Spooktacular Book Blog Giveaway Hop

It's finally here! Just in time for Halloween...the wonderfully fantastical 

Spooktacular Book Blog Giveaway Hop!

87 blogs are signed up to participate, each offering a unique giveaway on their blogs. I'll share the links for you to find all the giveaway blogs in a moment, but first, here's a list of what you can win right here at JDP NEWS:

An autographed copy of my sweet medieval romance, Loyalty's Web

An Illuminations of the Heart tote bag

A Loyalty's Web mug

An Illuminations of the Heart notebook

A 14.5 oz Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin candle

And assorted Halloween candy

Yep, that's all included in one giveaway.

How can you enter to win this bounty? Leave a comment with your email address on this post and tell me what you love best about Halloween.

You can win bonus entries by doing any or all of the following. Be sure to leave a comment with your email address telling me which of these you have done:

+1 Bonus: Become a follower of this blog. If you are already a follower, leave a comment letting me know and it will count towards a bonus entry.

+1 Bonus: Join my email list via the "subscribe by email" box below the "followers" box. If you are already subscribed (via the Feedburner box), leave a comment letting me know and it will count towards a bonus entry.

+1 Bonus: Spread the word about this JDP NEWS Spooktacular Giveaway on Facebook. Include the direct link in your comment.

+1 Bonus: Spread the word about this JDP NEWS Spooktacular Giveaway on Twitter. Include the direct link in your comment.

+1 Bonus: Blog about this JDP NEWS Spooktacular Giveaway. Include the direct link in your comment.

Note: The above giveaway is open to USA entries only

Deadline for entries is 11:59 PM EST/8:59 PM EST on October 31st

See below for links to the other 86 Blogs participating in the Spooktacular Book Blog Giveaway Hop!

What Am I Reading for My 2010 New/Old Reading Challenge?

I greatly enjoyed Flame-Colored Taffeta by Rosemary Sutcliff. My only complaint was that I wish there had been more of it, but it was probably just the right length for a children's book. I enjoyed the author's writing so much, though, that I've ordered three more of her titles. I'm looking forward to sharing them with you when I read them!

Now back to an "old read". With the first installment of the final Harry Potter movie coming up this fall, I've decided it's time to re-read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling, to refresh my memory a bit before the movie. I suspect that most of you are already familiar with the story, but just in case some of you accidentally missed it, here's the back cover blurb. (Hmm, okay, so my copy doesn't appear to have a back cover or dust jacket blurb. So here's a description from Goodreads.)

The heart of Book 7 is a hero's mission--not just in Harry's quest for the Horcruxes, but in his journey from boy to man--and Harry faces more danger than that found in all six books combined, from the direct threat of the Death Eaters and you-know-who, to the subtle perils of losing faith in himself. Attentive readers would do well to remember Dumbledore's warning about making the choice between "what is right and what is easy," and know that Rowling applies the same difficult principle to the conclusion of her series. While fans will find the answers to hotly speculated questions about Dumbledore, Snape, and you-know-who, it is a testament to Rowling's skill as a storyteller that even the most astute and careful reader will be taken by surprise.

I will share a Tuesday Teaser from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Tuesday.

If you would like to join my 2010 New/Old Reading Challenge, it's not too late! Click here and here for more information. And remember, there are prizes involved if you join us!

Tuesday Teaser

Tuesday Teaser is a weekly bookish meme (rhymes with “cream"), hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. (I’ve borrowed it from LDS Women’s Book Review.) Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share at least two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

I'm adapting the rules slightly. I'll be quoting some random lines from the last chapter I read before I post of teaser. I'm a slow reader, so you may get multiple teasers per book. 

Actually, I have two Tuesday Teasers for you this week. Thanks to too many sleepless nights in a row, I finished Redemption a few nights ago and started another new read, Flame-Colored Taffeta. So I'll share a tease from each of them with you.

Teaser from Redemption: The Story of Jonah:

It came up out of the sea and gaped open a black cavern before him. Then Jonah had felt himself falling with a great rush of water into the cavern. All turned black...and silent.

From Redemption, by Susan Dayley, p 97

Teaser from Flame-Colored Taffeta:

Damaris saw a heart roughly shaped in wax, about the size of the palm of her hand or maybe a little larger. The thing looked innocent enough, but Genty had something else in the hollow of her other hand. Five long blackthorne spines. She picked up the heart and deliberately and precisely drove the thorns into it.

From Flame-Colored Taffeta, by Rosemary Sutcliff,
p 74

If you'd like to share a teaser from a book you're currently reading, I'd love you to do so in the comment section. And you don't even have to share it on a Tuesday! Be sure to include the title, author, and page number in case others would like to check out the book you're reading, too.

What Am I Reading for My 2010 New/Old Reading Challenge?

Thanks to several sleepless nights this week, I finished reading Redemption in record time (for me). I hope to share an interview with the author, Susan Dayley, soon. While we're waiting, I've moved on to my second "new" read: Flame-Colored Taffeta, by Rosemary Sutcliff. Flame-Colored Taffeta is a historical young adult novel. Here is the back cover blurb:

When twelve-year-old Damaris discovers a young man who has been shot in the woods near her house, she doesn't stop to worry that he may be a smuggler or a spy wanted by King George's Customs House men. Instead, she turns to those she can trust--her best friend, Peter, and Genty Small the Wise Woman--for help in saving his life. And after Tom Wildgoose recovers enough to be able to talk about himself, but chooses to be evasive when answering Damaris's questions, she doesn't really mind. What is important to Damaris is that he will be leaving soon, taking away all the adventure and mystery he had suddenly brought into her life.

But then Tom is captured by Mr. Farrington, who threatens to turn him over to the authorities. In a true act of loyalty, Damaris jeopardizes her own safety to try to rescue the mysterterious young man and set him free once again.

I will share a Tuesday Teaser from Flame-Colored Taffeta on Tuesday.

If you would like to join my 2010 New/Old Reading Challenge, it's not too late! Click here and here for more information. And remember, there are prizes involved if you join us!

Norman Conquest Day 2010

Before the battle

The Norman cavalry attacks the Saxon foot soldiers across the field of battle

(You understand this cake is representative only?)

After the battle

Happy Norman Conquest Day 2010!

Visit my past Norman Conquest Day celebrations for 2008 and 2009.

What Am I Reading for My 2010 New/Old Reading Challenge?

Okay, I've selected my new read! It's Redemption: The story of Jonah, a historical novel by Susan Dayley.

Here's the back cover blurb:

It is the eighth century BC. No Hebrew will purposely venture into the Assyrian Empire, whose practice of barbarous slaughter casts a shadow of fear over all of Israel. But God calls Jonah, an Israelite prophet, to cry repentance to the evil empire's capital--the great and terrible city of Nineveh. Fearing the Assyrians and doubting the wisdom of the divine call, Jonah flees in the opposite direction. But in a series of miracles, God gives Jonah a second chance to obey.


Journey with Jonah in a wealth-lade ship of Tarshish, hear his prayers inside the belly of a great fish, witness his struggles working in a desert caravan, and feel his terror as he finally arrives in Nineveh. And while Jonah does eventually preach in the great city, the prophet still has some lessons to learn...


With historically accurate details, Redemption is a story of repentance, trust, and God's love for all his children.

I will share a Tuesday Teaser from Redemption on Tuesday.

If you would like to join my 2010 New/Old Reading Challenge, it's not too late! Click here and here for more information. And remember, there are prizes involved if you join us!

Tuesday Teaser

Tuesday Teaser is a weekly bookish meme (rhymes with “cream"), hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. (I’ve borrowed it from LDS Women’s Book Review.) Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share at least two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

I'm adapting the rules slightly. I'll be quoting some random lines from the last chapter I read before I post of teaser. I'm a slow reader, so you may get multiple teasers per book. Here's my third teaser from These Old Shades:

"Well, ma mie, what now?"

"Now it is just as it used to be," Léonie said wistfully, and sat down on a low stool beside the Duke's chair.

His Grace poured out a glass of wine, and looked down at Léonie with a questioning lift to his brows.

Léonie clasped her hands about her knees, and stared deep into the fire.

From These Old Shades, by Georgette Heyer, p 241

(Actually, I finished this book Monday night. I probably could have finished sooner, but I kept re-reading my favorite parts over and over again. :-) I haven't picked my next read yet, so that's why you get a third teaser from this one.)

If you'd like to share a teaser from a book you're currently reading, I'd love you to do so in the comment section. And you don't even have to share it on a Tuesday! Be sure to include the title, author, and page number in case others would like to check out the book you're reading, too.