Cover Reveal: 'Sleeper' by S. M. Johnston

We haven't had a Cover Reveal for ages, so we were obviously very pleased to be offered the opportunity to host today's one. We were also definitely delighted when we discovered that this Cover Reveal was actually going to be a Sci-Fi related one... It was like killing two birds with one stone (Even so no birds have been killed, or harmed in any way, in the making of this post, of course.)

Yep, in today's Cover Reveal, we're giving you the chance to have a sneak peek at the cover of 'Sleeper', a Science Fiction novel written by S.M. Johnston. The book will be released in December this year so, until we can get our hands on the novel itself (I'm pretty confident we will host a Book Tour stop for it so, don't worry, we will definitely remind you about its release), do enjoy its beautiful cover...

Loup Dargent

Top 5 Computer Hackers Who Got Caught

Computer hacking is viewed as a prank by many people. Other hackers enjoy the challenge of breaking into a complex computer network. However, some computer hackers steal personal information, wreck havoc on expensive computer systems and cause other problems for millions of innocent Internet users. Some hackers can even threaten national security and international relations. The following are five famous computer hackers that faced serious consequences for their unlawful Internet adventures.

Book Tour: 'The Bleiberg Project' by David Khara [Giveway Included]

(Click here to read the first part of this "Book Tour with a difference"...)

Le French Book, a digital-first publisher specializing in top mysteries and thrillers from France, just released a new conspiracy thriller that was an instant bestseller in France. 'The Bleiberg Project', by David Khara, is about World War II, its effect on people then and its consequences in the present day.  

Are Hitler’s atrocities really over? For depressive Wall Street trader Jeremy Corbin, absolute truths become undeniable lies overnight. He finds out his long-lost father is dead, he discovers his boss's real identity, and he ends up boarding a plane to Zurich. He has a Nazi medallion in his pocket, a hot CIA bodyguard next to him, and a clearly dangerous Mossad agent on his tail. What was his father investigating? Why was his mother assassinated? Why are unknown sides fighting over him with automatic weapons? Can the conspiracy be stopped?  

This fast-paced thriller full of humor and humanity was an immediate sensation in France. It’s like a dash of Robin Cook, a splash of John Grisham, and a pinch of Clive Cussler combined into a unique experience with a very distinctive voice all its own.  

It is the first of a trilogy that is about hope and paying tribute to all victims of war and to people who were deported. “All the characters were based on survivors’ testimonials,” the author David Khara says. “Everything is factually based, although I do speculate with ‘what if?’”  

Khara adds, “The idea of The Project Bleiberg came to me after hearing the testimony of a woman who survived the death camps. Three things struck me during the interview. The first one was her sharp sense of humor. She said that prisoners inside the camp made jokes whenever they could. Humanity cannot be destroyed as long as laughter is possible. It becomes an act of resistance. The second thing was her will to survive, no matter the obstacles, no matter the horrors she would have to go through. And finally, she was the living proof that to remember and understand history is the best, and maybe the only way, to avoid some mistakes being made again. The book tries to honor these three points.” 

Today's post is the second part of that French flavoured Book Tour stop (Part One being:
'Writing: A Journey for the Writers and for Readers', a Guest Post written by David Khara himself, and still available here) that we've started hosting a few days ago... There is a quite lengthy book excerpt for you to read and, as promised in Part One, a Giveaway and many other bits of info about the book, the writer, the translator, etc... We've got quite a mega-post, today, haven't we?

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

Palestinian Christians Urge Pope To Oppose Wall

Palestinian Christians urge pope to oppose wall (via AFP)

Palestinian Christians near Bethlehem on Monday urged Pope Francis to speak up against an Israeli decision to build its controversial separation barrier on a route they say would cut off their community. "We cry to your Holiness with a feeling of despair and urgency in order to keep alive our hope…

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'Writing: A Journey for the Writers and for Readers' - A Guest Post by Author David Khara

What we have today is the first part of a two-parter Book Tour stop with a difference... One with some French flavour added to it, if you like.

The book we're hosting this two-parter tour stop for is 'The Bleiber Project', an adrenaline-pumping conspiracy thriller based on World War II and its consequences today. It is the first in the Consortium Thriller series. This thriller full of humour and humanity was an immediate sensation in France, catapulting the author to the ranks of the country’s top thriller writers.

Don't worry too much if you can't speak/read French though as It has been published in English by Le French Book, a digital-first publisher specializing in best-selling mysteries and thrillers from France.

(A little bird told me that there was a movie based on this book in the making, so when David Khara, its author, becomes famous don't forget where you heard about him first..) 

In Part Two, we will have a rather very lengthy (One of the reasons why this Book Tour stop is in two parts) excerpt available for you to read and, among other things, a Giveaway. C'est super, n'est-ce pas?

We will add the link to Part Two here as soon as it goes live, so stay tuned!

Anyway, let's give the floor to David Khara so that he can tell us about his journey as a writer...

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

>> Update: Part Two ( with Giveaway and all) is now live and can be viewed here!

Governments are making more censorship demands on Google

Governments are making more censorship demands on Google (via The Inquirer)

INTERNET GIANT Google has published its latest transparency report and revealed that governments are making more and more demands of it. Google publishes its transparency report quarterly. It says it does so to be as open as possible. The reports usually make for chilling reading. This report is no…

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Is Wasted Food the Key to Clean Energy? [Infographic]

Food waste is a nearly unlimited resource generated by our global food system. Humans have mastered the plow and modified every aspect of our food supply -- and the effects aren't all good. Now most of the developed world struggles with obesity, not starvation. In the process of feeding ourselves we've created a gigantic global waste stream -- dumping nearly 70% of the world's food waste into landfills.

What if we used discarded food waste to produce fuel and electricity?

Over the next 25 years global energy demands will increase by 50% while global oil supply dwindles. Waste-to-energy could be the key to a more sustainable future.

This infographic illustrates just how much food is being wasted across the globe -- from farm to fork, and everywhere in between -- and how that waste can be harnessed for energy, specifically biofuels that can be used to replace the oil-based fuels we use every day.

Book Tour: 'The Devil Knows' by K.C. Cavanaugh [Giveaway Included]

The Book Tour stop we're hosting today is for 'The Devil Knows', a Paranormal Romance-Drama with a possible special guest appearance from none other than Old Nick himself.

"Never trust the guy," I always say, "and, definitely never make a deal with him." But, of course, if people had never made (or considered making) a deal with him, books like today's one would not have been written and that would have been a shame...

Plus, we would not have been able to host its Book Tour stop and there would not have been an excerpt available for you guys to read and, even worse, there would not have been a Giveaway at the end of this post. Yikes!

So, yeah, perhaps it's a Good Thing that nobody listens to me after all...

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

Rolling Stones To Head Glastonbury 2013

After a two-year gap, Glastonbury is revving up to rock with an impressive line-up of iconic acts and emerging new talent. Two hundred acts are already confirmed but there are only three words on most people’s minds – The Rolling Stones.

As the ancient proverb goes, a rolling stone gathers no moss. So despite time not being on their sides, festival goer’s should expect a fresh, reinvented sound from Ronnie, Keith and co, right?

Israel airport security allowed to read tourists' emails

Israel airport security 'allowed to read tourists' email' (via AFP)

Israeli security officials at Ben Gurion airport are legally allowed to demand access to tourists' email accounts and deny them entry if they refuse, the country's top legal official said on Wednesday. Details of the policy were laid out by Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein in a written response to…

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5 Amazing Rube Goldberg Machines

People find strange and amazing ways to spend their time. Concocting Rube Goldberg machines is one brilliant example of just how humans choose to express brilliance and wackiness simultaneously. A Rube Goldberg machine is a device that goes to extraordinary and often comic lengths to create a complex machine that performs the most mundane tasks. The challenge is often in the flawless execution of the machine due to the fact that its complexity can cause it to fail nine out of ten times. Indulge your need for the extemporaneous by checking out just a few of these feats of ridiculous engineering.

Book Tour: 'The Bloody Sinful Original Legacy... Tour'

The Book Tour stop we're hosting today is actually a 'Books Tour' as it's not just for one book, or two, or three, but for... four books! 

Yep, today's Book/Books Tour stop is for the whole Skye Morrison Vampire Series, which means that there is four books excerpts available for you to read in this post... "Bloody excellent!" as Mr Burns would say (if he was a vampire, that is...).

There is a synopsis/blurb for each book from the Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance series and, of course, a bit of info about the author, J. L. McCoy. Quite a mega-packed post today. Wow!

Oh, and, I might have to make a point of mentioning that you may find some cursing words in the excerpts. Just in case, you know...

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent