Changes for 2012

Among the Muses and Book of Secrets are merging, coming together to create Novel Reflections, and we're hoping you will join us in our move! Until January 1st, if you sign up for our newsletter at http://novelreflections.net, you will be entered to win a $10 eGC of your choice from one of a select group of online bookstores. We both look forward to seeing you in 2012! Happy Holidays! :)

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Winner Announcement!



Happy New Year!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to celebrate the new print release of
The Discovery of Witches!
This was one of my favorite books of 2011, and has me anxiously awaiting the next installment set for summer of 2012.




~ Blurb ~

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.





Now, without further ado ...
The winner is:

Patsy
   

Congratulations!  
*throws confetti*




The winner was drawn using random.org.
The winner will be notified shortly, and have 48 hours to respond, or another winner will be drawn.


Thanks again for participating!


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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

A Discovery of Witches: New Print Version, Movie Rights Announcement & Giveaway!!




Today, December 27th, Penguin Books is releasing the debut fantasy hit A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES by Deborah Harkness in paperback for the first time.  

"This mesmerizing novel debuted at # 2 on the New York Times bestseller list and became an international phenomenon with major publications following in 34 countries.  This summer, Warner Brothers acquired screen rights to A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES and its sequels. With over 300,000 copies sold, this was truly the “it” book of early 2011, and fans are now eagerly awaiting the second installment in the All Souls Trilogy, Shadow of Night, due out in summer 2012."


Hardback Cover Version
Title: A Discovery of Witches
Author: Deborah Harkness
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: All Souls Trilogy, Book #1
Publisher: Penguin/Viking
Pub. Date: February 8, 2011

~ Blurb ~

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.


I'm really excited to share this fabulous news about readers now having the opportunity to get their hands on a much more affordable version of the book, PLUS am super excited to be able to inform you of the fact that it is being made into a movie!! YAY! This is one of those books that I fell in love with right from the beginning -- and I hope you will too!

The new paperback cover of A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES is gorgeous (I received mine in the mail a couple of weeks ago and the top image doesn't do it justice in contrast to the real deal) —the spine art of Oxford from the original edition is now featured right on the cover.  And in other Oxford news, this new video sponsored by Harkness’s UK publisher features Harkness giving a walking tour of Oxford with commentary about her inspiration for the book.
 








For more information about the book and what Deborah Harkness has been up to, you can check out her website here or her Facebook page.

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Deborah is on a very short, very small paperback tour of A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES in January. Here is the four stop midwest and southern lineup, and hometown of California:


Chicago Area: Thursday, January 5, 2012, Anderson’s Bookshop, 123 West Jefferson Avenue, Naperville, Illinois 60540, 7:00 pm

Wichita, Kansas: Tuesday, January 17, 2012, Watermark Books & Cafe, 4701 E. Douglas Ave., Wichita, KS 67218, 7:00 pm

Minneapolis/St. Paul: Wednesday, January 18, 2012, “Club Book”, Hennepin County Library at Central Park Amphitheater, 8595 Central Park Place, Woodbury, MN 55125, 7:00 pm

Atlanta Area: Thursday, January 19, 2012, Barnes & Noble, 2900 Peachtree Road NE Suite 310, Atlanta, GA 30305, 7:00 pm

Southern California: Tuesday, January 24, 2012, Pages Bookstore, 904 Manhattan Avenue, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, 7:00 pm


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Still want to know more about this absolutely amazing book?? Check out my review of A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES! Seriously my friends, this is one very intelligently written paranormal romance that breaks beyond the genre bounds and tropes that we PNR fans are so used to! I highly recommend that you give this book a shot -- if you haven't already! :)


Giveaway Details:

  • Thanks to publisher Penguin, they are gifting one very lucky winner a copy of the new paperback format of A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES!!
  • Please leave a comment along with your email addy.
  • The contest will run from 12/27 - 12/30.
  • The winner will be randomly selected and notified via email.


Winner Announcement!



Happy Holidays everyone!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to support Christina Crooks and her new, unique book, Romance Stories: An Interactive Fiction Collection.



About Romance Stories - An Interactive Fiction Collection:

Be the star of six fun and twisted little romance stories. Explore the playfulness, action, and sudden mortal danger of these adventures with built-in hyperlinks where you choose the direction the stories take. Thirty-five possible endings, but only a few will be a happily ever after. Can you find them?

The six stories include:

"Meeting the Barbarian" - You've lived inside the ground for as long as you can remember.

"The Lifeguard" - You're riding a bicycle down a beach trail when disaster strikes.

"Blood Rock" - You're rock climbing when you encounter a creature from a nightmare... or a fantasy?

"Luck in Love" - Con man or policeman? Your luck in love is about to change.

"Baxter and Bunny" - The love of your life dumps you for a blond receptionist named "Bunny."

"Unfamiliar Ground" - You're a mermaid lured to the shore by a powerful impulse.

Gamebook Directions: When choices are presented to you, touch the 5-WAY CONTROLLER button on your Kindle to select your desired choice. If you change your mind and wish to make a different choice, touch the BACK button (not the Previous Page button) to go back to your previous location.

********

Enjoy Romance Stories - An Interactive Fiction Collection, for $1.49!


Find the entire guest blog post about interactive fiction HERE!


About Christina:

Christina Crooks is a multi-published author with books for sale in print, electronic and audio editions. Her novels have been published by Kensington, Samhain, Five Star/Cengage, and Books in Motion Audiobooks. Christina currently lives in Portland, Oregon. Her books Rough Play, Hands On, Sweet and Dirty, L.A. Caveman, and Thrill of the Chase are available.

You can find Christina at her website (www.christinacrooks.com) on Twitter (http://twitter.com/clcrooks) or connect on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/christinacrooks.author)

Get a copy of Romance Stories - An Interactive Fiction Collection 





Now, without further ado ...
The winner of a copy of the book, HANDS ON is:

booklover0226
   

Congratulations!  
*throws confetti*




The winners were drawn using random.org.
The winners will be notified shortly, and have 48 hours to respond, or another winner will be drawn.


Thanks again for participating!


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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Book of Secrets & Among the Muses are Merging!



Hello, my dear reader friends,

I'm excited to announce a very special event that is taking place: Diana of Book of Secrets and myself have decided to start the year fresh and create a joint blog called Novel Reflections. We will be featuring an eclectic mix of fiction books, and will be officially open for business on January 1, 2012.

We've had so much success with our joint blog The Forbidden Bookshelf, that we felt it would only make sense to come together again to create a place that made things better for ourselves, our readers, and our author friends.

Novel Reflections can be found at http://novelreflections.net

Until January 1st, if you go to our new page HERE and sign up for our newsletter, you'll be entered to win a $10 eGift card to Amazon, B&N, All Romance eBooks or Samhain. (Winner's choice!)

As of right now, I plan on keeping Among the Muses still accessible, so that past reviews and interviews are still available.  However, starting January 1, 2012 all new reviews, author interviews, blog tours, and promotions will be found at our new home.

Diana and I are very excited about our new venture together, and I hope that you'll join me in my move to Novel Reflections.

Thank you for all your support and encouragement, and for making this move possible! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me!


Merry Christmas and Happy Reading!!


Hugs,
Tanya




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