It's Monday! What are you reading?

I am currently reading The Phantom Diaries by Kailin Gow, Beyond the Map's Boundary by Nibi Soto and Masquerade (Blue Bloods, book 2) by Melissa de la Cruz. This week we will be joined by some fabulous guest authors.  Lorrie Struiff, author of Gypsy Crystal, will be guest blogging Tuesday June 1st.  I will be interviewing Leanore Elliott, author of Beasts of Forever (Beasts, book 1), June 3rd.  Sam Hilliard, author of The Last Track, will also be joining us here at From the Shadows on June 7th.

When Sam Hilliard visits us on June 7th I will be hosting a small Swag Giveaway for one The Last Track bookmark and postcard.  My 300 Follower Giveaway is also continuing until June 16th!

Last week I read The Last Track by Sam Hilliard and The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting.  I really enjoyed both of these books and will have a comparison of the two posted soon. My review of The Body Finder is here.  My review of The Last Track will be posted June 14th as scheduled by the book tour.

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

What Are You Reading, a meme hosted by One Person's Journey through a World of Books, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Book Review: The Body Finder

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting.

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her “power” to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he’s claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Pulse racing, heart stopping YA paranormal romance.  It is rare for a book to elicit a strong physiological response but The Body Finder brought me to near hyperventilating.  Twice.  This book is a fine example of young adult, paranormal romance, mystery thriller, supernatural fiction.  Kimberly Derting's characters are fully developed and three dimensional.  Violet Abrose is at once lovable and vulnerable.  Her best friend Jay Heaton is one of the most endearing characters I've had the pleasure of reading and his presence on the page almost always brings a smile.  The challenges that they face together, and the secret that they must keep, feels entirely plausible.  Violet was born with the ability to sense the bodies of the dead by visual and auditory imprints that their deaths leave behind.  These imprints are stronger on those who have suffered a violent death and leave a similar imprint on the person who killed them.  I'm often disappointed with the reasons given for a character to hide their supernatural talents but Derting does a fantastic job of demonstrating the dangers of discovery.  This adds to the overall suspense of The Body Finder making it one of the most thrilling novels I have read this year.

I would recommend The Body Finder to readers of paranormal romance, young adult, mysteries, and suspense thrillers.  Though the romance of The Body Finder is filled with the innocence and discovery of young adulthood I believe it is enjoyable for readers of all ages. 

Source:  This book was purchased by me for review.

The Body Finder on Amazon.
The Body Finder on Goodreads.

Review of Shadows of Myth and Legend at Freda's Voice

I was delighted to read this positive review of Shadows of Myth and Legend on Freda's Voice.

Thank you so much for the lovely review!

Book Blogger Hop (May 28)

Hello everyone.  It's Friday!  Let's do the Hop!

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy for Books.  This is a wonderful way to discover new book blogs and meet other fabulous bloggers.

Bloodhound: Vampire Gigolo (Vampire Host)

I started watching the series Bloodhound: Vampire Gigolo (aka Vampire Host) and am hooked!  Suou is a hilarious vampire who works in a host club.  Rion is a high school girl who meets Suou while searching for her friend who disappeared after leaving a frantic message on Rion's phone about a real vampire.  Suou and Rion team up to find Rion's friend forming an unlikely partnership.  Suou and Rion find themselves continuing to be put in situations of supernatural sleuthing and hilarious vampire transformations (oh yes and tons of gratuitous "panty" discussions).  The supernatural cases are interesting but the real entertainment is Suou's transformations and the potential developments in Suou and Rion's relationship.

I would recommend to fans of the manga and of vampire series that do not take themselves too seriously.  For a peek at the tv intro check out the YouTube video here.

Waiting on Wednesday: Eternal Kiss of Darkness

Eternal Kiss of Darkness (Night Huntress World, book 2) by Jeaniene Frost.

An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness…and now one woman has stumbled into the shadows.

Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she’s only imagined in her worst nightmares.  At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master Vampire who thought he’d seen it all. Then Kira appears—this fearless, beautiful…human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life, yet sending her away is unthinkable.  But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose between the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.
Coming July 27, 2010

First Drop of Crimson (Night Huntress World, book 1) was so hot I was amazed the pages didn't burst into flames.  I can't wait to see what Frost has in store for us next!

What's your "Waiting On" pick this week?

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Teaser Tuesdays (May 25)

"On the ride up to the sixth floor I examined my reflection in the tinted mirrors of the elevator.  My lips were red, raw and full from the heavy kisses.  I could still taste him.  I looked into my eyes trying to figure out who this new woman was."

pg. 110, The Phantom Diaries by Kailin Gow.


This week, rather than grab the book I was currently reading, I found my teaser in the book that just arrived in the mail.  Be sure to look for my review of The Phantom Diaries in the near future.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

This week I am reading The Last Track by Sam Hilliard and The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting.  I am interested in the similarities and differences between these two books.  Each book has a main character with a supernatural ability to find people.  Mike Brody in The Last Track can track missing persons by receiving a vision of them while placing his hand in one of their footprints and Violet Ambrose in The Body Finder can find dead bodies by sensing the echoes they leave behind.  I will be reviewing each book so be sure to check back for reviews.  I will also be interviewing Sam Hilliard on June 7th!

Last week I read and reviewed Blue Bloods (Blue Bloods, book 1) by Melissa de la Cruz (review here), Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, book 1) by Richelle Mead (review here), and Poison Study (Study, book 1) by Maria V. Snyder (review here).  This past week I also interviewed author Brian L. Porter (interview here).

What Are You Reading, a meme hosted by One Person's Journey through a World of Books, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.**

In My Mailbox (5/23)

This week I received some wonderful books In My Mailbox.

For review for authors on tour I received The Last Track by Sam Hilliard and Red Rain by Tim Wendel.

Books I ordered and received from Amazon this week included The Masquerade (Blue Bloods, book 2), Revelations (Blue Bloods, book 3), The Van Alen Legacy (Blue Bloods, book 4) by Melissa de la Cruz, Frostbite (Vampire Academy, book 2), Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, book 3) by Richelle Mead, and Anathem by Neal Stephenson.

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.  Check out the other participating blogs to learn about great books to add to your TBR list!

Guest Author Interview: Brian L. Porter

Today I would like to welcome guest author Brian L. Porter.  Brian is the author of Pestilence, Dracula Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Kiss of Life, Purple Death, Avenue of the Dead, The Voice of Anton Bouchard and Other Stories, and A Study in Red: The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper.

Interview with Brian L. Porter

EJ: When did you begin writing?

Brian:  I only started writing my novels about 5 years ago, after a successful spell as a poet and short story writer. It seemed a natural progression to move into full-length novel writing, and, after studying the Jack the Ripper murders for over thirty years, it also felt 'right' to base my first novel on the subject that was so close to my heart. As a result, A Study in Red - The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper was born, and, thanks to its success others have followed and been equally well received.

EJ:  What brought you to the suspense thriller genre?

Brian:  I've always been an avid reader, and list some very talented thriller authors among my favorites, Tess Gerritsen, Jeffery Deaver, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I wanted to try and re-create some of the tension and the mystery that such writers are able to produce in their books and to try and make people feel a little apprehensive and 'thrilled' by the stories I created. So, I aimed to produce dark psychological thrillers that have an 'edge' to them, something that might make the reader feel a little uncomfortable in places, as I try to make my characters as true to life as possible and often use ordinary situations with which to create an element of terror and suspense. In almost every book I write there is an element of true history woven into the fabric of the story, so the boundary between fact and fiction is very closely interwoven and I like to think that people find it hard to differentiate between what is real and what is fiction, thus creating that unsettling feeling I mentioned earlier.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Brian:  I'd love to have the ability to travel through time, to be able to view some of the great (and not so great) moment s in history. Imagine being able to witness Jack the Ripper committing his foul crimes, or to see the Spanish Armada being repulsed by the British Navy at Trafalgar and so on, and then being able to return to your own time and write the story as a factual 'witness statement'.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Brian:  My latest release is Pestilence, from Double Dragon Publishing, which was released almost simultaneously with Purple Death from Moongypsy Press. Pestilence is a multi-layered thriller, set in a 1950s English village where an outbreak of pneumonic plague begins, and soon overwhelms the newly arrived doctor, a young woman recently qualified as a general practitioner. What no-one realizes however, is that the plague is only the beginning of their troubles as a long buried secret and a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of society threatens to destroy the village of Olney St. Mary. There is something for everyone who enjoys a thriller in this book and I hope many readers will enjoy it. It is available in paperback and e-book from the publisher and from Amazon.com etc. 

Pestilence by Brian L. Porter.

From award winning author Brian L Porter comes the thriller sensation of the year. 'Pestilence' leads where others will follow in creating a scare-fest that will terrify, entertain and astound the reader. Pestilence....breathe if you dare!

The year is 1958, the place, an idyllic village in the heart of the English countryside. Olney St. Mary has stood in its peaceful rural location for over 900 years. Suddenly however, the peace of the community is shattered when two teenage boys are stricken with a mystery illness. The newly arrived village doctor suspects 'flu to be the cause of their malady. Her initial diagnosis is terribly and tragically wrong!

Before long, Doctor Hilary Newton and the residents of Olney are plunged into a nightmare of Biblical proportions as the death toll rises and no cure can be found for the disease that ravages the local population, despite the doctors employing the latest antibiotics available to them. Somehow, this plague is different! Help arrives in the form of a medical team from the outside, but the bodies continue to pile up. Someone, somewhere, perhaps within the community itself, knows the reason behind the pestilence that has struck at the heart of the village, but will themedics learn the truth before it's too late, or will they too join the growing list of names that appear on the roll of death roll in Olney St. Mary?

When a mysterious explosion wreaks havoc in the children's playground, followed by a second lethal blast in Olney's makeshift field hospital the sinister and unbelievable truth behind the pestilence begins to slowly reveal itself.

Award-winning author Brian L Porter takes terror to a new dimension as an age old horror returns to nineteen fifties rural England. This time however, the pestilence itself appears to have evolved!

Watch out for the movie adaptation of Pestilence, coming soon from Thunderball Films LLC.

 














Purple Death by Brian L. Porter.

Tranquil suburban Richmond-on-Thames, home to such landmarks as Hampton Court Palace and Kew Gardens, becomes the setting for a series of shocking and particularly gruesome murders that lead Detective Inspector Sean Connor and his team into a labyrinthine investigation in which all roads lead towards a thirty-year-old unsolved murder. The victims, all apparently unconnected to each other, are being dispatched by the use of a singularly unique poison, previously more closely associated with the notorious medieval Borgia family.    As the murders begin to multiply at an alarming rate, Connor finds clues hard to come by, and every lead takes him down yet another blind alley. The killer seems to be one step ahead of the police at every turn. Together, he and his assistant, Sergeant Lucy Clay, must piece together the shreds of evidence that will lead them to the mysterious Chocolate Woman and in turn to the brain behind the horrific murders that soon come to be known as "The Purple Death." 


Purple Death is soon to appear as a motion picture produced by Thunderball Films LLC of Los Angeles,
 
EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?
 
Brian:  A Study in Red is currently in development as a movie by Thunderball Flms and the producer and executive producer are currently in talks with various actor's agents with regard to the casting of the major roles, so it would be inappropriate I think for me to comment on that one at present, as they are talking to some rather 'big' names at present. My other books are under contract with Thunderball Films for future adaptation and I must say I haven't given much thought as to who might fill the major roles in those yet. I must say I'd love to see Alan Rickman appear in one of my movies. He's such a good 'villain' and would be great as the bad guy in either Purple Death or Legacy of the Ripper. By the same token, I'd love to see Glenn close as the villainess in The Nemesis Cell. The central character in Pestilence, the young doctor, Hilary Newton, brings to my mind Kate Beckinsale.  I remember her as the nurse in Pearl Harbor and she'd be great in the part.

Thank you Brian for joining us here today at From the Shadows!