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Wednesday, March 14, 2018

ARC REVIEW: State of Emergency by Mary Hallberg


















17-year-old Dallas Langdon is fighting off zombies with a pizza cutter.
Dallas has always loved zombie movies. But when she catches a real live (erm, dead) musician eating a man’s intestines backstage after the show, she knows her movies have become a reality. And what do characters in zombie movies do? Seek shelter. Fortunately, Dallas's eccentric uncle owns a farmhouse in Chattanooga, an eight hour drive from New Orleans. It’s on top of a steep mountain, surrounded by electric fences, and cut off from the worlds of the living and the dead.
Dallas’s parents, still safe at home, laugh at her idea over the phone. Her friends only agree to join her because it’s fall break and they could use a mini vacation anyway.
But then Dallas’s best friend is killed by a zombie horde when they’re attracted to her ringing cell phone. Civilians think their reanimated loved ones simply have the flu, leaving them alive (well, undead) and rapidly increasing the zombies ranks. And since minors can’t buy guns, Dallas’s only weapon is a giant industrial pizza cutter she swipes from a gas station. George A. Romero never mentioned anything like this. With one friend dead and no zombie survival guides to help her, Dallas and her friends must get to Chattanooga before joining the ranks of the undead themselves. (less)


I received a copy of this novel in return for an honest review


I am kind of sick of zombies, there I said it. However, when the author requested a review I was intrigued and so I gave it a chance.

This story is simple. Teenagers try to get away from zombies before they get eaten. However, the tale was spun with humor, action, and suspense and is all about how they are trying to get away from said zombies.

I would have liked al little more time spent on character development, but the world building was solid.

This book focus more on the outbreak than what happens after wards, which made it different than other zombies books I have read.

This was a quick and easy read, but quite entertaining.



Monday, March 12, 2018

SPOT LIGHT Blog Tour:The Pariah Child and the Ever- Giving Stone by Natasha D Lane #PCEGS, #PCEGSTOUR







When Sarah was four, she promised her mother she would be a good girl -- a proper young lady in their small country town -- and that she would ignore the creatures who appeared to her and whispered in her ear of things unknown. But like all creatures of myth and legend, they won’t be ignored forever.

Now thirteen, Sarah is attacked by a wolf with poisonous black fur and strange, human-looking eyes. With the help of a few unexpected friends, she manages to survive the attack but soon discovers the creatures have returned. They want Sarah to find a powerful gemstone and bring it to them in Lyrica, their magical homeworld.

Her new friends urge caution, however. There may be more monsters like the black wolf. And the creatures themselves are frightening. Can Sarah trust them? Stuck between reality and imagination, her mother’s wishes and her own desires, Sarah faces an impossible choice – break her promise or do nothing to save a world in peril.

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8547000.Natasha_D_Lane

Twitter: https://twitter.com/natasha_lane1

Website: https://www.natashalanewrites.com/

Excerpt: https://www.natashalanewrites.com/excerpt/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NatashaLaneWrites



Want to know what she listened to while writing this?


Playlist Explanation

PC&EGS Playlist:

All the songs were picked because they represented different aspects of the story and main character, Sarah. These songs also hit on several themes I included in the story such as trusting yourself and perseverance.

1)      The Second Star to the Right by The Jud Conlon Chorus
            In my novel, Sarah’s favorite book is Peter & Wendy (the original title of Peter Pan), so I
            had to include a classic from the soundtrack. Peter, the lost boys, and childish
            imagination are so important to Sarah in my story.

2)      Just Around the Riverbend by Judy Kuhn in Pocahontas
            For me, this song screams adventure which is what my story is all about at its core. The
            idea that there could be a new journey “just around the riverbend” speaks to Sarah,
            especially when she’s young and full of that wonderful childhood imagination.

3)      Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now from the 2007 HairSpray Soundtrack
            Though this song is upbeat, fun, and peppy, Sarah has a troubled relationship with her
            mother in the story. They have a lot of conflict that really stems from her mother wanting
            her to conform, to “be normal” because Sarah just isn’t “normal.”

            I chose this song because, even though Sarah isn’t as bold as the characters who sing it,
            she is a young woman, breaking free from parental rules to return to who she is.

4)      Daddy’s Girl by 1 Girl Nation
            In contrast to the relationship Sarah has with her mother, she and her father are pretty
            close. Her father often steps in as a shield when her mother is berating her. He also has
            more faith in Sarah and doesn’t expect her to change who she is. So, knowing that, it’s no
            surprise she’s a daddy’s girl.

5)      Can’t Take It by Imogen Heap from the Chronicles of Narnia Movie One
            When Sarah first stumbles into the magical world Lyrica she’s both frightened and
            amazed. Obviously, like any magical world, it’s a lot to take in and Sarah has to grasp it
            all quickly because there’s a big job that needs to be done. This song is for those
            moments when she’s allowed to just take in all that is Lyrica.

6)      The Battle Instrumental by Harry Gregson from Chronicles of Narnia Movie One
            Would any epic adventure be complete without a huge battle scene? I think not.

7)      Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne
            Like any story, the path to the end goal is not easy. I definitely add in several bumps in
            the road to make it harder for my characters. That said, throughout it all, they have to
            remind themselves, as well as each other, to never give and to “keep holding on.”

8)      Listen With Your Heart by Linda Hunt & Bobbi Page from Pocahontas Movie One
            I was never a big princess type girl but Pocahontas is one of my favorite Disney movies,
            even though the Disney version is horribly inaccurate.I still enjoy the song numbers, the
            themes, like peace with nature and humanity, so it’s no surprise she got two spots on my
            book’s playlist. In my novel, there’s also a talking tree that tells Sarah she needs to trust herself aka   “listen with your heart.”

9)      The Wolf by Fever Ray from the 2011 Red Riding Hood Movie
            One of the main antagonists in the story is a pack of cursed wolves. How could I not add
            a song from Red Riding Hood? Of course, my story isn’t a fairytale retelling but the wolf in this story is a classic villain.


Author Bio Short:

Natasha D. Lane is a friend of most things caffeinated, a lover of books, and a writing warrior to her core. As a big believer in the idea that “the pen is mightier than the sword,” she graduated from Juniata College in 2015 with hopes of becoming a journalist. While she still holds on to that dream, after spending some time in the corporate world and then completing a year of service, she decided it was time to return to publishing. Her first fantasy novel “The Pariah Child & the Ever-Giving Stone” is one of several works she plans on completing. If there were a single piece of advice Natasha could give to young writers, it’d be this: Write your way through life.