Friday, April 27, 2012

THE LIFEBOAT: A REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED 
THE LIFEBOAT
BY CHARLOTTE ROGAN
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Grace Winter, 22, is both a newlywed and a widow. She is also on trial for her life.

In the summer of 1914, the elegant ocean liner carrying her and her husband Henry across the Atlantic suffers a mysterious explosion. Setting aside his own safety, Henry secures Grace a place in a lifeboat, which the survivors quickly realize is over capacity. For any to live, some must die.

As the castaways battle the elements, and each other, Grace recollects the unorthodox way she and Henry met, and the new life of privilege she thought she'd found. Will she pay any price to keep it?

The Lifeboat is a page-turning novel of hard choices and survival, narrated by a woman as unforgettable and complex as the events she describes.

PRAISE FOR THE LIFEBOAT:
“…with echoes of Joseph Conrad, Lord of the Flies and the Ancient Mariner. Rogan has waited until her fifties to publish her first novel and the wait has paid off. It is that rare thing — a book that is as compelling as it is profound.” --THE SUNDAY TIMES

“a dark, brutal novel” that is also “vividly exciting, beautifully paced and surprisingly funny.”--Justine Jordan, THE GUARDIAN

“Perhaps only fiction can tackle the moral dilemmas braided into the survivor’s tale. A compelling and disquieting first novel, The Lifeboat, by Charlotte Rogan (Virago), addresses this question with a rich, enthralling subtlety.” --Robert McCrum, THE OBSERVER

AN EXCERPT FROM THE LIFEBOAT:
We passed jagged splinters of wood and half-submerged barrels and snakelike lengths of twisted rope. I recognized a deck chair and a straw hat and what looked like a child’s doll floating together, bleak reminders of the pretty weather we had experienced only that morning and of the holiday mood that had pervaded the ship. When we came upon three smaller casks bobbing in a group, Mr. Hardie shouted “Aha!” and directed the men to take two of them on board, then stored them underneath the triangular seat formed by the pointed aft end of the boat. He assured us they contained fresh water and that once we had been saved from the vortex created by the foundering ship, we might need to be saved from thirst and starvation; but I could not think that far ahead. To my mind, the railing of our little vessel was already perilously close to the surface of the water, and I could only believe that to stop for anything at all would decrease our chances of reaching that critical distance from the sinking ship.

There were bodies floating in the water, too, and living people clung to the wreckage—I saw another mother and child, the white-faced child holding out its hands toward me and screaming. To finish reading this excerpt, visit Charlotte Rogan's website HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Charlotte Rogan graduated from Princeton University in 1975. She worked at various jobs, mostly in the fields of architecture and engineering, before teaching herself to write and staying home to bring up triplets. An old criminal law text and her childhood experiences among a family of sailors provided inspiration for The Lifeboat, her first novel. After many years in Dallas and a year in Johannesburg, she and her husband now live in Westport, Connecticut.
MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
THE LIFEBOAT by Charlotte Rogan would not be my typical choice in a book to read but when I read the premise of passengers in lifeboats and how they survive, it caught my attention. I thought it would be an interesting character study and indeed that is what Rogan did with it.

The book begins in New York with Grace Winter and two other women passengers from the lifeboat. They were all charged with murder and while Grace pleads not guilty, the other two women plead self-defense. With Grace’s lawyer instructing her to write down all that she remembers before she must stand trial, the story then is told as if taken daily from Grace’s journal and written from her point of view.

1914 finds Grace, newly married to Henry, a wealthy American, aboard the Empress Alexandra that catches fire while out to sea and sinks.  Obviously Grace survives as she is telling the story but what really happens to everyone else and while on the lifeboat is VERY slowly revealed through Grace‘s narrative. Charlotte Rogan did a fine job creating the setting of the story through the use of mental images that you can easily envision.

How the story ends was interesting as were the characters. However, I thought things slowed down a bit in the middle and lacked sufficient action to keep a reader totally involved. Luckily, the characters are interesting enough that it kept me reading because it then picked up speed once more. I did find it frustrating that certain obvious things that are hinted at are never revealed. I think more about Grace and Henry’s love prior to the accident might have helped me to care more about what happened to Henry. Overall, I was satisfied with THE LIFEBOAT but it didn’t motivate me to want to plan any kind of voyage too soon for more than one reason. 

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO ANNA AND MY GOOD FRIENDS
AT LITTLE BROWN WITH HACHETTE BOOKS,
I HAVE ONE COPY OF THIS WONDERFUL
BOOK TO GIVE AWAY TO A FOLLOWER
 
--U.S. AND CANADIAN RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE

--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT

--ALL ENTRIES/COMMENTS MUST BE
 

SEPARATE IN ORDER TO COUNT
AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT THE LIFEBOAT THAT WOULD MAKE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW IN THE ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING ON CHARLOTTE ROGAN'S WEBSITE HERE

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE OTHER CURRENT GIVEAWAY YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU CAN COMMENT ON EACH ON SEPARATELY AND GAIN MORE ENTRIES THAT WAY 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY
 
GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, MAY 15
GOOD LUCK!

189 comments:

debbie said...

I would really like to read why they would be charged with murder.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

debbie said...

I am a email subscriber.
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debbie said...

I am a gfc follower
debbie
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

holdenj said...

I actually just looked at this the other day. A little concerned at the VERY slow part, but it does look like it could be an engrossing read. Thanks!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

Charlotte "transitioned" to author at 57.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I am an email subscriber.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

CMash said...

I'm not entering the giveaway, because I have read it, but wanted to leave a comment regarding your review. I hope that just posting a comment will interfere in the giveaway.

I totally agree with you about this book. Our reviews sound almost alike, same thoughts and why. Great review and post.

Margie said...

Sounds intriguing...about difficult choices and their outcome. Thanks for the giveaway.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

Margie said...

The author is the mother of triplets.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

Margie said...

Facebook fan
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Margie said...

follow by Networked Blogs
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Margie said...

follow by GFC
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Margie said...

FB-1
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FB-4
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FB-5
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Margie said...

entered Come Home
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Margie said...

entered Hounds Abound
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Margie said...

entered Heft
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Margie said...

entered Italian Diet
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Margie said...

entered Dread on Arrival
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Charleydog said...

The Lifeboat is current with national interest; April 15 was the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.

pboylecharley AT hotmail DOT com

traveler said...

This novel sounds fascinating. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I am an e-mail subscriber. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

lag123 said...

I have this one on my wishlist. You never know what you would do until faced with this situation.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

traveler said...

The author is a mother of triplets. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I entered Italian Diet. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I entered Heroes for my daughter. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

lag123 said...

Tweeted: https://mobile.twitter.com/#!/lag32583/status/195874235959345153

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traveler said...

I entered Gossip. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

lag123 said...

I loved reading all the advanced praise on the author's website.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

I entered the Heros For My Daughter giveaway.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

I entered the Gossip giveaway.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

I entered the Come Home giveaway.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

I entered the The Cowboy Takes ABride giveaway.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

I entered the Hounds Abound giveaway.

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petite said...

A tale that is captivating. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

lag123 said...

I entered the Heft giveaway.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

petite said...

Entered The Italian Diet. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

lag123 said...

I entered the Another Piece Of My Heart giveaway.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

petite said...

Entered Heroes for my Daughter. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

lag123 said...

I entered the Dread On Arrival giveaway.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

Jolee said...

The premise of survival in a lifeboat and the moral dilemmas faced therein is intriguing.....joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot] net

lag123 said...

I entered the The Thirteen giveaway.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

petite said...

Entered Heft. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

Jolee said...

Enjoyed looking at all the reviews/interviews/etc from her website. joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot] net

Colleen Turner said...

This book sounds fascinating to me! I really want to know what happened on that boat...why would the women be charged with murder after a sinking? Thanks for the chance to win a copy!
candc320@gmail.com

petite said...

Entered Gossip. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

Jolee said...

follow on gfc joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot] net

Jolee said...

email subscriber joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot] net

Colleen Turner said...

I went to the author's website and really enjoyed looking at her bookshelf...she has some really great books on the list and I am intrigued to give a few I hadn't heard of a look-see!
candc320@gmail.com

petite said...

The author is talented and the praise is wonderful. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

Colleen Turner said...

I entered the Gossip giveaway.
candc320@gmail.com

Colleen Turner said...

I entered the Heft giveaway.
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Colleen Turner said...

I am a GFC follower (Colleen Turner).
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Colleen Turner said...

I am an email subscriber.
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Colleen Turner said...

I am a Networked Blogs follower (Colleen Turner).
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Colleen Turner said...

I am a Facebook follower (Colleen Turner).
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lag123 said...

I subscribe via email.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

Colleen Turner said...

I follow you on Goodreads (Colleen Turner).
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Colleen Turner said...

+5 swagbucks #1.
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Colleen Turner said...

+5 swagbucks #2.
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Colleen Turner said...

+5 swagbucks #3.
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lag123 said...

I subscribe via google reader.

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Colleen Turner said...

+5 swagbucks #4.
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Colleen Turner said...

+5 swagbucks #5.
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Colleen Turner said...

+5 April Facebook bonus #1.
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lag123 said...

I follow via GFC.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

Colleen Turner said...

+5 April Facebook bonus #2.
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Colleen Turner said...

+5 April Facebook bonus #3.
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Colleen Turner said...

+5 April Facebook bonus #4.
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Colleen Turner said...

+5 April Facebook bonus #5.
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lag123 said...

I follow via networked blogs.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

I follow via twitter: @lag32583

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

I follow via FB: Lisa Holmes Garrett

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

2. +5 April Facebook

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lag123 said...

4. 1. +5 April Facebook

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lag123 said...

5. +5 April Facebook

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Jolee said...

entered gossip joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot] net

Jolee said...

entered heroes for my daughter joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot] net

Jolee said...

entered come home joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot] net

Jolee said...

entered cowboy takes a bride joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot] net

Jolee said...

enteerd heft joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot] net

Jolee said...

entered another pice of my heart joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot] net

Sara said...

Tweeted @SaraClifton416

sari.becca(at)gmail(dot)com

Sara said...

I am interested in this book because it bears some similarities with other sea-faring tales.

sari.becca(at)gmail(dot)com

Sara said...

I follow your blog using Google Reader.

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Unknown said...

I really want to read this book. It sounds like a very interesting read. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

Anonymous said...

I want to see how Grace ends up on trial for her life.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Sue Farrell said...

I am an email subscriber.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Sue Farrell said...

I follow on twitter as @Suekey12.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Linda Kish said...

I want to know what happened to the others and why the murder charge.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

I liked her sharing of her personal bookshelf favorites.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

I am an RSS subscriber

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

+5 April facebook
1
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Linda Kish said...

+5 April facebook
2
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Linda Kish said...

+5 April facebook
3
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Unknown said...

The premise of this book, specifically the shipwreck and Grace being charged with murder got my attention and I wanted to know more. What did she do, what happened to the ship etc. And then this bit of review:
“a dark, brutal novel” that is also “vividly exciting, beautifully paced and surprisingly funny.”--Justine Jordan, THE GUARDIAN makes this sound like a riveting book I want to read!

Aimala127(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

Charlotte Rogan's website opens with a wonderful, page-size image of the book's cover. Additionally the "News and Events" page has some wonderful reviews and also includes, at the bottom, a great list of 'images and downloads' related to the book.

Aimala127(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

I entered the giveaway for Heft

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Unknown said...

I entered the giveaway for Gossip

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Unknown said...

I'm a GFC follower (Amy)

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Unknown said...

I follw on Facebook (Amy Meyer)

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Unknown said...

I am a Networked Blogs follower (Amy)

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Unknown said...

I subscribe via email (Aimala02@yahoo.com)


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rubynreba said...

The characters sound interesting and I want to find out how the story ends!
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

rubynreba said...

+5 April facebook
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rubynreba said...

+5 April facebook 4
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rubynreba said...

GFC Follower
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rubynreba said...

entered Capitol Murder
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mamabunny13 said...

The cover is very beautiful. I loved the review and am intrigued!
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mamabunny13 said...

#2 +5 April Facebook
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mamabunny13 said...

#4 +5 April Facebook
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mamabunny13 said...

I like you on fb-mamabunny shelor
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mamabunny13 said...

I follow by reader
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mamabunny13 said...

I read on her website that an old criminal law text and her childhood experiences in a family of sailors gave inspiration for The Lifeboat, which is her first novel.
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mamabunny13 said...

enter GOSSIP
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mamabunny13 said...

enter COME HOME
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mamabunny13 said...

enter THE COWBOY TAKES A BRIDE mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

mamabunny13 said...

enter HOUNDS ABOUND
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mamabunny13 said...

enter HEFT
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mamabunny13 said...

enter ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

mamabunny13 said...

enter DREAD ON ARRIVAL
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mamabunny13 said...

enter AGENT 6
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mamabunny13 said...

enter PUMPED FOR MURDER
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Anonymous said...

this sounds very interesting! a lifeboat too full with people
gkuroda(at)gmail.com

Darlene said...

I entered the "What It Was" audiobook giveaway.

darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com

Darlene said...

I love survival stories, so it sounds like something that I would enjoy.

Thanks for the giveaway!

darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com

Darlene said...

+1 following on GFC (Darlene)

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Darlene said...

+1 following by RSS:

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Darlene said...

+1 following you on Facebook
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Darlene said...

+1 following on Networked Blogs
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Darlene said...

+1 following you on Twitter
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holdenj said...

I entered Angel of the Dark.
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Darlene said...

+1 email subscriber

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Darlene said...

+1 for tweeting:

https://twitter.com/#!/DarleneBookNook/status/198760931008843776

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Darlene said...

I entered the Agent 6 audiobook giveaway.

darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com

holdenj said...

I entered Pumped for Murder.
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LAMusing said...

I've always been fascinated by how people behave under pressure - and a shipwreck qualifies. Isn't there a movie "Lifeboat"?
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

LAMusing said...

+5 MAY FACEBOOK (1)
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LAMusing said...

+5 MAY FACEBOOK (2)
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LAMusing said...

+5 MAY FACEBOOK (3)
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LAMusing said...

+5 MAY FACEBOOK (4)
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LAMusing said...

+5 MAY FACEBOOK (5)
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LAMusing said...

Entered Dread on Arrival
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LAMusing said...

I follow you on GFC
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Follow you on Twitter
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Like you on Facebook
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LAMusing said...

Entered Pumped for Murder
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LAMusing said...

Entered Agent 6
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Norma said...

The comment that it echoes Lord of the Flies was enough to make me want to read it
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Norma said...

I follow you publicly on GFC
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norma said...

I entered the Pumped for Murder giveaway
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Pat L. said...

Want to find out more about the main characters and like a tale of survival.

patoct@yahoo.com

Pat L. said...

I am a gfc follower.
patoct@yahoo.com

Pat L. said...

I am an email follower.
patoct@yahoo.com

Pat L. said...

Entered The Thirteen.
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Pat L. said...

Entered Dread on Arrival.
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Pat L. said...

Entered Deadly Grind.
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holdenj said...

I entered A Deadly Grind.
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holdenj said...

I entered A Land More Kind Than Home.
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misskallie2000 said...

With the Titanic story still in my mind I would love to read The Life Boat and see how this story evolves.

misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

misskallie2000 said...

Tweeted
https://twitter.com/#!/misskallie2000/status/201393277046493184

misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

misskallie2000 said...

Looing at the drawing of the life boat and measurements, I don't see how it held 39 people without sinking.

misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

misskallie2000 said...

Entered Dread on Arrival giveaway

misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

misskallie2000 said...

Entered The Thirteen giveaway.

misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

misskallie2000 said...

Old follower via GFC

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misskallie2000 said...

Old email subscriber

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misskallie2000 said...

Old Networked blogs follower(Brenda Hill)

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misskallie2000 said...

Old FB friend(Brenda B. Hill)

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misskallie2000 said...

Follow with RSS google reader

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misskallie2000 said...

Like on FB (Brenda B. Hill #1

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misskallie2000 said...

Like on FB (Brenda B. Hill #2

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misskallie2000 said...

Like on FB (Brenda B. Hill #3

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misskallie2000 said...

Like on FB (Brenda B. Hill #4

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misskallie2000 said...

Like on FB (Brenda B. Hill) #5

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holdenj said...

I entered Brownies and Broomsticks.
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rubynreba said...

Entered Dread on Arrival
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rubynreba said...

Entered A Dog's Journey
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rubynreba said...

Entered Agent 6
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rubynreba said...

Entered Secrets of the Black Box
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rubynreba said...

Entered Letter From a Stranger
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Entered More Like Her
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rubynreba said...

Entered A Deadly Grind
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rubynreba said...

Entered The Big Kitty
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rubynreba said...

Engered Against the Night
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rubynreba said...

Entered Brownies & Broomsticks
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Karin said...

It sounds fascinating--what with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's sinking this year-- these kinds of books are very compelling. A must read!



karin56381 (at) gmail.com

Karin said...

Entered the Dread on Arrival giveaway

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