-a-thon!

Sorry, guys...forgot to add the linky!

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FrightFall Read-a-Thon: Prize Promotion Page


This is the prize promotion page for all the prizes being given away for the read-a-thon.  We have some amazing book prizes donated from some very generous authors and bloggers (and me)! At the end of this post, you will find details regarding how the prizes will be awarded at the end of the read-a-thon.


WINNERS - Sarah, ...
The Last Lord of Paradise-Generation One: Jeanne and Anton by Vivian LeMay 
(2  1 Kindle ebooks-International)  
Excerpt:
I remembered that autumn day when a party from the Compagnie Franche de la Marine visited our village in France. They came to recruit men for the war in New France and Papa allowed them into our orchard. I was only sixteen, enchanted by the handsome young marines in their blue uniforms...

It was the sparkle of energy in his blue eyes that caught me, and I smiled. His gaze was so intense I thought he'd pierced my soul and as he bowed to kiss my hand, his very presence dominated me. Anton had that affect on everyone he met.

We wed quickly and weeks later Anton was called to war. It was now nine years since I saw my husband. There were a few letters from him during the war, before France surrendered her lands in North America to the British--after the surrender, nothing. Our troops came home, but not Anton. I fought off the bitterness, and tried to hope, but there had been no word at all for the last five years.

Then last winter Monsieur Lavelle arrived at our chateau with a letter from Anton. His letter invited me to join him in the wilderness of Canada at his own secret settlement called Paradis. Anton sent Monsieur Lavelle for me, because he was clearing land, planting crops and building a home for me. It said nothing about where Anton was for all those years, but my husband was alive. He still loved me and wanted me with him. I thought only of Anton and the future as I packed my trunk that very day.

The Marquise Jeanne Reneau, 1766 on the shore of the Detroit River.

About the author (from Amazon)
I come from a family of French Canadian and Irish, strict Roman Catholics, and yet such fun to be around. They worked hard, and they were not rich, but through good times and bad they always found some reason to celebrate their life.

That is the attitude I tried to portray in my Kindle ebook series, THE LAST LORD OF PARADISE. Generations one through six are now available. I hope you enjoy all six books in The Last Lord of Paradise series, and please don't forget to leave a review. I'd love to know what you think.
Vivian LeMay


Note: J.L. asks for an honest review to be posted at Smashwords if you win her book. Thanks!

Zombie Apocalypse by J.L. Murphey (2  One eBook--International) WINNERS - Jen, Elizabeth
Dr. Donna Cairn is a genetics researcher for the Center of Disease Control. When the CDC issued the Zombie Apocalypse Alert, she discounted it as a way of advertising hurricane preparedness. When a conspiracy buff working with her in the silo speaks to her about the debunked Hapgood theory of Earth Crust Displacement, she again discounts it as just that some wacko, paranoid rambling. But when radiation levels after the Japanese earthquakes starting rising, all bets were off.

Simple dog bite patients are dying from a mysterious fever. Bodies start coming up missing from the morgues across the globe. When the death count reaches over one quarter of the world’s population dying due to this new plague, the CDC sends their best virologist, Kit Seger, to help Donna in her quest of finding the virus in her converted missile silo laboratory in Nebraska.

The dead have risen and hunger for human flesh. She never believed in zombies before, but now she believes in them. Can she and Kit find the cure before mankind becomes extinct? How do you cure people who are already dead? And better yet, how do you kill the dead?

Can it be that Donna’s unborn niece and nephew are the answer? With the earthquakes rumbling, zombies at the gate, and time running out will they find what they are looking for? Man can only hope.

About the author:
I live in Coastal Georgia. Married and have had my soul mate in my life for over twenty years.We have four beautiful daughters and six absolutely wonderful grandchildren.

I've been a published writer for over thirty years. Genres under various pen names include, suspense/thrillers, science fiction, children, southern fiction, nonfiction, Christian nonfiction, and inspiration/motivation nonfiction, and humor. Articles published in various magazines. 

Visit J.L.'s WEBSITE
Available on Smashwords


WINNER - Jane Harfeld
The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry (One copy,International--winner's choice-print or Kindle)
London, 1876. The painter Amos Roselli is in love with his life-long friend and model, the beautiful Daphne - and she with him - until one day she is discovered by another man, a powerful and wealthy industrialist. What will happen when Daphne realises she has sacrificed her happiness to a loveless marriage? What will happen when the artist realises he has lost his most cherished source of inspiration? And how will they negotiate the ever-increasing frequency of strange and bizarre events that seem to be driving them inexorably towards self-destruction. Here, amid the extravagant Neo-Gothic culture of Victorian England, the iconic poem ‘The Lady of Shalott’ blends with mysterious and ghostly glimpses of Tudor history. Romantic, atmospheric and deeply dark.


About the author:
Robert Parry is a UK writer of historical fiction with special interests in Tudor and Elizabethan history, Victorian Gothic and Pre-Raphaelite art. His debut novel, ‘Virgin and the Crab’ appeared in 2009, and his 2nd, ‘The Arrow Chest,’ in 2011. He is currently working on a story set in the 18th century – entitled 'Wildish' - which, all being well, should arrive in February of 2013. His work spans the Tudor, Georgian and Victorian eras, and combines reality, dreams and the unconscious within a well-researched and vivid historical setting.

Details, plus news, competitions and more can be found at http://robertparry.wordpress.com

Also, various articles by Robert Parry can be found at http://endymion-at-night.blogspot.com


WINNERS - Belinda, Diana, Abbie, Julie S, Melissa C.
Amador Lockdown by Coral Russell (5  4  3  2  1 copies--eBook, any format--International)
"You always save the best lies for yourself." - Amador Lockdown 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.


Visit Coral Russell at http://shelf-stacker.com/

******************

Two short story downloads by J. Alexander Greenwood


Obsidian (1 Kindle download) WINNER - Aleksandra
Catch a glimpse of the night with this gripping short story in the tradition of 'The Twilight Zone.' A man awakens in a secluded cabin to find he's being watched by a shape with obsidian eyes. Who or what is watching him, and why? Winner of the 2011 Shelf Unbound Short Story Award.


A Debt of Fire (1 Kindle download) WINNER - Tobe
Redger is a professional thief with debts to pay. Hired to break in to a creepy old mansion under cover of night, he soon learns that getting in was the easy part. Escaping the grip of the mansion and paying his debts is a different matter altogether…

This short tale is from the author of the acclaimed story 'Obsidian' (winner of the Shelf Unbound/Wattpad 2011 Short Fiction Award and the April 2010 WritingRoom Award) and the popular John Pilate Mystery Series.

Visit the author at his WEBSITE.

*******************
Winner - Tif One winner will receive a $5 Amazon gift card and a Halloween card with swag from Kai at Fiction State of Mind.

*******************
Winner - Katherine
One winner will receive their choice of either $10 worth of Kindle books from Amazon, or a $10 eGift card from Amazon. (International) This one is from me. =O)

Giveaway Details: This is a read-a-thon participant only giveaway. To be eligible, you must sign in at the starting line post when you start to read and complete a wrap-up post at the end and link it here at Seasons of Reading at the official read-a-thon wrap-up post (I will give everyone until Tuesday (10/8) at 11:59pm CST to complete their wrap-up posts). We have a total of 14 prizes. This means there will be 14 winners. The first winner chosen will get first choice of all prizes listed and I will continue in this manner until all 14 winners are drawn. All eBook prizes will be sent to winner via email as Kindle gift, etc. Winners will be chosen after the wrap-up post deadline (see above) using random.org.

Good luck and Happy Reading!

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Monday, September 30, 2013

FrightFall Read-a-Thon: Starting Line #FrightFall


Welcome to the starting line! Are you ready for some scary reading? We're kicking off the scariest month of the year. Let's do it in style, shall we!?

Be sure to sign in here, at the beginning, or when you start reading this week. Remember, you do not have to have a blog to join us. You can sign in linking to Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads...wherever you will be updating from. And you don't have to start at the beginning. Start on any day this week, or if you're working all week, join us for the weekend. People can sign in up until Friday night at 11:59pm CST. I'll be stopping by and visiting you so I hope you will have your book piles/reading lists posted. Make sure at least one book is a scary one. Also, a reminder that I do allow children's books. Any books are allowed, as long as one is spooky. In my opinion, it's the quality of what we read that counts, not the quantity so no pressure to read vast amounts, unless you just really, really want to, or you're wired that way (you know who you are!). If you want to read the original sign-up post, you can take a look HERE.

Join us on Twitter using the hashtag #FrightFall. We are going to have four Twitter chats this week. I tried to have a good variance of time. Hope one of the slots will work for everyone. Here's the Twitter chat schedule:

Wednesday from 7:00 to 8:00pm CST
Friday from 9:00 to 10:00pm CST
Saturday from 9:00 to 10:00pm CST 
Sunday from 1:00 to 2:00pm CST

I will be checking in on Twitter on and off throughout the week too. Just remember to have fun this week. Again, my read-a-thon credo is "a week of relaxed reading during which we can personally challenge ourselves and whittle away those ever looming TBR piles/shelves/libraries." I have done away with mini-challenges so we can focus more on the reading, but please do stop by and visit your fellow read-a-thon-ers if you get a chance...and again, we will also be on Twitter for social interaction. I will also post a mid-week check-in on Thursday so you can share your progress if you like.

PRIZES/GIVEAWAYS
I will have the prize page posted during the day on Monday (or Tuesday) so come back here to find it. I will also have easy access links at the top of the blog to the prize page, the sign-in post, etc. 

Okay, I think that's about it. I hope you all have fun this week. If you have any questions, please leave me a comment below, or contact me via the form by clicking the 'contact' tab at the top. I will be posting my updates at my blog, Castle Macabre, so I hope you will stop by and visit me. 

Happy Reading!


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Monday, September 9, 2013

FrightFall Read-a-Thon...Sign-Up!


It's here! The official sign up for the FrightFall Read-a-Thon! A week long fest of scary reading (well, at least one scary book anyway).  All you have to do to participate is read at least one horror/scary book.  For the faint-hearted among you, it can be a spooky mystery, a scary thriller, or something classically gothic.  Children's books are also allowed. It's not so much about the quantity of our reading, but the quality, right? But...if this read-a-thon helps you to mark a bunch of books off your TBR pile, so be it! As you all know, I will not be hosting any mini-challenges. I prefer to focus on the reading, as many of my participants do. However, if anyone else would like to host a mini-challenge, you are more than welcome.  Of course, there will be a big giveaway at the end.  And we will have a few scheduled Twitter chats again. Schedule will be listed in the starting line post. Our twitter hashtag is #FrightFall. As I did during High Summer, I will post a midway check in too.

Official dates and times for the read-a-thon...Monday, September 30 at 12:00am EST through Sunday, October 6 at 11:59pm EST (adjust times according to your particular time zone).

Sign up in the linky below.  You do not have to do a post now, unless you want to help spread the word (hint, hint...)  If you don't have a blog, use Facebook, Twitter or Goodreads.  Having a blog is not required.  Be sure to grab the button at the top of this post.  (Don't forget that this is just the sign-up linky.  There will be starting line sign-in and wrap-up linkies during the read-a-thon and doing both is required to be eligible for the giveaway).

I am looking for prize donations so if anyone would like to contribute, let me know.  Authors, this is a great way to promote your book! Email me--truebookaddictATgmailDOTcom

Looking forward to a week of fun with the spooky and not so spooky! Hope you will join me. =O)

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Saturday, August 24, 2013

Upcoming Events

I have decided to make Seasons of Reading not only a read-a-thon blog, but also a blog to spread the word about events I'm hosting at my other blogs. Also, if you haven't noticed, there is a tab at the top for other read-a-thons around the blogosphere. I hope this blog will help bring more people to the joy of reading!


I'm hosting another write-a-thon! Sit Down and Write 4 starts on Monday. I'm hosting at my writing blog, Stories Inside. This write-a-thon is not only for people who are writing novels or short stories, but also for people who need to catch up on blog writing, etc. For all the details and to sign up, visit this POST at Stories Inside.




Over at Castle Macabre, I'm hosting two events this Fall. Gothic September, featuring a read-a-long of Robert Parry's Gothic historical novel, The Arrow Chest (about the book). In October, I'm once again hosting Season of the Witch. For all the details on both events, visit this POST at Castle Macabre.


I hope you will join me for one, or all, of these events!


On the reading challenge front, come check out my revamped fantasy challenge, The Fantasy Project: 101 Books in 10 Years. You can get the details and sign up at the dedicated blog. We also have a Goodreads group!


A little over a month to go for FrightFall! Can't wait! Sign ups coming soon!

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Sunday, July 28, 2013

High Summer Read-a-Thon: Wrap-Up #HSreadathon


Another read-a-thon has come to an end. I hope everyone enjoyed it! I'd like to thank everyone who participated.  I'd also like to thank the wonderful authors who donated prizes and Laura at Book Snob for hosting her mini-challenge (still going on until the end of the read-a-thon at midnight). I'm looking forward to the FrightFall Read-a-Thon in Sept/Oct (30th - 6th) How about you? Be watching for sign-ups.

While I have your attention, I'd like to mention some events coming up on my sister blogs. At Castle Macabre, my horror/speculative fiction blog, I'm hosting Gothic September and a read-a-long of The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry, a gothic, historical fiction novel. In October, I'll be once again hosting Season of the Witch, which will be a month long spooky event. Be watching at the Castle Macabre blog for details and sign-ups.




Also, coming up in August, another Sit Down and Write Write-a-Thon, probably toward the end of the month. These usually last for two weeks. I don't have a button yet, but you can watch for news on this at my writing blog, Stories Inside.

Again, thanks for joining me for High Summer. My wrap-up post will be over at The True Book Addict in my update post.

Add the link to your wrap-up post in the linky below by 11:59pm CST (U.S. time) on Tuesday.  I will start drawing giveaway winners on Wednesday.

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Thursday, July 25, 2013

High Summer Read-a-Thon: Mid-Week Check In


I thought I would do things a bit differently this time and have a mid-week check in linky for those who want to share their progress in one place for everyone to easily access. Just link up your most recent update. This is not mandatory for the giveaway. I just thought it would be a nice extra for us to more easily interact socially.

Just a couple of reminders...

The prize promotion page has been posted. You can access it by clicking the tab at the top of the blog, or by clicking HERE. Check out all the awesome book prizes on offer this time brought to you by some generous authors (and me).

Laura at Book Snob is hosting a mini-challenge. Click the tab at the top of the blog, or click HERE to check it out.

Our last three Twitter chats are as follows:
Friday from 9:00 to 10:00pm CST
Saturday from 9:00 to 10:00pm CST 
Sunday from 1:00 to 2:00pm CST

Hope you can join us for one, or all!

And I hope everyone is enjoying the read-a-thon!

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High Summer Read-a-Thon: Prize Promotion Page


This is the prize promotion page for all the prizes being given way for the read-a-thon.  We have some amazing book prizes donated from some very generous authors! At the end of this post, you will find details regarding how the prizes will be awarded at the end of the read-a-thon.


Winner - Denee
The Secret History by Stephanie Thornton ( One print copy - U.S./Canada)
Publication Date: July 2, 2013
NAL Trade
Paperback; 448p
ISBN-10: 045141778X

Where Theodora went, trouble followed…

In sixth century Constantinople, one woman, Theodora, defied every convention and all the odds, and rose from being a common theater tart to become empress of a great kingdom, the most powerful woman the Roman Empire would ever know. But the woman whose image was later immortalized in glittering mosaic was, in fact, a scrappy, clever, conniving, flesh-and-blood woman full of sensuality and spirit whose real story is as surprising as any ever told…

When her father dies suddenly, Theodora and her sisters face starvation on the streets. Determined to survive, Theodora makes a living any way she can—first on her back with every man who will have her, then on the stage of the city’s infamous amphitheater in a scandalous dramatization of her own invention. When her daring performance grants her a back-door entry into the halls of power, she seizes the chance to win a wealthy protector—only to face heartbreak and betrayal.

Ever resilient, Theodora rises above such trials and by a twist of fate, meets her most passionate admirer yet: the Emperor’s nephew. She will thrive as his confidant and courtesan, but many challenges lie ahead. For one day, this man will hand her a crown. And all the empire will wonder—is she bold enough, shrewd enough, and strong enough to keep it?

Praise for The Secret History
“Stephanie Thornton’s Theodora is tough and intelligent, spitting defiance against the cruel world of the Byzantine Empire. Her rise from street urchin to emperor’s consort made me want to stand up and cheer. Her later years as empress are great fun to read, but it was her early struggle as actress and courtesan that really had me roaring: either with rage at the misfortunes heaped on this poor girl, or with delight as she once more picked herself up with a steely glint in her eye and kept on going.”—Kate Quinn, author of Empress of the Seven Hills

"Loss, ambition and lust keep this rich story moving at top speed. Stephanie Thornton writes a remarkable first novel that brings a little known woman to full, vibrant life...A sprawling and irresistible story."—Jeane Westin, author of The Spymaster's Daughter

"A fascinating and vivid account; in The Secret History, the life of Empress Theodora leaps from the page, as colorful and complex as the woman herself."—Michelle Diener, author of The Emperor's Conspiracy


About the author
Stephanie Thornton is a writer and history teacher who has been obsessed with infamous women from ancient history since she was twelve. She lives with her husband and daughter in Alaska, where she is at work on her next novel. 

For more information, please visit Stephanie Thornton's website. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.


The Last Lord of Paradise-Generation One: Jeanne and Anton by Vivian LeMay 
(5 Kindle ebooks-International)  
Winner 1 - Sharon
Winner 2 - Marissa
Winner 3 - Tobe
Winner 4 -
Winner 5 -
Excerpt:
I remembered that autumn day when a party from the Compagnie Franche de la Marine visited our village in France. They came to recruit men for the war in New France and Papa allowed them into our orchard. I was only sixteen, enchanted by the handsome young marines in their blue uniforms...

It was the sparkle of energy in his blue eyes that caught me, and I smiled. His gaze was so intense I thought he'd pierced my soul and as he bowed to kiss my hand, his very presence dominated me. Anton had that affect on everyone he met.

We wed quickly and weeks later Anton was called to war. It was now nine years since I saw my husband. There were a few letters from him during the war, before France surrendered her lands in North America to the British--after the surrender, nothing. Our troops came home, but not Anton. I fought off the bitterness, and tried to hope, but there had been no word at all for the last five years.

Then last winter Monsieur Lavelle arrived at our chateau with a letter from Anton. His letter invited me to join him in the wilderness of Canada at his own secret settlement called Paradis. Anton sent Monsieur Lavelle for me, because he was clearing land, planting crops and building a home for me. It said nothing about where Anton was for all those years, but my husband was alive. He still loved me and wanted me with him. I thought only of Anton and the future as I packed my trunk that very day.

The Marquise Jeanne Reneau, 1766 on the shore of the Detroit River.

About the author (from Amazon)
I come from a family of French Canadian and Irish, strict Roman Catholics, and yet such fun to be around. They worked hard, and they were not rich, but through good times and bad they always found some reason to celebrate their life.

That is the attitude I tried to portray in my Kindle ebook series, THE LAST LORD OF PARADISE. Generations one through six are now available. I hope you enjoy all six books in The Last Lord of Paradise series, and please don't forget to leave a review. I'd love to know what you think.
Vivian LeMay



Winner - Melissa C.The Golden Dice by Elisabeth Storrs  (One digital copy-International)
During a ten year siege between two age-old enemies, three women follow very different paths to survive: 

Caecilia, a young Roman woman, forsakes her city by marrying the Etruscan Vel Mastarna, exposing herself to the enmity of his people and the hatred of the Romans who consider her a traitoress…

Semni, a reckless Etruscan girl, becomes a servant in the House of Mastarna, embroiling herself in schemes that threaten Caecilia's children and her own chance for romance…

Pinna, a tomb whore, uses blackmail to escape her grim life and gain the attention of Rome's greatest general, choosing between her love for him and her loyalty to another…

Historical Fiction at its best, The Golden Dice explores the lives of women in war while giving a glimpse into the sexuality, religion, and politics of Roman and Etruscan cultures, two great civilizations of ancient history.


About the author
Elisabeth Storrs has long had a passion for the history, myths and legends of the ancient world. She is an Australian author and graduated from the University of Sydney in Arts Law, having studied Classics. Over the years she has worked as a solicitor, corporate lawyer, governance consultant and business writer.


Her Tales of Ancient Rome series chronicles the events of a ten year siege between Rome and the Etruscan city of Veii. The first book, The Wedding Shroud, ends when war is declared. The Golden Dice continues the story seven years later at the height of the conflict. In addition to the Roman treaty bride, Caecilia, two other strong female characters are introduced in The Golden Dice: Semni, a young Etruscan girl, and Pinna, a Roman tomb whore. You will find more information on the background to the book in this post on Elisabeth’s blog, Triclinium. The Wedding Shroud and The Golden Dice are available on Amazon or via other retailers listed on her website. And Elisabeth would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter. The Wedding Shroud was judged runner-up in the international 2012 Sharp Writ Book Awards for general fiction.


Winner - Darlene
Another Man's Treasure by S.W. Hubbard  (One Kindle copy-International)
On a snowy Christmas Eve, a beautiful young mother goes out to buy a few last minute gifts and never returns….

….thirty years later, her daughter picks up her trail.

As the owner of an estate sale business, Audrey Nealon knows a lot about art, antiques, and the unlikely places old people hide their treasures. But the shabby home of an elderly widow holds alarming surprises: street drugs in the silverware drawer, a trunkful of jewels in the attic, and the distinctive ring Audrey’s mother was wearing the night she disappeared. Believing the truth will bring her peace, Audrey relentlessly pursues clues to her family’s troubled history. But each fact Audrey uncovers drags her further away from the love she craves, and puts her on a collision course with people more determined, more ambitious, and more dangerous than she can fathom. Ultimately, some truths are too awful to bear, and too terrible to share.

Praise for the book
Another Man’s Treasure has 185 reader reviews on Amazon, average 4.6 stars. Read the first chapter at http://www.swhubbard.net
5-Stars Indie Reader Approved
"Verdict: Readers will fall in love with the relentless Audrey, who is hell-bent on finding out why she was robbed, not only of her mother, but also of any hope she had for a "normal" childhood in a happy family. S.W. Hubbard has penned an absorbing treasure."
--IndieReader.com 

"Question follows question, clue follows clue, and the breathless reader can scarcely keep up with all the twists and turnsin Audrey's life once this story's wheels start turning."
--USAToday.com

About the author
S.W. Hubbard’s most recent novel is Another Man’s Treasure. She is also is the author of three mystery novels set in the Adirondack Mountains: Take the Bait, Swallow the Hook, and Blood Knot. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and the anthologies Crimes by Moonlight, The Mystery Box, and Adirondack Mysteries. She lives in Morristown, NJ, where she teaches creative writing to enthusiastic teens and adults, and expository writing to reluctant college freshmen. To read the first chapter of any of her books, visit: http://www.swhubbard.net.

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Winner - Hannah
Books 1 & 2 in the Jazz Age Mystery series (eBooks-one winner-International)



Flappers, Flasks and Foul Play by Ellen Mansoor Collier 
Before Las Vegas, Galveston, Texas was called the “Sin City of the Southwest.” Real-life rival gangs fight over booze and bars during Prohibition in this soft-boiled Jazz Age mystery, inspired by actual events.

Jasmine Cross, a 21-year-old society reporter, feels caught between two clashing cultures: the seedy speakeasy underworld
and the snooty social circles she covers in the Galveston Gazette. After a big-shot banker with a hidden past collapses at the Oasis—as speakeasy secretly owned by her black-sheep half-brother, Sammy Cook—Jazz suspects foul play. Was it an accident or a mob hit? 

Soon handsome young Prohibition Agent James Burton raids the Oasis, threatening to shut it down if Sammy doesn't cooperate. Suspicious, he pursues Jazz, hoping for information and
more, but despite her mixed feelings she refuses to rat on Sammy.

As turf wars escalate between the Downtown and Beach gangs, Sammy is accused of murder. To find the killer, Jazz must risk her life and career, exposing the dark side of Galveston’s glittering society.


Bathing Beauties, Booze And Bullets by Ellen Mansoor Collier 
"Midnight in Paris" meets Miss Universe in 1927 Galveston, Texas—the “Sin City of the Southwest.” Jasmine (“Jazz”) Cross is an ambitious 21-year-old society reporter for the Galveston Gazette who tries to be taken seriously by the good-old-boy staff, but the editors only assign her fluffy puff pieces, like writing profiles of bathing beauties. The last thing Jazz wants to do is compare make-up tips with ditzy dames competing in the Miss Universe contest, known as the “International Pageant of Pulchritude and Bathing Girl Revue.” 

She’d rather help solve the murders of young prostitutes who turn up all over town, but city officials insist on burying the stories during Splash Day festivities. After Jazz gets to know the bathing beauties, she realizes there’s a lot more to them than just pretty faces and figures. Jazz becomes suspicious when she finds out the contest is also sponsored by the Maceos, aspiring Beach Gang leaders and co-owners of the Hollywood Dinner Club, where the girls will perform before the parade and pageant. 

Worse, her half-brother Sammy Cook, owner of the Oasis, a speakeasy on a rival gang’s turf, asks her to call in a favor from handsome Prohibition Agent James Burton: He wants Agent Burton to raid the Hollywood Club during the bathing beauties dance routine--or risk revenge from the Downtown Gang leader. Her loyalties torn, Jazz is faced with an impossible task that could compromise both of their jobs and budding romance. Meanwhile, Jazz fends off advances from Colin Ferris, an attractive but dangerous gangster who threatens Sammy as well as Burton. In the end, she must risk it all to save her friends from a violent killer hell-bent on revenge. Inspired by actual events. 


About the author
Ellen Mansoor Collier is a Houston-based freelance magazine writer and editor whose articles and essays have been published in several national magazines, including: FAMILY CIRCLE, MODERN BRIDE, GLAMOUR, BIOGRAPHY, COSMO, PLAYGIRL, etc. Several of her short stories have appeared in WOMAN'S WORLD. A flapper at heart, she’s the owner of DECODAME, specializing in Deco to retro vintage items. 

Formerly she's worked as a magazine editor, and in advertising and public relations (plus endured a hectic semester as a substitute teacher). She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Magazine Journalism. FLAPPERS, FLASKS AND FOUL PLAY is her first novel, published in 2012, followed by the sequel, BATHING BEAUTIES, BOOZE AND BULLETS, released in May 2013. She lives in Houston with her husband and Chow mutts, and visits Galveston whenever possible.
"When you grow up in Houston, Galveston becomes like a second home. I had no idea this sleepy beach town had such a wild and colorful past until I began doing research, and became fascinated by the legends and stories of the 1920s. Finally I had to stop researching and start writing, trying to imagine a flapper's life in Galveston during Prohibition."

Visit her on Goodreads and at her Website
Winner - Jo Ann Butler (print copy)
Cracks in the Sidewalk by Bette Lee Crosby (One print copy--U.S./Can OR One eBook--Int'l)
From the Bestselling Author of Spare Change, comes a powerful story that is a heart-wrenching reminder of how fragile relationships can be. Cracks in the Sidewalk is based on a true story. 

Claire McDermott is a wife, a mother, a grandmother... Her only daughter is gravely ill... Her son-in-law is resentful and angry... Her grandchildren are missing...

FPA President's Book Award Gold Medal and Winner of the Royal Palm Literary Award

After years of writing letters, hoping to find the children, hoping to bring them back, Claire receives a reply...a dog-eared gray envelope is stuffed into her mailbox, but will it bring hope or simply put an end to the waiting?

A moving, emotional story...when I read this book I felt so moved, I was crying at the end...writing flowed beautifully...depth of characters and insight kept me turning pages. 5 Stars Bria Burton

Can a single letter change the lives of four people? Claire McDermott and her grandchildren are about to discover letters are a journey of the heart which can ultimately deliver people to their destination.

A compelling story...Well written, with a realistic, compassionate telling, Cracks In the Sidewalk will bring readers into the family, happy to be a part of it. 5 Stars, Angie Mangino
Winner--Melissa (4 a happier me)
Spare Change by Bette Lee Crosby (One eBook--Int'l)
Reviewer's Choice 2012 Award Winner! In a story that's been compared to John Grisham's The Client, eleven year-old Ethan Allen Doyle has witnessed a brutal murder and now the boy is running for his life. In the time-tested tradition of Southern Fiction, Crosby unveils the darkest side of human nature and then rewards her readers with a beautiful tale of love, loss and unexpected gifts.

Olivia Westerly is the only person Ethan Allen can trust, and he's not too sure he can trust her. She's got no love of children and a truckload of superstitions--one of them is the belief that eleven is the unluckiest number on earth. Olivia avoided marriage for almost forty years. But when Charlie Doyle happened along, he was simply too wonderful to resist. Now she's a widow with an eleven-year-old boy claiming to be her grandson.

With a foul mouth, dark secrets and heavily guarded emotions, Ethan Allen Doyle is not an easy child to like. He was counting on the grandpa he'd never met for a place to hide, but now that plan is shot to blazes because the grandpa's dead too. He's got seven dollars and twenty-six cents, his mama's will for staying alive, and Dog. But none of those things are gonna help if Scooter Cobb finds him.

Winner of Five Literary Awards,BookBundlz Finalist, Voted Goodreads Best Unknown Fiction, FPA President's Book Award Gold Medal Finalist

About the author
Award-winning novelist Bette Lee Crosby brings the wit and wisdom of her Southern Mama to works of fiction—the result is a delightful blend of humor, mystery and romance along with a cast of quirky charters who will steal your heart away.

Crosby’s work was first recognized in 2006 when she received The National League of American Pen Women Award for a then unpublished manuscript. Since then, she has gone on to win several more awards, including another NLAPW award, three Royal Palm Literary Awards, and the FPA President’s Book Award Gold Medal.

Her published novels to date are: Cracks in the Sidewalk (2009), Spare Change (2011), The Twelfth Child (2012), Cupid’s Christmas (2012) and What Matters Most (2013). She has also authored “Life in the Land of IS” a memoir of Lani Deauville, a woman the Guinness Book of Records lists as the world’s longest living quadriplegic. 

Crosby originally studied art and began her career as a packaging designer. When asked to write a few lines of copy for the back of a pantyhose package, she discovered a love for words that was irrepressible. After years of writing for business, she turned to works of fiction and never looked back. “Storytelling is in my blood,” Crosby laughingly admits, “My mom was not a writer, but she was a captivating storyteller, so I find myself using bits and pieces of her voice in most everything I write.”


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Winner - Rebecca
One winner will receive their choice of either $10 worth of Kindle books from Amazon, or a $10 eGift card from Amazon. (International) This one is from me. =O)

Giveaway Details:  This is a read-a-thon participant only giveaway.  To be eligible, you must sign in at the starting line post when you start to read and complete a wrap-up post at the end and link it here at Seasons of Reading at the official read-a-thon wrap-up post (I will give everyone until Tuesday (7/30) at 11:59pm CST to complete their wrap-up posts).  We have a total of 12 prizes.  This means there will be 12 winners. The first winner chosen will get first choice of all prizes listed and I will continue in this manner until all 12 winners are drawn. All eBook prizes will be sent to winner via email as Kindle gift, etc. Winners will be chosen after the wrap-up post deadline (see above) using random.org.  

Be sure to check out Laura's (Book Snob) mini-challenge/giveaway HERE. She's created an awesome challenge with some great prizes!

Any questions? Contact me via the contact tab at the top of the blog.

A big thanks again to the generous authors and to Laura for hosting her challenge!

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