Thursday 20 January 2011

The Get Loaded Blog Tour! Win a Kindle or $20 Amazon gift card and ebook!

Whoo-hoo! It's my turn to blog on what is turning out to be one hell-of-a blog tour. I'm stop #4 in Get Loaded, Blog Tour de Force's first tour. For stop 3 click here!. We've had some amazing response from all you guys out there, and long may it continue!

Santa wasn't good enough to me to bring me the gift I most wanted this year--a Kindle. (I was obviously on his naughty list.) Only a few months ago I swore I would never want one, but now so many books I am dying to read are out as ebooks only, so now I'm desperate to get my sweaty little mitts on one. Unfortunatly I can't enter this competition, but you guys can and if you're feeling really generous, you can always pass it on to me!!!

Yesterday we met  Rebecca Tsaro Dickson  who introduced you to her novel, I Could Tell You Stories. Her novel is an intense memoir of a woman trapped in an unloving relationship and who cheats. Written in the first person, it is not a read that should be taken lightly, and I loved some of her language and the way she describes how she is feeling. It really is a breath-taking novel.

For those of you who are new to my blog, here is a bit about me and my work:

I've been lucky enough to spend much of my life either travelling or living in different countries. I've lived in Australia and, more recently, Spain. I've also travelled to a number of different countries, backpacking from place to place, sometimes hitching rides, other times enduring twenty-four hour long bus rides.

When I was twenty-two I backpacked round Greece and Turkey, and then a year after that headed out to South-East Asia where I spent a number of months travelling around Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.

It was during this second trip that the idea for The Dark Road came to me.

The journey from Thailand into Cambodia was certainly one of my more hair-raising experiences. I’d only been away for a week and getting the bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap (just as the characters in my book do) was an eye-opening experience. Just like in my book, I quickly discovered that when people say there are no roads in Cambodia—there really are no roads in Cambodia! We were basically travelling on dirt tracks in the middle of nowhere. Then night fell and the most incredible electrical storm I have ever seen started up around us. The lightning was like a strobe, and we were literally in the middle of nowhere. We had to cross some of the most rickety bridges, and every half an hour or so the driver would stop the bus and peer underneath it with a torch (to this day I have absolutely no idea what he was looking for).

So while this was all happening, I was sitting in my seat, watching the light show going on around me, wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into, when I thought I saw something long and black, loping alongside the bus.

Of course it was just my over-active imagination playing tricks on me, but it got the brain cells whirring, and I thought, what would happen if a group of backpackers got stuck in this situation? What if there was something out there chasing them, something that was unnatural and desperate for their blood?

And so The Dark Road was born.

Next head over to stop #5, George H. Siros and his sci-fi novel, Excelsior. His novel is action packed from the start, so hop on over to his blog, especially if you love your sci-fi!

If you're after scavenger hunt clues to  help you win that kindle, you must stop by our wonderful sponsors sites:
The Pen & Muse
Mark of the Stars
Your Need to Read
Parayournormal
Thrillers Rock
Indie Book Collective
Brighter Scribe
Chicago Culture and Events Examiner

Lastly, we authors are competing to win a book trailer and I would absolutely love to have one made for The Dark Road.  So, on Jan. 31st, go the the Indie Book Collective blog and vote for me! (Pretty please!)

My goodie bag is a £10 or $20 (depending on which county you live in!) Amazon gift voucher and an ebook copy of The Dark Road. Just leave me a comment telling me what your favorite country or place to visit is. And if you'd like to check out some more free ebooks, my dark take on a vampire romance, Alone, is now free to download for a limited time only from  Smashwords. And, as if that were not enough, as an exclusive offer for anyone who likes my facebook page,you will also be given the free code for my short story collection, Where The Dead Live.

Good luck everyone!

82 comments:

  1. My very favorite place on the planet is the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. I just love, love, love it. I already have a house picked out ;-) Thanks for participating in the blog tour de force, it's fun! -Cara

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  2. My favorite place on the planet? Man, that is so hard! I really love Arizona--the desert and mountains and wide-open views. Can I make it a whole state? I love the idea behind your books. They sound wonderfully tension-filled and scary.

    Ann Charles

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  3. Ah, you're yet another person who's lived the kind of wandering life I've never had the chance to explore! Such wonderful fodder for adventure. Someday I'll catch up.

    As a general rule, my favorite place to be is highly dependent on who's on the journey with me. My list of places visited is a bit on the short side, but of the places I have been, Toronto, Rochester (NY), and Washington DC all rank pretty high. I'd like to get back to New Orleans at some point, I was too young to fully appreciate a lot that it has to offer the last time I was there.

    Mostly, I'd just like to be able to wander a bit, without any burden of debt or serious responsibility.

    Also: Loving this whole Blog Tour idea. It's fantastic. :)

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  4. My favourite place to be? I am not yet sure... I am on that journey to figure that out

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  5. Oh and my favourite English anything? Colin Firth. Yummy Scrummy.

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  6. Lake Tahoe, California, The Whitsunday Islands, Australia and of course Torquay, Devon, England.
    The place I want to go is touring around the wilds of Canada.

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  7. I had the chance to visit Ochos Rios, Jamaica in December of 2009. My husband and I went on a cruise and this was one of our stops. Jamaica is beautiful, so lush and green. Our tour guide was the best!

    I look forward to reading The Dark Road. Oh, my favorite British anything...Simon Cowell :-)

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  8. My favourite place?

    I have travelled to many fantastic places in my blessed life: Dublin, Paris, London, Rome, Sydney, Osaka.

    But above all of these is a location that I've never physically been to - I have only dreamt about it. The stone white cottage in the nape of a verdant valley, by the sea shore. The White House.

    Love to go there one day.

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  9. Thanks so much to everyone who has already stopped by! I love hearing about all the wonderful places you've all been to (and yes, the States does count--it's a pretty damn exciting place to me!). I'm also loving the impromptu 'fav British thing' as well. LMAO at Simon Cowell! Brilliant.

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  10. My favorite place?

    Well I have been to London and really loved it. Went to Warwick Castle, that was my favorite spot. Could just imagine being in a romance novel at that place.

    Went to Alaska last year....wow that was beautiful!

    My favorite place all time place? Actually, at home with my family with the Appalachian Mountains in the background.

    I've really enjoyed this blog tour and have found so many great new authors. So much fun!

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  11. My favourite British thing? That would be Guinness (especially if drunk in Dublin).

    And as a Brit, I can only apologise for both Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan.

    But I'll stand by Ricky Gervais.

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  12. Hi Marissa,

    great blog post! I am in awe of all the places you've visited! I have never been outside the US, but I would love to visit Ireland, England, and Australia.

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  13. My favorite place on the planet is my home - good old Bryan, Ohio! I'm definitely not a world-traveler as my path was earning a living by teaching, but you know that's the beauty of reading - you can visit new locales, times, situations, etc from the comfort of your easy chair, so in that sense I've been trekking around for years! Loving this Tour de Force!!

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  14. So far, Greece and Turkey have topped my list. And I love Italy and Sweden, too, but mostly because we have friends we visit there. But there are so many places I have yet to visit, this might all change! I've never touched Africa or South America. Or Australia.

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  15. Wow what a wonderful adventure you have been on and I hope you get to continue. I myself have not traveled much, but I have to say my most memorable was my trip to London during my jr. year of high school and getting to travel with my friends on the tube, sit on the big lions in Trafalgar Square and doing some shopping. I also love hawaii and hope to visit Ireland one day and italy.

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  16. I guess my favorite place to be is home, in southeast Tennessee. But if I had to pick another country to visit? Probably Scotland or Ireland.

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  17. Hi Marissa! The Dark Road is on my wish list! Since I've already visited my top places London and Scotland...I would have to say my next choice is Australia.

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  18. my favorite british anything eh? I would have to say the royal family and all their dramas :)

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  19. My favorite British anything would have to be Jude Law. It was tough narrowing that choice down.

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  20. I'd love to visit Russia some day.

    It was most interesting to read how you came up with your story idea!

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  21. My favorite British thing is my best friend's boyfriend and the way he says - Toffey! and Bottom! hehe

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  22. My favorite place right now is Truth or Consequences, NM for the hot springs!

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  23. I like staying close and visiting Disney in Florida. I would love to travel internationally one day though. I cannot wait to see a castle for myself and the heather of the highlands!

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  24. I've never been anywhere, but I've always wanted to visit Ireland! Something about that country just draws me to it :)

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  25. I can't wait to read your book and I too suddenly find myself craving the Kindle!

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  26. My favorite British thing would be the accent!

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  27. Hi again, Marissa!

    I downloaded a copy of Alone, it sounds great! Also, my favorite thing British is the British Accent! *shivers* I love listening to someone speaking with that accent.

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  28. That's so cool that you have traveled and visited all those countries (so jealous).
    My favorite place to visit are thrill parks, I just love scary rides.

    My favorite British thing would have to be Agatha Christie books; she's my all time favorite mystery writer. ^_^

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  29. Thanks shiderly! Hope you enjoy it!
    And welcome to all my new followers. It's good to have you and I look forward to getting to know you all a bit better.
    By the way, I LOVE the southern American accent on men. Somewhere between the blond guy on Lost and now True Blood, just did it for me! ;-)
    Loving all your British favs! Keep them coming!

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  30. I love Scotland and the Pacific Northwest!

    I just downloaded a copy of Alone, I can't wait to start reading it :)

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  31. Ireland and majorca are both wonderful places. Also mablethorpe is quite nice. :)

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  32. Hmm, favorite place I've been, Siena, Italy.

    Favorite British Thing - Neil Gaiman, tied with Dave McKean (she blushes like the 40 yr. old fan-girl she really is...) Fun reading your blog, will Certainly be checking out the Dark Road!!!!

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  33. Hi, Marissa! My favorite country to visit so far has been China--I've been a couple times to different places there, but the country is SO big and has so much history, I know that I've barely touched the tip of the iceberg! We plan to take the kids at some point, but haven't decided where or when yet...

    I've also had the pleasure of visiting London, but hope to go back and explore more of the British Isles... I still love that British accent! :)

    Looking forward to reading your writing!

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  34. Hi, Marissa!

    First, your book sounds AMAZING. I can't wait to read it!
    Second, my favorite place to visit (that I have visted) would be Port Aransas in Texas. I was visiting my best friend for her graduation and it's like a completely different world down there, at least for this born and raised Ohio girl! It was the first time in my life that I had ever seen and touched the ocean. The first time I had ever seen wild sea turtle, dolphins, pelicans, and even jelly fish!
    I remember my friend drove me down to the beach at 3 or 4 in the morning. It was so dark you could barely see it, but the moment I stepped out of the car I could certainly smell it. Swimming in the ocean was completely different from swimming in fresh water too.
    It was amazing and I will never forget that trip. I even got a tattoo to remember it by.

    But another place I would like to visit is Ireland. I dream of the day I can go there and have that adventure.

    Thanks for being a part of this great Tour!

    - Siddy

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  35. And my favorite British thing would probably have to be... TEA! I love tea, hehe. ;)

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  36. I love this blog tour, letting me find a slew of new author's that (as a horror/paranormal fanatic) I now want to read!

    My favorite place would be somewhere warm in the Carribean (if it's winter) or I'd have to say Italy. That may change though as I still need to add a few spots in Japan and Hawaii to my list! Non-vacation my favorite place is Chicago. I just can't help but the love the city I came from. Honestly, culture aside, I'm a sucker for tropical weather.

    Offhand favorite English anything? Person wise, Simon Pegg for humor and Neil Gaiman for having such an amazing mind.

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  37. Since, I have not been out of the US or much out of the South and I love my home and family, I would have to say on our acreage doing my favorite things. We ride our all terrain vehicles, take walks, I snuggle up in a warm place drink a cup of coffee and read a great book, play with the grandchildren.

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  38. My favorite place? Either California or Vietnam, my parent's home country. Your book sounds totally amazing! Wish I could travel like that!

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  39. Hi Marissa,

    You are one courageous Adventure Girl! Just downloaded Alone, and can't wait to read it.

    My favorite place is Ireland.

    caity_mack at yahoo dot com

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  40. Heard that you might like to know my favorite British tv series, it is Being Human.

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  41. I have only ever been to Jamaica, way too hot when I went. My dream is to go to Australia. I have been in love with that country since I was a small teen. The land, the animals...the accents. I blame Crocadile Dundee.

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  42. I really haven't left the state I live (Idaho)in all that often, so my favorite place is Tripod Lake, here in Idaho.

    My family goes camping there as often as we can.

    I would love to be able to travel, and Europe would be my first stop.

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  43. Marissa -- don't enter me in the contest but I just wanted to stop by and show my support and say you go girl! You are working so hard at promoting your writing, which is wonderful, I wish you all the best.

    And yeah, I know more and more people who swore they would never leave paper, who have turned to the Dark Kindle Side... ;-)

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  44. I'm so envious of you visiting Greece and living in Australia. Those are two places that I'd love to spend some time exploring.

    I think my favorite place in the world, so far, would have to be Rome. I was there during holy week years ago, and the energy in the city is just amazing! Not to mention all of the ruins and art.

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  45. My favorite place to travel is Britain. I lived in Scotland while in the US Navy and saw much of that part of the UK. Traveled back to Britain a number of times and visited Cornwall, Wales, London, and more. Love the country...especially the people and the pubs. Good luck with your tour.

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  46. My favorite place is the island of Maui,in the Hawiian Islands.

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  47. So many choices! Many of the other commentors mentioned some of my favorites: Kauai (there's a beach parks way at the end of the roads in each direction); England; Ireland; Venice; Charlottesville, Va; Charleston, SC.

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  48. forgot to mention I LOOOVE British Cream Teas!

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  49. Me too, for tea! And I bless the Scots almost every night for inventing their excellent whiskey.

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  50. I am amazed so many people have said England and Ireland!
    There are so many places in the States I still wish to visit: New York, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Alaska, just to name a few. One day I hope my husband and I will be able to buy or rent a huge motor home and travel across America.
    I'll just have to make the trip without numerous horror movies I've seen running through my mind!

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  51. Kaye--my husband hears you on that one!

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  52. I am always so jealous of people who are well traveled. Something I missed out on in my younger days. My favorite place is Hungary, although I haven't been in over two decades.

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  53. My favorite British food is fish and chips.

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  54. Wow! That's a great "how I got this idea" story :-) Can't wait to read the book! I haven't travelled very much but I have been to Scotland and it was just gorgeous! I want to go back someday :-)

    smaccall @ comcast.net

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  55. I've only been in the United States and Canada, but my dream is to go to the British Isles. My family comes from there (several generations ago), and there is so much there that appeals to me from the wild cliffs of Cornwall to the rugged seas of Scotland. One of my story ideas is based on some of the adventures my ancestors had moving from Scotland to Ireland.

    Good luck with the blog tour!

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  56. One of my faovorite palces is Hallifax Nova Scotis. Spend a few days there, could have easily satyed forever.

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  57. Loving the comments everyone! Keep 'em coming!

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  58. What exciting travels. Even in your description of the electrical storm, I could see the long black shape in my mind. Can't wait to read the book!

    One of my favorite places to visit is Ireland. Last time I was there, I got to visit the Hill at Tara which is home to some ancient Celtic Mythology.

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  59. I am still looking for my favorite place but I went to Ireland last summer and really loved it.
    debby236 at att dot net

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  60. sadly I haven't been outside the U.S.A. But I do love to visit New York. I love everything about it, The craziness of the city and when that gets to be to much I can head on up state. Being a Florida girl the atmosphere up there is a completely different experience.

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  61. favorite thing British would have to be the accents...definitely makes a man sexier!!!!

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  62. Hello!

    My fav british thing... HARRY POTTER! :) My daughter used to speak a bit strange when she was little, I think it came from watching too much HP, she picked up an accent ;)

    Can't wait to read your books!

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  63. I just downloaded "Alone", and I can't wait to read it! Good luck on this blog tour!

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  64. My favorite place in the world is our favored camping spot in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Second favorite place is Dreamtime, where all the hippies gather for a week long music festival. *swoon*

    Thanks for all the free books. Can't wait to dive in!

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  65. PS if you had your comments set up so that I could link to my website instead of the google account, I'd be a happier commenter.

    Also, my favorite British thing in the planet? Tea and cookies, of course.

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  66. I've not visited all that many places. My favorite place so far is the Big Island of Hawaii. I would love to live there.

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  67. My favorite British thing is the Beatles.

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  68. My favorite place is Australia. I had the opportunity to tour the whole country in a month.

    eileen at booksrusonline.com

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  69. my favorite british thing is

    fish and chips
    eileen at booksrusonline.com

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  70. Wow, you're so lucky to have travelled in all those places! My family is from Turkey and it's been two years since I last visited; I miss it! And I'm jealous that you've been to Spain because my story starts in Spain, 1492... Right now my main character's wandering around Barcelona, seeing more than I have [g]

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  71. I haven't had a chance to visit another country yet, but I'd love to go to the UK some day.

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  72. My favorite British thing -the actors, especially Richard Armitage.

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  73. Hoping one day to travel to Japan, a place where modernity and tradition fuse. It's just so peaceful there. Sadly, my wallet is very flattened...

    Brazil is my 2nd choice.

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  74. ^ my email is cantonboi@hotmail, just in case :)

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  75. Thank you for participating!

    My favourite place to be?

    Where I have been ~ Kauai Island - Hawaii

    Where I would like to go ~ Venice

    total3itch@yahoo.com

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  76. My favorite place? Mackinac Island, Michigan. I'd love to go to Ireland some day, though!

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