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2013 Reading Challenge
Jen (That's What I'm Talking About) has
read 0 books toward her goal of 75 books.
New-To-Me Authors
2013 reading goal:
15 new-to-me authors.
1) Stacy Gail
2) Heather Massey
3) Sidney Bristol
4) Ann Mayburn
5) Thea Harrison
6) Virna DePaul
7) Mary Quast
8) Molly Harper
9) Eleri Stone
10) PJ Schnyder
11) Kait Ballenger
12) Denise L. Wyant
13) Lucy Monroe
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banner designed by Jennifer from Books Make Me Happy
Showing posts with label Saturday Conversations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saturday Conversations. Show all posts
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Urban Fantasy Summer Reading Celebration-Winners
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I’m hijacking this week’s Saturday Conversations to bring you a list of the winners from the Urban Fantasy Summer Reading Celebration.
First I’d like to thank each of the readers and commenters that stopped by to participate. I’d also like to thank my guest bloggers and each of the authors (listed below), who contributed a guest post and/or a prize for the giveaway. Finally, I’d like to thank Jennifer from Books Make Me Happy for her awesome contest button design! This was my first time running such a big contest. I feel it was a success and hope to repeat next year.
Now... for the winners... Please note: I need each winner to contact me at twimom227 at gmail dot com and send me your full name and mailing address. The prizes will be mailed by the authors, with the exceptions noted below. Winners must claim their prizes no later than Sunday July 28 at 11:59 PM EDT, or a new winner will be selected.
Jennifer Estep:
Signed copy of Deadly Sting
a Rafflecopter giveaway
ML Brennan:
Signed copy of Generation V
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Darynda Jones:
Winner’s choice signed copy of any hardcover book from series
*Winner please include book selection in your email
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Suzanne Johnson:
Winner’s choice of signed copy of either Royal Street or River Road plus a swag bag
*Winner please include book selection in your email
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Ilona Andrews:
There are four winners... winners listed in order for the following prizes:
1) Copy of Magic Rises and Magic Bites *BOOKS SENT BY PUBLISHER
2) A signed set of Kate books to include: Magic Bites, Magic Burns, Magic Strikes, and Magic Bleeds plus Gunmetal Magic *BOOKS SENT BY ME
3) Signed copy of Gunmetal Magic *BOOKS SENT BY ME
4) Signed copy of Gunmetal Magic *BOOKS SENT BY ME
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Kristen Painter:
Signed copy of Blood Rights
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Amanda Carlson:
Signed copy of Hot Blooded
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Cassie Alexander:
e-book copy (Amazon or Barnes & Noble) of either Nightshifted, Moonshifted, or Shapeshifted
*Winner please include book selection and preferred retailer in your email. You do not need to send mailing address, but please email me from account you would like the e-book sent to you.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
PHEW! That is a lot of winners! Thank you ALL so much for participating!
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Saturday, July 13, 2013
Saturday Conversations 07/13/2013 - UF Celebration Wrap-Up
Urban Fantasy Summer Reading Celebration Wrap-Up
Wow! What a lot of fun the past two weeks have been... And there are still a few GIVEAWAYS open. For more information and links to posts, click HERE. (Note... all contest winners will be announced next Saturday.)
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original images by marin & papaija2008 at FreeDigitalPhotos.com
banner designed by Jennifer from Books Make Me Happy
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The focus of the celebration was to spotlight great UF authors and series that my fellow readers and I love. Of course, there are so many more great UF series out there that I couldn't cover them all during this celebration - I'll just have to do it again next year! And there are some series that were highlighted that I haven't tried yet - guess I've got more to add to my TBR list! I thought I'd close out the celebration by sharing with you my favorite UF series...
My TOP TEN favorite UF series are:
1) Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
2) Colbana Files series by JC Daniels
3) Deadtown series by Nancy Holzner
4) Black Wings series by Christina Henry
5) Disillusionists series by Carolyn Crane
6) Stormwalker series by Alyson James
7) Elemental Assassins series by Jennifer Estep
8) Sentinels of New Orleans by Suzanne Johnson
9) Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones
10) Jessica McClain series by Amanda Carlson
I know I've missed one or two of my favorites - but I can't include them all!
So tell me - what are YOUR favorite Urban Fantasy series? Did you enjoy the celebration?
Thanks for stopping by to chat!
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Saturday Conversations 07/06/2013 - Overheard at RAGT 2013
Overheard at RAGT 2013
People watching is a particularly rewarding pastime at Lori Foster’s Reader Author Get Together (RAGT). This year’s RAGT was no exception. Held in West Chester, OH, from June 6-9, 2013, the “get together” hosted a number of romance authors, readers, publishers and the occasional male book cover model.
People watching and accidental eavesdropping was a lot of fun, especially in the dirty minds of the That’s What I’m Talking About staff who attended. It’s even more fun when the words are taken completely out of context. In no particular order, things overheard at RAGT 2013:
1. It expands and gets hard when you turn it on.
2. Nuts: they’re like bitter, nasty, and gross and taste like tree bark.
3. I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.
4. I’ll have the Beef Eater.
5. Would you like guac on your taco?
6. I gave my husband a really awesome blow job, we’re gonna have to redo the wallpaper.
7. I can exercise without underwear, but not without underwire.
8. You’ll still wake up hot and sweaty, but it will be in a good way.
9. It’s okay, you can touch me there.
10. She wants to know you.
11. Look at the size of the basket!
12. She’s not a virgin anymore, but she still has the box it came in.
13. Can we get him to take his shirt off? I wonder how many ones it would take…
14. I need camo pajamas.
15. I can’t fit both of them at the same time.
16. Why does my penis stick out in the morning?
17. I’m off to Target to buy a new stick of concealer because it’s not meant for penises.
18. The plural of penises is “penises” not “peni”.
19. If you have more than one, you should probably get that checked.
20. If you can’t pull it off on Star Trek, you can’t pull it off here.
21. Some people need to learn to keep it covered up.
22. Uh oh, I’m gonna stick to this when I stand up.
23. I’m not smacking anyone else’s butt for the rest of the weekend.
24. If you could come out then you can’t come in.
25. If you just see me bliss out occasionally, you’ll know why.
26. I want to meet, greet, and eat.
27. I’m going to grab the girls.
28. If you can’t keep it up on your own, I’m not going anywhere near it.
29. I’ve never heard anyone say, “I don’t care for that position.”
30. Make it come.
31. It won’t come.
32. She’s a double spread.
33. Coming, going, backward, forwards, it’s all good.
34. I don’t need jet lag to be irreverent and dirty, it’s a gift from God. It’s a gift some people don’t have and others don’t appreciate.
35. I want to get some.
36. Thanks for blowing my book.
37. I’ll take that from behind.
38. It works better up against the wall.
39. You and I could get into a lot of trouble.
40. Well, suck me silly.
41. How many shapes can you shift into?
42. Please pull my hair.
43. On the table works for me.
44. I have no problem sleeping in strange beds.
45. I have a banana I should eat.
46. I thought it was bigger than this.
47. I can be anyone you want me to be.
48. What do you have that I don’t have?
49. He gets around.
50. I’m okay with hard.
51. IT doesn’t work as well when you do it by yourself.
52. You don’t eat any meat?!
53. He said he’s coming, so he’s coming.
54. I’d slap him, but he’d like it.
55. We both slept with Ang.
56. Fill me up.
57. I’m totally coming.
58. I’ve got a horny duck.
59. What do I do with my hands?
60. I’d like to drizzle that in chocolate.
61. Who can break a $20?
62. Victoria is not keeping her secret.
63. A room and $300 a night.
64. You want me to put my finger where?
65. Double wrapped and doubled stuffed.
66. She missed her good ship lolly-pop.
67. My husband thanks you in advance.
68. I’ve got bourbon balls, and you should eat one.
69. Who said that was a good idea?
What gems have you over-heard while out & about with your besties? Do you make things more ‘interesting’ within the close-knit circle of your friends? We want to hear some of your funniest out-of-context one-liners!
Jen, Ang, Nima & VampBard
For more on the fun had by all, check out PHOTOS on the That’s What I’m Talking About facebook page!
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Saturday Conversation 06/29/2013 - The Boss Finale
Today is the final chat for The Boss Read Along at our Saturday Conversation... I hope you've enjoyed this read along! It's been a treat to host Abigail Barnette (i.e. Jenny Trout) and our own Vampbard as they've shared the highs and lows of Sophie and Neil's story.
The Boss is over! The Boss is a free contemporary erotic romance serial novel by Abigail Barnette. New chapters of the story were posted every Friday, and the entire book is now available. Twice per month, we hosted author Abigail Barnette (aka Jenny Trout) here on the blog to discuss the latest installment of The Boss. Check the end of this post for a complete schedule! If you're new to our Read-Along, go to our first post HERE and see what all the fuss is about!
This week, we're sending you to read the final two exciting Chapters! Check out Chapter 22 HERE and Chapter 23 HERE, then come back to this post to discuss your thoughts on The Boss, and read what others have to say.
We've reached the end of The Boss. The full book will be available in .pdf, .mobi, and .epub format on July 15th. Details on the paperback to follow on Abigail's website. Both versions will include an exclusive first look at The Girlfriend, the sequel to The Boss that will be available in August.
Jenny (aka Abigail) says, "This has been an amazing experience for me. Thank you all so much for your comments and your support and just for reading it. I appreciate it more than I can possibly express- which sounds weird coming from a writer, but just go with it. I have never enjoyed writing a book as much as I enjoyed writing The Boss, and your participation and enthusiasm has been overwhelming. From the bottom of my withered, bitter little heart, thank you, thank you, thank you."
We say... Thank you, Jenny, for sharing THE BOSS with us!
The Boss Read-Along
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Let's start our discussion of the final chapters of the book...
The Boss is over... but Neil and Sophie's story is just beginning. What are your thoughts about how the story finished?
What were your favorite moments from The Boss?
Discuss amongst yourselves! Abigail and VampBard will be around to kick in their 2 cents until Tuesday!
About the Author
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The alter-ego of USA Today Bestselling Author Jenny Trout (Jennifer Armintrout), Abigail Barnette was born during a conversation with author Bronwyn Green, who encouraged Jenny to develop an elaborate fantasy persona-- complete with nom de plume-- under which to pen erotic romance. Abigail enjoys long naps in fairy-filled glades, running through corridors in tragically romantic haunted castles, and drinking goblet after goblet of spiced wine.
REVISED RELEASE SCHEDULE
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01/30/13
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02/15/13
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02/28/13
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04/12/13
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04/19/13
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04/26/13
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05/03/13
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05/10/13
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05/17/13
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05/24/13
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05/31/13
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06/07/13
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06/14/13
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06/21/13
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06/29/13
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06/28/13
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Saturday, June 22, 2013
Saturday Conversations 06/22/2013 with Jess Haines
The TBR List
This Saturday I’m here to discuss something we all love, but most of us probably fear... the TBR LIST! To Be Read... those books that we really, really want to read, but haven’t yet found the time. We buy them, borrow them, put them on shelves, download them onto ereaders, stack them in piles... or create detailed spreadsheets (okay yes, I AM talking about me on that last one!) Bottom line - we all have TBR books.
One series that is near the top of my TBR list is the H&W Investigations series by Jess Haines. I have heard so many wonderful things about this urban fantasy series that tells the tales of Shiarra Waynest, a human detective surviving in a world full of Others: the vampires, mages, and werewolves once thought to exist only in our imaginations. I own several of the books - including the first story, Hunted by the Others. I NEED to read this series!!
Today I am bringing to you the author of the H&W Investigations series, Jess Haines. Jess, like most of us, also has a huge TBR pile, and on the top of her list is the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs (crap, that’s on mine, too!). Jess says “I have like... all the books on my bookshelves, and I LOVE her other books (I cut my teeth on her STEAL THE DRAGON long before she was ‘famous’ and quickly fell in love) but somehow never seem to get started on that one.”
While I have Jess here, she’s going to tell us a little about her upcoming release, Forsaken by the Others, the fifth title in her H&W Investigations series. Also, stick around and enter to win some great prizes...
Forsaken by the Others
Kensington/Zebra Publishing
July 2, 2013
paperback, 352 pages
Have a one night stand with a vampire, and you can end up paying for it for eternity. P.I. Shiarra Waynest, an expert on the Others, knows that better than most. Yet here she is, waking up beside charismatic vamp Alec Royce with an aching head…and neck. Luckily, Shia has the perfect excuse for getting out of town–namely, a couple of irate East Coast werewolf packs who’d like to turn her into a chew toy.
On Royce’s suggestion, Shia temporarily relocates to Los Angeles. But something is rotten–literally–in the state of California, where local vampires are being attacked by zombies. Who could be powerful enough to control them–and reckless enough to target the immortal? Following the trail will lead Shia to a terrifying truth, and to an ancient enemy with a personal grudge…
EXCERPT
“You two are insane. First the Goliaths, now that ridiculous pretender? Do you have any idea how crazy that guy is?”
Sara huffed, folding her arms. “Do you have any idea how crazy it is that we’re being asked to find where this necromancer is hiding without the help of police or other authorities to track him down? Stop judging our methods and let us do our job. You have a better idea of where we should be looking? We’re all ears.”
Trinity shook her head and started driving, not saying a thing.
Even if she was of the opinion that Thrane was nuttier than a fruitcake, it didn’t deter me. I had been dealing with more than enough weirdoes since I had arrived in Los Angeles. The addition of a few more didn’t seem like such a big deal.
Clyde might have thought he was the Master of All He Sees and Then Some, but the reality was that he couldn’t be everywhere at once, and to have a slice of land in the middle of what was supposed to be his Valley—territory—whatever—belonging to another vampire meant that he didn’t have as tight a grip on his holdings as he would have liked us to believe. Plus, three of the attacks had taken place on the borders between Thrane’s and Clyde’s territories, which meant that Thrane might know which way the necromancer went, might have seen something useful, or maybe would be willing to help us if he was also losing people.
Granted, now that we’d stopped in front of what—according to Trinity’s sarcastic explanation—was supposed to be Thrane’s base of operation, I could see why Clyde had appeared more annoyed than worried when he mentioned the “Master” of this borderline slice of land between Burbank and Glendale. The neighborhood, though not as nice as the one where Gavin lived, or as nasty as that armpit in Sun Valley we’d stopped in, wasn’t real impressive, mainly small businesses sandwiched between apartments and old houses.
At first I thought Trinity must have been kidding. The place was nothing more than a run-down sports bar with dirty windows that obscured a dimly seen television mounted in the corner. There was a sign above the nearly deserted bar proclaiming they had a weeknight special on Budweiser and hot wings. Tucked away in a dark alcove on the side of the building was the door Trinity said led to Thrane’s hideout. It was so narrow that I would have mistaken it for the location of the building’s circuit breakers.
Sara and I approached the place together, wrinkling our noses at the padlocked dumpster only a few yards away from the entrance to the vampire’s hideout. This was nothing like the splendor I had seen vampires use to sequester themselves from humanity’s prying eyes. If I hadn’t gotten a nod in the affirmative when I gave Trinity a dubious look over my shoulder, I never would have guessed that Thrane lived here. It was either a terrifically clever front, or terribly sad.
Sara stepped aside, and I knocked lightly on the door. A muffled voice came from the other side. “Password?”
Nonplussed, I looked at Trinity, who shrugged. Confused, I said, “I . . . don’t know?”
“Close enough.”
The door—was that piled-on insulation held on with duct tape?—opened, revealing a guy wearing track pants and a T-shirt slung over his shoulder. His skin was frightfully pale, and his hairy stomach protruded a bit over the top of his pants. He grinned broadly at Sara and me, flashing fangs. “Ladies, ladies, ladies! Call me Mac-daddy.” He paused, then added thoughtfully, “Actually, if you’re here to see me, you can call me anything you want.”
Sara and I both hastily stepped back—probably a bit too quickly, considering the tragic look of disappointment that crossed his features—before a pleasant, feminine voice called out from the shadows behind him. “Mac, who is it? Get out of the damn door and let them in.”
He got out of the way, disappearing into the dark. This was no more reassuring. Particularly as a third voice called out to us, this time another woman. “Are you just going to stand there all night?”
Terrifying as the thought of walking into that dark pit was, we weren’t going to accomplish anything by standing in the alley. Sara fell into step behind me as I marched with what I hoped was a brave and dangerous expression into the vampire den.
If I’d thought the outside was bad, the inside was . . . bad.
A set of narrow, rickety wooden stairs sans railing led down about four feet into a cramped, narrow basement with a high ceiling. Fluorescent track lighting made everything take on a sickly, dim color. Someone had salvaged a large strip of puke-orange shag carpeting and laid it down on the bare concrete in the center of the room. The walls were beige and covered with posters, and there was a bulletin board that, at a glance, contained charming announcements like “Jason is a fag” scrawled in heavy permanent marker on scraps of paper between the job postings and concert flyers.
Though my own furniture in my apartment—cripes, did I still have anything of my own anymore? My landlord had probably dumped all of my crap out on the street by now. Ahem, back on track—though my own furniture was or had been of Ikea-level quality, it looked like the mismatched couches and chairs in this sprawling basement lair had gone a few rounds with their local Salvation Army store.
And lost.
Miserably.
The vampires didn’t look much better.
Some wore jeans and T-shirts. Some wore stuff straight out of a goth fashion magazine. One wore a pizza delivery shirt and cap, obviously either just coming from or leaving for a job.
Now I understood why Clyde was so obviously disgusted when he mentioned this Jimmy guy.
“Mr. Thrane?” I asked the room in general, not sure which one of the vampires to address. There wasn’t much of a structure to this pack of misfits that I could pick up. The stuffy, musty scent and strangely echoic quality of the space, added to the cold due to the lack of body heat from the vampires, gave the impression of being at the bottom of a grave.
A frat boy’s grave, maybe, but a grave, nonetheless.
The vampire lounging on the couch in the back nodded, touching the brim of his top hat. It was the only article of clothing he had on that was in good repair. Once he moved his hand, I could see a tattoo or something under one of his eyes.
“Ma’am. Might I ask why you’re calling on us this fine evening?”
Well, at least he was polite. Sara, who had the look of rigid, forced politeness she often assumed when dealing with a client who made her uncomfortable, introduced us.
“Mr. Thrane, my name is Sara Halloway, and this is Shiarra Waynest, my business partner. We’re private investigators. We wanted to ask for your help and see if you might have any information that might lead us to a resolution of some difficulties for a client.”
“Wow, right on. Real private investigators?”
I glanced at the guy who had earlier been identified as Mac, giving him a look. He shrugged and grinned.
Thrane was not as impressed. “Fascinating. Really. But I would very much like to know how you two have heard of me and what you think I can do for you.”
My turn to field the questions. “We heard that you’re the ruler of some territory outside of Clyde Seabreeze’s control. If that’s the case, you may have information about who has been behind the murders and disappearances of Clyde’s people.”
Thrane’s reaction was not what I had expected. At all. His fangs extended, and his eyes blazed red as he shot to his feet, pointing an accusatory finger at me. “You’re working for that… that… usurper?”
Sara grabbed my arm so tightly, it went numb. The other vampires didn’t seem very impressed, watching us with bored expressions. Once my heart crawled out of my throat and closer to the region it belonged, I squeaked out a few words.
“We—uh… yes?”
As suddenly as the anger had risen, it was gone. He blinked, and his eyes were normal again, the fangs retracting as he airily waved a hand at us. “Poofty von Metrofaggen can go find someone else to play his games. I’m not interested.”
“Jimmy,” one of the girls stage-whispered, her eyes comically huge in her heart-shaped face framed by inky black curls, “Jimmy, those are humans.”
I have never seen so many vampires so intensely interested in me at the same time. Talk about unnerving. Every one of them went deathly still—and I mean deathly—as their unblinking eyes locked onto us. It was like being stared at by a room full of china dolls. Hungry china dolls that are thinking about eating your face.
Click for more information about the Forsaken by the Others Blog Tour
Jess is offering up some FABULOUS prizes both here in the US and Internationally... please fill out the appropriate Rafflecopter entry form, below.
Jess, thanks so much for stopping by and chatting with us about your TBR pile and the H&W Investigations series!
Happy Reading!
US Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Saturday Conversations 06/15/2013
Today we continue The Boss Read Along at our Saturday Conversation... this will be a reoccurring chat (see schedule below). I hope you enjoy this read along!
The Boss is here and it's almost over! Twice per month, we will have author Abigail Barnette (aka Jenny Trout) here on the blog to discuss the latest installment of her serial contemporary erotic romance, The Boss. Ms. Barnette is providing The Boss free to her readers, with new chapters WEEKLY. Check the end of this post for a complete schedule! If you're new to our Read-Along, go to our first post HERE and see what all the fuss is about!
This week, we're sending you to read three exciting Chapters! Check out Chapter 19 HERE, Chapter 20 HERE and Chapter 21 HERE, then come back to this post to discuss your thoughts on The Boss, and read what others have to say. We’ve included a handy SCHEDULE below so you’ll be ready for the next installment discussion. Just bookmark Abigail’s site, and then you can devour the next chapter the moment it goes LIVE!
We're excited to have Abigail here, sharing her serial, The Boss, with us.
The Boss Read-Along
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Let's start our discussion of Chapters 19, 20 and 21...
Porn and pizza. Family and firing. Pompousity and pregnancy. As the end of THE BOSS draws near, what are your predictions for the final two chapters?
Join us in two weeks for a final wrap-up on THE BOSS!
Discuss amongst yourselves! Abigail and VampBard will be around to kick in their 2 cents until Tuesday!
About the Author
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The alter-ego of USA Today Bestselling Author Jenny Trout (Jennifer Armintrout), Abigail Barnette was born during a conversation with author Bronwyn Green, who encouraged Jenny to develop an elaborate fantasy persona-- complete with nom de plume-- under which to pen erotic romance. Abigail enjoys long naps in fairy-filled glades, running through corridors in tragically romantic haunted castles, and drinking goblet after goblet of spiced wine.
REVISED RELEASE SCHEDULE
Chapter #
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Release Date
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Read-Along Date
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01/15/13
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01/30/13
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02/15/13
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02/28/13
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03/08/13
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03/08/13
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03/15/13
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03/22/13
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03/29/13
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04/05/13
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04/12/13
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04/19/13
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04/26/13
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05/03/13
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05/10/13
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05/17/13
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05/24/13
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05/31/13
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06/07/13
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06/15/13
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06/14/13
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06/15/13
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06/14/13
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06/15/13
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Chapter 22
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06/21/13
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06/29/13
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Chapter 23
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06/28/13
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07/13/13
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