Life Insurance

Graffiti Moon - Cath Crowley

2012-01-20T16:51:00.000-08:00

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Date Released: February 14th 2012 [US edition]
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 272 pages
Date Read: January 07, 2012
Format: ARC
Source: Netgalley

Summary:

Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.

From Goodreads

My Review:

I've always loved to write, and if I were to ever write a book, I would want to be just like this one. No doubt.

The writing style was really good! and the humor! Oh God I was laughing so much! especially at the sarcastic remarks! "This did not comfort me." That was my favorite line! [probably doesn't make sense if you haven't read it. You must]

It had the perfect valance of Lighthearted and Deep Situations! It was full of real art references and just in general, I would not hesitate to call this book a work of art. Delicate and just about perfect.

The support characters where great, Lucy had such a great sense of humor and I loved being inside her and Ed's minds. and Ed is my new boy crush ^^

I you haven't read it then What Are You Waiting For??!?!?!?!?!

It's worth Gold

“Emma Forest?" Jazz asks. "His ex is the girl with the big...?"
"That's the one," Daisy tells her.
Jazz looks at her chest. I pat her shoulder. "Guys care about personality too."
"Girls like me started that rumor.”

“Every time he looked at me I felt like I'd touched my tongue to the tip of a battery. In art class I'd watch him lean back and listen and I was nothing but zing and tingle. After a while, the tingle turned to electricity, and when he asked me out my whole body amped to a level where technically I should have been dead. I had nothing in common with a sheddy like him, but a girl doesn't think straight when she's that close to electrocution.”

Office Re-Do

2012-01-20T13:26:00.000-08:00

Remember when not to long ago I painted this stencil wall in my office? Well, I decided I wanted to paint over it. I'm the queen of doing things more than once. It's very strange.

It's not that I didn't like the stenciled wall paper. It was more the color of the room. It was a lot darker than all of the other rooms in our house. The stencil also had a TON of imperfections since I did the entire thing by hand. You couldn't see them unless you got close up - but I noticed them every time I walked in the room.

First I chose a new paint color. I set out to find a lighter color gray that would flow better with the entire house. Both of the below paint swatches are Martha Stewart. We went for the top one. Bedford Gray. I can't remember the name of the lighter color on bottom.

After the room was painted. It was not easy painting over the stencil. Stung a little bit. Even though I had plans to replace it with something very similar. After searching the internet I ordered a stencil from Royal Studio Designs. I actually ordered one that was too small at first and had to send it back. So, if you are thinking about doing a full wall make sure to order a large stencil. Once I got the right one in the mail (they ship really quickly) I was able to get started. This is when I only thought I had a few hours of stenciling ahead of me....

A day and half later....

And compared to the hand stencil....it was a breeze. But really...it was hard. Like I wanted to quit on several occasions and just paint the wall gray again. The ceiling and edges were most definitely the hardest part. I never got the hang of it and honestly never want to. I have no more stencil plans in my future:)

My main goal was accomplished. It lighted the room up and now it flows much better with the rest of the house.

The professional stencil eliminated a lot of errors...making the finished product look much more seamless.

The change isn't that dramatic. Just a little bit lighter with a different pattern. Another suggestion I would give if you are thinking about venturing in to stenciling would be to choose a base paint color that is not that different from your stencil color. It took a lot of pressing with the paint roller to cover the white paint over the gray. So, what do you guys think about the change? Did you know that after I painted this room...I had painted every single room in our house in 2011 (including bathrooms). And then stenciled the same wall twice. Does that make me crazy?

colorful rings

2012-01-20T06:06:00.000-08:00

Welcoming 2012 with colorful rings. hahaha. nah, just kidding. My sister and I were just playing with the rings. We were so sleepy and tired when we did this, imagine this was around 3am, but we thought that we should maximize the days left while my sister was still here in Manila. She's still in college at our province in Iligan City that's why she was only here for a vacation together with my other siblings. I am hoping I could upload a blog post about my wonderful vacation with them. My siblings are really like my barkada. I feel so blessed and thankful to have them. :)

p.s.

We don't know exactly how to pose with our rings showing off so I guess that's the reason why the photos look awkward.

Happy 2012! :)

Energy Levels

2012-01-20T03:55:00.000-08:00

This has been my wife's first week back at work and we've had to start getting up at 6:30am again. I don't mind, because it means I get a lift into work and I get more time to get settled at my desk, have my coffee, and do a bit of writing or editing before work starts. In fact, I pretty much got my first book written almost entirely in the hour before work started and on lunch breaks. I owe quite a lot to these early mornings.

But damn if it isn't hard to adapt to sleeping almost a full hour less each night. We've been getting to bed earlier, but sometimes (like last night) we wind up staying up late because something catches our fancy on tv. Last night it was Dylan Moran. We are eating a lot healthier which will hopefully help with our energy levels. I've been taking vitamin B complex as well as multivitamins & iron. Don't know where I'd be without those. I also perform Reiki on myself to help keep myself feeling focused and relaxed.

And coffee. Coffee is my friend. I'm no good to anyone before I've had my first coffee.

What do you guys do to help alleviate flagging energy levels?

CENSORED

2012-01-18T16:15:00.000-08:00

Summary:

~~blah blah~~

From ~~Goodreads~~

Teaser:

~~blah blah~~

Quote

~~blah blah~~

Tweet Review
~~@blah blah #blah blah. something something.~~

You know, I'd really appreciate it if my reviews didn't look that way. This will affect us all, even if you're not from the US.

Other Book Bloggers Supporting

21 Days.

2012-01-18T12:46:00.000-08:00

No Facebook.

No Carbonated Beverages.

No Fried Food.

Our church does 21 days of prayer and fasting every January. This year..I did the death fast. No facebook, no carbonated beverages and no fried food! We are about 11 days in and it hasn't been so bad. Even though I must admit...facebook has been pretty tough (especially since I work on the computer all day). I actually love doing this each year. It allows you to take your focus off so many un-important things and in turn focus on your prayer life. Only 10 more days to go! Can't wait for a french fry:)

SOPA

2012-01-18T03:55:00.000-08:00

Today sites such as Wikipedia, Reddit, Mozilla and Minecraft are going dark in protest of the SOPA and PIPA bills.

While I'm behind efforts to curb online piracy, I've been paying attention to how, at least in its original form, SOPA was poorly-defined, to the point of being open to abuse. I've read the stories about how it could lead to small online business being shut down, or someone's blog could be taken down for posting images from a movie they were discussing or links to the movie's homepage.

I've also seen that certain changes are being made to SOPA, like removing the US courts' ability to instruct ISPs to shut down sites based on the suspicion of copyright infringement. These are good things to hear, because it means someone is listening to the fears and is taking steps to better define exactly what SOPA is meant to do.

In the end, I know there's little my voice does compared to internet giants like Facebook, Google and Wikipedia. I'm not even sure I'm qualified to fully understand the scope of what SOPA means or offer reasonable suggestions as to alternatives.

What I do know is that, as a blogger, I rely heavily on the freedom to provide links to outside sources, so I would hate to see anything damage that. As an author, I would rather risk a few people pirating a digital copy of my book if it meant that those who bought and enjoyed my book could freely share that love and talk about it openly.

I hope that, whatever happens, we'll all still be able to share information and maintain this amazing global community which the internet has allowed us to create.

What I'm loving today....

2012-01-18T03:26:00.000-08:00

this striped settee from John Derian's store in NYC's East Village. I've been spotting the pink and red color combo a lot these days in both fashion and interiors and I gotta say....I really like it.

You?

Blogger Lift #37

2012-01-17T12:41:00.000-08:00

Blogger Lift:

Blogger Lift Is Hosted Here. and in Goodreads on YABC. Blogger Lift is a feature in which I'll promote blogs I follow and that I recommenced you.

Blogger Lift is Filled until next year! Thank you to all the Blogger who have participated and those who Signed Up!

More Info on Blogger Lift:
Requirements Of Blogger Lift

Featured this week

Reading Romances

The Interview

1. In Between Writing and Reading what do you like to do?

I love watching tv shows, miniseries, movies and going to art expositions, galleries, etc

2. Convince me to join your blog twitter style. 140 Characters or less. GO!

I fell in love with romance fiction books, and now I blog about it! Come visit me at Reading-romances.com

3. A Color. A Candy. A Store.

White. Chocolate. Amazon

4. If you had the power to recommend ONE book to the whole world and they would read it, what book would you choose?

Lord of the fading lands by C.L.Wilson. It's a jewel a lot of people don't know about. It's the first book of the fantasy romance series Tairen Soul.

5. Upcoming release you are most exited about?

I can't wait for Kresley Cole's first book of her new spin off series, Shadow's Claim.

6. V-day is coming soon. Biggest Book Crush?

LOTHAIRE!

7. A detailed description of your blog :)

Reading Romances is a blog where I talk about romance fiction books. I review them, give them away, have author's guest posts and interviews, and always have a cool event going on! I recently have a romance reading challenge going on till the end of the year, you can join it anytime!

http://about.me/readingromances

January Begins!

2012-01-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

Our year has made a banging start. Two of our very best friends got engaged a week from Saturday! Kari and Matt will tie the knot in June and we are so happy to be a apart of their big day!! We got to meet them for dinner on Friday night to celebrate and check out the new bling...it was SO much fun. Tal and I wish SO badly that they lived a little closer so we could do dinner dates more often. I got to spend some of the day Saturday beginning wedding festivities with Kari. I know these next few months will be full of good times. Cannot wait for these two to see what a blessing marriage is!

This Saturday was also a super special day for our most precious niece....

That's China on the left. She turned 14 on Saturday! So hard to believe she is getting so big. She lives in Texas so we couldn't actually celebrate with her but we did send her a little something to commemorate the day. Here's an iPhone pic she sent us of her wearing her new unicorn ring (p.s. she picked it out). Happy Birthday China! Talon and I love you so so so very much!!

Monday was a work holiday for me. Talon's an accountant so no holidays until April for him. I got to spend the day finishing up projects and hanging with this angel....

I hope every one's weekend was just as wonderful as ours!

The Perfect Desk Chair

2012-01-17T02:12:00.000-08:00

I love this desk chair and I would like to find one like it - I bet I could find one at a antique fair, consignment store or the like.

If I found one, I'm sure it would need to be reupholstered. I would choose a black and white striped fabric. I think the black and white fabric paired with the brass frame and casters would look so chic.

This fabric which has a sort of john robshaw'esque' feel (at least to me) would be perfect (the price is perfect too)!

I would only need a yard and 1/2 given this nifty little yardage table for reupholstery projects. And, if the frame and casters weren't brass, I would paint it in Rustoleum's Metallic spray paint in brass. Or switch out the existing feet for these beauties!

Okay, now I gotta go out and find me this chair!! :)

Picture This #4

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

Picture This

This meme was originally called Daily Dose and it was hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly, but she stopped doing it :( and I just Love it SO MUCH! So I'll keep doing it but with a name of my own :) Picture This is a meme where I feature Lovely Pictures I find Between here and there and it's featured on Mondays :)

& One More ♥

Rude or Assertive

2012-01-16T03:55:00.000-08:00

There's a big difference between the two. The crazy mess of it all is that, by and large, most people are taught that you should be respectful to others. The exception to that, generally, seems to be any time the person you're speaking to is dealing with you as part of their job. If someone offers to help us with our bags, tell us where something is in a shop, or advises us on insurance policies, we're gracious and pleasant. The moment we realise that someone is doing this because they're being paid, our attitudes shift. It's a tiny, subconscious thing, but it is there.

Now, personally I get set on edge by salespeople. Nothing puts me off making a purchase faster than a shop assistant walking up to me and asking if they can help. I'm just that kind of person. So, I'll always politely say I'm fine and just having a look around.

Generally, whenever someone catches me off guard or gives me an answer I didn't want, I try to be polite and accept that they're just doing their job. Most of the time I manage to keep my cool if something bothers me, but sometimes I fail. Not everyone makes that attempt.

I've worked in retail, in a fast food restaurant, in customer service and in office administration. I've seen customers speak to staffmembers of different companies as if they were dirt. I've been spoken to that way myself, more times than I care to remember. The worst part of it isn't that someone got annoyed because we were out of a particular breakfast cereal, or couldn't sell them cigarettes without ID, or that our company's policies don't allow us to give out another customer's contact information.

The worst part is how the person who gets annoyed somehow expects that it's part of our job description to stand there and take their abuse.

I've had soft drink bottles thrown at me. Been threatened with physical violence, or legal action. I've been called rude and unhelpful just because a caller on the phone wanted me to give them information that would have been a violation of our company's privacy policies and my own job contract to reveal. There have been times when I've let myself be drawn into an argument with such people. There have been times I've quietly taken the verbal abuse while fuming inside.

And there have been times when I've calmly and plainly told the person that I would not be able to help them if they continued to be aggressive. These are the times when I'm proud of myself. They're also the times when I see the true character of the other person. Will they back down and apologise, realising that they're letting their temper get the better of them? Or will this only incite them further, accusing me of being "smart-arsed," "rude," "defensive," or "cheeky?" I've been called all of these and worse, even had to ask people to stop swearing at me.

I don't believe that people doing their job should have to kowtow to someone who is being abusive or unreasonable simply because they're at work. Everyone, everywhere, has the right to go to work and be treated with respect by everyone; collegue and customer alike. There is nothing worse than going to work in fear of what someone may say to you just because they don't like not getting their own way. People like that are nothing more than bullies, and bullies can only be dealt with by remaining assertive and not allowing yourself to be abused.

We can remain strong and assertive while at the same time being calm and polite. Remember this, especially any of you still working day jobs while reaching for something better. Don't be fooled or browbeaten into thinking that standing up for yourself is something you shouldn't do.

And if you're the customer waiting to be served by that one cashier stuck on their own during the busy period, give them a break. You might be having a bad day, but so are they, and your bad day isn't their fault.

Gruss Gott! Week One.

2012-01-15T07:06:00.000-08:00

So, we made it one week in Vienna. Well, actually a week and a half. So far, so good. What I love about our apartment is the location. We are central to what seems like everything. This is the cafe you see when you walk out of our building.

So far, my favorite thing to do is to go to the Naschmarkt (1 block from our apartment) and enjoy all the fresh food. It is incredible. It certainly is a luxury to have fresh food daily - cheeses, wurst, bread, vegetables, pastries, etc. Here are some pictures I took yesterday.

They also have fresh flowers daily.

You can tell the Europeans are used to eating fresh foods daily as their refrigerators are so small. There is no room to store or freeze much of anything.

Luke completed 3 half days of his new Viennesse Montessori school. I am so proud of him. From what I can tell (at this early stage), the kindergarden school system is very different from the American. And, I can't get over how much smaller everything is here - especially the school class rooms and the playground (which they call 'garden'). It makes you really appreciate 'space'.

Elizabeth is faring well, but I am trying really hard to get her into a fixed sleeping schedule. Once I can do that, my daily routine will be easier and more predictable. So, for the time being, I am a bit limited with my outings around the city. I'm sticking to a radius of about half a mile.

This past week we've been focusing on just getting settled and getting some of the bureaucratic things done which always is a bit slower here in Europe. With this behind us and Elizabeth schedule more regular, I am hoping to venture out to explore more of the city - especially the innerstadt, flea markets and the many furniture and antique stores (which seem to be everywhere).

IMM #25

2012-01-14T23:10:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox

IMM is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren.

Wanted to make a video this week but Oh God I'm so tired, just came back from the movies 4DX, FOUR-DX soooo cool, the seats moves, there's wind and I just had an awesome time :D! if you haven't gone to movies in 4-DX. GO.

Onto the books,
Got:

Won:

Netgalley

and what did YOU got in your Mailbox :)?

Friday the 13th

2012-01-13T03:55:00.000-08:00

The most unlucky day of the year, except maybe for whoever owned the rights to all those horror movies. I wish I knew where the fascination with the number 13 came from. At least in China, their superstition about the number 4 comes from it sounding very close to the word for death.

I love superstitions. There are some I believe and some I don't, but I never simply dismiss them. They're a fascinating look into the human mind and how we can take one small element ("don't whistle backstage in the theatre; that's the signal to drop the sandbags") and turn it into something different, but still related ("whisting backstage at a theatre is bad luck").

Much like my interest in the supernatural, I'm particularly drawn to superstitions that suggest the involvement of magical creatures. If you've grown up in Ireland, you know that you should never break ground in a fairy ring. If you have to dig, let someone else break ground first, then you're safe. You also never fall asleep inside a fairy ring or you might not be able to leave before dawn, or unless you turn your coat inside out and put it back on.

For those who're scratching your heads, fairy rings, or fairy forts, are circles of mushrooms, flowers, trees or stones which have not been arranged in that shape intentionally. They are believed to be home to fairies who will become angry if you disturb them and will curse you for doing so. Most everyone in Ireland has heard at least one story growing up of someone breaking a fairy ring and having something bad happen to them later. Like all good superstitions, no-one really knows where they first heard it, but it's quite a common story, even if most people don't believe it anymore.

Superstitions aren't just ancient stories passed down through generations. Modern society has all kinds of superstitions that influence our lives. Everyone's heard stories of sports players wearing the same underclothes at each game, for example.

Among gamers like myself, there's a common myth that dice have a will of their own, and can turn on a player they don't like, causing poor rolls. Some people blow on their dice for luck. If a die rolls badly too often, it might be consigned to the dice bag for the rest of the game. Another player might only roll theirs when the game calls for it, for fear of using up all the good rolls.

Myself, I'm quite careful about my dice rolls. Don't want to make the dice gods angry, now do I? ;-)

Wandering Stars - Marlon Pierre-Antoine +Giveaway

2012-01-12T23:49:00.000-08:00

Wandering Stars by Marlon Pierre-Antoine

Date Released: October 1st 2011
Publisher: World Castle Publishing
Pages: 230 pages
Date Read: January 12th 2012
Format: PDF
Source: Experience Tours

Summary:

Alice Valdez is a normal seventeen year old girl living a mundane post high school life that consists of work, sleep, hanging out, and more work - but it all changes when a chance encounter on the beach one night leads to a series of haunting dreams that bring her face to face with the most ancient evil the Universe has ever known.

What do you do when the man you care for is none other than the Devil himself? Wandering Stars follows one girl's journey into the arms of darkness and into Hell itself - all in the name of love.

From Goodreads

My Review:

I was really interested in this book because the main role - Alice, falls in love with the Devil himself, and I don't remember reading a book in which the Devil was actually involved, much less him being the swoon-worthy guy. Seemed like a risky subject and I was all game.

The beginning was a bit weird... Alice sees Lucas [the Devil] once and then she starts dreaming of him and then she's madly in love. even though she has only seem him a couple of times. Weird and rushed. But once past that initial bump the Love story runs more smoothly. And even though he is the Devil and by default 'bad' you just want her to be with him No Matter What.

And do not let the Label fool you, remember that Lucifer was once God's favorite Angel, and he was beautiful. Now Alice is willing to go through the deeps of Hell just to save the one she most loves. I mean this Literally.

I really enjoyed this book, especially considering I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic.... *sigh* I'm just a sucker for romance x)

There was this quote I really Loved about Love, but it is long so I'll leave a link
to it on Goodreads :) Here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Versatile Blogger Award

2012-01-12T20:28:00.000-08:00

Jennifer from Some Like It Paranormal gave me this award! She's one of my favorite Bloggers and she's so nice! so Go Follow! Like, NOW. Thanks Jennifer ♥

Rules for this award:
*Thank and link the blogger who bestowed the award.
*Share seven random facts about yourself.
*Spread the love by passing the award to five other bloggers, and be sure to let them know.

Seven Facts:
1- I have a new car!!! She's an Acura and her name is Lady because she used to be the family car but my dad sold it to me for a reeeeeally great price. sorry, felt like bragging x)
2- I'm a Tumblr Addict. I can stay all day long there.
3- I Looooove the new CK Perfume SHOCK, I use it everyday and it's also the first perfume that lasts on me all day long. seriously. Yum.
4- I'm currently obsessed with red lipstick. I have a big mouth and because of this I ususally never wear bright colors in them but I'm a revel now and all I do is wear red. I have 10 lipsticks and 6 lip-gloss's All in different shades of Red.
5- I'm saving for a tattoo! I Love tattoos, I find the fascinating and I'm finally eighteen so no one can stop me :P
6- This past month I have been watching scary movies everyday. just about anything, apocalypse, zombies, aliens, vampires, serial killers, ghost. So far, not scared. and the Scary Movies are the dumbest things I've ever seen.
7- I practically shower in sunblock everyday. lol, I have no idea why I'm saying this, but I have pale and sensitive skin so, yeah. and I hate the sun, gets me all red, not tan. RED.

Passing the Award:
Mickey @I Am a Bookshark.
One of the most sweet bloggers I know. She laughs at my jokes and she also has the creepiest pets in the world :P
Janina @Synchronized Reading
I love her blog, I've been a followers since she started it and it's just grown so much!
Roro @Roro is reading
I really like his reviewing style and he is also a Guy Blogger, which is rare so go check him out
Remy @Just Remy
I really like her blog and she's a writer! she also has a 100 followers giveaway going on so you might want to check that out!
Jessie @Remarkable Read
I just Love this blog! we worked together for Blogger Lift and then she hosted the 2011 Wrapping Up Readathon, she's amazing, Go Follow

There are so, so so so SO many great blogs, they all deserve awards and we're all part of the same community. again, Thanks Jennifer!

Dreaming of Book Giveaway Hop

2012-01-12T17:56:00.000-08:00

For This Giveaway I Have:

A Copy of The Lying Game by Sara Shepard & Crush Control by Jennifer Jabaley

Both Paperbacks.

a 15$ Amazon Giftcard.

and I have 2 PDF's also

So there will be 2 Winners

and I have other Giveaways going on!

To Win a Copy of The Long Weekend go HERE

To Win a Copy of Wandering Stars go HERE.

To Enter

To keep it really simple:
Just Follow this blog in any way and Leave a Comment with your best smiley face :)

Jenny Wolf Interiors

2012-01-12T02:30:00.000-08:00

I love pinterest. Who doesn't? I stumbled across Jenny Wolf interiors while pinning and I hopped over to look at her portfolio - I am so glad I did. I really like her style. She grew up in the South and credits her style to her Southern roots. Anyway, I like what I saw and thought I'd share.

Pretty, huh?

Also, I realized I never posted my pinterest account on my blog before. If you want to follow my boards, you can find me here.

The Long Wekkend - Author Interview & Giveaway.

2012-01-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan

Sam knows that he and his friend Lloyd made a colossal mistake when they accepted the ride home. They have ended up in a dark mansion in the middle of nowhere with man who means to harm them. But Sam doesn't know how to get them out. They were trapped, then separated. Now they are alone. Will either of them get out alive? This gripping and hypnotic thriller will have you reading late into the night.

From Goodreads

The Trailer

Interview with Savita Kalhan

1. In between writing and reading, what do you like to do?
Both writing and reading involve a lot of sitting down, so I try to get to the gym most days. I also have an allotment and grow my own vegetables, and there’s always a ton of digging and weeding that needs doing! I love tennis and play as much as my creaky knees allow me to!

2. Describe your novel Twitter style. 140 Characters or less. GO!
The Long Weekend - a tense thriller about two boys who are abducted by a psychopath. This book will get inside your head and under your skin

3. In the Long Weekend, Sam and Lloyd make a wrong decision and are abducted after school and find themselves fighting to survive. Many people in the real world can go through a situation like this, and I think we usually tiptoe around these subjects. Nobody wants to imagine what could happen. What made you go into this subject and make it a novel?
A frightening warning went round the local schools about a man trying to get kids into his car. Something about it struck a chord with me. It’s actually scarily easy for a kid to make a mistake and get in the wrong car given the right circumstances. As I began to think about it, the main two characters of the book appeared, and I knew I had to write their story. I did keep in mind the fact that younger teenagers might pick up the pick to read, so much of the tension and the scary stuff is not explicitly described. I’ve heard readers say that imagining it actually makes it even more scary...

4. Would you say it was hard to write this book? And if so what was the toughest part?
Much of the book was very easy to write because I had Sam, the main character, inside my head. His voice propelled the story forwards. Yes, there were some hard bits to write. In The Long Weekend there are some difficult scenes, heart-breaking scenes, that were hard to write. The toughest scene was when Sam is hiding under the bed. I won’t say any more about it...

5. What have you seen that readers take from your book? What do they learn or what impression do they end up with?
That all depends on the age of the reader. Younger teenagers read the book like a thriller: some of them don’t even realise the full significance of what has happened to Lloyd. That’s fine because they still take so much away from the book – about loyalty and survival, and about thinking before they are invited inside a car that isn’t driven by one of their parents. The book is actually far scarier for older teenagers, young adults and adults. They know what has really happened and they find it devastating. But whatever the age of the reader, they all devour the book – usually in one sitting, and that makes me really happy!

6. What makes The Long Weekend different to other thrillers?
There are very few thrillers published for teens and young adults, fewer still with serious themes of abuse at their core, and even fewer where the book is a thriller that can read by a very diverse group of people, from the very reluctant secondary school reader, to young adults, to older adults, and parents. It crosses all boundaries and age groups and 99% of its readers have said that they would highly recommend it! I’m not going to argue with that.

7. Since Valentines Day is coming: Name a YA book you have a crush on (or character)
Ooh, that’s a really hard one! There are two characters that I’ve had a crush on – Conal and Seth MacGregor from Gillian Philip’s Firebrand and Bloodstone. I highly recommend you check them out!

8. Between You and Me, what’s in store for the future?
Lots more books, I hope! I’ve got a couple of things in the publishing pipeline, but I can’t say anymore about them just yet. You’ll have to watch this space...
Or follow me on Twitter @savitakalhan and check out my Facebook page for news http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Long-Weekend-Savita-Kalhan/117223691628538?sk=wall
I’ve got a website too – http://www.savitakalhan.com

This is the first time I use Rafflecopter, so lets see how it goes :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan
Published by Andersen Press
www.savitakalhan.com

The Long Weekend book trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14TfYyHgD6Y

The Poet, a short story by Savita Kalhan

Published in Even Birds are Chained to the Sky, by Fine Line Publishing

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Even-Birds-Chained-Other-Tales/dp/0956761054/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1

Between Updates

2012-01-11T22:20:00.000-08:00

I'm in the middle of a Book Collapse. I've been trying to read 5 Books at the same time and I am mixing all the plot-lines and driving myself nuts.

So here's my reading schedule and I'll compromise to it. really compromise.
*Clockwork Angel & Clockwork Prince
*Cut [only 30 more pages]
*Wandering Stars
*Where She Went
*Perfect

Problem Solved.

onto something actually interesting:
There are some GIVEAWAYS coming soon!!! More like Tomorrow! [Wandering Stars is on Friday]

So make sure to stop by :D! and speaking of Giveaways, I'm planning by Blogoversary Giveaway and I'm also planning a giveaway for when I reach 1000 *Squeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!* They will be awesome and you'll want to enter because of reasons.

and speaking of awesome, I'm sure you guys know I'm a music freak so this is my most recent playlist. Most of the music there is super weird but I Love it, you should give it a try :)

Sky Ferreira - One & Obsession
Take That - Love Love [this one is soooo addictive.]
Ellie Goulding - Lighs
Jessie J - Domino
Ron Pope - A Drop in the Ocean, Never Let You Go & Wherever You Go
Jason Walker - Echo
Daughtry - His new album. ALL of it. It's pure genius. especially Who's They.
The Script - Break even.

Yum-O

2012-01-11T09:58:00.000-08:00

Along with all the other fun and not so fun things on our list of things we wanted to get done over our week long Christmas vacation we added try new recipes to it at the last minute {the reason it's not on the "official" list}.....

This actually got pushed till the last few days we were home. Mostly because we were exhausted and our kitchen was covered in dust up until the end of the week. What we did manage to try was definitely worth the wait! First up, French Toast. Alton Brown style. Here is the recipe. I do not have a picture of ours... probably because I was to busy scarfing it down. If you haven't gotten it by now we are obsessed with Alton. Talon watches EVERY episode of Good Eats. So far, all of his recipes that we've tried have turned out really good...so he is our current go to for new recipes. We also tried his Sour Cream Cheese Cake.

The picture does not do it justice. So good. Did you guys cook up any new treats over the holidays? That was one of my favorite parts about this past holiday season...trying new recipes...cooking for family and baking sweet treats for friends. Now I miss Christmas. Only 11 more months!

Supporting Others' Talents

2012-01-11T03:55:00.000-08:00

We writers talk a lot about our own work and about other writers we enjoy. I think we should also take the time to celebrate the range of other talents possessed by those in our lives.

My wife, for example, is an astonishing singer and can play piano, guitar and some violin. My dad is a great guitarist. My sister is a dancer and my mum could probably lead an army, having tested her organisational skills against youth drama and working on film sets.

For Christmas I got my wife a USB microphone that she can use to record herself directly onto the computer. She's really looking forward to bringing more music back into her life and we'll be sharing some of her recordings as we go. So keep an eye out, because I'll be posting links to her Youtube channel!

Is there anyone in your life who has a talent you're proud of? What can you do to encourage them to share and develop that talent further?

AAQR: WiFi File Explorer by Dooblou (utility)

2012-01-11T03:12:00.000-08:00

WiFi File Explorer has but one purpose: lets you access the files on your Android device via any web browser on the same network. Generally, this means a PC through the same WiFi network.

This can be used for both upload and download files, and it's much faster than using other methods such as Dropbox. The only thing faster is probably USB cord but that's so inconvenient.

To use this app, just run the app, and when it's active, it gives you an URL, which you can go to the PC, type that into whatever web browser you use, and voila, you are in your phone's directory structure through the web browser. Upload, download, browse, view, do anything you like. It is that simple.

And right now, it's less than a dollar. Trust me, this app is great. Pay for it. Though there's a free version for you to try as well. It's limited though.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/wifi-file-explorer-pro/com.dooblou.WiFiFileExplorerPRO

Blogger Lift #36

2012-01-10T12:08:00.000-08:00

Featured this week

The Book Bunny

Hello, my name is Sarah. But online I am known as Bunny or Book Bunny.
I’ve loved reading for as long as I can remember. I didn’t start off reading book after book, it was a gradual thing. And my reading habit started with the Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld back around the time that they were released. I loved those books (and still do) and I have been reading everyday ever since. My list of books to read has grown, as well as my love of books. So stick around, check out some of my posts, to find out what I’m all about.

The Interview

1. In Between Writing and Reading what do you like to do?
I love my family so I love to do family oriented things, (For example Boat Rides, Swimming, Movies exc.) but in between Writing and Reading by myself, I very much enjoy photography. There is just something about taking a picture and being able to keep the memory. (corny, I know.) I love Sign Language, it is a passion of mine and I plan to continue with it and hope to someday be fluent. I love anime, and tv in general, although my book obsession has taken the lead over the past few years.

2. Convince me to join your blog twitter style. 140 Characters or less. GO!
Books of all kinds, all the time. So seriously, You, Me Let's Tweet! #Nerd

3. A Pastry. A Cookie. A Chocolate.
Croissant. Coconut Macaroon. Anything White Chocolate

4. If [Hypothetically] you where abducted by Aliens to do some research and they'd ask for a good book recommendation, what would you recommend :)?
Hmmm...kind of a hard question. So many good books, naturally I would say the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld, but I would also probably say the Hunger Games series because I have been recommending it a lot lately. (not that there are many people left who have not read the Hunger Games) Both good series, if anyone hasn't read either of them yet, and is a fan of dystopian, I recommend them. If not...I recommend them anyway. =]

5. Upcoming release you are most exited about?
I am most definitely excited about the Uglies Graphic Novel! As I said in the previous question, when I mentioned the Uglies series. I am super excited for this due to the fact that is in a different characters perspective. (and I just found out that my best friend pre-ordered it for me for Christmas so I am even more excited) Another book would be Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale, or Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis and more. There are quite a few interesting novels coming out this year. At least by the synopsis' that I have read.

6. Reading Goals for this 2012?
My goals for my blog this year is to post 50 posts, read 25 books (I am starting college & I am a slow reader) and to read 10,000 pages. I'm pretty sure that I can do it. I'm determined.

7. and now a detailed description of your blog :)
An Adult & YA book blog, I read & then review the book, I participate in (monthly) weekly meme's, and write and talk about all things bookish. I plan to do giveaway's in the future but after I get more established as a blogger. I started my blog the end of this past year when I accidentally came across a book blog. Wow! Was I missing out, I wish I had started a blog years ago, and so here I am! Now blogging and sharing my love of books with people all over the place. As I said, I'm new and I plan to keep on reading and keep on reviewing so be sure to check out my links. Don't be shy just say hi! ;] I don't bite.

I can be found here-
Blog: http://thebookbunny.wordpress.com/
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/BookBunnyRev...
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/thebookbunny
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/The_BookBunny

Thanks for being part of Blogger Lift :D!

Custom Kitchen Cabinets

2012-01-10T07:39:00.000-08:00

So, by now I am sure you get the point that we were on a mission to make our kitchen more functional and organized during our time off. We customized our pantry {more about that here} and customized our kitchen drawers {more about that here}. The next and last item on our agenda was to make an easy to access space for our pots and pans. Up until now they were crammed in to the back of a corner cabinet and you were likely to be injured if you attempted to get one out. After much searching on the Internet we really loved the fancy pull out drawers that a lot of the high end kitchens have. Which got Talon's wheels to spinning and the idea of making our own custom pull out drawers evolved....

This is a bottom cabinet and used to hold unnecessary kitchen items {ex: crock pot - could totally be re-located to a less easier to reach location since we do not use it on a daily basis}. So, it was a prime candidate for the mini-makeover.

This is how Talon said we did it {my portion was all moral support}: We measured the cabinet opening and determined the location of the trays. We then glued and tacked in some support risers for the slides {which we purchased at Home Depot} to be screwed into. We then had to determine the height that the slide needed to be, leveled it, then screwed them in {this had to be done for both sides and both drawers}. Up next it was time to build the drawers themselves. We measured the distance between the slides to determine the drawer width. The MDF that we were using was cut down to the appropriate width. We also had to cut strips that equal the depth that we wanted the drawers to be. Once everything was glued and nailed together all we had to do was mount them on the slides.

This has by far been the greatest thing we have done in our kitchen. It's no longer a fight to get a pot or a pan for cooking. We simply open the cabinet and pull out a drawer. The slides that we used allow the trays to extend all the way out of the cabinet making it even easier to grab things from the back. That wraps up our kitchen organization/customization craziness but we are already brewing other ideas for the future!

Crushing hard....

2012-01-10T04:34:00.000-08:00

I know Nick Olsen's apartment featured on West Elm's blog, has been all over the blogosphere, but I had to post it because it provides endless inspiration (at least for me).

What I'm loving....

1. Stripes on wall

2. Yellow lamp with black shade

3. Classic linens

4. Antique table

5. Stack of books

If you haven't seen it, go here.

In other news, we're slowly getting settled in our apartment! Luke had his first day of school today at the Vienna Montessori school and he really liked it. I'm so relieved. More later.

Picture This #3

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

Picture This

This meme was originally called Daily Dose and it was hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly, but she apparently stopped doing it :( and I just Love it SO MUCH! So I'll keep doing it but with a name of my own :) Picture This is a meme where I feature Lovely Pictures I find Between here and there and it's featured on Mondays :)

& One More ♥

Review: Paranormalcy

2012-01-09T03:49:00.000-08:00

First review of the year! Shortly before Christmas I finished reading Paranormalcy, by Kiersten White.

Score: 5/5

What we've got here is a gem of a book. From the start, Kiersten White challenges the usual expectations of urban fantasy. She gives us Evie, a sheltered girl working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency. Her unique gift to see through the magical disguises of supernatural creatures makes her an invaluable tool to the IPCA, despite her young age. As such she has grown up facing down vampires and fairies, yet learns everything she knows about teenage life from television shows, desperate to go to a real school, ahev a proper boyfriend, and her very own locker.

While strong and brave in the face of the kind of threats she has lived with all her life, Evie is still quite girly. She's a great contradiction; neither the helpless damsel nor the alpha female heroine so often seen in urban fantasy.

The story has some of the most truly scary threats and villains I've seen in a long time. Reth, the fairy who is obsessed with Evie, honestly creeps me out. I dreaded turning the page whenever he showed up and cheered whenever he was thwarted. That said, White does an excellent job of showing us that fairies are completely alien to us. They're neither good nor evil, and that makes them all the more uncertain and untrustworthy, because you just know they'll take any chance they can to get what they want.

For a genre often steeped in violence and sex, it's interesting that White's book contains little of both. The romantic tension between Evie and Lend, the shapeshifter whose true form only Evie can see, is intoxicating but completely sweet and innocent. The action scenes are tense and heartpounding, but the book contains no graphic violence. Yet, while this is a book I'd happily let any small child read, it never once felt like the story or themes were dumbed-down or immature.

What I loved most about Paranormalcy was a strong sense that White is showing the reader that magic and fairies are all well and good, but completely pale in comparison to real human feelings and desires. I admit to feeling a bit inundated at times by urban fantasy books where humans are the beaten-down runts of the writer's narrative, where the pleasures and heights of the supernatural far outweigh anything any mere mortal could experience on their own. In Paranormalcy, Evie's greatest desires and most profund moments of desire and happiness come from normal things. Holding a boy's hand. Talking to a friend. Feeling loved. It's honestly refreshing to know there's at least one series out there that lets the beauty of human love shine over the temptations of the supernatural.

IMM #24

2012-01-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox

IMM is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/center&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Sorry! I talk really fast! that has always been one of my biggest flaws :/

Won a copy of The Keeper by Jessica Crawford Vernold

Some Swag I won over @Books Complete Me

and some Swag over @I'm a Book Shark

Thanks Mickey!

*Note to Mickey: I swear that was the best Handwriting I could manage x)

Go Follow!

Almost Forgot! HERE'S the link to my current Giveaway

and don't forget to let me know what YOU Got in your Mailbox! Leave me Links!

I'm alive....

2012-01-07T13:31:00.000-08:00

but just not 100% with it. We survived the long plane trip (long b/c our kids barely slept) but we, thankfully, made it safely to Wien.

Here is a picture of us at the start of our trip....

and, at the tail end of the trip when the kids finally passed out (with literally 20 minutes to go). Isn't that always the case?

We're suffering from severe jet lag and when I say 'we' I mean the kids; but I am the one telling Luke at 2 AM in the morning that it isn't time to get up yet. I'll be back soon.....

Impulse - Ellen Hopkins

2012-01-06T19:03:00.000-08:00

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
Date Released: January 23rd 2007
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Pages: 666 pages
Date Read: December 31st 2011
Format: Hardcover
Source: Amazon

Summary:

Sometimes you don't wake up. But if you happen to, you know things will never be the same.

Three lives, three different paths to the same destination: Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital for those who have attempted the ultimate act -- suicide.

Vanessa is beautiful and smart, but her secrets keep her answering the call of the blade.

Tony, after suffering a painful childhood, can only find peace through pills.

And Conner, outwardly, has the perfect life. But dig a little deeper and find a boy who is in constant battle with his parents, his life, himself.

In one instant each of these young people decided enough was enough. They grabbed the blade, the bottle, the gun -- and tried to end it all. Now they have a second chance, and just maybe, with each other's help, they can find their way to a better life -- but only if they're strong and can fight the demons that brought them here in the first place.

From Goodreads

My Review:

It’s hard to review this book, it really is. Suicide is not something to be taken lightly, and it is also something very hard to grasp. Something that we usually tiptoe around, nobody wants to be that close to death. Ever. What makes it so shocking is to wonder: What can drive a person to such ending? Why is it that they couldn’t see beyond their current situations, and why they had nothing left to loose.

It was especially hard for me to read this because I’ve been in this sort of situation, think of me as Vanessa [If you have read the book] if not, well, you need to read it, you really do. Everything was so real, and I actually thought I was going to have trouble keeping up with the writing style, but no, it was really easy to follow and to get into it.

Impulse shows the life of mainly three teens, though there are more people interned in Aspen Springs, and you get to catch a glimpse of them. Impulse really shows this: Some people will make it. Others won’t. In school, in a marathon, in life, in anything you can think about. Some people aren’t strong enough. Some people don’t want to fight anymore. They all act on their Impulse.

A strong story that comes with stronger decisions. If you’ve read titles such as Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma or Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Impulse is a must-be in your shelf

“Love means holding on to someone just as hard as you can because if you don't, one blink and they might disappear...forever.”

AAQR: Asphalt 6 HD ($0.99) racing

2012-01-06T10:53:00.000-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

Asphalt series is a racer from Gameloft that is their "flagship" franchise, and it's one of those fast and furious type racers where you unlock more and more exotic cars (and motorcycles!) Now at version 6, this game is your pretty typical racer.

Basically, you start with something simple, like a Mini Cooper JCW, and you can buy faster vehicles by winnings (about 40K to 60K per race if you win). There's of course, nitro. You pick up nitro on the course, or you can "drift" and that'll get you some nitro too.

Nitro is essential in winning any sort of race. You can also shove other cars into the wall, which will also get you some bonus $$$. If you manage to fill your nitro gauge, you can engage "adrenaline mode", where your car goes hyperfast, as well as be virtually invincible. (And yes, you CAN crash in this game). Asphalt series lets you use up to 3 charges of nitro at the same time (different flames out of the exhaust pipes, and increased speed). There's also specials about getting extra amount of air, extra money and so on.

Each race is considered "won" if you place in the top three, where you're awarded 3 stars for 1st, 2 stars for 2nd, and 1 star for 3rd. Each race also has two bonus objectives, such as knock-down 4 cars, drift 1000 meters, don't crash more than twice, and so on. Each objective is worth another star, for a maximum of 5 stars.

Race types are varied. There's regular race, knock down (crash as many other cars as possible, without being crashed yourself), elimination (don't be last!), drift competition, and so on.

Items are unlocked according to how many stars you got. Every 5 to 10 stars unlocks additional vehicles, "tuning kits" for increased performance, and so on.

The game's graphics is quite good, almost like playing one of the Need for Speed games. Handling is primitive, but that's expected on a phone. Getting the vehicle to drift is difficult though, at least in certain configs. And you need drifting in some corners to achieve optimum speed.

The most "annoying" part about the game is the ability to BUY the upgrades... If you want to buy stars to unlock better vehicles... you can. If you want to BUY ability to unlock upgrades, you can. But that means the game is no longer just 99 cents.

And that's slightly deceptive.

Still, the game's not bad, good for short excursions. For $1, it's a good deal.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/asphalt-6:-adrenaline-hd/com.gameloft.android.ANMP.GloftA6HP

AAQR: Fox U-42 (free, paid) game

2012-01-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

Fox U-42 is a u-boat sim where you need to kill merchant ships and escort ships in WW2 without getting killed. It's bird's-eye-view 2D where you give path to your sub and can choose to shoot, and change speed to high or low.

The initial level is easy enough, but dodging escorts can be a problem (trickier than you think). Try the free version and see how you like it first.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/fox-u-42-free/se.oixx.subfox

AAQR: All My Enemeis (game)

2012-01-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

All My Enemies is a pretty plain top-down vertical "shooter" where you destroy enemies coming down toward you. Pretty boring if you ask me. It lets you control the game through both tilt and touch, but that's about it.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/all-my-enemies/drowning.zebra.allmyenemies

I Need A New Look

2012-01-06T03:55:00.000-08:00

I've had this blog layout for a while now. I like it and it's served me well, but it's not really "me" enough. Also, I've got a different haircut and a full beard instead of the goatee now so my profile pic is well out of date.

I'm thinking about my options for a new look for 2012, specifically to help spruce things up around here for my launch. For the blog itself I still like the current text format and the semi-transparent background field, but that might have to change. Once I have a book cover settled, I'd like to try and use that as the background image for the blog, but in the meantime I have a few choices. I have a friend who has been doing some artwork for me based on my book. It's fantastic work I hope to share closer to the launch date. He's always been an incredible artist and this is some of his best work yet. I may be able to find one of those that would be suitable. Afternatively I could just look for some royalty-free photos of New York, to reflect my book's setting.

Regarding my profile picture, I think it's really time I got my author photo sorted out. I've been thinking a lot about this. Thankfully another friend of mine is a photographer and has agreed to do the shots for me. I have to admit to having no idea what would best suit me as an author photo so I may have to post several online and get some opinions.

Does anyone have any advice for how to decide on author photos or appropriate blog artwork?

Blogger Lift #35

2012-01-05T12:27:00.000-08:00

Featured this week

A Book Lovers Review

The Interview

1.-In Between Writing and Reading what do you like to do?
I love spending time with my family and going to my son's baseball games but I also go to many book signings. It's so much fun meeting and talking to the authors. You get lots of insight into their books and sometimes extras. It helps you get a clear vision of their world and characters. I've actually had lunch with Simone Elkeles and it was such a dream come true. She is so awesome and down to earth. I had the best time.

2. Convince me to join your blog twitter style. 140 Characters or less. GO!
Look for the next great read and the best giveaways? Then there's no better place to be in the blog-o-sphere than A Book-Lovers Review.com!
(this is harder than it sounds.lol=)

3.- A Season. A Day. A Month
Fall is my favorite season. I love to see the different colored leafs and the temp is just right. It's a good time to read a book outside.

I say Friday is my favorite day of the week. It's the beginning of the weekend *shrugs* what else needs to be said=)

October is my favorite month because of Halloween. There is just something about dressing up and being someone else for the night that I have always loved.

If you are wondering, I'm the one in the middle in red with the Afro.

4.-Lets say Hypothetically that you are abducted by Aliens. And they are generous enough to let you take your favorite book. Just One book. Which book would you take?
Well I have so many to choose from and I do have a lot of eBooks but I'm going to assume there is no way to charge my iPad so I have to go with a paperback copy of something. Let's see. Right now I would say

5.- Upcoming Release you are most exited about :) and best book of 2011 :) [there's no need to answer the last question if the answer to number 4 is a book from 2011]
Jeezz there are so many. Here is a small list:
TBA (Fullriders #1) by Simone Elkeles
The Girl I Used To Be by Meranda Kenneally
Noah (5ht Steet #1)by Elizabeth Reyes
Black Heart by Holly Black
City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward
I'm missing so many but these are all I can come up with right now.

6.- Now the Holiday Question: if you could create a Book Related Holiday, what would you call it and what would we do?
We have a Drop Everything and Read Day at the elementary school I work at. We have tons of literacy activities with the kids and it's so much fun. It would be cool to make it an official holiday.

7.- and now a detailed description of your Blog :)
I started my blog in 2009 for a school project not intending to expand my followers beyond family and friends. They ALWAYS saw me with a book and would often ask me about it. I got a little tired of always repeating myself so I told them I was going to start a blog and they could sign up for email notifications. But, as time went on I started getting more and more followers I decided that this was truly a great place to share my love of book by not only posting reviews but sharing some great signed books and posting interviews with authors.The Genres I support on my blog and post reviews for are as follows:

Any YA: Fiction, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Science Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Steampunk and Dystopian.

Any Adult: Fiction, Romance, Erotica, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Science Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Steampunk and Dystopian.

I have been known to dabble in other genres (classics, legal thrillers,memoir)but for the most part I read and review (mostly) YA.

I hope you have enjoyed getting to know me better. I look forward to seeing you around the blog-o-sphere.

Young Adult Faeries & Fantasy Giveaway Hop

2012-01-05T10:50:00.000-08:00

My Best Friend is a HUGE Fan of Faeries and she decided to help me out with this Giveaway :D!

Thanks Elaine!

We Have 3 Packs to give Freshman and Amateur For US and Mexico Only! Sorry! :(
and the Fantasy pack, which is International :)

Freshman:

Courtesy of Elaine

Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely #1) by Melissa Mar - Paperback

Need (Need #1) by Carrie Jones - Paperback

Amateur:
Courtesy of Me

Iron Queen (Iron Fey #3) by Julie Kagawa - Paperback

Faerie Winter (Faerie #2) by Janni Lee Simmer - Hardcover

Fantasy - PDF's [Int]
Courtesy of Both:

Eyes Like Stars (Théâtre Illuminata #1) by Lisa Mantched - PDF
Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey - PDF

There is only ONE ENTRY [ I hate having to do a bunch of stuff to win]
Just follow this blog in any way you want, choose your pack
and if you would be so kind to let me know if you prefer Google Docs or Rafflecopter

GIVEAWAY OVER!
and the Winners are...
*Drum Roll*
Freshman: Jody A. jc_****@Gmail.com
Amateur: Holly C. vamp****@hotmail.com
PDF: Eduardo R. edi**@hotmail.com

Congrats and Thanks for Entering!

Giveaway Policy!
* You must be a Blog Follower to Enter.
* You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
* One Entry per Member
* Only One US or Mexican Winner per pack.
* I am not responsible for prize loss or mail damage.
* Any Personal Information will remain private and will not be saved.
* Winner will be chosen at Random.org.
* Winner will be notified by e-mail. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Between Updates

2012-01-04T19:44:00.000-08:00

Zomigod, I just HAD To make a post about this! I Won 50 Dollars on Paypall over at

Full Moon Bites

For her 1 year Blogoversary :D! This is AWESOME

Thank You Luck!

and YES, I am conscious that my TBR Pile is HUGE, But Full Moon Bites is a Book Blog, so it is my obligations to spend it all in books :D!

I Think I'll be getting:

So exited!

and I also won a copy of Her Dear & Loving Husband

Looks, scary, I do hope it's reeeallly scary, I Love a good scare :D!

I'm so Happy that my mind is not working right, so I can't remember what other updates I had to give, but, meh, I'll remember later.

Now if you'll excuse me I'll go do a Happy Dance

Own The Year

2012-01-04T03:55:00.000-08:00

Happy new year, everyone. It's safe to say that I'm very, very glad to see the end of 2011. There were good things, absolutely, but it's hard to look back without remembering just how hard a year it was for my wife and I.

So instead of dwelling on that, I'm going to look forward. This is 2012. A new year with new opportunities and new challenges. My first novel is coming out later this year. That's huge, and not a little scary. Over two decades since I decided I wanted to be a writer, it's actually happening, and I couldn't be happier about that. I'm also planning to get the sequel ready and submitted to my publisher soon, ideally in time for the 2013 line-up. Once that's done I'll be starting work on the third book in the series. I'm a firm believer in getting books out there on the shelves, both physical and digital. I'd release a book every month if I could.

On the non-writing side, my wife and I are planning a trip back to New York some time this year. That city will always hold a special place in my heart and now that the hidden world of my series is really taking shape, I want to go to the places I've written about and see them with fresh eyes.

Last year we learned how much our friends love us and what they'll do to take care of us. So this year we're going to do so much more to enjoy being with them. Dinner parties, game nights, cinema trips, you name it, we're going to find ways to share more of our lives with our friends.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I intend to take this year and own it.

dancergirl - Carol m. Tazman

2012-01-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

dancergirl by Carol M. Tazman
Date Released: November 15th 2011
Publisher: Harlequin
Pages: 248 pages
Date Read: December 17 2011
Format: ARC
Source: Netgalley

Summary:

Ever feel like someone's watching you? Me, too. But lately it's been happening in my room.

When I'm alone.

A friend posted a video of me dancing online, and now I'm no longer Alicia Ruffino. I'm dancergirl. And suddenly it's like me against the world—everyone's got opinions.

My admirers want more, the haters hate, my best friend Jacy—even he's acting weird. And some stalker isn't content to just watch anymore.

Ali. Dancergirl. Whatever you know me as, however you've seen me online, I've trained my whole life to be the best dancer I can be. But if someone watching has their way, I could lose way more than just my love of dancing. I could lose my life.

From Goodreads

My Review:

Stalkers happen to be one of the things that scare the bejeezus outta me. That, and the end of the world. And Ghosts. And The Dark. And a lot of other things.

No kidding. So when I saw that dancergirl was about a stalker I was like: YAY! lol, I Love a good scare :3 But dancergirl was just... Okay.

Don't get me wrong, dancergirl wasn't half bad, but I remember when I read Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolar, I would go to bed all freaked out!

With dancergirl I found it very predictable who the stalker was, maybe it's because I have experience with this genre or something but, when they finally revealed who the stalker was, I was just like: I knew it!

It was entertaining, I really liked Ali's passion for dance and in general it was a good read. I'd suggest you read it on your way to Palms Spring. or San Fransisco. or on a plain. I don't know why but I just think It would be something good to read on the road. Just my opinion :)

“I remember what he was wearing. A navy-blue coat and that Harry Potter scarf."
"What the heck's a Harry Potter scarf?" Jacy snorts, "Low-rent Invisibility Cloak? Only your neck disappears.”

AAQR: Dragon Fire (free / 2.99) puzzle

2012-01-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

Dragon Fire is basically a puzzle where you need to route different "pulses" of fire to different receptors in the right sequence by moving the various "routers" along the way. This appears to have originated on the iPhone.

In play, it is similar to "traffic control" type games (not airport though). It could be interesting.

The demo has 6 levels, and the full game has 26 levels. Try the demo first.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/dragon-fire-demo/com.sgg.dfdemo
http://www.appbrain.com/app/dragon-fire/com.sgg.df

AAQR: Bird's the Word (game)

2012-01-03T18:03:00.000-08:00

Bird's the Word is a word game where you are randomly given a bunch of letters in a grid and you need to use them to make words. Each level is passed if you score above a certain threshold, which means longer words and more words. As letters are removed after each word, it can get challenging for subsequent words!

If you got bored there are additional game modes.

Not bad if you like word games and needs some vocabulary challenges.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/birds-the-word/birdhd.sgn.com

AAQR: Beaver's Revenge (game)

2012-01-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

Beaver's Revenge is a shameless ripoff of Angry Birds. You are a beaver throwing "fish" at lumberjacks who's out to cut down your forest.

Production value's not bad, but it's such a shameless clone it's... pathetic.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/beavers-revenge%E2%84%A2/com.TwistedGames.Beaverz

AAQR: Aporkalypse: Pigs of Doom (game)

2012-01-03T17:48:00.000-08:00

Aporkcalypse is basically a platform/puzzle game where you need to manuever the 4 pigs of aporkalypse, each with their special ability, to get through some certain levels and prevent the aporkcalypse, by sending both angels and demons back to where they belong... in heaven and in hell respectively!

Story's the usual some ultimate evil has disrupted the way it should be and you need to help the four pigs save the world. :) But obviously it's in a joking manner. Not bad... Try the free version first. Paid version removes the ads.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/aporkalypse-free/com.hg.aporkalypsefree FREE
http://www.appbrain.com/app/aporkalypse-pigs-of-doom/com.hg.aporkalypse $1.41

Site Update: New Review Phone

2012-01-03T17:42:00.000-08:00

I recently upgraded to a dual-core 4G LTE phone, so I'll be reviewing a few more of the games now that I'm more compatible!

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E. Smith

2012-01-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Date Released: January 2nd 2012
Publisher: Poppy
Pages: 236 pages
Date Read: December 23rd 2011
Format: Hardcover
Source: Barnes&Nobles

Summary:

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18C. Hadley's in 18A.

Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

From Goodreads

My Review:

I Really Liked It and It Was Amazing.

lol, I have no idea how to explain yet. It was a simple story really, sweet, the beginning of a bigger one for Hadley and Oliver; but there were so many little details and things that just made the story so great and complete. I'm smiling like a fool right now, I seriously can't wait to re-read it. It's such a beautiful book that every time I glance at it I just get a bigger smile, and I'm sure it's going to be that way for a long time.

Oliver and Hadley were perfect. Not in a no flaws kind of way, but in a perfectly well done human characters with flaws and all. They both had different perspectives on many things but they also completed each other. I know that this sounds cheesy, especially if you consider that the story takes place over a 24 hour period, but everything was just so well done. I seriously applause Jennifer E. Smith, she did a wonderful job with this book, and like I said earlier, you can tell this is just the beginning for Oliver and Hadley.

This is a must-be-in-your-shelf book, no doubt. The Statistical Probability that you will love it is: 100%

“It's not the changes that will break your heart; it's that tug of familiarity.”

Tweet Review
This is a must-be-in-your-shelf book, no doubt. The Statistical Probability that you will love it is: 100%

Picture This #2

2012-01-02T10:35:00.000-08:00

& One More ♥

Hello 2012

2012-01-01T21:42:00.000-08:00

2011 wasn't exactly easy for me. I got interned in a treatment center [again] for cutting, I discovered I have clinical depression, sometimes I just go down for days for nor reason.

I know this is probably a bunch to grasp and sounds horrible or like I'm crazy or a very fragile thing. I'm not. One of my favorite quotes is: You never know how STRONG you are, Until being STRONG is the only choice you have. I came out of 2011 being Stronger. It was really hard, but I made it. Thanks to my Blog, thanks to Books, thanks to The Young Adult Book Club, thanks to my friends, to music. 2011 was tough, but I made it.

This may sound was to sentimental but, the Blog has become such and important part of me and I Love and appreciate every single one of my followers, I really do, and one thing I strongly believe is in honesty. so here I am, being honest. and I am a Happy Person, lol, don't think I'm always down, 'course not! that is just a little something that luckily I can manage better now. I was even called Hilarious here on the blog a few times

and speaking of Honesty, you know what scares the bejeezus outta me? the End of the world O_O

Nice. We are Saved.

and now the Resolutions I will probably fail to accomplish but I sure as hell am gonna try :D!

*Read More. 80 MINIMUM this year Jude, got it?
*Blog More. I need to get a grip on college and actually USE my planner.
*Stop buying so many books. For every book you read, you buy 10 more. Please treat me better, sincerely your wallet.
*Use more Twitter and Facebook. I hate twitter and facebook. Lol, I have no idea what to do there! so I really want to get more social x)
*Start the YABC Blog. I'm hoping this will turn out to be great, it will be a YA Book Blog with many reviewers and such, I'm seriously hoping the best for this :)
*Start a YA Book Tour page. I would really like to organize Virtual Book Tours, so maybe after the YA Blog I can give it a try at this :)
*Do More Giveaway. I Love participating and winning giveaways, I want to start hosting more!
*Go to BEA. I would give anything to go to BEA! Sadly I don't have the money and working at Blockbuster won't get me there. at least I can dream right?

So What do you think of my goals :D!?

I thought so too :)

So Welcome 2012 :D!

and what a better way to start the new year than with a really Lame Joke?

if you laughed you are obligated to leave a comment :P

[pretty please? lol]

2011: A Year in Review

2012-01-01T06:04:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!! 2011 has brought a lot of success in so many ways! Of course the greatest is little E that is now 3 and 1/2 months old. Other successes were finishing up some long standing projects around the home and getting our house sold in a relatively quick manner. Here are some Green Street 2011 highlights:

DIY bulletin board

Before & After Kitchen Roman Shade

Before & After Kitchen Stool

RIT Dyed Lamp Shade

DIY Painted & Stenciled Ikea Rug

Before & After Kitchen

Before & After Patio

Before & After Hallway

DIY Greek Key Roman Shade

Before & After Renovated Bathroom

Before & After Dining Room

Before & After Sideboard

Make sure you click on the links to see the 'before'. There are some huge transformations.

All of these projects were completed before Elizabeth was born in September and our house sold in October. Phew! We accomplished a TON in 2011 and I look forward to a new adventure when we temporarily move to Vienna, Austria (leave this Tuesday).

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Day and the next time you'll hear from me will be in Vienna!! Bis dann....

The New Year Cat

2011-12-31T17:18:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from me an my Cat! Who left my hand full of scratches! and my jean! and destroyed My Hello-Killy Slippers! and chewed my pencil! and I'm gonna bake him for New Year :DD!

IMM #23 Holiday Edition!

2011-12-31T17:14:00.000-08:00

The Next Video is a Lie.

I made the video BEFORE I went and bought 6 MORE BOOKS O_O. Hehe...

THE REAL DEAL

What I Bought:

What I Borrowed:

From Netgalley:

I Know I know! I'm Sorry! Ugh! there's no space in my shelf and no money left for me! but at least they're all really pretty and I Love Them :D! [Some of us fools just never learn]

Wrapping Up 2011 Readathon [Update 3]

2011-12-30T22:09:00.000-08:00

The Readathon is almost Over! This is what I've read so far:

*Incarnate

*dancergirl
*The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

I know it must not seem like a helluva of a lot but, compared to my reading pace this is AWESOME!

Me Feels Proud :D!

What I'm gonna TRY to Finish:
*Impulse
*Graffiti Moon.

Wish Me Luck :D!

Mini-Challenge

2011-12-30T22:02:00.000-08:00

as part of the Wrapping Up 2011 Readathon YA Bookmark is hosting a challenge [Thank you so much for Hosting!], and it is to make a sentence using books.

Here are mine! I made two because I used a little bit of extra help to create one of them and I'm not sure it that cheating.... they are both cheesy but, Oh well, here they are!

If I stay, take me there between here and forever.

If I stay, don't stop now. Take me there between here and forever, before I fall for someone like you.

and I also made one with a Courtney Summer and Tabitha Suzuma, it said: Some Girls Are Forbidden but it seemed a bit lame so I just stayed with the cheesy ones x) but hey, at least I tried. [It was not an easy task]

Happy New Year Wallpaper 2012

2011-12-30T09:31:00.000-08:00

Kate Winslet Wallpapers

2011-12-30T02:23:00.000-08:00

Kate Winslet

The Dusty Bookshelf Challenge 2012!

2011-12-29T21:35:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I KNOW, I've signed up to a thousand challenges already! but meh, I probably won't finish half of them, so I'll at least have fun signing up.

The idea of this challenge is to basically be able to say [in Jessica's words] "look at my bookshelf and say unequivocally and without exception, “I’ve read all those books.”"

The Fist thing to do is see how many books we have in our Bookshelf that we have to read *Goes to count*

Holly Mother of God. 95 Books. 95 BOOKS. 95 DUCKING BOOKS. O_O

Yeah, that's my face.

I Quit. I quit and I haven't even started this challenge.

Look at them. 95 Books:

and This Is You after you see that I have not read Divergent, The Hunger Games and Delirium [Among Others]

You are all plotting my death. and you haven't even seen the e-books.

Guess I'm level Grungy – Read 20+ books

as for the book that has more time there, it would be a year and a half.
Wow, in a year and a half I managed to NOT read 95 Books.
O_O

Pick Your a Thon Mini-Challenges

2011-12-29T15:05:00.000-08:00

Pick Your a Thon Mini-Challenge #1
Goals, Goals, Goals

What book are you starting with?
Ok so, I've been reading a lot lately [at least compared to my usual pace] so I want to focus on reading until January 1st and then start reviewing like crazy :D!

I hope to read / review:
Read: 4
Review: 5

Books I hope to read / review or at least will try to get to:
I hope to finish: Impulse & The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by New Year. and then Graffiti Moon.
I want to review by January 3rd: Incarnate, dancergirl, A series of unfortunate events, Impulse & The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight.

Pick Your Thon Mini-Challenge #2
12 Most Anticipated Books of 2012

1.- Incarnate by Jody Meadows
2.- Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
3.- Life Is But a Dream by Brian James
4.- Slide by Jill Hathaway
5.- Halfling by Heather Burch
6.- Everneath by Brodi Ashton
7.- My Life in Black and White by Natasha Friend
8.- The Thing About the Truth by Lauren Barnholdt
9.- This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
10.- Before You Go by James Preller
11.- Storm by Brigid Kemmerer
12.- Smashed by Lisa Luedeke

Pick Your a Thon Mini-Challenge #3
Organizing Upcoming Reviews

My camera hates me at the moment and it is refusing to cooperate and I can't show you my planner :(
The idea of this challenge is to be organized. I personally don't like using google docs or stuff online because I always, always forget to check them. I also tried with the calendar in my ipod and alarms and such and I still forget. so I go old school and use a planner and post-its :3

since I have no camera I will describe: on the back of my door I have like a thousand post-its with all the books I must read/review. they are in different colors depending on the need and such.

Blue: must buy
Yellow: must review [Netgalley]
Pink: must review
Green: simply must read asap.

and there's my planner, which has marked all the day in which my galleys disappear and blogtours and everything :3

Pick Your a Thon Mini-Challenge #4
Read... Read... Read / Review... Review... Review

I'm Reviewing!

I just made my review for The Statistical Probability of First Sight and now I'm working on:
*Incarnate
*dancergirl
*Impulse

I'm alsmost done with these so I'll go and continue reading Graffiti Moon - which I'm Loving by the way.

Well, today is the last day of 2011. I honestly hope everyone is tucked safe and warm in their beautiful houses with a lovely book in hand. Happy New Year ;)

Happy New Year 2012 Giveaway Hop

2011-12-29T11:18:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone enjoyed the Holidays and are getting ready for a great New Year :D!

To celebrate I have Two Giveaways, One US Only and The Other International

US Giveaway:

Two Paperback copies, one of Firelgitht by Sophie Jordan and one of Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

International:

2 PDF copies, one of Fury by Elizabeth Miles and Starstruck by Cyn Balong

This Giveaway Is Over!
and the Winners are:

US Giveaway:
Emily R.
Em_****@hotmail.com

INT Giveaway:
Sarika R.
sarikap********@gmail.com

Congratulations!
and Thanks to everyone who entered :D!

Giveaway Policy!
* You must be a Blog Follower to Enter.
* You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
* One Entry per Member
* Only One US Winner
* Only One International Winner.
* I am not responsible for prize loss or mail damage.
* Any Personal Information will remain private and will not be saved.
* Winner will be chosen at Random.org.
* Winner will be notified by e-mail. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Window Vista Wallpapers

2011-12-29T10:29:00.000-08:00

Vista Wallpapers

Cool Lamborghini Wallpapers

2011-12-29T10:20:00.000-08:00

Lamborghini

Harry Potter Wallpapers

2011-12-29T10:15:00.000-08:00

Harry Potter

Top 10 Book Book Boyfriends of 2011

2011-12-28T20:14:00.000-08:00

"Top 10 Book Book Boyfriends of 2011"

I hated most of these guys half of the time but, Sigh* I someohow totally fell for them <#*

1
Noah
Sometimes it Happens by Lauren Barnholdt

Sam Incarnate by Jody Meadows

BeckettThere You'll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones

Jacy
dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman

John
Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Alex
Always Been Mine by Elizabeth Reyes

Lochan
Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Max
The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Entienne
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Elder
Across The Universe by Beth Revis

Blogger Lift #34

2011-12-27T19:28:00.000-08:00

Featured this week

Book Briefs

I am a 2L at Florida State Law School. I spend most of my time reading and studying law. In law school I have to write case briefs for all the cases I read. Here, I get to write book briefs. A much better (and more fun) use of my time.

The Interview :D!

1.-In Between Writing and Reading what do you like to do?
I love to hang out with my two Dachshunds, Harry and Ron, and when I am away at school I like to play trivia and hang out with my best friend and sister.

2. Convince me to join your blog twitter style. 140 Characters or less. GO!
YA book reviews, blog tours, and giveaways- oh my! Plus some ramblings from yours truly. What is not to love?

3.- A TV Show. A Movie. A Song.
Storage wars. Inception. Say anything by Kate Voegele

4.-What question would you like to be asked in an interview?
ooh good question!!

Q. What is something that people would be surprised to learn about you?
A. I LOVE quotes! I used to keep word documents full of my favorite quotes and whenever I would come across a new quote that I liked I would add it. I also used to follow quote "blogs" (although they were more like tumblr) and I would spend A LOT of time just scrolling through and reading quotes.

5.- If a certain someone came out from under a rock and asked you for the Best Book Recommendation you could give, what would you recommend?
Oh man, It is a toss up between The Hunger Games and Harry Potter. I think I will have to go with Harry Potter. (how long have they been under this rock??)

6.- Now the Holiday Question: if you could create a Book Related Holiday, what would you call it and what would we do?
National Share a Story Day. I would have people either donate books or go to their local library and give book recommendations to kids that didn't think reading was for them (or kids/teens that just wanted some new books to read)

7.- and now a detailed description of your Blog :)
My blog is called Book Briefs, named after the case briefs I make for my law school classes. I review (mostly) YA books, and host as many giveaways as I can. I love to meet new book lovers so come on by and say hi. I always try to respond to comments and follow back if you leave a link. :)

You can find me here:

blog: http://bookbriefs.blogspot.com

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Book-Briefs/284807404880026

twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/BookBriefs

goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4253940-michelle

formspring: http://www.formspring.me/chelle2006

email: Michelle.bookbriefs@gmail.com

Thanks For Being part of Blogger Lift Michelle! :))

The African Bull Dog ( KENYA )

2011-12-27T12:36:00.000-08:00

Sustainable by all means.

Mombasa (Kenya) is the location where this unique prototype was conceived. Details are outlined from their Facebook page.

Completed

30th January 2011

The vehicle

The african bull dog is a Kenyan Built Off Road 4X4 Vehicle and MPV; This car is built for every day use, it can be used in farms as a produce cart, or even as an ambulance at Marsabit desert to provide emergency care to the forgotten communities and as a truck to ferry drugs to those remote places that you have never heard of!; With ample backing, the African Bulldog can do for Kenya what the Citroen 2CV did for France and the V.W Beetle for Germany!

Company Overview

Heino Autoworx is a Leading 4x4 vehicle workshop based in Mombasa at the Mtwapa Creek, Kenya. We have been involved in the maintenance of 4x4 vehicles and S.U.Vs for years and we decided to push the boundaries.

Description

The African Bull Dog is the brain child of Engineer Heino, he has a vast experience in the automotive and boat industry. The crew has been working tirelessly to ensure that we meet our target and we build a vehicle that meets the standards of the 4X4s we work on on a daily basis.

Mission

4X4 Extreme Efficient Performance!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/African-Bull-Dog/160682840649799?sk=wall

BAILEY LMP2 ( SOUTH AFRICA )

2011-12-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

This is an African Phenomenon for 2011. Below are the stats straight from the makers mouth describing this awesome beast.

"Bailey Cars took the Bold and Brave step of building a current day Prototype car in 2009. Its taken 2 years of intense design and manufacture to produce this master piece of south African engineering.

The car has had many firsts for South Africa such as full carbon Tub, full CFD body design and building a car to the A.C.O Le Mans 24 hours regulations

The car is available to customers who would like to compete in sports car racing throughout the world in events such as ALMS, Le Mans series, Asian Le Mans Series and even the South African Le Mans Series and RSA GT challenge.

Chassis

· Carbon composite monocoque chassis

· Monocoque certified to all ACO and FIA structural and crash standards

· Adjustable pedal box and steering column

· Safety equipment includes 6-point lightweight seat belt harness

· Plumbed in fire extinguisher system

Engine

· 460hp maximum as regulated by ACO
· The engine must be made in a minimum of 1000 units in 12 consecutive months and must come, either from a grand touring car, Or from a large production car.
· Choice of homologated BMW, Lexus, Toyota or Nissan 5000 cm3 8 cylinders maximum. maximum
· Or 3200 cm3 forced induction engine with max 6 cylinders
· Diesel not allowed in LMP

Suspension

· Double wishbone layout all round

· Pushrod rocker type with damper and coil over spring all round

· Third-spring option for front and rear suspension

· Frictionless bearing seals all round

· Same upright all round

· Angular-contact wheel bearings all round

· Chromoly steel-fabricated TIG-welded wishbones

· Quick adjustable ride height, camber, and toe

· electrically power assisted rack-and-pinion

Fuel System

· 90-litre bladder type fuel cell

· Dual Low-pressure fuel lifts pump plus dual high-pressure pumps

Transmission

· Ricardo sequential-shift gearbox

· Six forward speeds plus reverse with torque input capacity in excess of 500 Nm

· Adjustable gear ratios

· Paddle shift as standard

· Gear oil cooling system

Bodywork

· All body panels of lightweight infused epoxy glass composite construction

Brake System

· AP Racing six-piston aluminum calipers all round

· 380 mm diameter ventilated discs front and rear

· Full carbon brake set up as option

Wheels and Tyres

· Wheel dimensions 11”wide x 18” diameter front

· 13” wide x 18” diameter rear

· 3 piece wheels

· Centre lock and anti loosen to FIA standards

Cooling System

· 1 water radiators

· 8-litre dry sump oil tank

· Twin engine all cooler

· Twin Electric oil scavenge pump

· 1 intercooler

· Driver air-conditioning system

Electrical System

· Military-spec chassis wiring loom

· FIA-regulation emergency power cut-off switch

· External start jump plug

· Digital dash display and with full data logging

· Xenon headlamps

WEIGHT

· Minimum weight as specified by ACO 900kg excluding driver and fuel

Bailey - Beautifully Engineered Cars

http://www.baileyedwardscars.co.za

Snowy Trees

2011-12-26T22:57:00.000-08:00

Fields Beauty Wallpapers

2011-12-26T22:26:00.000-08:00

Beautiful Fields

Sunset Wallpapers

2011-12-26T22:07:00.000-08:00

Sunset View

Animated New Year Wallpapers

2011-12-26T22:01:00.000-08:00

New Year Wallpaper

New Year Greetings Wallpapers

2011-12-26T21:54:00.000-08:00

New Year Greetings

Desktop Wallpaper Christmas

2011-12-26T21:36:00.000-08:00

Desktop Wallpaper Christmas

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-23T19:43:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!!

Thank you for all your support this year (all of you that take your time to read this blog). We leave for Vienna in less than two weeks and I promise to pick up the blogging once we get settled.

In the meantime, Merry Merry!!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T03:55:00.000-08:00

I was originally planning to keep blogging throughout the Christmas holidays, but we've got so much going on, as I'm sure most people do, that I think I'll join many of my fellow bloggers and take a break for a while.

Here's to us all having a happy, safe and peaceful Christmas. I'll see you all in 2012.

Here are some puppies:

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Autumn Path Wallpaper

2011-12-22T08:25:00.000-08:00

Flower Desktop Wallpapers

2011-12-22T08:09:00.000-08:00

Flower Wallpaper

Friend Ship Wallpapers

2011-12-22T08:08:00.000-08:00

Friend Ship Wallpapers

Cartoon Wallpapers

2011-12-22T08:05:00.000-08:00

Cartoon Wallpapers

Window Xp Desktop Wallpapers

2011-12-22T08:01:00.000-08:00

AAQR: Chicken Coup Remix HD (game)

2011-12-21T16:06:00.000-08:00

This was an Amazon App Store Giveaway

Unfortunately, this game doesn't work on my OG Droid.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/chicken-coup-remix-hd/com.PuppyPunch.ChickenCoup

AAQR: Icecube Cavemen (game)

2011-12-21T16:05:00.000-08:00

Icecube Caveman is a game where you roll this 2x1x1 block around the field, trying to get to the destination by rolling this way and that. At the destination, the block needs to be vertical.

There have been many games on the market that has this mechanic so this was nothing new. While the theme was kinda cute, it's not that original. Still, if you like puzzles, this ain't that bad.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/ice-cube-caveman%E2%84%A2/com.TwistedGames.Caveman

AAQR: Worduku (game)

2011-12-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

This was an Amazon Appstore Giveaway

Worduku is inspired by the Japanese math puzzle Soduku. In this game, you're trying to fit a word into the grid. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to fit that well. The math part is intuitive, but not the 9 letter part. I give them credit for trying though. If you REALLY love word puzzles, give the demo a try.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/wordoku/com.stylezsoft.wordoku

AAQR: Helium Boy (game)

2011-12-21T15:55:00.000-08:00

This was an Amazon App Store Giveaway

Helium Boy is a whimsical 3D platformer where the objective is to move about the "board" with the help of your helium balloons. if you "jerk" the balloons you go up and if you don't do anything you fall (gently), and you can gently glide left right, forward back a bit. The idea is to grab all the goodies while avoiding the nasties.

Controls are a little iffy, as it takes a bit of time to learn how far you glide, and there are nasties, and you CAN fall into bad places. Still, it is unique and interesting take on the platform game genre.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/helium-boy/beril.mootor.helium

AAQR: Quizr Pro (trivia game)

2011-12-21T15:30:00.000-08:00

This was an Amazon App Store Giveaway

Tried Quizr, one of those trivia test apps where you get questions off the Internet and thus almost never the same questions twice. UI is pretty good, and performance is respectable. However, you need to register, and that's kinda pain.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/quisr-pro-%7C-1-4-player-quiz/com.viennaopenminds.quisr

Conor's First Christmas

2011-12-21T03:55:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, my wife and I had a son earlier this year, who passed away after only three days. We named him Conor and gave him the middle names William and Henry, after our grandfathers. This should have been his first Christmas. It's been a hard time for us. We have friends who have new babies, or are expecting, and while we're thrilled for them, we miss our son.

However, as hard as this first Christmas will be, we are determined to enjoy it. We know Conor is with us, watching us. No matter what form his presence has to take, we won't let our son's first Christmas be a sad affair. His life meant too much to too many people for us to let him down like that. He taught us about the importance of those we love, and the strength that comes from expressing that love. That's what Christmas should be about.

So we're going to celebrate this Christmas and see it through. I know Conor would want us to be happy, not let our favourite time of year pass in sadness because he can't be with us in the way we wish he could.

To anyone reading this, I'll say the same. This can be a stressful time of year. It's expensive, it's crowded, it's loud. You may find yourself having to spend time with people you'd rather not, because a friend is bringing a guest you don't know, or you fell out once with a particular family member. Or there may be someone you dearly wish was there who can't be.

But this is also a time when we gather around those we love. We share gifts to show how much we care. We offer help to a friend or a stranger when they need it most. We do the most amazing things just to see another person smile and help their Christmas be that much better. We are thankful for the good in our lives. We forgive those who have hurt us. We offer peace and goodwill.

Life's too short, and there are enough times when we feel frustrated, miserable or afraid. Let this one time of year be spent with good in our hearts, each helping one another to be happy however we can. And maybe, just maybe, some of that feeling will stay with us when he season ends, and we can keep it through the year.

Merry Christmas.

Fantasy Wallpapers

2011-12-20T02:49:00.000-08:00

Coffee Wallpapers

2011-12-20T02:43:00.000-08:00

Coffee Wallpaper

Christmas lights wallpapers

2011-12-20T02:37:00.000-08:00

Funky Desktop Wallpapers

2011-12-20T02:34:00.000-08:00

Funky Wallpaper

Christmas Gifts Wallpapers

2011-12-20T02:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas Gifts

Snow Road Wallpapers

2011-12-20T02:23:00.000-08:00

Snow on Road

Cute Barbie Wallpapers

2011-12-20T02:18:00.000-08:00

Barbie

Ring Christmas Bells

2011-12-19T03:55:00.000-08:00

Just a few days to go until Christmas. To help celebrate the final run up I'd like to share something from Carnival Moon, a band that my friend Ash's husband is in. They've recorded a cover of Carol of the Bells with a really creepy, fairy-like tone. It's available for free download and I love it, so here it is:

Ring Christmas Bells

Snow Falling Wallpapers

2011-12-18T08:11:00.000-08:00

Snow Falling Wallpaper

Cool Car Desktop Wallpapers

2011-12-18T07:44:00.000-08:00

Cool Car Desktop Wallpapers

Life Insurance

Graffiti Moon - Cath Crowley

Office Re-Do

colorful rings

Energy Levels

CENSORED

21 Days.

SOPA

What I'm loving today....

Blogger Lift #37

January Begins!

The Perfect Desk Chair

Picture This #4

Rude or Assertive

Gruss Gott! Week One.

IMM #25

Friday the 13th

Wandering Stars - Marlon Pierre-Antoine +Giveaway

Versatile Blogger Award

Dreaming of Book Giveaway Hop

Jenny Wolf Interiors

The Long Wekkend - Author Interview & Giveaway.

Between Updates

Yum-O

Supporting Others' Talents

AAQR: WiFi File Explorer by Dooblou (utility)

Blogger Lift #36

Custom Kitchen Cabinets

Crushing hard....

Picture This #3

Review: Paranormalcy

IMM #24

I'm alive....

Impulse - Ellen Hopkins

AAQR: Asphalt 6 HD ($0.99) racing

AAQR: Fox U-42 (free, paid) game

AAQR: All My Enemeis (game)

I Need A New Look

Blogger Lift #35

Young Adult Faeries & Fantasy Giveaway Hop

Between Updates

Own The Year

dancergirl - Carol m. Tazman

AAQR: Dragon Fire (free / 2.99) puzzle

AAQR: Bird's the Word (game)

AAQR: Beaver's Revenge (game)

AAQR: Aporkalypse: Pigs of Doom (game)

Site Update: New Review Phone

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E. Smith

Picture This #2

Hello 2012

2011: A Year in Review

The New Year Cat

IMM #23 Holiday Edition!

Wrapping Up 2011 Readathon [Update 3]

Mini-Challenge

Happy New Year Wallpaper 2012

Kate Winslet Wallpapers

The Dusty Bookshelf Challenge 2012!

Pick Your a Thon Mini-Challenges

Pick Your Thon Mini-Challenge #212 Most Anticipated Books of 2012

Pick Your a Thon Mini-Challenge #4Read... Read... Read / Review... Review... Review

Happy New Year 2012 Giveaway Hop

Window Vista Wallpapers

Cool Lamborghini Wallpapers

Harry Potter Wallpapers

Top 10 Book Book Boyfriends of 2011

"Top 10 Book Book Boyfriends of 2011"

I hated most of these guys half of the time but, *Sigh* I someohow totally fell for them <#

Blogger Lift #34

The African Bull Dog ( KENYA )

BAILEY LMP2 ( SOUTH AFRICA )

Snowy Trees

Fields Beauty Wallpapers

Sunset Wallpapers

Animated New Year Wallpapers

New Year Greetings Wallpapers

Desktop Wallpaper Christmas

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!

Pick Your Thon Mini-Challenge #2
12 Most Anticipated Books of 2012

Pick Your a Thon Mini-Challenge #4
Read... Read... Read / Review... Review... Review

I hated most of these guys half of the time but, Sigh* I someohow totally fell for them <#*