Day 11 of the Tackle Your TBR Read-a-thon

     Today I'm going to cover not only my update for the day but my findings for today's challenge: A Scavenger hunt! Fun, fun! Princessica of Books posted this challenge. Here are my findings for it...

Water and Storm Country - New Release from David Estes!

"Water & Storm Country" (Country Saga #3)

by David Estes.

Quick Facts                                        

                                           
Release Date: June 6th 2013.                               

Genre: YA Dystopian.                                                

Formats:   Paperback (only at Amazon), Kindle, Nook, Smashwords         

The book is suitable for all audiences.

     With each successive book Estes completely amazes me. Every book in this series, and its sister series - The Dwellers, tells a powerful story about each society which managed to survive the destruction of the Earth as we know it. The plots are very poignant, multi-layered, full of surprises and subthemes, and action packed.

Ice Country Release!

Ice Country (The Country Saga #2)
by David Estes.

Book Synopsis

Dazz, a hard-edged, fun-loving Icer, likes fighting, particularly while at his favorite watering hole. However, while recovering from a particularly bad break up, his decision to engage in a brutal pubroom brawl leads to a series of events that thrust him into a dark and mysterious scandal involving King Goff, the ice country ruler.

When his seven-year-old sister is abducted in the dark of night, Dazz pledges to do whatever it takes to get her back, embarking on a quest that threatens to rip apart the very fabric that's barely holding his shattered family together.
Along the way he meets a group of unlikely allies in the form of a travelling group of fire country natives. Can Dazz, when joined with his best friend, Buff, and new tan-skinned friends, defeat the King and his guards before it's too late for his sister?
​

My Review:

     In this installation of David Estes' Country Series we meet Dazz and Buff, two residents of Ice Country that do their best to raise themselves, managing to be as responsible as you can expect 17 year olds to be when left to their own devices. The boys find themselves set upon a journey where they learn responsibility, leadership, teamwork, and just how badly their society is corrupted.

Furthermore is Released Today! Review, Giveaway, and Excerpts

     Happy release day! Furthermore is here and we are all so excited to share it with you. Buy now for Kindle, Nook, and Paperback.

Furthermore Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Dystopia

     A first date, a lottery, treachery and deceit. Sometimes fate has other plans. Sometimes there’s more to tell.

     In Furthermore, seventeen original stories take you on a journey through worlds here and beyond. From the depths of the earth to the embrace of the sea, your favorite series continue. Prequels, alternative views, and new scenes give readers a chance to experience more than originally told. Including stories from Rebekah Campbell, David Estes, Amber Garr, Karen Amanda Hooper, Stephanie Judice, and Leigh Michael.

     The best part? In honor of those who lost the battle and those who continue to fight, all proceeds from this anthology will be donated to cancer research and support.

The Sun Dwellers Release!

The Sun Dwellers by David Estes Book 3 in The Dwellers Series Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy,    Dystopia

     The third installment of David Estes' The Dewllers series is ready for release tomorrow - November 30, 2012. In celebration of this event Estes is offering all three Kindle books in this series for a mere 99¢ on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

Star Dwellers Released!

Star Dwellers by David Estes Book Two in Dwellers Series

     Finally! The second installment to David Estes' Dwellers series for young adults which began with the Riveting Moon Dwellers is released today! I also happen to know that David has finished writing the third book titled Sun Dwellers which is currently in the editing phase but I'm not entirely sure what the tentative release date is for it. Hopefully soon!

     I just finished reading Star Dwellers yesterday and haven't had time to compose a full review but I have to say that Estes continues to amaze me. Much as he did with his Evolution Series, he has brought the fictional characters to life and given them their own personalities using only words and his wonderful imagination. He manages to make me care about the dwellers' situations, empathize with their plight, cry at their losses, and celebrate their victories. David is truly talented and if you haven't read any of his work yet, I strongly recommend that you do.

Review of Nikki Powergloves

     Nikki Nickerson is an average nine year old girl. She isn't overly popular or stunningly attractive. She probably wouldn't stand out in a crowd. One fine summer day, that all changes when Nikki stumbles across a fantastical creature. A cross between a porcupine and a beaver and possessing the ability of speech, this creature gives Nikki a treasure chest. He warns Nikki that she must be willing to shoulder the responsibility that comes with his gift. Inside the chest are 9 pairs of gloves, each give Nikki a different superpower. This is the birth of Nikki Powergloves.

     As an adult reading a children's book targeted at 8-10 year olds, I was still quite impressed. The assorted superpowers are very imaginative and quite cool. Some might not exactly help much in defeating a villian, but are quite handy nonetheless. I'm not very confident in my ability to review a children's book. I think as adults our opinions of favorite childhood stories become biased with a decent dosage of nostalgia. I can't quite compare Nikki Powergloves with Judy Blume's Freckle Juice or Laura Lee Hope's Bobbsey Twins series. I can say that Estes does not talk down to his audience, or use words or phrases that children would find hard to understand.

Interview with David Estes

Hi David! I have had the great pleasure to chat with you on several occasions and have been quite impressed with how personable you are. Thank you for agreeing to this interview so my readers can experience for themselves the energy and passion that you radiate.

      Hi Laurie!! Thanks so much for inviting me on your awesome blog and for featuring me this month, it’s a HUGE honor and I’m extremely humbled by it. I just want to tell all your readers how awesome you are as a beta reader. Laurie started beta reading for me with The Moon Dwellers and now she’s one of my most trusted readers. She always catches my plot holes and helps me to fix them so my books are the best they can be before my readers ever see them.

Ever the flatterer! Your books are a true joy to read and I'm honored to be a part of the team that helps make such wonderful stories come to fruition. I'm very grateful for this opportunity.

Let's start with the basics. You were born in El Paso, TX; Moved to Pittsburgh, PA as a child; and graduated from Penn State. What motivated you to move to Australia?

      Great question! As you said, I grew up in Pittsburgh, reading books and playing sports and cheering for the Steelers and Penguins and Pirates. After college at Penn State, I spent about 5 years working as an accountant (I know, boring!) in Pittsburgh. At some point, I realized I needed a change, something to inspire me, something to get my life energized. So when an opportunity arose to move with my company to Sydney, Australia for two years, I grabbed it, packing up my whole life and moving halfway around the world, waaaaay Down Under. Let me tell you, Australia is an incredible place for a lot of reasons, but mostly because I met my amazing and beautiful Australian wife there. I met her within 9 months, was engaged 3 months later, and we eloped in Malaysia a mere 6 months after we met! It was a true love story.

Review of The Moon Dwellers by David Estes

The Moon Dwellers by David Estes Book 1 of The Dwellers series Genres: Action Adventure, Romance,    Young Adult

     Adele is a Moon Dweller. A second class citizen in a world where the differences in the social and economic class structure is exceedingly prominent. Tristan is a sun dweller, one of the elite in a class of aristocrats. He isn't just one of the privileged few, he is the president's eldest son and heir to inherit the right to rule. Adele was just one in a crowd of many as Tristan remotely waved from a float in a parade passing by. Their eyes met, their gazes locked. Against all odds and reason, Tristan knew he had to find Adele. He had to meet her and talk to her. He felt an unexplainable pull towards her.

     You can't pigeonhole this YA fiction into one specific genre. It has all the elements of action & adventure, comedy, tragedy, romance, and suspense all rolled into one magnificent story by author David Estes.

Review of Archangel Evolution

Archangel Evolution Book Three in the Evolution series by David Estes

     Dionysus was the first demon to evolve into an angel. Now he has figured out how to evolve into a super-angel. Stronger, faster, more powerful than ever. The entire archangel council uses the same technique to create a new species calling themselves archangels. They also have some new, very cool parlor tricks to add to their fighting capabilities. Is it enough to finally defeat the demons and annihilate the species?

     I suffered a bit of trepidation through this story. Knowing this was the last book in the series, I worried about separation anxiety as I was not ready to give up my new "friends" when I finished the series.

Guest Post by David Estes!!

I'm so excited to announce that David has supplied a guest post for my followers to read. Thanks David!

OCD is my Superpower by David Estes

As I prepare to publish the first 4 books in my new children’s series, Nikki Powergloves, which is about a nine-year-old girl with superpowers, I’ve been getting more and more people asking me what superpower I would choose if I could choose only one. My answer: I already have a superpower—it’s called OCD. And like it or not, I’m going to tell you all about it.

Ahem….tap, tap, tap…is this thing on? *high-pitched feedback from the microphone* Um, my name is David Estes, and I’m a writer with OCD. There I said it! Whew! I feel so much better now.

It seems more and more in this day and age that people say they have obsessive-compulsive disorder in one form or another and maybe they all do. Everyone’s got their little compulsions and pet peeves, like you might have an obsession with ensuring every piece of silverware is placed in its allotted slot in the drawer facing in the same direction (No, please, no! The blade of that knife cannot face east when all the others are facing west!); or perhaps for you it’s something less…shall we say…serious, like maybe you just like things clutter-free, everything in its proper place. There’s nothing wrong with wanting the shoes on the shoe rack and the clothes on the clothes hangers, is there? It’s weird, why should a single errant shoe make one feel like their life is spiraling swiftly out of control to a certain and final doom? I’m not making fun of all of you that are that way (well, maybe I am, just a little), because like you, I got an extra helping of OCD when they were handing out brains.

Review of Demon Evolution by David Estes

Demon Evolution Book Two in The Evolution Series by David Estes

     Demon Evolution picks up right where Angel Evolution left off. I'm not going to say where exactly. I'm a little hesitant to give much of a synopsis for those who haven't read Angel Evolution yet. I don't want to spoil it. Angels vs. Demons, good vs. evil, add in a couple of teenage romances with their usual angst and volatile mood swings and you have a wonderful combination of assorted conflicts and adventure.

Ultimate David Estes Giveaway!

     Other than giving away Mr. Blue Eyes himself (which I doubt his wife would appreciate much), it will be hard to find a better giveaway than what David has proposed for this month! There will be FIVE prize packs, one for each of five winners.

Featured Author - David Estes

David Estes Born:   April 13, 1981 Main genres:   Young Adult, Children's Books,   Paranormal, Dystopian.

     David was born in El Paso, TX. When he was small he moved to Pittsburg, PA where he grew up and attended Penn State. He has since moved to Australia, met his lovely wife, Adele, and lived happily ever after. Well that might be a slight generalization. David and Adele are currently spending their days in Hawaii where David writes on the beach and Adele writes and pursues her love of photography. They are enjoying an opportunity of globetrotting and indulging their dreams.

Review of Angel Evolution by David Estes

Angel Evolution by David Estes Book 1 of The Evolution Trilogy

     This book should come with a warning label. CAUTION: Do not start unless you have a nice chunk of free time in your schedule because you will not want to put it down. Luckily for me, I had the house to myself and scheduled to laze by the fire with my Kindle while ignoring the snow flakes fluttering outside the window behind me.

     The heroine is intelligent and sassy. The bad guy is, well it's not obvious who the bad guy is, as both of the main male characters are likeable but mysterious. The story flows easily, never bogged down by slow passages.

My Adventures in Beta Reading

     I cannot describe how honored I am that David Estes had invited me to beta read his newest book. I had originally "met" David when I had the opportunity to review Angel Evolution. He had also been the person who had suggested I join goodreads, which I am eternally grateful for, as I love the goodreads site. I'm not going to go into details. I'm not even going to give away the book title or synopsis. All that I will say is this : David Estes' fans, hold onto your socks because he has another wonderful trilogy in the making!

If you missed my review for Angel Evolution you can read it here.