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12.31.2009

Happy New Year!


Happy New Year's everyone! New Year, New Decade - 2010 should be a good year. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday tonight, watch out for falling bullets and drunk neighbors with bottle rockets. One of those suckers coming straight at ya and you see your life flash before your eyes.

I'm making a few bloggy resolutions this year. Thought I might share them.
  1. I've hooked up the Google Reader - I'm going to use that and make significant comments on posts that I enjoyed.
  2. I'm going to try and organize my reviews better, try to have a pattern instead of random thoughts thrown on a page.
  3. I'm going to use goodreads more to organize and keep track of my TBR and Read stacks.
  4. Seeing a theme here? Organize better.... in all parts of my life.  I've become a little scatter brained, probably because my head is always in a book or a bit of code. 
  5. I also need to organize the blog better.  I'm going to throw up a banner exchange form if that is possible.

Any significant resolutions for you? Anyting I'm missing and you think this  blog could use??? I love me some feedback.

And the Winners Are....




Well actually 5 winners to be more precise. This was a HUGE contest.  And I am very grateful for the turnout.  So, to you winners, count yourself lucky.  There were 310 people that entered this contest. Out of those 310 people, they had 1940 entries!
 
Congrats to 1st Place Winner: Nikki O

2nd - 5th Place Winners:
Tynga
Justine
Ivana
Veronica

Everyone has 48 hours to respond with choices and snail addys to emails that I am sending ASAP.

Stay tuned for the next contest!






12.30.2009

Parajunkee's Waiting on Wednesday






Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Meme started by Breaking the Spine. It is a feature that  spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:


Where Angels Fear to Tread: A Remy Chandler Novel

Releasing March 2, 2010

Where Angels Fear to Tread: A Remy Chandler NovelSix year-old Zoe York has been taken and her mother has come to Remy for help. She shows him crude, childlike drawings that she claims are Zoe's visions of the future, everything leading up to her abduction, and some beyond. Like the picture of a man with wings who would come and save her-a man who is an angel.

Zoe's preternatural gifts have made her a target for those who wish to exploit her power to their own destructive ends. The search will take Remy to dark places he would rather avoid. But to save an innocent, Remy will ally himself with a variety of lesser evils-and his soul may pay the price...





12.29.2009

Updates & Award Time!


I can't believe we are now ending 2009 in just a matter of days. Egad! New Years will be over, it'll be 2010 and time to start planning for Mardi Gras -- anyone coming to visit??? Sooo updates? Yes, hopefully this blog will get bigger and better for 2010. More more more. My new years resolution, to work on my spelling...

The 30th ends my 200 follower contest. 200 followers has led to 450+ followers. Can not believe it, thanks my new guys, ya'll rock.  And even more rock to the ones who were there from the beginning.
The contest was crazy! I have 287 entries so far! I'm dreading tallying up those entries, it might take me all of 2010 to do that. It also looks like the design contest that I started yesterday might have a great turnout - 50+ entries already.  I feel the love. ♥ ♥ ♥

Speaking of love ----> Awards!





This award was given to my by Nikki @ Bookkizzle *mwah mwah* -
Probably one of the most complimentary awards I've received.  Thanks chick!

It signifies all the bloggers out there who constantly work hard to keep an updated and insightful website. They aren't afraid to take a bite with their honest reviews and enjoyable content. You amaze me, you inspire me so I call you a blog monster.

I'm passing this on to my peeps and blog addictions:


 

I got this award from Book Snow @ Elegantly Bound Books - Thanks!

List 10 things that make you happy.
Try and do at least one of them today.
Tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day.
Link back to the person that tagged you.


10 things that make me happy:

1. Reading - kinda obvious
2. Family
3. Puters
4. Shoes
5. Watching Movies
6. Expensive Coffee
7. Big bathtubs
8. The weather right before a big storm
9. drinking games
10. fudge pop o'clock

10 Blogs that brighten my day










Movie Trailer Tuesday




Movie Trailer Tuesday.  The soon to be released movies in the paranormal, scifi and fantasy genres.

Movie Trailers always excite me, even though I find it harder and harder to get out to the theater anymore.  Between the high costs of tickets - in New Orleans $5 for matinee and $10 for regular.  Which is why I like to go to the noon show! How much are they charging in your theaters?

DAYBREAKERS RELEASES JANUARY 8TH






12.28.2009

New Year - New Blog Design Contest





Contest is closed - winners will be chosen shortly. Check back for other design contests beginning soon!



Want a new look for the New Year??
Enter the New Year - New Blog Design Contest right here at Parajunkee's View.

If you didn't know by now, Parajunkee doesn't just read, she is also a web designer (graphic designer, illustrator) by trade.  And now you can win some Parajunkee Design!

What do you get in this awesome *Slap Yo Mamma* contest??? My biggest design giveaway yet -
Header - Button - Background

With that combination you basically get a whole new blog design.  

This design work retails at $90 So Enter Now!

Contest Rules & Deets:
  1. Contest is open to EVERYONE Internationally 
  2. Contest ends JAN 9th
  3. As the winner you will be provided with a static (just the image) header, blog button and a background image, files will be hosted on flickr.com (or a host of your choice), I will guide you through the HTML part if you need it.
  4. If I get to 450 followers during this contest, there will be a RUNNER UP.  Runner up will receive a Header / Button combo ($70 value)
  5. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to claim their prize (email will be sent)
  6. Please fill out the form embedded in this post to enter
  7. HINT HINT - to remember if you entered this contest or not COMMENT! I am not offended by NICE Contest comments :)

    Extra Entries (you will be asked to provide links):
    +1 Tweet : RT New Year - New Blog Design Contest -- @Parajunkee http://tinyurl.com/ya7svsy Header, Button Background Combo!
    +2 Sidebar
    +5 Post about this contest
    +3 Parajunkee Design Follower - I have a Design Blog also 
    +5 Display my button the Parajunkee's View Button or Parajunkee Design your choice!


    Good Luck!














    Contest Alert - Book Depository Shopping Spree!

    Just wanted to let you guys know there is a contest going on at my buddy Tina's blog:


    From her site: 
    Ive reached 150 followers, what a way to end 2009.....so to celebrate all you lovelys out there Im giving away a $20 Shopping Spree to The Book Depository. The more followers I get the more Ill add (ie..200 followers=$30-cap at $50)
     
    Go enter and get her up to 200!






    12.27.2009






    Winner of the Better Part of Darkness...
     
    Faith Adeline
     
    I've sent an email...please respond within 48 hours.  
     
    The 200 follower contest is still going on don't forget to enter that one if you missed out on this contest. 
    Also stay tuned the next design contest starts tomorrow.





    Ring of Desire by Ryshia Kennie

    Ring of DesireWhispers of an ancient magic drew them together ... In the medieval land of Hafne, a curse has swept through the land leaving it barren and without hope. As one of the chosen, Vala watches for signs of the prophecy and with it, the owner of a ring who is destined to fight by her side and drive away the darkness. The newly arrived Norman enemy is an unnecessary complication in Hafne-and in beautiful Vala's heart. ... An unspeakable evil fights to keep them apart. Giles arrives with his Norman men in time to rescue a mysterious woman from a watery death. Holding Vala in his arms, the stirrings of destiny and desire begin, binding him to a prophecy of which he surely has no part-binding him to a search for his true origins and a fight to save his soul and hers.

    This book from the moment I opened it intrigued me.  I read the synopsis and while I am not a big fan of historical fantasy, thought I might enjoy this book.  The beginning was very good and I found myself drawn in, but as I got further into the book, I realized I really wasn't as into as I was in the beginning. Once again it could be because I'm not a fan of historicals... all the nays and maidens ...but I actually got confused within the pages. Later on it did iron out and I got back into the novel, but the damage had been done, unfortunately. 

    It was very well written and the plot was entertaining and original. The bad guys were very creepy. I think where it was lacking was in the main characters, I just could not relate to Giles and Vala.  They were just so different that I wasn't drawn into them to care what happened.  In the beginning Vala's plight was intense and I was drawn to her, but she began acting oddly later on and I just didn't get what her motives were.

    If you are a fan of Historical Fantasy, maybe this would be something you would be into. I am not going to rate it though, because I think any rating I put on it would be unfair, since this is not a genre of preference for me - and now I know in the future not to tread these waters.









    12.23.2009

    Vote For Me!






    Hey everyone! Natalie @ Mindful Musing is hosting a best blogs of 2009 contest and guess what I'm one of them! *Does happy penguin dance* But there are some tie breakers, so she has polls up on the side of her blog for voting.  If you don't mind, can you run over to her blog and VOTE FOR ME??? I would surely appreciate it. Also there are a few other bloggers on there, that I'm sure could use your votes. Big THANKS to you guys for reading all my crapola and for nominations. 

    And if ya'll haven't noticed I am at 410 followers. OMG!!! Considering not too long ago I started my 200 follower contest (not even a month ago).   Sooo Big Welcome to my new followers and extra thanks to my old followers.  Love you guys! Hope I'm worth your follow.  Enjoy the on-coming holidays. Don't eat too much sweets, but please pass the Holiday Spirits - I like mine with just a splash of OJ.


    XOXOXO




    Parajunkee's Waiting on...







    Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Meme started by Breaking the Spine. It is a feature that  spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. I created my own button for it though - because Jessica @ BookBound got me in the button creating mood.

    This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

    The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

    Releasing February 2010

    The Iron King (Harlequin Teen)

    My name is Meghan Chase.
     
    In less than twenty-four hours I'll be sixteen. Countless stories, songs, and poems have been written about this wonderful age, when a girl finds true love and the stars shine for her and the handsome prince carries her off into the sunset.

    I don't think it will be that way for me.








    12.22.2009

    January 2010 Urban Fantasy / Paranormal Romance Releases

    Releases in Urban Fantasy, PNR and the paranormal inclined Young Adult fiction.  Can't wait for almost all of these titles! If this is what the beginning of 2010 looks like I'm very excited for 2010.

    Authors if you have books releasing in the my fav genres for January 2010 not on this list - or would like to make February's list --> email me < --

    Links and product description from amazon.com.  I'm using the new Amazon Associates thingy.  So if you buy from a link on my blog I get a cut.  But these images aren't working as well. What do ya'll think does it look to online shopping mall? Half the time when I just tried to insert image - it broke by the time I tried to publish.  Ack! But the fact that it gets me an image without searching all over the internet is a happy moment for me.

     

     Blood Cross (Jane Yellowrock, Book 2) by Faith Hunter
    Releasing January 5, 2010

    The vampire council has hired skinwalker Jane Yellowrock to hunt and kill one of their own who has broken sacred ancient rules-but Jane quickly realizes that in a community that is thousands of years old, loyalties run deep...










    Doppelgangster (Esther Diamond Novel)  Doppelgangster (Esther Diamond Novel) by Laura Resnick
    Releasing January 5, 2010

    "In Laura Resnick's Doppelgangster, the New York actress is 'resting' between roles by working as a singing waitress at a Manhattan mob restaurant because wiseguys tip well. Then duplicated gangsters appear, bullets start flying, and it's up to Esther and her friend Max the Magician to fight Evil by stopping the gang war before it starts killing the wrong people. And if she has time, maybe Esther can actually keep a hot date with her hunky detective friend Lopez, who doesn't believe in magic. Yet. Unplug the phone and settle down for a fast and funny read."
    --New York Times bestselling author Mary Jo Putney  

    Succubi Like It Hot by Jill Myles 
     Releasing January 19th 2010


    With a hot new figure, her dream job as an archaeologist, and two gorgeous boyfriends to scratch her seductive Itch -- an angel and a vampire -- Jackie Brighton is totally getting the hang of life as a succubus. Then she accidentally knocks the pizza guy unconscious with her touch. Great -- she's cursed. After striking a deal to get the curse lifted by a crafty demon, Jackie and her best friend Remy take a road trip to deliver a cryptic message to the nation's oldest succubus. Unfortunately, neither of her jealous lovers is talking to Jackie right now, and due to the curse, she's desperate to get her Itch scratched very soon. Their journey gets weirder with every mile -- demonic possession, a charming stalker, a cryptic warning -- and when they get to New Orleans, Jackie discovers a dangerous catch to her supernatural bargain. Someone wants her dead -- again. Can a brainy vixen in a miniskirt outsmart the forces of evil?

    Spider's Bite: An Elemental Assassin BookSpider's Bite: An Elemental Assassin Book by Jennifer Estep
    Releasing January 26th 2010

    They call me the Spider. I'm the most feared assassin in the South -- when I'm not busy at the Pork Pit cooking up the best barbecue in Ashland. As a Stone elemental, I can hear everything from the whispers of the gravel beneath my feet to the vibrations of the soaring Appalachian Mountains above me. My Ice magic also comes in handy for making the occasional knife. But I don't use my powers on the job unless I absolutely have to. Call it professional pride.

    Now that a ruthless Air elemental has double-crossed me and killed my handler, I'm out for revenge. And I'll exterminate anyone who gets in my way -- good or bad. I may look hot, but I'm still one of the bad guys. Which is why I'm in trouble, since irresistibly rugged Detective Donovan Caine has agreed to help me. The last thing this coldhearted killer needs when I'm battling a magic more powerful than my own is a sexy distraction...especially when Donovan wants me dead just as much as the enemy.

     
    Shadow Blade by Seressia Glass
    Releasing January 26, 2010 


    Kira's day job is as an antiquities expert, but her true calling is as a Shadowchaser. Trained from youth to be one of the most lethal Chasers in existence, Kira serves the Gilead Commission, dispatching the Fallen who sow discord and chaos. Of course, sometimes Gilead bureaucracy is as much a thorn in her side as anything the Fallen can muster against her. Right now, though, she's got a bigger problem. Someone is turning the city of Atlanta upside down in search of a millennia-old Egyptian dagger that just happens to have fallen into Kira's hands.

    Then there's Khefar, the dagger's true owner -- a near-immortal 4,000-year-old Nubian warrior who, Kira has to admit, looks pretty fine for his age. Joining forces is the only way to keep the weapon safe from the sinister Shadow forces, but now Kira is in deep with someone who holds more secrets than she does, the one person who knows just how treacherous this fight is. Because every step closer to destroying the enemy is a step closer to losing herself to Shadow forever....

    Wild Hunt Wild Hunt by Margaret Ronald
    Releasing January 12, 2010

    Genevieve Scelan thought she was done with magic.
    She was wrong.

    Sure, six weeks earlier Evie—bike messenger, supernatural tracker, and avid Red Sox fan—had been instrumental in bringing down the Fiana, the organization of magicians that had ruled Boston's undercurrent for hundreds of years. But now they were gone, Boston could breathe easy again, the Sox had a chance at the pennant, and Evie was ready to relax.

    Except it turns out that when you take down the guy on top, everyone assumes you're going to fill his spot, and now Evie finds herself at the center of a whole lot of unwelcome magical attention. On top of that, a new client needs her to call up a family ghost and ask about a stolen inheritance; Evie's friend Nate has a supernatural problem of his own; and a legendary pack of hounds has been terrorizing Boston's undercurrent. And try as Evie might to deny the legacy that runs through her blood, when the Hunt is called, the Hound must run . . .

    Young Adult


    Bad Blood by Mari Mancusi
    Releasing January 5, 2010
    Sunny McDonald is in the ultimate forbidden relationship. Her boyfriend Magnus is a vampire, and the leader of the Blood Coven. And when the Coven decides that Magnus needs a mate to be his co-ruler, Sunny's humanity puts her out of the running. The Coven's chosen candidate is Jane Johnson, a magna cum laude graduate of Oxford University who just happens to look like a vampiric supermodel.

    Sunny is suspicious of a Rhodes Scholar who can't answer the most basic poli-sci questions, but Magnus brushes it off as petty jealousy. Still, when the Blood Coven goes to Las Vegas for a vampire convention, Sunny and her twin sister Rayne secretly tag along. And Sunny's not going home before she learns the truth about Jane. Because not everything stays in Vegas-especially bad blood.

    Captivate by Carrie Jones
    Releasing January 5, 2010

     Zara and her friends knew they hadn't solved the pixie problem for good. Far from it. The king's needs grow deeper every day he's stuck in captivity, while his control over his people gets weaker. It's made him vulnerable. And now there's a new king in town.

    A turf war is imminent, since the new pixie king, Astley, is moving in quickly. Nick nearly killed him in the woods on day one, but Zara came to his rescue. Astley swears that he and Zara are destined to be together, that he's one of the good guys. Nick isn't buying it, though Zara isn't as sure -- despite herself, she wants to trust the new king. But it's a lot more than her relationship with Nick that is at stake. It's her life -- and his.

    Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves
    Releasing January 5, 2010

    Hanna simply wants to be loved. With a head plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet stuffed with frilly, violet dresses, Hanna's tired of being the outcast, the weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas in search of a new home.

    But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a place for herself, she discovers dark secrets that would terrify any normal soul. Good thing for Hanna, she's far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one is safe.

          
    All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab
    Releasing January 12, 2010

    Carly: She was sweet. Smart. Self-destructive. She knew the secrets of Brighton Day School’s most privileged students. Secrets that got her killed.

    Neily: Dumped by Carly for a notorious bad boy, Neily didn’t answer the phone call she made before she died. If he had, maybe he could have helped her. Now he can’t get the image of her lifeless body out of his mind.

    Audrey: She’s the reason Carly got tangled up with Brighton’s fast crowd in the first place, and now she regrets it—especially since she’s convinced the police have put the wrong person in jail. Audrey thinks the murderer is someone at Brighton, and she wants Neily to help her find out who it is.

    As reluctant allies Neily and Audrey dig into their shared past with Carly, her involvement with Brighton’s dark goings-on comes to light. But figuring out how Carly and her killer fit into the twisted drama will force Audrey and Neily to face hard truths about themselves and the girl they couldn’t save.

    Undead Much by Stacey Jay
    Releasing January 21, 2010

    Q: How many guys does it take to make your boyfriend wild with jealousy?
    A: Only one, if he's UNDEAD.

    Megan Berry had a perfectly average new-sundress-and-boy-obsessed life--until her power to settle the Undead returned. Oh, and then her best friend tried to kill her--and ruin homecoming--with a bunch of black magically raised zombies. At least she got a spot on the pom squad and a smokin' boyfriend (Ethan). But now Megan is in deep fertilizer all over again.

    Why? Well, let's see...

    · Feral new super-strong zombies? Check.
    · Cheerleader vs. pom squad turf war threatening half time as they know it? Check.

    · An Undead psychic hottie (Cliff) who's predicting a zombie apocalypse--and doing his best to tempt Megan away from Ethan? Yum. I mean, Check.

    · Earth-shattering secrets that could land Megan in Settler prison for life? Um, IT WASN'T ME!!!

    Everyone thinks Megan's at fault for the new uber-zombie uprising. Looks like she'll need the help of both Cliff and Ethan if she's going to prove her innocence before it's too late...

    IncarceronIncarceron by Catherine Fisher
    Releasing January 26, 2010

    Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but also metal forests, dilapidated cities, and vast wilderness. Finn, a seventeen-year-old prisoner, has no memory of his childhood and is sure that he came from Outside Incarceron. Very few prisoners believe that there is an Outside, however, which makes escape seems impossible.

    And then Finn finds a crystal key that allows him to communicate with a girl named Claudia. She claims to live Outside- she is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, and doomed to an arranged marriage. Finn is determined to escape the prison, and Claudia believes she can help him. But they don't realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye. Escape will take their greatest courage and cost more than they know.

    Releasing January 26, 2010

    Algonquin “Ali” Rhodes, the high school newspaper’s music critic, meets an intriguing singer, Doug, while reviewing a gig. He’s a weird-looking guy—goth, but he seems sincere about it, like maybe he was into it back before it was cool. She introduces herself after the set, asking if he lives in Cornersville, and he replies, in his slow, quiet murmur, “Well, I don’t really live there, exactly. . . .”

    When Ali and Doug start dating, Ali is falling so hard she doesn’t notice a few odd signs: he never changes clothes, his head is a funny shape, and he says practically nothing out loud. Finally Marie, the school paper’s fashion editor, points out the obvious: Doug isn’t just a really sincere goth. He’s a zombie. Horrified that her feelings could have allowed her to overlook such a flaw, Ali breaks up with Doug, but learns that zombies are awfully hard to get rid of—at the same time she learns that vampires, a group as tightly-knit as the mafia, don’t think much of music critics who make fun of vampires in reviews. . . .