Fridays with Fred: Zombie Preparations

Well, minions.  Happy Friday.  Fred's knee deep in zombie land - Max Brooks style.  Surviving zombies wouldn't be that far of a stretch the way things are in this world, eh?  Anyway, I'm curious.  What type of zombie apocalyptic preparations are you making?

Zombies? It could totally happen!

Here's Fred's Zombie Prep list:

* Neverending supply of guns - Tony Stark would be proud.

* 5 machetes - Hacking is inevitable.

* 1 Japanese Samurai sword - A must have!

* 2 boot knives - Yeah, buddy.

* Knife sharpening kit - self explanatory

* Plenty of MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat)

* Flava Flav necklace - Don't ask.

* White vinegar - It's like acid to zombie flesh.

* Water balloons - Because it would be fun.

*  Endless supply of doggie treats - Can't forget Fred.

Any other suggestions?

Have a great weekend.  Remember to check out Schatze over at Bookhounds. 

Also, tomorrow is the last day to enter the Banned Book Blog hop!  The winner can choose - one of three banned books: Crank, Breaking Dawn or The Hunger Games!  Click here for details.

Mina B.

Writer's Platform Building Second Campaigner Challenge

The Writer's Platform Building Second Campaigner Challenge is here!  Here's my entry:   

         Imago Interrupted 

After two nose surgeries, liposuction, breast augmentation, and a barrage of beauty treatments, Margaret was almost...perfect.  One more treatment and she’d finally be beautiful, breathtakingly so, like her childhood friend, Diana.  No more being Diana’s “plain” friend - the one men ignored.  

After this, they’d want her.  After all this, in Margaret delusional mind, she'd achieve synchronicity.

“Hold still, Margaret. Almost done.” Dr. Frank said, making one last injection.  The miasma of nitro seeped eerily from the cryotank.

The needle’s contents crept through Margaret’s veins.  Laced with stem cells, the treatment promised to regenerate Margaret’s face to a youthful state.

Margaret mumbled.

“Don’t move. You’ll cause damage.” Dr. Frank clipped, blotting blood from her face.

Margaret’s mouth opened in pain. “Ahhhh.”

“Do not oscitate!”  Dr. Frank shouted.

Margaret panicked eyes glanced at his nurse.  Her worried expression mirrored Margaret’s. Not good.

Dr. Frank cursed, snatching more gauze.

Margaret felt her lips become uncomfortably plump.  Her forehead stretched far too much; underneath her tendons felt torn.  She hadn’t planned for this; the horrifying lacuna where everything went terribly wrong.  She wanted to scream.

Too late.

In the end, Margaret's beautification efforts were futile.

Truth be told, they were downright ugly.

That's it!  I'm adding this one to my Hallucinating Housewives #FF.  Fun stuff.  Looking forward to reading the others. :)

Mina B.

Fred's Anniversary Contest Winner

Congratulations to Nayjf for winning a copy of The Reluctant Vampire by Lynsay Sands.  The winner will be notified via email and will have no more than 72 hours to respond before another winner is drawn.   Winners are selected by the reputable Random.org and must be 18 years old to qualify.

Special thanks to my Free Sh** fairy for hooking me up with this killer giveaway.  For those who haven’t had a chance to read the thrilling Argeneau (immortal/vampire) paranormal romance series, then take a moment to read my review of The Reluctant Vampire, plus read the author interview I did last year with Lynsay.  She such a talented writer; not to mention a lovely person too.

I appreciate all of the participants, especially Fred’s fans that stopped by to give a shout out on his anniversary. 

Last but not least, for those that don’t know, I’m participating in another giveaway to support Banned Books Week.  If you can, please enter and tell your friends.  Also, visit these other bloggers that are hosting their own giveaways.  It so incredibly important to support this worthy cause!  Click here for details about the giveaway.

Thanks again,

Mina B.

Banned Books Week Hop

Hey, minions.  Happy Banned Books Week Hop!  I went rounds with my Free Sh** Fairy about which book to choose for this killer week.  Funny thing is, we usually give away banned books all the time on my blog so it's not like there's anything different going on here. 

Anyway, we decided that we would let one winner choose.  I'm giving away one (1) copy of one of the books below to one (1) winner - winner's choice.

                          

The Banned Books Week Hop runs from 12:01 AM on Sept. 24th on through October 1st, midnight – so you’ll have plenty of time to enter! Yeeeehaaaa!!!! 

To enter…

You MUST be a follower of my blog and MUST fill out this entry form. (And yes, I do check GCF)

Extra entries…
+2 For Becoming my Fan/Like on Facebook/MinaBurrows
+2 Subscribing via email to my blog
+1 if you Retweet this on Twitter (limit 1 retweet)

Again, the giveaway runs from 12:01 AM on Sept. 24th - October 1st, midnight, midnight. Contest is for US residents only. Want to see who else is participating? Visit I Am A Reader, Not A Writer or I Read Banned Books and check out all the links and hop on by.

Mina B.

Fridays with Fred: Nosy

Fred's nosy.  Need I say more? Have a great weekend.

Check out another pix from my furry friend.  And remember to check out Schatze over at Bookhounds. 

FYI: I'm giving away a copy of The Reluctant Vampire by Lynsay Sands. Click here for details.

Mina B.

Can You Hook a Teen Blogfest

Okay, so I’m participating in Brenda Drake’s Can You Hook a Teen Blogfest.  The premise is to enter your first 250 words of your YA or MG manuscript entries on your blogs first and then get it polished before submitted the final entry on 9/23, eod.  Want to know more?  Visit her blog!

Also, the winner gets a $50 editing gift certificate (and two runner's up get $25 each) for Teen Eyes Editorial Services.   Well, I’m not entirely sure about this but…here it goes. 

Title: Blessed One

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Heat blazed across my face, burning my skin, and I grimaced, thinking I forgot to put on 50 spf.  Great, just what I needed, more freckles.  With my eyes closed, a searing pain ricocheted through my skull and I moaned.  Voices rose around me, but the words were muffled.  While concentrating on the throbbing pain and scorching heat, the voices slowed, becoming more distinct.  As the heat dissipated, I sensed shadows looming above followed by a crawling sensation that overpowered my pain and discomfort. That’s when I heard a guy’s sultry voice murmur.


“Don’t touch her,” he said, almost growling.


Another voice from my other side grunted, “That one moved, she did.”


“Not possible,” the guy with the sultry voice replied.


“I’m tell’n yous, she moved,” the other guy argued.

While the pain pounded relentlessly, I winced inside, hoping they’d stop bickering and give my brain a reprieve.  A gritty hand brushed past my right knee, stopping at mid-thigh.  That wasn't an accident.  Eew!  I’d hurl if whoever – or whatever that was – didn’t remove his grimy paws off me!

The sultry voice snarled, “I said…don’t touch her.”

“Alrigh, Alrigh… Don’t get you’s panties ’n a wad.  I’m only test’n ’er.”  Guy number two was definitely a freak, and that accent made it worse.  I thankfully had my eyes shut.

“That’s not possible I drained her far too much,” Mr. Sultry said. 

I could tell by his voice, he had to be the leader, no doubt. 

Wait…did he just say drained?

That's 250 words, minions.


Mina B.

Versatile Blogger Award

Great news, minions!  I received two (2) Versatile Blogger awards! Yipee! Jessica Therrien and Kristina Fugate issued my awards last week and I've just now gotten around to blogging about it!  I know…I’m such a slacker.

Anyway, the rules states, you must pick a few more bloggers to pass on the award.  And since I received this one twice, I’m going to consolidate the two.  

And now for the Versatile Blogger chosen ones…

Mhairi Simpson

Stacy from Urban Fantasy Investigations

Shelley Koon

MidnyteReader

TwiMom101

Pabkins 

Darlene's Book Nook

Romancing Rakes

Things to share about myself.  Um….I think my blog is self explanatory but, maybe not.  So here we go!

- Classic literature, especially dark or Goth lit, fascinates me. 

- I’m the ultimate idea generator & a true marketer 

- Book addicition is a way of life for me…duh!

- I have yet to find a critique partner - not good.

- I have a Demon for a husband - 100% true.

- I have a "Free Sh**" Fairy.  Check out my latest FBC.

- I love historical romance.

- I have a propensity to give – too much and too often.

That’s it….and what about you?

Don't forget to:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.
2. List some things about yourself
3. Pass this Award along to blogs you admire.Cheers,

Mina B.

ARC Review: Rachel Caine's Last Breath

Book 11 in Rachel Caine’s New York Times bestselling Morganville Vampire series is Last Breath – and boy did it take my breath away.  Before I begin, I’d first like to give a #shoutout to Rex Robot Reviews & her killer ARC tour! THANKS!!!

Last Breath begins with the planning of the impending nuptials of two of the Glass House Residents, Michael an Eve.  If these two aren’t star-crossed lovers, I’m not sure who is. She’s human and he’s a vampire and well, frankly…their relationship is inevitably doomed.  Humans in Morganville have been and always will be...food.  And according to one of the many unwritten vampire rules, one cannot have a real relationship with the cattle a.k.a. humans.  Michael and Eve, from the beginning were defending their relationship and now wedding against - not just the vampires - but the humans as well.

The humans have much animosity (more like bone-chilling hate) towards the vamps.  Now it’s ripe and boiling over with the pinnacle being the subsequent marriage to two lovers.  As lines are drawn and demands are made, something evil and sinister is lurking around the town of Morganville.  There’s a new predator in town – Magnus - and he’s hunting vampires and humans alike.  Oh, I promise you, it’s unlike anything you've read yet. *shivers*

Fear makes vampires, and humans behave insanely – and that’s putting it mildly when you think about Amelia’s decision-making.  Scary, to say the least.  In a fit, she makes a hasty decision that nearly ends Shane’s life which in return causes strife among the Glass House residents, especially Claire.


From there the tale takes a dark, delcious twist where murder and mayhem become a bit too literal for Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael.  I won’t tell you what happens, that would be WRONG – but it was enough to bring me to tears. (I’m such a sap sometimes.)  But, alas, dead or not, life goes in Morganville (the town of walking dead.)  With Magnus on the hunt, vampires on the run and human's rioting, will Morganville ever become somewhat civilized again? And despite the powerful bond the Glass House has with its inhabitants, will it be enough to save them in the end? The vampires and human will have to ally once more to defeat the ultimate evil or die trying. Can they do it? Can they win without anyone else from the Scooby gang getting killed?

I said it before; this book took my breath away. First half, I was laughing my a** off and then I was sobbing like a fool. This book was so wonderfully written it left me spellbound. My only comment was I didn't care for the perspective of Amelia and Michael. These are such strong characters – I wasn’t sure the book needed their perspective. Still, that didn’t take away from the book.  For me, Rachel Caine’s Last Breath was easily a 4.5.

Until next time...vampires, draugs, and humans, oh my!

Mina B.

Fridays with Fred: Happy Anniversary

I’m celebrating Fridays with Fred's 1 year Anniversary today. Yipee! *throws confetti* Yes, it’s been one year, minions. Here's his very first post. And so to celebrate, I did this cool mosaic of nearly every picture I’ve posted over the year to create one masterpiece. Ninja cool, huh? I think so. Hope you think so too.

Happy Anniversary, Fred!

Also, to celebrate this momentous occasion, I’m giving away one Free Book.  You read that right, minions.  I’m giving away one (1) copy of Lynsay Sands most recent bestseller in her Argeneau series, The Reluctant Vampire. See my review here.  The contest starts today, September 16 - Friday, September 23, eod - so hurry and tell your friends!

To enter

You MUST be a follower of my blog AND leave a comment below. 

Contestants must submit their name and GC in order to officially entered.

(Note: Must be 18 or older to enter.  This contest is open to US only.)

Extra entries
+3 Subscribing via email to my blog
+2 Like me on Facebook/Mina Burrows
+1 Retweet this (limited to one RT -paste link in comment)

Want to see more of Fred?  Click here.  And remember to visit Schatze too.  Fred's completely smitten.

Mina B.

Writer Campaign Flash Fiction Challenge

Well, writer campaigners.  I didn’t get my flash fiction piece done on time because frankly, I ran out of time.  Booooooooooo!  I know.  I know.  However, despite not being able to make it in time, I still wanted to support the campaign – which is why I’m posting now.  There were over 300 people that submitted their FF, so if your interested, start here and happy reading! 

 Deadly Whispers

The door swung open, nearly bursting its hinges.  I stared back at an empty threshold.

Confused, I went to investigate, but stopped when a vase near the door crashed onto the floor.

My head jerked to the doorway, but no one was there.

Another step and the coat rack thwacked across the entryway, knocking down a lamp and spilling my glass of Boudreaux over my sofa and coffee table.

Cursing the mess, I glanced at the door suspiciously.  Spidering tingles permeated through me, and I shuddered.  Despite no one being there, something still felt terribly wrong.

My cat then pounced onto the mess, licking hungrily at the puddled wine.

“No!” I said, but she uncharacteristically hissed.

I gasped. Only one person made her viciously hiss, and that was Miles. But there was no way it was him.

It couldn’t be.

My gaze darted back to the door, only to hear a whisper in my other ear, “Hush.”

I jumped; my eyes frantically scanned the empty room.

A horrifying vibe assaulted me, followed by an ice-cold pressure squeezing my throat.

My eyes widened when an unmistakable voice spoke.

“Hello, sweetheart,” Mile’s ghost said. “Love me. Hate me. Kill me. You really are one fickle, bi-"

And then the door slammed shut.

The end.

If you're interested in a few other flash fictions I've written, click my Hallucinating Housewives ff series here.   Anyway, I’m off not to spend some time reading other writer’s FF.

Cheers,
Mina