Category: book tour

Book Spotlight: Helens of Troy by Janine McCaw

Book Spotlight Helens of Troy

Helens-of-Troy 

by Janine McCaw 

 Genre: FANTASY/SUPERNATURAL 
 
 “The Gilmore Girls meet Buffy the Vampire Slayer” 
 
Fifteen year old Goth-chic Ellie has a lot of explaining to do. She’s just moved to the small town of Troy, fought with her uptight mother Helen, met the boy of her dreams and found a dead body on her sexy “new-age” grandmother Helena’s porch. 
 
All on the first night! 
 
But Ellie’s not alone. Helen is hiding something. Helen knows all about the kind of eerie dreams her daughter is having — the dreams that show the whereabouts of the missing children of Troy — because she’s had them herself. But she’ll never admit it. Not while Ellie’s sex-crazed friend Ryan is safely behind bars for the murders. 
 
Helen knows what it’s like to be attracted to dangerous men. Then there’s the little matter between Helena and Gaspar BonVillaine, the teenaged vampire who is learning to feed on young prey. Now that he’s caught Ellie, he doesn’t know whether he wants to kill her or turn her to the dark side and keep her forever. Helena should have finished him off when she had the chance. 
 
To survive the vampire feeding frenzy surrounding them, mom Helen needs to come to terms with her own insecurities and deal with the gifts she has. Helena must learn to ground herself for the good of mankind and more importantly her own family. 
 
And Ellie has the toughest choice of all. Ellie must decide whether its time to let her own childhood go and become the woman she is destined to be, one of the ageless and timeless “Helens of Troy”. 
 

Author Janine McCaw (Olivia’s Mine, Feb. 2006,) has written this 100,000 word novel, the first in a fantasy series about “the Helens”. The three generations of gatekeepers will take the reader on a trip to a realm mere mortals fear to visit alone, and they’ll make her want to stay a while.
 

 

About the Author: 
 
HELENS-OF-TROY is the second novel completed by Janine McCaw. For the Vancouver-based novelist it is the continuation of a dream, and the fruit of years of working in a different creative realm. McCaw’s deep understanding of compelling plots, widely appealing characters, natural dialogue and strong story arcs comes directly out of her early career in the film and television industry. 
 
McCaw’s skills as an observer started early when her family uprooted from the City to small town Ontario – and she became the classic fish out of water. Writing down her thoughts became an outlet as she scribbled her way through childhood, while she also developed her observational skills and visual eye with photography. 
 
A die-hard hockey fan, McCaw studied Cinematography at Humber College, and was headed for a career as a cameraperson covering professional sports when she landed an internship in a broadcasting services company. McCaw excelled in the television distribution arena. She joined Thomas Howe & Associates and moved with that company to Vancouver, where she distinguished herself with her talent for identifying the right product for the right market, and her people-skills in negotiating contracts. 
 
After furthering her professional development with several high-profile Canadian entertainment companies, she parlayed her reputation as a leading Cable Programming specialist into her own boutique firm. Formed with a partner, Dark Horse Ent. specialized in finding, and selling, niche Canadian television series – entertainment, information and variety – around the Globe. 
 
McCaw also acted as an independent executive producer on award-winning television Classic Car series, CHROME DREAMS, and as a distributor for series including ENTRÉE TO ASIA, and AT HOME WITH HERBS. In high demand as an insightful, humorous and engaging guest speaker, juror and analyst for festivals and trade forums around the country, McCaw also spent large amounts of time traveling abroad to television markets. 
 
Writing relieved the stress of constantly being on the road. Increasingly, she turned her main hobby into outlines for novels, and finished fleshing out the characters, plot and dialogue for OLIVIA’S MINE, a fictional account of a young bride’s struggle to make a life for herself against the backdrop of the disasters that hit Britannia Beach, British Columbia in the early 1900s. The book was released in 2006 and continues to be sold at the British Columbia Museum of Mining. 
 
HELENS-OF-TROY was released early in 2012. McCaw is also currently developing eight other stories for novel form. All set on the Pacific North West and in Canada’s North, they include the murder mystery A LITTLE FIRST DEGREE, a feel-good trilogy THE INN AT HAZY WATERS (Northern Exposure meets Fantasy Island), and PUMPER an action romance that has already garnered interest as the basis for a feature film. 
 
Website: www.helens-of-troy.com 
 
 
Fan video review: http://bit.ly/z9FqZ8 
 
That Fantasy Blog review: http://bit.ly/zGGHJ9 
 
 

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Guest Post: Author Mary Abshire

Hello Everyone!
I’m on a blog/book tour promoting my second Soul Catcher novel, Catching an Evil Tail. In this book, I’ve added a few new supernatural creatures to Jessie’s world. The main one you can guess from the title, a werewolf. I also added a warlock and some witches.
As I was writing Catching an Evil Tail, I realized I needed to add some more supernatural creatures for future reference. When deciding what kind of creatures to add, I knew I had to add witches. Jessie doesn’t trust them of all creatures since they used her mother. But I couldn’t stop with witches. I needed another character. This time, I needed someone who could actually be of assistance to Jessie. What better person than a warlock, especially since a warlock took care of Jessie after her mother’s death.
While writing Catching an Evil Tail I didn’t know how much I would use the new characters, but I added them anyway. They don’t have big roles in the book, but they are important. I’m writing book 4 and one of the characters comes into play. Well, several characters reappear, but I’m not spilling any more beans about it. *wink*
In short, the Soul Catcher series involves more than your average vampire and demon. I’m introducing new characters, even if they don’t have big roles. They will all have a use in future Soul Catcher books. How long do I plan to keep the series going? For now, indefinitely. The world is full of evil souls . . .
Thanks for stopping by and reading my post.
Book Description:
Half-demon Jessie Garrett wants to live a normal life among her friends and keep her soul catching ability a secret, but supernatural creatures keep popping up in her world. Adding to her struggles, her vampire lover remains out of the country, and when he offers no valuable explanation as to why he hasn’t returned, she wonders if she should move on without him.

As if Jessie doesn’t have enough worries on her mind, the demon yearning to seduce her shows up at her home. She longs to liberate herself from the debt she owes him, and when he asks for her help, she jumps at the chance to make a new deal with him—one that will guarantee her freedom. The only catch? She has to send the soul of a werewolf to hell.

Love, trust, and loyalty are on the line. Torn between her feelings for her vampire boyfriend, a hot Alpha wolf, and a demon vowing to protect her, Jessie must figure out her heart’s true desires.

Buy it at
Noble Romance: https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=244
Thank you Mary for taking time today to stop by and well us about your new book.

Scribbling Women Blog Tour

Welcome to the Scribbling Women Blog Tour!  I am glad that you all stopped by today!  You will find my review of the book, a question I had for author, Marthe Jocelyn, about the book and an awesome giveaway opporunity.

First, my review of the book!

I have to say that I was not sure what to make of this book at first.  It is about eleven amazing women and how their writing, everything for letters, to cookbooks, to diaries, have had a lasting effect on our culture.  The are from all different backgrounds and eras.

Sei Shonagon 965-1010
Known for her work, called in English The Pillow Book, is about her ten years in the Royal court in Japan.
Margaret Catchpole 1762-1819
Was sentenced to be sent to Australia after being convicted of stealing a horse and then escaping prison – she is know for her letter to her prior employer
Mary Hayden Russell 1784-1855
Accounts of whaling around the world
Harriet Ann Jacobs 1813-1897
Wrote a book about her accounts of slavery called Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
Isabella Beeton 1836-1865
Wrote a book called  Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management
Mary Kingsley 1862-1900
Her accounts of being an explorer and scientist
Nellie Bly 1864-1922
Undercover Reporter – amazingly scary accounts
Daisy Ashford 1881-1972
Author of a few books, started storytelling before she could write
Ada Blackjack 1898-1983
Amazing accounts of Alaskan Wilderness
Dr Darg Thuy Tram 1943-1970
Journaled about life in a remote jungle clinic in a war zone
Doris Pilkington Garimara
Wrote a book called The Rabbit-Proof Fence
Now keep in mind that these are just quick one liners about these women.  I was so impressed with this book.  Each woman’s story was well written and so interesting!  I felt as though Marthe Jocelyn knew these women in real life and was retelling their stories to us.  What it really made me want to do was go out and learn more not only about these women and others who have done the same.  It got me thinking about what I read and how much more I could learn from books such as this one.  My biggest question for Marthe Jocelyn was who was her favorite?  Let’s find out what her answer was.
Seems as though everyone wants me to pick a favorite – and I just won’t do it! But I can tell you something that I loved about each woman in the book…
I wonder whether Sei Shonagon had any friends amongst her fellow ladies-in-waiting? She was catty, clever, self-serving and not very nice. But all that makes for entertaining – and poetic – reading. I loved her for her lists.
Margaret Catchpole was doggedly attached to her former employers – from whom she stole the horse that got her sent to Australia. Her urgent need to stay in touch, even while she struggled to survive, is clearly marked on every page she wrote. I loved her for her spelling.
Why did Mary Hayden Russell go to sea? To keep an eye on her whaling captain husband or to see the world? Her attitude was condescending to every culture she encountered, but her descriptions were colorful and revealing – of herself as much as of them. I loved her for noting things even when not really seeing them.
Harriet Jacobs simply had tenacity that defies belief. Her story is a reminder that sometimes it takes courage to hide, and that fighting has many shapes. I loved that book exists.
Isabella Beeton was propelled by determination and accomplished a mind-boggling pile of work before she died at age 28. But mostly I loved her for this dessert recipe:
BOX OF CHOCOLATE
This is served in an ornamental box, placed on a glass plate or dish.
Seasonable: May be purchased at any time.
Mary Kingsley was so witty and brilliant that if she were alive today, she would be a TED talk star, But she knew too much for just one episode and might have to have her own series. I loved her for her spirit.
Nellie Bly was compelled to overcome poverty and to make a name for herself, but her imagination and bravado far outshone the self-promotion. I loved her for being a first in so many arenas.
Daisy Ashford might seem out of place in a collection of daring, accomplished women, but her novella, written at age nine, is an exact sample of passionate and literate scribbling.
Ada Blackjack’s story is perhaps the most moving, captured in short stilted sentences written as ‘field notes’ during her isolation in the far north after her scientist companions had disappeared or died – one lying in the tent next door for several weeks. I loved her for understanding the need to use her Eversharp pencil along with her rifle.
I fell for Dang Thuy Tram when I read the line in her diary; “July comes again to our jungle, with its southern wind bothering the trees…” Coming from a young doctor in a war zone facing daily doses of indescribable horror, that word ‘bothering’ delighted me.
Doris Pilkington-Garimara tells about her mother’s and her own fates as members of Australia’s Stolen Generations, painting moments so vivid the details are still stuck in my head. I love her for sprinkling Mardu words throughout her books, as signs that they are here to stay.
The eleven writers in Scribbling Women were the finalists in Round One of my favorites. I suspect there are enough more to fill several volumes.
Thank you so much for your honest answer!

Now Tundra books is having a HUGE giveaway along with the tour, check out the details HERE.
From the link above about the giveaway:
What do you have to do to enter? Follow the blog tour and leave a comment on any of the participating blogs, but it must be on their “Scribbling Women” blog tour posts

*I was provided a copy of this book for review – all opinions are my own and I was not provided any additional compensation