Today, Living Fictitiously would like to welcome AJ Aalto as our guest today! I am super excited to see what she has for us because, well, not only is she the AWESOME author of the AMAZING
Touched,
The Marnie Baranuik Files book 1, but she is totally crazy and fun! I think you are all really going to enjoy this. First, a little bit about Ms. Aalto:
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AJ Aalto is the author of
Touched, first in the paranormal mystery series
The Marnie Baranuik Files. Aalto is an unrepentant liar and a writer of blathering nonsense offset by factual gore. When not working on her novels, you can find her singing old Monty Python songs in the shower, eavesdropping on perfect strangers, stalking her eye doctor, or failing at one of her many fruitless hobbies. Generally a fan of anyone with a passion for the ridiculous, she has a particular weak spot for smug pseudo-intellectuals and narcissistic jerks; readers will find her work littered with dark, imperfect creatures, flawed monsters and oodles of snark.
Touched is available for
Kindle or
Nook.
AJ cannot say no to a Snickers bar, and has been known to swallow her gum.
So, without further ado.... I give you.... Ms. AJ Aalto!!!
The Best Christmas
Gift I’ve Ever Received
When I was young, I grew up in a home where dad worked and
mum stayed home and raised the kids; my mum usually picked out all our
Christmas presents and dad paid. When I was 13, however, my dad went and picked
out a gift for me on his own: a Stephen King novel. If my memory serves, it was
Skeleton Crew. My mum was properly horrified, but I was over the moon. I was
finally old enough to read grown-up horror novels, this gift said, but not only
that: I was finally old enough to brave & enjoy the same kind of scares as
my dad, and that was just awesome.
AJ Aalto’s TOP 5
Gift Ideas
I love to give
homemade presents; when you put thought and effort into your gift, it shows.
With that in mind, I’d like to share with you my top 5 gift ideas for the
holidays.
1. Imperviousness.
Did I mention that I craft Undergarments of Invulnerability in my barn? Because
I totally do. They’re only $65,000/pair (save 10% if you buy my book) and come
in green, yellow, and Super-Villain grey. Made from pure Crazanium. The good
news is: they don’t have a single side effect…they have TONS of side effects (ex.
headaches, drowsiness, hot flashes, cold flashes, festering boils, foaming at
the mouth, sudden onset Tourette’s syndrome, bouts of random maniacal laughter,
delusions of grandeur, and eternal damnation of your soul.) Undergarments of
Invulnerability make spiffy gifts for the whole family.
2. Anti-Haunt Spray.
This is also something I make in my barn, from super-special condensed “magic air-flavoured
air” that ghosts just hate. But AJ, you say, I don’t need or want Anti-Haunt
Spray; no sane person does! Well, that’s where you are mistaken, Erroneous
McWrongpants. Everybody needs this. Localized residential hauntings are at an
all-time high (based on no studies done anywhere by anyone) and I don’t doubt
for a second that your home absolutely lousy
with ghosts. If you’re not on my Christmas list this year, you better see about
getting’ yourself some Anti-Haunt Spray.
3. Get Out of
Burglary Free coupon! Upon receipt of this coupon, I promise that I will
NOT break into your home for one (1) whole month, even though I totally dig
your new lamp, and think it would look better in my bedroom. This coupon
applies to one person per household. A popular gift! People always give me a
queasy sort of smile when they receive one.
4. Paranoid Fantasy
of the Month Club. A crazy upgrade from your run-of-the-mill Jelly of the
Month Club. I like to spoil my giftees with only the very BEST paranoia, and
achieve this by targeted, dedicated stalking with unpredictable shifts in
intensity (new and improved, now with extra-crunchy weirdness!) For some
reason, people don’t seem to appreciate this gift much, but it’s SUPER-fun to
give.
5. Books. I
genuinely, for realsies, buy a shitload (more than a basket but slightly less
than a bushel) of books as gifts, especially over the holiday season. 80% of
the gifts under my Christmas tree right now are suspiciously book-shaped. It’s
the gifts that AREN’T shaped like books that you wanna worry about.
*****
Ok, so I officially can't stop laughing! Thank you so much for joining us AJ! That is definitely the BEST "Top 5 Gift Ideas" we have ever had! You all can find AJ online at her website
www.ajaalto.com and connect with AJ on
Facebook or
Twitter.
If you guys haven't read the first book in AJ's
The Marnie Baranuik Files you DON'T want to miss it! I definitely recommend it as a gift for anyone who loves Supernatural and Urban Fantasy but is looking for a new twist. You can purchase
TOUCHED, Book 1 in
The Marnie Baranuik Files on
Amazon or
B&N.com. You can check out my review of
TOUCHED here.
As a special gift to all of our followers, two, that's right, 2 winners will receive an e-book of Touched! This giveaway is international and you must be at least 18 years old to enter! This is an adult book with adult themes. The giveaway will run from Dec. 17, 2012 until Midnight Dec. 31, 2013. Just enter through the Rafflecopter form below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
My favorite Christmas story is The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore. I grew up with my dad reading this to my sisters and me every Christmas. We always had a big Christmas party, and he would gather up all the kids and read The Night Before Christmas. The Magical Cut-Paper Edition, with illustrations by Niroot
Puttapipat did not come out until much later, but I love it. 
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