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Posts Tagged ‘Amazon author’

What can I say? In the beginning I wasn’t a fan of the Showtime hit drama series Dexter, but the moment I saw the first 5 minutes of season 1, episode 1, I was hooked.
Dexter Morgan played by the talented and creative Michael C. Hall tells the story about a Miami Metro Homicide Blood Spatter Analyst, that just so happens to be a notorious serial killer.
This has truly been the summer of Dexter for me and my husband as we are now caught up on the series, thanks to On Demand.
What can I say? Dexter has been through a lot since he was 3, witnessing his mother’s murder, started his killing rampage at a very young age.
Clearly disturbed, he manages to lead somewhat of a normal life in the day, and once night falls his “Dark Passenger” lives vicariously though him as he kills only people that meet the criteria of his code.
What is it about Dexter that is so darn appealing? As I watch the final season?, I just can’t answer that in one word, but there is something about him that is very likable, and intriguing. He is honest with himself, and is fully aware that is he is a “monster,” but I think for me, it is his humor, mysteriousness, and quirky behavior that draws me into him as a character.
Based on the bestselling book Darkly Dreaming Dexter, I started reading the first book and found myself comparing the book to the show. It’s nice to know that the writers at Showtime are pretty much staying true to the author Jeff Lindsey’s work.
The show is a masterpiece and I can’t believe this may be the final season.
Happy Viewing
L.L.

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My debut angel vampire fantasy novel, Swept into the Darkness: Chronicles of the Celestial book one was re-published June 2013. The book is available for purchase in eBook and paperback at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.
There is an upcoming book tour scheduled, beginning August 5th that will run for two weeks. The tour will be hosted by Promotional Book Tours. The tour prize is a 25.00 Amazon gift card. In the meantime there is a sumner promotional giveaway going on, hosted by goodreads. The promotion ends Sept 22, 2013, so head over to my book page and enter today to be a potential winner of a signed paperback.
Good Luck and happy reading.
L.L.

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The Paramount Pictures production World War Z directed by Marc Forster, and starring Brad Pitt was not the zombie horror flick I thought it would be.
The film opens like most zombie films do, with people living their ordinary lives and going though with their daily routines.
As a family starts their day with preparing to go to school and work, everything is disrupted as a sudden unknown emergency sweeps the area of downtown Philadelphia.
Survival mode quickly settles over Gerry Lane(Brad Pitt) as he struggles to keep his family safe from the threat.
As an employee at the U.N., he is soon recruited by government officials to try and track down and identify the origin of the “So called zombie plague”.
Lane sets out on a global quest to learn the answers about what’s happening.

World War Z was based on a book by Max Brown(which I haven’t read yet) but according to what I already know about the book, the film is very different.
I thought the film was interesting, and had quite a few scenes that were intense, and very engaging. This is of course not the classic zombie flick, but the concept of killing them was traditional. The origin of where they come from is unknown, in the movie (they mention rabies’) and the zombies seem to be much more amplified than the “rage” filled 28 Days Later zombie. There wasn’t much zombie killing and gore like I like because I think they were just too darn fast, one of the major pit falls the movie has. The solution they came up with at the WHO was innovative and creative.
The effects were entertaining and the zombie makeup was awesome. I really appreciated the hard work and talent that went into that aspect of the film.
It’s hard to not compare the movie with other zombie films. I clearly understood what the writers and director was trying to go for but I don’t think their interpretation came off well. The last really good Zombie movie I saw was Dawn of the Dead.
I’m a big fan of Brad Pitt’s so I gave this movie 3 stars for overall good entertainment.
Enjoy L.L.

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SITD cover The drive to work was always a trip of contemplations. Thinking about my parents burned bright on my mind. It’s never easy to survive tragedy and bounce back into the swing of everyday life. I never really paid attention to the low volume radio but the extra noise kept me company. I used to love waking up early to get my day started but lately I wasn’t much of a morning person. I lost my father in an accident, and my mother couldn’t handle the loss. She had a nervous breakdown and is in a mental hospital, so really I lost both parents in one awful moment. It’s a challenge for me to get up and go on with my life like nothing has happened. Just getting out of bed sometimes makes me feel like I am betraying my parents.

Ever since the car accident I have excruciating headaches. I went into the kitchen and pulled out the drawer that my medication was in. At the moment I was taking prescription pain killers, sleeping pills, and sometimes anti-depressants. I hadn’t needed to take those pills in a long time. I tried to deter the pain from gaining force. If it didn’t, I was going to have to cancel my date with Christine and go straight to bed. The headaches are almost blinding at times, and literally feel like a hammer is banging inside of my brain. Every time I think about the trip I am reminded of the worst day of my life.

I had just gotten back from a weekend ski trip in Aspen with some girlfriends, including Christine. It was mid-winter and my flight was delayed for several hours due to a terrible snow storm that hit the area. My dad, a surgeon at Milford General Hospital picked me up from the airport after a thirty-hour shift; the staff was low because of the storm so he decided to stick around to help out as much as he could. We were both pretty tired but it never occurred to me that dad was not in any kind of shape to drive. It was 4:45 on a Thursday morning, and it was dark and freezing cold. Sleet came down pretty hard, and made the roads very slick. It looked like dad was doing fine, and I always felt safe when he was behind the wheel. Mom was waiting for us with hot cocoa and I was so excited to see her and tell her about my trip.
The ride was long and I dozed off a few times. I woke abruptly to the sound of skidding tires and a sudden swerving motion. Dad’s head was slumped down over the steering wheel, his glasses were crooked and his eyes were closed.
“Dad! Dad! Wake up!” I yelled. I yanked off my seatbelt to shake him with force. The car was spinning out of control. His head bobbed up and down and his eyes lazily open and closed. I grabbed the steering wheel and tried to scoot over as close as I could towards him and reach for the break with my foot. The car was going too fast and bumped and swayed through the light traffic. The car sped up and then everything went black.

I’d never been a “normal” person. Ever since I was a child I’d had experiences that were hard to explain. For example, I frequently had “flashes” that showed me glimpses of the future. I also remember times when a small light would emerge from my fingers, and I was able to move things using the light. Sometimes I saw things in my visions as well, like shadows and creatures. I could also see an aura around people—usually either a bright blue color or a muddled gray. Sometimes I’d seen a red aura, which for some reason really scared me. I’d tried to ignore these abilities, and there were times when I refused to admit that strange things were happening…

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My debut urban fantasy novel Swept into the Darkness:Chronicles of the Celestial book one is in the process of being reviewed one last time before it is officially re-published.
The process should be completed no later than midweek.

As soon as the book begins the publishing process, I will start my official book promotion kick off with posting a few excerpts right here on my blog. A book blast and tour will follow, along with an array of cool giveaways and prizes.

All of my events will be announced on my blog, and via Facebook and Twitter.

Happy Reading and Writing
L.L.

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I finally finished re-editing the first book in the Chronicles of the Celestial series, Swept into the Darkness. It took me a while to work on it and get it exactly the way I want it, but I can say that I am so happy with it.

On Monday I sent the manuscript back to my editor for a final review. Once I give my final approval, the manuscript will be re-published.

I’m so excited about the re-launch of this book, that I had to take a break from writing my new post-apocalyptic fantasy, to resume writing the other books in the COTC series. I just finished chapter 1 in book four which is titled Dark Defiance.

The journey that my main character Sydney embarks upon is definitely an adventure that is out-of-this-world. She faces new challenges, and as new enemies arise, her ability to fight against the darkness is tested once she learns that someone close to her is not what he seems.

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The A&E Horror series Bates Motel starring Freddie Highmore is the prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.
The show is very interesting and shows the growing psychotic relationship between Norman and his mother Norma.

Bates Motel opens with the mysterious death of Norman’s father, and Norman discovering his body. Distraught and shocked Norman and Norma try to move past it by starting fresh, and moving to a new town. Norma purchases the Seafair Motel in hopes of building a successful business and making a good life for her son. Before they even have a chance to settle in, they are confronted by the previous owner of the property. Upset that he lost his home and business he breaks onto the house one night, attacks and rapes Norma. Norman walks in and discovers his mom is hurt. He knocks out Keith Summers and Norma stabbs him several times.
Determined to keep the murder a secret Norma and Norman disposes his body.
This murder and secret is the beginning of a chain of events that lead Norman and Norma on a downward spiral into the pit of darkness.

The show is exciting and has some very interesting storylines. The introduction of an older brother is fresh to the Psycho theme in addition to Norman’s blackouts.
I really don’t have too many complaints concerning this show except for the time period. The time period can be very confusing. The house and style of the show is presented in a way that is authentic to the time the original takes place, then is interrupted by the introduction of modern technology.
Norman and his mother dress and act like they are from the 50’s and 60’s. Then the second they take out a cell phone or go on the computer, it takes away from the authenticity of Hitchcock’s legacy.
Bates Motel is a great show and shows great promise. The characters have good on screen chemistry and I love the way the writers are developing the relationship between Norman and his mother.

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The Marvel Studios production, Ironman 3 starring Robert Downey Jr. and directed by Shane Black was a good film considering some of the negative reviews that have been written about the film. Black is fairly new to the directing scene and is known for writing for the popular 80’s action flicks Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 2, and Lethal Weapon 3.
Ironman 3 picks up sometime after the Avengers have saved the world from an intergalactic alien invasion. A disturbed Tony Stark is in the process of trying to deal with the shock of knowing that other worlds and beings exist. He is also adjusting to being in a steady relationship with Pepper.
The normalcy of life quickly comes to a halt when Tony learns that the world is once again under attack by a terrorist. The Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley. He is a vicious killer and will do anything to get what he wants. The government acts quickly and sends Colonel James Rhodes out on a mission to search for the terrorist. An old acquaintance of Tony’s surfaces Aldrich Killian, and makes Pepper an offer for Tony to be a partner in his DNA altering project. Pepper declines and little do they know that Killian has a more malicious agenda in mind. Tony calls out The Mandarin and soon his home is under attack. Barely making it out alive Tony and Pepper survive, but their home is destroyed. As Tony searches for The Mandarin he quickly learns that he is a fake, an actor and that his real enemy is Killian. Killian has developed a way to heal the physically disabled, but has changed them into heat resistant mutants. He has created these beings to destroy Stark and the world. His plan is to become the world’s most powerful terrorist. He kidnaps the President and Pepper and tries to use Tony’s love for her to get him to work for him.
Tony and Killian battle it out in the traditional fight between good vs evil.
Overall I thought that Ironman 3 was a good movie. The first two were better, but that still doesn’t take away from the film. Black was creative in his representation of Ironman. There were a lot of action pact scenes and creative concepts that haven’t been done before with Ironman. The effects were good, the score was disappointing.
I give this movie 3 1/2 stars.

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Anger and frustration are emotions that every human being experiences during their lifetime.
The cause of these emotions could be as simple as sitting in traffic jam, to a garbage truck blocking your passage down the street,or someone not calling you back, to people not listening to you when you have something important to say. The list goes on and on.
How can you as a well grounded person in this society handle anger and frustration? For me the answer is not as simple as you think,but I think that trying to focus on something positive helps. I try to look on the bright of most situations. Deep breathing and thinking things through when you have clear head is also good. This can help with some of the more complicated causes of anger and frustration. And most importantly, its always good to have some kind of outlet to let go and burn off some steam. Writing, reading,walking, running, a day at the spa, doing something that takes you to another realm mentally and physically are all things that will help you regroup and handle those emotions better.

Good Luck to everyone and remember try to relax. Life is too short to deal with things beyond your control. Stress is still the number killer in the U.S.

Embracing something new
L.L.

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Writing, creating characters, and magical storylines that take readers on unforgettable adventures is a passion that is deeply rooted within me.

Writing is a necessity for my life, just like air and water. It creates a happiness in me that nothing can replace.

When my pen touches the paper, I am transformed into the characters and situations that I create. I assume their lives to a degree that changes my connection to the outside world. It makes me more aware of the enviroments and the people within those environments. My imagination crosses the boarders of reality, giving me the ability to visualize supernatural beings in our world.
Writing and creating allows me to be open to the infinite possibilities that this world has to offer.

Embrace your creativity and be open.
Happy Reading and Writing!
L.L

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