Categories
IWSG

#IWSG March 2015: Interviews & Anticipation #bloggerswanted

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Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click the image to learn more or sign up.

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I don’t know how encouraging this will be to anyone who happens to be reading it, but I’d like to have a conversation with you. Really, whoever you are, I want to get to know you. It seems that no matter how hard I try I just can’t seem to really connect to those around me and in the blogosphere it’s even harder. I’m not sure if people, or other authors, think I have something up my sleeve, but no one seems to believe me when I say I want to get to know them.

I’m not going to lie and pretend that I’m the perfect pen pal or virtual friend you’re ever going to find, but I do like connecting with people, even if I’m not that good at staying connected. Being an introvert is only a small part of it. What can I say, I have issues, but that doesn’t make me a bad person. I want to get know people, especially other bloggers so I can learn from them, but my problem may be that I don’t have much to offer in return.

While I love to interview people, they may not want to be bothered with the whole process knowing that my post isn’t likely going to garner them a 1000 new followers or fans. I’m small time, but I like it here at The ToiBox of Words and think others would too if they simply gave it a chance.

I’ve pretty much given up on the idea of video interviewing authors and bloggers. I guess I missed the memo that said talking in front of a web cam was a mortal sin. What kind of introvert am I anyway? Why would an introvert have a You Tube channel? I guess deep down, I know it doesn’t bother me because my following is so small and filled with people, to which, I feel pretty confident in calling friends.

In any case, I’m making efforts to reach out and interview some new authors and even some book bloggers just because I’d like to get to know them. We’ll see if any of them say yes.

On a completely different note, I’m trying to walk by faith and believe that I’ll be able to release my sequel, Eternal Curse: Battleground by May of this year, but I feel like I’m battling a giant in the process. We’ll see what happens.

Would any of you like to be interviewed?
Why are people so camera-shy?
Are you working on a book or other release? I’d love to hear about it.

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Chemist Ken,
Suzanne Sapseed,
Shannon Lawrence!

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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #121).

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
Promotion Videos

WARS DO NOT START IN A DAY & a gift card #giveaway!

 

I’ll be the first to admit that most of what I know about WWII I’ve learned from movies and TV. Before you get the wrong idea, let me explain myself. I am an educated person. I always did well in school and paid attention to all my lessons, but that doesn’t mean it all stuck with me throughout the years. Aside from reading the Diary of Anne Frank in high school, I don’t really remember much of those history lessons. I know I was taught the basics of the war, from an obvious allied point of view, because I have a basic knowledge of the matter firmly planted in my brain, but what about all the details.

When it comes to details that’s where film and TV come into play. WWII seems to be a subject that just never grows old. There have been so many fictional and non-fictional accounts of this time in history that it is hard not to be influenced by it all. Not a huge fan of historical fiction, I’ve always relied on these audio-visual media to fulfill my informative and entertainment needs whenever I’ve wanted to delve into the past and tales of WWII, but then I was introduced to an author named M.C.V. Egan.

This author has written a compelling mystery novel that epitomizes the conspiracy and deviousness of the whole WWII issue. Her book, The Bridge of Deaths, actually tells a little known story of a real-life plane crash that occurred just days before the war broke out. Since this month marks the 75th anniversary of the beginning of that war and in keeping with this month-long celebration of awareness, I’m sharing my thoughts on this book and its author. I was asked to share little known facts about history, but that’s not really my area of expertise, but if you know some, I’d love to hear them.

Also, there are some fascinating things happening on this blog tour. Click here to see for yourself…and of course, there’s a giveaway! See below.

Book Title: The Bridge of Deaths

Author Name: M.C.V. Egan

Reading Level: Adult

Genre: Historical Fiction, Metaphysical Mystery

Content Rating: PG-13

Available Formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook

Number of Pages: 372

Purchase Links: AuthorHouse.com | Amazon.com | Barnesandnoble.com

See the title article of this post here: WARS DO NOT START IN A DAY; A historical journey through roots of WW II

See my review of this book here: Review: The Bridge of Deaths

See the trailer here:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNe9psSjGio&w=320&h=240]

Meet the author:

M.C.V. Egan lives in South Florida. She is fluent in four languages; English, Spanish, French and Swedish. From a young age became determined to solve the ‘mystery’ of her grandfather’s death, she has researched this story for almost two decades. The story has taken her to Denmark, England and unconventional world of psychics. The Bridge of Deaths | 4covert2overt |
Is history the agreed upon lie?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
Guest Files Guest Posts

Meet Damian Ward (the Blood Angel Series)

Greetings everyone and thanks for stopping by. Today I’ll be adding a special insert into my Character Files with the help of a guest consultant, a.k.a. author Nina Soden. Today we are going to get to know Damian from the Blood Angel Series.

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Before we delve into this character, let’s learn a bit about our guest consultant, Nina Soden. She has bachelor’s degrees in Theatre and Military Science making her great for this profiling position, but she’s not all work and no play. Nina has a love for all things art, including poetry, theatre, and film.

Learn more about Nina Soden here:  BLOG | AMAZON AUTHOR SITE

Without further ado, let’s see what this guy, Damian, is all about.

nomaleBasic Stats

Full Name: Damian Ward

Birth Date: May 24, 1993

Sex: Male

Height: 6’

Weight: 165 lbs. – Slender build with a chiseled face

Eye color: Silver/Grey

Hair color and length: Brown / Short

Language(s): English – Although he suffers from selective mutism due to a trauma he suffered as a young child.

Preferences

Favorite Color: Green

Favorite Food: Steak

Favorite Book or Movie: Lord of the Rings (book and movie)

Favorite Music: Alternative

Favorite Pastime: Reading

Other likes: History

Biography:

As a young child Damian watched as his father’s life was brutally taken from him. Damian only survived because of his burning anger and growing hopes to one day seek revenge against the man—no, monster—that had killed his father. He struggled with selective mutism from that day forward, until he met Alee and learned a new form of communication. Their telepathic connection was only the beginning of Damian’s awakening. Soon he learned that his family’s bloodline held secrets that he never dreamed existed. With his new gift of transformation, Damian was able to see the world through new eyes with a new sense of purpose and strength. What he did with that power was devastating, but everyone makes mistakes—Damian learned from his. In Revenge, the soon to be released final installment of the Blood Angel Series, we learn that Damian, once Alee’s best friend, just might be her worst enemy and only person she can really trust.

Damian’s purpose in the Blood Angel Series

The Blood Angel Series focuses on Alee Moyer, a young girl who discovers there is more to life than anything she could have ever imagined. Having been diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia at a young age she spends most of her childhood in and out of hospitals. However, soon after her father’s death she learns that her real affliction isn’t something that is covered in the medical books. She is the first surviving dhampir in history, part vampire and part witch, and her life is about to change forever. Damian, although he has his own struggles and challenges to overcome throughout his childhood, is thrown into Alee’s life mid high school and although they don’t know it at first they were born to be enemies that won’t be able to survive without each other.

How does Damian feel about his/her book peers?

Damian’s sole focus is revenge, until he meets Alee and starts to experience feelings he has never had before. He learns to open up, develops closer friendships, and even begins his transformation from a mere human to a powerful lycanthrope. Although Damian and Alee share a strong connection, it isn’t until it’s too late before he realizes that what he is feeling is love. His best friend, Kyle, quickly becomes his rival when Kyle and Alee start dating. Victoria, Damian’s twin sister, is the only one he can turn to as their world begins to change around them and the reality of what it means to be a lycanthrope settles in.

About the Blood Angel Series

Awaken (book 1):

Awaken is set in a world very much like our own, yet Atlanta isn’t just an ordinary city and Alee Moyer isn’t just an ordinary girl. Having barely survived her childhood it will take the death of her father for the truth of her true bloodline to come out. Even if it means losing her life, or at least her identity she won’t be able to escape her true destiny as the first surviving Dhampir in history. Surrounded by a new world where the horror films she grew up watching have become reality and the most unlikely characters have become her lifeline, Alee will struggle to find herself and her purpose.

Beginnings (book 2):

Having lost her family Alee has been thrown into a new life and new world. Camouflaged by the mundane happenings of a high school existence she would never have guessed what was happening below the surface in, “The Underground”. She’s a Dhampir, the first in history, but with that power also comes danger. Will Alee be able to survive her destiny or will it prove more powerful than she?

Revenge (book 3):

Having died in her father’s arms only to awaken in a pool of blood surrounded by the corpses of the mutilated, her true love among them, who could blame her for what she did next? Wouldn’t you seek REVENGE?

Part horror thriller – part tender romance and filled with magic and paranormal delights – the Blood Angel Series will leave readers wanting more!

Awaken (book 1): http://amzn.com/0985885300 | http://wp.me/P1Ft9W-4K

Beginnings (book 2): http://amzn.com/B00D3G7RWM | http://wp.me/P1Ft9W-7J

Revenge (book 3): http://wp.me/P1Ft9W-bR

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Well now, that was fascinating. I am very pleased with this special insert to the Character Files from the ToiBox. I think my guest consultant, author Nina Soden, did a wonderful job and I wish her all the best with Damian and all the other characters from the Blood Angel Series. Be sure to pick up your pre-order copy of Revenge today, before its release in late August.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords