Tag: Samantha Verant

*SFN* | Bingo Reading Challenge returns for #RRSciFiMonth 2014! New card! New Choices!

Posted Saturday, 8 November, 2014 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

OOoh my dear wicked sweet ghouls!!

I was quite literally stalking this main page of yours — I was so seriously committed to getting the new Bingo card you have NO IDEA!! The joy this gave me is beyond Jupiter’s moons!! Bless you! :)

And, guess what?! CA Gray’s Piercing the Veil series is not only Sci-Fantasy (a genrebender between science fiction & fantasy) but it will be marking off my FIRST square: parallel universe! Wicked awesome!

– Jorie commenting on the official posting of this year’s BINGO CARD!

SFN Bingo Reading Challenge - hosted by Oh! the Books

This lovely card was created by Asti @ Oh! the Books

Let the Reading Challenge Commence!

B1 – Steampunk:
B2 – Superheroes:
B3 – Teleportation: time travel via teleporation (A Stitch in Time)
B4 – Invisibility:
B5 – Shapeshifters:
I1 – Absent-Minded Professor:
I2 – Apocalypse or World Wide Disaster:
I3 – Colonization of Other Planets:
I4 – Drugs and Medication:
I5 – Parallel Universe: modern England & Arthurian parallel world (Intangible)
N1 – Space Opera:
N2 – Mind Control:
N3 – Free!
N4 – Virtual Reality:
N5 – Domed City:
G1 – Immortality: the Shadow Lord takes centerstage (Invincible)
G2 – Lost Civilizations:
G3 – Human Zoo: Mutants living in captivity who were once human (King of the Mutants)
G4 – Mad Scientists:
G5 – Award Winning:
O1 – Floating City:
O2 – Sci-Fi Classic:
O3 – Alien Invasion:
O4 – Resizing:
O5 – Military Sci-Fi:

SFN Reading List: [combination of scheduled & alternates]

  1. Intangible by C.A. Gray (review) YA Fantasy
  2. King of the Mutants by Samantha Vérant (review) MG Fantasy | the reason I selected this for the ‘Human Zoo’ category is because of the fact the mutant children are different species of animals as you might expect to find in a traditional zoo
  3. Invincible by C.A. Gray (review) YA Fanatasy
  4. A Stitch in Time by Amanda James (review) Time Travel Romance
It will be a wondrous mystery to me to see which elements of these books will enter into the formation of the Bingo card’s taken spaces! I am certain that if I can read the # of books I scheduled to read this month, it will be quite the feat in of itself! I am not curating a list ahead of time but rather will see where my reading journeys take me on the card this year!

Stay tuned!

Rock on, dear hearts!

This post is brought to you by:

SFN 2014 Participant badge created by Jorie in Canva

{SOURCES: Asti at Oh! the Books made the SFN Bingo Card for SFN 2014 participants to take part in the joy of an undisciplined reading challenge! The Bingo card is used with permission. Sci-Fi November Badge created by Jorie in Canva.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

Tweets in regards to the SFN 2014 Bingo Challenge:

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Posted Saturday, 8 November, 2014 by jorielov in Dystopian, Fantasy Fiction, Reading Challenge Addict, Reading Challenges, Sci-Fi November, Science Fiction, SFN Bingo, Steampunk, Time Travel

Book Review | “King of the Mutants” by Samantha Verant a #MGLit debut novel by a writer I discovered through her #memoir!

Posted Wednesday, 5 November, 2014 by jorielov , , , , 0 Comments

Parajunkee Designs

King of the Mutants by Samantha Vérant

Published By: TantrumBooks (@TantrumBooks) an imprint of Month9Books (@month9books)
by Georgia McBride Media Group (@Georgia_McBride)

Tantrum Books is the Speculative Fiction imprint of Month9Books

Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Converse via:#KingoftheMutants & #Month9Books

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Acquired Book By: My path crossed with Ms. Vérant during the blog tour for her memoir “Seven Letters from Paris”, and even before the blog tour began, we were communicating with each other via Twitter. She reached out to me to ask if I would be interested in reviewing the novel, after I had extended the offer to host a Book Spotlight as I was not sure if the book was available to review. I received a complimentary copy of “King of the Mutants” direct from the publisher Month9Books in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

On how I know Ms. Vérant: Our paths were brought together through her debut release “Seven Letters from Paris” as from the moment I found her book on tour with France Book Tours, I knew I wanted to get to know the writer behind the memoir a bit better. I host a weekly chat on Saturdays called #ChocLitSaturdays | @ChocLitSaturday, and I invited her to join us as time would allow her to do so. I knew anyone who was bold enough to write a memoir about her real-life romance could appreciate the lively chatter we exchange! Meanwhile, we started to converse via Twitter privately as well without meeting up on #ChocLitSaturdays. I have appreciated her friendship and following her journey as an author whose career is instantaneous dual in focus between non-fiction and middle grade!

I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with her ahead of reviewing her books. I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

My keen interest in Middle Grade fiction & Indie Pub releases:

I have been on a road back into Children’s Lit since 2009, when a new branch of a local library inspired me to not only seek out the new releases I would want to read as an adult, but the authors of whom were not even published whilst I was growing up within the realm of Children’s Literature. My inspiration backwards in time to the stories of innocence and stories of heart-warming coming-of age were directly due to my nieces and nephews; of whom were still a bit young to soak inside Juvenile Fiction, Middle Grade, or even Young Adult novels — I wanted to reach out to them when they were of age and recommend new choices as much as give them a few from my own childhood.

What I discovered was this incredible expanse of stories who had within them characters of every walk of life and a captivating arc of discovery for the young readers who would find them to read. I have always appreciated stories which seek to teach life lessons as much as to draw a line of empathy out of the readers who are still growing themselves at the times where these kinds of stories are needed most in their lives. I always celebrated stories that perhaps might have been a bit more unique and different from the regular faire, as they too, had something brilliant to offer me. By brilliant, here I refer to the fact that I was always the reader who was seeking out experiences through the joy of reading. I wanted to be challenged a bit, as that extended to gravitate towards stories outside my comfort zones and outside what I might have felt inclined at first to read. The beauty of reading is the exchanging of ‘hats’ and the experiences that are gained through walking inside a character’s shoes who ends up transforming your perspective.

Now that I have opened the door to Children’s Lit, I daresay, even if the selections I make do not interest my nieces and nephews; I can honestly say I have a newfound passion for this branch of the literary divide! I cannot read the books fast enough nor discover their writers as quickly as my heart desires to read what is being published! What wicked fun then, to find a new Indie Publisher who is giving all of us something to talk about through their published works! My heart will always be tied to the Indies, and I celebrate the fact I am now reading Indie Children’s Lit! Read More

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

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Posted Wednesday, 5 November, 2014 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Book Review (non-blog tour), Book Trailer, Bookish Films, Bullies and the Bullied, Children's Literature, Coming-Of Age, Foster Care, Literature for Boys, Middle Grade Novel, Modern Day, Month9Books, Prejudicial Bullying & Non-Tolerance, Realistic Fiction, Sci-Fi November, Science Fantasy, SFN Bingo, Teenage Relationships & Friendships

Indie Writer Month (#IndieWriterMonth)| a special focus on Jorie Loves A Story during November & December 2014!

Posted Saturday, 1 November, 2014 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 Comments

#IndieWriterMonth badge created by Jorie in Canva

I have always had a strong passion for the world of Indies (book shoppes & authors), yet despite all my best efforts to seek out stories published through alternative publishing platforms such as: Independent Publishers & Presses, Self-Published routes (such as POD or otherwise) or even Hybrid Publishing Platforms I found the availability of where they are adverted and spoken about to be a bit limiting prior to becoming a book blogger who became active in the book blogosphere, the book culture in the twitterverse, and a hostess for blog book tours via blog book touring firms and companies.

I had the the pleasure of seeing other bookish bloggers and writers take up the quest to host book spotlights and author features on their blogs leading up to Autumn 2014. I was partially inspired to host my own event as much as shine a light on the fact I read an incredible amount of Indie fiction on a regular basis now! I am always humbled and blessed to have my path cross with authors whose stories not only enchant my mind but they endear my soul. I love the diversity of the stories themselves as much as the love of the craft knitted into their pages.

I cannot wait to share all the lovely posts I am writing which will highlight all the lovely books on my Riffle List which compliments this event! Be sure to watch my Twitter Feeds for announcements & reading tweets whilst I walk through November with a thankfulness of Indie Fiction!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

JLAS Features in Conjunction to #IndieWriterMonth:
  • #IndieWriterMonth Bingo Card Challenge for an Indie Reader
  • This ChocLit Girl has a ChocLit Next Reads List | Why I love Reading ChocLitUK novels
  • Upcoming 2015 Indie New Releases Wicked Happy About
  • Top Indie Children’s Lit: the stories for young readers & young adults
  • Top Indie Speculative Fiction: stories within science fiction, fantasy, & horror
  • Top 10 Favourite Indie Sci-Fi & Fantasy Novels & Writers
  • Top Indie Historical Fiction: stories brought forward out of time itself
  • Top 20 Under-appreciated Indie Novelists
  • Top Favourite Indie Publishers & Presses
  • Next Indie Books to Read on my Bookshelf
  • Next Indie Books to Read via my local library
  • Indie Novels I am Reviewing in December
  • Stories Seeking Love from Readers: the Indie novels spotlight
  • Surprises still to come! :)

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

| Calendar of Book Reviews & Author Guest Features |

THIS SCHEDULE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION : PLEASE READ NOTE!

{ titles in purple are cross-referenced/promoted via Sci Fi November }

Mondays:

(3 Nov) LIVE Author Q&A Piercing the Veil series by C.A. Gray (YA Sci-Fantasy)

(10 Nov) Book Review “Invincible” by C.A. Gray (YA Sci-Fantasy)

(17 Nov) Book Review “The Spoils of Avalon” by Mary F. Burns
(Cosy Historical Mystery : HFVBT)

(TBA Nov) Author Interview with Mary F. Burns

(24 Nov) #ChocLitSaturdays Book Review “Dance Until Dawn” by Berni Stevens
(Paranormal (Vampire) Romance)

(24 Nov) Book Review “Impossibe” by C.A. Gray (YA Sci-Fantasy)

(29 Nov) Series Showcase Spotlight “Piercing the Veil” by C.A. Gray (YA Sci-Fantasy)

Tuesdays:

(4 Nov) Author Interview Marcia DeSanctis “100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go” (#FranceBT)

(18 Nov) Series Spotlight w/ Cover Reveal & Author Q&A of Coming Home Series
by Brenda S. Anderson (Realistic Fiction | Inspirational Romance)

Wednesdays:

(5 Nov) Book Review “King of the Mutants” by Samantha Vérant (#Month9Books : MG Fantasy)

(12 Nov) Book Review “The Vineyard” by Michael Hurley (TLCBookTours)

(19 Nov) Book Review “French Twist” by Glynis Astie (French Romance)

(19 Nov) Audiobook Novella Review of “Dragons of Unrest” by Anthony Russo (Dragon Fiction)

(19 Nov) Author Q&A with Anthony Russo

(26 Nov) Book Review “Seldom Come By” by Sherryl Caulfield (Historical Fiction : HFVBT)

(26 Nov) Author Interview with Sherryl Caulfield

(26 Nov) Book Review “Portals, Passages, and Pathways” by B.R. Maul (YA Fantasy)

Thursdays:

(6 Nov) Book Review “100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go” by Marcia DeSanctis  (#FranceBT)

(13 Nov) Book Review “Fade to Back” by Sue Duff (YA Sci-Fantasy)

(20 Nov) Book Review “Sinking Down” by E. Chris Garrison (Urban/Paranormal Fantasy)

(20 Nov) “Softly Falling” by Carla Kelly (Historical Fiction)

(27 Nov) Book Review “A Home for Christmas” Novella Anthology by MK McKintock
(Historical Fiction : HFVBT)

(27 Nov) Author Interview with MK McKintock

(27 Nov) Book Review: “Crown of Dust” by Mary Volmer (Historical Fiction)

Fridays:

(14 Nov) Book Review & Author Interview “Like There’s No Tomorrow” by Camille Eide
(Sweet Romance)

(21 Nov) Book Review “French Toast” by Glynis Astie (French Romance)

(28 Nov) “Lila’s Choice” by Laura Brown (Equality in Lit / Contemporary Romance)

Saturdays:

(1 Nov) #ChocLitSaturdays Chat Fairy-Tales in Fiction | After Canons/Re-tellings

(15 Nov) #ChocLitSaturdays Book Review “A Stitch in Time” by Amanda James  (Time Travel)

(18 Nov) Book Review “Time and Again” by Deborah Heal (Time Travel)

(22 Nov) #ChocLitSaturdays Book Review “Somewhere Beyond the Sea” by Amanda James (Romantic Suspense)

(22 Nov) Book Review “I, Walter” by Mike Hartner (Historical Fiction)

(22 Nov) Author Interview with Mike Hartner

(22 Nov) Book Review “Unclaimed Legacy” by Deborah Heal (Time Travel)

(29 Nov) #ChocLitSaturdays Book Review “Up Close” by Henriette Gyland (Romantic Suspense)

(25 Nov) Book Review “Every Hill and Mountain by Deborah Heal (Time Travel)

(29 Nov) SPECIAL SHOWCASE: History Mystery Serial Overview w/ Author Interview

Sundays:

(9 Nov) Book Review “Becoming Beauty” by Sarah E. Boucher (Fairy-tale Re-Telling)

(16 Nov) Book Review “A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom” by June McCrary Jacobs
(Sweet Romance)

(16 Nov) Author Interview with June McCrary Jacobs

(16 Nov) Book Review “Category 5” by Paul Mark Tag (Science Fiction based on Science Fact Thriller)

(23 Nov) Book Review “Prophecy” by Paul Mark Tag  (Science Fiction based on Science Fact Thriller)

(30 Nov) Book Review “White Thaw: The Helheim Conspiracy” by Paul Mark Tag
(Science Fiction based on Science Fact Thriller)

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

In recognition of my participation in the reading challenge:

Go Indie 2014 Reading Challenge

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

This post kicks off my event on behalf of:

#IndieWriterMonth Blog Feature of Jorie Loves A Story, badge created by Jorie in Canva#IndieWriterMonth Take 2 (December) badge created by Jorie in Canva

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Reader Interactive Question:

Share your thoughts on Indie Pub | Press; Self Pub and Hybrid published authors of whom you’ve felt such a strong connection to you wish you could find more readers to share in the joy of the stories which captured your imagination & your heart.

{SOURCES: Poster for #IndieWriterMonth on Jorie Loves A Story created by Jorie in Canva. Badge for #IndieWriterMonth (November & December) on Jorie Loves A Story created by Jorie in Canva. Post dividers badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Riffle List embedded due to codes provided by Riffle.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

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Posted Saturday, 1 November, 2014 by jorielov in #IndieWriterMonth, Jorie Loves A Story

Blog Book Tour | “Seven Letters from Paris” {a #memoir 20 years in the making} by Samantha Verant

Posted Wednesday, 15 October, 2014 by jorielov , , 3 Comments

Seven Letters from Paris Blog Tour Badge by SourceBooks

Seven Letters from Paris by Samantha Vérant

Published By: Sourcebooks (@SourceBooks)

Official Authors Websites:
Site | @samantha_verant | Facebook

Available Formats: Trade Paperback

Converse via:#SevenLettersFromParis

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Seven Letters from Paris” virtual book tour through France Book Tours. I received a complimentary ARC copy of the book direct from the publisher Sourcebooks, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Inspired to Read:

From the moment I first saw Seven Letters of Paris adverted for this blog tour with France Book Tours, I *knew!* I wanted to become a part of the readership who not only found a new voice of literary merit to follow an emerging career of but to become part of the magic that eclipsed one woman’s life after a twenty-year search for truth, romance, and a life that all of us would be blessed to find! I was caught up in the synopsis breathing in the life of a woman I had not yet become acquainted with but captured by her real-life Romance whose blurb read like a bonefide Romance novel!

What impressed me the most was how wicked it was her relationship with Jean-Luc had a bit of a false start in France, but a continued connection through postal mail & correspondences with a bit of a wee gap between his seventh letter and her first! The story that is between the two letters is what held me in suspension – my curious heart beating quite rapidly like a hummingbird’s wings and my intent to read her memoir grew out of yearning to know the finer details of her life!

– quoted from the Q&A I hosted with the author

On my connection to Samantha Vérant: 

Early-on when I find an author I feel I can either relate too or simply want to get to know a bit better not only through reading their book(s) but on a personal level, I quickly see if they are on Twitter! Twitter has become such a wicked avenue of connecting with writers I blog about (whether on a blog tour, an off-blog tour review, a library book I attached myself too, or any numerous way a book can enter a person’s life) that I am always most delighted when I find them in the twitterverse! Ms. Vérant’s story inspired me from the moment I learnt of her memoir, and I knew at heart she was a romance lover which is why I had invited her to join my weekly Romance-centered chat #ChocLitSaturdays! We were happily able to connect through that chat for a short bit and I have enjoyed getting the chance to know the writer behind the book!

I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with her through Twitter and privately as well. I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Blog Book Tour | “Seven Letters from Paris” {a #memoir 20 years in the making} by Samantha VerantSeven Letters from Paris
by Samantha Verant
Source: Publisher via France Book Tours

Twenty years, seven letters, and one long-lost love of a lifetime

At age 40, Samantha Vérant’s life is falling apart-she’s jobless, in debt, and feeling stuck… until she stumbles upon seven old love letters from Jean-Luc, the sexy Frenchman she’d met in Paris when she was 19. With a quick Google search, she finds him, and both are quick to realize that the passion they felt 20 years prior hasn’t faded with time and distance.

Samantha knows that jetting off to France to reconnect with a man that she only knew for one sun-drenched, passion-filled day is crazy-but it’s the kind of crazy she’s been waiting for her whole life. 

Genres: Memoir, Non-Fiction



Places to find the book:

Also by this author: Samantha Verant (Interview), King of the Mutants

Published by Sourcebooks

on 7th October, 2014

Pages: 288

Read an Excerpt of the Novel:

Seven Letters from Paris: A Memoir by Sourcebooks

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Author Biography:

Samantha Verant
Photo Credit: Stephen Fisch

Samantha Vérant is a travel addict,
a self-professed oenophile,
and a determined, if occasionally unconventional, French chef.
Over the years, she’s visited many different countries,
lived in many places, and worked many jobs
— always on the search for the one thing that truly excited her.
Then, one day, she found everything she’s been looking for:
a passion for the written word and true love.
Writing not only enabled her to open her heart, it led her to southwestern France,
where she’s now married to a sexy French rocket scientist she met in 1989,
but ignored for 20 years.

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Second Chances & Second Beginnings:

How I have managed to focus on stories of second chances and second beginnings back to back, I dare not know, but the fact remains that part of my appeal to read Seven Letters from Paris is mirrored by my admiration for Up at Butternut Lake; as both are a positive notation on how second chances and second beginnings can erupt out of unexpected hours whilst you were not expecting anything extraordinary to occur. Point of truth is that I think we are always a bit bogged down on the stories where there is not a known positive resolution to the journey two souls take to find each other. Inasmuch as there is such a negative focus out there in the world of books and motion pictures, that seeking out a reprieve that focuses on the purest of joys and the most encouraging aspects of our lives is paramount to maintaining a heart full of happiness. I love seeking out books lit from within with a glowing resolve of warmth, light, and love. I love stories that focus on the heart and soul of the character(s) who tether their lives into my own conscienceness and the best blessing on having discovered this particular book is an affirmation seen at the conclusion of Ever After: the most important part is the fact they actually lived. (am paraphrasing as the exact words elude me)

Read More

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Posted Wednesday, 15 October, 2014 by jorielov in 21st Century, ARC | Galley Copy, Based on an Actual Event &/or Court Case, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Trailer, Bookish Films, Contemporary Romance, Cookery, Debut Author, Diary Accountment of Life, Disillusionment in Marriage, Divorce & Martial Strife, Family Life, Father-Daughter Relationships, France, France Book Tours, French Literature, Indie Author, Life in Another Country, Life Shift, Memoir, Modern Day, Non-Fiction, Postal Mail | Letters & Correspondence, Scribd, Vignettes of Real Life, Writing Style & Voice