Wednesday 30 October 2013

Straight to Hell by Michelle Scott + Giveaway

Welcome to Day One of the Straight to Hell blog tour!

Keep reading for more about 
Straight to Hell by Michelle Scott
my review, an excerpt, and of course a fabulous giveaway!



Genre:  Urban Fantasy  
Published:  September 8, 2011  
Page Count:  179  
Buy Links:  Amazon UK     Amazon.com

The Devil Never Forgets a Deal

I, Lilith Straight, was the woman you always wanted to be. I was married to someone better looking than your husband, we lived in that house you always wanted. Within a year, however, all of that changed. My marriage dissolved, my house burned down, and my job hardly paid the bills. So when I was hit by a car and died, I thought my life couldn’t get any worse. Boy, was I wrong.

Hell was not the place I imagined. It was worse. During my brief stay, I learned some disturbing truths about my family. Most worryingly my ancestor’s deal with the devil promising him every female descendent as a succubus.

So these were my options: Life on earth as a soul-sucking seductress. Or death and pass the succubus baton to my sweet little daughter. There was no choice. Welcome to hell on earth, Lilith. Mother, teacher, wanton she-demon.




Straight to Hell is a witty, engrossing read that grabs your attention from the beginning. The book is about Lilith Straight, a down on her luck divorcee, who is struggling to balance the strains of being a single parent plus the additional stress of an immature adult sister and a troubled niece living with her. Right after we are introduced to Lilith and have been given a chance to get to know her, she dies. Lilith knows she was not perfect during her short life, but she was not prepared for where she ended up.

I loved Lilith's witty, sarcastic personality. It was so much fun to be inside her head. Throughout the book we watch her struggle with what she knows is right and what she feels she must do. The tough decisions she makes are always for what she feels is the greater good…her daughter. This is not a story of good versus evil, but more like bad versus worse, and Lilith does the best she can with what she has to work with.




Excerpt

Note from the Author:  I love this scene because it’s the first time Lilith runs into William Benedict, her incubus counterpart.  What happens when two opposites attract?  Sparks fly!

From the corner of my eye, I noticed a man watching me from across the room. I didn’t remember him coming in, not surprising since the evening had been a blur of unfamiliar faces. He had one of those chiseled chins that belong on male models, and thick, dark hair that begged to be tousled. His conservative V-necked sweater and leather loafers looked out of place among the flamboyant hippies and club kids.

My cell buzzed again. Annoyed, I dragged my eyes from the visitor. This time, Ted’s message read, “Sorry. I forgot about your mom.”

The guy in the sweater came closer. I held my breath, hoping he’d stop by.

Once more, my cell vibrated in my pocket. I was tempted to ignore it, but if I did, Ted would continue to text until I answered. His message read: “I would have come to the visitation but had a med emergency.”

Medical emergency, my ass. Like I said before, Ted’s an orthodontist, so unless a kid’s rubber band snapped hard enough to put out an eye, I doubted there was much of a crisis. I quickly sent Ted another text (“Ok. See you later.”) as Mr. V-necked sweater approached. He was over six feet, and I had to tilt my head up to meet his gaze. Oh, there was such sadness in his eyes! No doubt, some of it was due to the funeral. Coupled with that, however, was something deeper. A bottomless well of world-weariness, perhaps, or the weight of a secret that was too much to bear.

I wanted to speak, but couldn’t. The guy rocked me like I was a teenager all over again. My knees felt watery, my cheeks hot, and I had that delicious, warm, tingling between my legs. I wondered if it was okay to put the moves on a guy I’d met at my mother’s funeral. Then again, Carrie would have done it. In fact, she would have leapfrogged over my casket to get at him.

The visitor didn’t take my hand, though I wished he would. Instead, he said, “Ms. Straight?”

And there it was: the killer British accent. Dear gods. I was ready to go up in flames. I dabbed at my sweating forehead and nodded.

“I’m Mr. Benedict.”

He waited, clearly expecting a reply. I uttered a strangled, “Okay.”

“Miss Spry sent me.”

Miss Spry? For a moment, I was too dazzled to remember the name. Then it came to me. Oh right, Miss Spry. The woman who had told me that I was not only dead, but a succubus to boot.

Mr. Benedict continued to look at me with his doleful, brown eyes. “May we speak outside?”

Could he speak with me? He could not only talk to me, he could take me to dinner. He could drive me to his place. He could soil me like a tissue if he wanted. Without a thought to the other people in the room, I floated behind Mr. Benedict like I’d suddenly left the real world for a place where dreams come true.

Once outside, I realized how dark it had become. And cold. I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered. Mr. Benedict carried a coat over one arm but didn’t offer it to me.

When we were clear of the doors, he said, “Miss Spry has a task for you tomorrow morning.”

“A task? What kind of task?” I pictured myself picking up her dry cleaning or running to the store to buy milk.

His mouth tightened in annoyance. “I don’t know. It isn’t our job to ask questions. Just be ready to leave at 10:00 tomorrow morning.” He walked away.

“Wait, ten? That’s the time of my mother’s funeral!”

“That’s not my problem. Just be ready at ten. Wear something appropriate.”

I ran to catch up, tottering on my high heels. “Appropriate for what?”

“Your occupation.”

Occupation? Was he talking about the stretchy slacks and semi-dressy T-shirt that I wore when substitute teaching? But the hard look in his eyes said otherwise. 

Suddenly, I felt very stupid. Of course he didn’t mean teacher; he meant succubus. I needed to dress like a slut.

I’d been avoiding thoughts about my new job, but the fact I was expected to do the Devil’s dirty work made my stomach cramp. “I can’t do what Miss Spry wants. No way.”

“You don’t have a choice. It’s our job to follow her orders.”

Our job? What do you mean our, I wondered. Then it struck me. The smoldering gaze, the instant attraction. He was a male version of what I was. An incubus. No wonder I’d wanted to get naked with him in the backseat of my car.



About the Author:  Michelle Scott received her MFA from Wayne State University. Her stories have appeared in such places as “Tales of the Unanticipated”, “All Possible Worlds” and “Realms”. Straight to Hell, the first book in her Lilith Straight urban fantasy series, was released from Carina UK on Oct. 24. Michelle lives in southeast Michigan with her husband and three children.


To keep up with Lilith and the other members of the Straight to Hell cast, visit Michelle’s blog, Urban Fae.  



See my interview with Michelle Scott!







Tuesday 29 October 2013

Straight to Hell by Michelle Scott

The Straight to Hell book tour has begun!  

Straight to Hell, a book reviewers have called fun, addictive, and enjoyable, 
tells the story of one woman, one man, and one deal with the devil. 


 
The Devil Never Forgets a Deal

I, Lilith Straight, was the woman you always wanted to be. I was married to someone better looking than your husband, we lived in that house you always wanted. Within a year, however, all of that changed. My marriage dissolved, my house burned down, and my job hardly paid the bills. So when I was hit by a car and died, I thought my life couldn’t get any worse. Boy, was I wrong.

Hell was not the place I imagined. It was worse. During my brief stay, I learned some disturbing truths about my family. Most worryingly my ancestor’s deal with the devil promising him every female descendent as a succubus.

So these were my options: Life on earth as a soul-sucking seductress. Or death and pass the succubus baton to my sweet little daughter. There was no choice. Welcome to hell on earth, Lilith. Mother, teacher, wanton she-demon.




Buy Links:  Only .99p on Amazon UK! Also available on Amazon.com




 
Michelle Scott received her MFA from Wayne State University. Her stories have appeared in such places as “Tales of the Unanticipated”, “All Possible Worlds” and “Realms”. Straight to Hell, the first book in her Lilith Straight urban fantasy series, was released from Carina UK on Oct. 24. Michelle lives in southeast Michigan with her husband and three children.


To keep up with Lilith and the other members of the Straight to Hell cast, visit Michelle’s blog, Urban Fae.  







Stop back tomorrow for the first day of the blog tour 
with an excerpt from Straight to Hell as well as my review!


Saturday 26 October 2013

Trade Winds To Meluhha by Vasant Davé

Trade Winds To Meluhha
by Vasant Davé


ebook, 304 pages
Published January 14th 2012 


'Trade winds to Meluhha' is set in the Bronze Age. It narrates a young man SAMASIN's adventure in Mesopotamia and Indus Valley Civilization. He is charged with murder and escapes death through a rare astronomical event which is actually recorded in clay tablets excavated in ancient Babylon. He lands in Meluhha (Indus Valley) where besides the query he also finds wealth and love.

In 1977, Thor Heyerdahl of Kon-Tiki fame undertook a voyage in an 18 metre long reed-boat named 'Tigris'. He was convinced that such ships were capable of carrying up to 50 ton cargo and could therefore have been used as trade vessels. He sailed from Iraq (Mesopotamia) via Oman (Magan) to Pakistan (Indus Valley). To Vasant Davé, Heyerdahl's validation offered a remarkable setting for a narrative based on adventure and interaction between the two widely diverse cultures 4,000 years ago.

With a wide geographical spread from the present day Iraq to India, ultimately what is the plot?

In the year 2138 BC, Samasin worked as a stable boy with a wealthy Babylonian named NERGAL. One day he was falsely implicated in the murder of a foreign trader. Tipped off by Nergal's divorced wife ELLA about risk to his life, he fled to the distant land of Meluhha in search of SIWA SAQRA whose name the dying man had uttered. During the voyage, he met a beautiful damsel, VELLI. He fell in her love but was dismayed to find that she was still devoted to a person who had jilted her. He also met ANN, a Mesopotamian woman who concealed her identity because she was determined to search out a couple of faceless men for revenge.

On the way, Samasin learnt about a board etched with ten glyphs (actually excavated on the site of Dholavira) and with Ann's help deciphered them, leading to an adventure in the ravines of the Saraswathi. He faced a series of obstacles including a few which almost killed him. Then he found that they were manoeuvred. Finally when he met Siwa Saqra, he learnt that there was more to the murder in Babylon than met the eye.

Circumstances brought all the characters together in Babylon when with awe they discovered the stark reality about the trade between Meluhha and Mesopotamia.

Previous novels based on Indus Valley Civilization were 'Winter on the Plain of Ghosts', 'Immortals of Meluha' and 'Secret of the Nagas'. None took cognizance of the fact that the Indus Valley Civilization had had strong trade and cultural ties with Mesopotamia and probably with Egypt too. The engineer in Vasant Davé propelled him to create a plot that put history in its proper perspective.

Dr. Shereen Ratnagar scanned the manuscript and commented on the veracity and plausibility of the past situation as constructed in it. She is a renowned archaeologist and academician of Indus Valley and Mesopotamian cultures on which she has written several books including trade between the two ancient civilizations. A meeting with her cleared many misconceptions of the author and made it necessary to rewrite substantial portions. Vasant recounts how he wrote this pre-historic novel in a free e-booklet which is available on Goodreads.


About the Author:  Vasant is an electrical engineer from the University of Bombay. Besides providing Industrial Market Research services in India, he has catered to clients in Australia, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Singapore, the UK and the USA. His work called for extensive travelling throughout India.

Vasant conceived and wrote Trade winds to Meluhha after he retired from business. It took him three-and-a-half years. Earlier, his articles were published in Readers' Digest, Economic Times, Business India, Shankar's Weekly, Telematics India and Studio Systems.


Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/Vasant_Dave
 

Website: http://vasantdave.weebly.com/index.html

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Meluhha
 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BronzeAgeNovel  


Q & A with Vasant Davé

Q:  Tell us a little bit about your main characters.
A:  My main characters are Sam and Velli.

Sam, a Babylonian youth, happens to witness a murder which holds a deadly secret about the trade between two ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Indus Valley. He escapes to the Indus Valley, with the villains hot on his heels.

There he falls in love with Velli, a South Asian damsel. She still loves another Mesopotamian who had jilted her. She wants to meet her lover, and she proposes a make-believe marriage to Sam so that she could get her father's permission to go to Mesopotamia with him.

Rapid developments thereafter involve them both in the whirlwind of an evil trade which was ruining the lives of young men and women in Mesopotamia.

Q:  What do you love about writing?
A:  Writing fiction made me realize the magical way in which the human mind evolves characters and events out of random bits of information. If one refers to the page entitled 'Mesopotamia' on Wikipedia, somewhere down the page s/he would read: 'Unusual for that time in history, women in Mesopotamia had rights. They could own property and, if they had good reason, get a divorce.'

That little input made me visualize a person which later developed into the character of Ella.

Q:  What is the best advice you have been given?
A:  For more than a decade, I worked as a market researcher in an Indian company. My superior, Mr. AC Gupta, was also the president of Indian Pump Manufacturers' Association which wanted to present their case to the Government of India. He directed me to collect certain data.

After a few days, I met him with a thick sheaf of paper. He scanned the entire bunch and pointed at the top of the first page. "What's the source of this piece of information?" With red ink he circled something that had been quoted by another professional, and said, "That isn't good enough. Check his source. Has he has reproduced it correctly?"

From that experience, I learnt the value of checking the credibility of all your information before you sit down to write. It enabled me to impart a distinct personality to 'Trade winds to Meluhha' as compared to other novels based on Indus Valley Civilization.

Q:  As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A:  The Prime Minister of India!

I was born a couple of years after India gained independence from the British Empire. Jawaharlal Nehru was our first Prime Minister, and I often heard my father and his friends talking highly about him. Nehru sincerely loved children, rather than considering them useful for a photo opportunity which could garner votes. So I loved the man and wanted to be like him.

Q:  If you could be on one reality TV show, what would it be?
A:  I like building castles in the air, Sheri :)

I would love to be on History Channel's 'Mankind: The Story of All of Us'. I think that my novel 'Trade winds to Meluhha' is just one story of Mankind during the Bronze Age because it is fiction based on two ancient civilizations which were in close contact with each other.

Q:  What book are you reading now?
A:  Currently I am reading the English translation of a book entitled 'Dhandha' written by Shobha Bondre. It narrates the struggle of five internationally successful businessmen hailing from the state of Gujarat. If you refer to the map of India, it's that portion in its west that looks like a bowl of porridge.

The land now known as Gujarat also features as a part of the Indus Valley Civilization in my novel. The ancient sites of Lothal and Dholavira are located there. The real life stories in 'Dhandha' seem like a confirmation of the mercantile spirit of the Indus Valley people.


Crimson Dawn (Crimson #3) by Amos Cassidy


Crimson Dawn (Crimson #3)
by Amos Cassidy

 

Published October 25th 2013 by Nevermore Press 


The Power has taken what belongs to Raven.

The Power must pay.

Raven will do anything to reclaim what is his, even venture into The Dreaming – a part of Faerie that is shunned even by the fey – to seek out the one being who may be able to give him the answers he seeks. With Mick as his guide and Maxwell and Harold at his back, Raven must fight his demons to reach his angel.

The Power is home.
The Power has taken the throne. 


Bres, Lugh and Faye will all feel the consequences of their actions in different ways. The Power has a plan and it will eliminate all who stand in its way.

The Devourer is awake.
The Devourer has a champion. 


Roman has been charged with a task that will save the world, but at a devastating cost.

The Power is in control.
The Power has a vessel. 


Rose will do anything to reclaim her body and stop The Power from exacting his selfish ambitions. With the help of her Guardian she must find a way to expel The Power. But will her plan succeed, or will her final sacrifice be her last?

Crimson Dawn on Goodreads
Crismon Dawn on Amazon US
Crimson Dawn on Amazon UK









About the Author:  Amos Cassidy - a team of two. Amos is a 29 year old Diva and Cassidy a 37 year old mum of three.

Aside from a passion for writing and a love of reading they also share an addiction to coffee, love anything Joss Whedon and are constantly playing tug of war over Jensen Ackles.
They have been writing together for four years. The Crimson series is their debut project.

 



Links:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amos-Cassidy-World/172592816124684

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amoscassidy

Blogs:http://amoscassidy.wordpress.com/
 
http://crimsonseries.wordpress.com/  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5762034.Amos_Cassidy



After the Rain by Karen-Anne Stewart

After the Rain (Rain Trilogy, #3)After the Rain by Karen-Anne Stewart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such a great ending to the Rain trilogy. In the beginning of the series (Saving Rain), Raina is a bit more reserved, understandably, but by the end she had changed so much. Not her personality; she was still the sweet, kind, and caring woman as before, but her outlook on life. I loved that we were able to watch her grow as a person – stronger and more confident in herself – as well as watch her and Kas's relationship develop over the pages. Through the whole series, Kas had been dealing with his own internal conflicts over how to keep Raina safe without smothering her with his protective nature, and that struggle really shone through in this book. He made mistakes, but ultimately had to learn to trust her in the same way she had to learn to trust him.

I think one of my favorite parts of this whole series was the Ghost, not him as a character, per se, but the way the author wrote him. In the first two books he is just that, a ghost whose shadow we see, but never quite part of the story. In this book we get a whole lot more of him and what made him tick. It was really quite enlightening. I thought the author did a great job with not only dealing with the sensitive issues raised in this story but also the details of the job and the situations involved as a whole. This book (and series) had everything you need for a great story – love and romance, mystery, suspense, and a great ending.


View all my reviews

Monday 21 October 2013

Now and Again by Brenda Rothert

Now and Again (Now, #2)Now and Again by Brenda Rothert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After working hard and pushing others around to get what she has wanted her whole life, Layla comes to the point where she realizes some things can't be forced – like love. She decides she needs to take a step back and reevaluate her priorities, and when she does she realizes she doesn't like the person she has become. After taking a hiatus from her life, or at least her dating life, she starts to see things clearly for the first time.

I liked this story even more than Emma's, mostly I think because of the drastic change in Layla. In the beginning she was still the slutty bitch she had been in Now and Then, but over the course of the story we got to watch her grow as a person and watch as her personality morphed into someone she was comfortable with and eventually liked. I really hated her in the first book, hated the way she treated others, her sister, and herself. By the end of this book, she was my favorite sister. I also loved Ben. Super sexy, a successful career, and not afraid to go after what he wants…what's not to like?

The sexy banter between Layla and Ben was so much fun and had me laughing a few times. Additionally, the sexual tension in this book was off the charts.

The only thing that disappointed me about this book was Cole. I loved him in book one, but for some reason, though we didn't see a lot of him, he was pretty much a jerk in this book. I'm hoping that will be explained more in book three and he can come to terms with whatever his problem is with Ben. I am looking forward to reading the last book in this series.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


View all my reviews

Goodbye Nothing by Beck Sherman

Goodbye NothingGoodbye Nothing by Beck Sherman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodbye Nothing tells the story of Cain. He had the seemingly perfect life, everything anyone could ever want; he was a man who was going places. But he learned that everything can be lost in the blink of an eye. After a car accident, Cain is no longer himself. In just a few seconds, he lost who he was and became something…different. On a quest to fill the emptiness inside of him, Cain will stop at Nothing to bring back his soul and his life.

I have been reading horror ever since I can remember – starting with R.L. Stine's Fear Street series so many, many years ago, and moving on to King and Koontz. There is just something about being scared by a book that brings it to life for me. Once again Sherman pulled out an engrossing, original horror story that is easily comparable to my favorite authors. Though a bit more dark and gory than I am used to, Goodbye Nothing was fast paced and engaging. The Sherman has an amazing imagination and knows how to capture that in words.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


View all my reviews

Tuesday 15 October 2013

Now and Then by Brenda Rothert

Now and Then (Now, #1)Now and Then by Brenda Rothert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Emma has been in her sister's shadow her whole life. Having always felt like she was in second place, Emma is finally in a place in her life that she is happy with – she has a job that she loves, good friends, and great family. What more could she ask for? After a chance run in with her high school crush, Emma's feelings of awkwardness and longing all come rushing back. Until Cole makes it clear that he no longer sees her as the young girl she used to be.

I really like Emma. I can completely relate to her, having two older sisters of my own who were seemingly perfect. Like Emma and Layla, I never felt I could live up to them and their accomplishments. Emma eventually learned she had to find her own place in the world, and once she did she blossomed into a strong, independent woman. Her fear of Layla not supporting her decisions was hard to watch, especially because of how close they were now that they were grown up. Like them, my sisters and I are closer now that we are older, and I like to think they would supportive of me and would want to see me happy, no matter what. To come right out and say it, Layla was a bitch. Sure she had her moments, but I hated her and the way she treated Emma.

Told in the present with bits of the past thrown in, Now and Then is a sweet, sexy story. The flashbacks were a great addition to the story, as they showed the way the characters' past experiences molded them into who they are in the present. Throw in some angst and hair pulling catfights, and it was a great story. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


View all my reviews

Sunday 13 October 2013

Heartbeat by Faith Sullivan

Heartbeat (Heartbeat, #1)Heartbeat by Faith Sullivan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a sweet story about love, but not your typical girl meets boy, girl and boy fall in love, girl and boy live happily ever after kind of love. Rather Heartbeat is the story of what could be (hope) and what might have been (regret).

After a chance meeting, Katie and Adam continue on with their own lives like they would normally do with any other person. The only thing is, each cannot stop thinking about the other. I think what I liked most about this book is the author made Katie and Adam seem realistic. Real people do not fall in love at first sight (well, not usually anyway), and that did not happen with these two. Rather, they were captivated and curious about each other. Adam berates himself for not saying hello to Katie when he passed by her in the hospital and for not asking for her number when he had the chance, and he spends his time wondering if she thinks he's good looking, or if she's thinking of him at all. Likewise, Katie is confused about Adam – does he think I'm pretty, should I say something to break this awkward silence, why am I thinking of him at all after one short meeting? These are thoughts real people have. Remember that awkward stage after first meeting someone and wondering what they are thinking, wondering if there is a chance there could be something more? The author got that stage down perfectly in this book, and through her writing we learn about Katie and Adam as individuals before they ever meet up again.

When Katie and Adam do meet again, that connection is there, and it is beautiful. They don't know each other well but are willing to risk everything to be together, to take a chance at love even though it may just end up in heartbreak. That's really all I'm going to say about this book because anything else will give too much away. Though, I do have to mention the ending. I will admit that I read some other reviews before deciding to read this book, and some people have no problem with giving away everything about a book (ever hear of spoiler tags people?), so I knew what to expect. Still, even with knowing, I was floored with the ending. It did not really happen like I expected it to. It was heartbreaking and beautiful and a bit confusing. What really happened?

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


View all my reviews

Healing Rain by Karen-Anne Stewart

Healing Rain (Rain Trilogy, #2)Healing Rain by Karen-Anne Stewart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Healing Rain picks up right where Saving Rain left off. In the second story of this series we get a lot more of Raina and Kas, which is definitely a good thing. Raina is a good strong female lead. She is not perfect. She comes from a dark past but is doing her best to overcome that. She makes mistakes, but she is learning as she goes and is slowly learning to trust again. Raina shows that you don't always have to be "fine," that sometimes it's okay to cry. Kas is a pretty amazing guy. He stands by Raina through everything and does his best to show her how loved she is. I loved watching their relationship evolve over the course of the two books to where it is right now. I also love Kas's FBI team. The guys are just awesome, and their characters add so much fun to the story.

This book gets more into the human trafficking aspect of things, which can be a really hard subject to read about (and I'm sure write about), but it is handled very lightly and the story comes across as sincere and legitimate. There are no gory details, but you still get the feelings through the characters to make it seem real.

Oh, and I just have to mention the ending. Lucky for me, I have the next book (After the Rain) already loaded onto my Kindle just waiting for me to finish writing this review so I can go pick up where the story left off…otherwise I might go crazy waiting to find out what happens!

I had some trouble with the lack of transition in changing of points of view in the first book, but in Healing Rain those issues had resolved; though the same writing voice was used, I thought this book was a bit smoother, the transitions more distinct, and I very much enjoyed the story. Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


View all my reviews

Saturday 12 October 2013

Sorcery and Scholarships by Ian Isaro + Giveaway

Sorcery and Scholarships  
(The Dying War #1)
by Ian Isaro


Everyone wishes the ancient prophecy would go away. Pixies commute to work and sirens make mp3s of their songs, yet antique forces stubbornly persist. They want to bring about a war between Light and Darkness in an era when most people just want to cash in on the merchandising.

Aki is struggling to make ends meet and hopes her scholarship can at least earn her a better apartment. Blake refuses to believe he could be something so cliché as a Knight of Darkness. Keisha is pursuing a career in law when she's told she has no choice but to serve the forces of Light. All of them will be attending the same university, whether they like it or not.

It's hard to think about dark omens when there's a term paper due, much less a party that night. But they'd better relax while they can, because after college is only the real world, which is stranger and more dangerous than they could possibly imagine.

ebook, 172 pages
Published January 12th 2012

Buy Sorcery and Scholarships!  Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  Smashwords


Q & A with Ian Isaro
Q: Thank you for joining us today Ian!  Tell us a little bit about your main characters from Sorcery and Scholarships.
A:
Aki is the one who never forgets how awesome magic is and also the first to call out the world when it's being ridiculous. Blake is cheerfully evil, keeping life at bay with what he hopes passes for wit. Keisha is the most grounded in reality, even when reality is literally coming apart. Sometimes they balance one another, sometimes their personalities combine into things that none of them would have done alone.

Q: What do you love about writing?
A:
The balance between creativity and structure. At the beginning of the process you can do absolutely anything you want, but what I really enjoy is the process of that raw creativity becoming structured into the best story you can write. Structure itself brings ideas together in ways you might not have considered and creates something that's ultimately satisfying.

Q: What is the best advice you have been given?
A:
The most meaningful advice will vary from to person to person, but for me it was this: be mindful of your cognitive biases, especially as they relate to thoughts and emotions about life. Humans are very good at tricking themselves, and emotions adapt to our circumstances. Better to step back and look at your life seriously than to follow vague feelings and end up trying to convince yourself you aren't unhappy.

Q: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A:
Video game designer, mostly because that was the medium where I saw the most creativity (I didn't read very broadly until I was a little older).

Q: If you could be on one reality TV show, what would it be?
A:
Hard to say, since this is one of my blind spots. Is Mythbusters reality TV? No? Wouldn't you at least be interested in seeing what that would look like?

Q: I actually love Mythbusters!  One last question today...what book are you reading now?
A:
Dividing my time between A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge and Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert.


Find out more about Ian Isaro and his books:



                             


                                                   a Rafflecopter giveaway  



Visit us on Goodreads for the full blog tour schedule:  https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1485756-sorcery-and-scholarships-by-ian-isaro-october-7th-13th#comment_number_28