Holiday Giveaway Winners

I want to personally thank you all for entering into my Holiday Giveaway! You guys are awesome and I hope that you continue to stick around my Twitter and Facebook Pages because there will soon be more contests coming your way. 

Now for our winners... yes I said Winners! 

*insert a drumroll here please*

*Drumroll*

*Drumroll keeps going*

Okay fine, the lucky winners are.....

Patti P and Crystal R! 

Thank you so much for entering and please email me directly at zoeyderrick (at) gmail (dot) com with your Email Address or your physical address if you would prefer an actual gift card and let me know which you would prefer Amazon or Barnes & Noble and I will get those off to you as quickly as possible.

Congratulations again to the winners and thank you again to all that entered! 

(Winners were picked via Rafflecopter and Random.org)

*HugS* 

Until we meet again, 

Zoey

<3

Thanksgiving Thanks!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Today is a chance to reflect on all that has happened in the last year, and to remember all the things that we are thankful for.

This year I am thankful for so many things that I am not even sure where to start, but I think I have an idea.

Two weeks ago today I lost my Dad after a battle with lung cancer. I am thankful for all of the time that I was able to have with him. Though he was gone far to soon in his life and mine, I cannot be more grateful for all the things he taught me. For all the things he helped me see were important, and to move past the little things that are unimportant. Through his 30 years of military service, he taught me to fight for what you believe in. This Thanksgiving instead of being sad that you are no longer with me, I am thankful that you are happier and healthier where you are right now. Love you Dad!

Now, onto more happy things.

Earlier this year, after a conversation with my hair stylist I purchased Fifty Shades of Grey and I fell so head over heals in love with those books that I never thought I would branch out and try anything else. Then I discovered books like Bared to You, Gabriel's Inferno, Beautiful Disaster, Love Unscripted, and The Marriage Bargain and I fell in Love with each of them. From there I discovered more books than I could shake a stick at and read each one of them with an appraising eye.
It was around the beginning of August that I decided that I was going to pen my first manuscript and without hesitation, I continued until I had a full sized book in my hands. So in the long run, I am most thankful for Jennifer Probst and all the authors of the beautiful books listed above for inspiring me to write.

Without writing, I would have never met the wonderful people that have kept me going, kept me motivated, and most of all kept me focused on following my dream. If you would have told me a year ago that I would have a Twitter account with over 250 followers, a blog, a Facebook Page and wonderful people keeping me excited about what I am doing, I have no doubt I would have given up long ago. So Thank You!! Your generosity and inspiration knows no bounds and I am excited to share with all of you what I have been working on so hard.

As a thank you to you for all your love, support and inspiration, I present to you the first ever Teaser of my upcoming novel...still yet to be named. 

Please note, this teaser is subject to change as it is still subject to editing and maybe even the chopping block. :-) I hope you enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving from my family and I to you and yours!

*HugS*
Zoey

I hope you enjoy this sneak peek into my mind and into my story! 

        “I do, but I figured in the economy the way that it has been the last six years that I would have actually lost money.” I was smiling. 

“Losing money is not in my vocabulary Cami. You should know this by now.” He was laughing again. “What pray tell should I do with this lot Cami Dear?”

I was laughing harder now. I loved it when he made fun of my accent. Granted I am not British by any stretch of the imagination, but growing up in England gave me no choice but to adopt the accent. “You know better than to ask me that question. Why don’t you just re-invest it? Heaven knows I don’t need it at the moment. Why don’t you just figure it out and email me the details. I am in need of a shopping spree.” I laughed again. “Maybe a new Tattoo?”

“Have at it darling, it is all yours to play with. I think though you could use a new car. You’re still driving that damn 2005, upgrade already would you?”

“Will you have a heart attack if I go for the R8 or the Lamborghini?”

“No” he stated simply.

“You are such a God awful liar Mick.” I laughed and he joined in.

Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia

First off I have to say that I have read Poughkeepsie twice, and both times I could not put the story down.

Poughkeepsie is the story of Livia and Blake, plus Cole and Kyle, Eve and Beckett. The primary characters in this story are Livia and Blake and through their meeting and growing relationship we meet Beckett and Cole and they in turn meet those that will help further develop the overall story.

Blake is homeless and spends his days at the Poughkeepsie Train platform waiting to see Livia. Blake is plagued with his own fears that Livia helps him to deal with. She shows Blake that he is worth more than his homeless status. Livia is a college student studying psychology and takes the train everyday to go to school.

Livia and Kyle are sisters and due to their being sisters Kyle meets Cole, who is Blake's Foster Brother, and their connection is immediate, however, Kyle's own personal demons make it hard for Kyle to truly see and be able to accept her feelings for Cole.

Beckett is the oldest of the Three Foster Brothers; Cole and Blake. Beckett has established a ring of drugs and prostitution due to the fact that he wanted to be able to provide for Cole and Blake when they age out of the foster program. Beckett meets Eve and that is a meeting that requires some reading in order to truly see and appreciate their relationship.

**********

Why do I love Poughkeepsie?

There is a long list of why I truly enjoyed this book, but one of the biggest reasons is because this book proves, time and time again that you can never judge a book or person by their cover.
Blake is homeless, Cole wants to be a minister, and Beckett is the local drug lord and every single one of these characters will surprise you at every turn.

This book shows that a Smile goes a LONG way. There is an underlying message (at least that I see) that shows that the littlest things that you can do can go a long way. Like smiling at the people that you see everyday.

Why do I recommend this book?

Debra Anastasia has a wonderful sense of humor. One minute I was emotionally upset because something happened that I didn't agree with, or there was something that was potentially going to turn the story 180 degrees and I wasn't to sure about it. To laughing out loud, even angry at a couple of parts.

Being that I follow Debra on Twitter, I see a lot of her sense of humor used in her books in the person that she presents to the twitter world and most of all I have no doubt that it is really her. There are more than a few one liners that had me laughing into my pillow in the middle of the night.


If you are looking for a beautiful story that will keep you guessing and keep you wanting to know what will happen next, then pick up Poughkeepsie today.

You can find Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia on Amazon or Barnes and Noble

You can also find Debra on Twitter, Facebook and GoodReads

Thanks guys for reading my review, and let me know if my review helped you in wanting to read Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia.
I have given Poughkeepsie 5 of 5 stars on Amazon and GoodReads.

Until we meet again,

*HugS*
Zoey

Happy Holiday Giveaway!!

Hey Guys!
As a thank you to all of my wonderful followers I am giving away a $50.00 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card to one lucky winner.

The contest starts today and Ends on 11/24/2012 Just in time to work on that holiday shopping or to treat yourself to some wonderful new books.

The gift card will either be sent electronically or if you would prefer a physical card, the winner will have to let me know.

I will announce the winner via my blog, Facebook and Twitter accounts around 3:00 p.m. on Saturday November 24th, 2012.

Thank you all in advance for your participation and share share and share alike!

Happy Holidays!
*HugS*

Zoey Derrick

P.S. You can Tweet about the Giveaway daily for more entries!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Fade Series by Kate Dawes

15 of 15 Stars to Kate Dawes and her Fade Series....

Here is a copy of my Goodreads review.

I am going to try really hard to not spoil all three books, however, both of the times I have read the Fade Series I have plowed through all 3 books in one night. Why? Well, because I cannot put them down.


I was very quick to fall in love with Olivia and even faster to fall in love with Max. But then again, I am sucker for the hot rich and sexy man that everyone wants. One of the reasons that drew me into these books was not just the exciting sex scenes, but the banter between Max and Olivia. There is something special about a relationship that can pick and play with each other in the ways that Max and Olivia did throughout all three books. A relationship like this shows comfort and a growing relationship.

So many of these book with heroines with self esteem issues get old after a while. Olivia was no different, only that she was concerned with a broken heart than with whether or not she deserved to be with Max. She never really questioned his motivations and whether or not she deserved him. She just accepted what he had to offer her. That to me made these books special and realistic. The story between Max and Olivia is real, its something that happens everyday. Something that gives us hopeless romantics something to strive for and hope that true love is real and obtainable.

Because I am a hopeless romantic I couldn't put down the books and was turned on by hot and steamy sex scenes, I give Fade Into You, Fade Into Me, and Fade Into Always Five (5) Fabulous stars!

"Impossible" By Komal Lewis

I want to review this book on my blog because Komal and I have a lot in common. She is writing and releasing her first book and I was fortunate enough to be able to read an advanced copy.
I say fortunate because I believe that we can see some good things from Komal in the future and this book is a good start to a self published debut.

"Impossible" is about a high school girl named Ashton (and it did take me a little while to get use to the names that Komal used, however, they were very unique and I enjoyed this very much). Ashton is your typical high school girl, trying to fit in. She is the captain of the cheerleading squad and quickly learns that some people are not always who they seem.

Discovering that people, especially high school kids, tend to be about them selves and about their own popularity, they are quick to turn their backs on you. Ashton faces some pretty serious heartbreak and I will be the first to admit that it made me cry, and it also frustrated me because of her overall attitude.

Luca is the typical "bad boy" that kids in the school are quick to label as "a freak" or an outcast. This is part of what brings Ashton and Luca together.

I will not spoil any more of this story because I feel that to truly understand, you will need to read the book yourself.

I have written a review for both Goodreads and Amazon that will be shared below.
I do look forward to seeing what more Komal has to share with the story of Aston and Luca. It is not a book that I am totally hanging and need a sequel now, however it is one of those books that I would like to see Ashton and Luca grow up and I hope that Komal intends to continue the story.

Stop by Amazon and pick up your copy today.

Until we meet again,
Zoey D.
<3

Here is the review that I placed both on Goodreads and Amazon after purchasing a copy for my Kindle.

I have said it on Twitter, and I will say it again on Goodreads as well as Amazon. 

This book is a great Debut novel for Komal Lewis. I see many great things coming from her and I do look forward to reading more of her work. 

I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy of this story from Komal herself and I am sorry that I was unable to finish it in time to give real feedback to her before its release. 

The main character Ashton is a little hard to like, I am not going to lie about that. She starts off as a bit stuck up and I personally have little tolerance for characters and people like that in real life. However, I quickly realized that Ashton is your typical high school girl and most importantly, I saw quickly that things were going to work out. Eventually I felt sorry for her and it brought tears to my eyes. Other times I wanted to reach in and smack her stupid.

Luca is your typical bad boy that is easy to fall for. He is easy to like and in some cases easy to hate. 

One of the many things that I enjoyed about "Impossible" is that you are able to follow along with the story from both sides and written in first person vs both sides written in 3rd person. 

I give 4 stars because of the difficulty in truly being able to enjoy the character of Ashton. She frustrated me and made me want to hate her. In the end I did really enjoy her as a whole. 

I do not recommend this book to anyone under the age of 17 because of the language and adult content of the story. I do however recommend this book to anyone wanting to try a new read and what I hope becomes a series. 

In Loving Memory

With a very heavy heart I write this blog.

This morning around 1 a.m. my Dad passed away at the age of 56, after a ten week long fight against lung cancer. He was surrounded by his family.

Born February 18th, 1956 in Albert Lea, Minnesota.

At the age of 17 he enlisted in the Army National Guard where he would spend the next 30 years as a member of the Reserves.

In 1997, through a radio station in Minnesota he met my Mom and they knew immediately that they were meant for each other. In May of 1999 they were married near Fort Snelling in Bloomington, Minnesota.

In 2004 he completed a 6 month Tour of Duty in Kosovo. During this time he was able to help keep the peace and even had a chance to visit Germany and some of the surrounding countries. He felt fortunate enough to finally have a chance to do something for the Country and the Army that he loved.

In 2008 he moved, with my mom, to Arizona and began a two year long adventure as an over the road truck driver. He loved to be on the road, traveling from town to town and state to state. He never got to see much, but that didn't bother him, he was just happy to be doing something that he had always wanted to do.

He was diagnosed with Stage 3, small cell lung cancer on August 30, 2012.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother.

He is survived by his Wife, his daughter, his two sons, and two wonderful grandchildren.

Rest in Peace Dad, you are loved, will forever be loved and missed.

R.G.T.
Feb. 18, 1956 to Nov. 8, 2012

With all my love!!!

"When he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars and he will make the face of Heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night.." ~ William Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet