GOD'S EYE BLOG TOUR- GUEST POST, REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY.

I want to welcome A.J. Scudiere ands Utukku to Books R Us. They are traveling the country with their paranormal romance God's Eye. Thanks for stopping by.

Media Type: Ebook, Paperback and AudioMovie

Title: God's Eye
Author: A.J. Scudiere
Publisher: Griffyn Ink Publishing
Pages: Paperback; 419
Release Date: October 1, 2011
Intended Reading Group: Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance

 About the Book:

Katharine Geryon is living the life her family name has dictated, and why not? After all, it has given her a good job in the family company and a fine life with all the things she should want. But all that changes as increasingly disturbing events begin to occur: soot stains on the carpet, glimpses of strange black animals, and cryptic messages written on her bathroom mirror. Baffled and afraid, Katharine begins to doubt her own sanity.

At the same time, two charismatic men enter her life: Allistair, her new assistant at work, and Zachary, a well-heeled neighbor who just moved into her building. Katharine soon finds each of them inextricably entangled in her affairs. As her life becomes stranger and her dreams more terrifying, she realizes neither man is what he seems and that she's caught in something far beyond her own comprehension. For the first time, she must reach beyond her own boundaries. There Katharine forges her first true friendship with Margot, a librarian who helps her discover what these men really are, why she's drawn to them, and what they want with her.

The answer places Katharine in the middle of a fierce battle that forces her to decide between the two men fighting for her soul.
In the end, only one can be saved, but all three will be judged.

God's Eye AudioMovie

 By A.J. Scudiere

I wish I could film myself while I listen to the God’s Eye AudioMovie.

You would probably laugh hysterically at me. I’m sure I make faces and even jump back a bit at the scary parts – which then makes me laugh hysterically at me. I have no good excuse to jump at the scary bits; I wrote them.

I find listening to a book to be a different experience than reading one. Though I have always been a reader, I’m definitely a listener now too. With the AudioMovie format, Stefan Rudnicki has lifted the audiobook to another level.

As an author, though I can write the story the way I want, I can never put in enough detail to make you hear the words exactly the way I hear it. Every time you read it you’ll hear and see things the way your brain performs the story and different things will have meaning because those things have meaning to you. When you watch a movie, you see what the director thinks the main character looks like and hear the words the way the actress believes the character would say them. But you still pay attention to the parts that have meaning to you.

An AudioMovie is a happy medium between the experiences of film and reading. Rudnicki does a fantastic job of using often subtle sounds to bring the experience more fully to life than what you would experience with a single reader. Hearing the conversations take place between two actors is a much richer experience than hearing even a phenomenal single actor perform the scene. Just like in real life, the two readers come at the story from two different perspectives, they use inflection differently and bring different interpretations to the characters.

Without the visuals, the story remains true to the version in your head. But that extra layer – the thing that makes even ME get involved or be surprised – is the use of the soundtrack and sound effects. Though I can picture the street a certain character lives on, hearing the chirp of birds and the soft rustle of the trees not only makes the setting come alive, but makes Katharine’s discovery there all the more startling.

So, if you could watch me listen to my own book, you would probably laugh at me. You would be amused as you watch my shoulders hunch up. Even though I know exactly what’s coming next, you’ll see my eyes close tight as I finally realize that low, rhythmic sound is the demon . . . sitting . . . right . . . behind me.

Connect With The author:

Authors Website

Blog Tour Site

My Thoughts:

 I had the pleasure of receiving the book in the AudioMovie version and I was extremely impressed. I downloaded the entire novel on my Itouch and headed for the gym. The actors portraying the characters were fantastic and I could hear their emotions in their voices. Before I knew it, I had walked five miles. Sound effects were added that made me feel that I was part of the storyline. People talking in the background, footsteps,broken glass (that part made me jump) and many other interesting sounds. The beginning of the book was a little slow but toward the middle of the book the plot took off and I was hooked.  Katherine's soul is in jeopardy and she has to make a choice between good and Evil. When strange creatures show up in her apartment and strange passages are written on her mirror she questions her sanity. She heads to the library to find some answers and meets the Librarian Margo. The two of them try to find the answers to the strange occurrences. Katherine has two men in her life Allistair and Zachary who play havoc with her emotions. There are parts that were erotic and only for the adult reader. What choice does Katherine make? I guess you have to read the book to find out. I highly recommend the AudioMovie version of the book. So if you like thrillers, romance and the paranormal this is the book for you.

Contest:

Win the AudioMovie version(USB) of God's Eye.

Contest ends on 5/23/12 @11:59pm EST and is open to USA/CAN residents 18 years or older. See Rafflecopter for rules.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MOTHER OF PEARL MOTHER'S DAY BLOG SERIES- WHY I AM NOT BY TRICIA GOYER

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series - a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!

What I Am Not by Tricia Goyer

Becoming a mother is a complicated thing. Not only am I trying to negotiate a relationship with my child, I am trying to negotiate a relationship with myself as I attempt to determine how I mother, how I feel about mothering, how I want to mother and how I wish I was mothered.

— Andrea J. Buchanan, in Mother Shock3

Sometimes the easiest way to discover who we are is to know who we are not.

• We are not our children.
 We all know mothers who go overboard trying to make themselves look good by making their children look great. I saw one woman on the Oprah television show who had bought her preschool daughter more than twelve pairs of black shoes just so the girl could have different styles to go with her numerous outfits! Just as we -don’t get report cards for mothering, we also -don’t get graded on our child’s looks or accomplishments. While you want your children to do their best and succeed in life, your self-esteem -shouldn’t be wrapped up in your child.

Life as I See It:

My individuality will never end. There will be no one exactly like me, not even my child. She will be like me in some ways, but not at all in others. I -wouldn’t have it any other way.

— Desiree, Texas

• We are not our mothers.
  I remember the first time I heard my mother’s voice coming out of my mouth. The words “because I told you so .  .  .” escaped before I had a chance to squelch them.

It’s not until we have kids that we truly understand our mothers — all their frets, their nagging, and their worries.

It’s also then that we truly understand their love.

Since you are now a mother, it’s good to think back on how you were raised. If there were traditions or habits that now seem wise and useful, incorporate them into your parenting. You also have permission to sift out things you now know -weren’t good. Just because you’re a product of your mother, that -doesn’t mean you have to turn out just like her. Repeat after me, “I am not my mother.”

• We are not like any other mother out there.
Sometimes you may feel like the world’s worst mother. After all, your friend never yells at her son — and sometimes you do. Then again, your friend may feel bad because you have a wonderful bedtime routine that includes stories and songs. In many cases, the moms you feel inferior to only look like they have it together. All moms feel they -don’t “measure up.” Instead of feeling unworthy, we should realize that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. The key is where we place our focus.

The Bible says, “Let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without .  .  . comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we -aren’t” (Romans 12:5 – 6, MESSAGE).

The problem with comparison is, we always measure our weaknesses against the strengths of others.

Instead, we need to thank God for our strengths. We can also ask God to help us overcome our weaknesses — not because we want to compare ourselves, or look good in someone else’s eyes, but because we want to be the best mom out there.

###

Tricia Goyer is a CBA best-selling author and the winner of two American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Awards (Night Song and Dawn of a Thousand Nights). She co-wrote 3:16 Teen Edition with Max Lucado and contributed to the Women of Faith Study Bible. Also a noted marriage and parenting writer, she lives with her husband and children in Arkansas. You can find her online at www.triciagoyer.com or at her weekly radio show, Living Inspired.

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY OF AS ONE DEVIL TO ANOTHER BY R. PLATT

As One Devil to Another: A Fiendish Correspondence in the Tradition of C. S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters is an astonishing debut work that C. S. Lewis’s biographer and foremost Lewis authority Walter Hooper calls “a stunning achievement, the finest example of the genre of diabolical correspondence to appear since this genre was popularized by C. S. Lewis.” Enter into this chilling and diabolical tale, one that reveals the very tricks and strategies of Hell. Through a series of letters between devils created by Platt, senior devil Slashreap trains his young protégé, Scardagger, to win an individual soul away from Heaven and into their clutches. As the devils plot their way to triumph, they reveal the spiritual dangers and risks we face in today’s society. Their frighteningly accurate perspective on issues such as contemporary technology and sexual mores is interwoven with timeless matters such as the power of prayer, the purpose of suffering, and the promises held out by Heaven . . . and Hell. Destined to become a modern classic, As One Devil to Another is a brilliantly written, deeply unsettling perspective on twenty-first-century society . . . a glimpse of ourselves through the eyes of those who have embraced their underworldly existence.

Read the first Chapter

watch on tyndale.com

My Thoughts:

Although I did enjoy the book, I found it hard to read at times. I found my self re-reading some passages and chapters before I fully understood what the author was saying. The letters were written in the classical style and that is why I had some difficulty with the book. The premise behind the book was interesting. I have never read the The Screwtape Letters: With Screwtape Proposes a Toastby C.S. Lewis so I can not compare the two books. There were numerous illustrations that helped to explain the letters and some of them were very humorous. The book reminds us all that it is very easy to fall into Satin's hands and be corrupted. Would you like to win a copy of the book?

Contest:

Win a copy of the book Open to USA/CAN only

Contest ends on 5/23/12@11:59pm EST. See rules on Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer:

I was given a free copy of the book by the publisher for my honest review and I was not compensated for my review.

SAVE $25 ON YOUR UTILITY BILLS AND ENTER TO WIN SOME ENERGIZER BATTERIES

Would you like to save $25 on your utility bills?  With the rising cost of utilities we can all use a little help especially if we have a hot summer. For decades energizer has been partnering with Habitat for Humanity to make someones life better. 

Through the Energizer Utility Cash program, you can collect codes from select Energizer battery and lighting products and redeem them online for savings, up to $25 total savings each per person/household/email address, off your own utility bill.  You start earning rewards with just two codes and will need 10 codes total to earn the full $25.  Or you can help make a positive impact and choose to turn the codes into a donation to Habitat for Humanity®. 

Contest:

To get you started with the promotion Energizer  is giving ONE of my readers two specially marked packages Energizer Max AA batteries with special codes.

To Enter:

please leave a comment with a way that you can reduce your energy bills and then enter via Rafflecopter.

Contest ends on 5/20/12 @11:59 PM EST and is open to USA residents 18 years or older. See rules on Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclaimer: I was given 2 packages of AA Energizer batteries for this promotion.

MOTHER OF PEARL BLOG SERIES- WIN A PEARL NECKLACE

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series - a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!

She’s…My Everything by Suzanne Woods Fisher

“A mother is one who can take the place of all others, but whose place no one else can take.”

--Cardinal Mermillod 

Just a few more months. My mother was hoping Dad would hang on long enough so they could celebrate their sixtieth wedding anniversary in April. But on January 1st, as the sun rose on the new year, my dad’s worn out heart beat its last. Dad had battled Alzheimer’s Disease for ten years. As many of you know, AD is a long, hard journey. Hard on the one afflicted with the disease, hard on the caregivers.

But not without its blessings.

Four years ago, as I began researching stories for Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World, my path crossed with a handful of Plain families who were coping with Alzheimer’s. It was just about the point when Dad’s illness was shifting from early to mid stages AD and the timing was a divine accident. I learned so much as I observed the calm acceptance of these families. Rather than waste time shaking a fist at God for allowing this disease to take their loved one, they put their energy into trusting God’s sovereignty. They didn’t deny the difficulties and complications and sadness of Alzheimer’s, but they didn’t dwell on them. “God has a plan,” one woman told me. “He always has a plan.”  

Something else I noticed was how privileged my Amish friends felt about caring for their loved one. Caring for the elderly, they believe, is the time to give back to them.

Those encounters shaped my perspective of Dad’s illness. I started to pay attention to how God provided answers to new wrinkles created by Alzheimer’s, just in time. God may be slow, but He is never late.

I started to cherish special moments or good days with Dad—just as he was at each point in his illness. Not mourning the past, not dreading the future.

I really miss my dad. I miss his scratchy whiskers and the way his eyebrows would wiggle at us, even as words failed him. Yet I have such peace in my heart that he was well loved and well cared for, right to the very end. And as hard as Dad’s end of life has been, it isn’t the end. We will meet again. As the saying goes, “Some may see a hopeless end, but as believers we rejoice in an endless hope.”

There’s a beautiful story that illustrates my parents’ 59-year marriage. This event happened about a year or two ago. My sister had accompanied our mother to the doctor appointment for Dad at the Stanford Memory Clinic.

Dad had declined quite a bit that month. He was weak and lethargic, even to the point of whispering, as if it took too much energy to project his voice. During the doctor's appointment, the doctor told my mother and sister that Dad was now in late stages of Alzheimer's. Dad didn’t have much vocabulary left, but when the doctor asked him who mom was, he whispered something back. The doctor looked at Mom and asked, "Did you hear what he just said?"

Mom shook her head.

"When I asked him who you were, he whispered, 'She's...my everything.'"

###

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a writer of bestselling fiction and non-fiction books about the Old Order Amish. Her interest in the Plain People began with her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. Suzanne is the host of Amish Wisdom, a weekly radio program on toginet.com, and writes a bi-monthly column for Christian Post. Suzanne can be found on-line at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.



Re-printed with permission by Cooking & Such, www.sherrygorebooks.com.



Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!