So sad that summer is winding down. But, that means more time to get back to reading and reviewing! New reviews coming soon, so please check back :)

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Amy *Moonspells and Magic*
Michigan, United States
Hi! I'm Amy. I live in Michigan and I read as much as I can. Paranormal, urban fantasy, YA dark fantasy, almost anything with a werewolf. You can learn more by checking out my "about me" page.
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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Feature and Follow Friday

Happy Hopping!
Here we are, Friday again.  This is my favorite meme so far and I've done it every Friday since I found it on Parajunkee's blog.
A big thanks goes out to her for getting us all together every week to meet new book addicts
and say hello to our old friends as well.



This weeks featured blogger....



Ahh, the question of the week....
Q. What do I do when I am not reading?

First of all I work full time in a dental lab, so I make lots of teeth.  Aside from that I spend lots of time with my wonderful hubby.  We like to cruise two tracks in the truck and get it muddy, fish, and bbq with our friends.  I also dabble in some other small hobbies- I have a garden this year that I have to admit I haven't done alot with, hubby's been keeping it up, and I also make bead jewelry and homemade candles once in a while as gifts.


Don't forget to leave me a comment so I know you were here.  All are welcome here- old followers, new followers and those of you who are just popping in to say hello.  I appreciate you all!  Thanks for stopping in.  Happy reading, happy hopping, and happy Friday :)
Monday, July 11, 2011

Review~ The Key by Felicia Rogers


Review for The Key written by Felicia Rogers.

 You can find more about the author and check out more of  her  books at her website here Felicia Rogers or look her up on facebook


Published December 16th 2010 by Solstice Publishing
                                                                             ASIN
B004GKMJTK
primary language
English
Synopsis from Goodreads.com:
A teenage girl suffering from a family tragedy, Maddie Clevenger is oblivious to the ancient mystery surrounding her. She’s young and incredibly unlucky, in life and in love. She should be enjoying her senior year of high school, but instead she is tormented by a reoccurring nightmare and a very real stalker. But all that changes when Chase Donovan, an Air Force brat with a protective streak, shows up at school. Will Chase be the key to helping her solve her stalker problem? Will he be the key to solving the mystery surrounding her family’s past?

Review:
I'm going to try and do this without any spoilers.
  So many things  I loved about this story!  This was a shifter story that I have never read the likes of before.  There was an air of mystery.  Felicia did a great job in creating a place where I wanted to be and where I couldn't figure out what was next.  There were places where I was totally caught off guard by what I thought was going to happen and what actually did.
 I felt like I was right there in the story and I love that in books.  I got to be right beside Maddie when she walked through the field or sat in the forest.  The detail was good and I could see it all. 
I also like all of the characters she created.  I could feel each of their own specific personalities.  Maddie, Chase, Grandma and Dougal all had their own character traits.  Again Felicia did a great job in writing them.  You could tell who was speaking before you read the part that said "Maddie said".  Each one had their own inner turmoil aside from the main story and it gave the book more depth without drowning you in different sequences.  They matched up perfectly.
I think that the story was unique and has a little of something for everyone.  Whether you like romance, fantasy, action, mystery or suspense.  This book had it all.  It was in the right places and had just the right amount to compliment everything else.  I also think that anyone would enjoy this read.  Be it teen or adult reader, you'll find yourself lost in the story.  When you want something other than the same ole' run of the mill vampire or werewolf this read will definitely make your day!  You should read it, I know you'll like it too!

Author Interview with Felicia Rogers

Author Interview with Felicia Rogers

1) Where are you from?

I was born and raised in the southern United States and I continue to live there today.



2) Tell us your latest news?

My latest news has to be my next expected release. It is a historical suspense romance which will be published in late summer or Fall of 2011. This was the first story I wrote and I can’t wait for it to be published. Also I recently received a contract on a humor/satire, which will come out around November of 2011.



Needless to say I’m busy, but I’m enjoying every minute of it.



3) When and why did you begin writing?

How I became an author is an interesting story. Sometimes I think it happened by chance, by accident, completely without my help. Although if I calculate all the hours I’ve invested into my writing, I realize that’s not exactly true.

About two years ago, I told my cousin I wanted to write a romance novel. I’ve read romances in every genre for years. At one time about five years ago, I’d tried to write one, but it never made it past the editing stage. When I informed my cousin of my plan, she encouraged me. Said it would be a joint effort. I didn’t know at the time she would become unable to help me and I would be completely on my own.

I went on to finish that manuscript and I sent it out to several agents and publishers but it never made it past the first stages. Disgruntled and looking for new ways to get my work out there, I stumbled across a forum post for Solstice Publishing’s Celebrate the Season contest. I was waiting to hear from a publisher on my manuscript at the time so I set all my other ideas aside and started work on a submission. In two weeks I had written a novella of about 13,000 words and submitted it for the contest. Now all I had to do was cross my fingers and wait.

Within a few weeks I discovered I was one of five winners and my novella was going to be published! This gave me renewed hope that anything was possible.



4) Do you have a specific writing style?

My writing style is a hybrid between plotter and pantser. I admit I start with just a general idea of my story. Then as I go along and things began to come together on paper I began to plot, but not real in depth.



5) How did you come up with the title?

The way I choose my title isn’t very specific. It just kind of comes to me while I’m writing the story.



7) How much of the book is realistic?

As far as the novel being realistic, I guess it all depends on which novel. When talking about my two novellas they are completely realistic. Anyone could go on a trip, have an accident and be stuck, right? Or a lone woman could get a job working for a single man taking care of his child and they could easily fall in love.



But that being said, my YA paranormal is not exactly realistic. Since The Key is a mystery you’ll just have to read to find out why.



8) Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

I have to say, yes, most of the time what I write is based on real life experiences or on experiences of someone I know.



9) What book are you reading now?

In between writing and editing I try to read. In fact, I love to read. And at the moment I’m reading two books. The first one is, Quo Vadis. It was a free Amazon read. Written by a Polish author 1895 and later translated into English, this book won a Pulitzer Prize for Literature. I have to say it is a classic love story.



10) What books have most influenced your life?

I would have to say the greatest book to influence my life has been The Holy Bible.



11) Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

Writers who have grasped my interests of late have been the clean writers for Astraea Press. When you buy a book from this publisher you know you’ll feel comfortable reading it.



13) What are your current projects?

I’m working on a sequel to my YA paranormal romance which I hope to submit later this month. I’m also seeking representation on an Inspirational Romantic Suspense novel.



14) Do you see writing as a career?

When I started writing, I really only did it on a whim. I’m at home most the time schooling my children and I wanted something to do to occupy my mind. I kept thinking, when they leave home what will I have. Now I know, writing!



15) Can you share a little of your current work with us?

My historical romance coming out in early Fall 2011 is about a young lady, Sarra of Greenbriar, whose father has passed away. The king sends suitors her way, which she proceeds to run off in the most unusual of ways. Then one day, a stranger arrives at the keep. Unsure whether he is friend or foe, Cedric is welcomed in.



Cedric has come to acquire Greenbriar for himself. The way to do this is by marrying the lady of the estate, the only problem is, he doesn’t know who the lady is.



Since there is an element of suspense in all my stories, I’m afraid I mustn’t say more. You’ll just have to wait and read the novel when it comes out.



16) Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

I think the hardest part of writing for me has been trying to write future books while promoting the ones I’ve already published. With the advance in ebook technology more and more people are able to publish. This has caused many new smaller publishers to crop up and offer publishing services, but with that comes authors promoting their own work. With so many new authors being published the author now has to work doubly hard to get noticed. This takes more time than I thought possible.



17) Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

One of my favorite authors has to be Francine Rivers. Her honesty about her conversion from the secular writing world to the world of inspirational writing was very interesting and moving. I love the ability she has to create inspirational yet romantic characters. Her Mark of the Lion series kept me coming back for more and more and more.



18) Who designed the covers?

The Key and The Holiday Truce coverart was designed by a Solstice Publishing cover artist. The Perfect Rose’s cover was designed by Elaina Lee.



19) What was your life like before becoming an author?

Believe it or not my life hasn’t changed since becoming an author. Oops, I take it back. I’m much busier now. AND I’ve had to acquire a thicker set of skin.



20) What sparked the idea for your novel?

Different things spark ideas for my novels. The Holiday Truce was specifically designed as a Christmas story to win a contest.



The Perfect Rose was my original entry for the Christmas contest but I changed my mind. I later contracted this story as a Valentine’s story. But the idea was to create a husband who needed help with a “special” needs child.



And last but not least, The Key, had a very interesting beginning. This story started with a fairly simple idea, a popular girl who wouldn’t date a hot guy because he drove an ugly truck.



I just never know what will get my wheels turning.



21) What is your writing routine?

My writing routine varies. Sometimes I carry a pad of paper in my hand and write with a pen. Sometimes I’m in the mood to sit down at the keyboard and just type. But always once the story is in the computer it has to be printed on paper so I can read it over. I like the ability of flipping back and forth between pages to check for consistency.



22) Which comes first? The character's story or the idea for the novel?

The story idea comes first. After I have the basic idea then I start building the characters.



23) Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Anything I want to say to my readers, let me think. Yes, it would thrill my soul if you would purchase one my books. Seriously I appreciate you the reader and thank you for taking the time to read what I’ve written here.


I would like to thank Felicia for taking the time to send me this interview and allow me to post it here on Moonspells and Magic.  Also, for giving me the opportunity to review her wonderful book, The Key.  Felicia, thank you and I look forward to reading much more from you!

Don't forget to pick up your ebook copy of The Key at amazon.com for only $2.99!

The Key
Click the book cover to purchase.
Thursday, July 7, 2011

Feature and Follow Friday

Yay it's Friday!  I look forward to Feature and Follow every week.  I like to meet you all and love that there are so many people that have similar interests to me.  As always, thank you to Parajunkee for hosting such a great meme. 




Featured Blogger of the week:



Featured Question of the week:

Q. Let's step away from besties...What is the worst book that you've ever read and actually finished?
Well, I have never actually finished a book that I didn't like.  But I tried to read one of the books from the Death series by J.D. Robb about two months ago.  I didn't even make it through the first two chapters.  I found it uninteresting.

Thank you to everyone who is hopping through Moonspells and Magic.  I hope you enjoy my blog and please do come back to visit soon.  Don't forget to leave me a comment.  Happy hopping and I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Teaser Tuesday



Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
This is the first time I'm doing a Teaser Tuesday.  My teaser today is from the book I am currently reading.  It is Misfit written by Jon Skovron.  Page 30:

Even if it was magic, this thing was still a stranger.  And sometimes strangers lied. 

 Misfit


Contest!

Another great contest is here.  This one is brought to you by  Becky at Book Bite Reviews.  You can win a $10 gift card to either Amazon or the Book Depository.  Go take a peek :)


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Sunday, July 3, 2011

Contest from Melissa at Book Nerd Reviews

When I find a contest for books that I want to enter, I feel the need to share!  So occasionally, or frequently if there are a lot of goodies floating around, I will post about it so everyone can have a chance at getting a good book.  Here is the next contest for you to take a peek at.


I wanted to tell you about this contest I found from Melissa at  Book Nerd Reviews .  If you win you get to choose from three different books and it is open internationally.  It comes complete with ways to get extra entries too.  I got a bunch, go get yours!
Here are the books to choose from:


Good luck!