(Guest Post Time!!!) What am I reading? by Jackie Gamber

I'm very excited to welcome Jackie Gamber to Bookish today!

Jackie is an award winning author, she writes stories ranging from ultra-short to novel-length, varieties of which have appeared in anthologies such as Tales of Fantasy and Dragons Composed, as well as numerous periodical publications, including Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, The Binnacle, Mindflights Magazine, Necrotic Tissue, and Shroud.
Her latest work, Redheart, is the beginning of wonderful Dragon series and I can't wait to read and review it! 

On top of everything, Jackie is a sweet and charming person and I would really love for you guys to get to know her better! You can find a link to her website in "About Jackie" section!

Guys, please give a warm welcome to Jackie...

About Jackie:

Jackie Gamber is an award-winning freelance editor, as well as award-winning author of the fantasy novel Redheart, available now through Seventh Star Press (www.seventhstarpress.com) and ebook at a special rate of $1.99! A veteran of the USAF, she is now, among other things, a rosarian, a professional BookTaster, and an avid believer in imagination. Visit Jackie and her BookTastings on the world wide web at www.jackiegamber.com

What am I reading?

A Guest Post by

Jackie Gamber

     In the tradition of Should Be Reading’s WWW Wednesday, and as Evie herself has often posted in honor, I’m excited to share my answers to the big WWW question, for a lot of good reasons.

     First, I have discovered my own favorite books by word of mouth through my friends, through blogs just like this one, and by hearing even strangers share their likes and dislikes about a certain title (honestly, don’t even lousy reviews make you a little curious?).

     Second, I just love to talk about books! It’s so energizing to be joined in a discussion by other book lovers, and to breathe in the enthusiasm that lights the air. I imagine it similar to wine connoisseurs’ or chocolatiers’ conventions. When one shares a passion with another, it’s a buzz. Dare I say intoxicating? Well, perhaps at one of those wine conventions, anyway. But book lovers don’t need a term to describe it, we’re all familiar with the experience. It’s why we haunt libraries and bookstores, and gush to people we don’t know, who gush right back. I love to talk about books.

     Third, reading is such a good idea, I wish everyone would do it, and do it often. The best way to make an idea enticing is to make it sound delicious. There are so many stories and so many styles and so many writers to capture them all, surely everyone can find a book to their taste. It’s a smorgasbord!

     So what am I currently reading? Peter Beagle’s “Tamsin”, about a girl who moves from the U.S. to England, and discovers ghostly secrets in her new home. Peter Beagle writes with a true storyteller’s spirit.

     What did I recently finish reading? Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games”, which I read straight through, anxious for, well, if not a happy ending, at least an ending that wouldn’t eat my heart out. I got my satisfying ending, thank goodness. The story contains so much tension (in a good way) that I was utterly weary by the end. I felt as though I’d gone through the Hunger Games myself (also in a good way).

     As for what I’ll read next, I have a literal stack of books to choose from. I’ve been on a book binge lately. I have a couple of Ray Bradbury collections I’ve been salivating over for a while – and don’t things taste especially good when you’re craving them?

     Speaking of reading being delicious, I’ve come up with a whole new experience for making books literally lip-smacking. It’s called BookTastings, because I pair certain blends of tea to drink along with certain novels to really bring out the best of both. You can check out my BookTastings on my website at www.jackiegamber.com Swing by and say hello, and share your favorite novels you’d like to see BookTasted. You can discover the perfect tea I’ve chosen to go along with my own novel Redheart, and have a chance at fun prizes.

     Which book do you love to talk about?

Both Jackie and I would love to see your comments!

Jackie, thank you so much  for taking the time out of your busy schedule to join us here today! I'm so looking forward to reading Redheart~!

Published April 4th 2011 by Seventh Star Press

Enter the lands of Leland Province, where dragon and human societies have long dwelled side by side. Superstitions rise sharply, as a severe drought strips the land of its bounty, providing fertile ground for the darker ambitions of Fordon Blackclaw, Dragon Council Leader, who seeks to subdue humans or wipe them off the face of the land.

As the shadow of danger creeps across Leland Province, a young dragon named Kallon Redheart, who has turned his back on dragons and humans alike, comes into an unexpected friendship. Riza Diantus is a young woman whose dreams can no longer be contained by the narrow confines of her village, and when she finds herself in peril, Kallon is the only one with the power to save her. Yet to do so means he must confront his past, and embrace a future he stopped believing in.

A tale of friendship, courage, and ultimate destiny, Redheart invites readers to a wondrous journey through the Leland Dragon Series.