The Emerald Tablet, by Joshua Silverman - Book Tour

Disclaimer - I was provided a review copy from the Promotional Book Tours to facilitate my reviews. 

All opinions are my own. This post contains an affiliate link.

Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy

Leoros doesn't have many friends. The son of a scientist and archaeologist  he is constantly on the move. But when his parents make a startling discovery in Egypt, Leoros' world is turned upside down. 

 Do you wish you could have the power of a god? Would you use it for good…or for evil? 

When an archaeologist discovers the mythic Emerald Tablet buried beneath Egypt’s desert, her son decodes the ancient text leading him to a distant world. 

On that world, a slave girl begins a journey towards a destiny she cannot imagine. But when an ancient foe rises from the ashes, they will be brought together by forces neither understands. 

Leoros, who dreams of being like the heroes in the comic books, must fight to unlock the secrets of the universe to save a people he never knew existed. 

Atlantia, whose bloody visions wake her in the night, senses the darkness coming. 

Together they will face an enemy with the power of dark energy, lose a mentor to the assassin’s blade, and be betrayed by someone they trust. Their fight for the future is just beginning, and before it is over, a final sacrifice must be made. When the darkness comes, will they stand and fight or will they join it? 

There is darkness in everyone. 

  Purchase the book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

*Stay tuned for my review of this book coming next week!

About Joshua Silverman

Joshua Silverman was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Orange County, California. While attending California State University, Fullerton and studying Criminal Justice, Joshua was introduced to a creative writing class where he wrote a series of paranormal stories. As a child, he has always been an amateur historian, focusing on ancient Egypt, Greece, and Roman civilizations. Since working in the legal environment, he has combined his passion for creative writing with his love of ancient history by penning his debut novel, The Emerald Tablet, the first of seven in the Legends of Amun Ra series.

Follow Joshua Silverman: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads
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Ready for a New Twist on an Arby's Favorite? + Sweepstakes

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Arby's for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I remember getting Arby's Roast Beef Sandwiches as a kid. Thin, tasty slices of roast beef that went perfectly with their selection of sauces. It was my first experience with horseradish and I was in love.

Well, Arby's is tweaking the recipe a bit. They have just introduced TWO NEW KING'S HAWAIIAN sandwiches! Yes, that would be an Arby’s KING’S HAWAIIAN roast beef sandwich. Now, if you know me, I love Hawaiian rolls and KING'S HAWAIIAN is the brand I grew up loving. Soft, fluffy with a deliciously sweet pineapple taste. Marry that to Arby's classic roast beef, in fact an extra helping of said roast beef, and I may have a new favorite.

The other sandwich is a King's HAWAIIAN roast beef and Swiss. It boasts the same extra helping of mouth-watering roast beef on a King's HAWAIIAN bun with Swiss cheese, crunchy pickles and creamy dijion spread. Yum!

Both of these sandwiches are only available for a limitted time, so be sure to grab your bite of Roast-Beef-atopia while they last.

In celebration of this great pairing, Arby's is hosting a Hawaiian Getaway Sweepstakes. The grand prize winner will be able to surf in paradise with a round trip for two with four night's stay in Honolulu, HI, with a premium group lesson at Hawaiian Fire - one of the island's premier surf schools. Time is running out to enter, but there is still time to get your entry in before May 26th for the Arby’s Hawaiian Getaway Sweepstakes. 

Ready to take the plunge? Grab your sandwich and enter for your chance to win. Good luck!

#Ad Rod Stewart is back with Time (Album Review)

Disclaimer - I participated in this campaign for One2One Network. I received a free copy of the CD to write this review. By posting, I'm eligible for incentives. All opinions & experiences are my own.

As a child of the 80's and 90's, I grew up listening to Rod Stewart on the radio. I am sure we all have our favorite song he sang. I mean, he has been writing and singing for so long it is hard not to have a favorite. I could easily sing along to Maggie May (1971), or Forever Young (1988), but All For Love, written for the movie The Three Musketeers, was one I remember playing over and over in my room.

Yes, it has been 4 decades of music and Rod Stewart is still going strong. Yes, same hair, same tight pants. Time is his first release with new material in almost 20 years. Released earlier this month, 11 out of the 12 tracks were written and produced by him.

"Suddenly ideas for lyrics were piling up in my head," he says. "Next thing I knew, I had a song called 'It's Over' about divorce and separation. And now I was getting up in the middle of the night and scrambling for a pen to write things down, which has never happened to me. I finished seven or eight songs very quickly and I still wasn't done, and it became apparent that I would eventually have a whole album of material to record."

My favorite song off the new album was definitely She Makes Me Happy. Upbeat and fun, it is a great reminder of how good falling in love feels.

Here is the complete list of album tracks:

1. She Makes Me Happy
2. Can’t Stop Me Now
3. It’s Over
4. Brighton Beach
5. Beautiful Morning
6. Live The Life
7. Finest Woman
8. Time
9. Picture In A Frame
10. Sexual Religion
11. Make Love To Me Tonight
12. Pure Love

Download your favorite tracks or the entire album on iTunes or Amazon.

#Ad - Nighttime Accidents Are Normal. Getting Help from #WhiteCloudSleepPants

Disclaimer - This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of White Cloud Sleep Pants. All thoughts and experiences are my own.

Mom Confession: Starting my day with a pile of wet bedding puts this Mom in a grumpy mood. Also, a child woken up in the middle of the night from a wet bed is also in a pretty grumpy mood in the morning.

I have an almost 4 and 5 1/2-year old. They are finally potty trained. *Whew!* But, that doesn't mean all our nights are dry. In fact, lately I have become a laundromat for all the nighttime "oops" and "I'm sorry"s. Though people openly talk about the trials and tribulations of potty training, no one really discusses what goes on afterwards.

Even the most competent child can experience bedwetting. As a Mom I was surprised to discover it is quite common, even in older children. I know, no one talks about it, do they? Bedwetting can affect a child's self esteem and they can be reluctant to discuss it with their parents. My son knows I dislike the added laundry, but I have tried to stress to him that it happens and we just need to take care of it and move on. It's just a developmental stage for him and his younger sister. They don't always wake up in time to make it down to the bathroom, but for some children it can also be caused by a medical condition. Whatever the reasons behind a bedwetting situation, it can be frustrating for everyone in the family.

My husband and I try to be proactive with our kids. They know that drinks are limited after dinnertime and either my husband or I wake them up to use the restroom when we come to bed. Luckily since I am pregnant, I wake up all through the night so it is easy to remind them to use the bathroom then.

Because the laundry was really stacking up and no one likes the wafting smell of pee-stained bedding first thing in the morning, we tried out the White Cloud Sleep Pants available exclusively from Walmart. These are cost-effective, gender neutral sleep pants designed for older children. We tried out  the S/M size, for kids between 45 and 65 lbs.

Thinner than a regular diaper, they are surprisingly absorbent. With stretchy sides, they go on like regular underwear and have a soft inner, hypoallergenic liner that is treated with vitamin E and aloe to be gentle on their skin. My children are very proud of wearing 'big kid' underwear so I didn't want to take a step backwards at night. My daughter liked that they didn't make noise when she wore them in the bed. I have previously tried other nighttime solutions that woke her up throughout the night because they crinkled so much.

The designs are bright and colorful, which is always important to attracting my kids to use something. Since I have two at the same stage I was grateful that I only needed one bag and didn't have to get each child's favorite character or theme.

These are a little large (long?) on my daughter. They fit my son better, but both of my kids are at the bottom of the weight range. Truth be known, they are also pretty low on the growth chart, so I wasn't surprised. They did fit well enough to provide the protection we needed though. I was very impressed with the price per pant. It really can't be beat!

I just want my kids to get a good night's sleep and not worry about whether they will wet the bed. There are so many other things to think about in childhood. This stage too, will pass. I am just glad that White Cloud Sleep Pants can also cause my mornings to be a little brighter and no longer overshadowed with added piles of laundry.

Did you know that over 5 million kids a year experience bedwetting and it is one of the most common experiences during childhood development?

White Cloud Sleep Pants have been developed to provide exceptional comfort and leakage protection while looking like underwear. White Cloud Sleep Pants offer thin, discrete absorbent protection for your child. They have soft, stretchy sides that fit like real underwear, plus leak guards to help protect against leaks. The soft inner liner is hypoallergenic and treated with vitamin E and aloe for skin protection.

Each bag contains two unisex graphic designs and at $7.75, White Cloud offers exceptional value.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of White Cloud Sleep Pants.

Easy Hawaiian Roll Recipe, in the Bread Machine

Counting down the final weeks to the baby's arrival has not left me with much time left to linger in my kitchen. Eating lately has been more practical, fast and not too special. There is just too much left to do! I do have some strawberry recipes to share soon since our local season has just begun.

Recently I was wanting a good barbecue dinner. The kind of simple pleasure that we could all enjoy outside on a nice, warm evening. Besides grilling up a few pieces of chicken basted in a tasty sauce, I wanted to break out the traditional macaroni salad from Cook's Illustrated and some Hawaiian rolls. Of course, I had the perfect recipe tucked away to try.

These rolls call for pineapple juice and a little coconut extract. A nice, fluffy dinner roll that we could enjoy with chicken leftovers the next day. Now, rolls don't last long in our home. The homemade variety is usually gobbled up within a 24-hour period. I didn't mind though, because I let my trusty bread machine do most of the work. They still need to be hand formed and baked in the oven, but I didn't have to knead them myself or fuss over them for the afternoon.

When using my bread machine, I like to get out all the ingredients, measure them out and then dump in as I double check my recipe. It makes it go so quickly.

I have a Zojirushi bread maker and really love using it to make my dough. I do like the act of kneading bread by hand, but lately I can't even get close enough to the counters, thanks to my expanding pregnancy waist, to really get leverage. Not too mention that with swelling ankles I would rather put my feet up than be standing in the kitchen right now.

After a rise in the machine, I can separate out my rolls and place them in a casserole baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Place these little beauties in a warm spot and cover with a tea towel for 45 minutes to an hour. They puff up nicely and will be ready to bake at 350 degrees.

I wait till they are evenly golden brown on top and then brush them with a little butter as they cool. Warm, fresh rolls are such a simple pleasure.

Ready to try them yourself?

Easy Hawaiian Rolls

You Will Need:

• 1 c. pineapple juice
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/3 c. milk
• 4 Tbsp. butter, unsalted and cubed (+ more for brushing the tops)
• 1 tsp. coconut extract
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. instant potato flakes
• 3 c. all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 c. bread flour
• 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

Bring all the wet ingredients to room temperature. You can skip this step if your bead machine has a warming stage in the beginning.

Add the ingredients as called for by your bread machine. Mine calls for wet ingredients, then dry and yeast last. Run your bread machine on the dough cycle.

Spray a 9"x13" baking dish with non-stick spray. When the dough cycle has finished and the dough has proofed, divide the dough into 12- 15 rolls and place evenly in your baking dish. Cover with a tea towel or flour sack cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes to an hour in a warm place.

Towards the end of the rise, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the rolls for about 25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with butter. Let them cool slightly before serving.

Enjoy!

Michael Bublé's To Be Loved - Hits a Sweet Note with Me (Album Review)

Disclaimer - I participated in this campaign for One2One Network. I received a free copy of the CD to facilitate this review. By posting, I am eligible for incentives. All opinions and experiences are my own.

Ready to be swept off your feet? Yes, I have been known to swoon for a crooner and Michael Bublé definitely fits the bill. He is here with a new album, #ToBeLoved and I just wanted to sound off that there is so much to love about it!

This Canadian singer may be famous for his covers of well known songs, but this album shows him stepping out with 4 original songs he co-wrote. The original songs like, Close your Eyes and I Got It Easy are soulful and memorable, and draw from the singer's own life and family.

My favorite song on the album was definitely, It's A Beautiful Day though, another co-written by Bublé. It was a great song about being better off without someone. Completely upbeat and fun. I found some of the songs on this album featuring other favorite personalities and singers of mine like Reese Witherspoon and Bryan Adams. After All was another of my favorites. I remember Junior High dances swaying to the ballads from Bryan Adams. Was I the only one?

I still love when he covers the classics I grew up with though. I just love it when he covers Sinatra. Such a great twist to those amazing songs!  Check out his clip of You Make Me Feel So Young. 

"I labored over every song, every note and every arrangement because I can’t resist trying to make each record better than my last one." - Michael Bublé

Of course a smooth voice paired with a classy suit doesn't hurt either, right?

Here is a peek at the track listing:

1. "You Make Me Feel So Young"   

2. "It's a Beautiful Day" 

3. "To Love Somebody"

4. "Who's Lovin You"

5. "Something Stupid" (featuring Reese Witherspoon) 

6. "Come Dance with Me"

7. "Close Your Eyes"

8. "After All" (featuring Bryan Adams)

9. "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" (with Naturally 7)

10. "To Be Loved"

11. "You've Got a Friend in Me"  

12. "Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You)" (featuring The Puppini Sisters)

13. "I Got It Easy"    

14. "Young at Heart"

You can download your favorite tracks or the entire album on iTunes or Amazon

The Blasphemy Box, by Mandy Behbehani - Book Review

Disclaimer - I was provided a review copy from the Promotional Book Tours to facilitate my reviews. 

All opinions are my own. This post contains an affiliate link.

The Blasphemy Box

“You know that nightmare you've always had? The one where you wake up one day to find yourself fat, frumpy, fifty and alone? I’m living it.”

Maddy Nelson has an idyllic existence: a handsome husband, great kids, a comfortable, affluent lifestyle. One morning soon after she turns fifty, however, she wakes up in her San Francisco home to find her husband Steven announcing that he’s leaving her for a woman half her age. And a third of her size.

 Ouch!

 Feeling totally unmoored and grieving for her married life and husband, Maddy finds herself thrust into an unfamiliar and uncomfortable world of middle-aged singledom. There, she must come to terms with her situation and embark on her new life: divorce proceedings, single parenting, internet dating, and trying to earn a living. It’s enough to drive her over the brink. To help her cope, she shares her struggles in a smart, wry blog named The Blasphemy Box, after her ex-husband’s obnoxious habit of having her drop a quarter into a wooden box every time she said something off color. Her madcap middle-aged adventures find her devoted readers who identify with her challenges.

 In time, Maddy recreates herself and finds happiness in the arms of a good man, and a fulfilling new career as a novelist.

My opinion:

I am neither the same age as Maddy, nor have I ever gone through a divorce, but have watched some play out over time. The Blasphemy Box pulled me in from the beginning though, and I felt like I was experiencing all the gut wrenching realizations as well as the triumphs right along with the main character. I didn't realize when I started reading that I would love this book as much as I did. As a SAHM, getting older and soon to have 3 kids of my own, I share many of her fears and insecurities. We all age, we all get comfortable with our spouses, but what if things changed?

I loved the humor that Maddy Nelson faced each challenge with. Her evolution from dumped wife to blogger was the perfect therapy she needed and really showed off some great quirky insight from author Mandy Behbehani about the cycle of being divorced. It was very akin to the traditional grieving process, just uglier, messier and ultimately funnier. 

Another great Summer read to add to the books. This one is a great roller coaster of emotions, but in the end left me feeling like an empowered female. I only hope I could face a situation like this with as much class and humor as Maddy. A great 'chick-lit' addition to any reading list.

Purchase Kindle / Paperback

About Author Mandy Behbehani

Mandy Behbehani grew up in England and now lives in California. She holds a journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and is a professional journalist whose work has appeared in a variety of publications from the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle to W magazine, Town & Country magazine and Travel & Leisure magazine.

Follow Mandy Behbehani: Blog | Facebook | Twitter

The Love Wars by L. Alison Heller: Book Review #SRC2013

Disclaimer - I was provided a review copy from the publisher to facilitate my reviews. 

All opinions are my own. This post contains an affiliate link.

Ah, yes. Another stop and another installment from the 2013 BookSparksPR Summer Reading Road Trip. This week, stop number two on the trip, is L. Alison Heller's The Love Wars.

from the back cover:

Breaking up is hard to do. At least the first few times.

Even though Molly Grant has only a handful of relationships behind her, she’s already been through more divorces than she can count.

At the premier Manhattan law firm where she’s a matrimonial attorney, the hours are long, the bosses tyrannical, and the bonuses stratospheric. Her clients are rich, famous, and used to getting their way. Molly’s job—and primary concern in life—is to work as hard as possible to make sure they do. Until she meets the client who changes everything….

Fern Walker is the desperate former wife of a ruthless media mogul. Her powerful ex is slowly pushing her out of her young children’s lives, and she fears losing them forever. Molly—haunted by an incident from her own past—finds herself unable to walk away from Fern and sets out to help her. She just needs to do it without her bosses finding out.

Now, as complications both professional and personal stack up, Molly can only hope that her own wits, heart, and instincts are enough—both in and out of court.

My opinion:

Another great read! I know nothing about divorce law and was fascinated by the characters and crazy culture surrounding such a vulnerable time for people. I love that the author, L. Alison Heller is actually a divorce lawyer and  used her past experiences to composite some memorable characters for both the divorcees and firm coworkers.

Her main character, Molly, was such a down to earth, likable character. It felt like I could have been in her shoes if I found myself in that world of the matrimonial group. A clever, strong and yet self-conscious character whom I wanted to see make if out of the story on top.

The story was both funny and full of surprises. And despite the backdrop of divorce, I was rooting for love to prevail. Don't be surprised if this one doesn't last long in your Summer book bag, you won't want to put it down.

Grab your own copy on Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Be sure to join in on the fun with BookSparksPR Summer Reading on their Facebook page. I will be back next week with my next #SRC2013 read. 

Friday Food Frenzy (5/17) - What's for Dinner?

Ready to dive right into this week's tempting recipe collection for Friday Food Frenzy? Be sure to pass on the link, tweet or post because the more great recipes, the merrier!

On a personal note, I am counting down for baby #3. Most of my favorite recipes this week were sweet or simple. You better believe it you post something like that, I will be stopping by for a visit. Can't wait to see what everyone shares this week.

Almond Joy Baked Doughnuts - My Way to Start The Day! #Spon

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

Mornings...

Gone are the days of opening my eyes with the sun, a gentle song on my old clock radio or even a kiss from my darling husband. Now, I am more likely to meet with either a stray hand to the face, from my toddler, or the question of, "Mommy, are you awake yet?"

I prefer the latter, but if I am not quick enough to respond it is usually accompanied with a few pointed pokes to the face or the soft fleshy parts of my throat. Yeah, mornings are just not what they used to be!

A wake-up call like this is sure to leave me feeling less than chipper, so I have learned to combat it with a great cup of coffee and a little treat for myself.

Recently asked, "What's your I.D."? I quickly responded with Almond Joy International Delight. My mornings may no longer be as sweet and peaceful as they used to be, but I can still add a little sweetness to my breakfast routine.

In order to go with my tasty cup of coffee, I decided to create a fun and easy baked doughnut to really treat myself. 

Have you ever made doughnuts?

There is nothing quite like a fresh warm doughnut, but when I first tried making a batch at home I was not too pleased with the lingering grease smell from our fryer. It hung around in our small apartment for days. When I found out about doughnut pans for baking them instead, I was over the moon. The recipes tend to be even simpler to make than yeast doughnuts that are fried. They do turn out more like a cake doughnut, but I don't need the extra oil in my diet anyway. I promise with this recipe, you won't miss it. Here I combined one of my favorite coconut doughnut recipes with a lovely semi-sweet chocolate ganache that uses the Almond Joy International Delight Creamer, I am also using in my coffee,  in place of the cream.

Almond Joy Baked Doughnuts

You Will Need:

• 1/2 c. pastry flour
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. coconut cream powder
• 2 Tbsp. potato flakes
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 6 Tbsp. water
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/4 tsp. coconut extract

Toppings & Glaze:

• sliced almonds
• mini chocolate chips
• sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
• 4 Tbsp. Almond Joy International Delight Creamer

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a standard 6-doughnut pan.

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add this all at once to the dry ingredients and stir gently until combined.

Divide the batter equally between the 6 wells. It will take about 1/4 c. of batter in each. Bake the doughnuts for 15 minutes until they are slightly golden on top.

After you take them out of the oven, go around the side of each form with a rubber spatula to loosen it. Let them cool completely on a wire rack before glazing.

To make the glaze: in a microwave safe bowl, steam the creamer. Pour the warm creamer over the semi sweet chocolate chips and stir until melted and the chocolate looks smooth and shiny.

Dip each cooled doughnut in the glaze and sprinkle with sliced almonds, coconut and mini chocolate chips.

Enjoy!

Now, I want to hear what your ID is! Head on over to whatsyourid.com to create your own flavor profile, share with friends and be entered to win some great prizes just for sharing. Be proud and show me what area you represent and what your favorite flavor is. Are you a fellow Almond Joy fan, like me?

What's Your ID? International Delight is looking for their most passionate flavor fans. Put your ID on the map to enter to win a Magical Trip, play games and discover more unexpected delight. Share your ID flavor at http://whatsyourid.com.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.