Roastbeef's Promise Giveaway

I received this book as a review copy. I liked the premise and the title was interesting, causing me to wonder if Roastbeef was the son's name. Indeed, Roastbeef is his name, rather a nickname because he liked roastbeef so much. Roastbeef is asked by his dying father to sprinkle some of his ashes in all the contiguous 48 states.

I read the first chapter which started with a great first page and I thought I had my hands on a really good book, but after being introduced to the father, the father dying, the funeral and Roastbeef telling his siblings about his father's dying request I thought the chapter should end. It didn't. Instead Roastbeef starts his journey and visits 4 or 5 states before the chapter ended. I was bothered, greatly. And the more time that went by the more bothered I was that the book didn't take a natural break before the trip. After not picking it back up for 2 days I started on chapter 2 today. I just couldn't get back into it. So that's when I decided I would give this book to someone who might thoroughly enjoy it. I knew I wouldn't be finishing it and I hate giving a bad review for an free book. Really, how could I after only one chapter?

I am sure there are many, many people who will love this book. It received the 2009 National Indie Excellent Award in the Humor category.

You can learn more about this book, along with some live TV interviews with the author, at this web site. You can also read a synopsis, the first chapter and learn about the author.

All you have to do to enter the drawing is leave a comment stating a place in your state or country that would be a wonderful place for my husband to sprinkle some of my ashes. Of course, this won't take place for several decades! but I can start planning can't I? I've already decided on the perfect place in my home state of Utah - the beautiful library in Salt Lake City. His instructions would be to take a very small amount of ashes in a baggie and place them at the end of chapter 1 of Roastbeef's Promise. (I say all this with tongue in cheek - I would like to have a green funeral and be buried in my home town.)

I will choose a winner next Sunday.

Win a Free Copy of Bound

I love holding drawings for free books. This one is even better because I get to draw THREE names who will each win a copy of Bound by Sally Gunning. A big thanks to the folks at Harper. Read my review here.

If you like historical fiction, I think you will be very pleased with this book. Gunning tells the story of a young girl who becomes an indentured servant when her father sells her due to his dire circumstances. The political backdrop for this personal story of hardships is the colonists growing complaints of being taxed so heavily by the mother country without any representation.

To win this book

Leave a comment to this post AND
tell me the name of one of your favorite historical novels.
Include your email address

I will draw 3 winners
on June 1

Farworld: Waterkeep -- Win Your Own Copy!

I am most enthusiastic about this new fantasy series written by J. Scott Savage. Even though it is written for the age 9-12 audience, it carries intense interest for this 57-yr-old reader.

I fell in love with young Marcus - "Other people may see thirteen-year-old Marcus Kanenas as an outcast and a nobody, but he sees himself as a survivor and a dreamer. In fact, his favorite dream is of a world far away, a world where magic is as common as air, where animals tell jokes and trees beg people to pick their fruit. He even has a name for this place- Farworld." (book blurb)

And Kyja, who lives in the world that Marcus dreams of, is the only one who can't do magic. She works and works at doing a simple magic act and can't succeed. She feels like such a failure. Both Kyja and Marcus are characters that anyone from 9 to 99 can identify with. I look forward to book two so I can reconnect with them and their quest.

The two meet and build a great friendship, but they are faced with horrendous challenges as they discover who they are and what their roles are.

Savage provides a provactive, engossing story filled with clever and creative new fantasy characters. Kyja's horse, Chance, is delightful with his jokes and her pet scythe, Riph Raph, who develops a jealous dislike for Marcus. And then there's the bad guys - pure evil. Think of Disney's Maleficent. The Thrathkin S'Bae had the same effect on me.

Win a Copy!

***Farworld: Water Keep*** will be out in hardcover on Sep. 12, but you can get an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in paperback, signed by the author and in your hands days before that.
* Leave a comment telling about a literary character that you identified strongly with and/or felt a great attachment for.
** I will draw a winning name on Sep 1.

Author Interview
I was able to interview J. Scott Savage via email. I must say from the emails, he seems like a very likable guy - the type you'd like to invite over for a rousing game of Farkle, Killer Bunnies, or Mormon Bridge (otherwise known as Oh, Heck, Darn It and various other more colorful names!) Of course, I'd hope he would bring his wife and some refreshments! JK - Candleman and I could whip up some green jello salad and funeral potatoes!*
And of course, my whole family would be invited so we'd have to have a high, low, and several medium tables.

Anyway, to the interview... The blue stuff is my questions and comments and the red are Scott's.

1. Start off by telling us a little bit about yourself. What are 3 words that describe you, in addition to writer and author? Where do you live?What's your occupation or do you write full time? Do you have children?

Three words huh? How about goofy, dopey, and sleepy. (Which one does not fit with the other two for extra credit?) (Are you related to Ken Jennings of Jeopardy! fame?) I live in a little town at the mouth of a big canyon. It's called Spanish Fork. I'm a manager of software sale people until I can write fulltime. I have four children ages, 20, 18, 10,and 8.
(I think you'll be writing full time very, very soon. Farworld is going to take off like fire in a haystack!)

2. I've read one of your earlier mystery novels, which I thoroughly enjoyed What led you to change direction and write a fantasy series?

I honestly don't know. This story just refused to not be written. Itwouldn't let me go to sleep until I started it.

3. Where did the idea(s) for Farworld originate? Is there a combination ofbooks, movies, etc. that inspired its conception?

Not really. People have mentioned elements of LOTR, HP, The Talisman, etc. But I wasn't trying to emulate any particular style. Just putting on paperwhat I saw in my head.

4. Can you provide us with a brief description of the first book in the Farworld series: Water Keep?

Basically it's about a boy and a girl from different worlds who find thatthey have a link between them and can briefly travel to each other's worlds. He uses a wheelchair and she is immune to magic in a world where magic is

used for just about everything. They are really unlikely heroes, but thefates of their worlds depend on them. Oh, and there are lots of cool creatures, magic, battles, and elementals.

5. I want to throw a book across the room when I read "copy-cat" names orplaces. Names that have a familiar ring to Lord of the Rings or HarryPotter, for example, drive me crazy. Your places, creatures, etc. are your

own. How difficult was it to come up with names for the different creaturesand places? Did you have input from family and friends?

Not too bad. I love coming up with creatures and names that are my own. I got lots of help from the family.

6. Your descriptions are so vivid. Did you major in English or take other writing classes?

I did take a couple of writing classes. I think I always had the talent formaking up stories, but mostly I learned by doing and studying books I admired. (You also have a talent for writing.)

7. You must have a vivid imagination. I mean, the idea of a place likeWater Keep blows my mind. Do you have any funny stories to tell about when your imagination got you into deep trouble, other than relating to the

fairer sex?

What? You don't think my imagination made me a babe magnet? Yeah. I got intons of trouble as a kid. Once I put wax crayons in my teachers filled coffee pot to see what would happen. That didn't go over so well. I was also nearly arrested in a search for the elusive golden banana. (I thought it was probably your good looks that made you a babe magnet! We want to hear more about that elusive golden banana. Maybe you could tell us that story in more detail for one of your blog posts?) Scott's blog: Find Your Magic

8. Farworld is the traditional story of good versus evil told in a creative fresh way. Do you personally believe in God and Satan, the ultimateexamples of good versus evil? I have to say that your descriptions of Bonesplitter and the ThrathkinS'Bae sound like creatures from Hell. I was shaking in my boots!

I definitely believe in good and evil. I don't know how you could look at the world around us and not. There are things so beautiful and perfect, youjust know there is a creator. And then you see or hear about things that you

wish had never entered your mind. I think that's why kids love fantasy somuch. It mirrors a lot of what they see and hear in a non-threatening way.

9. Did you have an outline of all five books in the series before you wrotethe first book?

Not when I started. But by the time I was done, I had learned a lot about the next four books in the series. Book two is going to be really powerful, and the end of book four will blow people away. If I do book five right, it

should be unlike anything I've ever read or hear about.

Hey, what happened to number ten? Do you have something against ten? Hmmmm. (I used to leave out numbers on my tests and worksheets when I was a teacher, too. Good grief! Nothing against the number 10.

11. Another personal question: What are some of your favorite books and who are some of your favorite authors?

Honestly that list changes by the day. I love reading and I'm always discovering new books. But lets go with:

Bag of Bones by Stephen King

Shadowlands by Peter Straub

Enchantment by Scott Card (I loved Enchantment)

Life Expectancy by Den Koontz (Koontz is one of my favorite authors)

And Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck

12. Along the same lines as question 11 - Do you read during the same time frame as when you are writing or do you find that distracting? And if you do read, do you read within the fantasy genre or anything else but fantasy?

Yes and yes. I find it inspiring to read great books in the genre I am writing.

13. What types of things do you like to do when you are not writing?

One of my favorite things is to go on long drives with my wife. We both like to discover out of the way places.

14. If pushed to come up with five places you would like to visit - past, present or future - what would list?

Well, first of all, I'd say, "Hey. Stop pushing!" But then I might pick

Atlantis

The Sermon on the Mount

The moon

New York City when the end of WWII was announced

And the day Tolkien finished writing LOTR.

Or I might not.

15. I am an anxious fan and want to know WHEN will the book two be released?

September of 2009, but hopefully I can send out more ARCs before that.

Didn't I tell you that Scott sounds like a nice guy? Want to join us for some games?

Be sure to comment so you'll have a chance to win an ARC. Also, Tasses has a terrific interview with Mr. Savage posted on her blog AND she is giving away an ARC, too.

Winners Announced

It's always fun to hold drawings and give away books. Today I get to give away three books, all written by Colleen Gleason.

The winner of The Rest Falls Away is

Joy

The winners of When Twilight Burns are

Zeek

and

Literary Feline

Congratulations to the lucky winners. You are going to love reading these books. The story just keeps getting better and better! Please email me your shipping addresses so those books can get on their way to your homes.

When Twilight Burns - Drawing for a Free Copy

I am currently immersed in Colleen Gleason's 4th book in the Gardella Vampire Chronicles. It is such a good place to be. The first couple chapters have refreshed my memories of what has happened to Victoria, Max and Sebastian. It's good to be back with old friends, but my concern for them is at a fever pitch.

Colleen writes a tight story full of suspense, mystery and romance all rolled in together. And no, you don't get all those items at the expense of plot. I love these books!

I want to pass on the fun of reading this series. To WIN a copy of WHEN TWILIGHT BURNS leave a comment to this post indicating this is the book you want to win.

That's not all . . . I will draw 2 other names to win their choice of one of the four books in the series. So you have two chances to win WHEN TWILIGHT BURNS or one chance to win THE REST FALLS AWAY, BLEEDING DUSK, or RISES THE NIGHT.

To win, just leave a comment letting me know which book you would like to win. Three books will be given away so your chances are good.

We Shall Not Sleep

by Anne Perry

My first finished book of 2008 may just wind up being my favorite at the end of the year. At least, I would not be surprised if it did.

Anne Perry has long been in my top 10 favorite authors. It's with exuberance that I review this, the fifth and last, in her acclaimed World War I series. The overall mystery that ran throughout the series covering the length of the war was discovering who the 'Peacemaker' was and stopping him before he succeeded in his plan for world peace and dominance. There was within each book a separate mystery that was solved within the time frame of the book.

In book five a nurse is brutally murdered and two innocent people are blamed. The Reavley siblings must discover who it is in order to take care of some secret service work before the war ends. And the end is soon approaching. A young lady the reader knows well from other books was raped and she may be the only one who can shed light on who the real murderer is, but if she comes forward she could loose the love of her life. Perry provides real insight into the feelings of people in the early part of the century towards rape victims.

I seldom cry during movies or books, but I was choked up several times while reading We Shall Not Sleep. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish the book. After doing so, I crawled in bed beside my sleeping husband and thanked the Lord that he never had to personally experience war. And my heart wept for those who suffered and who still battle today for freedom.

Perry wrote a powerful series. The mysteries are captivating, the history is well-depicted, and the storyline is well constructed. I marked a kazillion passages to reread at the end. I love putting a little bookdart* at a thought or passage that I want to reread at the end of the book. It refreshes the ideas and allows me to think of them again but with the end of the book in mind.

When talking with the Peacemaker, Mason (a war correspondent) became aware of the conflicting beliefs of Joseph Reavley and the Peacemaker. "The Peacemaker had argued over and over that the greater end justified the smaller ugliness of the means. Joseph Reavley had said that the means were inextricably bound into and part of the end. Being a chaplain, he had put it in religious terms. He had said that if you picked up and used the devil's tools, you had already served his purpose, because using them had changed you, and that was all he wanted."

In this passage the flaw of the Peacemaker's plan is contemplated by Mason.

"The Peacemaker had begun with such high, clear ideals. They would broker peace, prevent the slaughter and ruin of war, at a relatively small price. Except that it was not a small price. They had not seen then that the lack of open war is not the same thing as peace. There are internal prices to pay that create a different kind of war, another sort of destruction. . . It wasn't nationality that was the issue. It was the passion and belief of the individual, the right to rule himself in the manner of his choice, the chance to be different, funny, inventive, to learn anything and everything, to question, to make mistakes and to start again."

At one point Matthew Reavley (Secret Intelligence) is recruiting Mason's help and tells him of the Peacemaker's plans.

"It would be peace, but without any passion or individuality, any freedom to think and question, to be different to dare new ideas, to complain against stupidity or injustice, to question or work or laugh aloud. It would be the peace of death. . . He still hasn't learned that you can't force people without at the same time destroying them."

Joseph often refers to Dante's Inferno. Here he has a brief insight of his study of that book.

"It's Dante again - Rewarded not for what we do, but by it--and by what we see, and what we see others do."

Joseph confronting the Peacemaker.

"There would always have been some who would pay for the freedom for us to make our own laws, speak our differences aloud, follow the faith we choose . . . If we pay with our lives, then so be it. We will not pay with the slow death of our minds or the withering of our souls."

Though there are more, I will only share one last kernel.

"Great men use power as little as possible."

*I bought several tins of bookdarts for Christmas presents and they sent me a couple of extra sleeves. If you would like to win a sleeve of 12 or so bookdarts, make a comment and I will draw for a winner on Sunday, January 13.