A Mermaid “Tail” – Review – Horseshoes and Hand Grenades by Amanda Lyles

Posted on June 24, 2015 by fundinmental

The fun title, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades by Amanda Lyles, jumped off the page at me and when I read it was about mermaids, I wanted it even more. I had not seen the cover when I picked this up, but I love it.

So, come on all you paranormal lovers and let’s dive into the world of Nina Garnet.

Add me to Goodreads now.

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades by Amanda Lyles

Cover: Rebecca Weaver

MY REVIEW

The title, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades by Amanda Lyles, jumped off the page at me and when I read it was about mermaids, I wanted it even more. I had not seen the cover when I picked this up, but I love the beautiful cover and mermaid stories. This one read, almost, as if it was real…at times humorous, at other times dangerous.

Nina Garnet had left home and was hiding out, trying to keep a low profile. I will not tell you why she left or about her home, Zephyr Island, because I think you need to find out for yourself. Nina lives on a houseboat called The Star Puzzle. She is good at acting human, but has mermaid needs…water and lots of it. She helped the police out when they needed to locate a body in the water, using scuba gear so they did not become aware of her ability to function without it. Now, the other supernatural beings, that she knew were around, requested her help to locate some of their members believed missing in the water.

Mermaids, dragons, the FBI, werewolves, witches, vampires, faeries, supes galore…Oh yeah, I am loving every minute of it. The creative writing had all the supernaturals working together to achieve a common goal but Amanda Lyles kept me guessing who was friend and who was foe.

Nina is shot at, mugged, stalked and attacked. I bet Jaws wouldn’t mind nibbling on a mermaid or two. Could that be why sharks mistake humans for food, they think we are merpeople?

“You;re leaving? Seriously?”

Tobias said, “Oh, I’m sure you boys will get along just fine without me. I won’t be long…Try not to eat the human. I’m sure there’s food inside.”

The sometimes humorous writing went well with the serious side, murder and magic. From the opening page, when Nina is singing Karaoke and I couldn’t help but laugh at what happens, I knew I was going to love this.

Will there be romance? I have come to appreciate a romantic entanglement in my stories. I think it lends that something extra, along with a feeling a reality and an ability to connect more closely to the characters…of which there are a lot of wonderful ones.

“Almost only counts in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.”

I think most of us have heard of that phrase.

Amanda Lyles had me swimming with the fishes, literally. The characters had me laughing and worried at the same time. Amanda’s pacing and fresh take on a familiar story kept me entertained and engrossed. There is more than one storyline that had me trying to figure out the who and why. We find the answer to one, but the other is left for another time, which is my only complaint. But, The Hand That Rocked The Boat, Book II, is available, so no waiting is necessary.

I received Horseshoes and Hand Grenades from Amanda Lyles in return for an honest review.

4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

Nina Garnet works as a part-time diver for the Hawaii police. She’s also a mermaid but she has worked very hard for several years to hide this fact from everyone. She goes on what she thinks is a routine dive to recover a body tangled just below the surface. The very next day the supernatural world she tried to leave behind literally breaks into her house and leaves her a package that chills her to the bones by showing her that someone knows her secret.

Then someone attacks her and the F.B.I. agent she keeps running into and they are saved by the local werewolf pack. Caleb, the alpha, tells her that the body she recovered was part of his pack and was one of five missing men. He hires her to search for the remaining missing men and as she searches she find clues that point to the men being used in a ritual that, if completed, will wipe out all supes for hundreds of miles. With the help of a vampire, several weres, a couple of witches, and the F.B.I. agent she races to find the men before the ritual can be completed.

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Run and Run Fast – Review – The Beast of Bradley Downs by Stephanie O’Hanlon

Posted on June 23, 2015 by fundinmental

The title for The Beast of Bradley Downs by Stephanie O’Hanlon caught my eye, but it was the cover that finished me off. I love horror and this looked like a good one.

Check out this awesomely creepy cover for yourself. Simple, but it says so much.

Add me to Goodreads now.

The Beast of Bradley Downs by Stephanie O’Hanlon

Publisher: Damnation Books, LLC (May 1, 2015)

Cover Art: Dawne Dominique

MY REVIEW

The Beast of Bradley Downs by Stephanie O’Hanlon is a fantastically good debut horror novel loaded with action from the getgo.

Karoline Hale lives in the small town of Bradley Downs. The legend of mysterious deaths and the burning of the town were rationalized by its citizens, because no way could they conceive the truth. She had pale skin and her lipstick was a red slash across her face. She loves horror movies, but she doesn’t want to be in one.

Mitch is her best friend, but he would like to be more. The question is, does she? Sometimes the one you love is right in front of you, but you don’t see it.

She is on the run…from IT. Is that IT in the shadows? Is that IT making that noise? Is that ITs crunching footsteps behind her? Is that IT exhaling ITs hot breathe on her neck?

Stephanie O’Hanlon uses all the horror trickes, including my, er…favorite, the monster under the bed, reaching out to grab my foot…I mean YOUR foot. 🙂

The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. I kept waiting, waiting, knowing it was coming, just didn’t know when. Uh oh, she’s way too happy and it’s Halloween.

My biggest problem was buying the fact that the townspeople blew off the danger to everyone after numerous gruesome deaths. But, as I thought about real life, don’t we refuse to see the unexplainable? Besides, it is fiction and sometimes we need to let some things slide to make the story better. I let it play through my mind like a movie.

A lot of the story is predictable, but beware, every once in a while Stephanie will throw a surprise at you. The suspense of the threat of attack was felt throughout The Beast of Bradley Downs. I had a feeling that something I didn’t want to happen would, and darn it Stephanie, you did it! I feel that made the book even better, though I didn’t like it. LOL I had a feeling I knew the ending…yeah, right. Stephanie did it again. The ending knocked me for a loop and it was most definitely not what I thought it would be. I love that. How often does that happen to you? I will be looking for more of her work.

I received The Beast of Bradley Downs from Stephanie O’Hanlon in return for an honest review.

4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

Can Beauty outrun the Beast?

Karoline Hale is on the run. After witnessing her boyfriend get killed she abandons everything she once knew for a new life consisting of bus tickets and hotel rooms, a duffel bag full of old clothes, and a shotgun.

She isn’t running from any ordinary killer. She is running from the Beast of Bradley Downs—a creature that kills without judgment and is hunting Karoline. She can only run for so long before she needs to gather her strength and face the Beast that howls under the wind, prowls the night, and cannot be killed by modern means.

ABOUT STEPHANIE O’HANLON

Stephanie O’Hanlon graduated from the Toronto Film School in 2008 with aspirations of starting a career in film, but found herself drawn to writing.

Combining her love for writing and history, her preferred genre is historical romance, as seen in her EP title Affaire de Coeur, though she has also enjoyed the paranormal romance genre, as seen with her EP re-release Out of my Grave. Check out her New Adult horror title The Beast of Bradley Downs, now available from Damnation Books!

Now a full time writer, she lives in Ontario, Canada with her dogs, Judas & Dante, and beloved cats, Nevermore & Willow.

Keep an eye out for the first installment in her The Raven Series, A Swan Song for the Raven, to be released by Eternal Press.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Cover links to Amazon (I am an affiliate)

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Review: Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner

Posted on April 8, 2015 by fundinmental

I saw Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner and knew I had to have it.

This is not your romantic version of mermaids, so beware.

Themes and Distinguishing Factors:.

● Portrayal of mermaids based on the true legend of flesh-eating sea demons.
● Predominantly female cast of eighteen-year-old warriors and mermaids.
● Native American setting, near Haida Gwaii and in the Gulf of Alaska.
● LGBT: self-discovery and acceptance of sexuality.
● Themes of love, loyalty, betrayal, and trust.

Add me to Goodreads now.

ICE MASSACRE by Tiana Warner

File Size: 1654 KB
Print Length: 307 pages

ISBN -0988003937 (ISBN13: 9780988003934)

Publisher: Rogue Cannon Publishing (September 18, 2014)

4.5 out of 5 stars out of 22 reviews on Amazon

SYNOPSIS

A mermaid’s supernatural beauty serves one purpose: to lure a sailor to his death.

The Massacre is supposed to bring peace to Eriana Kwai. Every year, the island sends its warriors to battle these hostile sea demons. Every year, the warriors fail to return. Desperate for survival, the island must decide on a new strategy. Now, the fate of Eriana Kwai lies in the hands of twenty battle-trained girls and their resistance to a mermaid’s allure.

Eighteen-year-old Meela has already lost her brother to the Massacre, and she has lived with a secret that’s haunted her since childhood. For any hope of survival, she must overcome the demons of her past and become a ruthless mermaid killer.

For the first time, Eriana Kwai’s Massacre warriors are female, and Meela must fight for her people’s freedom on the Pacific Ocean’s deadliest battleground.

MY REVIEW

The cover jumped out at me and I knew Ice Massacre was a novel I had to have.

The blood spewing off the mermaid’s tail told me this would not be a nice story with warm and loving mermaids. Ice Massacre is a grim and dark tale. I am super excited to read a mermaid book in which the Splash version (which I loved) is replaced with vicious sea monsters. An original mermaid “tail”, probably more true to the legends than the romanticized version we seem to prefer. Ice Massacre starts out wicked bad and continues that way. This novel will wipe out any illusions or fantasies you have about the beautiful and sexy mermaids.

Tiana’s writing is detailed and descriptive, riveting and engrossing, from beginning to end. Her ability to weave a story kept me reading long into the night.

Oh, goodie, a mermaid hunter. I can’t believe it. New to me and I love it. I was thinking there will be a lot more to the story and I wasn’t disappointed.

The island people are starving to death, because the mermaids do not allow them to catch their main resource, fish. They have no choice but to continue the massacres. Their very survival depends on it. Would the citizens of the island of Eriana Kwai get their life back, or stay poor, depending on others charity for their very survival?

Since the age of thirteen, Meela had spent her life training for this moment. She is part of the Ice Massacre. The ship sails tomorrow and her life is in her own hands and that of nineteen other girls.

The training masters methods were barbaric and desperate.

Would twenty girls do better than the twenty men they’d sent all the years before?

I walked with Meela through the woods to the dock. I heard the leaves rustling and smelled their musty fragrance, I heard the birds singing, and felt the mist hanging heavy in the air.

Meela had been taught mermaids are sea demons that keep them from fishing, sink their ships and kill everyone on board. It did not stop her from becoming friends with a mermaid named Lysi, after saving Lysi’s life. They knew it was wrong, but it didn’t matter to them. The oceans are vast and Meela doesn’t understand why there isn’t enough for everyone.

“Our friendship is stronger than her instincts.”

I think that statement will be put to the test.

Tiana Warner’s characters come alive on the pages. I loved and hated them. I yelled at them as they began to fight each other, wanting to warn them and help them in any way I could. Their very survival could depend on the girl next to them.

Annith is her best friend. Other than Lysi.

Dani is a bitch and that about covers her personality. She is mean, a bully.

Tanuu is the young man in love with her.

Tiana’s descriptions of the mermaids are so vivid I can see them; their red eyes, razor sharp teeth, webbed fingers, flesh morphing into scales to the end of their tail. They are ferocious and ugly, but can make themselves look almost human with lovely hair and bright alluring eyes with a voice that can hypnotize the human male.

I can visualize the battle; the mermaids super strength, shells and darts used as weapons, against iron bolts and knives. The humans thought they had an edge because they could plan and strategize. Did they really believe that mermaids were only demon fish, with no ability to plan and execute?

I couldn’t help but smile at the end. I LOVE it. That thought had entered my mind and came back to me off and on as I read htrough the novel, but it was still a bit of a surprise. A fantastic ending that is so unique and original, it will stick with me for a long time.

My only complaint is I want more. Trilogy???

I picked this up for free, during a tour I participated in.

5 Stars

DO YOU BELIEVE?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tiana Warner was born and raised in British Columbia. She graduated from UBC in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, and works at a software company doing technical content marketing. Tiana is an avid supporter of animal welfare. In her spare time, she enjoys riding her horse, Bailey, and collecting tea cups. This is her second self-published novel.

#1 AMAZON KINDLE BESTSELLER

Blog / Twitter / Goodreads

Click on the cover below to get your Amazon copy of Ice Massacre, or learn more about Tiana Warner

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Do You Believe? Review ~ Water So Deep by Nichole Giles

Posted on March 12, 2015 by fundinmental

I love this gorgeous cover and I knew this was going to be a winner.

I was not disappointed.

My question to you – do you believe in mermaids?

Add me to Goodreads now.

MY REVIEW

I saw the beautiful cover and knew this would be about mermaids and that I had to have it!

Nichole Giles’ writing had me from the beginning.

Emma knows she only has 412 days, days before she must return to the water, 412 days left to be human, 412 days left before she is completely mermaid, 412 days left before she is to join Merrick, who will take her to Atlantis.

Emma – she was hatched. How funny is that? I never really thought of where mermaids come from, have you? I can’t help but chuckle as I write this. 🙂 I feel she will get what she wants, but I don’t know how. Since the change had begun, she needs both the air and the

Mermaid (c) Sherry Fundin

sea. Her gills are not fully developed, but as the end of her life as she knows it approaches, she requires more and more time in the sea. I love Nichole’s vivid descriptions of Emma’s underwater world, the colors, the coral, and the critters. I would love to swim with the fishes like she does.

Heather is her best friend, but the most important person in her life is her brother, Keith. How would she be able to leave him? Keith is handicapped, yet very observant. He is naive and gullible.

Merrick – how could he love her, he doesn’t even know her. The Sea King has given her to him, but does he have an agenda of his own? He is the Duke of Atlantis and determined to have her, at all costs.

Only two people know her predicament – her grandma and Merrick, until she meets James. No matter how she fights the attraction, it can’t be denied. How will she tell him? How will he take it? I am so eager to find out and I want her to be happy…with James, not Merrick, but how can that be?

James befriends Keith and he is surprised how much he comes to care for the little guy. That just shows us how we need to be open to people and experiences, otherwise we may miss something truly special in our lives. I really like that James does not allow high school peer pressure to dictate his actions. The romance between Emma and James develops slowly, making it realistic, with all its trials and tribulations.

I seem to be reading a lot of young adult books since blogging and have come to love them. Parts are predictable and cliche – two boys fighting over the same girl gets old, but when the writing is good I have to ride the wave with the author, wanting to share the characters experiences. The teenage angst of growing up is a big part of the story and Nichole did a great job of showing how Emma and James overcome their problems, at least, until…the cliffhanger. DRAT! I hate having to wait for the next book, so Nichole, I hope you are writing…and quickly.

I received an ecopy in return for an honest review.

4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

No one knows what’s happening to her, and she’d like to keep her evolution from human to mermaid a secret, but the truth is getting harder and harder to hide. From her adoptive family, from her friends, and especially from the irresistible James Phelps.

Her time in the ocean is spent dodging a possessive merman, while her time on land is split between caring for her special-needs brother and squeezing in every last possible moment of human life. She soon realizes falling for James is unavoidable when he constantly comes to Emma’s rescue and somehow manages to see through her carefully constructed icy facade to the vulnerability she lives with every day. Everything about James makes Emma yearn for a life on land she just can’t have.

When Emma’s brother disappears on her watch, James is the only person she trusts to help her save him. But even if they can save her brother, nothing can prevent her return to the sea. Whether she likes it or not, Emma is changing—unable to breathe without yielding to the tide—and it’s only a matter of time before she’s forced to surrender forever.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nichole Giles had early career plans of becoming an actress or a rock star, but she decided instead to have a family and then become a writer. Writing is her passion, but she also loves to spend time with her husband and children, travel to tropical and exotic destinations, drive in the rain with the convertible top down, and play music at full volume so she can sing along.

Blog / Goodreads / Twitter

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Review: When Shadows Fall by Bruce Blake

Posted on February 18, 2015 by fundinmental

I would like to take a moment to introduce you to a new publishing company.

Authors, you may want to take a moment and check them out.

Maybe they will be the fit your need.

Paper Gold Publishing is a royalty-paying publisher with international reach, where the focus is on the author.

Click on the link to see what we do, and help us spread the word. We are now open for submissions.

While I’ve got your attention, I would also like to introduce PGP’s first traditionally published author:

BRUCE BLAKE

When Shadows Fall

A battle between the Gods, with mankind caught in the middle.

Who will prevail?

MY REVIEW

Priestess: Rak’bana

Priest: Ine’resi, her twin brother

The Goddess is angry and rains fire down on the temples. They have no choice but to flee. They must pass on the warning to future generations.

Is it the ultimate betrayal or punishment?

“We are no longer human, Vesi.”

“No, I suppose not. We are closer to Gods, aren’t we? Small gods perhaps.”

.

That was in the opening pages. Makes me think there will be much action to come.

I meet Horace, a sailor, who will hold a prominent place in the novel. I couldn’t help but laugh at his thoughts. I love him. He is rude and crude.

…felt pretty good on the whole for a man what been drowned like a bilge rat and ate by an angry god.

.

Now, we meet Danya and Teryk, the prince and princess.

.

I love the princess. She has a great attitude about life and runs barefoot through the book. She is matter of fact and has no air of superiority.

Trenan is a master swordsman and we are going to spend a lot of time with him. By the time he grew on my, I wanted him at my side, always.

Danya and Teryk find the scroll the Gods had hidden. It holds magic for Teryk and he feels it holds his destiny. I knew what he was going to do…I knew what she would do too. I was surprised she fell for his ruse, but they are both young and naive. I worry about Teryk. I don’t think he’s capable of taking care of himself. He is a lousy swordsman and doesn’t realize how helpless he really is.

In the beginning I was confused. There was so much going on and the back and forth had my head spinning.I find this happens to me sometimes, when the book is divided into ‘episodes’ and I feel like I am reading the introduction.

When Shadows Fall by Bruce Blake hooked me in the beginning, but I think most of the book laid the groundwork for the future books and it took a while for the pieces to begin to fall into place. I have become invested in the characters and wonder what will become of them. What dangers and perils will they need to survive, in order to fulfill the scrolls destiny. And I wonder, who’s destiny is it? With all these questions, I must know the answers.

Oh man, it’s just getting good and I can feel the end approaching.I read along, rating the book in my head. I do that sometimes. It was a three for most of the novel and I had to keep it there, but those darn cliffhangers, and, yes, there is more than one, have me saying, “Where is the next book?”

I anticipate the story getting better and I will find out, in Book II.

I received this ARC in return for an honest review.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos

3 Stars

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SYNOPSIS.

A hundred hundred seasons have turned since the Goddess banished the Small Gods to the sky, leaving the land to mankind alone..

For Prince Teryk, life behind the castle walls is boring and uneventful until he stumbles upon an arcane scroll in a long-forgotten chamber. The parchment speaks of Small Gods, the fall of man, and the kingdom’s savior—the firstborn child of the rightful king. It’s his opportunity to prove himself to his father, the king, and assure his place in history. All he needs to do is find the man from across the sea—a man who can’t possibly exist—and save mankind.

But ancient magic has been put in motion by a mysterious cult determined to see the Small Gods reborn. Powerful forces clash, uncaring for the lives of mortals in their struggle to prevent the return of the banished ones, or aid in their rebirth.

Named in a prophecy or not, what chance does a cocky prince who barely understands the task laid before him stand in a battle with the gods?

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Do you have a favorite God or Goddess?

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Friday 56 #39 & BB #15 ~ Gods fight and Man Pays the Price

Posted on February 6, 2015 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it..

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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WHEN SHADOWS FALL by Bruce Blake

A battle between the Gods, with mankind caught in the middle.

Who will prevail?

.(12% in Kindle).When his nipples drew under the horizontal bar, his progress ceased.

In a family of warriors, statesmen and kings, I die trapped at the bottom of a slow-running river..

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(Book Beginnings)

It rained fire the day the Small Gods fled.

Balls of flame fell from the sky, shattering homes and skulls alike, burning gardens and turning forests to ash, setting alight both farmers’ fields and farmers’ lies with disregard. Much later, it would be said the Goddess banished them for their wicked ways, but on that day, the Small Gods were naught but men and women afraid for their lives. In the eyes of history and legend, the width of the line between banishment and flight is thin.

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SYNOPSIS

A hundred hundred seasons have turned since the Goddess banished the Small Gods to the sky, leaving the land to mankind alone.

Named in a prophecy or not, what chance does a cocky prince who barely understands the task laid before him stand in a battle with the gods?

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Do you have a favorite God or Goddess?

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Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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Friday 56 #28 & BB #4 – Myths and Murder

Posted on October 10, 2014 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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BAD BLOOD by Lucienne Diver

Latter-Day Olympians, Book 1

The gods play…and mortals pay.

Add ME to your Goodreads reading list now.

Click on the cover to get an Amazon copy.

(page 56 of paperback)

Jesus picked up on the second ring – always – said it gave the impression of to little to do to pick up on the first and too much to wait until the third.

“Good morning, Karacis Investigations,” he said pleasantly.

“You mean investigate.”

“I mean assist in an investigation, yes.”

(Book Beginnings)

“Stake out: a mind numbering, bladder busting exercise distinguishable from stalking by the ID you’re able to flash when the police come tap-tap-tapping at your Camaro door.”

Gods, Gorgons, a circus, private investigators, cops and murder.

The tone of this book is light and humorous.

Just reading the synopsis made me want to pick this up.

And I have to know what is the Creature from the Black Lagoon looking monster?

SYNOPSIS

Tori Karacis’s family line may trace back to a drunken liaison between the god Pan and one of the immortal gorgons. Or…maybe it’s just coincidence that her glance can, literally, stop men in their tracks. While her fear of heights kept her out of the family aerobatic troupe, her extreme nosiness fits right in with her uncle’s P.I. business.

Except he’s disappeared on an Odyssean journey to find himself. Muddling through on her own, she’s reduced to hunting (not stalking, because that would just be weird) brass-bra’d Hollywood agent Circe Holland to deliver a message…only to witness her murder by what looks like the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Suddenly, all of her family’s tall tales seem believable, especially when Apollo—the Apollo, who’s now hiding out among humans as an adult film star—appears in her office, looking to hire her. She knows the drill: canoodling with gods never works out well for humans, but she’s irresistibly drawn to him. Maybe it’s her genes. Maybe not.

Given her conflicted feelings for one hot and hardened cop, it’s a toss-up which will kill her quickest. The danger at her door…or her love life.

Warning: Contains pot-boiling passion between a heroine who may—or may not—be a descendent of Medusa, and a hot god and a hunky cop with the…equipment…to handle her, even on her worst bad-hair day. Beware of killer kisses, trickster gods and bearded grandmothers Who Know Everything.

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FREE – Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner book blitz giveaway

Posted on September 29, 2014 by fundinmental

OMG! I love mermaids and was so excited when I saw the Xpresso tour for Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner.

These are not the girlie girl mermaids of Splash, but vicious sea monster. I’m loving it more. 😈

It sounds like a B movie and I LOVE those.

I feel the same way about B movie books, know what I mean?

I WANT!

And I will have it. “as I greedily rub my hands together”

Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner is FREE during the blitz.

Be sure and grab your copy.

Post includes: synopsis, author interview, guest post and excerpt…

Enter the giveaway for a signed copy of your very own.

IceMassacreBlitzBanner1

I mean, check out that awesome banner.

Just wait until you see the bloodcurdling cover.

Anyone care to take a dip?

Add ME to your GOODREADS reading list here.

_________

Book & Author Details:

Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner
Publication date: September 18th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

SYNOPSIS

A mermaid’s supernatural beauty serves one purpose: to lure a sailor to his death.

For the first time, Eriana Kwai’s Massacre warriors are female, and Meela must fight for her people’s freedom on the Pacific Ocean’s deadliest battleground.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Give us the tweet-sized version of what Ice Massacre is about.

A teenage girl is sent to battle the hostile mermaids that are driving her people into poverty. A story of love, secrets, and ass-kicking.

What makes Ice Massacre unique?

First, I haven’t seen a lot out there that portrays mermaids for what they really are: flesh-eating sea demons. But I think what also sets it apart is its almost entirely female cast. This island decides to send female warriors to kill the mermaids that plague them, because women don’t fall victim to a mermaid’s supernatural allure. We end up with an all-female war on a ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Meela, an aboriginal girl who’s never been away from the tiny island she calls home, also has a pretty unique journey of self-discovery. I don’t want to reveal too much. But I think a lot of aspects make this story unconventional.

What’s your favourite thing about the book?

I love Meela’s antagonists. Meela’s a tough chick and she has a lot coming at her from all directions. Writing those opposing forces was so much fun.

What’s next for you as a writer?

The sequel! This is the first in a trilogy, and I’m hard at work on book two: Ice Crypt.

GUEST POST

Finish your story: 3 Tips for Getting that Book Done

To make a ridiculous understatement, writing a book is hard. Few people actually finish the task—whether because they can’t find the time, or they get stuck in a story rut, or they lose inspiration once they realize how difficult it is. Let me tell you, there is nothing more rewarding than a finished and published book! Here are three tips to help you get that story done.

1. Write down your dream and look at it daily

Writing down a goal is a magical thing. When you make it tangible, it’s like you’ve transformed your dream into a prophecy.

Write “I am a bestselling author” (or whatever your goal is) on an index card. Look at it every day. Live it and believe it. Work at that dream every single day, even if only for twenty minutes.

Because I have a full-time job and hobbies, the only time I had to write Ice Massacre was between 6am and 7am. I’m not a morning person, but by putting that index card over my alarm clock, I gave myself the motivation to leap out of bed and get to work on my dream. I promise you, it’s effective.

2. Understand that your first draft will suck

All right, I’m going to be honest with you. The first draft of anything I write is like, the worst thing ever. It’s like someone gave a chimpanzee a dictionary and a pen and wouldn’t feed him until he scribbled out enough words to form a full-length novel.

The second draft, however, is better. The third and fourth are pretty darn good. My point is, don’t be discouraged when your novel sucks after the first go-around. You can’t possibly make a fantastic story in only one draft—you need time to get to know the characters, to identify plot holes, to fix the fact that you used the word “sighed” eighty times in one chapter. Personally, it takes me at least seven drafts to get a novel right.

3. Study the craft of writing

A common reason why writers get stuck is that they hit a roadblock in their story. They’ve dug themselves into a plot hole, or they don’t know where to go next. I’ve probably read a thousand blog posts about writing over the last few years. There are endless resources to help you learn the craft, and I recommend that you subscribe to a few writing blogs and read at least one post every day.

Here are a few of my favourites:

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/(She also has a podcast, which makes it easy to study writing while you’re doing other things!)
http://terribleminds.com/ramble/blog/
http://thewritepractice.com/
http://writershelpingwriters.net/
http://moodywriting.blogspot.com/

* * *

Finishing your book comes down to working hard and believing in yourself. You don’t need to be the best writer in the world in order to write a good book—you just need to have a story to share and the drive to write it!

Do you ever find it hard to finish a story? What tips and inspiration can you share?

EXCERPT

Somewhere on the Pacific Ocean

The young man aimed his crossbow at the water, ready to fire a bolt of solid iron at the first glimpse of flesh beneath the surface.

“Sir,” he said, “shouldn’t we have seen one by now?”

The captain turned his back to the salty wind, jaw tight. “They know we’re here.”

“So what are they doing?”

He followed the captain’s gaze. Blackness merged with the empty grey horizon in every direction. A long silence passed, filled only by gentle swells lapping against the ship.

The captain drew his own crossbow.

“Forming a plan.”

All twenty men aboard the ship readied their weapons, reacting in a chain until the last man at the stern took steady aim at the waves.

“Make ready your iron, men,” shouted the captain. “We have ripples approaching off the port side.”

A handful of places in the water puckered, as if something lingered just below the surface. The sea was too black to tell.

Then it happened. Fifty, maybe sixty sea demons burst from the water and slammed against the ship. The men wasted no time. They reacted with trained speed and agility as the demons thrust stones and jagged shells into the wood, both to break holes in the ship and to scale the sides. The men picked them off with bolts of iron and watched them fall one by one back into the sea.

But they were outnumbered. Soon the demons were upon the ship, pulling themselves across the deck with bony arms.

The young man had already shot a dozen and the water reddened with each passing second.

Slow scraping sounds threatened him from behind. He whirled around, crossbow ready. Burning eyes met his, and sharp teeth, bared to rip into his flesh. He gripped the trigger, felt the bow tighten—

And the demon was gone. The young man stared into the wide gaze of a girl his own age. With a startled cry, he jerked his aim so the bolt barely missed her.

She held a black shell in her hand, sharp at the edges and ready to use as a club. But she didn’t raise it. She just looked at him.

He lowered his crossbow.

Her blonde hair fell heavily over her shoulders, dripping beads of water down her naked chest and stomach, pooling where her torso joined her tail.

He blinked, but made no other motion—where her torso joined her tail. Scales faded into flesh like some sort of beautiful, green and tan sunset.

She pulled herself closer.

“Stay back,” said the young man, unsure what prompted him to hesitate.

He looked into her eyes—emeralds surrounded by pearl white—where moments ago they had burned red. Her sharp teeth had retracted behind rosy lips. The seaweed-coloured flesh of her upper body was now olive and raised with goose bumps from the icy wind.

“Hanu aii,” she whispered. Do not fear. She spoke his language.

He loosened his grip on the crossbow, studying her. She lifted a frail arm and pushed the hair from her eyes, then motioned him forwards.

His pulse quickened as he stared at the beautiful girl.

“Hanu aii,” she said again, her voice resonating sweetly, as if she sang without singing.

Suddenly, he was kneeling in front of her, level with her luminous eyes. The sounds around him faded but for the soft purr in the base of her throat.

She reached up and held an icy hand to his cheek, not for a moment breaking eye contact. The hand slid behind his head and pulled his face towards hers, slowly but firmly. He inhaled her sweet breath.

“No!”

He flinched. He turned to see the captain racing towards them, aiming his crossbow at the maiden.

The young man grasped the scene around him. The ship was empty. A few stray weapons and barrels bobbed serenely in the water. Blood soaked the deck in places, and even the main mast had a splatter across the bottom.

The captain fired wide. Before he could reload and aim again, the sea demon put a hand on the young man’s chin and pulled his gaze back to hers.

Her eyes blazed red. Her skin rippled into the rotten colour of seaweed. Her ears grew pointed and long like sprouting coral. She opened her mouth to reveal a row of deadly teeth.

The young man screamed.

The demon pulled him against her with more strength than three men combined, and they dove headfirst off the side of the ship.

They disappeared into the blood-red water.