Booktastik - Book Deals and More!

There is a fabulous new website for readers and authors called Booktastik. Readers can sign up to receive emails alerting them to book bargains in their favorite genres. There will also be news about contests and giveaways. For authors and publishers, advertise new releases, giveaways, and get to know new readers.

I love the look of this website, and each genre has its own color and clever animal mascot. There's so much to explore there, so check it out and subscribe now for an opportunity to win a Kindle!

Bully - The Documentary

Taking a break from holiday baking a few days before Christmas, I found my daughter watching a movie, so I decided to join her. She said she was watching a documentary called Bully. This film followed kids in a particular school district during the 2009/2010 school year. What I saw made me sick to my stomach. As you know from reading my blog early on, I've had several incidents of bullying with both of my children. What shocked me was how absolutely clueless the parents and school administrators were. I shouldn't be surprised, since it was exactly what I experience when I was dealing with my own kids' bullying issues.  

First, parents (myself included) have often experienced bullying as children and don't realize that bullying today has moved to a whole new level of cruelty. When I was a kid, getting off the bus in the afternoon meant I was safe until the next day. That is no longer the case. With social media and cell phones, kids can get bullied 24/7. Bullies can organize on Facebook and make groups or pages dedicated to destroying others. Kids can now be bullied by kids they don't even know or go to school with.

When I was a kid, bullying was part of growing up. Parents even believed that it could build character by forcing kids to stick up for themselves. For me, that was actually true to some extent. I had to fight when I was a kid, for myself and my little brother, and that fighting spirit has definitely helped me as an adult. But it was me against one person. Bullies didn't usually form big groups to gang up on one person. Generally, there were one or two jackasses in school and everyone knew who they were and tried to stay away from them. Now it's like going to school in a shark tank: kill or be killed.

In the documentary, I didn't think the kids would not act like idiots with a camera rolling. I was wrong. This documentary is raw and shows exactly what kids are having to deal with, including parents who aren't aware of the severity of the situation. Bully includes following the families of several kids who committed suicide as a result of bullying. I rarely cry, but watching those parents try to deal with what happened to their children, and their fight to try to get someone to listen had me sitting next to a box of tissue. One boy was only 11 years old. Tragedy doesn't even begin to cover it.

The school administrators are either insanely stupid, or they're trying to cover their asses by denying the extent to which bullying occurs in schools. I watched in horror as they followed one female vice principal, who tried to make a bully and his victim shake hands. When the victim refused, the vice principal sent the bully to class and proceeded to lecture the victim on how disappointed she was that he wouldn't kiss and make up. The victim detailed the abuse he has been dealing with, and that his parents had even contacted the police, who had warned the bully to stay away, but the abuse continued. The vice principal said she believed the victim and the bully could be great friends. That's a whole new level of stupid.

Due to escalating violence on the school bus against one of the boys in the documentary, the producers showed the parents the footage because the father kept putting pressure on the boy to stand up for himself. Once they saw the level of violence against their son (including being threatened with death, strangled, punched, and stabbed with a pencil), they were shocked. They went to the same vice principal and she completely blew them off and talked about her new grandchild. It made me sick.

I had to fight to make sure my kids were protected; but, eventually, I had to take my son out of public school and home school him. I was told by school administrators that my kids needed to "get along," "ignore the bullies," and was even told that they were being "tattletales." I asked the teachers and administrators, "What if you were being bullied at work, would you ignore it?" That idea is ridiculous. So what message are we sending our kids? 

Until parents and school administrators get their heads out of the sand and admit there is a real problem and take steps to actually make a difference (that doesn't include the gratuitous No Bullying posters) kids will continue to suffer and die.

After the documentary, I asked my daughter (in 10th grade) what she thought about school administrators and parents when it comes to bullying. She said "Mom, no one cares."

They have a website called The Bully Project. Check it out and support them any way you can. Even if you don't have children in school, this is a problem that needs our attention. Here is the Facebook page, Stand for the Silent, that is featured in the documentary.  Show our kids we care.

Here's the trailer for Bully.

Bully is currently on Netflix, or you can rent it on YouTube for $3.99 here.

Addendum: After writing this blog, I realized that I left out an important point. I missed a little bit of the beginning of the documentary, so I'm going to go back and watch the parts I didn't see, but I don't recall them talking to the parents of the bullies. Compassion has to start at home. Parents have to teach their kids not to bully others from an early age and take decisive action if they are told their kids are bullying other children. I tell my kids to treat people the way they want to be treated. Parents have to be involved. Teachers and school administrators cannot control the problem alone. We also have to empower our children to speak up when they see others being bullied, and let them know that the adults will protect them and back them up if they speak out.

Gift Warped for Christmas

I’m warped and twisted. I know that. I come by it honestly though. My mom used my brother and I for her own personal amusement when we were kids. For Christmas, she'd buy us toys like rubber band guns, puff ball shooters, belly whoppers and socker boppers, making us gladiators in our own living room coliseum. Then she'd let us go at it, while she laughed her butt off, and so did we. We never got hurt (except for that one time my socker bopper deflated, and I took my brother out with a right cross, but that's another story), and we loved playing tricks on each other.

One morning, my mother and brother mounted a puff ball shooter sneak attack while I was still sleeping. The puff ball shooters were large, plastic straws loaded with a puff ball that you blew at your enemies. Fairly mild compared to our usual weapons. Of course, I had mine loaded and ready. In my dazed, sleepy state, I grabbed my shooter and blew for all I was worth, hoping to hit them as they made their cowardly retreat. What I didn't know, was that my brother had filled my shooter with toilet paper, effectively plugging it up. I blew so hard that, with no where else to go, the air actually came out of my tear ducts and dried out my eyes with the added bonus of popping my ears, which I didn't even know were plugged. They laughed hysterically. But revenge is sweet, and they had to sleep with one eye open for awhile.

I love those crazy memories. I'm glad my mom was twisted. Twisted moms are more fun. I hope to pass that spirit on to my children. In all of the holiday insanity, don't forget to have fun! Get some socker boppers! I guarantee you'll get more action than a gaming console.

May you and your family have the Merriest Christmas and a Happiest of New Years!

Book Release! Where Will You Turn?

YES! It’s finally here! Where Will You Turn? Book Three of the Díon Series is now live on Amazon and Nook. Thank you all for being so patient. I’m really excited about this book. I don’t normally say that about my writing, but I'm really happy with the way this book turned out. I thought this was going to be the last book in the series, but now I’m not so sure. Plus, my editor threatened me with bodily harm if I didn’t write books for Bohdan and Pierce. She said “Please, please, please!” That’s three pleases! How can I say no?

This series will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first one I started writing. The characters seem like family to me, and I’m not sure I can leave them just yet.

To the fans of this series: You are amazing! Your comments and encouragement mean the world to me. It makes me smile and keeps me focused. Thank you for all your Facebook shares and tweets! Muah! XOXOXO

The first book in the series, Where Will You Run? is on sale for 99 cents through the month of December!

Get your copy here!

Amazon

Barnes and Noble/Nook

New Release - Close Call: A Doris & Jemma Vadgeventure

I've been able to read some excerpts from this new book, Close Call: A Doris and Jemma Vadgeventure, by Australian author Eloise March (AKA - Dionne Lister). From what I've read so far, this book is hysterical. What if our genitals could talk? What would they have to say about our sexual encounters? Check it out! Heehee...

Blurb:

Twenty-two year-old Jemma can’t seem to get her life in order. Her track record with men stinks, she constantly worries about getting fat and ending up a spinster at thirty. And to top it off, she has to be a bridesmaid at her most-hated cousin’s wedding. She feels like her life is over, until Doris decides to help out. Who’s Doris? Doris is Jemma’s vagina, and she thinks more of Jemma than her own brain does. Doris is on a mission to save Jemma from herself, but is the task too much for one vagina to handle?

About the author:

Eloise March is a woman who laughs at her own jokes, swears way too much and breaks any new diet by lunchtime on the day she starts. She believes in women’s equality, and all equality for that matter, and hopes the things she writes touch people in a positive way, and make them think about how they can create a better society for themselves and others.

In her spare time, she enjoys living as her alter ego, Dionne Lister — a suspense and YA fantasy author who is way too embarrassed to talk about vaginas. She likes spending time as Dionne because Dionne has an awesome family, wonderful friends and a cat called Lily, oh, and she has great hair. (She really does have great hair).

If you’re looking for Eloise, or any information about future books in the Doris & Jemma Vadgeventure series, you can visit Dionne’s website, where Eloise has been lucky enough to get her own page http://www.dionnelisterwriter.com. If you’re looking for a chat, you can find Ms. March on Twitter.

Links to the book: 

Amazon 

Smashwords

Waiting for it to be approved for premium and distribution to itunes, kobo, B & N. The paperback should be available in less than a week. I’m just waiting for the proof copy. Thanks!

Ask An Author Event 11/29-12/1/13

For those of you not brave enough (translation: crazy enough) to go out on black Friday, I have a fun alternative for you. This weekend, Book Junkie Reviews and the Genre Underground are hosting an Ask an Author event on Facebook. The schedule is listed on the event page here. Keep in mind all times are EST. Join in the event and get your questions ready!

On Friday, the Genre Underground will be hosting their “Read In The Dark” event on the same Facebook page. Yours truly will be available to answer questions from 5-6pm on Friday (that's 2-3pm here on the west coast). Tons of authors from different genres will be there all weekend, so check it out! Hope to see you there!

For more information about the writers in the Ask an Author event, check out the Book Junkie Review’s blog here. For more information about the #ReadInTheDark event, the Genre Underground’s event page is here, and don't forget to enter to win the ebook prizes they're offering! 

What's on my Kindle? Charity Parkerson

Next up on my Kindle blog series for authors with multiple books is Charity Parkerson. Now Charity is no stranger to my blog. Not only is she a fabulous author, she’s also a good friend. Ever been in that awkward spot where you make friends with another author and don’t like his/her books? I have. Not good. Thankfully, that hasn’t been the case with Charity. I love her books. They are full of romance and humor. Plus she’s my hero for the amount of work she puts out. She makes me feel like a slug! LOL

I went to her Amazon page and was surprised to see how many of her books I’ve read. Now you guys know I’m a pansy when it comes to erotica, so I haven’t read hers. But I absolutely love her other romance books. She has contemporary as well as paranormal love stories. They’re still meant for an adult audience though. I can’t fit all the books I’ve read by Charity in one blog, so here are just a few:

Sinners Series

I read this paranormal series first and fell in love. Charity skillfully crafted an amazing world with a variety of paranormal beings who find refuge, love, and action in Jackson Station, a place where they can live together without interference from the outside world. Or at least, that’s the plan…

The Society of Sinners

“Evil lives in the dark. We instinctively know this as children.” Nestled high in the mountains . . . The quiet community of Jackson Station is where everyone knows your name and . . . species?

Vampires have existed since almost the beginning of time, but not in the way we have been led to believe. These were not men cursed by the devil, but warriors blessed by God to have great strength, agility, and eternal life. Eternal life came at a price, the price of human blood. Some chose to live within their own society: The Society of Sinners.

Wicked Sinners

Adriana Claymore moved to Martinique to start a new life, but when she stumbles upon an ancient book, she finds herself drawn into a centuries old battle between brothers.

“Sorcier” Julien Dubois has been on the hunt for his twin, Jacques, ever since the day that Jacques stole a book of spells from him and allowed their younger brother to die.

Adriana is about to change the game, but when she gives her heart and soul to one of the brothers, she must face a difficult question. Did she lose herself to evil?

The Danger with Sinners

The Society of Sinners and the Safe Haven Corporation team up in Parkerson’s third installment of the Sinners Series in order to locate and capture the head of Research Inc., Tacha Vasiliev. Tacha is accused of using her company as a cover for development of a weapon of mass destruction, the ultimate vampire.

Caleb Cook, aka Danger, is sent to infiltrate the home of Sr. V.P. Narmer Horus in hopes of uncovering clues to Tacha’s whereabouts. Disguised as head of security, Danger finds his biggest challenge isn’t Narmer himself, but his headstrong daughter, Kim. However, just as Danger is not what he appears to be, neither is Kim.

Sinners of Water and Fire

(Haven’t read this one yet. Can’t wait though!)

The fates conspired to keep them apart, but destiny will bring them together again… When one of their own becomes the target of a demon bent on revenge, the Society will do anything to keep her safe, including stealing a God from the Heavens, Heru, son of Geb, once sold his soul to forget her, now he’ll give anything to keep her safe.

Great news! You can buy the whole series in a set HERE 

The Sexy Witches Series

I have to admit, this is my favorite series. Charity Parkerson’s wicked sense of humor shines in these books. More lighthearted than the Sinners Series, she carries her paranormal world over with new characters and more romance.  I made the mistake of reading Tasting Temptation in a library and was afraid I was going to get kicked out because I couldn’t stop laughing.

The Sexy & The Undead

A potion gone wrong, or right? Single, unemployed, and in charge of her very own pet zombie, Ella Perry is cooking up trouble, and it’s raining men.

Ella has spent years searching for a cure for a zombie named Freddie. However, when an experimental concoction takes an unexpected turn, she gets a glimpse of the life she’s been missing by hanging out with the undead.

Wanted: Hexed or Alive

It is said that the man who controls fate controls the world, but what of the person who controls the man? What is said of them? Rowena the Fate has a problem; a problem of the pirate variety. Following the advice of friends, she’ll seek out the wizard Randall Cruz for help.

As owner of an apothecary, Randall is used to unusual requests, so Rowena’s pirate removal spell doesn’t faze him, but what happens afterwards will leave him in a position he never dreamed possible.

The Pixie & The Prince

Be careful what you wish for, or better yet, what you allow your friends to wish for.

As Samuel the Dark’s ward, Tam the Pixie is living in the mortal realm under the watchful eye of her guardian angel, Thomas. However, when she gives Thomas on free wish, she never expects that he’ll use it to turn her life upside down.

Chained to the side of an ex-lover and trapped in the Mirror lands, Tam will have to come to terms with their past in order to break the curse.

Tasting Temptation

Guardian Angel, Gideon Black, has found a new career since being granted his freedom from the Heavens. Working as a professional fighter has given Gideon a place to release his powers. However, he has another outlet in mind – Skylar Jones.

For Skylar, Gideon is a fantasy man whom she never dreamed could be a reality, but a parking lot collision will end in a very unexpected way.

Find out what happens when desire beyond definition comes to life.

The Wizard & The Wanton

Introducing the devil…

A Fate lacking inhibitions, and the wizard who holds her powers in his grasp, collide in the latest book in Bestselling Author Charity Parkerson’s “Sexy Witches” series.

Out of the three Fates, Rowena is the wildest. No matter how h ard she tries, she can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Now, she is in the biggest fix of all time. She’s lost one of Heaven’s Seers to the Devil, and she needs Randall’s help in order to find her.

Once upon a time, Rowena pulled Randall Cruz into a supernatural fight in order to regain her powers. In retaliation, Randall cast a spell that gave him the control she seeks. With the exception of a few angels, a zombie, and an outrageous pixie, Randall enjoyed his quiet life as owner of the local apothecary before Rowena pushed her way in. Since the day they met, he’s been forced to battle a pirate, give up wearing glasses, and now deal with the Devil. Every day, he braces for what will come next.

An undeniable attraction, a struggle for dominance, and a love to last through the ages comes to life in The Wizard & The Wanton.

You can also get this series in a set HERE

Charity’s books are also available on Kobo, Barnes and Noble for Nook, and Smashwords.

For more of Charity’s books, check out her author page on Amazon 

Connect with Charity

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