Saturday, September 10, 2016

BEYOND DEAD BLOG TOUR



ABOUT THE BOOK

Dead less than twenty-four hours, with a job that doesn’t pay, a fashion disaster for a uniform and more afterlife rules than she can shake a stick at, Bridget Sway thinks it’s as bad as it can get. And then she finds a dead ghost stuffed in her locker.
Since the police are desperate to arrest her for murder, Bridget’s new best friend convinces her the only way to save herself from an eternity in prison is to solve the murder themselves.
With a handsome parole officer watching her every move, an outlaw ghost befriending her and two persistent mediums demanding her attention, solving the murder is not quite as easy as it sounds. And when “murder” turns into “murders” Bridget needs to solve the case . . . before she becomes the next dead body stuffed in her locker.


GUEST POST BY JORDAINA SYDNEY


Hi everyone. I’m Jordaina, and I write paranormal cozy mysteries.

Amy was kind enough to let me do a guest post on her blog today, and since being a writer automatically makes me an avid reader, I thought that I might share some of my all time favourite books today. Maybe you haven’t read them and you’ll leave with some recommendations. If you have some recommendations for me then drop them in the comments.

1.    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This has been one of my favourite books since I read it in high school. I think because it’s told from the perspective of Scout (a little girl) it really highlights the craziness of adult prejudices. As a child she doesn’t understand a lot of what is happening and I always find it so refreshing to read. It’s so easy to get lost in your own biases that this always gives me a little mental shake. It also helps that it’s beautifully written.

2.    The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle. I first read this book in my early twenties when I was still really finding my writing feet. I’d been writing for a long time before I read it and had just finished the millionth draft of my first novel. I was working as a stockroom assistant in a dress shop at the time and I would always make sure I had a book with me because the manageress was always late. I was sitting outside the shop, first thing in the morning, and I’d just gotten to the part of the book where *spoiler alert* Prof Challenger and his group were about to ascend to “The Plateau.” I remember getting so excited—not for the characters or for what was coming next—for Arthur Conan Doyle because this was the point he could let his imagination run wild. He was the one who decided what Challenger would find, what would happen, how it would end. Even now, I vividly remember that moment and despite the fact that I had already been writing for a long time, that was the moment I knew for sure that I was a writer.

3.    The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. I remember my mum reading this to me when I was really small and being fascinated by it. Wizards, dwarfs, hobbits, dragons. What child isn’t going to be fascinated by that? It’s still one of my favourite books and though I like The Lord of the Rings just fine it’ll never be The Hobbit.

4.    Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews. I can’t remember how I came across this series but I’ve been a fan since the first page or so. The heroine is strong and flawed which makes her lovable (to me at least). I think this series is on book eight now and the reason it still captivates me is because the characters grow. They aren’t the same people from the first book—they’re changed by their experiences but not so much you can’t recognise them. There are so many series that are eight books or more in and everything is still the same. Though you don’t want the series to change radically but it is nice to see the characters you've invested in grow. Nothing makes me lose interest faster than a series which is basically the same thing over and again.

5.    The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. This is another series (or trilogy) that I read when I was much younger and just captivated me. I think it was the depth of the characters. I was rooting for the Fool the whole time. That was my favourite character. I still get a bit of a lump in my throat when I think about it. The world Hobb created just blew me away. There are at least three others trilogies that are linked to this and there’s some character cross over but this was the one that stole my heart.

Okay, so those are my top five books. I’ve haven’t included any cozy mysteries on this list simply because, when I thought about it, I couldn’t pick just five. Every one I thought of reminded me of at least another five and my list was getting far too long. That said, if any of you have any recommendations please drop them in the comments and I’ll check them out.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jordaina Sydney Robinson grew up and, despite many adventures further afield, still lives in the North West of England. For fun she buys notebooks, gets walked by her husky puppy and sings really loudly and really badly while driving her trusty old Seat, Roger. If you want to find out just how bad her singing is then you can visit her official website and ask her.

Connect with Jordaina:
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