So things have been busy work wise and I just realised that I didn't post a winner for the Lynsay Sands contest! Then I also noticed that nobody claimed the prize from the Justin Gustainis Contest! Plus the Maria Lima contest just finished so there are three winners to announce!
So here we go :
Lynsay was giving away a signed copy of Under A Vampire Moon! Congrats to :
Karen Wapinski !!!
Argeneau Vampire Series
(last few books - for a full list go here)
Justin was giving away a copy of his latest release Evil Dark. The winner can choose either a signed print copy, or a digital copy (either ePub or Mobi). Congrats to :
Maria was hosting a reader's choice giveaway. The winner gets to choose any one of her books. Make sure you let me know which book you would like when claiming your prize! Congrats to :
Didn't win this time? Keep trying! Check out the new contest in the sidebar --->
----------------------------------------
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 won an e-book please make sure you send me the email address you would like the book sent to!
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. However please don't send me more than one email unless you really don't get an answer within 3 days. I am not online 24/7 ;) Sometimes it takes a little longer to reply.
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.
Her guest blog is all about the audio books for her Blood Lines Series and how she is actually recording them herself!! Interested? Go read more!
Also Maria is giving away a copy (winners choice) of one of her books! Make sure you enter the contest by Sunday! This is your chance to try the series or get the book you are missing!
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 entry. Amberkatzes_Book_Blog@gmx.eu
I have always loved Maria Lima's Blood Lines series! Not only are they amazing but they have a Welsh twist to them. So when Maria asked me a few years ago to help her with a few Welsh words I was extremely happy to help as much as I could. I don't speak fluent Welsh but I am a born and bred Welsh gal and have learnt my fair share of the language over the years.
Then Maria contacted me last year about her audio books. I was shocked and quite surprised to learn that she was narrating her own books! Now I have listened to enough audio books to know that it can't be easy to read a book (sometimes over 10 hours long) but I hadn't heard of an author doing the job themselves.
So I asked Maria to come on the blog again and tell us the story of how it all happened! Anyone who listens to audio books will find this interesting and people who haven't yet taken the time to try the Blood Lines series may just pick them up!
Make sure you read all the way through and enter the contest! Maria is giving away one of her books to one lucky person!
---------------------------------
In the first grade, my teacher and I would work together in a special one-on-one class as I learned to speak English. One of the tools we used was a reel-to-reel tape recorder. I don’t remember much about the lessons, but I do remember that one of the notes on my report card was how much I enjoyed working with the recorder.
Little did I know that my inherent love of technology would eventually lead to me recording my own audiobooks some forty-some-odd years later. Did that early exposure help lead me to it? Who knows. It didn’t hurt that I was equally as fascinated by how entertainment gets made: music, TV shows, movies all throughout school, so much so that my major in college was radio, broadcast and film, with an emphasis on TV/Film production. Hands on classes only helped solidify my love.
So when John Betancourt at Wildside Books talked to me about doing an audiobook contract via the indie arm of Audible.com, ACX, I agreed immediately. Did I know then that I’d end up being the narrator? Not really. I’d envisioned auditioning voices and picking someone out. Only, it didn’t quite work that way.
The project was up at ACX for a while and, though narrators were auditioning, no one was right. Enough so that John didn’t even forward any auditions to me for a long time. A friend of mine offered to audition. She’s got a great voice, but still, not quite what I was looking for. Finally, John sent over an audition that he thought was good. I, however, immediately ran in the other direction. Seems that his internal ear and mine were completely at odds.
I finally realized that the voice I heard in my head for Keira, who is the 1st-person protagonist of the series, was so very clear, so wholly envisioned, that I had to do this myself. I girded my mental loins, did a lot of reading and research on how to use GarageBand, what the specs were for recording for ACX, how to create an at-home studio (since I couldn’t afford to rent a sound studio). There were definitely some hurdles, but none insurmountable.
I quickly signed up as narrator and, working with John, did all the official online paperwork to assign the projects to me.
Then came the hard part. Oh, I knew how to read aloud. In fact, I had some voice-over training during college and am not afraid of the microphone. Only, I didn’t really grok just how much work it was to record it right. You know, with no errors, with the right inflections, etc. Then after that, there’s the QA process: re-listening to what I did and making sure there aren’t any weird, extraneous noises in the background, like the cat sneezing (which seems to happen just when I’m about to finish an emotional paragraph). The file needs to be cleaned up and then mastered, something I was a total n00b at. Sadly, GarageBand doesn’t have mastering capability. Mastering, for the unitiated is basically taking the raw audio and creating the final mix, balancing the high and low sounds.
Thank Google I found a lovely online app that did the work for me. It’s a bit tedious, but it’s simple. Each chapter, which is recorded separately, is mastered, then uploaded to ACX. After this, the publisher reviews and accepts the file. Once the entire book is done and uploaded, then ACX folks review and accept and voila, at some point within 2 to 3 weeks of your finishing, the audio book is for sale.
The main lesson I learned? I knew enough to be dangerous. I didn’t know enough to realize just how much work this was going to be. For every hour of finished audio, there’s probably another 2 to 3 hours of work just on the recording part. This isn’t counting all the hours of research, review, restarting my process.
Is it worth it? Absolutely. I know how the words are supposed to sound. I know the exact inflections, what to emphasize, how to pronounce the Spanish, what the various accents sound like. And, thanks to the lovely Amber, who provided me with the exact pronunciations of the Welsh words and phrases, I can make a darned good attempt at the Welsh.
Matters of the Blood (the first book in the series) is now available via Audible.com and iTunes. I’m nearly done with the initial recording round of Blood Bargain (book 2) and then, it’s on to the rest. My goal is to finish all the books by October. It’s been a blast, even though it’s been hard work. Heck, I’m even considering looking for other books to narrate!
Maria is hosting a reader's choice giveaway. The winner gets to choose any one of her books. So you can start the series, continue where you left off or finally get a copy of the last installment!
How To Enter
Any good audio books you want to recommend? Any you want to try? Do you think authors should read their own books for audio versions? Discuss ;)
No Answer = No Entry
'Please enter me' posts will NOT be counted as an entry
Earn more entries for each link you place about 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! However please do not make individual postings for each entry. Please post all your entries in one post.
Advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog on your site and get an extra entry for this and every other contest!
Have you 'Liked' Amberkatze's Book Blog on Facebook?
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 Bookdepository.com and Amazon.com links/Banners below and around the site.
The contest will stay open until 4pm on Sunday 17th June (Central European Time) 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 September Monthly Giveaway is now over! the poll is closed and it is time to announce which book you all want the most and which newsletter subscriber gets a copy of said book!
This came as a huge surprise to me! This months winner isSupernaturally by Kiersten White! An amazing 41.67% of votes gets this Young Adult read first place.
Congrats to the winner of the Monthly Giveaway! If you email address beings with :
Annemarie562000!!
You have won!
Keep reading to find out how to claim your prize!
Didn't win this time? If you subscribed to the newsletter then you are automatically entered to each Monthly Giveaway!
More contests are coming so keep checking back!
Please use the links below to buy your books and keep the Monthly Giveaway going!
----------------
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 won an e-book please make sure you send me the email address you would like the book sent to!
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. However please don't send me more than one email unless you really don't get an answer within 3 days. I am not online 24/7 ;) Sometimes it takes a little longer to reply.
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.
Yes the September Monthly Giveaway is finally here! Looking back at the books I read last month reminds me what a mixed basket it was. Some were extremely good reads while others could have been a lot better than they were.
Want to win one of the books I read in September? Well you can! It is time for the Monthly Giveaway! You have the chance to vote for which book you want to win from my five favourite reads in August!
What is the Monthly Giveaway?
I pick five of my favourite reads from the last month (sorry no ARCs are included!) then you guys go to the poll and vote for the book you want to win or the one you think deserves to win! Remember! You may not actually win the book you voted for.
Here is a little info about each book on offer this month. 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 Sunday 16th of October 2011 4pm (all times are in Central European Time). The winner will be announced later that day.
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 entry. Amberkatzes_Book_Blog@gmx.eu
Use the Bookdepository or Amazon links/banners to keep the prizes coming! Oh and advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog wherever you can ;)
Talk about wedding crashers from hell. Keira Kelly and her sexy vampire king, Adam, are about to tie the proverbial knot—sort of—when an uninvited blood relative shows up to cast a long, dark shadow over the happy occasion. Adam’s brother Gideon comes bearing the one-size-fits-all gift of bad news: an ancient, convoluted Challenge thrown down upon the entire Kelly clan. It seems the dreaded forces of the Dark Fae have declared war on Keira’s family, and at stake is the land that is rightfully theirs.
But while the Kellys gather their troops in a historic San Antonio hotel to strategize, there’s mayhem back in Rio Seco. The old cemetery is vandalized, fires break out, and—worst of all—the Kelly clan matriarch and leader, Keira’s great-great-grandmother Minerva, goes missing. Should Keira risk breaking the Challenge rules by returning to her beloved home, or should she continue the waiting game that seems the only other option? With everything she loves and maybe even her life on the line, she has only one chance to get the answer right.
My Review :
Blood Sacrifice is the fifth book in the Blood Lines series and most likely the last (see interview with Maria) so I couldn't wait to delve into this one. I have been following the series since the beginning and have had a slight influence on the Welsh used in the books. This is a series that really has a special place on my shelf and I have to say I am not happy that it has come to an end.
This book is all about politics and cleaning up house. With everything that has gone on since the beginning, Blood Sacrifice goes about its business of clearing up all the little bits and pieces and packing some punches along the way. There is never a slow moment in this book and there is always something going on. I felt like if I blinked I would miss something important there was so much happening. It was pure paranormal action and it was lovely.
I have always liked Keira and this book made me like her even more. She is an amazing woman and I can only hope that the author does get to continue this series somehow because I want to see what else Keira gets up to. The end of Blood Sacrifice doesn't end things for good and there are few questions I still want to see answered - like how Bea's baby turns out!
Any fans of the series will enjoy this fifth installment and beg for more. Anyone who hasn't tried the books yet now has the chance to buy them all and read them in one delicious bite. I will now wait and hope that more Keira stories come along or maybe this great author will delight us with something new. Either way a must read author.
Maria Lima was one of my author guests this week! Her newest release, Sacrifice of the Blood, is out now! Make sure you check out the Blood Lines series if you haven't already. It makes for great Paranormal Urban Fantasy reading!
If you read the interview and entered the contest you could be the winner of a copy of Maria's new book! Blood Sacrifice is the fifth (any maybe...last) book in the series so I hope everyone who doesn't win puts these on their wishlist on in their shopping basket!
Anyway...the contest is closed and it is time to announce the winner! So congrats to :
Gail!!!
Keep reading to find out how to claim your prize!
Didn't win this time? Make sure you try Maria's books and use the links below and help keep the contests going on Amberkatze's Book Blog!
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 won an e-book please make sure you send me the email address you would like the book sent to!
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. However please don't send me more than one email unless you really don't get an answer within 3 days. I am not online 24/7 ;) Sometimes it takes a little longer to reply.
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.
Maria is giving away a copy of Blood Sacrifice her fifth book in the Blood Lines Series. This book released this week and I am dying to start reading it. Just need more time to read :)
Also this weekend the new Monthly Giveaway will be starting. You could win one of my favourite reads from August! Make sure you check in, vote and enter!
---------------
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 entry. Amberkatzes_Book_Blog@gmx.eu
Justin was giving away a copy of Sympathy For The Devil to one lucky reader of Amberkatze's Book Blog! Now the contest is closed and it is time to announce the winner! So congrats to :
Alicia0605!!!
Keep reading to find out how to claim your prize!
Didn't win this time? Then keep trying! Also make sure you entered the other author contests running this week.
Also it is nearly time for the Monthly Giveaway! Keep checking in or better yet sign up for the newsletter!
Make sure you check out Justin's books and please use the links below to order! Keep the contests going!
---------------------------------
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 won an e-book please make sure you send me the email address you would like the book sent to!
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. However please don't send me more than one email unless you really don't get an answer within 3 days. I am not online 24/7 ;) Sometimes it takes a little longer to reply.
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.
I may have said this before so excuse me if I am repeating myself but it is really hard not to play favourites with my author guests. Some I want to rave about so much but it wouldn't be fair on the others but in Maria Lima's case, well I have to say she rocks! Oh and her books do too ;)
Maria Lima is the author of the Blood Lines series and I have been following Keira's story since the beginning. Now book five, Blood Sacrifice, is due out (30th August) and if you take the time to read the interview you will find out that it could be the last *sniffle*
So make sure you check out the interview, enter the contest and if you haven't already read the series, go and read it!!! Enjoy!!!
-------------------------
Amber - Welcome back to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here again as a guest! Blood Sacrifice is due out! What can we expect from your fifth Blood Lines book?
Maria - Conclusions and new beginnings.
Amber - There may just be some wedding bells in Blood Sacrifice. Is planning a wedding in a book easier than planning one in real life?
Maria - Ha, I think so! I’ve helped plan several weddings and believe me, hosting a supernatural reception is 1000 times easier.
Amber - What paranormal creatures are you dying to fit into a story but you haven't managed to fit in yet?
Maria - Dragons! I haven’t quite yet found the right story. I prefer to write urban fantasy (instead of high fantasy), so I’m not sure how I can fit dragons into the “real” world.
Amber - And what about ones you would never use?
Maria - Zombies. I really, really dislike zombies. I know they’re popular in some circles, but they just utterly squick me.
Amber - Will there be more books in the series? How long would you like to see things continue for Keira ? Do you see an end in sight?
Maria - Very good questions! At this point, I don’t have a contract for any more books, so I can say that BLOOD SACRIFICE is the final book in this story arc. I’m just not sure what the future holds for this series, as far as actual publication in book form. I do know what happens next, though. Could be I do a short story or two, or maybe a novella and self e-publish.
Amber - What is next? Are you working on any other projects you would like to tell us about?
Maria - I’m currently working on a project that’s not ready for prime time (see the collaboration question below). I’ve also got a short story in the recently published San Diego Noir. It’s a fairly straightforward noir mystery with my usual urban fantasy bent. If you like non-fiction, fandom meta type of reading, I’ve got an essay in Whedonistas: A Celebration of the Worlds of Joss Whedon by the Women Who Love Them (Norwegian Press).
Amber - Are you a full time writer or do you have a day job? If yes, How do you divide your time?
Maria - I have a day job. Sadly, writing doesn’t pay enough for me to quit. I did curtail my work schedule to 4 days a week. I was very lucky that the small company I work for was able to accommodate me. Taking a pay cut was tough, but it’s worth the lessened stress. I tend to do my writing during my extended weekend. Marketing/blogging/business activities are usually done before or after work.
Amber - Would you ever be able to write a book together with another author? If yes, which author would you like to work with and why?
Maria - I’m actually working on a project now with a friend of mine, Carla Coupe. Carla is the author of several award-nominated mystery short stories and some Sherlock Holmes pastiche stories. I can’t really say a lot more, only that it will be cool! We hope to unveil news some time in the fall of this year.
Amber - Some authors have branched out into the YA genre. Have you or would you think about writing a YA book?
Maria - Yes, absolutely. I’ve got a few YA ideas that I’m percolating.
Amber - Who or what has been the biggest influence in your life?
Maria - I have to credit my parents for being avid readers. I grew up in a house that was full of books of all kinds. I remember being so very excited in first grade, when I found out that I could buy books that were for me (via Scholastic Books). To me, that was heaven on earth. To this day, I feel sad when I hear about kids who don’t read or whose parents never taught them the love of reading.
Amber - I am a happy Kindle owner and was wondering if you own an ereader yourself and how you see ebooks? Good, bad or just plain evil?
Maria - I LOVE ebooks, My short-range (reading range) vision is pretty horrible these days, so the adjustable font size on ebooks is brilliant! Between the eyesight and the lack of room in my apartment, ebooks have been like the answer to a prayer. I enjoy the idea of having more ways to read.
Amber - What are you listening and watching lately? Read any good books recently?
Maria - I’ve been listening a lot to Adele. She’s an amazing singer. As for reading, I’ve got a few books in the queue that I’m dying to get to: Seanan McGuire’s latest Toby Daye book (Late Eclipses), Kevin Hearne’s Hounded. I’m so behind on fiction!
Amber - What's your favorite paranormal movie of all time?
Maria - That is absolutely impossible to answer! I find that my “go to” entertainment tends to be more TV show oriented. I love British police procedurals (Luther, A Touch of Frost), SF (Doctor Who, Torchwood) and hard line dramas like Sons of Anarchy or Oz. I’ve also been known to while away a Sunday afternoon with Jane Austen movies (Persuasion, Emma, Pride & Prejudice). Oddly enough, I’m less likely to watch a purely paranormal movie.
Amber - If you could be any famous person, alive or dead, who would you be? and why?
Maria - Ack! Another tough question. I’d probably be Charlaine Harris, because she is a wonderful, kind and talented person who truly deserves all the good fortune she’s gotten.
Amber - Thank you for being a guest again on Amberkatze's Book Blog!
Maria wants to give away a copy of BLOOD SACRIFICE to one lucky person!
How To Enter
Summer is nearly over but which book will you remember and recommend from the last couple of months?
No book = No Entry
Earn more entries for each link you place about 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! However please do not make individual postings for each entry. Please post all your entries in one post.
Advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog on your site and get an extra entry for this and every other contest!
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 Bookdepository.com and Amazon.com links/Banners below and around the site!
The contest will stay open until Sunday 4th of September 2011 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.
