Reblogged from pjjoneswrites:

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Hey, folks. It's time for a sale! Why? Because we're coming on my second year anniversary of being a published indie author. To celebrate, I'm giving away all of my Amazon Kindle books for .99.  Some are even FREE!

If you walk around with a large stick shoved up your ass or are easily offended, this sale might not be for you.

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Here’s my take:

I was lucky enough to receive an advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Once again we join Laura Carnegie, her sister Ruby, dreamboat Jeremy and a cast of fun, interesting supporting characters. In A DRESS TO DIE FOR, Jeremy’s business is threatened when a priceless dress, once belonging to a dead princess, is swapped for a counterfeit. As amateur sleuth Laura investigates, she tackles many issues, including her deadbeat, long-missing father and that burning relationship question: can she and Jeremy really trust one another? This book is witty, surprising, and filled with heartfelt emotion. Lovers of cozy mysteries and contemporary romances will enjoy it.

Intrigued? Check it out at Amazon.com!

Cover art by Christine DeMaio-Rice.

Review by Tara West

Every so often I’ll read a book that is so engrossing, it forces me to neglect EVERYTHING until I finish. Cruxim by Karin Cox is definitely one of those books.

Before reading Cruxim, I thought it would be another paranormal vampire novel. I couldn’t have been more wrong. When I first began reading Amedeo’s story, I was intrigued by the mystery and drama surrounding this winged creature who feasts on vampires. Yes, vampires. These vampires are not the heroes. They do not sparkle and are definitely not cool. They are evil, bloodsucking plagues, and it’s Cruxim’s job to rid the earth of them. And then there’s Sabine, the Sphinx, whose job is also to feast on vampires. Cruxim’s and Sabine’s relationship is complicated. There’s definitely sexual tension, as they explore the idea of forbidden love. Then add Joslyn to the love triangle. She’s a girl Amedo once loved who had been unwittingly turned into a vampire.

Their paths cross more than once, and often times their lives are mired in personal tragedy and strife, as Amedo and Sabine are being hunted by an evil scientist.

I thought the blend of paranormal and mythology brilliant. The grammar flawless. The prose, poetic. If I could give this book a higher rating, I would. It is simply the most intriguing and original paranormal I’ve ever read.

Some of the gruesome scenes in this book may be too disturbing and graphic for younger readers, but 18+ fans will definitely love it.

To read Cruxim on Kindle, click HERE.

Cover design by Tara West at http://www.tarawest.com

FREE today. Download THE APOCALYPSE COLLECTION  before the world ends and your electronics no longer work. And if that’s not enough of a motivator, then just download it ’cause it’s free.

Download on Kindle NOW:   

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It’s the end of the world as we know it, and the Eclective feels fine.

The Shifting Sands by Tara

West: When a jealous goddess threatens to destroy all of humanity, a young woman and her family must overcome impossible odds to survive.

Light by Emma Jameson: In the zombie apocalypse, the hope for humanity’s survival is pinned on Daniel. Unfortunately, Daniel is an android. And humanity may be past all hope…

Alien Butt Plugs by PJ Jon

es: The aliens are coming! And Jeb’s first line of defense may be worse than the anal probe he fears.

Seeds by M. Edward McNally: For Meats and his fellow Guns, life was simple. Keep your respirator clear, your weapon ready, and an eye on your neighbors. Until one day Meats found some seeds, and everything got complicated.

Cleavers by Heather Marie Adkins: Creatures such as the Cleavers should never exist. But in Tora’s world, they’re real, and death is more likely than survival.

The Last Christmas by Alan Nayes: On the verge of the Apocalypse, a young couple wish to spend one last Christmas

Cover art by Tara West at http://www.tarawest.com .

together.

Combustion by RG Porter: Kate wakes to find her world scorched and survivors in short supply. She needs to unravel the cause before time runs out.

DRIVING ME NUTS! is FREE today and Saturday! Driving Me Nuts! by PJ Jones. 22 reviews/4.5 rating

Download on Kindle NOW:   

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Driving Me Nuts! Three mental patients, two loaded guns, one stolen car, and a whole lot of trouble.

Every Friday night Ruckus and his roommate Fred sneak out of Shady Grove Home for the Mentally Insane for a ride in their orderly’s convertible. A trip to the used book store and the Dairy Queen is Ruckus’s one little routine among the chaos of pissing all over the lunch trays.

There is nothing routine about Apple, another Shady Grove resident who wants to go joyriding with the boys. It quickly becomes obvious she has bigger plans than getting an ice cream cone— plans that could land them in jail or even worse.

When their lives are threatened by three angry ex-cons and a crooked cop, it’s up to Ruckus to get his friends back to Shady Grove in one piece. But first, they all need to face reality and confront their tragic pasts. It doesn’t take long for Ruckus to realize that if Apple doesn’t drive him totally nuts, she just may be the one to help restore his sanity.

#12: Miracle on 34th Street (1947): A classic by any yardstick. Doris (Maureen O’Hara, that most beautiful of women), plays a divorcée so damaged, she believes in nothing. Yet her boyfriend John Payne, a man who calls himself Kris Kringle, and her own child Susan teach Doris the folly of unbelief. Watch and try to be unmoved.

#11: While You Were Sleeping One of those movies that validates the existence of both Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman as movie stars. A charming romance about a loser (Bullock) who lets her cat eat out of her bowl, because she hasn’t Found the Right Man. Except in this case, the Right Man includes the Right Surrogate Family. Try and resist this one, you stone-faced troll.

#10: How the Grinch Stole Christmas A movie that affected me deeply as a four-year-old. How would the Whos down in Whoville respond to the theft of Christmas? WHAT would they do? Let me tell you, the response (to my secular toy-cherishing four year old heart) was a surprise.

#9: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer A stop-motion animated feature from the primordial mists. Herbie is a transparently gay elf, though he never asks or tells. There’s an amazing amount of sexism, re: the “women and children,” as the frozen emasculated narrator explains. Still, the bunnies do a cute little palms-up dance while the principals sing. Besides, I’ve always had a soft spot for Yukon Cornelius.

#8: Lethal Weapon Yes, I remember the days before Mel was a scary zealot/anti-semite who called a police officer “Sugar ___”.  This was 1987, when I was 18 years old and Mel’s agony, as a widowed detective THIS CLOSE to eating a bullet really meant something to me. Besides, it’s a fun cop story, with Mel, Danny Glover and Gary Busey at their best.

#7: The Vicar of Dibley: Christmas Okay, this is just a shameless attempt to get you to watch the entire BBC series. But the Christmas special is really good, too!

#6: Bad Santa: I dare you not to laugh. The black elf (played by Tony Cox) is reduced to wearing white plastic elf ears, because apparently black-toned plastic elf ears aren’t in wide circulation. Santa (Billy Bob Thornton) is a safecracker at the end of his rope. And then he meets a boy…

#5: Christmas Vacation: Okay, I admit it. I am not a huge fan of Chevy Chase. Having said that … everything Randy Quaid says and does in this  movie makes me laugh. Especially the huge trouser snake, bag of Ol’Roy Dog Food, and visible dickey.

#4: It’s A Wonderful Life: Think what you will. Deride Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed as you will. But that moment when Clarence says, “Every man on that transport died. Harry wasn’t there to save them, because you weren’t there to save Harry.” See if you can face up to that without tears.

#3: The Nightmare Before Christmas: I dare you not to marvel at this one. What’s truer to the Christmas spirit? Jack Skellington wants to be top gift-giver and thinks he has the stuff. But when Santy Claus is taken, Jack realizes his mistake. A true classic.

#2: Arthur Christmas: A modern take on the old chestnut. Is Santa Claus real? Yes, of course, but excessively mechanized, digitized and consumerized. Leave it to bumbling Arthur, St. Nick’s youngest son, to rediscover the true meaning of Christmas.

#1: A Christmas Carol, starring George C. Scott, David Warner and Roger Rees. I defy you to find a more correct or accurate version, especially with regards to Victoriana. As perfect as TV is very likely to get.

Reblogged from Imaqulotta's Irreverent Book Blog:

I always think I don’t enjoy fantasy as well as some other irreverent works. It may be from a youthful attempt to read The Lord of the Rings, which gave me an impression of the genre as stuffy and serious. However, when I look at my reading habits, I observe that there are some fantasies I enjoy very well. Humorous series such as The Xanth novels by Piers Anthony and The Myth Adventures of Robert Aspirin, the poignant urban fantasy of Charles De Lint, and of course, my beloved Terry Pratchett.

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Anthony Hetheridge, chief superintendent for New Scotland Yard and ninth baron of Wellegrave, would walk down the aisle in three weeks. The day chosen, the twenty-eighth of December, was denounced by most invitees as too soon: a mere two months after his subordinate, Detective Sergeant Kate Wakefield, accepted his proposal. Not to mention unsuitably close to Christmas! The venue, Hetheridge’s own home in Mayfair, was condemned as much too small for a guest list of over two hundred. Would the well-wishers be expected to squat in any unguarded space, such as the kitchen or washroom, or else mill about in Wellegrave House’s walled back garden?

The wedding’s designated hour, five o’clock in the evening, was equally derided. So the ceremony would begin in twilight and end in absolute darkness, except for strings of white fairy lights in the trees or some other such nonsense? Holding a wedding at the dinner hour simply wasn’t done. Was the bride, reputedly raised by wolves in the East End’s most savage corner, to blame for these bizarre social lapses? Or was Hetheridge himself, who’d recently celebrated his sixtieth birthday, showing signs of early dementia?

Although no stranger to controversy, at least not where his blue-blooded connections were concerned, the vitriol unleashed by his wedding plans surprised even Hetheridge. Around the Yard, men without a family to go home to—at least not a family they cared to spend time with—groused that Hetheridge and DS Wakefield would both “disappear” just after Boxing Day, leaving the less fortunate to sweep up.

“Right, well, what’s a little thing like murders and shootings and drugs, when true love’s on the line?” Detective Inspector Vic Jackson was overheard to complain. “We’ll just have the muddle through, boys. Rank has its privileges. As does a perfect pair of lips, hey?”

Except DI Jackson hadn’t said “lips.” And Hetheridge, catching wind of the conversation as he was surely meant to, had been forced to remind himself that seizing and pummeling a fellow detective was considered incorrect. Especially in today’s new, improved, more egalitarian New Scotland Yard…

Wreck-It Ralph is the story of, well, Ralph, a video game baddie whose been smashing things in his Donkey Kong-like world for thirty years. He performs his tasks perfectly, enabling the game’s hero, Fix-It Felix, Jr., to repair the damage and save the day. Trouble is, when the arcade closes and the game’s digital denizens retire to their homes, the citizens of Niceville want nothing to do with Ralph. He’s a pariah, expected to live in the city dump without a friend in the world. After thirty years, Ralph needs a change. So he decides to travel through the power cord nexus and jump games, hoping to distinguish himself as a good person and win some love.

As you may expect, Wreck-It Ralph is a visual treat, clever and well-thought out, full of video game in-jokes. But the best reason to see it, in my view, is the voice acting. John C. Reilly shines as Ralph; Sarah Silverman, never a favorite of mine, did great as Vanellope, a fellow outcast. Jane Lynch was terrific as Calhoun, a take-no-prisoners warrior, and Jack McBrayer (best known as Kenneth from 30 Rock) was perfect as Felix. Their voice work was so exceptional, the movie would have been almost as good as a standalone audio program … and that’s really saying something.

Arthur Christmas, released last year, is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. It comes from the British animation company Aardman, known for high quality and comic genius. (Wallace  & Gromit, Chicken Run). It’s the story of Arthur, youngest male in the Claus dynasty and completely disregarded by the entire North Pole “machine,” as it’s become, until he learns a child was missed during his father’s yearly run. In this modern age, the sleigh has turned into a  quasi-spaceship, virtually all presents are delivered by  elves, and Arthur’s dad Santa is just a figurehead for an increasingly soulless operation. According to Arthur’s hyper-masculine, militaristic brother Steve, missing one child is statistically irrelevant. So bumbling Arthur, with the help of his Grandsanta, a rogue elf and an elderly reindeer, decides to deliver the forgotten present himself.

I loved Arthur Christmas. I won’t lie, I watched it because James McAvoy does the voice of Arthur, and of course he’s wonderful. But the other voice actors are also tremendous, including Hugh Laurie (famous here in the U.S. as Dr. House) and Bill Nighy. Nighy’s portrayal of Grandsanta — cantankerous, conniving and possessed of some very backward notions when it comes to elves — is genius. Definitely a movie I’ll be adding to the yearly roster.

via http://sheamacleod.wordpress.com.

The Haunted Collection is FREE today and tomorrow!

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