Dark Eden by Patrick Carman Book Trailer

I really Can't wait to get a hold of this book. It looks so good!

Guest Post with Derek Clendening

Spellbound By Books would like to welcome Derek Clendening, author of The Vampire Way to the blog today!  

Ever hear writers tell stories about how it took them ten years to write a novel? Well, The Vampire Way took nine. The sequel, Blood Promise, took four months. Big difference, huh? So, if one took me so long, why should the sequel be so darn easy?

To start, I first conceived the idea for The Vampire Way in the summer of 1999. I was 17 and would turn 18 that November. Part of the trouble is that I was an aspiring writer in the truest sense of the word. I hadn’t learned how to properly develop an idea, unfold a plot and characters etc. I don’t beat myself up over that though. It’s pretty forgivable.

Here’s how the original story went: Rick Thompson, an 18 year old high school senior, who is horror-obsessed and an aspiring writer, meets a pretty girl named Laura. Said pretty girl turns out to be a vampire and is behind a few killings. It’s okay to tell you about that. No spoilers there. The initial concept is nowhere close to the book it became. Laura was rewritten as a regular human girl in following drafts. Certain major characters and themes didn’t arrive until 2001 or later. The reason for that, I think, is because I had to make sense of some things that happened to me in the fall of 1999.

A friend I grew up with, whose father was best friends with my father growing up (it’s a small town guys, haha) succumbed to cancer on my 18th birthday. Another of our friends died in a car accident a few weeks later. I felt a type of survivor’s guilt because my friends were gone and I was lucky enough to be able to live my life. Those emotional aches and pains were incorporated into the book. My own quest to become a better person, in spite of the mistakes I may commit in the process, is thematically significant as Rick strives to become a better person.

In short, I needed the experiences that came later that fall, and the maturity that came in the following years to tell the story properly. I needed nearly a decade to make the story reach its full potential. Writing a sequel was easy because I knew the characters so well. Rick Thompson had become my best friend. I only hope that a reader can achieve the personal growth from the book as I did.

To enter to win a Kindle Fire, leave your name and e-mail address in the comment form below. 

You can enter once per blog stop. Visit each blog stop to increase your odds of winning. If I crack the Kindle Top 100, I will give away another Kindle Fire. 

E-mail me for the tour newsletter including a full listing of tour stops at derek (dot) r (dot) clendening (at) gmail (dot) com.

TGIF (4) Giving Thanks

TGIF is a weekly feature created and hosted by Ginger at GReads! that re-caps the week’s posts and has different question each week.

This Friday's Question:
Giving Thanks: Which books are you most thankful for receiving from other bloggers, friends, family members, or publishers?

For starters, I want to say thanks to my cousin Kelsie.  If it wasn't for you I'd never would have picked up a Young Adult book and though I was hesitant to read Twilight because of the hype, this book as well as the first in the Harry Potter series was the first two books that got me into the genre.

Thank you to the dude that used to work at Angus and Robertson at Redbank Plaza.  The Messenger/I am Messenger by Markus Zusak was recommended as it was his all time favourite.  To this day, I still can't think of your name! I'm so sorry!  This is now my all time favourite too!

I'd like to thank Jen at Hardie Grant Egmont for supplying me a proof copy of Forgotten by Cat Patrick.  This was such a beautifully written book that will forever be a favourite of mine!

So a big thank you to everyone who has recommended an awesome book to me, supplied me with a book, or what not!  I'm forever thankful.  What would we do without word of mouth, friendship or publishers?  You rock!

This Weeks Posts (From Sunday):

In My Mailbox (87)

Guys and Molls Random Magic Tour Schedule

Review: Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Waiting on Wednesday (80)

Guys and Molls - Pinstripes and Fedoras

Who do you give thanks to for introducing you to a certain book?

Guys and Molls - Pinstripes and Fedoras

Greetings to Guys and Molls visitors from
Mel of the Spellbound By Books outfit.



His and Hers Gangster Style

Many 1920s Couples in the Roaring Twenties were always deliciously dressed - including mobsters.

For the Gangster Gentleman, nothing says you're "Dizzy for a Dame" than his and hers matching outfits.  Here are some ideas.

1920 gangster fashion man by meeka-672 featuring wool hats

His: Wool hats, spats, and a snazzy suit make every wise guy look elegant and dangerous.

Dressing to the nines for a night out at a speakeasy is an absolute must! Below you'll find the perfect attire for a night out on the town - or accessories to complement your outfit.

1920's Fashion by meeka-672 featuring flower hair accessories

Hers: A gorgeous, sequined dress in the flapper style, a cloche, cigarette holder, pearls and a gorgeous handbag.

Get some Gangster style!  Need some help selecting the perfect ensemble?  Have fun playing this dresss-up game for 1920s mobsters and molls.  
Get Dressed!

Guys and Molls - Goodies

WIN this hilarious deck of flashcards, and you'll have fun learning how to sling some lingo.

About: Get a line on this racket: flashcards feature famous one-liners and slang from 1930s gangster classics. Dish out some gangster speak and your pals and enemies will think you were made for the silver screen. 30 movie flashcards, boxed.
Preview: Check out the deck

AND

WIN this great multi-title DVD, which includes four of the best gangster movies that were ever made. Host your own 1930s mobster movie marathon!

About: There are four vintage films included on this DVD.

The Public Enemy (1931) - A taut, realistic time capsule of the Prohibition Era, showcasing James Cagney's powerhouse breakthrough as a streetwise tough guy who rises high in the bootleg racket.

The Roaring Twenties (1939) - Screen legends Humphrey Bogart and Ida Lupino star in this soulful study of a gangster whose hard-boiled persona finds itself at war with his compassionate side - a side that will ultimately be his downfall.


Little Caesar (1930) - Loosely based on the life of real-life Prohibition-era mobster, the infamous Al Capone. Edward G. Robinson rocketed to stardom as a pugnacious hoodlum who murderously rises to the top ranks of the underworld.


Smart Money (1931) - In their only screen teaming, Little Caesar's Edward G. Robinson leads the way and The Public Enemy's James Cagney rides shotgun in this brisk tale of barbers who go from cutting hair to cutting in on the gambling racket. (Source: Amazon product description)

HOW TO PLAY: There are four steps, but they're all fun and easy to do.

1. Leave a comment on this post, giving your take on this question:

Which item of clothing in the 1920's or 1930's did you find smooth (trendy)?

Feel free to sign it with your own mobster nickname or syndicate, or

Twitter name.

2. Comment on ANY other second Guys and Molls post. (Browse event

schedule) 

3. Comment on ANY other third Guys and Molls post.

4. Share a link to ANY Guys and Molls post on Twitter.

Note: Please remember to include email address in entry form so you

can be contacted if you win.

Additional info: International. DVD is region 1/NTSC but should play

on multi-region player.

Winner will be selected at random using random.org.

Ends December 15, 2011, midnight, EST.

ENTER TO WIN:

Waiting on Wednesday (80)

Waiting on Wednesday was brought to you by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

This week I've picked Touched by Cyn Balog.  This will be released on 14th August 2012 and I can't wait to read this!

Synopsis

Nick Cross always listens to the voice in his head. Because if he doesn’t? Things can go really, really wrong. Like the day he decided to go off script to save a life, dooming another one in the process. Trying to change the future can have disastrous consequences..

But this summer at the Jersey Shore, something’s about to happen that Nick never could have predicted. He meets Taryn, a girl with a dark family secret that may be the key to understanding his past. But will she also destroy his future? . Now the path that he thought he was on begins to shift . . . and there’s no way to stop it. Or is there?

In a life where there are no surprises, nothing has prepared Nick for what he’s about to discover—or the choice he will be forced to make. . .

What are you waiting on?

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Title:  Ashes

Author:  Ilsa J. Bick

Genre:  Young Adult/Horror/Speculative Fiction

Publisher:  Pan Macmillan (Imprint: Quercus)

Publication Date:  1st October 2011

ISBN:  9780857382627

Stand alone or series:   Ashes Trilogy #1

Pages:  352 pages

Book Received from:  Pan Macmillan (Publishers)

First Lines:  "Where are you?"  Aunt Hanna demanded as soon as Alex thumbed talk.  "What do you think you're doing?"

Synopsis:
Alex has run away and is hiking through the wilderness with her dead parents' ashes, about to say goodbye to the life she no longer wants to live. But then the world suddenly changes. An electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky zapping every electronic device and killing the vast majority of adults. For those spared, it's a question of who can be trusted and who has changed...
Everyone still alive has turned – some for the better (those who acquired a superhuman sense) while others for the worse (those who acquired a taste for human flesh). Desperate to find out what happened and to avoid the zombies that are on the hunt, Alex meets up with Tom – an Army veteran who escaped one war only to find something worse at home – and Ellie, a young girl whose grandfather was killed by the electromagnetic pulse.
This improvised family will have to use every ounce of courage they have just to find food, shelter, while fighting off the "Changed" and those desperate to stay alive.
A tense and involving adventure with shocks and sudden plot twists that will keep teen and adult readers gripped.

My Thoughts:
I don't know where to start here really.  Ashes is one of those books I would have come across eventually if it hadn't been for Pan Macmillan that had sent this to me.  I must admit, on Goodreads one of the covers where it has the face with the striped pattern over it did kind of turn me off the book initially.

I was thoroughly surprised when I started reading Ashes.  The main character Alex is terminally ill with a tumour in the brain.  The kind of sick you don't generally come back from if it's in the last stages.  So it was quite unusual to have a character that is as sick as this, at the beginning.  What gets my attention even more is that she takes it upon herself to go hiking with her dead parents ashes.  She meets Jack and Ellie while hiking and that's where the EMP (aka Electromagnetic pulse) hits.

Before I go on, I will have to say this.  Ellie was the most annoying snotty nosed character in the beginning!  It was irritating to the point I'd call it authentic lol.  Thankfully it doesn't last for very long and with the story moving along it falls into the background.

The story itself is fast past, edge of your seat reading for roughly 300 or so pages.  There is a lull right after that but the way the authors done it, it seems deliberate.  Kind of lulling you into a that false comfort of belonging. But that doesn't last though.  The end is left on a cliffhanger.

Ashes is an awesome read.  It's gory and will have you turning the pages fast to find out if Alex can outrun the changed humans.  A great addition to Young Adult reading.

Guys and Molls - Random Magic Tour Nov 10th - 17th

Guys and Molls
Event production by Random Magic Tour
Sasha Soren (Random Magic)
Schedule of events

November 10 – 17, 2011

November 10
vvb32reads (@vvb32reads)
Lit noir – Fictional henchmen

November 11
This Miss Loves to Read (@MissIrenne)
Concrete shoes and tommy guns – How to talk like a gangster

November 12
Double feature
vvb32reads (@vvb32reads)
Secret doors and liquid fire – Speakeasies
and
Theater of the air – Radio show: Angels with Dirty Faces

November 13
Beyond Strange New Words (@StrangeNewWords)
Sing, you sinners! – Vintage mobster music

November 14
I Love Books (vlog) (@Booklover_622)
The Book Addict (blog) (@Christina_622)
Mob rules – A mafia code of honor
and
Splash of our Worlds (@SplashOOWorlds)
Rogue's gallery – Top 15 vintage mob flicks

November 15
The True Book Addict (@truebookaddict)
Kings of the boardwalk empire – Atlantic City's real-life wise guys
and
Reviews from my First Reads Shelf (Twitter N/A)
Jimmy Blue Eyes and the Wizard of Odds – Mobster nicknames

November 16
Story Wings (@StoryWings)
The bitter end – Assassinated gangsters
and
Inky Pages - Coffee and a Good Book (vlog) (@inkypages)
Inky Pages (blog)
From ink to screen – Mob movies based on books, short stories or plays

November 17
Spellbound by Books (@Meeka_21)
Pinstripes and fedoras – Gangster fashion

And event goodies! Details available on event posts.

*****COMING SOON*****
November 10 – 17, 2011