Zinio Magazine and iPad Giveaway And Digital Magazine Sale (Win a Subscription HERE)

Zinio is giving away 3 iPad Minis in the next couple weeks and everyone who enters to win will get $5 towards a magazine subscription of their choice (single issues and yearly subscriptions are available through their site).

They have also launched their Black Friday deals. There are 230 magazine titles available at up to 50% off our already-discounted prices.

A few of their titles include: TOP GEAR, FOOD HEAVEN, O Magazine, CRAFT, QUILTING ARTS, HGTV, OK! Weekly magazine, and CROCHET TODAY!   They have 5500+ magazines available, so you are sure to find some favorites.

Follow this link to find out more, save up to 50% on digital subscriptions and enter the sweepstakes (enter now through Dec. 1st 7:52PM EST): http://bit.ly/givealittlegetalot

Plus, everyone is a winner - when you enter the sweepstakes, you will be provided a $5 voucher to use toward a Zinio purchase (I saw quite a few magazine's for less than $5 for a single issue)

Keep in mind, digital magazine subscriptions make great gifts too!  Here are some benefits:

1. Hard to find magazines are MUCH more affordable in most cases (Top Gear Magazine subscriptions to the US are over $150 per year after converting British Pounds to US Dollars, but the digital version available for just $66.60, Food Heaven would be around $90 for a print subscription to the US, while the digital version is on sale via Zinio right now for $28.24 - I've been dying to get my hands on a copy!!!!)

2. No stacks of magazines piling up on your counters

3. You can take them with you anywhere you can take your computer or device (iPod, iPhone, Kindle, etc)

Enter to Win a Zinio Magazine Subscription HERE - Multiple Winners!


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*Disclosure: I am being provided with a total of 10 subscriptions to give away and/or redeem in exchange for sharing the information about this fun giveaway and Black Friday Promotion with you. :)

Review and Tour: The Silver Cross by Debra L Martin and David W Small

The Silver Cross was a really fun surprise for me. Yes, it is paranormal romance, but with a twist. The heroine, Lacey, is a tough detective working for a Fringe division of the local police, who investigates unusual, usually unexplainable (to the public anyways) and bizarre crimes.  She worked hard to get there, after her sister was attacked by a vampire, she made it her mission to go after vampires and make the streets a safer place.

She also has a dark side of one-night-stands that sometimes turn out horribly (so thank goodness for a partner who is determined to watch her back even off-hours)... until she meets Damon, the mysterious bar owner who wears a beautiful silver cross.  Then it seems to be love-at-first-sight in a challenging kind of way, with plenty of hurdles, including finding out that her would-be perfect fling just MIGHT be a vampire... but how can that be when he is out in the daylight?

I loved everything about this story - the build up was great, the characters are perfect (yes, even the bad guys are written really well).  I became so engrossed in the story, it was hard to see it end, and I can't wait for the next book!

I did think the end was a bit abrupt and left me dangling with questions of what happens next, but I guess that is probably the point of book one in a three book series.

Loved this book and can't wait for book 2!

Stop by the authors' blog and read an excerpt, and stop by Promotional Book Tours and enter to win one of: $50 Amazon Gift Card, 5 eBooks

The Silver Cross (Book 1, Vampire Nightlife Series)  
by Debra L Martin and David W Small
Fiction / Paranormal Romance / Vampire Author's Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Edition Reviewed: eBook - Review copy received courtesy of the author and Promotional Book Tours, many thanks to both the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review!

About the Book:

There are two things Boston detective Lacey Gardner knows about killing vampires. Slicing off a head or a hit directly to the heart are the only surefire ways to kill one. Silver is their Achilles heel. A vampire never wears silver. When she meets bartender extraordinaire, Damon Harte, her heart does a quickstep for the dark hunky guy. She’s learned the hard way that having a love interest in her line of work can be heart-wrenching. She’s kept to herself for years, but something about Damon captivates her and draws her to him. When she learns Damon’s devastating secret, she knows what she has to do: kill the man who has stolen her heart.

About the Authors: (from Amazon)

Debra lives on the East Coast with her husband and 2 cats. She works as a Programs Manager at a research university. David lives on the West Coast with his wife. He retired from the Marines after 21 years and currently works as a Network Specialist.

*Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate. I get a very small amount for any purchases made when you click through a link from Wendi's Book Corner, which I then save up to buy more books. :)

Treat.com Greeting Cards: Two Days Only - Get Your Free Greeting Card!

Treat.com is Shutterfly's new greeting card brand that brings you the freedom to create and send your own custom greeting cards.

Customized greeting cards are great for all occasions, including birthdays, holidays, Christmas, baby showers and so much more!

With the holidays just around the corner, I think it is safe to assume that we all have a few people we would love to send a personalized card to, and Treat.com would like to help!

Use this code: TREATBLOGR
Today Monday 11/19 thru Tuesday 11/20 to create and send your own custom greeting card for FREE and make someone's day a little brighter!

*Disclosure: I am sharing this with you in exchange for Treat.com greeting card credits so I can give them a try too. :)

Share a Scholastic Book at School With A Friend In Need This Holiday

Today, I had a chance to talk with our son's Kindergarten teacher in passing.  I hadn't thought about some children not having the ability to participate in things like the Scholastic book orders or Popcorn Friday until my husband asked our son if any of his friends didn't get to bring home popcorn on Popcorn Friday.  When he mentioned two friends, it made me wonder, so I asked his teacher if there were any children whose families were unable to pay for those fun treats.  

You see, Popcorn Friday is only a few dollars, and Scholastic books on special are sometimes as low as $1.00.  Our son's teacher was able to confirm without sharing any names that there are a few children who don't get to participate in those activities, so on Monday, I will be taking in money to sponsor 3-5 children's Popcorn Friday, and with our next Scholastic Book Order, I will be ordering extra copies of Corduroy's Christmas Surprise, which costs only $1.00!  I will be asking our son's teacher to put the books into the backpacks of those children who never get to order books so that they too get to experience the excitement of taking a book home!

I have also picked up multiples of some of the Disney Wonderful World of Reading books that we collect, and we will be donating them to our son's classroom.  

I encourage you to speak with your child's teacher if you are able to share a book order book, or buy a special treat, and see if there are any children who would not otherwise get to participate in fun extras at school, because I remember those as special and exciting days from my own school days, and I hope to share those memories with others.

Guest Post and Giveaway: CH Admirand, Author of A Wedding In Apple Grove

I've had the pleasure of reading and featuring some of CH Admirand's books here on Wendi's Book Corner, so it is with great pleasure that I get to host a guest post written by her today.

She has just written and released a new book called A Wedding In Cedar Grove, so I had an opportunity to host a guest post and I got to ask Ms. Admirand about the challenges and benefits of writing about a small town.  Here is what she shared with me:

Hi Wendi, thanks for inviting me to guest blog today about the challenges/benefits of writing about a small town. For me, thinking in terms of a small town was very easy. Having grown up on Cedar Hill, a small community of 25 homes on dead-end streets in a tiny corner of Wayne, NJ…if you didn’t live on Cedar Hill, you really didn’t have any reason to drive up there. We always felt as if we were a world away from everyone else in town. We were always the last neighborhood to see the plow whenever there was a snow storm…and boy did we pray that it would be as close to lunchtime as possible so that we’d have to stay home. For the last 30 years, we’ve lived in Lindy’s Lake—a small lake community in West Milford, NJ. The lake had a wonderful mix of long-time residents and new residents just starting out and having families. There were five of us pregnant at the same time, so our kids attended pre-school through high school together. Before pre-school we started our own play groups and then decided our lake needed an arts and crafts day for kids. So many fun activities and all within walking distance to the Manor House…our lake’s community gathering place.

The challenge for me was trying to keep my quirky characters, based on real-life people from sounding too over the top. When my editor and I were first discussing the types of people and setting for the book I started thinking about all of those delightful people I’d grown up with and met over the years. I just had to include the little old man we used to see walking in town…he had a walking stick and was always dressed in khaki jodphers, a white button-down shirt and wellingtons—no matter what the weather was. He looked as if he’d been transported from England to West Milford and would nod regally to passersby. The twist was that I could just see a little old lady dressed in the same attire because she would be running her own garden center…that’s how Miss Trudi Philo came to be. J

The sense of community is what has always been the strongest in the neighborhood where I grew up and where we raised our family, and that is what I wanted to make sure I convey to readers…that marvelous sense that your family, friends, and neighbors care about you and for you. I love embracing that aspect of small town life and hope readers will enjoy reading about small town life in Apple Grove, Ohio.

A WEDDING IN APPLE GROVE BY C.H. ADMIRAND – IN STORES NOVEMBER 2012

He's not so sure about small town life.
She can't imagine living anywhere else.

Welcome to Apple Grove, Ohio (population 597), where everyone has your best interests at heart, even if they can't agree on the best way to meddle. When the townsfolk of Apple Grove need handiwork done, there's no job too small for the Mulcahy sisters: Megan, Caitlin, and Grace.

Specializing in hard work and family loyalty, tomboy Meg Mulcahy has left behind any girlhood reams of romance. Enter newcomer Daniel Eagan, looking to bury his own broken heart and make a new start. He's surprised-and delighted-by the winsome girl with the mighty tool belt who shows up to fix his wiring.

But Dan's got a lot to learn about life in a small town, and when Meg's past collides with her future, it may take all 595 other residents of Apple Grove to keep this romance from short-circuiting.

Praise for A Wedding in Apple Grove:
“A terrifically fun read... With quick dialogue and a homey feel, this is a wonderful book to curl up with. Small-town romance at its best!” —RT Book Review, 4 Stars
“Raw charm... one to read.” —Publishers Weekly

“Sexy and fun... Admirand’s series will be popular, especially with fans of Susan Wiggs and Janet Chapman.” —Booklist

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

C.H. ADMIRAND was born in Aiken, South Carolina, but grew up in New Jersey. She has been delighting readers with her Secret Life of Cowboys Series, featuring three cowboy brothers with Irish charm, and is now working on the next books in her small town contemporary romance series, featuring the town and quirky characters of Apple Grove, OH. She lives with her husband, who is the inspiration for all of her heroes’ best traits, in New Jersey. For more information, please visit www.CHAdmirand.com.


I'd like to extend my deepest thanks to CH Admirand for taking the time to visit with us!

Giveaway Details: One lucky winner will receive a copy of CH Admirand's A Wedding in Apple Grove.  Open to residents of the US and Canada, enter now through 11/30, midnight EST.


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~ Wendi

Dreamworks How to Train Your Dragons LIVE is Coming to Tacoma

The Dreamworks How To Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular is coming to the Tacoma Dome, here in Washington,  December 6th through December 9th!

Inspired by the movie How To Train Your Dragon, this live-action show brings to life your favorite characters, including 13 dragons, some of which fly and breathe fire.  To add some perspective to how massive this show is, the backdrop is the size of 9 movie screens.

To see the dragons and vikings, visit the Dreamworks How To Train Your Dragon Live website and see how the dragons were made, who plays the characters, and watch special videos.



Description: (From Dreamworks)

Barely contained within the arena, the production utilizes the full venue, maximizing every dimension of performance space to transport audiences into a mythical world of fire-breathing dragons who soar overhead at great speeds. The state-of-the-art animatronic technology and large-scale cinematic projections interact seamlessly with the live actors to bring the story to life.

The show features 23 dragons, some with wingspans of up to 46 feet, Viking warriors and world-class circus artists and acrobats, to perform against a state-of-the-art, wall-to-floor immersive projection measuring more than 20,000 square feet.

Produced by DreamWorks Animation, RZO Dragon Productions and Global Creatures, the masterminds behind Walking with Dinosaurs, proudly presented by S2BN Entertainment.

Showtimes: 

Thursday Dec. 6th: 7:00 PM
Friday Dec. 7th: 7:00 PM
Saturday Dec. 8th: 11:00 AM, 3:00 PM, 7:00 PM
Sunday Dec. 9th: 1:00 PM, 5:00 PM

Tickets:

Tickets start at $21.50 on Thursday Dec. 6th and go up to $269 for the "Meet The Dragons" Experience, which includes a behind the scenes tour, special meet and greet, pictures in costume with a special How To Train Your Dragon backdrop, VIP parking, a VIP gift bag and more.

Visit Ticketmaster to get your tickets.

Disclosure: I am excited to share the Dragons experience with you. I'm posting a series of posts in exchange for tickets to the show on opening night.