Sunday, December 21, 2014

Sharon Bayliss' December Celebration




Semi-finalist in the Kindle Book Review Awards and #1 category bestseller in coming of age fantasy.

About Destruction:

David Vandergraff wants to be a good man. He goes to church every Sunday, keeps his lawn trim and green, and loves his wife and kids more than anything.

Unfortunately, being a dark wizard isn't a choice.

Eleven years ago, David's secret second family went missing. When his two lost children are finally found, he learns they suffered years of unthinkable abuse. Ready to make things right, David brings the kids home even though it could mean losing the wife he can’t imagine living without.

Keeping his life together becomes harder when the new children claim to be dark wizards. David believes they use this fantasy to cope with their trauma. Until, David's wife admits a secret of her own—she is a dark wizard too, as is David, and all of their children.

Now, David must parent two hurting children from a dark world he doesn’t understand and keep his family from falling apart. All while dealing with the realization that everyone he loves, including himself, may be evil.


My review of Destruction
Imagine finding out you’re a wizard. But that’s not all. You’re a dark wizard in a family of dark wizards and your memories were tampered with and that’s why you don’t know this. Poor David Vandegraff. Well, he was a cheater and a liar, but the author makes you feel bad for him. He found out he was a wizard when he gets custody of the kids he had with another woman. He didn’t tell his wife about any of them until they came to live with the Vandergraff family. And despite the fact that this man hid them from his wife for 15 years, you still feel bad for him. Suddenly he has not 3, but 5 children, his business is failing and his marriage is falling apart. Then BAM, you’re a wizard Harry. lol Talk about shock! I read this book feeling so bad for this man. And then things get worse. He has to deal with a very unpleasant woman that wants to buy his crumbling business and he has to worry about a very bad wizard that could come after his family. What’s a new wizard to do?
I enjoyed this book. It seemed to start off so normal. But this story is not your contemporary normal family book. I loved it. Like I said I liked the character David. The kids all had very distinct personalities and each were likeable in their own way. And the wizard world the author created meshed so seamlessly with our own mundane world. I can’t wait to read the next book. I give Destruction 4 stars. 


About Watch Me Burn:

David Vandergraff lost his home, his job, and contact with his oldest son, but remains determined to be a good husband and father despite being a dark winter wizard.

His resolve is tested when a flyer for a missing girl--who happens to be a summer witch--begins to haunt him. David believes a spell needs to use him to save her, so he follows the magic's command and looks into her disappearance. His teenage daughter Emmy resents him for caring so much about a random stranger. But when she uncovers some disturbing evidence close to home, she begins an investigation of her own.

David and Emmy quickly learn that the mystery is not only about a missing girl they barely know, but a deeply personal story that impacts everyone they care about. As their world crumbles, they fear the warning may be true—never mess with summer wizards, because the good guys always win.



Want to know what kind of wizard you are? Here are some clues...


You might be a summer wizard if…

· Your tears taste like sugar water

· You think that Snow White is a little too “edgy”

· You don’t need to carry a flashlight because you have magical, glowing hair

· You sometimes break out into song to illustrate a point

· You are nice to every person you meet (winter wizards don’t count as a “person”)



You might be a spring wizard if…

· Your house is made of bales of hay

· You don’t own a pair of shoes

· When Christmas shopping, you have to pick out a gift for mother nature

· You taste like honey and smell like rain

· You can get lost on the way from your driveway to your house



You might be a winter wizard if…


· You released flying monkeys today

· You melt in the shower

· You can speak to snakes and divorce lawyers

· You have no Christmas decorations, or way too many Christmas decorations

· You’re worried about killing people on accident



You might be a fall wizard if…

· You’re the only one in your family that’s not a psycho

· Your eyes glow amber when you’re mad

· You know you’re about to fall down the stairs, but don’t know tonight’s winning lottery numbers

· You suffer from pre-traumatic stress syndrome

· You get mad at your spouse/children for things they haven’t done yet


It's only fair to make fun of everybody!!! ;D What kind of wizard are you?


About the author:

Sharon Bayliss is the author of the dark wizard family drama, The December People Series. When she’s not writing, she enjoys living happily-ever-after with her husband and two young sons. She can be found eating Tex-Mex on patios, wearing flip-flops, and playing in the mud (which she calls gardening). She only practices magic in emergencies.





Enter to win!! Get a paperback of your choice of Destruction OR Watch Me Burn. International entries welcome. Also join The December People Winter Celebration for more giveaways!!


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Monday, December 8, 2014

My life as a 6th grade super Zero by Peggy Martinez plus an awesome giveaway!!

 My Life as a 6th Grade Super Zero by Peggy Martinez 
You’d think being a superhero would be cool. And you’re right. It would be cool, especially since the entire world is filled with plain old regular people. Superheroes and supervillains are kind of hard to find, but not as hard as some people like to think. So, anything would be better than being just a normal, everyday 6th grader, right? Wrong. The only thing worse than being an average kid would be being what I am, and that is a hero with a totally useless, mega wonky, super power. I’m a dud—a zero. That’s me, Theo Perkins, a 6th grade super-freaking-zero.  
  
Praise for the Book 
"This is definitely a book that I would have no problem sharing with my kids. Your superheroes have the most creative powers!" -Lindsay Galloway, Contagious Reads. 

  


 
add to goodreads




Excerpt 
My mom and dad are superheroes. Even my sister, who is in high school and has no time for her kid brother, is a superhero. Talk about a lot of pressure, right? Mom has super strength and dad has super speed. My sister, Marcy, has super hearing, which makes it really awkward if you have to go to the bathroom, if you know what I mean. And that’s where I come in. My name is Theo Perkins and I’ll be starting Juniper Springs Middle School in a few days. The trouble is, I just got my own super powers and they aren’t exactly what I had in mind. I figured, you know, with all the awesomeness floating around in my family, I was bound to get some super cool powers when the time came. Man, was I ever wrong. I’ve heard stories about some kids getting weird, useless powers and even some kids getting powers that glitch more than they work. But I thought those were just made up to scare super kids into being good. It turns out that not only are they true, but I am one of the lucky (not!) super kids who got a mega dud for a super power. Instead of beginning my first day of middle school as a superhero, I’m beginning it as a super ZERO. 

My Review

Theo Perkins was starting sixth grade as a superhero. He’s nervous that his powers will be wonky or lame. He got stuck with lame. Lame. But he’s in the secret superhero club that meets at school and is lead by a teacher that is a super. They share their powers with each other and Theo learns that his power isn’t so lame after all. At least he doesn’t super belch. But the super group must come together to figure out why all the kids in school are acting the same. Same clothes. Same lunch and the same weird fake accent? Can the group of 6th grade supers stop the super villain and save the school?
I admit that I haven’t read many books for this age group, but I have read this author and this cute middle grade book definitely lived up to her other books, in my opinion. It was cute and funny and it was a blast to read aloud to my kids. There were colorful characters and the problems were kid sized and not overwhelming. I really enjoyed this book and my 6 year old did too. We give it 4.5 stars! 


  

Author Peggy Martinez 
When not writing, Peggy Martinez can be found spending time at home with her husband, her teen son, and four little girls. She loves reading, writing, soap making, aromatherapy, gangster movies, prepping for the zombie apocalypse, and downing insane amounts of Twizzlers and Kazoozles. As if being a wife and homeschooling mom of five doesn't keep her busy enough, Peggy is a full time Author who has six published books, including The Time Warper Series, State of Decay, Sweet Contradiction, and Unnatural Occurrence. The 6th Grade Super Zero series is Peggy's first Middle Grade book series, but she's pretty sure it won't be her last! 



 

  Book Blast Giveaway 
 $100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 12/29/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 

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Monday, December 1, 2014

Watch me Burn by Sharon Bayliss Cover and trailer reveal!

I am thrilled to take part in the cover and trailer reveal for Book 2 in The December People Series, Watch Me Burn!

So without further ado...




A note from the author:

Thank you to artist Michelle Johnson and the whole team at Curiosity Quills Press for creating a cover I love! 

If you haven't guessed it by now, you'll see a butterfly on the cover of every book in The December People Series. The butterfly is a symbol of transformation, hope, freedom, and generally creepy crawlies turning into beautiful things. And also...look how pretty! ;)

Instead of the broken glass from Destruction, this butterfly is surrounded by fire, and it's probably obvious why from the title. Watch Me Burn is the summer book in the series. All the books center around my winter wizard family, but each book takes us deeper into a different season. Summer wizards are the "light" wizards, but light also means HEAT and FIRE.


More about Watch Me Burn:

David Vandergraff lost his home, his job, and contact with his oldest son, but remains determined to be a good husband and father despite being a dark winter wizard.

His resolve is tested when a flyer for a missing girl--who happens to be a summer witch--begins to haunt him. David believes a spell needs to use him to save her, so he follows the magic's command and looks into her disappearance. His teenage daughter Emmy resents him for caring so much about a random stranger. But when she uncovers some disturbing evidence close to home, she begins an investigation of her own.

David and Emmy quickly learn that the mystery is not only about a missing girl they barely know, but a deeply personal story that impacts everyone they care about. As their world crumbles, they fear the warning may be true—never mess with summer wizards, because the good guys always win.




If you're new to The December People Series, start with Destruction--99 cents for a limited time!


Enter to win!! Get a paperback of your choice of Destruction OR Watch Me Burn. International entries welcome. Also join The December People Winter Celebration for more giveaways!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway