And which subscriber has won the book? Congrats to the person with the email address beginning with -
saulpaugh.chelsea
Well done! Keep reading to find out how to claim your prize!
If you didn't win this time then maybe you will be lucky next month! Also make sure to enter the weekly author contests. This coming weekend I am have two authors visiting and both of them are giving away some lovely prizes!
Please contact me via email - Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot eu within the next 7 days to claim your prize. Your claim will go quicker if you send me your address.
If you won a contest where you can choose your prize, then please make sure you state in your email which book you would like. This will help things go alot quicker!
If you email me and don't get a reply within 48 hours please post on the blog letting me know. Some email gets eaten by my spam filter. If a prize isn't claimed after 7 days I will, if the author agrees, pick another winner.
Please also note that I can not be held responsible for prizes that come direct from authors. I will check with them for you if you haven't received your prize but I can not hunt down your mail! Any prizes that come from myself could come from a 3rd party eg. Amazon or Bookdepository. If I am sending a prize myself please be aware that it could take a few weeks to reach you as it is coming from Europe
Help support these contests by using the following banner to order your books!
Yes I know it is already June but for some reason I didn't get around to posting the May Giveaway in May. One minute it was the middle of May and the next it was June. Doesn't that happen to everyone sometime? ;)
Anyway as always there are five books to choose from and vote for. I think you are all going to have a hard time picking one this month. All five books are amazing!
Just go to the poll and vote for the one you want to win or the one you think deserves to win! Here is a little info about each book on offer. Just click on the book title and author to see my review -
Well in the sidebar <--- there is this poll. You vote for the book you would most like to win. I pick a name from the subscibers list and that person wins the book with the most votes. So you may not even win the book you voted for! To subscribe to Amberkatze's Book Blog all you have to do is use the box in the sidebar <--- or at the bottom of this post. Everyone who is already subscribed will be entered in the contest as well as new subscribers. If you have not confirmed your email address then you will not be added to the draw!!! The poll will stay open for votes until Thursday 10th of June 4pm (all times are in Central European Time). The winner will be announced later than day.
For more chances to win -
Post about this giveaway somewhere on the internet eg. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter etc. Make sure you post the link here so I can confirm your extra entry.
Email your friends about this giveaway. Make sure you add my email address so I also get a copy and can confirm your extra entry. Amberkatzes_Book_Blog@gmx.eu
For more prizes -
I will draw more than one winner if I have enough money in the Amberkatze's Book Blog Amazon account. You can help fill this account by using one of the Amazon links on the site to make your purchases on Amazon.com or Amazon.de
Jace Valchek is an FBI profiler. After being pulled into an alternate world she finds herself confronted with vampires, lycanthropes and golems. These fantasy creatures from her world actually make up 99 per cent of the population in this new one. Eager to go back home, if that is even possible, she has managed to make a life for herself even if she is only human.
A murder investigation turns into a race against time when 'comic book' characters start turning up dead. Jace finds herself up against a killer who may be using a bizarre combination of ancient magic and comic book heroes from her world to kill some of the most powerful vampires and lycanthropes and steal their power. All the friends/work colleagues she has made since being in this new world all seem to be involved somehow. Jace now has to figure out how it all ties together before it is too late.
Back in August last year I read the first book in the Bloodhound Files, Dying Bites. I remember enjoying the new and totally unique debut and of course I have been waiting eagerly for the next book in the series. Death Blows came out the other week and I couldn't wait to start it and dived straight in.
Of course it has been months since I read Dying Bites so I expected that I would need a few chapters to get back into the swing of things. However it took me at least half of the book to really feel at home again in the world where Jace has landed. However Jace herself seemed to be right at home, even though this is only the second book.
Maybe finding my way back into this series wouldn't have been too hard if it wasn't for the detailed plot. I have to admit I am not a huge comic book fan but I did enjoy the angle the writer brought into the case. However there was way too much information and maybe it was just me being over worked and tired this week but I have to say that I had some trouble keeping up with things.
By the end of the book I found myself understanding everything a little more clearly. There are still a few areas that I am not sure about but the last hundred pages really made things easier to understand and stuff started to fit together. While I had problems with this second installment I still want to read book three, Killing Rocks, when it comes out at the end of this year.
Why? Because this series really is unique. A different world with not only vampires and weres but also golems makes this an interesting read. Quirky little 'otherworld' ideas made me smile and a really nice set of characters who guided me through the book are ones I want to meet up with again.
So give this a try and see if you like it. Sure this book left me wondering at points but the concept is brilliant and the style has a certain kick to it.
I have a few winners to announce this lazy April Sunday! So I hope you can all keep up ;)
First up is the winner of the Jeri Smith-Ready contest. Jeri needed a little help in finding a good topic for her upcoming guest blog here on Amberkatze's Book Blog. There were a couple of very good suggestions but Jeri managed to pick just one. The winner will get an autographed cover flat for BRING ON THE NIGHT and the joy of reading Jeri's guest blog on the 2nd of May.
This is what Jeri said -
I've decided to do one of Carrie's suggestions, on how I pick the music for my books. Should be fun!
So congrats to -
Carrie!!!
Keep reading to find out how to claim your prize! If you didn't win then make sure you stop by on the 2nd of May to read Jeri's guest post and maybe even win a copy of her amazing young adult debut 'Shade'.
Last week one of my author guests was Leanna Renee Hieber. Leanna was giving away a copy of "The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker" and a copy of her Prism Award winning novella, "Dark Nest". All you had to do to enter was tell us what you found 'Strangely Beautiful'.
There were some amazing and unusual answers but there can only be one winner! Congratulations to -
Dor!!!
Instructions on how to claim your prize are at the end of this post. If you didn't win this time then make sure you keep checking in for more author contests!
I asked you all to tell me what you are listening to! What is rocking your iPod? Now I know not everyone has an iPod but I think you understand what I meant :) It was interesting to see what a wide range of music you all listen to! There are even a few I am going to have to look up...
However there is only one winner and they get to pick out one of DD Barants two books. So congrats to -
vvb32 reads!!!
Contact me using the info below to claim your prize!
Now only two of the three copies were claimed so one is still up for grabs! So with Diana's permission I am drawing a new winner. Congrats to -
Angel28140!!!
How to claim your prize details are below.
Thanks to everyone who entered the contests and gave such great answers. Also a huge thank you to all the authors who offered up prizes and were guests on the blog.
Keep coming back each week for more author interviews, guest blogs and contests!
How to claim your prize!
Please contact me via email - Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot eu within the next 7 days to claim your prize. Your claim will go quicker if you send me your address.
If you won a contest where you can choose your prize, then please make sure you state in your email which book you would like. This will help things go alot quicker!
If you email me and don't get a reply within 48 hours please post on the blog letting me know. Some email gets eaten by my spam filter. If a prize isn't claimed after 7 days I will, if the author agrees, pick another winner.
Please also note that I can not be held responsible for prizes that come direct from authors. I will check with them for you if you haven't received your prize but I can not hunt down your mail! Any prizes that come from myself could come from a 3rd party eg. Amazon or Bookdepository. If I am sending a prize myself please be aware that it could take a few weeks to reach you as it is coming from Europe
Author DD Barant came onto the Urban Paranormal Fantasy scene last year with her debut book Dying Bites. Now it is time for the second book Death Blows and I can't wait to see what happens next.
If you haven't already tried Dying Bites then enjoy the interview! If you have already had the pleasure of reading Dying Bites then I hope the interview helps you get to the know the author behind the books a little better.
----------------------------
Amber - Welcome to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here as a guest! Could you start things off by telling us a little about the Bloodhound Files?
DD – Sure. The Bloodhound Files is about a world where the supernatural races—vampires, werewolves and golems—are the dominant civilization. Human beings make up just one percent of the population and are considered a federally protected endangered species. The main character, Jace Valchek, is an FBI profiler from our world, specializing in deranged killers. She gets yanked into this parallel universe for her skills—the supernaturals are immune to mental diseases as well as physical ones, so they have no experience with craziness.
Amber - How did you come up with the idea for The Bloodhound Files? Was it a long process or did it just come to you?
DD –Basically, I wanted to do something in the paranormal romance/thriller field that hadn’t been done before, while staying true to the heart of the genre and what its readers want from it. Plus, I’d had this idea for “domesticated” vampires kicking around in my head for years—in fact, I tried to use it in an “Angel” book I wrote. Strangely enough, the publishers loved everything about the proposal except that one idea, which they gave back to me. Thanks, guys.
Amber - I really enjoyed the first book in The Bloodhound files, Dying Bites. Book two, Death Blows, is due out soon. What can we expect from the new installment?
DD – Glad you enjoyed it. Death Blows is out at the end of March, and features Jace trying to catch a serial killer who’s obsessed with comic books. The thing is, comic books in this particular reality have been banned since they can be used as powerful mystic focuses, much like grimoires. You don’t have to know anything about comics or superheroes to enjoy the story, though—I treat them like a bizarre sort of interconnected mythology, one that Jace doesn’t know much about herself. The plot has a whole bunch of different elements, including cowboy golems, African royalty, monks, secret societies, pirate queens and pregnant vampires. Also, there’s a puppy. Sorta.
Amber - Are you anything like the main character Jace? Are any of your characters based on people in your life?
DD – Jace is more of an outlet for me than an accurate representation. She’s much snarkier and more sarcastic—I’m a very upbeat, cheerful person with occasional moments of crankiness. I can use her to say some of the things I’m too polite to say myself.
As for other characters, I don’t use people around me as characters. I steal little pieces here and there, certainly, character traits or bits of business I like, but I never just copy outright.
Amber - What kind of research did you have to do to write Dying Bites and Death Blows? Anything interesting?
DD – I do a lot of research on the fly—I don’t mean on flies, I mean in the midst of writing. I come up with a cool idea for a scene in Alaska, and the next thing you know I’m on Google, getting an idea of exactly what the place will look like, what kind of plants grow there, etc. For Dying Bites, I did research on Japanese wolves, the Yakuza, HP Lovecraft, World War Two, Easter Island, swing dancing, and martial arts—including a scene that a very good friend of mine, Lisa Gemino, helped me choreograph move-for-move. For Death Blows, I researched comics writers like Grant Morrison and Alan Moore, the life of Bela Lugosi, historical figures that ranged from Alexander the Great to Thomas Edison, Japanese Shinto, and how much chocolate will poison a dog.
Amber - I always thought Jace was a guy’s name. So I have to ask, how do you pick the names you use in your books and do they hold any special meanings for you?
DD – I usually put a lot of thought into naming my characters, but Jace was an exception. It just popped into my head and the character insisted that it was her name. It wasn’t until later that I discovered it’s the short version of Jacinda, which is Spanish. I always knew Jace looked sort of Spanish, so that fit nicely. You got a problem with it, take it up with her—I know better than to argue with her.
Amber - How many more books will there be in the series? Are you working on any other projects you would like to tell us about?
DD –The series is open-ended right now. Killing Rocks will follow Death Blows, and I’m talking to the publisher right now about a follow-up to that. I have plenty of ideas for Jace, so I hope the series will continue for some time.
Amber - Have you always wanted to be an author? And why did you pick this genre?
DD – I’ve known I was going to be a writer since I was a kid. It was never even a question for me—just a matter of when I was going to buckle down and get serious. Once I did, I never looked back.
As far as the genre goes, I’ve always loved monsters. The first line of Dying Bites, “I think about monsters a lot,” is me being honest.
Another love of mine has always been THE TWILIGHT ZONE. There was something the original series did really well, that idea that you could just be going along, living your life, and then suddenly there would be a change, that some bizarre element would be introduced into the everyday. The world would still look much the same, but it wouldn’t be. You’ve crossed over into a different realm, with different rules. That kind of subtle dislocation seems to me to be where most of the paranormal romance genre lives and thrives.
Amber - What is the easiest and hardest part about being an author?
DD – The easiest part is coming up with ideas. I’ve got so many I know I’ll never be able to write them all. Coming up with new ideas will never be a problem for me.
The hardest part of being an author—at least in the beginning—is the discipline. Forcing yourself to sit down and write, five days a week, is the downfall of most beginners. It’s like any sort of regular exercise, though; it gets easier the longer you do it, until NOT doing it becomes the hard part.
Amber - How do you relax? Do you have any hobbies?
DD – Though I don’t own one—yet!—I love hot tubs. I’m pretty social, too—getting into interesting discussions at parties with my friends is one of the ways I love to unwind. As far as hobbies go, I will admit that I am addicted to comics. Been reading them all my life, studying every aspect of structure, dialogue, plotting and characterization, examining and analyzing how the great ones tell a story . . . I’ve done a little work in the medium but my career as a novelist hasn’t let me concentrate on it as much as I would have liked. Maybe I’ll be able to do some work in the field in the near future.
Amber - Alot of authors have 'soundtracks' for their books. Is there any music that has influenced your books so far?
DD – I like U2 and Paul Simon a lot. Devo is fun to dance to. And I get a big kick out of artists like Jonathan Coulton.
Amber - What books do you enjoy reading? Do you have any favourite authors/series?
DD – I don’t read as much as I’d like to, certainly not as much as I used to when I was young. In the paranormal field I like Kelley Armstrong, Charlaine Harris and Jim Butcher. Mystery writers I like include John D. McDonald, John Connelly, Robert Ferrigno. Funny writers: Douglas Adams, Jasper Fforde, Christopher Moore, Terry Pratchett. Thomas Harris. Stephen King. Dan Simmons is probably my favorite and excels at any genre he tries. Neal Stephenson, who defies categorization. Spider Robinson, William Gibson, John Varley, Joe Haldeman, Roger Zelazny and about a zillion other science fiction writers. And of course, some of my favorite comics writers: Gail Simone, Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison, Brian Michael Bendis, Joss Whedon, Kurt Busiek, Mark Waid, Garth Ennis, Judd Winnick, Michael J. Straczynski, Geoff Johns and a bunch more.
Amber - If you could be any paranormal creature, what would you be and why?
DD – I’d have to go with genie, because that way you can pretty much do anything. Plus you could hang with Robin Williams or Barbara Eden anytime you wanted. Or maybe even Larry Hagman—he played Major Nelson. And then later he was on Dynasty as an evil oil tycoon.
You know what I always wanted to see? Larry Hagman guest-hosting Saturday Night Live. Because then you could do this sketch where he’s playing the evil oil tycoon sitting behind his desk and all of a sudden BOING! Jeannie appears.
J: Hello, Master! LH: Oh, no. J: Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you! LH: (in Texan accent) I—I think you have me confused with someone else. J: Why are you talking funny, Master? Is something wrong? LH: Nothing’s wrong. You should just—go back wherever you came from, all right? You’re gonna screw everything up. You always screw everything up. J: But Master—I only want you to be happy. LH: Happy? Happy? You know how long it took me to reinvent myself after that crappy little sitcom? (Accent abruptly disappears) All people saw when they looked at me was bumbling Major Nelson. Hey, look,it’s that guy who used to be an astronaut! Guess the cosmic rays fried his brain, because he sure acts like an idiot now! Still going for regular therapy sessions with that shrink, Nelson? J: Oh, Master. I’m so sorry. I’d do anything to make things up to you. LH: Look, Jeannie, just stay away from me. I’ve got a new life now, lots of money, lots of power, and— A look of dawning comprehension crosses his face, followed by an extremely evil smile. The next time he speaks, the Texan accent is back in full. LH: Anything, darlin’? SCREEN CAPTION: One hour later. Larry sits atop a mountain of cash, dismembered human bodies, and cocaine. He looks extremely satisfied. Jeannie sits at his feet, chin on hands, looking mortified. J: Oh, Master. DYNASTY theme swells as the credits roll.
Um, of course, that’s just me. What was the question again?
Amber - Thank you for visiting Amberkatze's Book Blog! I hope you will come back for another visit in the future!
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Contest Time!
One lucky winner will receive their choice of DD Barant book! That means you can choose Dying Bites if you haven't read it yet or the new book Death Blows if you already read the first book!
How to enter
Tell me what you are listening to! What is rocking your iPod? ;)
No Music - no entry
Earn more entries for each place you link this contest on the net. You can post on Facebook, Twitter & MySpace but make sure you add links here for me to confirm your entries!
You can also earn extra entries by emailing your friends about the contest. Just make sure you send a copy of your email or receipt to me at Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot net.
Make sure you post your links here so I can confirm your entries.
Keep the contests going by using the Amazon links below and around the site!
The contest will stay open until Sunday 11th of April 2010 4pm CET and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.
The next couple of weekends are doubled booked here on Amberkatze's Book Blog! Not only will there be an author guest on Sundays but also on Saturday as well! So make sure you don't miss anything!
Here are the upcomming author guest dates -
3/4/10 - DD Barant 4/4/10 - Leanna Renee Hieber 10/4/10 - Lana Griffin 11/4/10 - Sherri Edwin 17/4/10 - Helen Scott Taylor 18/4/10 - Maria V. Snyder 25/4/10 - Nicole Peeler 2/5/10 - Jeri Smith-Ready
The prize for the August Monthly Giveaway was left up to you guys! I gave you all the choice of five books and let you vote for which one you wanted to win. That meant that the winner of the giveaway will get the most popular book as their prize!
At the beginning it really looked like Bad Moon Rising by Sherrilyn Kenyon was going to be the winner. Then Dying Bites by D. D. Barant took the lead! However the winner now, with the poll ending, is Cape Storm by Rachel Caine!!!!
So now we know the prize! We can pick a winner!
So the winner is...the subscriber with the email starting with -
vanillaglitter!!!
Congratulations!
Please contact me via email - Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot eu within the next 7 days to claim your prize. Your claim will go quicker if you send me your address straight away.
I will pick a new winner if a prize isn't claimed. If you email me and don't get a reply within 48 hours please post on the blog letting me know. Some email gets eaten by my spam filter.
This month, like last month, I am letting you all vote for which book you want to win! That means the winner will get the book with the most votes and not necessarily the book they voted for.
There are five books to choose from so vote away!
How to enter the Monthly Giveaway
All you have to do to have your name put in the draw is to sign up for Amberkatze's Book Blog newsletter. Sign up and confirm your subscription and maybe your name will be picked as a winner!
If you already subscribed then you are also eligible to win this prize! Just make sure you confirmed your subscription and that the subscription is for this site and not for the old version!
This book is registered on Bookcrossing.com but you do not have to be a member to win this prize. I do not expect the winner to journal the book on bookcrossing or become a member of Bookcrossing. The book does have a sticker inside advertising Bookcrossing.
Jace is dreaming one moment and in another reality the next. Being ripped from her reality isn't easy and before she can ask enough questions and get satisfactory answers she finds herself in a hospital bed. It isn't long before Jace finds out what has happened to her and starts putting the pieces together, even if the full picture sounds and looks like she is still dreaming.
The reality where Jace has been sucked into is one where humans are the minority. David Cassius, the vampire head of the NSA has brought Jace into their world to help solve a series of gruesome murders on vampires and werewolves. In a strange world that is very similar to her own on most fronts she still feels lost when asked to profile the kind of person they are dealing with. After all she hasn't worked with vamps, lycanthropes and golems before.
The insane serial killer is a threat the NSA and they have no past experience to help them. But Jace does. Stranded in a reality where every full moon is a party, Jace has to hunt down a fellow human before he brings the entire planet to the brink of madness. Or she may never see her own world again.
This first book in the Bloodhound Files is just amazing. The whole alternative reality thing made me wonder if this would be more sci-fi than paranormal but the author has hit my favourite genre right on the head and has left me with yet another series to add to my must read list.
Jace is a great main character, even though she accepts the whole vamp, were and golem thing a little too easily for my liking. Scary, bloody and full of dark humour this has got to be one of my favourite debut novels this year. This whole new fresh fun angle on the typical urban paranormal story gets a big thumbs up from me and I am really looking forward to the second book, Death Blows, when it comes out.
The Monthly Giveaway is now closed for votes and entries! 
And the winner, by just a few votes, is -
