Blood Street - Blog Tour! Guest post by Carl Alves.

In my novel Blood Street, most of the main characters are either vampires or members of the Philadelphia Mafia. This gave me many opportunities to create colorful and memorable characters. On the vampire side, there is Magnus, the ancient leader of the brood who has lived for so long that he no longer finds pleasure in life; Alexei, an equally ancient vampire who lives life to its fullest and recklessly gets his brood into trouble; Gabriella, the moral compass of the brood who manages to keep them all together.


Among the mobsters there is Enzo Salerno, the highly educated and intelligent leader of the Mafia, who is trying to bring his organization to a new era; Tony “the Wop” Scrambolgni, the dedicated underboss who is the definition of someone you would not want to mess with; Sophie Koch, an intelligent and attractive consigliere, who Enzo leans on for sage advice in a world of thugs and cutthroats.

Out of all of these characters, my favorite is Pat “the Goat” Adesso. The Goat was a fun character to write because he is hot-headed, passionate, fearless, and often times out of control. He can’t seem to stay out of trouble, something that despite his skills and talents, prevents him from rising in Salerno’s syndicate. His relationship with his girlfriend Karen is volatile. He is also the character that changes the most in the story. He matures after the vampire Alexei attacks him, sparking the war between these two factions. As the story evolves, Enzo Salerno gains more trust in him, and the Goat’s entire outlook on life changes. He becomes a “man of honor”, someone that Salerno can rely upon in the most difficult of times. Fighting the vampires for him has nothing to do with vengeance and profit, his normal motives, but his motivation becomes more moralistic and religious in nature

Purchase Blood Street from True Grit Publishing - HERE.
Purchase from Amazon for Kindle for only $2.99! - HERE.
Add to Goodreads - HERE.

Carl Alves bio:
After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University and later an MBA degree from Lehigh University, Carl has worked in the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries. His debut novel Two For Eternity was released in 2011 by Weaving Dreams Publishing. His short fiction has appeared in various publications such as Sinister City, Alien Skin and Behind Locked Doors anthology. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association and has attended the Penn Writers Conference. You can visit his website at www.carlalves.com.

Winner Announcements!

I'm trying to be better about posting winners from my contests.  I had a few in the past month. 

Earring winners:
Georgia Peach Swirl Earrings - Miki.
Georgia Peach earrings - June M.
Georgia Peach earrings - Shadow K.

The Janus Affair winners:
Logan Turner
Miki
Shadow K.

Dan Wells books:
Shadow K.

You can also view the winners on the Rafflecopter widgets on the original posts.

Beautiful Sorrows.

Title/Author:  Beautiful Sorrows by Mercedes M. Yardley.

Genre: Short stories, Dark Fiction, Fantasy.

Publisher: Shock Totem Publications.

Source: Purchased.

Favorite Quote: "She thought of how the moon was always alone, never invited to tea, an eerily beautiful voyeur." ~The Girl from She Called Him Sky.

Synopsis: There is a place where sorrows pile up like snow and rest in your hair like cherry blossoms. Boys have wings, monsters fall in love, women fade into nothingness, and the bones of small children snap like twigs. Darkness will surely devour you—but it will be exquisitely lovely while doing so.

Mercedes M. Yardley’s Beautiful Sorrows is an ephemeral collection encompassing twenty-seven short tales full of devastation, death, longing, and the shining ribbon of hope that binds them all together. ~Goodreads.com

My Thoughts:  Take a step into another world with Beautiful Sorrows, a book that I urge everyone to read.  It is a collection of page turning, heart breaking, show stopping stories.  The writing is ethereal and dreamlike.  Unlike anything I've ever enountered. 

In the first few stories, I realized that Yardley is very good at changing her tone.  From urgent and frightening to soft and lyrical.  Yet all the writing has that same thread of mystical prose to make them cohesive.  I definitely have favorites, but there were no weak stories as is usually the case with a collection or anthology. I love her very short pieces that convey so much power and emotion in a few sentences. I love Black Mary, a mystery mixed with sorrow and horror. I love the stories about stars and pixies and broken hearts and love affairs and the one that portrayed The Universe as an unsympathetic and sentient force.

This collection reaches above and beyond genres yet I think readers of dark fiction and horror would love it as there are some very somber themes. 

I also loved the hysterical little drawings that headed each story and the story titles themselves.  The title itself is deep and sublime to me as well.  The two words are at odds with each other, yet sorrow, as well as pain and the hardships people go through are what make them human. 

I know stories can be up to interpretation, but I wanted to know just what was going on in a few of them. I was happy to find an index in the back that explains why Mercedes wrote each story. It doesn't necessarily spell everything out, but it gives the process and I appreciated her journey.

This is a book I'm going to keep on my shelves and I hope Ms. Yardley continues her literary journey so I can follow her path of words.

I want to thank Darkeva's Dark Delights for bringing this book to my attention.  If you're not convinced to try it, check out her thoughts HERE.

All in all: Stunning and beautiful.  Read it!  Read it!  Read it!

Challenges:

Book Blogger Confessions - Co-reviewers (Monday, May 20, 2013)

Book Blogger Confessions is a meme that allows book bloggers to discuss issues unique to what we encounter in the blogging world. Every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month we will post a question and invite you to answer, comment and discuss opinions and different views.

Please keep the dialogue courteous. No bashing!

If you would like to participate in this meme sign up below and please feel free to to grab the button to include in your post with a link to For What It's Worth Reviews or here at Midnyte Reader.

Question: Have you added or considered adding additional reviewers to your blog? Why or why not? If you have, please share how you found the right match when bringing new people to your established blog. Did you encounter any problems? 

Answer: I would love to have another reviewer on my blog.  Not only would it take some of the pressure off, but I would just love to be able to offer more to readers.  This is why I will usually take a guest post or review as long as it is a good fit. 

If I had another reviewer, we could also share books, go to signings and cons together and be bff's forever!  Yeah, I'm a little lonely in my blogging bubble at times.  I think it would be great to be able to brainstorm features and ideas.  Also, for hosting duties on Challenges and events it would be helpful as well.  I think having someone else involved would increase my excitement and productivity.  What's the saying?  Work shared is work halved?  But as stated above, how would I find the right person?  I think it would have to be someone I knew well already. 

On that note, I'm happy to say that one of my friends who has done a guest post in the past and who I've been pestering to write reviews is going to be doing another kind of feature on the blog.  So stay tuned for it, but in the meantime you can check out the new About Us page HERE!

On the flip side, I'm happy being solo as well.  I can do what I want, when I want.  If I'm not in the mood to blog, there isn't someone shaming me into it (except myself).  I'm not constrained by a project if I don't feel like getting to it at that exact moment. 

I've also heard of problems that some bloggers had with co-reviewers and I wouldn't want that headache.  Also, what if I want to change the header and my co-blogger vetoes the idea?  I guess you would need to determine the "terms of service" beforehand.  Would that blogger have just as much say as you?  Maybe if you started the blog together it would be, but maybe not if you brought them on in a specific capacity. 

How about you?  Do you have a co-blogger?  Would you want one.  What do you see as the pros and/or cons?

The Diviners.

Title/Author: The Diviners by Libba Bray

Genre: Supernatural.

Publisher: Little, Brown.

Source: BEA 2012.

Favorite character: Evie.

Synopsis: Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first. ~Goodreads.com.

My Thoughts:  I can't believe I finished this book!  It took forever because I'm a slow reader and I was reading it in dribs and drabs.  Not because I didn't like it, but because it is just so big that I was daunted.  I had trouble getting into this book at first.  I felt that I had kind of seen the story before.  However, as I delved deeper, the story and the characters became richer and more intriguing. 

I thought the way the book is framed is very cool.  It starts and ends with the wind, which observes the United States as if it's another character.  The wind could be a metaphor for the evil that brews or just a neutral force.  Nostalgic, cynical and lovely at the same time, it is some of the most beautiful prose in the book as American History is summarized.   I also noticed the unique and very clever chapter titles. 

Evie is my favorite character.  At first I didn't like her but still thought her a great character.  She just seemed too selfish, too much about having a good time.  I wouldn't want her as a friend.  I've had friends like this and they've gotten me into lots of trouble.  However, as I got to know her and her past, she either grew on me or she calmed down a bit.  Or maybe she just embraced her responsibility.  She was still Evie though, with her flippant personality and rash behavior, just more...loveable.

I think Libba Bray outdid herself regarding the research that went into this story.  Set in New York City in the 1920s, I felt as if I was peeking through a page in time.  I could hear the thin car horns and listen to the cadence of the speech and watch the Zigfield Follies.  I learned about the Chinese Exclusion Acts of 1882 and experienced the fun and sometimes danger of a speakeasy.  I was amused to find that the prononciation of Long Island Lawn-GUY-land was around even back then.  I admit I had trouble following the language at first, with all the slang. It is like a whole other world and there was so much of it, that it kind of threw me. At an event at Oblong Books I had the opportunity to ask Ms. Bray if the people really talked like that back in the 20s.  She explained that in her research she discovered that the language was indeed very quick, witty and fluent with those sayings. She listened to broadcasts such as radio ads and newscasts. After a while I settled into the language and I also began to think how our language will sound in 100 years, with words like "Awesome," "Dude" and our infamous. "Oh my God." Heck, sometimes I have trouble following the conversation of my nieces and nephews.

I was also told that this was extremely creepy.  Well it is, but where I come from, I would say it's moderately creepy.  Again, I feel that the scares were ones I had come across before.  However, they are still impactful and mysterious.   That being said there are many events that surprised me in this story and I can't wait to see how they play out in the future.

I thought the different romances going on in this book were perfect.  *Spoiler Alert: Memphis and Theta who will have to fight the odds of their races.  Mabel pines over Jericho, Will's assistant yet she might find another interested party.  Jericho watches Evie.  Sam the con flirts with Evie.  :End Spoiler Alert*  There are a lot of characters in this book, but it is not hard to know who is who.  Everyone serves an important purpose and there didn't seem to be any weak characters.  They all served to bring the plot forward, whether you realized it at the time or not.

I look forward to the upcoming danger that these characters have just touched upon and how they will handle them.  I look forward to finding out who ends up with whom and what certain people are up to.  There's one thing I think I can count on though.  How ever many books are in this series, I am positive it will end up with a satisfying conclusion with a lot of fun, thrills and chills along the way.

All in all:  Intriguing.  Epic.

Other Editions:

Challenges:

Midnyte Snack - Benne Wafers from The Restorer.

Welcome to Midnyte Snack, the feature that combines books and food!  

What could be better?

Book: The Restorer (The Graveyard Queen #1) by Amanda Stevens.

Snack: Benne Wafers.

 

When Amelia went to visit John Devlin's aunt, she was served refreshments and one of them was benne wafers.  

 

Benne is the Bantu (an African language) word for sesame. The slave population brought these treats with them from Africa in the 1600's and soon became a staple on the plantations in the south.  Because sesame is high in protein, workers would eat these during their days of hard work.  Benne wafers are popular in the Lowcountry, a region along South Carolina's coast including their sea islands.  The Bantu believe that eating these bring good luck. 

Recipe for Benne Wafers:

1 Cup Sesame seeds

1 Cup brown sugar

4 TBLSP butter (1/2 stick)

1 egg lightly beaten

1/2 Cup flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Cream butter and sugar.  Add egg.  Mix together the dry ingredients and slowly add to the butter mixture.  Drop by teaspoonfuls about an inch apart onto a well greased cookie sheet or parchment paper so they have room to spread.  Bake at 350 for 7-10 minutes.  

I had a somewhat difficult time finding sesame seeds.  Finally, I came across them when I went into one of our smaller supermarkets near me.

You need to stir these quite often, as they brown (and can burn) quite quickly.  Don't be surprised when some of them burst like popcorn!

The "batter"was really like a kind of paste.

Unfortunately, they didn't taste too good to me.  Or my husband.  I even found 2 on the floor, when the cat obviously jumped up on the counter and knocked them down so he could eat them...but he didn't so I guess he didn't even like them.  In my research these are supposed to be thin so I think these were too big.   The flavor of the sesame seeds was too overpowering.  If I ever tried to make these again, I might cut the amount of seeds and I would definitely try to make them more wafer like instead of cookie like.

The Restorer was the first time I had ever heard of Benne Wafers.  Have you ever come across them before?  If so please share!

Best Book Adaptations Coming to the Theater in 2013! (Guest Post by Lindsay McMahon).

Whenever books are converted to movies it's always something of a hit or miss prospect. No matter what happens, there will always be some purists who complain on one side and people who think that the original book was too boring anyway on the other. Every once in a while, however, you'll find a filmmaker who manages to find the right balance in adaptation. Here are a few that just might get there in 2013.

Catching Fire
The Hunger Games series of books were a smash hit trilogy even just in book form, with a focus on preteen girls as far as demographics are concerned. The first book in the series which was just called “The Hunger Games,” did extremely well, and there's no reason to think that the second installment, Catching Fire, will fare any differently. The series explores a post-apocalyptic world where a city called the “Capital” oppresses people from the surrounding “Districts” by forcing selected individuals from that area to fight to the death on something akin to modern reality television. The Catching Fire installment focuses a lot more on the resistance movement.

Great Gatsby
This is a classic novel from nearly 100 years ago about Gatsby and his quest to become wealthy and affluent. This one has been adapted many times, but the most recent version has Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The first version of Tolkien's children story came out last year, but the story continues in 2013. This is a sort of prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, though it was written first in actuality. It follows the tale of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit from the shire who is pulled into an adventure that involves helping some dwarves get their home back from a dragon named Smaug, who is described as “a fire drake from the north.”

The second installment of the Hobbit trilogy will focus more on the dragon, who barely appeared for more than a few seconds in the first movie. The Hobbit has been around a long time, and there have been many different versions of it done in radio, in animation, and so on, so it will be interesting to see what Peter Jackson does with his continuing Hobbit story this year.

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
The Percy Jackson series is a book series aimed at young adults, that follows the exploits of a young man who happens to be a demi-god born of Poseidon, the god of the sea. The most famous installment in the series is probably the first one, which was called “The Lightening Thief.” The Sea of Monsters installment focuses on a quest to find the Golden Fleece in order to restore a safe haven that is slowly dying.

Writer Biography:
Lindsey Mcmahon likes to travel, play and read in her free time. Her interests are entertainment, television, parenting and health but she is constantly extending her field of view to incorporate interesting news suggested to her by her readers. She currently works for Cable TV Advisor.