An Expatriate's Blog - GRANT LEISHMAN

4th annual 2018 grunter awards - contemporary literature

3/12/2018

What is contemporary literature, you may well ask? To be perfectly honest, I can't give you a definitive answer to that question, but for me, in these awards, it is books that fall between the cracks of the genre categories that I have set. They tend to be books that are much more philosophical than your average novel, or they tend to be books that tell a modern story of life and relationships (outside of straight romance). I have read some absolute stunners this year and I am excited to bring them to you.
The nominations in the category of Contemporary Literature are:

4th annual grunter awards - children's books

2/12/2018

I'm particularly excited about this category because I have a strong belief in the importance of reading for children. I know I owe my late father a deep debt of gratitude for introducing us kids to books at an early age. Dad took us to the library virtually every Saturday morning and there we would immerse ourselves in the world of fantasy that is books. As a Grandfather of 12 grandkids, I try to pass on my love of reading to them, but with today's electronic distractions it sometimes feels like a losing battle, however, it is one I am determined to continue.
Reading develops an area of stimulation in a child's brain that visual cues do not and for this reason alone it is critical that children read and read often.
I have been fortunate to read some stunning children's books this year and I happily give you the nominations for the Grunter's Children's Book of the Year.
They are:

it's that time again - the fourth annual grunter awards for excellence in indie publishing

1/12/2018

Woo Hoo!

It's my favourite time of year again - December! Yes, it's Christmas and yes, it's Hanukkah, and yes it's the holidays, but more important than that it is the time I take each year to pay tribute to the wonderful authors who have filled my year with excitement, with delight, and with the sheer pleasure of reading their wonderful works.
Each year, I seem to read more books than ever and the Grunters grow in popularity and stature. This year has been no exception and as of 30/11/2018, I have read 182 superb books, this twelve month period. This compares to 142 in 2017 and makes this, the fourth iteration of these awards, the 2018 Grunter Awards, the biggest and best ever.
As always, remember these are my opinions only and if your book doesn't get a mention in these awards, it is no reflection on your book, it is merely a reflection on the breadth and depth of talent in the Indie Author industry and the sheer number of books I read.
So, without further ado, let's get on with the very first awards for 2018. This category is for: Anthologies and Collections.
The nominations are:

release blitz - sigil fire by erzabet bishop

14/11/2018

.•*✫´*•.¸¸.•*✫´*•.¸¸.•*✫´*•.¸¸.•*✫´*•.¸¸.•*✫´*•.¸
Calling all fans of #Lostgirl and #BuffytheVampireSlayer
Grab your copy of this Lesbian Paranormal Fantasy
by USA Today Bestselling Author Erzabet Bishop!

Amazon Universal

three-day eventing - the horses' pentathlon - by j.j. hughes

31/10/2018

Today, I'm happily turning over my blog to a good friend of mine, Jill Hughes, whose recent debut novel Spirit of Prophecy is taking the indie book world by storm. A mixture of the paranormal, wicca, science fiction and a good old fashioned murder/mystery, Spirit of Prophecy is centred around the rarefied world of three-day-eventing. Jill would love to let you know some more about this incredibly popular form of equine competition. So, take it away Jill!

In the equestrian world, the three-day event is seen, by many, to be the pinnacle of equine supremacy. Why would be this be so? Simply put, the three-day event tests all of the innate skills of the horse and of horsemanship by combining three equine events into a challenging series of obstacles that tests not only speed, endurance and courage, but also accuracy and temperament. It perfectly encapsulates all that makes horses and horse competitions so enthralling to both the equine community and the general public.

celebrating indie authors of excellence - j j hughes

14/9/2018

One of the best parts of what I do, especially reading indie authors is that every once in a while I stumble across a new indie author who is publishing his/her debut novel and it blows me away.
It is incredibly exciting being in, right at the beginning of a new talent's rise in the industry. I experienced just such a moment recently when I was offered the opportunity to read Spirit of Prophecy by J J Hughes.
I very much wanted to introduce this novel to everyone and give you an insight into the story and the author.

the endless flow of the seasons

11/9/2018

I'm no scientist, but I can always relate to Einstein's concept that time is relative. For me and I'm guessing for most people, time is relative to age. You know we've all heard that saying; "the older you get, the faster time seems to pass". For me, it has never been truer, time passes at such speed that the seasons seem to blend one into another, as the years speed by, marking my short sojourn on this planet.
As we, in the Northern Hemisphere mark the passing of Summer and the start of Fall, or Autumn, as we call it where I grew up, way down south in New Zealand, I used to begin to slow down from the frenetic pace of Summer "fun", relax and enjoy the calmness, the crispness and most of all the beauty of the russet colours that define the season for us.

hot new release from erzabet bishop - snow!

31/8/2018

★¸.•´¸★*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.★¨*.¸¸.•`★ONE-CLICK NOW!
Announcing a hot new reverse harem fairytale from USA Today Bestselling Author Erzabet Bishop! Grab the paperback or pre-order the e-book today!
Release date: August 30th, 2018
A princess with a dangerous affliction and the wolves who will set her free…
Snow: A Reverse Harem Modern Fairytale
#paperback #reverseharem #whychoose #paranormalromance #fairytale #snow #wolves #shifters #pre-order #kindle #bookishlove #bookgasm #eroticfairytale #romance #bookishdelights #booklife #reading #readinglife #booktopia #snowwhite #darkforest #magic #witches #wickedread #fantasy #folktales #mythology #donteattheapple

hot new release from erzabet bishop - bound in fire

25/8/2018

bound in fire by erzabet bishop

Now in paperback! Bound in Fire (Gibbous Moon Vol 1) by USA Today bestselling author Erzabet Bishop!
#Firemen, #phoenix, #catshifter, #witch, #familiar, #blaze, #dragon, #museum, #art, #fatedmate

GET BOUND IN FIRE - TODAY

books go social blog tour: journey by j. h. wear

12/7/2018

what happens in journey?

Carl wakes up naked and confused on a deserted beach, his last memories of being abducted by aliens. As he slowly begins to explore his new surroundings, he is greeted by a strangely dressed woman who offers to lead him to her village. He agrees, hoping the village has a means for him to contact home.

books go social blog tour: The white arrow by p. h. solomon

11/7/2018

The Mystic Order of Withlings

The Bow of Hart Saga is set in the world of Denaria with its own history, people-groups, religions and history. Part of the back-drop for the first book of the series, The Bow of Destiny, is the history of the mystic order of Withlings. This religious order worships their deity, Eloch, by learning to spiritually abide in his presence. Their catch-phrase, "What is needed is given," best describes the outlook of Withlings; they can only serve as Eloch provides.

While this premise seems limiting, it isn't for Withlings who are capable of performing astounding miracles and speaking prophesies. Often, they will not speak of anything or act unless they determine from their mystic discipline that it is Eloch's will for them to do so. It is the basis of their lives that they best serve by learning total obedience. However, this does not make them infallible as they are just as apt as anyone to misunderstand the meaning of their actions and prophesies. Only the wisest of Withlings have learned to withhold their speculations regarding any action taken or events experienced.

books go social blog tour: enter the superhuman race by e. j. perez

10/7/2018

The Superhuman Race was conceived close to 3 decades ago back in 1986. It was supposed to be a comic book story. An artist was hired and panels were drafted. I procrastinated, not sure on the concept and the artist moved on. It later evolved into a book with a journalistic style, I wrote a couple of chapters this way and I loved it. But I wasn’t too sure if I wanted this format. So I stopped.
At one time I considered hiring a ghostwriter to write the book, for me getting the story out was my satisfaction. I would become a story creator, writing the outline with the ghostwriter writing the book, it didn’t pan out.
For a while, I put the book on the back burner. With priorities in life coming into play, I concentrated on working 2 full-time jobs for years. Exhausted, my creativity couldn’t come out, I was too tired to think. I only worked, slept and ate for years.
My creative juices always in the background, they came back even with the exhaustion I felt. The cause for this; there were books being published with a hint of my story. I knew I needed to put this out before my ideas became a general thought to the rest of writers.

Books Go social blog tour: Dark Energy by Mark Kingston Levin, PhD Award-winning Author and Scientist

9/7/2018

What is dark energy?

A Dark Energy Camera

About 70 % of our universe.

Dark energy is the energy that is causing the universe to expand at an accelerating rate. If the energy were converted to mass, (using Einstein’s famous equation E = mc2) that mass would make up about 70 percent of the universe. Dark matter takes 25 percent, and everything we can see plus the stars and planets we cannot because they are too far away equals about 4 percent.

books go social blog tour - a graveyard visible by steve conoboy

7/6/2018

a graveyard visible

There's a graveyard visible from Caleb's bedroom window, and it grows a little bigger every day. He sees funerals there each evening, but nobody's dying. He investigates, he measures. Misha, the strange girl who lives there with her grandfather, takes an unwanted interest in Caleb, and he can't shake her off. But he's sure those peculiar mourners, the same ones at each graveside every time, are forcing her into rituals against her will. He finds himself deep in a world of the dead, and it may be too late to climb back out.

books go social blog tour - Political Dirty Trick, A Crystal Moore Suspense, Book #3 by James R. Callan

6/6/2018

political dirty trick

Crystal’s good friend, Ron Drake, is a shoo-in to win the gubernatorial race in Texas. Two volunteers in the opposition camp(George and Ginnie) believe their candidate’s only chance is a political dirty trick that will sink his numbers in the polls. They construct an elaborate hoax and with a source in the D.A.’s office, leak fake news to the media.
The dirty trick is successful and Drake’s numbers plummet. But things go wrong and a man is killed. Ginnie is determined not to get caught for the man’s death, and to cover it up, another man is killed.
Crystal sets out to find who is leaking the unfair information. She has no idea the murders are connected to the fake news. But as she begins to gather clues, Ginnie decided no one is looking for her or George - except Crystal. To Ginnie, Crystal must be eliminated and she makes several attempts on Crystal’s life.
Drake’s once invincible lead evaporates and on election day, he comes in second. But the election isn’t over. The attempts on Crystal’s life aren’t either. Drake may lose the election. And Crystal may lose her life.

books go social blog tour - saving paludis by clayton graham

5/6/2018

saving paludis by clayton graham:

Over one hundred and forty light years from Earth, Paludis sits in the Pisces constellation, on the frontier of human exploration. It is verdant and beautiful – a world to be treasured. It has also been scarred by wars of colonization.
In the year AD 3989, human invaders control the planet and have done so for hundreds of years. Paludis is the planet's Earth name; the indigenous population, reptilian in nature, call their home Musk.
The Muskans are now restricted to a remote peninsula in the north-east of the main continent. The humans have taught the aliens their language and some of their ways, but the Muskans prefer the traditions of their ancestors. Or do they?
So what can go wrong? Well, quite a lot actually.

books go social blog tour - the dim zone by chris turner

4/6/2018

The Dim Zone!

How far is too far?
Mercenary Yul Vrean is hired by billionaire CEO Mathias of Cybercore to bring back alien samples from a remote planet in the Dim Zone. It’s a region rife with murderous space pirates and slavers, the warlike Zikri and Mentera.
This alien technothriller is full of deadly space battles, extreme action, bio-mechanical fusion, killer aliens, a touch of the bizarre and fantastic… it will certainly intrigue fans of Alien, Predator and The Matrix.
In a race for mechnobot technology, genius Sigmund Hresh has engineered a prototype for what may be the holy grail of AI. The uses of such technology vary from the sinister to the saintly. Yul and his space thugs may be the only link preventing the next galactic war and saving the human colonies from hostile aliens.

it's q & A time for this week's indie author of the week - the amazing angelique s anderson

26/4/2018

angelique s anderson

1. Where is your favorite place to write?

I really love waiting until everyone has gone to sleep, and the animals are tucked in so that I can write when it is absolutely silent.

2. Which book influenced you to become a writer?

Honestly, I’ve been writing since I was about seven. It was a way to deal with my tumultuous childhood. I just didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until I tried everything else.

indie authors of excellence

25/4/2018

Every week for the next few weeks, I'll be introducing you to a number of amazingly talented Indie Authors, who absolutely deserve your respect and love.
I'm hopeful that you'll give some of these wonderful author's books a try, because if there's one thing I've learnt since becoming an Indie author myself, there are some incredibly talented individuals out there, who deserve as much recognition as many of the legacy authors.
So, please join me regularly as we celebrate: INDIE AUTHORS OF EXCELLENCE.
And, first cab off the rank in this wonderful world of excellence is:

ANGELIQUE S ANDERSON:

books go social blog tour: the tremblers (blackburn chronicles) by raquel byrnes

25/4/2018

Weapons of Light & Power

"A soldier leaned out the window, taking aim at Charlotte. A frisson of energy pulsed from the weapon, barely missing her. She screamed, flailing.
Ashton flipped the rocket ignition on the power cycle and the force of the thrust slammed him against the seat as he shot skyward toward the roof. Pulling his tracer gun, he fired blindly at the building. The soldier dove for the floor." ~Ashton Wells, The Tremblers
Creating the weapons for my YA Steampunk novel, The Tremblers took me on a fascinating path. The invention of destructive devices was vexing and addicting all at once.
Weapons of light -- Tracer Guns are the weapon of choice for the soldiers of the Peaceful Union. Powerful blasters that syphon the glowing purple energy from the massive Tesla Domes caging the city-states are feared by the average citizen. Constantly recalibrating to the dome's pulse, they are outlawed to everyone but the soldiers of the government.

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