Halloween Giveaways Galore!/Review of Tainted Blood by Katrina Michaels

Welcome!  We are just two days away from Halloween and all the giveaway drawings! If you haven't yet entered, at the end of this post will be links.  All you need do is comment on the posts, or enter the Rafflecopters.

Tonight, I'll be live at Edin Road Radio Halloween Spooktacular, talking about Annals of the Immortyls and Servant of the Goddess and doing a short reading.

Tomorrow, I have the author of The Romance of Dracula, Charles E. Butler, who will blog on the Comic Side of the Count.

A very big thanks to all those who came over to Bitten By Books yesterday, and welcome to those who just joined me from that event!  You can still enter and read the interview with Cedric.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tainted Blood by Katrina Michaels 

Review

Tainted blood is the third in the Preternatural Investigation Agency series by Katrina Michaels.  The story finds Tom Duncan and his agents, preparing to celebrate Lilith’s Day, a day of celebration among vampires.  Holiday plans are upset by a slew of grisly, mysterious deaths, and the PIA is drawn into the investigation.  Finding a clear motive for what appears to be murder by poisoning is difficult, and a possible connection between vampire blood products and these deaths ignites conflict between humans and vampires. Meanwhile, a dangerous psychopath is on the loose and the stakes are rising.

Tainted Blood is a quick and enjoyable read for those who enjoy paranormal mysteries.  The old gang is back and there are lots of thrills, chills and surprises.  If you’re looking for a fun read for Halloween, with mystery, a colorful cast of supernatural characters and a healthy dose of mayhem, you should check out Tainted Blood.

The first two books in the series are Midnight Reflections and Dead Awakening.

You can enter to win a paperback copy of Tainted blood, by following the link below.  Don't forget to enter all nine giveaways!

Halloween Giveaway Links

Paperback, The Hallowed Ones Laura Bickle 

http://www.immortylrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/10/laura-bickle-on-fear-of-unseenhalloween.html

Paperback book from Katrina Michaels and ebook of Annals of the Immortyls: http://www.immortylrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/10/spotlight-on-tainted-blood-by-katrina.html

Paperback book from Lee Taylor: http://www.immortylrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/10/lee-taylor-on-halloweenpaperback.html

Ebooks by Vanessa Morgan: 

http://www.immortylrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/10/vanessa-morgan-talks-about-scary.html

Ebook from Katie Salidas:

http://www.immortylrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/10/sexy-cedric-interviews-fallon-from.html

Ebook from Roy Hudson:

http://www.immortylrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/10/roy-hudson.html

Two Paperbacks from A. J. Scudiere:

http://www.immortylrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/10/author-j-scudiere-on-darkside.html

B. K. Walker Halloween Gift Basket Rafflecopter:

http://www.immortylrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/10/b-k-walker-halloween-gift-basket.html

Anne Marie Lutz on Magic in Fantasy/Nine Halloween Book Giveaways!

Yesterday, I posted a review of Anne Marie Lutz's new fantasy novel, Color Mage.  Today, Anne Marie writes about different forms of magic in fantasy.

Don't forget to check out the giveaways!  At the end of the post are the links all Halloween prizes.  Please leave a comment for Anne Marie to be entered to win one of five ebook copies of my short stories, Annals of the Immortyls. 

All giveaways end on 10/31/12 at 11 p.m. EST and will be chosen by random drawing, except for B.K. Walker's Gift Basket, which is a Rafflecopter giveaway (details at that post).

Denise, thanks for inviting me to do this post! October is the perfect time to blog about magic.

October is the best month of the year. The weather is incredible, but things are changing. I'm always reminded of time passing, and it almost seems as if doors are open that are not usually there. So it's a good time to think of other worlds, other realities, and magic.

Fantasy fiction is almost defined by magic. There are fantasies without magic, but they are rare. I thought I'd try to categorize some of the kinds of fantasy magic for this post.

Individual ability. We are all very familiar with this. From Harry Potter to the Black Magician books by Trudi Canavan to even my own novel – fantasy abounds with the idea of a person who finds he or she can do things most of humanity cannot. Sometimes the talent comes fully developed; sometimes it needs to be honed through further study. Either way, the novel frequently explores the coming of age of the new magician, or conflict in the society these people are part of.

Magical objects. The healing elixir of the Narnia books. The Arthurian sword in the stone. The One Ring of Lord of the Rings. More recently, Harry Potter's invisibility cloak or the mirrors in Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. By acquiring such a magical object, the protagonist – or her enemy – can gain great power. Sometimes the object is so powerful that using it carries great risks.

Magical creatures. In this type of magic, otherworldly creatures exist. They may be able to use magical spells or not, but they are themselves not of our reality. This includes everything from vampires and  werewolves from modern urban fantasy, to the elves of Tolkien, the monsters of ancient legends and the dragons of Robin Hobb.

Place magic. The magic is a characteristic of a specific place – even another world that people from our reality can step into, and they have to deal with the laws or realities of the magical place. Narnia is such a place. So is Fionavar, from the novels by Guy Gavriel Kay. The concept exists even in legends of elves living under enchanted hills, where time passes differently than it does in the outside world. There is enchantment as well as danger in such places.

Gods. Magic exists, but is unique to the gods. The origin of this is in our own ancient myths. Every culture has them. In modern fantasy, some novels – such as Jennifer Fallon's Demon Child trilogy – have gods that really exist and influence their worlds.

Thanks, Anne Marie, for sharing your insight with us today! Here is a little information on Anne Marie and Color Mage.

 Anne Marie Lutz

Bio: Anne Marie Lutz has always loved reading and writing, especially in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism degree and an MBA, both from the Ohio State University. She has worked as an office manager, an operations analyst and more recently at home raising her children. Anne Marie was raised in the Youngstown area, and now lives in Central Ohio. She belongs to the North Columbus Fantasy/Sci Fi Writers' Group. Color Mage is her first novel.

Book Blurb: Color Mage- by Anne Marie Lutz

Lord Callo, bastard son of the King's sister, leaves his holdings in the midst of the contempt of his friends. He joins Healer Kirian as she flees for her life from the anger of a Collared Lord. Together they journey to Ha'las -- an enemy island ruled by the feared and despised psychic mages known as ku'an.

There, Callo learns of his true heritage -- and finds that great power is his birthright. All he has to do is sacrifice everything he has ever stood for.

Can he keep Kirian safe in a land where women are kept hidden and restricted? Can he even protect her from his own dangerous magery? And why are the Kings of two nations seeking him to further their own political ends?

Publisher: Loconeal Publishing, LLC (September 11, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0985081783

ISBN-13: 978-0985081782 

Halloween Giveaway Links

Paperback, The Hallowed Ones Laura Bickle 

http://www.immortylrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/10/laura-bickle-on-fear-of-unseenhalloween.html

Paperback book from Katrina Michaels and ebook of Annals of the Immortyls: http://www.immortylrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/10/spotlight-on-tainted-blood-by-katrina.html

Paperback book from Lee Taylor: http://www.immortylrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/10/lee-taylor-on-halloweenpaperback.html

Ebooks by Vanessa Morgan: 

http://www.immortylrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/10/vanessa-morgan-talks-about-scary.html

Ebook from Katie Salidas:

http://www.immortylrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/10/sexy-cedric-interviews-fallon-from.html

Ebook from Roy Hudson:

http://www.immortylrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/10/roy-hudson.html

Two Paperbacks from A. J. Scudiere:

http://www.immortylrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/10/author-j-scudiere-on-darkside.html

B. K. Walker Halloween Gift Basket Rafflecopter:

http://www.immortylrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/10/b-k-walker-halloween-gift-basket.html

Werewolves and Love Bites, a Review of Moonlight by Katie Salidas

Review 

Moonlight

A Novella by Katie Salidas

Moonlight by Katie Salidas is a companion novella set in the world of the Immortalis urban fantasy novels.  In this spin-off, the story centers on Fallon, the loyal friend of Alyssa, the vampire heroine in the novel series. 

Fallon, girlfriend of werewolf alpha, Aiden, finds herself smack dab in the middle of a power struggle that not only threatens her relationship with her lover, but her very life.  Learning that Aiden’s pack will not accept her as his mate unless she makes the transition from human to werewolf, Fallon is faced by a momentous decision: Should she risk her life to run at the side of her alpha wolf lover, or retain her humanity and give him up?  Add to that the rivalry of Diana, a female in the pack, who has a personal vendetta against Fallon, and a delicate web of pack politics that the still-human Fallon must negotiate. 

I found the novella a quick and enjoyable read, just the sort of thing for curling up by the fireplace on a chilly autumn night.  Romance fans will be appreciative of the heat generated by Fallon and Aiden, and urban fantasy fans will enjoy the paranormal elements that Salidas skillfully weaves through the tale.  The werewolf sequences are interesting and exciting, and we see a nice growth arc in Fallon’s character, from gal pal sidekick of vampire Alyssa to savvy leading-lady of her own saga.

So, pour yourself a nice glass of wine, light the fire and hope that your mate will be there to reap the benefits when you’re finished with this steamy and satisfying read.

This Saturday, Sexy Cedric will be back with an excerpt and more on Moonlight!  

Review of The Romance of Dracula

That I came of age watching vampire films should come as no surprise to my readers. I’ve been a vampire fan since I was a first-grader running home to watch the Gothic soap opera, Dark Shadows. It was with great pleasure that I read Charles Butler’s take on many of the films that I grew up with.




In his book, The Romance of Dracula, Butler explores his personal connection with the cinematic journey of Bram Stoker’s iconic count, from the silent era to the present day, in a conversational yet authoritative tone. The book begins with a thorough discussion of the novel and then moves on to explore the various screen treatments of Dracula from the Murnau silent classic, Nosferatu, to an examination of contemporary vampire films (with nary a mention of Twilight).



The author begins the chapters with a scene-by-scene synopsis of each Dracula film and then finishes with his no-holds-barred review of script adaptation, direction, cinematography and acting performance. I found his critical stance on the Coppola Dracula of the nineties to be on the money and agree wholeheartedly with his praise for the imaginative Shadow of the Vampire. Fans of Hammer horror (and actors Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing) won’t be disappointed at the in-depth look at these films.



Butler peppers his reviews with entertaining insights and anecdotes. The reader may be surprised to find that with all of the adaptations of Dracula, few are true to the source material in either story or portrayal of the count. A notable example pointed out by Butler is the Bela Lugosi version produced by Universal, which is based on the stage play. Even though I once worked for Universal, I didn’t know there is a Spanish language version of this film, starring a different cast that was produced for the European market.



This book will be enjoyed by film and vampire buffs alike. After reading Mr. Butler’s book, I’ve added to my list of must-see vampire films. It’s clear that The Romance of Dracula was written with someone who has a true passion for the genre. I appreciated the solid film history and research of the topic.

New Reviews of Cara Mia and Twilight of the Gods

Check out these new reviews by Nora Barteau! http://norachipleybarteau.blogspot.com/.

New interview and review of Cara Mia

Read my latest interview at: http://www.paranormalhaven.blogspot.com/ The review will follow soon. The reviewer already posted it at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Cara-Mia-Book-Immortyl-Revolution/product-reviews/160318158X/ref=sr_hist_all?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1