Friday, October 4, 2013

Book Blogger Hop: Halloween Edition - Oct. 4th - 10th

31 Days of Halloween
Book Blogger Hop

Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:


Halloween Edition: 

What book gave you goose bumps?  

 

 2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
 

My Answer: 

The first book to give me goose bumps was probably the Fear Street: Cheerleader series by R.L. Stine. Then it was The Shining by Stephen King, followed by Ghost Story by Peter Straub, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and Rosemary's Baby (the movie creeps me out too) by Ira Levin.

Linky List:

Blu-ray Review - Transformers Prime - Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising

Tranformers Prime: Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising
Director: David Hartman
Voice Cast: Peter Cullen, Frank Welker
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: October 8, 2013
Retail: $24.97
ASIN: B00DOZNI6G
Running Time: 66 minutes
Rating: TV-Y7

Review:

After three exciting seasons, the award-winning computer-animated series Transformers Prime ends its run with the movie Beast Hunters - Predacons Rising airing tonight on the Hub Network and landing on DVD and Blu-ray this Tuesday, October 8, 2013 with a behind-the-scenes bonus feature.

Thought to have been dead, Megatron is resurrected by Unicron (a source of Dark Energon) and is ordered to kill the Autobots and destroy their home world Cybertron, but there is one little problem - Megatron doesn't like taking orders.


Meanwhile, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Wheeljack, Knockout, Arcee, Ultra Magnus, Ratchet, and Smokescreen are continuing their quest to rebuild Cyberton, but there are constantly fighting Starscream’s army of Cybertronian dragons called Predacons, which were cloned from fossilized remains in Shockwave’s laboratory.

The battle lines have been drawn and the fate of Cyberton lies in the hands of one single sacrifice, forever changing the war between the Autobots and Decepticons.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

It's All Been Done? by Melissa MacVicar

Does anyone else remember this song? Back in 1998, the Barenaked Ladies released it as the follow up to their wildly popular hit One Week. Sometimes, when I’m trying to think up an original idea for a plot or a character or even a little bit of description, this song starts running through my head. And when I think about coming up with new ways to depict haunting and horror in my novels, this song seems even more apropos. Has it really all been done? Truly, coming up with creepy new things for my ghosts and spirits to do is a serious struggle. I’m sure the rest of you horror-type writers will agree.

One of the things my editor charged me with during edits on EVER NEAR was creating some unique things for my ghosts to do. She wanted me to push myself to make my ghost characters one-of-a-kind and horrid in their own very special ghostly ways. After all, ghosts are one of those things that may in fact have all been done before.

So what was a ghost writer like me to do? (ha, did you catch that play on words) Well, I took to my e-reader and downloaded a boatload of books—ones with ghosts that were currently chilling the hearts of readers everywhere. Of course, this wasn’t so I could copy them; I was looking for original ideas after all. No, this was to get my own creative juices flowing, and I am happy to say it worked. I was able to imagine some gloriously new effects for the ghosts in my novel.

DVD Review - The Secret of Crickley Hall

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

"They Came To Escape The Past, The Past Had Other Ideas." - DVD Cover

On Tuesday, October 8, 2013, BBC Home Entertainment will release last year's creep mini-series The Secret of Crickley Hall on a single-disc DVD, which is based on the novel of the same name by author James Herbert. The ghostly mini-series is coming out just in time for Halloween and stars Maisie Williams from HBO's Game of Thrones and Olivia Cooke from A&E's Bates Motel.

The mini-series aired in three one-hour parts last fall on BBC America and on UK's BBC One. It switches back and forth from the year 2006 and 1943. It begins in London, where Gabe and Eve Caleigh's young son, Cameron (or as they call "Cam"), vanishes without a trace. Eleven months go by and there is still no sign of the boy. Wanting to get away from the one-year anniversary of Cam's disappearance, Gabe, Eve and their two daughters, Loren (played by Maisie Williams) and Cally, move to the north part of England, aka Crickley Hall - a former orphanage.

Flip back in time to 1943, Nancy Linnet (played by Olivia Cooke) begins teaching school at the Crickley Hall, which is owned by the strange Augustus Cribben. A young Jewish German student named Stefan refuses to speak English and Nancy notices unusual markings on Stefan's hands, markings that match the size of the cane that belongs to Mr. Cribben. To make matters worse, she begins to believe Mr. Cribben's sister, Magda, is a little to close to a teenager student, Maurice Stafford. Nancy tries to get others to believe the children are in danger, but no one believes her, except for the ground keeper, Percy Judd. The children are in danger and Nancy will give her life to save them.

Enter to Win Bones Season 8 on Blu-ray October 8th



“Bones” Season Eight 

Unearth even more thrills from “Bones” Season Eight with all-new content! Finally cleared of wrongdoing, Bones reunites with Booth (David Boreanaz) and the squints. Although the team solves some of their most challenging cases yet, madman Christopher Pelant continues his murderous rampage – inching closer to Bones and Booth daily. From solving the mystery of a roller derby darling’s demise to uncovering a previously unrecognized 9/11 hero to stopping a pandemic, Bones and the team make one remarkable discovery after another. Meanwhile, as if the challenges Booth faces with parenthood and his unique relationship with Bones aren’t enough, his mother shows up after a 24-year absence, and there is shocking news about some of his colleagues. Relive all 26 killer episodes!

Special Features 
  • Commentary on “The Future in the Past” 
  • Deleted Scene from “The Patriot in Purgatory” 
  • Deleted Scene from “The Survivor in the Soap” 
  • Deleted Scene from “The Party in the Pants” 
  • Dying to Know: Bones Answers Your Questions! 
  • Bare Bones: Total Fandom-onium 
  • Gag Reel 

Giveaway Details

Review - Freelance Writing Guide by Christine Rice

Freelance Writing Guide
By Christine Rice
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Pub. Date: August 14, 2012
ASIN: B008XYG27K
Pages: 107

Review:

So you love reading and writing, therefore you have probably thought about stepping into the world of freelance writing, but you probably don't know where to begin. Well, you're in luck, as fellow freelance writer Christine Rice has written the Freelance Writing Guide: What to Expect in Your First Year as A Freelance Writer.

The author gives an honest look into the world of freelance writing, sharing the up and downs of being a writer. There are many great opportunities for a writer online, like Helium, Yahoo, Textbroker, and Suite 101, though the pay is low it is a good way to increase your writing credits.

Your first year of writing shouldn't be wasted; spend your time wisely by taking a free college course (a few websites are listed in the book) or invest in your future by enrolling in a few non-free credited college courses. The completed courses can also be added to your resume.

Other great tips you’ll learn in the book is to start your own blog, create a writer’s website, writing for magazines and ghostwriting. Plus, you'll learn the importance of good marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Review - The Courier of Caswell Hall

The Courier of Caswell Hall
An American Tapestry series
By Melanie Dobson
Publisher: Sumerside Press
Pub. Date: September 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0824934262
Pages: 336
Buy Link: http://amzn.to/1aLxC9s
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/mdobson 

Review:

During 1781, the Continental and British armies are at war, a war that pits father against son, brother against brother, and neighbor against neighbor. In Virginia, Lydia Caswell only wants the two sides to have peace, unlike her Loyalists parents or even her friend Sarah Hammond, who might just grab a gun and join the fight.

By chance, Lydia finds a wounded man near a riverbank on a snowy night. This happens to be the same night the British made plans on sailing up the James River and raiding the capital. The man is named Nathan, who changes her life forever, introducing her to a world of coded messages, disguises, couriers and spies.

As Lydia starts to fall in love with Nathan, she starts to question her beliefs. She must choose between the loyalty to her family and having freedom. Meanwhile, her friend Sarah is put in a similar position when love and war collide.