Sunday Book Review: The Monster's Corner

  Great Morning my loyal readers! I was hoping to wake up to find that, miraculously! Spring had broken this spell of extreme cold and snow drifts that we're stuck in, but alas. No go. Dammit.
  Alright, I'll stop bitching about the weather. Instead, let's focus on this collection of short stories that I finished a few minutes ago. If you're an Instagram follower (@kellyrwrites) you saw that I put the cover up a few days ago.

Monster's Corner is a collection of short stories from a list of great authors, including Kelley Armstrong, David Liss, Gary A. Braunbeck, and Sarah Pinborough. 
  I've never been much of a short story reader, I usually avoid them. I'm not sure why, I think I read some boring collection back in the day and it turned me off. This one had such a disturbing cover that I gave it a shot. I mean, come on, how could anyone not peek inside of something that looks like that? 
  This collection was awesome and just disturbing enough. The very first story, "The Awkward Age", by David Liss, peeked my interest, as it danced on the line between what's appropriate and taboo in a "friendship" between a married man and an underage girl. Yeah. That's what I was thinking too. Don't worry, it ends super gory and the age difference is thrown to the side in light of the disgusting habits of the main character. 
   There are all sorts of bizarre twists in this collection, and many a bloody, dissected body part gets gnawed on. Creatures from your childhood horror stories are given new life and their true origins are explained better than you've ever read. 
  I don't even know if I have a favorite, as so many of the stories were so amazing and original and well-written. There was so much gore and blood, and demented children, and bad people that it made my head spin. It was awesome! 
  Go and get your copy today. As you can see, I borrowed this one from my local library, but I suspect I will have to buy a copy and add it to my personal library. It's just so juicy and gross. 
  K 

Let Me Tell You A Story....

Getting this new book cover made me think back over as to how I first came up with the idea for this book. 
  I know I've touched on this in previous entries, but the first vampire-thing-a bit before that Twilight crap- that got my engines revving was the first Underworld movie.
  There. The seed planted. 
The next thing was a memory that surfaced of the pre-teen series The Animorphs. Remember that series? The kids that could transform into a certain animal? 
And the final bit that slid into place: the trilogy The Golden Compass. I LOVED that goddamned series! That was an awesome escape as a kid. 

Calissa and Kaellina Dorr are twin sisters who are at odds from day 1. They are Morgins, born to human parents. Meaning, that Calissa came out with a peregrin falcon chic, and Kaellina came out with a black panther cub. Yeah, that's right-Came out with. Morgins have a long history, and only show up when chaos is about to kick off. Morgins usually only come one person at a time....what do you think twins signify?
 They both get mixed up with some bad ass vampires shortly after their 19th birthday, and yadda yadda, there's going to be a second book.
How do you like that?
 Pick up your copy of Broken Bloodlines, Book 1: The Awakening here.
K

Sunday Book Review: The Alpha's Search, by Natalie Shaw

The Alpha's Search
By: Natalie Shaw (www.natalieshawromance.com)
Genre: Paranormal Romance 


      Who doesn't love a good paranormal romance, with super hot men (and women)? The Alpha's Search is one such book. 
     The first two chapters get you caught up with the current life of the main character, Jackie. As an American, I was taken in by the British vernacular and slang, which these first two chapters are full of. Jackie works at a travel agency and business is slow until a mysterious, beautiful man shows up and tells her a crazy story.
     The Alpha has been looking for Jackie for 40 years and finds her just in time. Due to an accident that Jackie had five years previously, she doesn't remember her life before it. But the Alpha seems to know all about her, and once the enemy shows itself, Jackie is forced to trust the Alpha. 
     Jackie (who's real name is Louise, btw), with the gorgeous Alpha by her side, embarks on a dangerous, crazy journey that still seems like a dream even close to the end. 
      The Alpha's Search is the first in the Craven Trilogy, and I've already bought the next two books. It's engaging writing, with plenty of action and well-written intimacy. 
      This is a great series by the talented Natalie Shaw. Visit her site at: natalieshawromance.com. You can order all the books from her website or any major e-book retailers.

Happy Sunday!

Good morning, all you lovelies out there! I hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend, maybe with some reading? Of the paranormal type? Hmm?

 I am dealing with a bit of a headache right now, that I believe is caused by the amount of alcohol I might have consumed last night. A strong cup of coffee will probably take care of it, after copious amounts of water.

We had A's company Christmas party last night at the casino, plenty of shmoozing and good food. I thought my hooker heels would have been too much (Guess 5"ers, love them!) but then every bitch there had sky high heels on so I felt a little dumpy in my flats.

Two wardrobe facts that I have discovered along my journey of Full Time Adult Work Schedule, is
a) I might wear a size 8 in jeans, but with dress pants I wear a size 6, so that the pants sit above my hips and saggy butt is eliminated,
and
b) when buying pumps and any leather/leatherette shoes, buy 1/2 size smaller than you normally wear, cuz them dem babies are going to stretch like a bitch. I now have a pair of dress flats and a pair of pumps that are too big. Awesome.

I've been having a small creative dilemma the last couple of weeks. A few days after I published The Awakening, it occurred to me that while yes, Book 2 needs to be worked on, but technically, I've got a little bit of freedom to explore my other creative desires.
I would still love to make my own clothing line, and I heard that a certain mother-in-law might have purchased me a mannequin to help that along.
  I would also like to get back into painting, something I did when I was a teenager and I wasn't too bad, if I do say so myself.
  I just haven't been feeling the writing bug lately; I've got the first couple of chapters of Book 2 of The Broken Bloodlines series sketched out, but the urge isn't there. I'm still looking for it.

Any of you out there that read The Awakening, would you please leave me a review? Even just a short comment, I want your feedback!!
Love yall,
KelBel

Did you order your copy yet?

Have you ordered your copy of The Awakening, book 1 of my Broken Bloodlines series? It's only .99 and it's officially released on Thanksgiving, which is less than 3 days away!Order it HERE :D

 I LOVE Thanksgiving. It's all my favorite foods, and so comforting. Mmmmm turkey and gravy and football. Fuck yeah.
 So here's the deal: get your pre-order in, and on Thanksgiving, you can stuff your face with deliciousness, then settle on the couch with your technology (cuz you will probably need a break from the relations) and dive into an exciting story.

The Awakening introduces a new kind of paranormal being, and is the story of a battle between twin sisters. The sisters have extraordinary powers, and will face off against one another to gain control of a sleepy little town named Nashel. Nashel has something that both girls desperately want, but they have much different intentions. 

Order your copy today! If you don't have a Kindle, you can download the app on your smartphone.

Much Love, 
 KelBel

Happy Saturday! (Or Caturday as my Google Feed seemed to be all about!)

Ah, the weekend. Let me tell you, as someone recently freed from the world of retail, having every weekend off is AWESOME!!
  My first week at the new job went well, I love it there! The people are cool, they have a great culture and starting on Monday, things are going to get busy! Bring it on ;) 
 Today is my nephew's birthday party, and there are a bunch of other errands that need to be accomplished as well. We got up at like 6:30 today lol #morningfreaks 
  My cat got all confused with the time change, and now my work schedule has him getting loud and annoying even earlier in the morning. Like, 4:30 a.m. he starts his shit. He needs to get with the program. 
  I'm really blogging right now because I just gave myself a #weekendmani and I'm waiting the final minutes for it to dry before I get ready to run errands. 
  Looks like the pre-orders for my vampire novel are rolling in, and it's so exciting! Have you ordered your copy of The Awakening yet? (Psst! It's only .99!) If you don't own a Kindle, but you have a smart phone, you can download the Kindle app and be on your paranormal adventure way!
  All of you are awesome! 
 K
 

E-Book release!!

                                                                                       

So this happened yesterday....

Meet my baby of almost 10 years in the making (yes, I got distracted a lot over those 10 years!) 

The Awakening, Book 1 of the Broken Bloodlines series. 

It's official e-book release is Thanksgiving Day, but you can preorder it here!

Here are the deets: 

One cold November night, a very special pair of twin girls were born. Little did those screaming, red-faced infants know that on their 19th birthday, they would both be plunged into the middle of a battle between ancient beings ...
Nashel is a large town with a special history. There are different kinds of beings that watch over it, and guard its precious cargo. Calissa and Kaellina Dorr grew up as outcasts on the edge of Nashel and are now sworn enemies. Both want control over Nashel and what its hiding under its many layers. Calissa, with help of the other ancient beings that inhabit Nashel, is trying to keep Kaellina from finding that which she so desperately seeks. Each sister has dangerous, new powers that no one in Nashel has seen before and the future will be decided by the winner of the war between beings.
In this first book of the Broken Bloodlines series, meet the main characters and learn the prestory of the Morgins.

The Awakening available for Pre-Order!

It's release date is sooner than expected! Pre- Order Book 1 of the Broken Bloodlines series with this link: 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OZZQYS8

It will be released Thanksgiving Day! Upload it to your Kindle and Enjoy it while your digesting your Thanksgiving meal, and before you pass out from the overload of tryptophan. 

 As always, I'm always open to hosting other authors on my blog! 

Email me at: kellyraine1818@gmail.com to send me your info! 

Remember, we're in this publishing struggle together. 

K 

Reading Woes

  As those that know me know, I have always been a bibliophile- I love books, I love to smell them, caress them, turn the pages, etc. 
  I read constantly as a kid; looking back at it, perhaps diving into a story was the way I handled my anxiety. I had a couple of friends who lived down the street from me in Syracuse, and they would walk over to play. I would beg them to come back in 15, 20 minutes, so I could finish the gripping part of the story I was in. 
  In grammar school, when we would all line up to go to art class, gym class, or the cafeteria, I would read while walking along in line. The teachers loved it, and yes, I did it partly to show off. But I was quite good at it- I never (well, rarely) bumped into the kid ahead of me and always handled the corners like an expert. 
  My 6th grade teacher-bless her fucking soul- would get us lined up to the tune of Carmen. She would clap her hands to the rhythm, and we would line up, and started clapping along with her.  She was always quite amused by the adult titles I would pick, stuff that you'd never see an 11-year old reading. I did trudge through some boring ass shit, just for the attention it would garner. To this day, I still don't understand the big hubbah over Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I need to re-read it, I definitely read that one too young.And I distinctly remember her tittering over Waiting for Godot. She knew I didn't know what the hell I was reading, but she was tickled pink by my effort.
 As an adult, I find it extremely difficult to get into books the way I would as a kid. I had no problem reading for hours, but it's very hard for me to just sit and read. I get a guilty complex- why am I just sitting here, "doing nothing"? Why aren't the dishes done? Why am I not working on my novel? 
  While I was dancing, I found that reading a book I was super interested in, was a good way to drum up some business on slow days. 'Cuz mother fuckers always wanted to come in and start talking to me when I was in the middle of a great paranormal vampire sex scene (a.k.a. anything written by J.D. Ward). I always had to take a deep, calming breath while putting the book down, I would be so annoyed. Despite needing the money, and oh yeah- being at work.
  I hate that I can't get into reading the same way, but I am determined to at least make some headway. I'm breaking down my own barriers about what's "acceptable" to read, and what's not. Woman, read what the hell peaks your interests, even it's "below your standards". Yes, I'm a book snob.
  There will be a similar post soon, about the digitizing of libraries and my horror over that. Don't even get me started. 
  But for now, I have a lesbian jealousy fight to get through in my novel. Oh, there will also be a prostitute and hot makeup sex (not with the prostitute).
 K  

Library Love

Have I ever shared how much I LOVE libraries? I am currently sitting in my "new" local one, since a) I need new reading material and b) I don't have home internet at the moment. The state of the local library whenever I move somewhere new is a big factor in how I feel about my new digs. When my mom moved us out to Elbridge, I was so disappointed in both the Elbridge AND Jordan libraries, both small and outdated.
 Anywayyyss....the lover & I are done moving, thank god. I turned in all the keys and related paraphanelia to the office today and we'll see how much $$ they try to weasel out of the security deposit. I am very grateful that we had no rain while we were performing such an arduous task, and now that I think about it, a good number of moves I have done in my life so far have been in the late fall, with a decent amount of nasty cold precip.
 And before you ask, No, I don't give a shit about Halloween. I'm tired, my body hurts, and I have a headcold. I don't care this year, maybe next year. Am I going to eat a copious amount of candy as if I did participate in festivities? Yes, I sure will. In fact, my bf bought a HUGE Hershey's candy bar last night, like a frickin' $12 one. Even I wouldn't spend that much on a candy bar. <3
  I was sad cleaning out the old place. We have good memories there; it was such a safe, calm haven after he plucked me out of the ghetto. I was sad to see it empty. However- onward and upward!!
 One more day of work before I can sleep like I need to, and organize the house....one more day......
 Have a ghoulish night, y'all.
K