Friday, June 29, 2012

Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop & Fred

With July 4th around the corner, I'm super excited to be participating in the Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop! There are over 200 blogs participating so that makes for some fun blog hopping! This hop is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and co-hosted by Katie from Mundie Moms. It runs from June 29th to July 5th. Woot! Bring on the FREE Sh** Fairy!
This giveaway hop is perfect for the summer, huh? And to keep things simple, my Free Sh** Fairy and I decided to offer one lucky winner a free $10 Amazon Gift Card. By doing it this way, the winner can pick their own prize. Cool, huh?

Let me clarify: One (1) lucky winner can win a $10 Gift Card from Amazon! How's that for a star spangled banner prize? Want to know how to enter? See below and tell your friends!  (Pssst...I'm #112)




To enter

You MUST be a GFC follower of my blog & MUST fill the form.

Extra entries
+1 Subscribe via email to my blog
+1 Like me on Facebook/MinaBurrows
+1 Retweet this Twitter (limit 1 retweet)

Again, the giveaway starts at 12:01 AM EST on Friday June 29th and runs through July 5th midnight. Contest is open to International participants.



Want to see who else is participating? Click here and hop on by.

UPDATE!

Congrats to Maneesha S. -- the winner of the Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop! Note: The winner will be notified via email and will have no more than 72 hours to respond before another winner is drawn. The contest winner was selected by the reputable Random.org.

a Rafflecopter giveaway 


Fridays with Fred 


July 4th is Fred's birthday!  Yipee!  Go Fred,  He'll be 13 then and I'll have to think of something to do for him.  He still looks great, huh? And he's still a firecracker too!
Happy Birthday, Fred!
Remember to stop by and visit Schatze over at Mary’s BookHounds too.
Have a great weekend.

Mina B.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter & Brave ...Summer Movie Madness!

Okay, minions. I saw two highly anticipated movies over the weekend and today.  Let the summer movie madness begin.
First off, let's review Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, shall we?  Based on Seth Grahame-Smith best-selling novel, produced by Tim Burton, and directed by Timur Bekmambetov, this film had some serious Hollywood muscle behind it.  Did it deliver?  Mixed reviews have been pouring in.  Critics hate it.  Book lovers hate it.  Movie-goers say go see it. And what's my verdict…I thoroughly enjoyed it! 

Here's why: Although most of the bad reviews state the movie butchered the book, I can’t confirm this. Unfortunately, I didn't read the novel and therefore, had no preconceived notions or expectations—good or bad. That said, I will probably in the near future get my hands on a copy to devour it, but that's me. The vampires in the movie were evil, immortal and had nothing to do with teenage angst, love or lust which I found refreshing. Thank God. On top of that the vampires were slavery supporters. Lincoln was obviously the opposite. To me Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was a semi-horror, action thriller which took an historical icon and story and put a phantasmal spin on it.  I was entertained to the max and now want badly to get my hands on a silver-plated ax. Additionally, critics were complaining that the visual effects were overdone. I didn't think so, but that's me. Neither did my husband, but he's a VFX guy so his opinion could be skewed.


Coincidentally, I also saw Brave over the weekend, which I thought was positively wonderful. My husband and I took our kids to see the latest in Disney/Pixar animation.  I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't have the Disney "princess" spin on it.  It was all about family and following your heart. Great story, possibly a tad scary for my 5 & 7 year old, but still very well done.


As far as blockbusters or summer movie madness goes, those were to two movies I wanted to see during the summer. Thankfully, I enjoyed them both.  

What about you?  Did you see Brave? What about   Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter? Any other movies you want to see this summer?


Mina B.

Friday, June 22, 2012

TGIF & Fred's Miami Heat!

Well, minions...this week has been sh** as far as writing goes.  I don't want to get into it, but life happened and that's that.  It was a great week, just busy as hell.  And exhausting too.  Next week should be more productive so let's keep our fingers crossed, shall we?

Anyway this is how I felt this week. Couldn't get a thing done as if I opened the can of whoopass myself. Seriously.


Oh yeah, baby...Miami Heat!


And now for the SMACKDOWN on all you Heat nasayers! CHAMPIONS!!!! Everybody in the house is doing the dance, folks! The HEAT DANCE. Even Fred. Wow, that game was great and since it ended just around midnight, we're all tired. Fred too.



Be sure and visit Schatze over at Mary’s BookHounds too. Have a great weekend.

Mina B.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Teenage Babysitting Comic Babe, Aurora Rose

Thanks to this article in the USA TODAY, I now know about one of the coolest digital comic series about to make its debut. Forget what you know about Buffy and her "Chosen One" status and say hello to a new teen chick & comic book series from Arch Enemy Entertainment called Aurora Rose. It's about a sixteen-year-old babysitting babe (Aurora) who like any other teen, babysits in her spare time. Oh, and did I mention she battles monsters who threaten her kids. With an ancient evil stirring, she's tasked with protecting her tots against heinous monsters and other unseemly creatures. Oooo, I love the artwork on this. And the story is quirky and downright fun comic lit. Who would have thought that a girl could be a part of the brotherhood? Finally!


Anyway, I'm always fascinated about comic books and since this one's digital, I find it equally intriguing.

If you get a chance take a look at the first post issue.
Aurora Rose Issue 1


From Arch Enemy Entertainment :
Aurora Rose

Meet Aurora Rose, a typical teenage girl…kind of.


She loves to shop at the mall, talk on the phone with her friends and would even like to date the occasional cute boy if the opportunity arises. But her part time job keeps her a little too busy for any of that. You see, Aurora is a babysitter. While it sounds easy, it's not.


Take a bit of ancient evil, a dash of faceless assassins and a pinch of monsters and mayhem, and your left with a teen tasked to save the world…at $10 bucks an hour.


And you thought your part-time job was rough.


***

Having a good week? Hey, it's Wednesday. Hump day, baby. We're half way there. :)

Mina B.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Feeling Funny Friday & Fred

Happy Friday, minions!  Well, my hubster sent this to me the other day and I couldn't stop laughing.  You may have seen it before, but that's neither here nor there.  The point is it's worth reposting.  Be sure and click on the image to enlarge & read every arrow on "How a Book is Born."  Hilarious!
Click Image to Enlarge


Friday's with Fred
My man picked up a play pool for the summer and I think Fred's claiming this toy--the pool not the ball!




Stop by and say hi to Schatze over at Mary’s BookHounds too. Have a great weekend.

Mina B.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

First Fight/First Kiss Blogfest -- Kiss me, baby!

It's day two of the First Fight/First Kiss Blogfest hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests. If I haven't said this before...thank you both for hosting this really fun hop!

I decided to feature a scene in my current WIP, Mystic Deeds. Since it's June, I've been pounding away at my keyboard trying to put a dent into my adult paranormal romance. It's been challenging at times, but for the last 15K words, I've had fun writing scenes like this one. 

I know it's a dream scene, but technically...it is a first kiss.  Enjoy!



***

A mere two hours later, sleep still evaded Vince as Abigail frequented his subconscious all night like his own private succubus.



This time, he dreamt they'd scheduled a meeting regarding the final sell of her family's property.  It had been a long time coming, and she agreed to meet him at his home, instead of the house of Sapphire Way.  Vince knew her coming to his place was unlikely, but he knew it to be true when the doorbell rang. 


He answered the door to an always-professional attorney, Gail Scott, and he went instantly hard.  She wore a form-fitting beige dress with a matching jacket slung over her shoulders, her camel-colored Prada bag in hand.  She smiled encouragingly at Vince.

"Hello, Vince.  Are you ready to do this?" She innocently asked, but to Vince, her words meant so much more.  To be fair, he wanted the deed done—the property deed signed and the sale complete
—but he knew deep down, that this was yet another dream where Abigail would taunt him wickedly.  He couldn't take much more tonight.  This time he was prepared to beg for her mercy. 

"I'm ready when you are," Vince said, showing Abigail inside his minimalist-style home.  The spacious penthouse screamed money, with its fifty-foot ceilings, earth-tone walls and white-washed wood plank flooring.  He escorted her into the living room where sleek chocolate-leather furnishings surrounded a glass-top coffee table which sat on top of lily white faux-fur rug.  Every form followed function in an sweeping feng shui manner that would bring tears to interior designers for its beauty.  Yet 
Abigail remained unimpressed. 

With nothing but business in mind, she sauntered over to the living room couch, slipped off her jacket and placed it beside her.  She quickly pulled out the necessary legal documents, all tabbed and ready for signature.  Vince sat opposite of her and watched in rapt silence.  It was a total illusion, because he knew getting Abigail Scott to acquiesce on the sale of her house was not going to be this easy.  Still, the dream was riveting.

Abigail wore her hair in a high ponytail, and he fantasized about what he wanted to do with it.  It caressed her shoulder as she reached inside her bag for a pen.

Vince swallowed hard. 

Once again, he was humbled by the sight of her and awed by his lust for a human.  She cleared her throat and puckered her lips and said something.  She glanced up at him, her brows raised and those ridiculously long lashes blinked back at him.

"Excuse me," he said, aware of her body, but not of her spoken words. 

She arched a perfect dark brow. "I said everything is in order. Do you want to review it one more time before signing?" 

He licked his dry lips and shook his head, cursing himself inside to get it together. 

Vince plucked her offered pen, turning the papers to sign on the X.  Once finished signing both copies, he placed the pen on table and sat back.  Abigail smiled like a cat readying for her cream.

She slid a random document towards Vince. "What's this?" He asked. 

"That's my wire transfer information. You have 48 hours to wire the funds to my bank account or the contract is null and void per our agreement."  He didn't even bother looking at it.  It would be handled.

"Not a problem," he said, leaning back on the couch, his legs stretched out and feet crossed. That was a relief, he thought.

"Good," Abigail said, collecting her signed copy and stuffing them into her bag.

"Shall we celebrate?" Vince asked suggestively.  He thought to himself. Why not?

Abigail sent him a seductive half smile full of promise.  "What did you have in mind?"

The question held merit for Vince, but the way she said it practically did him in.  It was an invitation.  And this was a dream. His dream.  Why the hell not?  She taunted him all night with these salacious dreams, but this time —dream or not—he’d take his fill.

The air sparked with anticipation until neither could stand it any longer.  Vince practically lunged over the coffee table, cupping her face with his hands and then plundered her mouth.  Just like the skilled attorney that she was—much like a fisherman—Abigail baited, hooked and then reeled him in.  Vince was lost.

He kissed her senseless, until her chest was heaving; a mere punishment for torturing him all night, he thought.  She moaned when he gave her mouth a reprieve as he lined kisses down her neck to her breasts.  Her skin felt like satin and all of a sudden, he slipped out of his jacket and knelt down in front of her.

"Take this off," he demanded, tugging on her dress.  She immediately obeyed, kicking off her heels first. 

He stopped her from doing so, slipping back on her three-inch Gucci's.  “No. No. Leave these on.”

Abigail readily obliged.  

And that’s when he was reminded once again, that it was only a dream.

***
Okay, so there's more to this scene, but I had to end it there.  Sorry.  If you missed my fight scene, click here.  Want to see who else is participating? Stop by read other kissing scenes. #support!

Mina B. 

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

First Fight/First Kiss Blogfest -- Bring it on, baby!

Today, I'm participating in the First Fight/First Kiss Blogfest hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.
I'm super excited about this blogfest so I'll skip to the rules. Today, the fest is focused on fights!  YEAH!  Let's kick some butt, man.  Anyway, I couldn't decide which scene to pick and mulled over several.  

I ended up choosing one from my YA novel.  My MC is Emma Rollins and duh it's about vampires.  If you recall, I blogged about her character during the A-Z Blog Challenge.  Anyway, the story is written from Emma's POV, and so here's my fight scene.

***
Waking up the next day, I moaned, opening one eye to survey my whereabouts. Kayla’s, I said to myself. Buttercup walls with a Key West feel.  It even smelled tropical. Definitely Kayla’sRelief washed over me, and I sighed into my pillow. Thank God I was home. Well, not exactly, but close enough. 

My spirit relaxed slightly for several blissful moments until an uneasy feeling settled over me. A muted drumming noise echoed through my blood. I shifted a few times, becoming increasingly restless, unable to place the sensation’s familiarity. My body ached with recognition. 



Him, I thought—Quinn


 It was him my body was deeply aware of like a shadow in my mind and a whisper in my heart.

My eyes fluttered open as the overwhelming need to see him choked me. Adjusting my eyes to the room, a searing pain tore through my neck, and I winced. Quinn came out of nowhere, startling me. He leaned over me, one hand checking my pulse, the other sweeping a flyaway hair out of my face. 



I flinched.

Everything clicked then. I remembered the previous night. He lied to me. AND he bit me! I wanted to scream. “Trust me, Emma?” He said. “Close your eyes.” And like a trusting puppy, I closed my eyes and practically wagged my tail in anticipation.

Fury unfurled within me. He used his wicked charm and that angelic face to deceive me and I bought it. 



“Like the freshman sucker that I am,” I mused. Urgh, I could mentally hear my team’s heckling me.  Was that all he wanted from me after all this time—my blood? A relationship cannot be based on me being a food source, can it? 


Quinn furrowed his brow, obviously discerning my anger. He began to argue his case, but I was too mortified to listen. Terrified too, not that I wanted to admit it.

Scrambling to the opposite side of my bed, I bolted upright. Quinn reacted calmly, opening his palms, using his non-threatening pose.

“Calm down, Emma,” he said silkily and I scoffed—my fury skyrocketing because of his sultry tone. Not going to work this time, buddy.

Swinging my legs off the bed, I attempted to stand up on wobbling knees. In flash he was by my side, assisting me.

“Don’t touch me.” I said, smacking at his hands, face and chest. I didn’t want him anywhere near me.

Sitting me back down on the bed, he took a step back and blew out an exasperated sigh.

“I’m sorry, love…but you agreed to trust me.”

Grabbing the bedpost, I pulled myself up. “Trust,” I cried. “This is what you do with my trust.” I waved my free hand at the bite mark on my neck. Jerk!

“It was for your own good.”

“No. No. No. That’s where you’re wrong. This was for your own good!”

He shook his head, and huffed. “I am your protector, Emma. I cannot protect you if I don’t know how to find you. Now we’re connected once again. Only now…it’s stronger. Like it or not it’s for the best.”

Connected? What? This was about food, nothing else. I managed to get my footing then, thanks to my brewing storm. Summoning what little strength I had, I readied myself because I had one thing I wanted get clear with Quinn.

No one was ever…EVER…going to bite me again!

Clutching my fists by my side and at my own warp speed, I swung my left fist fast, and hard—right at his face.

His knees buckled, causing him to stagger a step backwards. I’m sure to him it felt like a girl hitting with pom poms, but for me, it felt great. 



Afterwards, I slithered down onto the bed trembling, my legs feeling like Jello. Breathing uncontrollably, I managed to spit out a shaky demand. “Don’t you ever…EVER…touch me again!”

Quinn started to plead his case, beginning with a few “I am so sorry,” and “I had no choice.” He popped his jaw once, rubbing his chin, right where I punched him.

Yeah, I turned my head stifling a grin. It may have hurt a little.

***

And that's it! Whew! It's over. *wipes armpits with a paper towel*   Any questions? Comments? Complaints? Remember to stop by Thursday too for the kiss & tell section of this blogfest.

Want to see who else is participating? Stop by read other fight scenes. #support!

Friday, June 8, 2012

Friday Funnies & Fred

Thank the Lords Friday is here.  Even though I have a hectic weekend planned, I'm still thankful that its Friday.  Since it's a chill day, I thought I'd share with you a few Friday funnies that a friend of mine sent me.  Every week she sends me a litany of texts, peppered with images that she pulls from the web--probably from Pininterest.  Anyway, they always make me smile so I thought I share a few with you.  Enjoy!

And with HBO's True Blood season 5 premiering on Sunday, I couldn't resist posting this one.





Fridays with Fred
Last but not least...Fred!  Summer break is officially here for my family.  My daughter started this week and my son is off as of yesterday.  Yikes!  Fred and I are bit terrified.  Right, Fred?  


Don't fret, Fred.  I still have to work and the kids have summer camp.  Silly, doggie!

Be sure and stop by and visit Schatze over at Mary’s BookHounds too.  She's so flipp'n cute!

Have a great weekend.

Mina B.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Insecure Writers Support Group - I'm Back

Insecure Writers Support Group is finally here.  Thank God.  I missed last month's because I was on too much of a high coming off of A-Z Challenge and then I spaced it.
For this month's IWSG, I thought I'd reveal my latest  insecurity with my writing.  This June I'm participating in JunoWriMon, where authors strive to commit to at least 1700 words a day.  My goal is to finish a project that's been haunting me for at least two years.  So far I'm happy to report I've made significant progress meeting those goals.  And believe me...that's not an easy task by any measure, especially since summer break is here for my family.  


Anyway, that's the good part.  Here's the bad.  With that same project, I'm having some plotting issues.  When I started this project, I had a precise vision of where I wanted to take it.  Now, I'm knee deep in it and am pondering whether or not I should change the direction of it.  I'm doing my best to merge the initial premise with the new ideas, but am getting incredibly frustrated in the process.  Some say its a death wish to change things like this in mid-novel.  I'm not sure.  


What do you think?  Have you ever had this happen to you?  Any suggestions?


Mina B.

Monday, June 4, 2012

True Blood Season 5: Russell Edgington's Back!

For those unaware, the 5th season of HBO's True Blood starts Sunday, June 10th! *shrieks with excitement*  As many know, True Blood series doesn't necessarily follow the bestselling Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris.  It does somewhat, but the storylines tend to ride askew, and the characters also vary.

For example, in the book Russell Edgington's character was somewhat nefarious, but no where near as wicked as the one in the True Blood show.  In fact, one of the most coveted characters on the hit cable series is Russell Edgington. In season 3, we watched Russell buried alive in cement. So much happened during that season with vamp politics, eternal vendetta's and betrayed lovers that is was all too delicious. That said, one of my favorite scenes was when Russell went cuckoo and appeared on national television. If you haven't had a chance to review this, take a peak! Warning: It's graphic so viewer beware!




Aside from "And now it's time for the weather...Tiffany?"--my other favorite line in this scene from Russell is "We want to eat you...right after we eat your children." Oooh, I can't wait for that freakenstein vamp to glorify True Blood in Season 5. With Russell, you know it will be fun, sick and without a doubt outrageous.

Have you seen this clip? Do you like Russell? Have you watched the series? 

Mina B.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Winner, Award & Fred, Oh My!

And the Splash into Summer Giveaway Hop is...
"Winning!"
A special "spank you" to all the minions that entered my Splash into Summer Giveaway Hop!  And now let's get down to business.  "Drum roll, please." And the winner is... Valia L.   As mentioned, the winner will be allowed to choose one of the following killer books:  Richelle Mead's The Golden Lily, (which releases June 12th) or Lauren Oliver's Pandemonium.  The winner will be notified via email and will have no more than 72 hours to respond before another winner is drawn. The contest winner was selected by the reputable Random.org.


Kreativ Blogger Award
Michael Pierce gave me an awesome blog award last week.  Thanks, Michael!  It's called a Kreative Blogger award and I think it's coowell!!  


Anyway, here's how the award works:
Thank and link back to the person who presented you with the award.
Answer the ten questions below.
Share ten random facts/thoughts about yourself.
Nominate seven worthy blogs for the Kreativ Blogger Award.


What is your favorite song?
Right now, I'm love'n The Black Keys. My favorite song is Little Black Submarine, but I had to post the Howlin' For You video.


What is your favorite dessert?
Chocolate covered pretzels


What ticks you off?
When I procrastinate!  


When you're upset, what do you d--
It depends how upset.


Which is/was your favorite pet?
Duh...Fred is the one and only. :)


Which do you prefer, black or white?
Um, black. That's another duh, right?


What is your biggest fear?
I have too many.  I'm a mother so I'd say my biggest fear is with my kids. I could go on an on, but I think you get the point.  Aside from that, I think I have a ridiculous fear that I suck at novel writing.


What is your attitude mostly?
I prefer to look at the bright side of things, but have a tendency to see the bad.  Dammit, do you see my problem?


What is perfection?
Perfection is in the eye of the beholder.


What is your guilty pleasure?
Books


Ten random things about me... I know I'm cheating, but I already did a 10 random post that is here. Check it out.


I'm passing this award onto:
- Gina Gao


If you don't get  a chance to participate, don't worry!  If you can, try to have some fun.


Fridays with Fred
And here's a shot of Fred.  He's forever at my feet.


Watch out, Fred!

Be sure and stop by and visit Schatze over at Mary’s BookHounds too.
Have a great weekend.

Mina B.