Reviews for Holly and Ivy!

Granted, I don’t write to get good reviews, but they do offer a unique pick me up. It’s nice to know people like your work, whether it comes directly from readers or from review sites. I think at times people take book bloggers for granted, when in fact they do have very good views and often very good and accurate opinions. I may not always agree with them, but I’m not one to pick a fight or pout if I don’t get a zillion stars.

That being said, I’ve been very blessed to receive some downright beautiful reviews for Holly and Ivy. It not only makes me feel good to get a good rating, but to know that I’ve touched people, and that they appreciate the detail I’ve worked hard to put in…that matters. I’m touched to know that I found a good holiday vibe with the story, but that I also hit a lot of different points that worked for different people. And it never ceases to make me smile when people recognize the carol the story is very loosely based around. Plus, these guys work at least as hard as I do – to know that they made time in their busy schedules to read my work means a lot to me. The praise is nice, but the time and effort they put into their features is just as touching and matters just as much to me.

To read the review from All in One Place, go HERE

To read the review from Cabin Goddess, go HERE

both feature the blurb and excerpts, and include the rafflecopter to get in on the giveaway for a promotional copy!

HollyAndIvy72dpi (1)

 

To check out Holly and Ivy, go HERE (also available on amazon and b&n)

 

Excerpt: Dollface by Alexandra Christian

Here’s a glimpse of Alexandra’s horror offerings from her creepy story Dollface. It’s the perfect thing to jump-start your October and give you heart palpitations!

Blurb:
Dollface” is the story of Caroline, a plain Jane, small town Southern girl who just happens to be a funeral home cosmetian. Everyone in town likes Caroline, though they’ve always felt that there was something not quite right about her. For years Caroline has pined in silence for the funeral director’s son, Scott Bauer. Scott has always been kind, but never returned her affections. Her world comes tumbling down when she discovers that Scott is to be married and will leave her forever. She can’t let that happen and will go to unnatural lengths to keep him.
Excerpt:

            He nodded towards the corpse lying on the table.  “You done with her?”

Caroline nodded.  “She looks beautiful.”

“You always do a nice job, Caroline.”  He gave a sheepish smile that could melt the ice off an igloo.  “I wonder a lot how you do it.”

“Do what?”

“Look at dead people,” he said, shuddering a little.  “And you know… fix them.”

Caroline grinned.  “It’s not that bad really.  You just have to remember that every dead person used to be alive and to treat them with the same respect you would in life.”  She shrugged.  “I never think about it really.”

“I’d have nightmares.”  He turned the water off and flicked his hands at the sink.  “You have to see them at their worst.  It’s grisly.”

Caroline narrowed her eyes and watched as he toweled off his hands.  One would think that he’d have gotten used to it by now, with his father owning a funeral home. Very often he’d be called upon to go on pick-ups.  How could he still be so squeamish? Everyone had assumed that Scott would go to mortician school after graduation, but he’d opted for a business degree from the local university.  Now she could see why.  He couldn’t hack it.  “It’s not grisly.  Every person deserves to look their best the last time anyone sees them.”

“I guess so, but still… I couldn’t do it.”  He smiled again, but she could tell—he thought she was weird.  It was okay.  Everyone thought she was weird.  They always had.  High school had been a complete nightmare for her.  Carolina never quite fit in.  She wasn’t pretty enough to be a popular girl, brainy enough to be a nerd or creative enough to be a geek.  She’d always been “weird Caroline.”The girl who pinned dead butterflies to her door.   The girl who came to school in mismatched socks.   The girl whose hair looked dirty all the time, no matter how much she washed it.  She’d tried to stay off the radar, to fade into the background like a cornflower on ugly wallpaper, but unfortunately, they could smell her weakness.  They’d taunted and teased, put gum in her hair, left big bottles of shampoo in front of her gym locker—anything and everything to make her feel like an outcast.

Only Scott had been kind.  Never once had he called her ugly or weird.  When some other kids pushed her down in front of her math class one afternoon, he’d been the only one to stop and help her up.  After that day, she’d known.  Scott Bauer was the only boy she could ever really love.  And there wasn’t much chance of that changing—that was ten years ago and still she could barely speak when he walked into a room.

“Oh sure you could, Scott.”  She gave an embarrassed smile and reached out like she wanted to touch his hand, but then thought better of it.  “There’s not much you can’t do.”

Scott chuckled.  His own cheeks flushed a little as he shifted uncomfortably on his feet.  “Thanks, Caroline.”  He looked towards the door with a nervous expression and she knew what he was thinking—that he should get out of here as soon as possible. She could almost hear him say, “Damn this chick creeps me out,” but of course he was too polite to utter it aloud.  “Well, I better be going.  My dad’s going to need help unloading the flowers.”

Buy Links for Alexandra Christian

Amazon: 
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Alexandra%20Christian&search-alias=books#/ref=sr_nr_p_n_feature_browse-b_2?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AAlexandra+Christian%2Cp_n_feature_browse-bin%3A618073011&bbn=283155&ie=UTF8&qid=1349328622&rnid=618072011

Barnes and Noble: 
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strange-bedfellows-alexandra-christian/1113051106?ean=2940015623277

All Romance eBooks: 
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Alexandra+Christian

Bookstrand: 
http://www.bookstrand.com/alexandra-christian

Smashwords: 
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/234701

 

Contact Info:

Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/alexandra.christian1/posts/445911108795000?ref=notif&notif_t=feed_comment#!/alexandra.christian1

Facebook Fan Page: 
https://www.facebook.com/alexandra.christian1/posts/445911108795000?ref=notif&notif_t=feed_comment#!/pages/Lexxx-Christian-The-Southern-Belle-from-Hell/245839382102904

Twitter:  @LexxxChristian

WordPress Blog: 
http://lexxxchristian.wordpress.com/

Goodreads: 
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4684601.Alexandra_Christian

Email:  lexxx.christian@gmail.com

 

 

Six Sentence Sunday: In the Red (yet more)

What can I say, I have a lot of love to give to this book.

This week’s six comes from where we first get to see the alter-ego of Jeremiah Kensington (J.K. Asmodeus), in action on stage.

The Six:

One red foot swung up and knocked the guitarist in the back of the leg, sending him down to his knees by the singer’s feet. Baal managed to keep playing, though for a brief moment it looked like he was going to fall forward and bite it right there onstage. His eyes snapped open and he bared his teeth at the singer in hideous challenge. If he’d still been Jeremiah, the singer would have wondered what the hell he’d done, but instead he just smiled, bent low over the other man, and rested a booted foot on one of Baal’s knees. “Tempt me down and down; tear me up and I’ll bring you down,” he improvised.

For More Six Sentence Sunday, Go HERE!

For More info on In the Red, Click the Cover!

Twelve Sentence Saturday: In the Red

I’m taking part in a new event done by Makayla’s Book Reviews, called 12 Sentence Saturday! So for this week, I’m posting twelve sentences from my new release and first novel, In the Red!

The Twelve:

 A quick look around proved that while everyone in the room was looking, Jack was the only other person that actually saw. “Did they just…?” Jeremiah couldn’t bring himself to say something so bizarre. He barely managed to hold back a cry when a thousand tiny needle teeth nibbled his skin from toes to knees. A tingling sensation spread under his skin and Jeremiah was filled with a rush of violent confidence that almost made him swoon.

“Good. They fit,” Jack said. Only his tiny, mysteriously cruel little smile hinted that he was aware of the boots’ strange behavior.

The longer Jeremiah looked at himself the more he realized that he could do no wrong. My life just changed. With these on my feet, my past is gone. I’m going to be better than I ever thought possible.

The Blurb:

What kind of a rock star lives in a small town in the middle of nowhere and plays at weddings and funerals? Then Jack Scratch comes into his life, ready to represent him and launch him to stardom. Jack can give him everything: a new band, a new name, a new life, a new look, and new boots…although they aren’t exactly new. They once belonged to The One, a rocker so legendary and so mysterious that it’s urban legend that he used black magic to gain success. But what does Jeremiah care about urban legend? And it’s probably just coincidence that the shoes make him dance better than anyone, even if it doesn’t always feel like he’s controlling his movements. It’s no big deal that he plunges into a world of excess and decadence as soon as he puts the shoes on his feet, right?

But what happens when they refuse to come off?

Live like a rock star.

Dance ’til you die.

Are you in? 

Don’t forget to check out the other authors signed up for 12 Sentence Saturday!

 

A quickie update!

My apologies for being distant – I’ve got a really busy week at work and I only took today off to try to stay on top of some deadlines (As it is I may just be up all night to keep plowing through things. We’ll see.)

But I wanted to talk briefly about some cool blogs while I had a moment to breathe!

I’ve been interviewed by The Writing World! I love the blog and RaeBeth McGee is amazing. You can find that interview HERE

I’ve also got a guest post up at Writing With Shelly and Chad! Shelly’s a lot of fun and that blog is a treat as well. My guest post on why I love genre fiction is HERE

Be sure to not just check out my posts but the blogs as a whole! It’s important that we all get involved with each other’s projects. There’s so many great new authors and bloggers out there – we need to spread the word!

As a reminder – I’m also trying to promote my fanpage on Facebook more. I try to put up guest posts and other tidbits as soon as I can there as well. You can check it out and give me a like HERE if you haven’t done so yet!

I’ve also been ordering swag for Fandom Fest in June – I’m doing some traditional things but I’m still tinkering around with a couple out of the box ideas. I’ll post more on that soon but if you suddenly see mysterious things popping up…just know that that’s me trying to figure out my masterplan for In the Red promotion.

So everyone have a good week and I’ll check in again as soon as I can. So much to do and so little time and all that!

Aside

Music Mondays: The Classics

So having established my love of music and my inability to stick to any aural genre, I’ve decided to start out with the one that surprises most people. By now those in my immediate circle are used to me rocking out to older songs and preferring things that would usually be played in an arena or club. This was not always the case.

A long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away)  I studied classical voice. It wasn’t just a passing fad either – it took up a good ten or so years of my teens and early twenties. There’s something to be said for music that makes you have to focus on a million little details when you’re working on a song and classical provides me with that challenge. I get this encompasses a lot so to clarify I did a lot of art songs, a lot of court songs (Handel and Purcell are still my faves), an insane amount of songs in French and Italian, because I was involved in five million choirs in this time too I did a lot of chamber music (I don’t know how many requiems and masses I’ve sung throughout my life – I’ve lost count). My personal preference is regional folk songs (the kind of things that Britten was re-discovering when he was big and I think Samuel Barber could qualify as that too). I love British and Celtic folk songs and there’s some great American additions as well. I love the challenge and how detailed these artists are and make no mistake – I loved singing them. I loved the effort I had to put forth, the sense of accomplishment it gave me, the intricacy…all of it. I’ve done some competitions in my time and that style of music provided me a chance to travel out of the country. So what happened?

As I got older I became more and more convinced that musical theatre was where it’s at and I plain got burnt out. I should have probably let myself experience other genres more at that age then trying to be some little hilarious elitist thing, but hindsight’s 20/20. At any rate, as much as I love singing it…I don’t always love listening to it. I either start getting unfairly critical or competitive if it’s a vocal work. If it’s instrumental I prefer to listen to it when I’m doing something else. I also kind of feel that while these sorts of songs are awesome to perform…at times so much emphasis is put on technique (and yes it should be – I’m not denying that) that it kind of loses it’s approachability.

Which is why I’m so incredibly thrilled when I find artists that merge older music with an accessible vibe. For American folk Pete Seeger did a lot to save songs that could have been lost and bring them to popular attention.  And while I may be lukewarm on The Police and I generally like Sting’s solo efforts – it’s his covers of the songs of John Dowland and collection of English winter carols that I’m in mad love with. For those who think I’m making it up check out From the Labyrinth and If on a Winter’s Night.

Robert Plant’s also ventured into American folk territory on occasion – among the covers on his album Band of Joy there’s a little ditty called Cindy. The first time I listened to it I nearly fell over; it was one of the very first songs I’d learned when I started lessons in earnest – yes that’s fairly typical in the type of voice I was singing…gender really doesn’t matter in the classical/folk genre. Though I like his version a lot better (mainly because the variation I sang made the protagonist guy into a much bigger jerk whereas his is more playful).

But the most jaw-dropping discovery for me lately happened when I clicked onto an interview on PBS with David Garrett. For those who haven’t heard him – do it. Do it now. He’s a German violinist who is mind-blowing. His showmanship is fabulous, his ability is superb…but what I love about him is he doesn’t just play classical violin. He also re-works rock songs and turns them into orchestral works. I have two of his albums – David Garrett and Rock Symphonies – and I’d be lost without them. It’s not just that he’s fusing two musical genres – it’s that he plays them both well and brings out their strong points. He tends to treat the melodic lines of songs as a singer would – he uses the same phrasing but with an instrument. Pretty much his albums have a gorgeously full sound but they’re also not as overly polished as a lot of classical works tend to be. (Nothing against any artists or symphonies – I just think sometimes perfection in a song doesn’t mean it has to be absolutely perfect.) He’s performed Walk This Way with an Irish flair,  Smells Like Teen Spirit is brilliant on the violin, and there are so many others.
Plus, I will admit that he does a mean Vivaldi and his Beethoven is superb. He’s breathed a new life and passion into the music which I really appreciate – plus I can’t help but think that he’s opening up the genre to a younger, newer audience. If he’d been around when I was younger I probably wouldn’t have given up the lessons. That merging of classical technique and modern passion is fabulous and I would’ve loved to have strived for something like that when I was still neck-deep into that sort of thing.

I get it’s not everybody’s thing but there’s a lot to be said for keeping this genre alive. It doesn’t matter if it’s Mozart or Barber or traditional songs by that ol’ favorite anonymous.  These little snippets of moments give insight to the emotions and situations of the time; they’re almost like mini-monologues or emotional soundscapes. There’s definitely something to be said for appreciating the effort it took to write and the effort it takes to perform Handel or Chopin or one of the other greats. As much as I’ll brag about having seen various popular artists in concert, I’ve also seen my share of orchestras,  symphonies,  soloists, choirs, operas, harpists,  violinists,  xylonphonists,  and God knows what else. And I’m able to find beauty in all of those and admire the skill and emotion in every interpretation.

And the Lucky Winner Is…

All good things must come to an end – and thus the St. Patrick’s Day blog hop has come to a close. After compiling all the entries (accounting for the double entries for those good sports who wrote fabulous limericks!) But finally after all that work I have a winner! And that winner is….

Erica Pike!

I’ll be emailing you soon Erica so you can decide which of my phenomenal titles you want!

And if you’re curious about the grand prize winners they are:

Winner of the Kindle Fire/Nook Tablet: Melissa L (from Carrie Ann Ryan’s blog)

Winner of the $90 Amazon/Barnes and Noble gift card: Shadow (From Wendy Smith’s blog)

The competition was stiff – there were over 7000 entries in the hop total! Thanks to all for participating!

Congrats to all the Winners  and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

And the winner is….

Thanks to all who stopped by and commented during the hop. Although I couldn’t reply to everyone, I really adored all the great poems and insights people offered about a holiday which admittedly isn’t always my fave. It’s great to see that changing your perception really helps, and that you can still celebrate in a lot of different ways even if you aren’t part of a couple. I hope everyone will continue to keep checking back here, because I’ve got a lot of things planned throughout the spring.

But enough of that…you’re looking for a winner, aren’t you? Well after compiling all the entries and taking account for all those who earned double entries by writing some fabulous V-Day poems, we have a winner!

Congratulations Eva P!!

She gets a 10.00 Amazon gift card and a copy of my first release, Mooner, on ebook! I already emailed you, Eva, so be sure to let me know what format you want and I’ll get you your prizes!

Again, thanks so much to everyone who participated and I hope you keep checking back to see what else I get up to!

Bee mine! (insert cute little pink and red bee here)

Remember to visit The Blog Hop Spot for more giveaways!

All righty, well after yesterday’s mush fest it’s time to get back to form! You know what I love about Valentines Day? Kid’s valentines. I have such fabulous, ridiculous memories of those goofy storebought cards. I don’t know if schools still do this, but I remember putting a lot of effort into transforming a shoebox into a magical confection of hearts and doilies that would hold the five million professions of love from my millions of admirerers (Seriously, where does that massive ego we have as kids go?? We need to bottle that stuff and bring it out when we need it later in life). I also miss the goodie bags we got at this class parties. You know, the silly little plastic rings and trinkets with hearts and moony-looking gorillas on them that will be played with for a whole five days before they end up getting jammed under the couch or breaking the vaccuum cleaner (not that I was ever guilty of that as a child. Ever. Nope, not me.)

But those cards were always fun. When I was cleaning out the mountains of stuff that had been kept from all my past lives - my guess is my parents are just waiting to start a massive museum in my honor.  In an ancient scrap book I  found a booklet of these cards that I’d actually kept and mounted as a kid (again, it never hurts to keep track of your throngs of admirerers.)  It was such a cool time capsule – pictures of the Muppet Babies, Snoopy, Jem, Transformers…oh man, talk about a nostalgic trip! Even the generic ones that were splashed with cutsie monkeys, puppies, kittens, etc were adorable.  And of course most of these had hilarious captions and jokes to go with them, but were simply signed by the romeo in question on the back…although, in a twist that I’d completely forgotten, a lot of the cards I’d saved had phone numbers on the back. I can’t even begin to face the irony that my six-year-old self could get more phone numbers than my current self.

Even now I will admit to sneaking into the holiday aisles and looking over the boxes of cards for a good giggle. I don’t know why they strike me as so funny, but I love them.

And in the spirit of these cards…Today is Comment And Get Two Entries Day!

That’s right! Today, if you want two entries instead of one into my giveaway, follow the rules below — if you don’t feel like going the extra mile, any regular comments will still be accepted, but they will only be counted as ONE entry.

For the Double Entry:

You may remember that my first release, Mooner, has just come out. A little while ago I posted This Post about the vocabulary words I used for the story. In it is the list of words straight from my story, as well as two more links to dictionaries of lumberjack slang.

Your challenge is to use words from those lists and make up a lumberjack  Valentine poem or saying that would be a throwback to those goofy cards that I love so much. Epic love poems are also appreciated, as they are probably the only ones I’ll get this year ;) But you MUST use at least two of those words in your cute saying/poem. You can use more, but the extra effort won’t get you any more than one double entry. For example, you could do something like….

When I drink rotgut I turn red

The winter cold turns me blue

You may have pants rabbits

But I’m still yaps for you!

And no, you can’t use that one – I’m totally claiming pure genius like that ;)

Have fun, and don’t forget to visit the Blog Hop Spot!

Fourth Writers Platform Building Campaign

I know, I’m doing a lot lately, but I’m really interested in putting myself out there, meeting other writers/bloggers, and just plain getting involved since I’ve got down time in the other areas of my life.

So my friend Erica Pike pointed me in the direction of one Rachael Harrie and the Fourth Writers Platform Building Campaign, which is just starting up now.

So I think I’m gonna try and get involved! If you’re of the same opinion as me, then come join the fun!

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