In My Mailbox

 

In My Mailbox was created by The Story Siren.

In My Mailbox this week for review:

The Greek Maiden and the English Lord by Patty Apostolides
(The Book Depository/Barnes & Noble)

Summary:
Six year old Lily Montgomery wanders from her home in Patras on that fateful night of 1821 when the Ottomans set fire to the Greek city, and is captured by gypsies. Ten years later, she learns about her true identity from her gypsy grandmother and begins her search for her father, who is an English Lord and her mother, a Greek heiress. Her personal journey leads her to England, where she is informed by her cousin, Mrs. Bennington, that her father is away on a trip to the Indies and her mother presumably dead from the war. Lily is sent away to boarding school by Mrs. Bennington. There, she falls in love with Edward Grant, an English lord, but he is engaged to another. When Lily receives news that her father has died in a shipwreck, her whole world turns upside down. She has no funds and is forced to work as a maid to pay her tuition. Love wins the day, however, and a surprise ending will bring happiness to all.

Guest Post: Take a Vacation with Your Imagination!

Four easy steps to taking that dream vacation without spending a dime.

Guest post by author Krystle Jones. 

Life: the ultimate pinball machine

It’s 6 am. You’re still asleep, blissfully unaware that it’s the dawn of a new day. Then without warning, the baby starts crying, the alarm goes off, and in general, all hell begins to break loose throughout the house. You’re wrenched out of your peaceful dreamland and dropped right back into the chaotic mess that is often our lives.

Okay, maybe that’s not your life (and I’m supremely jealous). But when you think about it, we do a LOT nowadays. We get up, then bounce around like a ball in a pinball machine from work, home, soccer practice, play rehearsal, ballet lessons, doing homework, putting the kids to sleep (if you have kids, but you get the idea) and so on. And even if you manage to complete all the necessary odds-and-ends that “being you” entails, something else always comes up, like the freaking car breaking down, which, of course, will have to be fixed. Yet something else to take away from your precious free time, of which there is already too little.

So when are you supposed to “get away from it all?”

Review Request: Veiled Innocence by Krystle Jones

Veiled Innocence, Book One of The Soul Cycle, is a YA fantasy by Krystle Jones.

Please read the summary of the book and leave a comment below or contact Krystle through her website if you would like to review it.

Summary:
Sometimes your greatest battles are fought from within.

Lianora has never placed much stock in the gods or in the lore of the land. She especially never believed the legends that spoke of a lost ancient magic, a magic woven from the fabric of people’s souls. So when she discovers the teardrop necklace, she thinks it to be nothing special – until the visions begin, horrific glimpses of an approaching evil, mingled with fragments of a legendary empress’ shattered past.

Try as she might, Lianora cannot ignore the omens. As the visions worsen, she finds herself internally battling a shadowy voice that seems bent on consuming her whole. When tragedy strikes her home, she is forced to flee and team up with Vishka, a beautiful, fierce warrior shrouded in mystery, and Rowan, a brooding young knight. Together, the reluctant allies must find a way to conquer the darkness threatening to overtake the land of Eresea, and Lianora will have to come to terms with the destiny she never asked for.

Win 52 books from The Book Depository

To celebrate the first anniversary of its introduction of "Book of the Week," The Book Depository is giving away all 52 books that have been featured over the past year to one lucky winner!

Click here to enter! 

No purchase necessary to enter. The competition will close at the end of November. You must be over 16 to enter or have a parent enter for you.

The Book Depository offers free shipping worldwide.

Guest post: Amy O'Neill on writing her first novel

My name is Amy O’Neill and Krazy Book Lady has been so kind as to let me do a guest blog for my first novel, Finding Home from my California Dreaming Series. I’m really excited to finally release this contemporary romance. I’ve been working on it for almost three years, but have finally been able to self-publish it myself a few weeks ago.

Finding Home has a special place in my heart. Not just because it’s my first novel or that it signifies the first steps on my path to be a full-time romance writer. Finding Home holds my heart because, ironically, through writing it I found my own home, figurative and literally.

I started writing Finding Home one day while I was experiencing a moment of down time in my “regular” job. I was sitting, thinking about beautiful San Diego and how wonderful it was to vacation there on my honeymoon with my second husband. It was a great way to start a new marriage, full of vibrancy and life. As I thought about it all, I began typing and created Avery Scott. 

Interview with Amy O'Neill

 I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Amy O'Neill, the author of Finding Home. Amy is very personable, and I have really enjoyed chatting with her through email.

What made you decide to self publish?
 I decided to self-publish mostly because patience is not a virtue of mine.  Going the traditional publishing route can take years and a lot of rejections.  I was feeling intimidated by the whole publishing aspect and a friend suggested going it on my own.  Within a few short months, after finding my own editor and fixing mistakes, I was able to self-publish Finding Home in less time than it takes for a query response!

How long have you been writing?

I have been writing since I was about 12 years old.  I started with my diary, which is where I learned to express myself from the heart.  I also began making up stories to help cope with a not-so pleasant home life since my parents divorced about that same time.

Giveaway: 3 copies of Finding Home by Amy O'Neill

This giveaway is part of the Spooktacular Giveway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Diary of A Bookworm.

The giveaway is for 1 ebook copy of Finding Home, a Contemporary Romance by Amy O'Neill. There will be 3 different winners.

The giveaway ends October 31 at midnight. Winners will be chosen November 1 and will be notified by email. If I do not hear from you within 3 days, a new winner will be selected.

Giveaway: 3 copies of Veiled Innocence by Krystle Jones

This giveaway is part of the Spooktacular Giveway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Diary of A Bookworm.

The giveaway is for 1 ebook copy of Veiled Innocence, a YA Fantasy by Krystle Jones. There will be 3 different winners.

The giveaway ends October 31 at midnight. Winners will be chosen November 1 and will be notified by email. If I do not hear from you within 3 days, a new winner will be selected.

Review: Finding Home by Amy O'Neill

Finding Home
by Amy O'Neill
Available in ebook and paperback
(Find out how to get 30% off your purchase of Finding Home below.)

Summary from Amazon:
Avery is the quintessential Midwestern girl who relocates to San Diego after a nasty divorce. She’s done with letting fear (or a man) lead her life. But mysterious Damien has other plans for her heart. Damien's spent the last four years in a downward spiral. But the feisty Avery ignites something in him. Their happiness depends on believing in love more than fears that could destroy everything.

30 days and nights of literary abandon with NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo starts in 10 days! Ok, as I am writing this post, it is 10 days, 3 hours and some-odd minutes. (Don't you love that word? Some-odd. Ha! Sorry, but nothing else seemed to fit there.)

I've decided to throw my hat in the ring and participate in NaNoWriMo once again. I seriously think I must have lost my mind, because I have no clue how am I going to have time to take care of my family, work on setting up a new blog, and write a novel in 30 days! However, the whole idea of 30 days and nights of literary abandon calls to me. What can I say?

Interview with author Krystle Jones

Krystle Jones is the author of Veiled Innocence and several other novels for young adults.  I recently had the pleasure of reading Veiled Innocence and enjoyed getting to know Krystle.

How long have you been writing?

Honestly, I can't remember when I haven't been writing, though I didn't start writing "professionally" I guess until about two years ago. When I was little, I would scribble stories into whatever notepad or journal I could find. Sometimes, they were just loose, lined pages stapled together along the edges to form a "real book." LOL Most of my stories were fantasy, and usually about princesses, castles, and unicorns (which I had an obsession with).

Review: Veiled Innocence

Veiled Innocence
by Krystle Jones
Book One of The Soul Cycle

Author's blurb:

Sometimes your greatest battles are fought from within.

Lianora has never placed much stock in the gods or in the lore of the land. She especially never believed the legends that spoke of a lost ancient magic, a magic woven from the fabric of people’s souls. So when she discovers the teardrop necklace, she thinks it to be nothing special – until the visions begin, horrific glimpses of an approaching evil, mingled with fragments of a legendary empress’ shattered past.

Welcome to Krazy Book Lady

Greetings fellow bookworms!  Welcome to Krazy Book Lady!  I was interested in starting this blog because I have always been an avid reader and lover of books.  I am just getting started, obviously, so please bear with me in these beginning stages.  It is my hope that this blog will help introduce you to new authors and help guide you along your literary journey.  So let's get to reading!