Passing the Torch...

Earlier this week, I had the honor of receiving my first blog award. The best perk about getting it is the suggestion that I pass it along to three more individuals whose blogs are noteworthy. So I'd like to introduce the three authors who I felt deserved the All Around Wonderful Blog Award.

The first author is no stranger to just about anyone following my blog. Alex Cavanaugh posts seven days a week to his Ninja Army, often garnering upwards of 100 comments per post. He is witty, intelligent, engaging, a movie buff and has the ability to get everybody interested in what he has to say. Alex writes science fiction - CassaStar was released to great acclaim last year and CassaFire will be released in time for everyone to buy it at Book 'Em North Carolina on February 25.

The second author is one I recently discovered. Amber Scott writes amazing romantic suspense that jumps off the pages and truly makes you care about the characters. I first read Irish Moon; I was researching Ireland and stumbled across it and once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. I then read Fierce Dawn, which has her same trademark style but in a different setting, one which I liken to a cross between True Blood and X-Men. Amber has a rabid following, having started The Hot Club on Facebook which gets very active followers each day. She's been a breath of fresh air with regard to book marketing and promotion and and all-around great person to have gotten to know.

And the third author is Bonnie Watson. I've known Bonnie the longest, having met her soon after my first suspense/thriller was published. Not only is she an awesome writer of fantasy, she is also an incredible artist. Take a look at her blog and website and you'll see what I mean! She created the covers for two of my books - River Passage and Songbirds are Free. She has been hard at work on her Blue Moon Rising series; she'll have at least two of the books in the series at Book 'Em North Carolina. Pop on over to her blogspot to read some of her short stories.

It has been a pleasure to know all three of these authors - one of the biggest perks to being an author is meeting great folks like them. So I hope you'll visit their blogs, subscribe to them, and enjoy their posts as much as I do!

A Wonderful Blog Award

I don't usually post on Mondays - Wednesdays are my posting days - but I wanted to write a special blog to thank fellow author Pamela June Kimmell for awarding me The All Around Wonderful Blog Award. I have been a follower and fan of Pam's blog, One Spoiled Cat, for some time now and admire her ability to write a blog seven days a week.

Some of my fellow authors write for other authors, posting tips on writing or the publishing industry. I have chosen to write for people who share a love of reading. It is my belief that reading a book can change your mood, alter your day or transform your life. It feeds us in either positive or negative ways, depending on what we are reading. It opens new worlds, allows us to explore new frontiers, to move into the past or flash forward to the future.

Reading and writing has been with me through my darkest hours and my brightest days. And while a movie might capture your attention for a couple of hours, a book engages your mind and your spirit. You can become the main character (or any character you connect with) and long after you put that book down, those people, that setting, that era - has the power to remain with you.

So, what am I reading this month?

I started out the month with Amber Scott's excellent book Irish Moon, which took me back to Ireland in a time when Christianity was on the rise and paganism was punishable by death...

I love it so much I read another book by Amber Scott, Fierce Dawn, which is like True Blood Meets X-Men: totally captivating and engaging.

And I just finished Erin Quinn's Haunting Beauty, which mesmerized me so much when I reached the last page, I turned to the first page and began reading it all over again. I also ordered her other three books in her Haunting series.

What are you reading? Which books have remained with you over the years and continue to captivate and enthrall you?