A Conqueror's Destiny Reviews

A Conqueror's Destiny by Scarlett Sanderson

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Genre: Paranormal, Historical

Length: Short (52 pages)

Heat: Spicy

Rating: 4.5 Books

Reviewed by Fennel

Hannibal Barca has waged a war against the Romans for countless years. Vengeance is his only path in life. As a fierce warrior, revered leader and feared general, Hannibal longs for a peaceful life; a family, a home and a loving wife. But fate has other plans for the man history has labeled 'the barbarian'. Cassandra is a mystic from the mythical realm of Parrius. Her homeland is the only barrier standing against the armies of Astra and the mortal plane. A peace loving race, if Parrius is to survive, Cassandra must journey through time and space to find a general worthy enough of leading her army. In a race against time Cassandra must convince Hannibal to return with her. What she couldn't foresee was the love she feels for Hannibal the Conqueror.

On this epic journey where the fate of the world rests in the hands of one man, Cassandra is forced to make a choice between love and destiny.

There can only be one winner...

When love and destiny collide with Mortal history, then you have quite a mix. Beneath the hand of Scarlett Sanderson, you end up with a spicy concoction that will keep you warm, and your blood on the boil.

Mystic and spiritual warrior Cassandra intends to save her beloved Parrius from the marauding Tribes, and she knows just the man to help her. And Hannibal Barca is one viral man. Cassandra is torn between her loyalty to Parrius and her growing desires as a woman and the more time they spend together the less likely it is she’ll achieve her goal.

Hannibal’s sworn goal is to defeat his father’s murderers. Will the sudden appearance of the most beautiful and desirable woman he’s ever encountered distract Hannibal from achieving his goal? Hannibal and Cassandra face many conflicts and enemies, the biggest being their own ability to trust themselves and each other. Will Cassandra and Hannibal defy history, or are they destined to endure loneliness for ever?

This short story may travel across a few pages, but Scarlett manages to cover history and the emotions of Cassandra and Hannibal that many writers fail to achieve in stories four and six times the length of A Conqueror’s Destiny. This is a book well worth reading.

http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/2009/06/conquerors-destiny-by-scarlett.html

Promotion - Book Trailers with the wonderful author Carol Webb!

As an author I’m always looking for new ways to promote my books. Book video trailers always caught my attention. They’re very much like a movie trailer, and like movies, books have a story to convey. With movie trailers having been around for years, it’s only logical that books would eventually follow suit. I truly believe with the tremendous growth of multi-media, book video trailers or commercials are not only here to stay, but will continue to thrive. Like a cover, a book preview is an enticement for a reader to think about purchasing an author’s book, and also just like a cover, a preview can be deterrent to a reader. So be careful what you put up on the internet as a visual promotional tool.

A good book preview runs for approximately one minute. If you have something two minutes or longer, you have a good chance of losing your audience. As authors we know just how important words are and nothing changes when it comes to a book preview. Actually, they’re even more important because you have less than a minute to catch a potential customer’s interest. Make sure your audience can also read the text with ease. We sometimes forget just how fast we read as writers.

The best trailers have a mixture of different visuals. Special effects, live action shots, voiceovers and still images can all add to a powerful book preview, and it doesn’t have to cost an excessive amount of money. Sometimes a simple, tasteful trailer can be even more effective than an expensive, detailed and highly technical one. One picture can have numerous scenarios imprinted into a person’s mind. They are visual works of art.

Advantages:
Attracting a younger audience.
Attracting a different audience.
With the right trailer, a buzz can start before your book is even out.
Generates more traffic to your web site.

Disadvantages:
A bad trailer can detract and lose sales.
The cost of investing in a trailer.
The time involved in doing it yourself.

I’d played around with doing trailers for a while with my own books, but then when author, Linda Andrews, asked if I would do two for her books, A Knight’s Tale and Dancing in the Kitchen, I decided to become serious about learning how to put a trailer together. After all, this wasn’t for me but someone who was counting on my ability to promote her work. I quickly found out how thoroughly enjoyable and hard they are to make and that like a full-length story, trailers have to have an emotional hook. With the right trailer, they’re a wonderful tool to promote your book. But unlike a two hour movie, a person doesn’t have time for a whole lot of pop corn to watch a book preview!

Can a book preview generate more sales for an author? The statistics aren’t out yet, but when you watch a movie trailer that moves you, makes you smile or makes you become deeply emotional in a matter of seconds, are you more likely to watch that movie?

I know I am.

I thought I’d share my latest book preview for Age of Fire, a true crime book. The author is a friend of mine, and the story is amazing.



For more information on Bella Entertainment, you can visit our web site.


Carol Webb

Promo with Author Ellen Dye!!!

Good morning Everybody! Many thanks to Scarlett for the opportunity to post a bit about my new book, Three's The Charm, which is out now electronically with The Wild Rose Press at www.thewildrosepress.com and also in print at Amazon www.amazon.com

Three's The Charm is truly a story of my heart, set in the fictional town of Trenton's Forge, located in the wild and wonderful mountains of my home state, West Virginia. Populated with a cast of zany mountain matchmakers and good old-fashioned country folks, it was more fun than I ever dreamed to write. And it's been absolutely thrilling to see it published and then receive my very first review, which you can check out here

http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/reviews/Review.asp?ReviewId=2332

And now for the official blurb...Heath Ransom is educated, successful, a brilliant Doctor of Veterinary Medicine---and completely miserable. In the process of making himself amount to something---a feat no Ransom ever achieved in Trenton's Forge, West Virginia---he'd managed to lose the only person who made his life amount to anything, his wife, Rachel.

And now he's home and determined to stop at nothing to win her back.

But Rachel has some very firm opinions where her ex-husband is concerned---and no way will Heath, with his golden-blonde, ruggedly sexy good looks change any of them. She'd vowed never to speak to him again, and that was that.

But when her beloved horse falls ill and Heath is the only Vet within three counties of West Virginia mountains Rachel begins to learn that some vows need to be broken.And perhaps, others are meant to be renewed.....

Now, one more bit....

Rachel had been so certain. And then a little something happened....

"There's nothing between you and I now."

"Are you calling that kiss nothing? Because it sure didn't seem like nothing from my point of view." Heath's tone was disbelieving and his deep blue eyes looked bruised.

"That was just a physical thing. We're just friends now. And you're Pansy's vet. That's all we are to each other." Rachel stepped cautiously around the runner this time and disappeared inside before Heath could comment further.

In her room ten minutes later, Rachel's heart rate still hadn't returned to normal. There could never be any further doubts about the sexual flames still burning brightly between her and Heath. Burning? That episode hadn't been a simple burning; it had been a raging four-alarm inferno. Oh yes, it had been.And oh boy, that could only be trouble.Now she's a lady with some serious doubts...

Interested? Here’s the link to download your very own copy of Three’s The Charm at The Wild Rose Press

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=932&zenid=0566b1f05c4f11dccea1211c18e3e6b1

Or just click here for a trade paperback copy

http://www.amazon.com/Threes-Charm-Ellen-Dye/dp/1601542909/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239396925&sr=8-1

Thanks again for allowing me to drop by and share. And you all are most welcome to drop by and visit over at my corner of the web www.ellendye.com for fun and some seriously good down home recipes! Or drop me a line at ellen@ellendye.com I love hearing from friends.

Everyone have a great week! Ellen

Promo Monday with Keena Kincaid!

About Art of Love

Abigail d'Alene has been sinfully in love with learning all her life. Now a widow, she has the means and freedom to indulge in her passion. Pretending to be Abelard, a fifteen-year-old boy from an outlying village, she heads to the Latin Quarter of Paris and the abbey schools that will one day change the world.

Shocked by her ineptitude at masquerading as a boy, Alain of Huntly Woods takes the young “Abelard” under his protection until she recovers her sense and goes home. But her audacity, intelligence and refusal to compromise spark enough friction between them to burn through his cold logic and carefully laid plans. In Paris as a spy for Henry II, Alain has sold his soul to the Angevin devil in exchange for the king's promise of an heiress, land and power.

As his good intentions bring him unexpected passion, he struggles to find a way to have it all. Then he discovers Abigail's uncle, confessor to King Louis VII of France, plots against the English king, and Alain must choose between protecting his king or the woman he loves beyond all reason.

ART OF LOVE is available in both print and e-book formats from The Wild Rose Press, Amazon and other booksellers. ISBN: 1-60154-381-6. To read an excerpt, go to: http://www.keenakincaid.com/artoflove.php


Excerpt:
Abigail blinked against the cold, sickly morning that invaded the room. Frost coated the broken windowpane, and a draft eased its way inside, as unwanted as the dawn. The air that bit at her cheek smelled faintly of smoke. Pulling the blanket over her face, she burrowed into the solid warmth beside her. It shifted slightly, threw an arm around her waist and pulled her against hot skin and solid muscles.

Abigail jerked fully awake. Her stomach pitched as she remembered where she was, who she was with, and what they had done. Mon Dieu, what was I thinking? Lifting Alain’s hand from her waist, she edged away from his embrace and sat up. The frigid air rushed over her shoulders, shocking her skin. A sleepy groan sounded to her left, and the arm returned to her waist.

“Good morrow,” Alain said in a raw voice. He blinked at her with a warm, sleepy expression that invited her to repeat last night. “How did you sleep?”

“Well.”

Something in her voice erased the easy smile. Slightly more awake, he propped himself up on an elbow. The left side of his face was bruised, marred by the cut and traces of blue paste.

She looked at the wall behind the headboard, then at him. His intense silver gaze never left her face. “Abigail?”

“Nothing. Everything.” Her stomach knotted and twisted. She had a lover. She’d never had a lover before, and now she had one. She had no idea what that meant or why her thoughts kept tripping over hidden fears that this would end badly. Maybe not banished to a convent badly, but badly all the same. “We should not have done this,” she whispered, barely aware that she spoke as her mind tried to catch the supple fright that congealed her blood. “What were we thinking?”

“Thinking does not accompany passion if you do it right.” He sat up and raked a hand through his tangles. The blanket pooled around his hips. He was naked. As was she, she realized. His gaze felt like a beam of light on her bare body, exposing legs, breasts, and belly. She reached for the blanket, still soaked with his heat. “Really, Abigail, there is no need to blush like a virgin.” His eyes went from warm to icy. “Obviously, we have both done this before.”

About the author
Keena Kincaid is author of ANAM CARA and ART OF LOVE from The Wild Rose Press. Her only house rule is no talking before she’s had her first cup of coffee. You can learn more about the book and its author at http://www.keenakincaid.com, as well as MySpace, FaceBook and Twitter. You can find her books at The WildRose Press (http://www.thewildrosepress.com) Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Love-Keena-Kincaid/dp/1601543816/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237339570&sr=8-2 and http://www.amazon.com/Anam-Cara-Keena-Kincaid/dp/160154409X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237397467&sr=8-8) and other booksellers.

I’m the author of three books with The Wild Rose Press. ANAM CARA and ART OF LOVE. The third, TIES THAT BIND, will be out late this year.

Her only house rule is no talking before she’s had her first cup of coffee. You can learn more about the book and its author at http://www.keenakincaid.com, as well as MySpace, FaceBook and Twitter. You can find her books at The WildRose Press (http://www.thewildrosepress.com) Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Love-Keena-Kincaid/dp/1601543816/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237339570&sr=8-2 and http://www.amazon.com/Anam-Cara-Keena-Kincaid/dp/160154409X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237397467&sr=8-8) and other booksellers.

Note from Keena:

I'm also giving away a copy of my latest release, ART OF LOVE, in a random drawing. To enter, email me at keena@keenakincaid.com with the subject line: ART OF LOVE CONTEST. I'll announce the winner March 31.

On Writing...

Writing is an art, a craft that needs to honed, toned and yes, learned. Like any other skill it is best when you practise, after all practise makes perfect.

I find the process of writing intensely personal. I write from the comfort of my office chair, or the chair in my study. I create worlds and characters that don't exist apart from in my mind. It is a solitary process - just you and the voices in your head.

I don't share my work with anyone - I can't. Not at first. The story, the characters are mine and mine alone. Why would I want to share? I'm on an adventure with them and until that adventure ends, I can't share it with anyone lest it end abruptly. Does that make me insane? *smiles* Possibly. Probably.

Would I change the fact that I have this ability to create? Not for one single second. Not even when the ideas for characters and stories are driving me nuts.

I'm a writer...and I'm proud.

Promo Monday - Michelle M. Pillow

Divinity Warriors by Michelle M. Pillow
Coming from Ellora's Cave, March 25, 2009

About Divinity Warriors:

In one of the many universes parallel to ours, Divinity Corporation has discovered the secret to moving between the planes. This has given them the power to do pretty much whatever they want without consequence or regulation. Whether it's to ship unwilling brides in trade for minerals rights, to control everything from entertainment circuits to governments to academia, or simply gain that which every greedy corporation wants--Power.

Welcome to the new world, Divinity's World.

About Lilith Enraptured:

Sorin of Firewall lives in a land forever at war. In fact, the Starian men are so busy fighting, their marriage ceremony has been reduced to a “will of the gods” event where they simply pick a woman out of a lineup and claim her as a wife. With women becoming scarce, it’s necessary to trade the offworld Divinity Corporation for brides. Duty-bound to attend the ceremony, he has no intention of picking a bride, let alone one from another dimension. That is, until he sees Lilith, the bewitching woman sent by the gods to reward—or punish?—him.

Lilith, a data analyst for Divinity, is betrayed by the Corporation and wakes up in a primitive, uncharted dimension filled with warriors who only know war and duty. But her initial fears of becoming a sex slave to a big beefy knight become all too real when a warrior of god-like proportions claims she’s his new woman. As Lilith discovers, there are worse fates than being the focus of Sorin’s skillful and earthy seduction.

Publisher - Ellora's CaveEbook Released - 3/25/2009
BUY LINK: http://www.jasminejade.com/m-139-michelle-pillow.aspx
LEARN MORE: http://www.michellepillow.com/divinity.htm

The Confessional...

I confess.

I wish...I was Lara Croft.
Deep down, I have this strange yearning to be the ultimate tomb raider - Lara Croft. She calls to my sense of adventure, of kick ass femininity, of not answering to anyone and to the thrill of solving some of the worlds greatest mysteries. Go, Lara!

Plus she gets to play with some cool weapons all day!

"Lara is consistently depicted as a highly confident, independent, and headstrong person. She is also very brave, rarely showing any sign of fear in very dangerous or lethal situations."

Ahhhh, Lara Croft. Unfortunately the only thing I have in common with the lovely Lara is being a Brit by birth. I suppose at least one thing isn't bad!

So that is my confessional this week - I wish I were Lara Croft.

Now, dear readers, is there anything you wish to confess?