Author Feature Annamaria Bazzi #ReadMe

The day has finally arrived. I would like to present to all of annamaria's readers the wonderful cover for:

Book: Incantation Paradox

Author: annamaria bazzi

Cover Designer: Natasha Brown

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Release Date: Undetermined

Blurb:

A car accident cuts Dolores Reynard’s life short, leaving her with a long list of unfulfilled dreams. When she awakens in a strange bed, inside a much younger body, and living with a new family—she can’t worry she might be going insane. How can she be a teenager again?

Jason Richmond understands the danger awaiting his new houseguest. Wanting to ease her concerns, he works to earn Dolores’ trust. But attraction flares in the most unexpected way, and he finds himself caught between setting the situation right and following his heart.

An enduring evil threatens not only the blossoming love but their lives as well. As Dolores and Jason struggle to unravel the truth behind her resurrection, they find themselves tangled in a web of murder, intrigue and magic. Only together can they hope to overcome the incantation paradox holding them captive.

Dolores: 

Hello, my name is Dolores and I'm a forty-something mother of two high school girls, Ella and Chloe. On my way to their recital, I was in a car accident that changed my life forever. We all desire to be young again, but never in someone else's body. If you think magic doesn't exist, think again. There truly are people in the world who can wield magic, and I'm not talking the illusion kind we see on stage, I'm talking real magic, the magic you read in books with wizards and sorceresses. You don't have to take my word, read my story and find out for yourself the ordeal I had to go through to find my way back home.   Author Bio: Although born in the United States, annamaria bazzi spent a great deal of her childhood in Sicily, Italy, in a town called Sciacca. Italian was the language spoken at home. Therefore, she had no problems when she found herself growing up in a strange country. Upon returning to the states, she promised herself she would speak without an accent. She attended Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Computers with a minor in Spanish. annamaria spent twenty years programming systems for large corporations, creating innovative solution, and addressing customer problems. During those years, she raised four daughters and one husband. annamaria lives in Richmond Virginia with her small family where she now dedicates a good part of her day writing. You can visit annamaria at:

Blog - website - Facebook page - twitter - Amazon - email

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I’m Doing the #AtoZChallenge 2014!

I have decided to go for it once again, and participate in the April #AtoZChallenge for 2014. If you are not familiar with this blog hop, it is a very simple, and very enjoyable, way to bring more traffic to your websites. It is also a great writing exercise, and gives you a real challenge with wordplay and subject matter. I participated in the blog hop in 2013 and found it great fun, and also very useful. This year I didn’t think I would be able to participate after several chaotic incidences on the domestic front, but today I feel energized with the promise of Spring, and I am going for it!

My topic of choice for 2014 will be Lifestyle. For me this will encompass all things family oriented, since this is my current focus of activity for many reasons. I may throw in a few posts about my work-life balance, my personal spiritual journey, and my experiences as a mother of two young children and one daft dog… The point is, I plan to use the #AtoZChallenge as a way to liven up my Wordpress blog and give it a boost of energy. The blog challenge will keep my brain ticking over, give me a focus for work when I need it, and of course, remind people about my fantastic adult paranormal romance novels!

 If you are in the #AtoZChallenge this year, give me a shout and I will check out your blog during April. Maybe we can compare notes… If you are new to the challenge and want to join in, there is still time… here is the link. See you later friends!

Book Review: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

I finally got round to reading this classic novel just before Christmas, and I finished reading it in January. I loved it! Dickens had me chuckling from the very first page with his witty description and conversational tone.

Pip is a thoroughly loveable character, and the story is just as relevant now as it was all those years ago when it was first written. In some ways I found it a little sad that British society still has parallels with the austere and oppressive Victorian era, although there is a part of me that thrives on nostalgia. I also felt quite surprised to see the ‘text speak’ in the sections where Pip was teaching Joe to write on a tablet (you know, the old-fashioned chalkboards, not the modern electrical versions). I couldn’t help but think that maybe Mr Dickens was something of a prophet when he described these activities… anyway I highly recommend this book to everybody.

Oh, for the Love of Books!

I am feeling rather sorry for myself at the moment. I am an avid reader. Well, I was an avid reader. I mean, I adore books, always have done, and I always have reading material to hand wherever I go. But lately I have found myself exhausted as a result of several domestic upheavals, and as a result I finished reading one book and actually didn’t start reading another for nearly two weeks. That is shocking!

I don’t think I have ever gone so long without holding a book and taking time to savour the pages and their contents. Anyway, I am relieved to say I have since rectified this problem, although I am only two chapters in to my latest paperback from the pile in my bedroom. I have chosen to read Torment by Lauren Kate, since I enjoyed her first book in the series, Fallen, so much. The novel itself is a hefty paperback, which is what I needed, since I also feel like I have neglected my beloved friends recently in favour of my new Kindle Fire HD.

I suppose we all have times of drought, so to speak. This particular drought was not a surprise to me in the circumstances, but it was quite distressing nonetheless. My fellow book lovers will understand, I am sure. Well, my children are in bed, I am catching up on some work, and then I am off to read a chapter… or two!

*Image of Catherine reading from personal collection; Image of girl reading courtesy of Tumblr

Middlewich Literary Festival Launch Event #MidLitFest

I am pleased to announce that our official launch party for the Middlewich Literary Festival will take place this Thursday, 20th March, at 4:30pm in Middlewich Library. Come along and meet our resident authors, get some industry advice and insider information, and find out more about our fabulous writing and design competitions. See you there!

Happy St Patrick's Day! #IrelandInspires

I couldn't let the day pass without a nod to my grandmother's homeland... I do after all carry the flame red hair that is associated with Ireland! Although I have never visited the country (my family are in Northern Ireland, and it was not safe to visit when I was younger), I feel a kinship with the country because of my beloved Nan. She has lived all over the world, and has lived in the UK throughout my lifetime, simply because my Grandad is a retired naval officer and therefore they travelled with his work. But my Nan has never forgotten her country, and she loves telling stories about her upbringing and family life.

Anyway, Happy St Patrick's Day everybody! Perhaps there is the reason why my Mason brothers are Irish... although they are from Dublin, quite randomly, and I cannot explain why! Check out the Redcliffe novels to learn more about the vampire and werewolf identical twins...

*Irish blessing courtesy of mythnic.com

There’s Something About the Water in Redcliffe! #ReadMe

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of being invited as a special guest author to my local book club. I am actually a member of the book club anyway, so it was quite a strange experience. I was very anxious when I learned that our book of the month for February was my first novel Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel). What would my book club friends think of it? What if they hated it? What if they loved it? What would I say?

As it turned out they all did enjoy my book, and that included a few friends who have never read any paranormal novels before. I take this as an added compliment. I was also very honoured when one of the women brought all three of my Redcliffe novels with her and asked me to sign them because she enjoyed reading them so much. We settled down and got stuck into conversation.

I was happy to be told that the readers liked my book because it provides a bit of ‘easy reading.’ It is genre fiction, primarily paranormal romance, and the chapters are short. I did this based on my personal experience. As a reader I always like to finish a chapter when reading my book. I hate having to put a book down with the bookmark in a random page. It just doesn’t feel right, I can’t explain it. So I chose to write short chapters in my novels.

The characters and setting were all well-received. There were warm feelings and mixed feelings towards everyone in Redcliffe, just as I had intended, and there were also a few unexpected reactions. Two of my readers asked about the significance of drinking water. That surprised me! Apparently there are lots of references to drinking water in Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel). I’m not saying yes or no to the question “Is it relevant?” I will admit that the question was unexpected and gave me something to think about for my continuing series… And the same goes for the storyline of pregnancy and having a baby. Take a look!