Kathryn Meyer Griffith - Dinosaur Lake

22. Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2012)
The Dinosaur Lake Series Book 1
Length: 283 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 31 March 2014
Finished: 17 April 2014
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Kathryn Meyer Griffith for sending me a copy of this book to read.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 February 2014
Why do I have it? I like horror and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Former police officer Henry Shore has been Chief Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park for the past eight years. He loves his quiet life with his family in Oregon - the solitude, the peace, the tranquility, the predictability. He likes his park the way it has always been - fun, safe and family-friendly. But Henry is about to be tested in so many ways.

First the earthquakes begin...people start to go missing...then reports surface of some sort of mysterious water creature that's taken up residence in the caves below Crater Lake. Not only is it growing in size, the beast is also incredibly aggressive and cunning...and ravenous. And it's quickly acquiring a taste for human beings. Very much so. It has also recently developed the ability to walk on land.

So Henry, with the help of his wife, Ann - a reporter with the local newspaper; a young paleontologist named Justin Maltin; and a band of brave men must not only protect Henry's beloved Crater Lake National Park from this threat, but also the people who live there. Somehow, Henry and his men must find out where the monster lives and destroy it...before it can kill again.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The characters were extremely likable and sympathetic, and the plot was fast-paced and intriguing. One aspect of the story that I especially appreciated was that it didn't become completely bogged down with scientific jargon - it was very readable and action-packed. I give Dinosaur Lake a definite A! and I'm looking forward to reading the recently released sequel to Dinosaur Lake - Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising. 

Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer Griffith was also a Finalist for the 2014 EPIC Ebook Awards in the Suspense/Thriller Category. 

May you read well and often

Ami Blackwelder, Author of Dumah's Demons, Chats About The AngelFire Chronicles and Its Latest Installment

I would very much like to welcome Ami Blackwelder, author of the young adult Paranormal Thriller, Dumah's Demons. Ms. Blackwelder was nice enough to answer some questions for me about her young adult Paranormal Series The AngelFire Chronicles, and its latest installment Dumah's Demons. Thank you so much for stopping by Emeraldfire's Bookmark, Ms. Blackwelder, and I wish you all the best now and in the future!

Meet Ami Blackwelder

Ami Blackwelder is a Paranormal and SciFi author. Her stories range from Tween & YA to Adult. Growing up in Florida, she graduated UCF and in 1997 received her BA in English and additional teaching credentials. Then she packed her bags and traveled overseas to teach in Thailand, Nepal, Tibet, China and Korea. She has always loved writing and wrote poems and short stores since childhood; however, her novels began when she was in Thailand in her thirties.

Having won the Best Fiction Award from the University of Central Florida (Yes, The Blair Witch Project University), her short fiction From Joy We Come, Unto Joy We Return was published in the on campus literary magazine: Cypress Dome and remains to this day in University libraries around the USA. Later, she achieved the semi-finals in a Laurel Hemingway contest and published a few poems in the Thailand’s Expat magazine, and an article in the Thailand’s People newspaper. Additionally, she has published poetry in the Korea’s AIM magazine, the American Poetic Monthly magazine and Twisted Dreams Magazine.

Synopsis of Dumah's Demons: 

The story of Dumah, Kian’s sister and how she becomes a Dark Angel. The reader will better understand Dameon and Kian through this story which is told through the eyes of Dumah.

Follow her story as she and Kian fight to survive on the streets of Manhattan and see how one event changes both of their lives forever, driving her toward darkness of the Dark Angels and Kian toward the AngelFire protectors.

If you've read She Speaks to Angels this is a great way to understand the motives of Dameon, Kian and Dumah. Dumah is found in Falling Angels, the sequel to be released April 2014.

Coming to Amazon on March 2, 2014!

Emeraldfire's Bookmark: First of all Ms. Blackwelder, where in the chronology of the AngelFire Chronicles does Dumah's Demons fall?

Ami Blackwelder: This novella is an accompaniment to the AngelFire Chronicles and is best read after reading She Speaks to Angels. I only say this because there are two spoilers in it if you have not read She Speaks to Angels. The next book to read would be Falling Angels where we see more of Dumah’s character.

Emeraldfire's Bookmark: Did something or someone in your own life serve as inspiration for either the plot or certain characters in Dumah's Demons?

Ami Blackwelder: Well, I think as a writer you always bring your own emotions and life experiences so I’d have to say, yes. But then again there is not one event that solely defines this story or the characters, it is an accumulation of events and people I’ve known.

Emeraldfire's Bookmark: I enjoy reading quite a lot of young adult paranormal or fantasy novels, but I admit that you are a new author to me. In your opinion, what would draw a new reader to your books?

Ami Blackwelder: I have always been told my stories are original. I hear readers say they’ve never read anything quite like my stories, that they always have several twists they were not expecting and once they get into the story they have a hard time putting them down. I have to say my stories tend to slower at first and build up the momentum. Some of later stuff just jumps right in.

Emeraldfire's Bookmark: If you're able to give a 'sneak peak' at all, how do you see the AngelFire Chronicles progressing?

Ami Blackwelder: LOL, I know exactly how it progresses. What can I tell the readers and fans? Ali and Kian are in for a lot of emotional turmoil in Falling Angels. Dumah pulls them to their limits, but if you think things get bad for our main characters in Falling Angels, Dumah has a treat in store in Angel Codes and the human race gets messy.

Emeraldfire's Bookmark: I noticed that you actually write five separate young adult series (I looked on Goodreads, so I might be missing one:)). Anyway, I was wondering how you manage to keep all the story lines straight? 

Ami Blackwelder: I have an elf romance saga comprised of two books. It is done. Guardians of the Gate. I have a Mers Chronicles which is comprised of two books. Book two will be out later this year. AngelFire Chronicles is made up of three books, book two and three will be released shortly. Those are for YA and Tween.

Midnight: Century of the Vampires is comprised of three books and is finished, but it is New Adult. Zombie Housewives has two books in the series, and more may follow. It too is more of a New Adult series.

My last series is Shifter Evolutions and has five books in the series currently with a sixth possibility, and a spring off series possibility after the indie film is released. This is an adult series. So, I’m really only working on the angels and then will finish the mermaid story.

Emeraldfire's Bookmark: What are your future plans for writing - Do you already have your next book partially planned, or do you allow yourself a little 'down time' between books?

Ami Blackwelder: I usually go-go-go unless life gets in the way which it often does and I have to slow down to get some other stuff done. However, I do take down-time. Like now I’m in Chan Mai, Thailand and will be going into Cambodia. I do a lot of traveling or outdoors stuff for getting into different gears.

Emeraldfire's Bookmark: Who are your favorite authors and do you have any favorite genres that you like to read?

Ami Blackwelder: I like literature and dystopia. Hemingway, Jane Austen, Steinbeck, Charles Dickens, Suzanne Collins, and Veronica Roth. Loved Dr. Zhivago, but damn those sad endings.

May you read well and often

Blog Tour For To Kill For His Queen by Carolina West From May 19, 2014 to June 13, 2014 - Come Join Us!

Hello Everyone! I am extremely happy to announce that Carolina West will be touring the blogosphere to promote her Paranormal Fantasy To Kill For His Queen. This virtual book tour is being hosted by Pump up Your Book and will last from May 19, to June 13, 2014!

To Kill For His Queen Blog Tour Information:

Meet Carolina West

Carolina West is a high school student living with her mother and younger sister in Arizona. She has been writing since she was fourteen years old. This is her first book.

About To Kill For His Queen:

Living in the world of werewolves, vampires, and dark magic can have a certain effect on a child, especially when that child is Hassen Mason, who seems destined to bring ruin to those he loves. Hassen was abandoned as a child and was immersed in the world of magic by the strange creatures that raised him. His lineage was a mystery, but no mystery buried in the past can stay buried for long - especially when that mystery is strong enough to span centuries.

An accident leaves Hassen without memories, and he must find a way to remember who he was and what his life meant to him before his past creeps up and kills him. He encounters evils worse than abandonment - vengeful demons and walking dead. Somehow, Hassen’s family was involved in this dark underworld. Now he has to fight his own internal battle: Is he a good guy or one of the villains?

Then he meets Carissa - a woman he suspects he knew before he lost his memory. She has had a similarly troubled past, and although the two of them are from different worlds, they find a common bond that even dark spirits cannot break. Will Hassen’s good side be strong enough to battle the side that longs to be bad? Will Carissa’s love keep him sane, or will the truth about his family finally cast him into the endless abyss of insanity?

Purchase Your Copy From IUniverse!

May 21 - Guest blogging at Angie’s Diary
May 23 - Guest blogging at The Book Rack
May 26 - Guest blogging at You Gotta Read
May 27 - Interviewed at Examiner
May 28 - Guest blogging at Mary’s Cup of Tea
May 29 - Guest blogging at Icefairy’s Treasure Chest
May 30 - Guest blogging at Emeraldfire’s Bookmark
June 2 - Book reviewed at Ashley’s Bookshelf
June 3 - Interviewed at Review From Here
June 4 - Book reviewed at Sara’s Organized Chaos
June 5 - Guest blogging at The Dark Phantom
June 6 - Book reviewed at Alexia’s Books and Such
June 9 - Interviewed at Literal Exposure
June 10 - Guest blogging at Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem
June 12 - Interviewed at The Writer’s Life
June 13 - Book reviewed at Emeraldfire’s Bookmark

May you read well and often

Blog Tour For The Witch's Salvation by Francesca Pelaccia From May 5, 2014 to May 30, 2014 - Come Join Us!

Hello Everyone! I am extremely happy to announce that Francesca Pelaccia will be touring the blogosphere to promote her Historical Fiction/Paranormal book The Witch's Salvation. This virtual book tour is being hosted by Pump up Your Book and will last from May 5, to May 30, 2014!

The Witch's Salvation Blog Tour Information: 

Meet Francesca Pelaccia

The Witch’s Salvation is Francesca Pelaccia’s debut novel and the first book of The Witch’s Trilogy. A teacher and now at long last an author, Francesca has written in other genres but enjoys creating and writing time-travel fantasies. Francesca blogs on the craft of writing especially as it relates to genre and reviews books. Currently she is working on the second book of The Witch’s Trilogy entitled The Witch’s Monastery. Visit Francesca at www.francescapelaccia.com.

Connect and Socialize with Francesca!

Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

About The Witch's Salvation:

A witch who demands humanity.

The immortal families who denied her of it.

Two mortals commanded to right the wrong.

That is the fate of the urban princess Anasztasia and the renegade prince Matthias, born shockingly mortal to two immortal families. If they go back in time and restore the witch’s humanity, she will grant them immortality. She will also break a 550 year-old curse that imprisons Matthias’s family in their ancestral homeland and exiles Anasztasia’s family from it.

But to make their lives their own, the heirs must return to the most dangerous day in their families’ past, Easter Sunday, 1457. This is the day Vlad III, aka Dracula, massacred nobles.

How can Anasztasia and Matthias reverse the past when their families won’t speak of their sins? How can they refuse when the witch owns their lives?

Purchase Your Copy From Amazon!

The Witch's Salvation Book Publicity Tour Schedule:

Monday, May 5 - Interview at The Writer’s Life

Tuesday, May 6 - Review at The Gal in the Blue Mask
Wednesday, May 7 - Interview at Blogcritics
Thursday, May 8 - Book Review at Emeraldfire’s Bookmark
Friday, May 9 - Book Featured at Deal Sharing Aunt
Monday, May 12 - Guest Blogging at The Story Behind the Book
Tuesday, May 13 - Book Review at Bewitching Bibliophile
Wednesday, May 14 - Book Featured at Sweeping Me
Thursday, May 15 - Book Featured at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews
Friday, May 16 - Interview at As the Page Turns
Monday, May 19 - Interview at The Book Connection
Tuesday, May 20 - Book Featured at Literarily Speaking
Wednesday, May 21 - Book Featured at Literary Winner
Thursday, May 22 - Book Featured at Bibliotica
Thursday, May 22 - Guest Blogging at Lori’s Reading Corner
Friday, May 23 - Book Featured at The Literary Nook
Monday, May 26 - Guest Blogging at I Heart Reading
Tuesday, May 27 - Book Review & Guest Blogging at The True Book Addict
Wednesday, May 28 - Interview at Angie’s Diary
Thursday, May 29 - Book Featured at Booklover Sue
Friday, May 30 - Interview at Virginia Beach Publishing Examiner

May you read well and often

Our Library Visit For April

Hello Everyone! How are you on this fine Wednesday? I'm doing just fine. :) Last week, Mom and I discussed whether we could fit in a visit to our local library - to raid the perpetual book sale! LOL! :)

Well, today was the day and it turned out absolutely wonderfully! We spent about an hour and a half - from 1:45 P. M. to 3:30 P. M. - at the library, and stopped to get tuna subs from Subway.

Between us, we bought 15 hardcovers, 12 paperbacks and 1 jigsaw puzzle . We spent a whopping $15 for a total of 27 books. A pretty good haul, if I do say so, myself. :)

At the moment, I'm reading Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer Griffith - which I actually started on Monday, March 31st! I've just started Chapter 4! :)

May you read well and often

Blog Tour For Of Dreams and Shadow: Forget Me Not by D. S. McKnight From May 5, 2014 to May 30, 2014 - Come Join Us!

Hello Everyone! I am extremely happy to announce that D. S. McKnight will be touring the blogosphere to promote her young adult Paranormal book Of Dreams and Shadow: Forget Me Not. This virtual book tour is being hosted by Pump up Your Book and will last from May 5, to May 30, 2014!

Of Dreams and Shadow: Forget Me Not Blog Tour Information:

Meet D. S. McKnight

D.S. McKnight has enjoyed a varied career—from working as a radio DJ on a small AM station to serving as president and co-owner of a marina, until Hurricane Ophelia took aim at the Carolina coast. Currently, she works at an insurance agency as well as hosting her blog - Novel Notions.

It is her love of the North Carolina coast that fueled her desire to write. Of Dreams and Shadow: Forget Me Not (book 1) is her first novel.

You can visit the author’s website at: http://www.dsmcknight.com

Connect and Socialize with D. S.!

Blog * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

About Of Dreams and Shadow: Forget Me Not:

We live. We die. Is there anything more? Jenna Barton is about to find out. After moving to the coastal North Carolina town of Parson’s Cove, Jenna has unwittingly stepped into the middle of a mystery involving a missing child. Unfortunately, the predator is still on the loose and Jenna has become his new obsession. With a little luck and a bit of paranormal help, Jenna might survive.

Purchase Your Copy From Amazon!

Of Dreams and Shadow Book Publicity Tour Schedule:

Monday, May 5 - Guest Blogging at Bibliotica
Tuesday, May 6 - Book Featured at Laurie’s Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews
Wednesday, May 7 - Book Review at World of My Imagination
Thursday, May 8 - Guest Blogging at Lori’s Reading Corner
Friday, May 9 - Book Review at Pink Fluffy Hearts: Diary of a Coffee Addict
Monday, May 12 - Book Review at Book Club Sisters
Tuesday, May 13 - Book Review at Mary’s Cup of Tea
Wednesday, May 14 - Interview at The Children’s and Teens Book Connection
Wednesday, May 14 - Book Featured at I Heart Reading
Monday, May 19 - Book Review at Crazy Four Books
Thursday, May 22 - Guest Blogging at CBY Book Club
Monday, May 26 - Book Review at Emeraldfire’s Bookmark
Tuesday, May 27 - Book Featured at Mom With a Kindle
Wednesday, May 28 - Book Review at Queen of All She Reads
Friday, May 30 - Book Review at Ashley’s Bookshelf
Friday, May 30 - Book Review at Bound 4 Escape

May you read well and often

Andra Watkins, Author of To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis, Asks One More Question of the Famed Explorer and Opens up About the Best and Worst Experiences She's Had During Her Own Historic Walk of the Natchez Trace

I would very much like to welcome Andra Watkins, author of To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis. Ms. Watkins was nice enough to answer some questions for me about her own historic walk of the Natchez Trace and Meriwether Lewis. Thank you so much for stopping by Emeraldfire's Bookmark, Ms. Watkins, and I wish you all the best now and in the future!

Meet Andra Watkins

I’m Andra Watkins. I’m a native of Tennessee, but I’m lucky to call Charleston, South Carolina, home for 23 years.

I’m the author of To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis from Word Hermit Press. It’s a mishmash of historical fiction, paranormal fiction and suspense that follows Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis and Clark fame) after his mysterious death on the Natchez Trace in 1809.

I Like:

1. Hiking
2. Eating (A lot; Italian food is my favorite.)
3. Traveling (I never met a destination I didn’t like.)
4. Reading (My favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo.)
5. Coffee (the caffeinated version) and COFFEE (sex)
6. Performing (theater, singing, public speaking, playing piano)
7. Time with my friends
8. Sirius XM Chill
9. Yoga (No, I can’t stand on my head.)
10. Writing in bed
11. Candlelight

I Don't Like:

1. Getting up in the morning
2. Cilantro (It is the devil weed.)
3. Surprises (For me or for anyone else.)
4. House Cleaning
5. Cooking

Synopsis of To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis:

Is remembrance immortality? Nobody wants to be forgotten, least of all the famous.

Meriwether Lewis lived a memorable life. He and William Clark were the first white men to reach the Pacific in their failed attempt to discover a Northwest Passage. Much celebrated upon their return, Lewis was appointed governor of the vast Upper Louisiana Territory and began preparing his eagerly-anticipated journals for publication. But his re-entry into society proved as challenging as his journey. Battling financial and psychological demons and faced with mounting pressure from Washington, Lewis set out on a pivotal trip to the nation’s capital in September 1809. His mission: to publish his journals and salvage his political career. He never made it. He died in a roadside inn on the Natchez Trace in Tennessee from one gunshot to the head and another to the abdomen.

Was it suicide or murder? His mysterious death tainted his legacy and his fame quickly faded. Merry’s own memory of his death is fuzzy at best. All he knows is he’s fallen into Nowhere, where his only shot at redemption lies in the fate of rescuing another. An ill-suited “guardian angel,” Merry comes to in the same New Orleans bar after twelve straight failures. Now, with one drink and a two-dollar bill he is sent on his last assignment, his final shot at escape from the purgatory in which he’s been dwelling for almost 200 years. Merry still believes he can reverse his forgotten fortunes.

Nine-year-old Emmaline Cagney is the daughter of French Quarter madam and a Dixieland bass player. When her mother wins custody in a bitter divorce, Emmaline carves out her childhood among the ladies of Bourbon Street. Bounced between innocence and immorality, she struggles to find her safe haven, even while her mother makes her open her dress and serve tea to grown men.

It isn’t until Emmaline finds the strange cards hidden in her mother’s desk that she realizes why these men are visiting: her mother has offered to sell her to the highest bidder. To escape a life of prostitution, she slips away during a police raid on her mother’s bordello, desperate to find her father in Nashville.

Merry’s fateful two-dollar bill leads him to Emmaline as she is being chased by the winner of her mother’s sick card game: The Judge. A dangerous Nowhere Man convinced that Emmaline is the reincarnation of his long dead wife, Judge Wilkinson is determined to possess her, to tease out his wife’s spirit and marry her when she is ready. That Emmaline is now guarded by Meriwether Lewis, his bitter rival in life, further stokes his obsessive rage.

To elude the Judge, Em and Merry navigate the Mississippi River to Natchez. They set off on an adventure along the storied Natchez Trace, where they meet Cajun bird watchers, Elvis-crooning Siamese twins, War of 1812 re-enactors, Spanish wild boar hunters and ancient mound dwellers. Are these people their allies? Or pawns of the perverted, powerful Judge?

After a bloody confrontation with the Judge at Lewis’s grave, Merry and Em limp into Nashville and discover her father at the Parthenon. Just as Merry wrestles with the specter of success in his mission to deliver Em, The Judge intercedes with renewed determination to win Emmaline, waging a final battle for her soul. Merry vanquishes the Judge and earns his redemption. As his spirit fuses with the body of Em’s living father, Merry discovers that immortality lives within the salvation of another, not the remembrance of the multitude.

Coming to Amazon on February 5, 2014!

This particular author interview is slightly different from recent ones that I've posted, Ms. Watkins was kind enough to answer my three questions by video. She took the time to answer these questions while making her own modern-day historic trek of the 444-mile long Natchez Trace. Thank you very much, Ms. Watkins, and congratulations again on your incredible achievement! :)

My first question actually became the 36th Reader Question that Ms. Watkins answered:
Emeraldfire's Bookmark: If you had the chance to ask Meriwether Lewis one (or two things) about anything at all - what would it (they) be?

My second (compound) question actually became the 39th Reader Question that Ms. Watkins answered:
Emeraldfire's Bookmark: What was possibly your best day spent during such an incredible experience? What was your worst day spent during such an experience?

May you read well and often