Hollywood Special Effects Master Ray Harryhausen Dies at 92

Hollywood special effects master Harryhausen dies at 92 (via AFP)

US-born "king of stop-motion animation" and special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen died aged 92 in London on Tuesday, his family announced. Hollywood tributes flooded in for Oscar-winner Harryhausen, who is best known for his work on "Jason and the Argonauts" and "Clash of the Titans". "Ray has been…

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Children Book Tour: 'Sewing a Friendship' by Natalie Tinti

Today, we're hosting a very different Book Tour stop than usual as it is about a children's book... But, it's not just the fact that 'Sewing a Friendship' by Natalie Tinti is a children's book that makes this Book Tour different from the usuals ones we've been hosting in the past, it's also because its writer, Natalie Tinti, is probably the youngest author (and illustrator) ever that we had have the honour and privilege to host a Book Tour for at LoupDargent.info.

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

Book Tour: 'The McKenzie Files' by Barry K. Nelson

Apparently, this sunny weekend can't be a perfect British bank holiday weekend without us hosting at least two Book Tour stops during it.. So, today, we're hosting the second one and it's about The McKenzie Files', a Science Fiction novel written by Barry K. Nelson. And, of course, the fact that it's a Sci-Fi book is by itself a bonus and adds to this weekend's perfection as well. Results!

There is a Book Excerpt for you guys to read and, as usual, some bits of info about the book and its author.

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

Book Tour: 'The Sacrificed' by Jordan Link [Giveaway Included]

We love books so much at LoupDargent.info that we're even hosting Book Tour stops during a Bank Holiday weekend... That's how much we love books, yep.

Then again, today's one is about 'The Sacrificed', a newly released Young Adult Fantasy novel written by Jordan Link and includes, among other bit of info, a Book Trailer and a Giveaway. See that as a late "May the Fourth" present (even so it's not Star Wars related) if you want...

I know that's another Book Tour stop you'll like reading.

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

5 Of The Hottest Female Gamers

Some treat the concept of hottest female gamers with a certain amount of derision. Even so, it’s hard to deny the appeal of beautiful people who just happen to love video games. And this isn’t just about models pretending to play Call of Duty or World of Warcraft. This is about hardcore female gamers who just happen to be very easy on the eyes.

PLO Slams Israel Over Treatment of Palestinian Christians

PLO slams Israel over treatment of Palestinian Christians (via AFP)

The Palestine Liberation Organisation denounced Israel for causing "countless difficulties" for Palestinian Christians and Muslims to reach their holy sites as Orthodox Christians held the "Holy Fire" ceremony in Jerusalem Saturday on the eve of Orthodox Easter. "It is not only that Israel has isolated…

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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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