Book Giveaway: The Silent Land by Graham Joyce

We are giving away one hardcover copy of The Silent Land by Graham Joyce to one lucky winner!

The Silent Land by Graham Joyce

Award-winning novelist and cult favorite Graham Joyce transports readers to a mysterious world of isolation and fear with a hypnotically dark story about a young couple trapped by an avalanche in the remote French Alps . . . a daring and powerful novel about love, loss, and rebirth. In the French Alps around Chamonix, a young married couple is buried under a flash avalanche while skiing. Miraculously, Jake and Zoe dig their way out from under the snow—only to discover the world they knew has been overtaken by an eerie and absolute silence. Their hotel is devoid of another living soul. Cell phones and land lines are cut off. An evacuation as sudden and thorough as this leaves Jake and Zoe to face a terrifying situation alone. They are trapped by the storm, completely isolated, with another catastrophic avalanche threatening to bury them alive . . . again. And as the couple begin to witness unset­tling events neither one can ignore, they are forced to con­front a frightening truth about the silent land they now inhabit. 

To enter, please leave a comment on this post including your email address (so we may contact you if you win).  You do not have to be a follower to enter (though I always appreciate a follow!).  This giveaway is to US mailing addresses only (sorry!).  Giveaway ends April 20th midnight EST.

Cover Crush: Spirit Storm

I have a special treat for my readers.  From the Shadows is the very first place to see the cover of my upcoming release Spirit Storm (Spirit Guide #2).  (Click picture to enlarge)

Is it normal to crush on the cover for my own book?  I loved the cover for She Smells the Dead, the first book in the Spirit Guide series, but the cover for Spirit Storm takes my breath away.  Is it just me, or is this cover AMAZING?

Spirit Storm (Spirit Guide #2) by E.J. Stevens is due to release early 2011 and can be added to your tbr list on Goodreads here.  For more information about the Spirit Guide series with links to reviews, giveaways, and more visit the official Spirit Guide Series website.

"Let the spirits guide you, but never let them take you."

Spirits of the Dead are coming...

Yuki is about to face an army of lost souls on Samhain, the night of Halloween, when the spirits of the dead roam free. Yuki will need all the help she can get from her friends, but will Calvin be there for her when she needs him the most?

Book Review: The Language of Trees

The Language of Trees by Ilie Ruby.

Echo O'Connell knows that the summer holds its secrets. They are whispered in the rustling trees, in the lush scent of the lilacs, in the flurry of the mayflies batting against the screen door, and in the restless spirits that seem to clamor in the scant breezes on hot evenings. It is in summer that she returns home to Canandaigua, to confront these spirits, both living and not, and to share a secret with her first love, Grant Shongo—a secret that will forever change the lives of many people in the town and put to rest the mysterious disappearance of a little boy more than a decade earlier. 

Grant, a descendant of the Seneca Indians who call this place "The Chosen Spot," has also come back to face his past. After a broken marriage, he has moved into his childhood home, a lake house that has withstood happiness and tragedy. He knows the spirits of the past must be dealt with—that of the little boy who disappeared all those years ago; the boy's sister, who never overcame the loss; and the love Grant still has for Echo. But before the healing must come the forgiveness. . . .


A town drowning in guilty secrets and the hopes of the living while haunted by the spirits of the dead.  The residents of Canandaigua Lake have all experienced tragedy before but some families seem especially cursed.  A melancholy tale of loss and redemption, The Language of Trees is a story of how the lives of these families are intertwined like the branches of trees grown close together and how their inseparable destinies hold sorrow and hope.  Ilie Ruby blends Seneca myth and tradition with a tragic modern tale in a way that is at once haunting and beautiful.  The Language of Trees is filled with vivid imagery and lyrical prose that will remain with the reader long after turning the last page.


I recommend The Language of Trees to readers of paranormal fiction, mysteries, psychological suspense, romance, ghost stories and especially to fans of paranormal suspense.

Source: This book was provided by the author or publisher for honest review.


The Language of Trees on Amazon.
The Language of Trees on Goodreads.

Visit From the Shadows August 2nd as E.J. interviews guest author Ilie Ruby!

Guest Author Interview: Andrew Feder + Spirit Giveaway!

With us today is Andrew Feder, author of the paranormal mystery thriller Spirit.

EJ:  Hello Andrew!  Thank you for visiting us here today at From the Shadows.  My readers and I have a few burning questions.  O.k., first question!

When did you begin writing?

Andrew:  During my early in college years I began to write some (essays one even published in the school’s newspaper) like many, but during my latter years in college I furthered my expression by writing several op/eds. It wasn’t until the early 90’s that I began to seriously develop my writing in the more creative context. My writing in both context and genre was more of an evolutionary process during its development leading eventually by culminating to my present style.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Andrew: Paranormal meaning out of the ordinary for most is perhaps more ordinary for me. The product within my scribe is in relationship to spirituality and oneself and Universe. Elements within my writings are perhaps for some maybe paranormal, but in reality within spirituality the norm. I would think that the genre associated with “Spirit” would be spirituality. But since I do enter into elements and understandings of astral projection, “out of body” then again perhaps this maybe of the paranormal. Within “Spirit” I tried to place many spiritual, social and political underlying messages as well as straight forward understandings of our selves and the Universe with its infinite capacities in my writings with “truisms” as some would call with am adventurous parable of fiction.  

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Andrew:  One that just pops into my mind is Telekinesis. The ability just to move objects with a single thought would be amazing unto itself. I could brush my teeth with no hands. Wow… The infinite possibilities… And just think- I just moved my mouse and cursor with just a single thought…Amazing…

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Andrew:  Besides the deep curiosity of what is it- “astral projection” the adventurous and mysterious twist and turns held from page to page will only lead the reader down the rabbit hole to the unexpected while experiencing the very depths of the Randall’s out of body experiences and the real understandings behind them.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Andrew:  I would say that Tom Hanks would be perfect as Randall Lender while Johnny McKensie would be perfect Colin Farrell; Thandie Newton would definitely be a great Sandy.

Thank you Andrew for the lovely interview!

** Spirit Giveaway **

Leave a comment with your email address for a chance to win a copy of Spirit by Andrew Feder. You do not have to be a follower to enter (though I always appreciate a follow!).  This giveaway is US mailing addresses only, sorry!  Contest ends Saturday June 26th at Midnight EST.

Spirit by Andrew Feder.

Warning: This book contains adult language and adult situations.

Spirit on Amazon.

Spirit on Goodreads.

Book Review: The Last Track

The Last Track (Mike Brody, book 1) by Sam Hilliard.

More than just a master tracker, Mike is a former Special Forces operative, smoke jumper, and now extreme adventure tour guide who can tap into the memory and emotional state of those he pursues.  In The Last Track, Mike is recruited to find an asthmatic boy lost in the dense woods surrounding a dude ranch in Montana.  An unwitting murder witness, the boy burrows ever deeper into the rugged terrain, fearful of being found by the killer.  While Mike tracks the boy, his ex-wife, a journalist, uses her contacts to unravel the truth behind the murder.  Her discoveries threaten to snare them all in a treacherous conspiracy...

Notable quotes:

"I've heard you can place your hand into a print and see a missing person," Lisbeth said.  "Is that true?"
pg. 7

"Tracking meant spotting tiny truths like that from the false statements.  Parents lied out of love.  Cops lied by omission.  The press lied to sell papers.  But tracks did not lie to Mike Brody."
pg. 222

Gripping mystery with a paranormal twist.  What is going on in the forested hills surrounding Pine Woods Ranch?  Who is involved and how far will they go?  These are the questions I continually asked myself while reading The Last Track.  I had originally thought that the focus of this novel would be on Mike Brody's unusual paranormal talent, however, the suspense of the mysterious events that unfold during this story overshadow the paranormal aspects of this book.  This is not, in my opinion, a negative.  Filled with interesting real-world characters and laced with a tangled web of lies, deceit, treachery and greed The Last Track will ensnare your imagination and keep you turning pages hunting for clues and eager to learn what happens next!

I recommend The Last Track to readers of suspense thrillers and mysteries, especially to fans of mysteries with paranormal or supernatural elements.  This is a wonderful debut of the Mike Brody series.  I look forward to reading more of Mike Brody's adventures in the future.

Be sure to visit Sam Hilliard's guest blog here.  Comment on Sam Hilliard's guest blog before midnight EST June 16th for a chance to win a Last Track postcard and bookmark!

The Last Track on Amazon.
The Last Track on Goodreads.