Wednesday, December 10, 2014

12 Days of Review Requests - Day Three

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Welcome to the 12 Days of Review Requests fun here on the Jo Michaels blog! If you missed the opening post, be SURE and check it out here. It has the Rafflecopter entry form for the Kindle HD7 (yeah, we got upgraded!). Each day, I'll post links to all the books pitched the previous day and a short recap of what I'm looking for you to put in the comments. Then, I'll have the Rafflecopter winner from the previous day, and the entry form for the current one along with the prizes. Let's get going!

I'm going to take a moment to remind everyone of my RULES (this is the last warning):

  1. There's a place on each Rafflecopter entry form where you need to put the link to your book on Amazon. Do it. I export them as excel documents and go to the links from there.
  2. Your pitch goes in the comments. Moderation will be turned off during this event. No ugly captchas, either. If you aren't nice, I reserve the right to delete your stuff. DO NOT put your link in with your pitch. I'll remove the entire thing.
  3. **NO affiliate links and do not shorten your links.** I understand the need to make a buck, but really? I'll remove them.
  4. I announce one review winner per day. You may pitch more than one book to me.
  5. DO NOT review my books. Please. Feel free to read and love them, but if I'm reviewing yours, don't review mine. I'm not a swapper *grin*
  6. Comments will be closed at 8am for the previous day's post. This is when a new post will go up. If you can't comment, you're on the wrong post.
  7. BE NICE. Don't goad, harass, or annoy the other authors pitching their books (or myself).
  8. DO feel free to buy some of the books and read/review them. We're all in this together. It's a party, guys!


Books marked with an astrisks and in BOLD are winners.
(That doesn't mean your book wasn't chosen, only that it wasn't chosen today)

Bound by Duty - Stormy Smith - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Shadows on Snow (A Flipped Fairy Tale) - Starla Hutchon - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Dry Stories - Kate Baggot - Amazon Kindle $3.56
From the Wreckage - Michelle G. Miller - Amazon Kindle FREE
An Unlikely Goddess - Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar - Amazon Kindle $0.99
The House at Zaronza - Vanessa Couchman - Amazon Kindle $2.99
8 Weeks - Bethany Lopez - Amazon Kindle $3.99
Click. Date. Repeat. - K. J. Farnham - Amazon Kindle $3.99
Kinetic: Book One of the Kinetic Trilogy - C. M. Zimmer - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Six Months to Get a Life - Ben Adams - Grab a sample on Drive here!
Family Planning (Choices Book 3) - Beth Carpenter - Amazon Kindle $0.99
***The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge - Christine Nolfi - Amazon Kindle $0.99
The Release Club 1 - Misty Provencher - Amazon Kindle $0.99
Moonlight - David Rose - Amazon Kindle $1.69
View from the Sixth Floor: An Oswald Tale - Elizabeth Horton-Newton - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Facade: A Vampire Love Story - R. M. Webb - Amazon Kindle $0.99
The ABCs of Dinkology: Life - A. E. Stueve - Amazon Paperback $8.91
Of Mice and Money - Winifred Morris - Amazon Kindle $0.99
The Cure - Stephanie Erickson - Amazon Kindle $2.51
Siren - Jennifer Melzer - Amazon Kindle (Pre-order) $3.99 Grab a sample on Drive!
Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams - Rachel Barnard - Amazon Kindle $0.99
***Queen of Someday - Sherry Ficklin - Amazon Kindle $5.99
Fragile Creatures - Kristina Circelli - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Pariah - Casey L. Bond - Amazon Kindle $3.99
Destiny Finds Her - Miranda Lynn - Amazon Kindle $2.99In Dreams - Heather Mullins - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Indelible - Bethany Lopez - Amazon Kindle $3.99
They Called It Moosicide: A Denali Hawthorne Alaska Mystery - Lisa Hall Deckert - Amazon Kindle $2.99
At One's Beast - Rachel Barnard - Amazon Kindle $2.99
To Get Me to You - Kait Nolan - Amazon Kindle $2.99
The Rabbit Ate My Homework - Rachel Elizabeth Cole - Amazon Kindle $3.99
Unseen - Stephanie Erickson - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Sticks and Stones - Shawn McGuire - Amazon Kindle $0.99
Sir Lyle's Dig - Sheldon Lefkowitz - Amazon Kindle $6.99
Warrior Lore: Scandinavian Ballads - Ian Cumpstey - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Good Luck With That Thing You're Doing: One Woman's Adventures in Dating, Plumbing and Other Full Contact Sports - Karen Yankosky - Amazon Kindle $2.99
The Heart Thief - S. Lee Benedict - Amazon Kindle $4.99


Congratulations to Sherry! Your book has been tweeted, shared on Pinterest, added to my Goodreads TBR for the event, and shared on Facebook.

Today, I'm giving you my 2014 Review Video as a bonus! Great music *grin*

PITCH your book in the comments. Put the LINK to your book in the Rafflecopter form. Tell me why you think I'll like it, why I should check it out, and a little about the story. DO NOT give me a synopsis. I can get that from Amazon. Make it personal or make it funny. I care not. I'll be grabbing a sample of every book pitched and go from there.

AUTHOR ONLY entries will be removed from Rafflecopter before a winner is chosen. If you want a shot at winning the prizes, put BOTH in the box asking how you're entering.

I strongly encourage you to check out the works of your fellow Indie authors. Chat in the comments, talk each other up, make friends!

Book reviewers! You're welcome to play along, too! Meet and greet authors. Get new books to read and review. It only works if we all work together.

If you haven't joined my 2015 Review Team, do that here

**Kindly remember, there's no guarantee your book will be reviewed by me. You will get a purchase if your sample interests me, and I'll try my best to read it. But if I find I can't give it more than 2 stars, I won't write the review. I've had a few I couldn't finish and it led to me not giving a review.**

Now it's time to announce the winners from yesterday's giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your prizes for today are from the fabulous N. L. Greene and me.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Throw me a pitch!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

63 comments:

  1. You cannot save someone from themselves, but you can make them want to. In 1001 Nights Shaharazad used stories to save herself from certain death. In Dry Stories Marina uses her stories to save a friend from the bottle.

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    1. I love how you're back every day :) You know I like those who repeat pitch haha! I'm after your dedication as much as I am your writing. Hugs to you, Kate!

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    2. I really want to check this out. I think it sounds inspirational and know someone who might really benefit from it.

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  2. A love story thousands of years in the making…

    In the days of old, one knight fought to save his maiden – a battle that ended in a bloody promise for the future. In the days of the 21st Century, fantasy author Izz believes in what she can see, despite what she writes. A recent widow, she is dragged to Myrtle Beach at the demand of her best friends, and it is there she realizes that, maybe, fantasy can become reality after all.

    Enter Roarke Cade, the man who cuts into her life in a flash of swordplay and seductive grins. Izz doesn’t want to love him. The guilt of moving on nearly crushes her, yet she finds herself unable to resist the man who leaves her breathless with just one look.

    But loving Cade comes with a price, one that may cost them both their lives.

    Damsel Not offers a new twist on a traditional love story, a tale of two people bound together by destiny, and forced apart by enemies thousands of years old. The battle between good and evil will challenge everything they thought they knew – and bring to question, who is the true damsel after all?

    Damsel Not
    Contemp Romance
    Published October 2014

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    1. Kristina, why have I not heard of this novel before now? OMG! Thank you for the pitch. I'm snagging the sample now, will get to it shortly :)

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    2. Haha, I don't know! And thanks!

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    3. Holy cow, snagging this one! sounds so awesome

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  3. I wonder if I could ask a question to clarify. We only need to pitch in the comments one time, is that correct? But can we do the Rafflecopter each day? Thanks. :)

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    1. That's correct. I do, however, give brownie points to those who interact with the other authors, pitch to me more than once, or are generally just around and doing awesome things. It's about so much more than just the win ;)

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  4. Romance, time travel, Fae, a gypsy family, highlanders, and a twin sister who would do anything to win. All in one story? You betcha, oh and one heck of a smexy scene to wrap it all up, at least until Book 2. Destiny is the book that I wanted to read, I couldn't find one out there so I wrote it myself at the advice of a dear author friend.

    Destiny Finds Her
    by Miranda Lynn
    Available on Amazon

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    1. Time travel? Fae? Really? OMG I'm losing my mind over the awesome. *face/palm* I love authors who write what they want to read! Thank you, Miranda, for pitching again :) EEEEEEEEK!

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    2. Miranda, I do the same thing! All the stories I want to hear most but can't find, I write. At least that way we can control what happens :) (well, except when those pesky characters have minds of their own and do whatever they want)

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    3. I know what you mean Kristina, that's happening with Book 2, I had it all planned and the characters decided to go a totally different way and I am loving it! I am glad I pitched again Jo, I hesitated at first and then thought what the heck, it won't hurt right? :) I love this idea, finding so many new authors and books, my TBR pile is getting so long.

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    4. Don't all characters do as they please? The bullies! It's difficult to reign them in LOL! Hey, Indies helping Indies. It's a concept that can't be topped. :)

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    5. Highlanders, eh? Can there be more than one? <--sorry if that reference is too obscure. ;) I'm a dork, sorry. Story sounds intriguing. And as for the writing the book you wanted to read, I did the exact same thing. I get it.

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    6. ROFL! I take pride in being a dork and serious nerd. :) Authors who self publish have so much more freedom. It's rare I find a "this has been so overdone" novel with an Indie. WRITE ON!

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    7. I often get to the end of a book and think, "Well, that didn't go as planned." Bossy characters :).

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    8. We are writers yes? there can be as many highlanders as our brain can imagine. Though there can only be one true Highlander. (nerdy dork here as well :) )

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    9. Bossy characters, that's great! I felt such a connection to mine in my debut novel and the book nearly wrote itself because it all made sense to me (and I did a bunch of research).

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    10. I love this pitch, and agree with everything you guys are saying. Sometimes you have no idea what's going to happen!

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    11. This sounds amazing! I'm going after it right now!

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  5. Paralegal Alex Barton was ready to give up on on-line dating until she stumbled across Heath Valentine's profile...and he spotted hers. They meet for coffee, then go to dinner, and end up at his house...where the fun gets heated. But fires that burn hot and bright sometimes burn out fast. When Heath inexplicably goes MIA, Alex's friends take her out to distract her, but it's handsome cop Cody Patrick who does the distracting. What happens when Alex finds out where Heath has gone - and how Cody Patrick is involved?

    If you enjoy realistic, relatable stories filled with laugh out loud and "that could totally be me" moments - this is the book for you. If you enjoy witty banter, flirting and hot steamy sexual situations - this is the book for you. If you enjoy a little suspense and intrigue - this is the book for you. If you want to discover a debut author and enjoy a sexy romp - then...you guessed it...this is the book for YOU!

    Enjoy!

    The Crime of Seduction
    Steamy Romance
    Published November 15, 2014

    XXX,
    Nadine

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    1. Thanks for the pitch, Nadine :) I love witty banter, suspense, and debut authors :) Can't wait to check it out! Awesome sounding novel.

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    2. This one sounds great! Checking it out. :)

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    3. Thanks ladies! Bethany I hope you really, really enjoy it ;-)

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  6. Heat up your cold winter nights with a sexy, steamy paranormal romance!

    He spotted her in club Nightshade, a beautiful goddess among the mortals, and from that moment on she was his everything. She tempted him. She intrigued him. He wanted her.
    Sabrina Donahue knew she was playing with fire from the moment their lips met, but something about Roman Arceneaux made it difficult for her to care.
    Sensual and darkly intense, Roman is every woman’s fantasy come to life. One by one, Sabrina’s reservations fall prey to his skilled seduction, leaving her dreaming of a future she never imagined.
    When monsters and mayhem intrude upon their lives, Sabrina’s fragile existence is threatened and Roman is left to wonder if their love will survive.
    *For mature readers only due to graphic language and sexual situations*

    Happy reading!
    <3,
    Brenda

    Tempted: A Nightshade Novel
    Paranormal romance
    Published: September 23, 2013

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    1. Sounds scandalous, Brenda :) Thanks for the pitch! I'm eager to dive into the sample. Monsters and mayhem? Yeahhhhhh! Welcome to the fray!

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    2. Thank you, Jo! You just made my day! <3

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  7. After getting to know you more Jo I'm going to re-pitch my debut novel Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams. When I graduated from college and couldn't find a job, I devoted my time to something monumental and that I had wanted to do for years: writing a novel. What I got was Ataxia and I couldn't love it more as my best accomplishment since learning this fantastically difficult run on the piano...

    The story is set in an elite Academy that is not unlike private school by today's standards, except these kids are being groomed for leadership positions in the New American Nation's Government through a complex team-building game called the Cube and their rigorous academics. It isn't just raw skill, but cleverness in an ever-changing environment that MC needs to defeat the challenges presented in the Cube. Outside of the games she must learn to work together with her friends, but she doesn't realize she can't trust all of them.

    Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams is set in the near future, full of live-out-loud characters and issues young adults today can relate to like the school dance, finding and failing to figure out the hidden secret passageway, fighting among besties, falling for the hot new transfer, and trying to escape when the s**t hits the fan.

    I think you'll like this one because of the real to life dialogue and edge of your seat action sequences with the cleverness of technology in the future and a government that wants to snuff out a growing secret rebellion.

    Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams
    Rachel Barnard's debut novel released Christmas day 2012

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    1. That sounds cool, like a cerebral Hunger Games or something. I'm gonna check out the sample.

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    2. Brilliant. How awesome that you did something you've always dreamed of. *wipes tears from eyes* I love dystopian novels and great dialogue. :) Thanks for pitching again, with a more personal story. Love it.

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    3. Okay, you did the one thing I love (well, one of the one things I love). You wrote an opening line that grabbed me immediately. Bought it! Looking forward to reading it.

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    4. Sounds great. I agree with S. Lee - and I like the sound of a cerebral Hunger Games!

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    5. I like that description and thanks!

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    6. Another one that grabs me, Rachel? I have to get reading!

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  8. A sexy, fun, Christmas short story, Christmas Come Early is about Jules and Seth. Jules is the hot, confident bad girl, and Seth is the sweet, sheltered good ole country boy. They meet while interning at an Easy Listening radio station over Christmas break, and the fun begins.
    I had such a great time writing this short story, and am excited to share it! :)

    Christmas Come Early
    New Adult Romance

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    1. Christmas short? Bethany! You're killing me! Sounds like such a sweet, fun story :) I love the feel good ones sometimes. Aren't they fun to write? Of course, I like killing off beloved characters, too. LOL I got more than one demand for a box of tissues over that one. ;) Eager to read it! Thanks for the pitch.

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    2. Haha! I do love to make people laugh, but sometimes making them cry is more satisfying… Why is that? ;)

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    3. Because laughter is easy, bringing someone to such emotional heights as to make them cry is much, much more difficult. Add to that: their emotional response lingers longer :)

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    4. Loved this one, even if it was strange to read the sexy scenes with a character who shares my husband's name ;).

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  9. The best things happen while you're acting...

    The historic Madrigal theater, in the heart of downtown Wishful, is about to close its doors forever. A last ditch fund-raising effort, a production of White Christmas, is probably the only thing that could bring Tyler Edison back to the stage after all these years. Little does she know that the leading man who broke her heart just blew back into town. Put on your dancing shoes, auditions start at six o'clock.

    Be Careful, It's My Heart is a second-chance romance (novella length) for fans of the movie White Christmas (because it's my absolute FAVORITE Christmas movie, and I thought it would be fun to set a retelling against a community theater production of it).

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    1. OMG! You and me both on White Christmas! My favorite movie of all time (not just Christmas movies). Your book sounds super duper, Kait! Thanks for the pitch :)

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    2. You should totally see if there's a Cinemark theater in your area. They're running it through a partnership with TCM THIS WEEKEND!

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    3. Yes they are! I saw it at my local theater. :) I own the special edition DVD (Christmas gift from The Best Husband in the World). Everyone hates him for giving me that. LOL! It's like Christmas every day (if you know what I mean). We totally must get together and sing all the songs ;)

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  10. Thank you for this opportunity! My pitch for Roots Entwine;
    15-year-old Joaquin can hear a man’s heart beating a half a mile away. He can see in the dark when others are stumbling. One whiff and he can tell what was served for yesterday’s dinner. But then he needs near-coma sleep to heal his brain from the searing pain. He’s a Phoshat, and his ability comes with a price.


    Rumors spread about the mysterious Phoshat living in the forest around his family’s estate. Then Kallum comes, the tall stranger who leads a mission team for the king. He’s determined to add a Phoshat to the list of talents that his team boasts. He takes on the responsibility of a teenaged, untested Phoshat, and they set out, but soon it’s evident that Joaquin’s gift is so powerful that it almost swings out of control. As their journey goes on and unconsciousness overwhelms Joaquin over and again, Kallum begins to question whether Joaquin is ready for the dangerous mission that’s growing more intense every day.

    Joaquin wonders too. Why was he born different than everyone else?

    Roots Entwine is a young adult fantasy adventure. A tree standing alone shades no one, but entwining his life with his team moves Joaquin towards the inevitable choice he must make for them. It’s up to him to decide what the sum of his life will be, and if his inborn ability will be a curse to him or the gift that saves his friends.

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    1. YA fantasy is awesome! I'll be diving into your sample soon, Winney! Thanks for the pitch, and welcome to the awesomeness. :)

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    2. Yes, this place is pretty awesome...

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    3. Thanks, Victoria :) Welcome to the fray!!

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  11. Hi Jo, thank you so much for letting readers participate in this too. The pitches and comments are great to read through, and my TBR list has grown already!
    One quick question about today's Rafflecopter: I'm not getting the image to pin, just a placeholder. Is anyone else having problems with this or is it just me? Thanks so much!
    @Migraine_Karla

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    1. Hi back! Thank you for being a reader who participates! :) So awesome of you. I've fixed the Rafflecopter form. Sorry for the delay!

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    2. Thanks! (I think I have this profile thing figured out now so I'm not anonymous, lol. I'm not a technophobe, but not a pro with this type of thing yet either!)

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    3. Very nice :) Great handle! Technophobe! Haha! It's all good. Baby steps.

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  12. Hi Jo, thanks for this wonderful opportunity you and your team continue to give indie authors, is very much appreciated.

    Here is a pitch for my new novel.

    Erotic romance may not be your everyday read but that's probably because you have yet to meet the characters in my new book. From lovers to ex-lovers to cougar/cub to strangers on vacation to exciting threesome, these strong characters will keep the page turning. Adult readers from all walks of life are likely to favor a scene in The Sextape.
    Dare To Press Play...

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    1. Welcome back, Peprah! I remember you well from last year. Determined, you were :) Your book sounds interesting. I'll be picking up new samples this afternoon, so here's to digging in! *clinks glass* Thanks for coming back for another round!

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    2. Glad you remember me, Jo! Yes I was here last year and I'm back with another one this year. Keep up the fantastic work that you're doing, hoping to stick around throughout the duration of the event.

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  13. Hi Jo!

    Not entering this time, but wanted to say hi, I'm going to share this in a few places, and love seeing my book in your video! :D Some of these entries look great, I will have to check them out!

    GL all! <3

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    1. For realz? Why aren't you entering this year? :( I loved your book from last year's contest. Hope you dug the music, too :) By all means, get to checking them out! Good to see you again. Hugs!

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    2. I didn't think you'd make a sad face at me! :P I don't really have a reason, other than I've mostly worked on serials under my other name this year!

      Glad to see you again too. I've been trying to make sure I get around, but the internet is so big.. lol! And yes, loved the music :) Hugs!

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    3. I know the feeling. It's a big world of blogs out there :) So much to do, so little time to do it in. :) Thanks for stopping by, anyway. I'm sure the authors here appreciate your time and efforts :) Don't be a stranger!

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  14. Living on the Knife's Edge A contemporary short story, a love story with a twist, a story that reflects upon the uncertain business of living - such as how we cope, or don't cope, when the manure collides with the rotary impeller. It does have a bit of violence and some foul language, such as one might hear every day. It is very, very different from Moonlight, but comes from the same soft-centred writer! I'm only pitching this once; the next book's release date is... tomorrow!

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    1. I'm completely into your first sample and you bring me this one? I'm gonna admit, I do like violence (sad, but true). Perhaps because I'm such a passive person? LOL! Vicarious living through others, I say. Congratulations on the book birthday! I can't wait to hear all about it :) Thanks for returning, David, and thanks for the new pitch :)

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  15. Comments for day three are now closed. Please proceed to day four to pitch your book. Here: http://jomichaels.blogspot.com/2014/12/12-days-of-review-requests-day-four.html

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