Brain Surgery

Last year I found out I have two different types of brain tumors. No cancer, Thank God! A  pituitary tumor and a meningioma. In August I had another MRI of my brain done. Thanks to medication the pituitary tumor has shrunk. YEAH!!! Unfortunately the meningioma has grown one centimeter in size (pictured above.) 

On October 17, 2016 I will be having brain surgery to remove the meningioma. Lucky for me I live near Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the surgery should be fairly simple, well.... as simple as brain surgery can be. Hopefully the regular hospital rooms are full and I will get to stay in the neurosurgery ICU for my whole hospital stay 2 - 7 days. (Rooms are bigger, better brain care) If not, then I will be in the neurosurgery ICU at least 24 hours and then moved to a regular room. My entire recovery time will be around 6 weeks. The first week or two I cannot be left alone at all. My tumor is near the part of the brain that controls balance, so falling down is potentially problematic.

I would have to say, my favorite part of this whole experience so far was the look on my neurosurgeon face when she realized that I have 2 different types of tumors. Priceless! Why? Multiple tumors of the same type = common. Different types of tumors = extremely rare.

What does this mean for the blog?

No big changes. While I have been uninspired of late, dealing with all my other medical problems, I still plan to keep the blog. It'll just be on vacation for a couple of months while I recover. Hopefully there will be some updates and/or new features. Maybe I'll be able to focus better and the inspiration will come pouring back.

How am I doing?

I'm not nearly as scared about the surgery as I should be. The most upsetting part for me so far is that I am not aloud to cut my hair before surgery! I was thinking about doing something like this:

Half shaved or at least something with an undercut. There's more pictures on my brain board (on Pinterest, something else I need to organize) if you want to check them out. Feel free to leave comments on which are your favorites. I'm now planning on getting my haircut after my scar has healed.

It's a little ridiculous, but my biggest fear is not the surgery itself. It's waking up and having a total Rick moment. (The Walking Dead)

That being said, if the apocalypse happens I better wake up to this gorgeous face.

Of course I am not completely ridiculous. If the apocalypse happens and Norman Reedus is unable to magically transform himself into Daryl, then he is completely welcome to join me (as Norman) and we'll cry together.

Hell, even if the apocalypse doesn't happen; Norman you are completely welcome to come visit me in the hospital. I could always use someone to hold my hand and I'm sure that smile could make anyone feel better.

Birthright Release Day Party & Giveaway

Today we are celebrating the release of BIRTHRIGHT, the fourth full-length novel in the award-winning Ivy Granger urban fantasy series by E.J. Stevens.  We have a special book excerpt, commenter prizes, and a HUGE swag giveaway.  So grab a cupcake and some punch.  It's time to party!

Birthright by E.J. Stevens

Series: Ivy Granger #4

Release Date: July 14, 2015

Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

ARC Review: Birthright by E.J. Stevens

Title: Birthright

Author: E.J. Stevens

Series: Ivy Granger, #4

 •Source: Author (for review consideration)
 •Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press
 •Publication Date: July 14, 2015

Opening Line: I grimaced at the noodles currently taunting me with their salty broth and rubbery texture, and pushed the steaming bowl away with gloved hands.

   

Being a faerie princess isn't all it's cracked up to be...

Ivy must go to Faerie, but the gateway to the Wisp Court is through Tech Duinn, the house of Donn—Celtic god of the dead. Just her luck.

Unable to share her secret with Jinx, and with Jenna called away on Hunters' Guild business, Ivy must rely on Ceff and Torn to lead her to Death's door, literally, and back again. As if that wasn't dangerous enough, there's no saying what horrors lay in store within the Faerie realm. Too bad the Wisp Court is the one lead Ivy has in the search for her father—and possible salvation.

Maybe hiding away and dodging sidhe assassins isn't so bad after all...

Cover Reveal: Birthright by E.J. Stevens

I am very excited to show off the cover to BIRTHRIGHT, the fourth full-length novel in the Ivy Granger urban fantasy series by E.J. Stevens!

This cover does a fantastic job of displaying Ivy Granger's growing proficiency with knives. It also gives us a sneak peek at the horrors that Ivy must face in Tech Duinn, on her way to Faerie.

What do you think of the cover?

Birthright (Ivy Granger #4) by E.J. Stevens


Being a faerie princess isn't all it's cracked up to be...

Ivy must go to Faerie, but the gateway to the Wisp Court is through Tech Duinn, the house of Donn—Celtic god of the dead. Just her luck.

Unable to share her secret with Jinx, and with Jenna called away on Hunters' Guild business, Ivy must rely on Ceff and Torn to lead her to Death's door, literally, and back again. As if that wasn't dangerous enough, there's no saying what horrors lay in store within the Faerie realm. Too bad the Wisp Court is the one lead Ivy has in the search for her father—and possible salvation.

Maybe hiding away and dodging sidhe assassins isn't so bad after all...

Release Date: July 14, 2015

Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Add to Goodreads.

About the Ivy Granger Series

The Ivy Granger series is an urban fantasy series written by E.J. Stevens. The series is told in the first-person point of view of Ivy Granger, a psychic detective with ties to the paranormal underworld of Harborsmouth--ties that ensnare Ivy and her friend Jinx in the Machiavellian schemes of the city's teeming population of bloodsucking vampires and psychotic faeries.

Books in this series: Shadow Sight (Ivy Granger #1), Blood and Mistletoe
(Ivy Granger #1.5), Ghost Light (Ivy Granger #2), Club Nexus (Ivy
Granger #2.5), Burning Bright (Ivy Granger #3).

About the Author

E.J. Stevens is the author of the Spirit Guide young adult series and the bestselling Ivy Granger urban fantasy series. When E.J. isn't at her writing desk she enjoys dancing along seaside cliffs, singing in graveyards, and sleeping in faerie circles. E.J. currently resides in a magical forest on the coast of Maine where she finds daily inspiration for her writing.

Connect with E.J. on Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, and on her Blog.



We are celebrating this cover reveal with a fantastic Birthright giveaway...

Cover Reveal Giveaway

We are giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card, Birthright mini-poster, and signed Birthright postcard to one lucky winner. 



To enter, please use the Rafflecopter form below.  This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.  Giveaway begins Friday,
February 13th and ends Friday, February 27th.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Friday the 13th!

Hunting In Bruges Release Party & Giveaway!!!

Today is the release of HUNTING IN BRUGES, the first novel in the Hunters' Guild urban fantasy series by E.J. Stevens.  

 

To celebrate, we are having a book and swag giveaway!

Keep reading for a chance to win a Hunting in Bruges signed book, t-shirt, and more!

My Review

ARC Review: Hunting In Bruges by E.J. Stevens

Title: Hunting In Bruges

Author: E.J. Stevens

Series: Hunters' Guild, #1

 •Source: Author (Advance Reading Copy)
 •Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press
 •Publication Date: November 11, 2014

Opening Line: I've been seeing ghosts for as long as I can remember.

   

The only thing worse than being a Hunter in the fae-ridden city of Harborsmouth, is hunting vamps in Bruges.

Being shipped off to Belgium sucks. The medieval city of Bruges is quaint, but the local Hunters' Guild is understaffed, the canals are choked with dead bodies, and there's no shortage of supernatural
predators as likely suspects.

On second thought, maybe Bruges isn't so bad after all.

With a desire to prove herself, protect the innocent, and advance within the ranks of the Hunters' Guild, Jenna Lehane hits the cobbled streets of Bruges with blades at the ready. Someone, or something, is murdering tourists and dumping their bodies in the city's scenic canals. With the help of a mysterious stranger, Jenna begins to piece together clues that are dotted throughout the city like blood spatter.

Determined to stop the killings, Jenna delves into a bloody local history that only raises more questions--but some secrets are best left buried. Jenna must put her combat training to the test as she struggles to unearth the truth about an ancient enemy.

    

Cover Reveal: Hunting In Bruges

It's time for a cover reveal!  Feast your eyes on the cover for HUNTING IN BRUGES, the debut novel in the Hunters' Guild urban fantasy series by E.J. Stevens. See the blurb in the bottom left? That's ME! How unbelievably cool is that?

Keep reading for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Hunting in Bruges (Hunters' Guild #1) by E.J. Stevens.



The only thing worse than being a Hunter in the fae-ridden city of Harborsmouth, is hunting vamps in Bruges.



Being shipped off to Belgium sucks. The medieval city of Bruges is quaint, but the local Hunters' Guild is understaffed, the canals are choked with dead bodies, and there's no shortage of supernatural
predators as likely suspects.



On second thought, maybe Bruges isn't so bad after all.



With a desire to prove herself, protect the innocent, and advance within the ranks of the Hunters' Guild, Jenna Lehane hits the cobbled streets of Bruges with blades at the ready. Someone, or something, is murdering tourists and dumping their bodies in the city's scenic canals.  With the
help of a mysterious stranger, Jenna begins to piece together clues that are dotted throughout the city like blood spatter.



Determined to stop the killings, Jenna delves into a bloody local history that only raises more questions--but some secrets are best left buried. Jenna must put her combat training to the test as she struggles to unearth the truth about an ancient enemy.

Hunting in Bruges is the first novel in the Hunters' Guild urban fantasy series set in the world of Ivy Granger.

Release Date:  November 11, 2014

Genre:  Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Pre-order on Amazon.

Add to Goodreads.

About the Hunters' Guild Series

The Hunters' Guild series is an urban fantasy series written by E.J. Stevens and set in the world of Ivy Granger.  The series is told in the first-person point-of-view of Jenna Lehane, a Hunter with a troubled past, a proficiency with weapons, and an intolerance for monsters who target the innocent.

About the Author

E.J. Stevens is the author of the Spirit Guide young adult series, the bestselling Ivy Granger urban fantasy series, and the Hunters' Guild urban fantasy series.  When E.J. isn't at her writing desk she enjoys dancing along seaside cliffs, singing in graveyards, and sleeping in faerie circles.  E.J. currently resides in a magical forest on the coast of Maine where she finds daily inspiration for her writing.

Hunting in Bruges Cover Reveal Giveaway

The author is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky winner!

To enter, use the Rafflecopter form below.  This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.  Giveaway ends October 7, 2014.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think of the cover?

ARC Review: Burning Bright by E.J. Stevens

Title: Burning Bright

Author: E.J. Stevens

Series: Ivy Granger, #3

 •Source: Author (Advance Reading Copy)
 •Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press
 •Publication Date: June 17, 2014

Opening Line: Ever play whack-a-mole with a jincan?


   

Burning down the house...

Things are not going well at the offices of Private Eye. Jinx is having demon problems, the city is overrun with pyromaniacal imps, and Ivy's wisp powers are burning out of control, attracting the attention of both the Seelie and Unseelie courts.

Along came a faerie queen... It's the worst possible time for the Green Lady to call in a favor, but Ivy's bound by her deal with the glaistig. Too bad there's no wiggle room in faerie bargains.

Ivy must rid the city of imps, keep Jinx from murdering her one solid link to Hell, and fulfill her bargain with the Green Lady–—with sidhe assassins hot on her tail.

Just another day's work for Ivy Granger, psychic detective.

     
    

Burning Bright Release Party

Today we are celebrating the release of BURNING BRIGHT, the third full-length novel in the Ivy Granger urban fantasy series by E.J. Stevens.  

 

Let's party!

We have two very special book excerpts to share with you and, of course, A GIVEAWAY!  Keep reading for a chance to win.

Burning Bright (Ivy Granger #3)
by E.J. Stevens

Burning
down the house...

Things are not going well at the offices of Private Eye. Jinx is having demon problems, the city is overrun with pyromaniacal imps, and Ivy's wisp powers are burning out of control, attracting the attention of both the Seelie and Unseelie courts.

Along came a faerie queen... It's the worst possible time for the Green Lady to call in a favor, but Ivy's bound by her deal with the glaistig. Too bad there's no wiggle room in faerie bargains.

Ivy must rid the city of imps, keep Jinx from murdering her one solid link to Hell, and fulfill her bargain with the Green Lady--with sidhe assassins hot on her tail.

Just another day's work for Ivy Granger, psychic detective.

Release Date: June 17, 2014

Genre:  Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Add to Goodreads.

Previous books in this series: 

Shadow Sight (Ivy Granger #1), 

Blood and Mistletoe (Ivy Granger #1.5), 

Ghost Light (Ivy Granger #2), 

Club Nexus (Ivy Granger #2.5).

Burning Bright available now on Amazon, Amazon.UK, Smashwords, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, and other fine retailers.

Book Excerpt #1 (Ivy gets wet.)

My first impression of Emain Ablach was that it was wet.  Very, very wet.  But I didn’t have much time to think about that fact.  I was too busy drowning.

I struggled to swim to the surface—wherever the hell that was—the weight of my clothes, leather jacket, and weapons weighing me down.  My lungs burned and my brain screamed at me to find a way out of this wet torment.  I needed air, badly.

I forced my eyes open, salt and whatever else was in the water burning like acid, but being able to see my surroundings didn’t help matters. It did, however, make me glad for quick reflexes and muscle memory.

At the first sign of my assassin stalkers, back in a Harborsmouth alley, I’d grabbed one of my throwing knives.  I may not be able to throw it now, not in this water, but the pressure of the blade in my gloved hand made it easier to face the grinning corpses smiling back at me.

There were hundreds of them.

Bloated bodies in every state of decomposition drifted at the ends of  seaweed infested chains that rose up from the ocean floor.  I would have assumed that the people on the ends of those chains were dead, a warning to anyone foolish enough to trespass here, except for the hands reaching outward and the curve of their rotting lips.

Grins like frightened, blue worms curled up toward vacant eyes.  The eyes, or what was left of them, were coated in a white film and looked as though they’d been nibbled on by grazing fish.  The chained corpses may not be able to see, but I had no doubt that they could sense my presence.  Their hands clawed at the water and their faces were all turned in my direction.  Perhaps they could scent me, like sharks on a blood trail.

Now that was a cheery thought.

I kicked away, trying to put more distance between myself and the grasping dead.  I recoiled as my boot hit something squishy.  Mab’s bones, I didn’t realize there was a chained corpse that close to where I swam.  I did not want to touch these things or the chains that bound them.  Those were visions I’d never survive.

The delay alone would kill me.

Heart pounding, I propelled myself upward, but I had a nagging suspicion that I wasn’t going to make it.  I’d sunk too deep into this watery hell.  Already my lungs burned and dizziness sent my head spinning like a ride on an otherworldly merry go round.  My limbs were cold and heavy and I could barely feel the knife in my hand.

How ironic would it be to die here, within spitting distance of a tree that grew magical apples capable of reviving the dead?

Air bubbles sprung from my nose and I fought not to breathe.  Inhaling water would mean my death.  I made one more sluggish stroke through the water and felt strong hands grip my waist and haul me upward.  I was sailing through the water, away from greedy hands and the hundreds of faces that grinned hungrily after me.

My rescuer was a strong swimmer and I doubted Torn would have gone to so much trouble to save me.  I felt a tingle of energy zing through my system, helping me to hold onto the slippery tendrils of consciousness. Ceff, it had to be Ceff.

I gasped as my head broke the surface of the water, gulping air and choking on a mouthful of water.  I coughed up phlegm and who knows what else—with those corpses steeping down below, I didn’t want to think  about it—and pushed wet, bedraggled hair from my face.  I was alive, but it wasn’t pretty.

I grimaced and pushed the floating evidence of my humiliating coughing fit away.  Ceff had a grip on my jacket, still helping to keep my head above the water’s surface.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

With his wet hair slicked back from large, dark green eyes and his chiseled jaw, he looked gorgeous.  He was completely in his element here, unlike his half-drowned girlfriend.

“I just swallowed a gallon of salty corpse tea and sea monkeys,” I said, a rueful grin on my face.  “I’ve been better.”

Burning Bright Release Party Giveaway

We are giving away SIX Ebook copies of BURNING BRIGHT by E.J. Stevens.



To enter, please use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form below.  This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.  Giveaway ends July 2nd.



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Learn more about the Ivy Granger urban fantasy series by visiting the Official Ivy Granger Website.

Thank you for partying with us!

Release Blitz & Giveaway: Walk On The Striped Side by Jessie Lane

We are incredibly excited to share with you the second book in Jessie Lane's Big Bad Bite paranormal romance series, WALK ON THE STRIPED SIDE. Out today!

Title: Walk On The Striped Side

Series: Big Bad Bite #2

Author: Jessie Lane

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publication Date: February 24, 2014

Goodreads ♦ Shelfari ♦ LibraryThing

Amazon ♦ Barnes & Noble ♦ AllRomanceEbooks

Does he have his claws in her for good?
Or is she just yanking his tail?

Elena Demos’s life has been turned upside down. Her mother has passed away, leaving Elena and her two half-sisters to deal with their mother’s will and the crazy stipulations it contains. For the three sisters to inherit the substantial amount of money left behind, they have to go to work with two aunts they’ve never met, in the family business they’ve known nothing about, Amazons Inc. If that isn’t bad enough, she runs into the man who once broke her heart, and it’s only their first day on the job.

Gage Ivanov is a stupid beast. He let the woman who should be his mate go because she couldn't be told of his Other identity. Now, Elena’s back, but she refuses to give in to his demands for her to be his mate. The timing for all of this couldn’t be worse, either, because Gage and his circle of friends are trying to subdue a rogue pack of wolf shifters in Germany who threaten to out the Others to the world of humans. Will he be able to juggle the oncoming conflict and win back his mate?

Claws, love bites and handcuffs - OH MY!

Review: Club Nexus by E.J. Stevens

Title: Club Nexus

Author: E.J. Stevens

Series: Ivy Granger, #2.5

 •Source: Author
 •Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press
 •Publication Date: December 3, 2013

Opening Line: Welcome to Club Nexus, a singular entertainment experience deep in the heart of Harborsmouth.

  

A demon, an Unseelie faerie, and a vampire walk into a bar...

ICED
A bargain gone wrong leads a highborn Unseelie faerie to life as an enslaved bartender with a taste for revenge.

DUSTED
Being a highly skilled predator doesn't necessarily put you at the top of the food chain at Club Nexus. A southern vampire with a hankering for blood and wanton violence may have bit off more than he can chew.

DEMONIZED
The demon attorney we love to hate has his eye on a certain rockabilly human. Too bad she's brought a crossbow loaded with holy water dipped bolts for this night on the town.

JINXED
Just when Jinx needs a carefree girl's night out with Ivy, a smoking hot demon tries to buy her a drink. She really is the unluckiest human on the planet.