Friday, February 2, 2018

Book Blogger Hop: February 2nd - 8th




Instructions: Select all code above, copy it and paste it inside your blog post as HTML


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:

  This week's question is submitted by Maria  @ A Night's Dream of Books .


Do you prefer to blog about (a) specific book genre(s), or do you have an eclectic blog?

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:

I like a wide range of book genres, from crime mysteries to Amish romances. I guess you could say my blog is eclectic.


Linky List:

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Review Catch Up Marathon!: The Legacy by Michael Phillips


Bethany House; 464 pages; $15.99; Amazon

Since I'm up late at night drinking a cup of coffee, I decided to write my review for The Legacy by Michael Phillips, which is the third novel in the Secrets of the Shetlands series.  I had read this last year, but never got around to writing the review for it; so here I am finally writing my thoughts about it.

The Legacy continues the story of Loni Ford, a woman from Washington, D.C., who believes she has inherited some property from a long-distant relative in the Shetland Islands. However, upon arriving she learns she's inherited the entire island of Whales Reef!

Let's just say that the locals don't care much for her, as they would have preferred the island to be left in the hands of David Tulloch. To make a long story short, David and Loni fell in love towards the end of the second book, The Cottage. While the characters are front and center in The Legacy, there's another love story here; one that involves Lori's great-grandparents, Brogan Tulloch and Emily Hanson.



Final Thoughts

Sheena: Queen of the Jungle Collection DVD Review

PG; 29 hours 25 minutes; $14.98

I think I need to have my head examined, as I could of sworn that I had already written a review for Sheena: Queen of the Jungle Collection DVD set, but to my own dismay, I was completely wrong.

Anyway, the Sheena: Queen of the Jungle Collection DVD set was released to DVD last fall by Mill Creek Entertainment. The six disc set features the 1984 feature film Sheena and all 35 episodes from the 2000-2002 series. As added bonus, there are five episodes from the 1955-1956 series Sheena: Queen of the Jungle.

Created by Will Eisner and Jerry Iger, Sheena first debuted as a comic book character in by Fiction House during the late 1930s. The character was basically the female version of Tarzan. Sheena was forced to grow up in the African jungle after her parents were killed. she has the ability to communicate with animals, and spends most her time saving the jungle from bad guys.

Sheena was turned into a short-lived television series starring model Irish McCalla, which wasn't well received by critics or viewers. Sheena wouldn't get a feature film movie until 1984's Sheena, which was directed by John Guillermin and starred Tanya Roberts as the queen of the jungle. Despite a decent budget, the film was held down by a campy, uneven script. Upon it's release, it became a critical and box-office flop. It was even nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards! However, like most films from the 1980s, Sheena has found a cult following over the years.

Sheena was revived as a television series in 2000 starring Gena Lee Nolin, but thanks to cheap special effects, bad scripts, and wooden acting, the series only lasted two seasons.





Final Thoughts

Monday, January 29, 2018

Interview & Giveaway with Dani Harper


Now available to purchase on Amazon from Montlake Romance is Storm Crossed, book 4 in the Grimm Series, by Dani Harper.



What's your writing routine? Do you write in the mornings, nights, daily, or when the mood strikes you?

Mornings are often the best, right around 5:30 or 6. I can write for a long stretch then. I think it’s because my brain is awake (yes, I’m one of those annoying “morning people” – providing there’s COFFEE!). The rest of the day, writing has to compete with daily life. Lately, my brain has been getting a “second wind” for a writing stretch at around 8:00 at night, and my hubs kindly puts on earphones to listen to the TV so I can have some quiet time.

When I’m not writing, however, I’m always, always, ALWAYS thinking about the story.

What’s the most difficult thing about writing for you?

Physically, it’s making sure that I get up from the laptop regularly and move around! Luckily I have a flock of chickens that get me outdoors a few times a day. I also spend time daily on my exercise bike – I look forward to it because I allow myself to read my favorite novels there! Needless to say, I often end up biking much longer than planned…

As far as the actual writing goes, the trouble starts when the characters abandon the storyline I’d so carefully planned, and head off in another direction. I often feel like I’m running after them, yelling “Wait, I thought we were going to do (fill in the blank)” or “Hey, you can’t do that!” Sometimes I end up written into a corner for a while… It all works out in the end, thank goodness, as soon as I stop struggling and really listen to my characters. They often take the story to places I hadn’t even imagined. They surprise me, and the story is better for it.

What’s your favorite non-essential item on your desk?

I’ve always loved things that make me smile – stuffed chickens, ceramic gnomes, space aliens, rubber brains, etc. But ever since I started the Grim series, I’ve noticed more metaphysical and fantasy items have made a home for themselves on my desk: crystals and rocks, decks of tarot cards, a tiny statue of a mechanical dragon. My absolute FAVORITE is a small figurine of a winged black horse (see the photo!). My sister found it when we were shopping together, and it reminded me SO much of something that one of my characters would ride in the Wild Hunt. My imagination starts revving every time I see it!

Which one character out of all your books was your favorite to write about?

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Review Catch Up Marathon!: The Cottage by Michael Phillips


Bethany House; 416 pages; $14.99; Amazon

After a week of dealing with a sore throat and the flu, I'm continuing my quest of finishing all my need-to-be read books. The good news is that I have reread all of those books this month, but now I need to write all the reviews for them.

Up first is my review for The Cottage, book two in the Secrets of the Shetlands series, by Michael Phillips. Some of you might recall me reviewing the first book in the series, The Inheritance, a few years ago. You can read my review for it here.

The Cottage centers on Loni Ford, a woman who has inherited some property from a distant ancestor that's located in the Shetland Islands. Her intentions is to sell the property as quickly as possible, but she changes her mind once she laid eyes on "the Cottage." Plus, she finds out that she has inherited the entire island of Whales Reef.

The locals aren't thrilled that an American woman is heir to "the Cottage." They all believe that David Tulloch is rightful heir to the estate. Her decision to stay upsets a local fisherman named Hardy Tulloch (David's cousin), who wants to claim the island for himself, as he has a few oil investors interested in the land.



Final Thoughts

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Cute & Simple Valentine's Day Gift Ideas!


Believe it or not! Valentine's Day is only a few weeks away. If your on a budget, then you probably can't afford to give your loved ones diamonds and roses. This year, I've teamed up with Oriental Trading to provide you with a few Cute & Simple Valentine's Day Gift Ideas that are very affordable. All the products featured in this post can be purchased on the Oriental Trading's 2018 Valentine's Day Party Supply landing page.


Notebooks, Bookmarks, & Pencils!

Many people, young and old, love to write in journals and diaries. I recommend giving them the Fuzzy Valentine Notepads (retails for $14.99, but it's currently on sale for $11.98). The 5 3/4" x 8 1/4" notepads have 30 blank pages. The cover is made out of a fuzzy material. One package comes with 6 notepads; three notepads have hearts on the cover and the other three have a swirl design.

If you're going to give a journal as as gift, then I recommending getting some writing utensils to go with it. Oriental Trading has gobs of pencils and pens to choose from, but for this post I went with the Valentine Monster Pencils (retails for $4.49), which comes in a package of 24 pencils. Each pencil has a cute little monster on it along with a heart-shaped saying, such as "Eye Like You."

You might need to mark what page you're on in your journal, so I'm recommending giving a bookmark along with the notepads and pencils. As you can see in the photo above, I picked out the Peanuts Valentine Bookmarks (retails for $4.29), which comes in a package of 24 bookmarks, featuring either Snoopy, Charlie Brown, or Lucy.  There are five different sayings, "Be a Friend," "Be Sweet," "Be Mine," "Be Kind,"Be My Valentine," or "Be Huggy." The back of the bookmarks have a "To:" and "From:" spots.

Chocolate Roses

If you can't afford to give roses as a Valentine's gift, then your next logical step is to give a box of candy. Or you could give a mixture of both.

Pictured above are the Red Foil-Wrapped Chocolate Candy Roses (retails for $11.99, but is on sale for $8.98 per dozen). Each rose has a 14" plastic stem with leaves and a 2" chocolate rose that is wrapped in red foil. The chocolate rose is hollow and has a nice rich flavor.

Bears & Pillows

Besides candy and roses, one of the most popular Valentine's gift is a teddy bear. Prices and sizes of teddy bears vary, some are expensive and others are affordable. Oriental Trading has a cute 15" Valentine Stuffed Polar Bear that's currently on sale for $4.78. The white fluffy bear is wearing a bow-tie and is holding a red heart that says,"I love you."

Then there's the Red Heart Chenille Pillow (retails for $11.99) that would make a great gift. It measures 14"L x 14"W and features a chenille front and felt backing.

Angels

Friday, January 26, 2018

Book Blogger Hop: January 26th - February 1st




Instructions: Select all code above, copy it and paste it inside your blog post as HTML


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:

  This week's question is submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews.


Do you ever go back to older posts and change things?

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:

Once in a great while I will go back and make a few changes on older posts.


Linky List: