Blog Archives

Dream Girl Book Blast & Giveaway

4/28/2015

DREAM GIRL
by S.J. Lomas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
For Christine, dreams have never meant much. Until she meets Gabriel. Everyone thinks Christine should stay away from her new coworker at the library-thanks to his bad reputation-but when her dreams grow more vivid and she becomes entangled in a dangerous dream world with Gabriel every night, she can't stay away. Soon it's clear there is far more to dreams than Christine ever imagined, and now she's on the path to making the biggest, and strangest, decision of her life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
I should have tossed out a welcoming smile and a “Nice to meet you. Gotta run,” but the strong outline of his back did nothing to prepare me for the siren song of his front. Melancholy practically poured off him, nearly visible, yet transient as smoke. His tousled brown hair, square-ish face, Johnny Depp lips and intense brown eyes nearly knocked me backwards. In that brief instant of eye contact, I felt the disorienting fuzziness that comes between sleep and wakefulness. Tiny flecks of autumn amber sparkled in his eyes, beckoning me deeper. My lips parted, as if not under my control, and prepared to utter some sort of greeting but stopped. I noticed the slightest twinge in my brain.

Strange but not unpleasant, it felt like a warm breeze had just blown away a cobweb from my mind. Jarred by all these things happening in an instant, I turned away. Even so, I could feel his eyes on me as I fled. It made the entire length of my spine tingle.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

S.J. Lomas is a cheerful Michigan native who writes strange and somewhat dark stories. She is a wife, mother, librarian, and definitely a dreamer.

Readers can visit S.J. at her website: www.sjlomas.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SJLomas

Twitter: @SJLomasAuthor

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18133040-dream-girl

Personalized copies available from Blue Frogs Books : http://www.bluefrogbooksandmore.com/book/9780985956295

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Dream-Girl-S-J-Lomas/dp/0985956291/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425602607&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=dream+girl+s.j.+lomas

Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dream-girl-sj-lomas/1117170120?ean=9780985956295

Buy direct from the publisher:
http://scribe-publishing-company.myshopify.com/products/dream-girl

REVIEW QUOTES:

“Told in very short chapters with alternating points-of-view, Dream Girl tells an enticing story of friendship, adventure, and determining one’s path in life.”

- Randy-Lynne Wach

Review for San Francisco Book Review

“This part-adventure/part-romance will keep readers on the edge of their seats while trying to figure out where it all will end. This will appeal to fans of the Abandon series by Meg Cabot.”

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Moccasin Trace Tour & Giveaway

4/28/2015

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Follow the tour by clicking on the sidebar. Make sure to enter Rafflecoptor for a chance at $25 Amazon/BN giftcard.

BLURB:

… it was about the land…a tale of love and loss and hope…

“The most engaging and brilliantly crafted historical work since Margaret Mitchell’s great classic.”

Barbara Casey

Author, The Gospel According to Prissy

Hamilton Ingram looked out across the fertile Georgia bottomlands that were Moccasin Hollows, seeing holdings it had taken generations of Ingrams to build. No drop of slave sweat ever shed in its creation. It was about the land…his trust, his duty to preserve it for the generation of Ingrams to come…

It is July of 1859, a month of sweltering dog days and feverish emotional bombast. Life is good for widower Rundell Ingram and his Hazel-eyed, roan-haired son, Hamilton. Between the two of them, they take care of Moccasin Hollows, their rustic dogtrot ancestral home, a sprawling non-slave plantation in the rolling farming country outside Queensborough Towne in east Georgia. Adjoining Ingram lands is Wisteria Bend, the vast slave-holding plantation of Andrew and Corinthia Greer, their daughter Sarah, and son Benjamin.

Both families share generations of long-accepted traditions, and childhood playmates are no longer children. The rangy, even-tempered Norman-Scottish young Hamilton is smitten with Sarah, who has become an enticing capricious beauty—the young lovers more in love with each passing day, and only pleasant times ahead of them.

But a blood tide of war is sweeping across the South, a tide that might be impossible to stand before.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt One:

He took special care to have quiet times for Sarah, 'specially since night before last. He got real excited when she told him she might be with child again. She hadn't been sleeping well, often wanted him to rub her aching back. Now he knew why.

Threadbare clothes and unshorn hair gave Hamilton Bothington Graeme Ingram the look of a run-down, unkempt derelict instead of heir to one of the largest non-slave plantations in Saint George Parish. He ducked under what was left of the split-rail fence with its crooked corner post. Rails and most posts had long gone up in the smoke of hoards of campfires.

"Step wide." He reached back to help her through. "I don't want the mother of our children to step on a canebrake rattler catchin' sun on this fine day."

"Lord have mercy." Sarah clutched her bonnet in her hand so as not to get it snagged in the coiled tangle of wire. "I suppose it's up to me to get used to your hoverin' over me again."

"Yep," he grinned. "Reckon my favorite sweetheart will have to do just that."

"Your favorite sweetheart?" She giggled, wrinkled her nose at him. "Just listen to you and your Ingram fiddle-faddled talk."

He grinned as she brushed back strands of the golden hair Hamilton loved to run his fingers through. She gathered her mended skirt, slipped her hand into his, and quickly stepped wide over the fallen post.

"C'mon..." Her voice lilted soft, and she squeezed her grip on his hand. "Let's hurry."

Her singular tenderness refused to let the devastation around them blight their few alone-times. In the spoliation around them, such times when they managed to make it just the two of them held a more-than-special meaning.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
With postgraduate degrees and faculty appointments in several medical universities, Hawk MacKinney has taught graduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem. In addition to professional articles and texts on chordate neuroembryology, Hawk has authored several works of fiction.

Hawk began writing mysteries for his school newspaper. His works of fiction, historical love stories, science fiction and mystery-thrillers are not genre-centered, but plot-character driven, and reflect his southwest upbringing in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award, details the family bloodlines of his serial protagonist in the Craige Ingram Mystery Series… murder and mayhem with a touch of romance. Vault of Secrets, the first book in the Ingram series, was followed by Nymrod Resurrection, Blood and Gold, and The Lady of Corpsewood Manor. All have received national attention. Hawk’s latest release in the Ingram series is due out this fall with another mystery-thriller work out in 2014. The Bleikovat Event, the first volume in The Cairns of Sainctuarie science fiction series, was released in 2012.

"Without question, Hawk is one of the most gifted and imaginative writers I have had the pleasure to represent. His reading fans have something special to look forward to in the Craige Ingram Mystery Series. Intrigue, murder, deception and conspiracy--these are the things that take Hawk's main character, Navy ex-SEAL/part-time private investigator Craige Ingram, from his South Carolina ancestral home of Moccasin Hollow to the dirty backrooms of the nation's capital and across Europe and the Middle East."

Barbara Casey, President

Barbara Casey Literary Agency

www.hawkmackinney.net

http://www.amazon.com/Moccasin-Trace-Hawk-MacKinney/dp/1595072608/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400172529&sr=8-1&keywords=moccasin+trace

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moccasin-trace-hawk-mackinney/1008084042?ean=9781595072603

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A No Good Itch Author Interview & Giveaway

4/27/2015

23 Comments

The author will be awarding a Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7 + $25 Kindle GC (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter. Click on sidebar banner to follow the tour & improve your chances of winning.

Tell us about yourself:

I’m a lifelong lover of reading and writing and a single mom of a teen with autism. In one of my previous lives, I worked in the intelligence community for 20+ years. I started my career in the FBI as an intelligence operations specialist. Then I went into government contracting and served as a Senior Intelligence Officer on the joint staff. From there I worked for the U.S. Coast Guard Intelligence and the Office of the Director of National Security. It was this experience that led me to write the J.J. McCall series, which is based on an FBI agent that worked with.

I’m a professed nerd girl who loves all things Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Big Bang Theory. Writing, for me, has been like having kids. I don’t really remember much of my life before I gave birth to my son. Similarly, I don’t remember what life was like when I had “free” time before I became a writer. It’s truly what I love to do. It’s a choice I make every day and it’s a choice I never regret.
What was your first book?
I wrote my first novel under the pseudonym K.L. Brady called The Bum Magnet. It was a hilarious romantic comedy that poured out of me on the heels of break-up with boyfriend number too many. I was in a totally different head space then in which I basically was trying to find cathartic ways to get through my pain without beating myself up over my relationship mistakes. So, instead, I used my journals and my romantic lessons learned (from myself and others) and decided to laugh at my pain. Of course, I also changed the names to protect the innocent and the guilty. It’s probably one of my favorite books to this day (for me) because it was so pure, real…and raw. And just plain hilarious.

Describe your first break.
After I had written The Bum Magnet, I entered it into the now defunct Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, only making it through to the second round. Since this was my first attempt ever at writing a novel, I followed the lead of other writers and decided to try and get a literary agent and get published. Hundreds of rejections later I came to a crossroad—do I quit or do I find another way to get my work out there. When the dream of traditional publishing seemed out of my reach, I decided to self-publish. This was in 2009 when self-publishing was still frowned upon and the field of writers was much smaller so it was easy to stand out.

My book stood out—with the title, cover, and many thought it was very well written. Four months after self-publishing I received an email from a senior editor at a publishing house. Two months later I signed a 2-book deal with Simon & Schuster. That was a huge break for me, not in terms of runaway success but in terms of validating for me that I had talent. After being afraid to write a novel for almost 40 years, I needed the validation and I haven’t turned back yet.

What is your favorite genre to read? To write?
I love writing romance and romantic comedy. Even in my spy novels, there will always be strong elements of this because that’s where I got my start. But I do love the twists turns and surprises of the spy novel.

Are Happy Endings are must in your stories?
Yes. But happy is subjective for each character. Happy doesn’t always mean married with 2.5 kids and a dog. Sometimes it’s picking the right career. Sometimes it’s coming to terms with who you are or what you want to be. So, I do believe in writing happy endings but that will be different for each character.

What makes a protagonist interesting?
Flaws. Flaws. Flaws. A protagonist with no flaws is flat and uninteresting. Certainly nothing I’d like to read. When those flaws interfere with their ability to achieve the mission within a plot, it’s even better. Makes the stories more complex. I love complex stories and characters.

What is the best thing about being a writer?
Having a productive way to channel all the voices in my head. It’s a book or a mental health facility. I prefer books. But, seriously, I don’t know any greater pleasure than having a reader write me a letter about one of my books and tell me they couldn’t put it down…that they got mad, and yelled, and fussed, and screamed at the characters. Makes you think—how powerful is the pen?

What is the worst thing?
Not having the income to support doing it full time. When you become a writer, and you truly know there’s nothing else you’d rather do because it’s so fulfilling, then it really becomes all you want to do. Unfortunately, most writers will never be able to support themselves without holding full-time jobs as well. It means I have to fight to write every word. So, when you read one of my books, you know it was written for no other reason than the love of writing and a story I was burning to tell. There’s freedom in that, but it’s very hard to strike the balance that allows you to have two jobs—one you only have so you can do the other.

Pantser or plotter?
I used to be a diehard pantser. I fell for that fallacy that if you outline the work is not as authentic, that you should let your characters lead the way. When I started writing the spy novels which are so incredibly complex and weave together several subplots, outlining was the only way to avoid leaving strings of plot holes. What I realized is that outlining doesn’t have to stop me from being creative. If my character takes a turn that doesn’t follow the outline, then my job was to simply allow it and ignore the outline. But on days when my muse was on benders and I had no direction, outlines helped keep me productive. So, I’m a huge proponent of outlining now. For all of my books, including romance and young adult.

What do you see the direction of your future writing taking? What can we expect next? Give us a little taste.
Every direction my imagination takes me. This year I will release the 4th J.J. McCall novel and a romance novel under my pseudonym. After that, I have young adult, romance, and spy novels in the works for 2016.

Just for fun
Cat or dog person?
I love both…but I don’t own either. Although my ex-husband bought an English Mastiff, which is a 220-pound puppy that I just adore.

Favorite food?
Italian. Anything pasta or pizza related.

Favorite book?
Too many to name. Right now, I’m reading Being Steve Jobs, which is pretty good.

Favorite movie?
The Godfather

Favorite holiday?
Holidays are hard for me since my mother passed away. Once upon a time, it would’ve been Christmas.

Would you rather be the princess or the villain? Why?
A princess…only because I could never be the villain. Too sensitive and emotional for that.

Who has more fun, orcs or hobbits?
Hobbits—no contest.

BLURB:
IN THE GAME OF ESPIONAGE, SPY TAKES TRAITOR.

J.J. MCCALL TAKES OVER.

The FBI and Italian Mafia make strange bedfellows when a vicious Russian Organized crime figure, operating at the behest of Russian Intelligence, lands in The Big Apple. The Russian intelligence hench-man, infamously known as Mashkov, avenges the death of slain a Russian sleeper agent and accidentally hits the son of an Italian crime boss, sending J.J. and Task Force Phantom Hunter to the streets of New York. They are stepping into a possible war between Russian and Italian organized crime factions, while trying to dismantle the financial hub of the most insidious Russian illegals network in U.S. History.

Meanwhile, CIA Case Officer Grayson “Six” Chance is in Moscow trying to capture a fugitive American who has stolen White House intelligence and is planning to pass it to the Russians—putting Six in a moral dilemma he may not be prepared to handle.

And when J.J. finally learns the truth surrounding her mother's death in the line of duty, her life may never be the same.

If you enjoy this book, you will love Book 1--The Seven Year Itch (A J.J. McCall Novel) and Book 2 -- Son of a Itch (A J.J. McCall Novel).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Excerpt Two:

The Sheriffs walked J.J. and Tony through a series of security doors until they reached the interrogation room. They left their overcoats with their escorts and tugged their suit jackets straight before entering. The sight of Kendell Phillips’ murderer shrouded in orange and shackled at the hands and feet gave J.J. a burst of pleasure she hadn’t felt since her early morning romp with Tony. A reddish blue bruise circled his eye and spread to the cap of his jaw. His gaze disintegrated under the weight of her glare and fell to his twiddling thumbs. She prepared to speak when an overwhelming scent jarred her senses—the smell of contemptible swine.

“My, my, my,” J.J. said to Maddix. “What an ugly fall from grace. Too bad they don’t make an Armani perp suit. You used to wear him so well.”

Positioned across from Maddix, Tony scanned the rat’s face and looked at him with a pained expression. “Rough night, eh? Did they forget to put you in solitary? Looks like you’ve been mingling with the locals.”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” he said with a shrug. Then he leaned back, spread his knees wide, and placed his hands in his lap. “So, this is the reason you came all the way to Shangri-La? To gloat?”

J.J. savored his misery and then vexed him with a tight smile. “We’re here to discuss your comrade in arms, Hawk—Gary Mosin.”

“Newsflash, doll.” Maddix forced out a grating laugh, overplaying his weak position just a smidge. “You get nothing from me, not without a deal. I want immunity.”

“Immunity?” J.J. blinked in rapid motion.

“Listen, you ain’t gotta make this difficult. We didn’t come here to pick a fight. Give us the information we need, and you can go back to counting the tiles on the ceiling . . . or whatever it is you do on the inside.” Tony contrived a calm demeanor as he reached into his pant pocket and pulled out a pack of Marlboro 100s and a book of matches. He slid them to the middle of the table until they stopped beside a plastic ashtray. “Our treat. Enjoy. But if you choose to stay on the difficult route, we can reverse course any time.”

Maddix cupped his hands and with no show of gratitude, pulled the offerings to the table’s edge, his shackles jangling with his every move. He folded back the foil on the corner of the pack and knocked the open end against his wrist until a cigarette emerged. Then his brow drew together, furrowed in confusion. “You don’t have a clue, do you?” His gaze ping-ponged between J.J. and Tony before he shook his head. “That’s why you’re here. You don’t know!”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
S.D. Skye is a former FBI Counterintelligence Analyst in the Russia program and supported cases during her 12-year tenure at the Bureau. She has personally witnessed the blowback the Intelligence Community suffered due to the most significant compromises in U.S. history, including the arrests of former CIA Case Officer Aldrich Ames and two of the Bureau's own—FBI Agents Earl Pitts and Robert Hansen. She has spent 20 years in the U.S. Intelligence Community.

Skye is a member of the Maryland Writer’s Association, Romance Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers. She’s addicted to writing and chocolate—not necessarily in that order—and currently lives in the Washington D.C. area with her son. Skye is hard at work on several projects, including the next installment of the series.

Web Links

Blog: www.authorsdskye.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorsdskye

Twitter: www.twitter.com/sdskye1

Buy Links

http://www.amazon.com/S.D.-Skye/e/B00AMAUFK8

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Inhuman Interest Tour & Giveaway

4/25/2015

1 Comment

Win sign copy & $25 Amazon Gift Card. Follow the tour by clicking on the side banner.

BLURB:
INHUMAN INTEREST
Story By Tess Cooper

Thirteen words in a want-ad turn Tess Cooper’s world upside down after she signs on as a paranormal research assistant to the mysterious Davin Egypt. He reveals a world of grave robbing, clockworks artifacts in blue amber, antique revolvers that fire strange ammo, and powerful forces beyond human comprehension.

As ancient occult energies threaten to destroy her city, Tess must use her journalistic instincts to stay one step ahead of the public works director, Drew Dawson, whose agenda seems bent on destruction rather than maintenance. And possibly murder, but will anyone believe her?

Yeah, right. When garbage trucks fly.

If Tess teams up with the hunky police lieutenant, Kirk Gunther, and the pale, oddball Mr. Egypt, they might be able to save the city in time. That is, if Egypt even wants to. And if Tess overcomes her phobias long enough to do battle in Granddad’s 1983 Subaru Brat.

Things are about to get icky.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
I watched Angie wobble away and marched myself toward the stonewalling the cops would give me when I felt the soles of my flats slide. Pinwheeling arms didn’t help me get my footing, and with a tiny cry, I went down.

And down, and down, and down.

Snow slid up my shirt, up my pants, and something less cold but more wet. I thrashed around, succeeding only in getting more snow inside my clothes. Not falling, but sinking. I sank into a deep hole. And then I realized it wasn’t a hole but a grave.

Angie came rushing back, as much as she could rush on her stumpy, little legs. “Tess, what the hell happened? I heard you screaming and—oh, my God.”

I expected her to kneel down and help me out of the loose soil and slush, but instead, she whipped out her camera. The little motor whined as she took about six hundred shots. “I think I got the image for my Christmas cards this year.”

“Ange, help me out of here!” I pushed against the soil with one foot, and felt it sink deeper. I tried with the other one. Then I plunged in up to my neck. My arms found no grip, either. It was like quicksand, even though quicksand doesn’t really exist. I knew that. Worse, a horrible, horrible smell drifted up from below. Decomp, rot, death.

Ick.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Newspaper founder, bookstore owner, artist, musician, and man-about-town Eric Turowski writes lots of mixed-genre books when he’s not too busy playing laser tag with Tiger the Cat and his fiancée Mimi deep in the Central Valley of California.

You can learn more about Eric at www.ericturowski.com.

Connect with Eric online

Twitter: https://twitter.com/eric_turowski

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Turowski.Books

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Reluctant Prince Stop & Giveaway

4/20/2015

2 Comments

Follow the tour by clicking on the side banner.

RELUCTANT PRINCE

by Dani-Lyn Alexander

NOTE: This book is on sale for $0.99 until April 30!
BLURB:
Seventeen year old Ryleigh Donnovan is certain her life is cursed. Nothing ever goes smoothly, and her first job interview is no exception. An earthquake rocks the building, sending Ryleigh on a frantic search for her younger sister, a search which lands her in the hospital. Terrified they’ll push her for answers she can’t afford to give, Ryleigh flees with a mysterious stranger.

Jackson Maynard is about to be ordained as a Death Dealer, a warrior for the Kingdom of Cymmera, but first he must pass one more test. When he fails to acquire the human girl the prophet has chosen, he’s forced to stand trial for treason. Banished from his realm, he seeks out the girl from the vision, Ryleigh Donnovan, and together they embark on a journey to save his dying kingdom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
Ryleigh stood. This couldn’t be happening. With only a few months left until graduation, she didn’t want to be forced to drop out, but what else could she do? “Look, Mr. Jacobs, can’t you just—” Vertigo assailed her. The room rocked, and she grabbed the desk.

Mr. Jacobs grabbed the back of his chair. His eyes mirrored her panic. Books flew from the shelves. Glass shattered.

She had to get to Mia.

She turned to run. The building bucked, and she toppled, slamming her knee into the hard wood floor. Pain shot up her leg. She grabbed the chair to pull herself up, but the next wave threw her back down. She tried to regain her footing, but someone yanked her to the ground.

“Stay down.” Mr. Jacobs shoved her forward. He crawled beside her, half pushing, half dragging her toward the door.

Debris pelted her back, shoulders, and head. How could she have left Mia? Tears blurred her vision.

“If it’s an earthquake, it should stop any minute. Just keep crawling toward the door.”

Desperately wishing she could cover her ears to block the screaming, she clawed forward. Her knee dragged behind her, pain pulsing with each movement. Falling apart wouldn’t help matters. She had to get to Mia.

Ryleigh crawled through the doorway, into utter chaos. People trying to push through the mess, others huddled in corners shielding their heads. An injured woman cried as she rocked back and forth clutching her arm. A man crouched over her.

Fear and disorientation held Ryleigh immobile.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Dani-Lyn Alexander lives on Long Island with her husband, three kids and three dogs. She loves spending time with her family, at the beach, the playground, or just about anywhere. In her spare time, which is rare, she enjoys reading and shopping—especially in book stores. Some of her favorite things include; Bernese Mountain Dogs, musicals, bubble baths and soft blankets. She’s an incurable insomniac and has an addiction to chocolate.

Social Media:
Website: http://www.danilynalexander.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danilynalexander

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DaniLynAlexande

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Reluctant-Prince-Kingdom-Cymmera-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00NJ0VL56/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1414551675&sr=1-2

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/relucant-prince-dani-lyn-alexander/1120501565?ean=9781616505905

Kensington: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/31105

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/reluctant-prince

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Wind Catcher Tour & Giveaway

4/20/2015

1 Comment

Enter the rafflecopter giveaway for your chance at $20 Amazon GC or a free copy of Wind Catcher.

BLURB:
Juliet Wildfire Stone hears voices and sees visions, but she can’t make out what they mean. Her eccentric grandfather tells her stories about the Great Wind Spirit and Coyote, but he might as well be speaking another language. None of it makes any sense.

When she stumbles upon a series of murders, she can’t help but worry her grandfather might be involved. To discover the truth, Juliet must choose between her new life at an elite private school and her Native American heritage.

Once she uncovers an ancient secret society formed over two hundred years ago to keep her safe, she starts to wonder whether there’s some truth to those old stories her grandfather has been telling her.

All she wants is to be an average sixteen-year-old girl, but she has never been average—could never be average.

Betrayed by those she loves, she must decide whether to run or risk everything by fulfilling her destiny as the Chosen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:

Everything about me is a lie.

My entire life is a leaning tower of lies that threatens to collapse at any moment and bury me so deep I may never climb out from under the rubble.

I slam the bathroom door and my hand trembles as the old-fashioned steel bolt slides into place.

Click.

The locked door offers no real safety. Locked doors can be broken, but it does give me a moment of privacy and a chance to breathe. So much has happened over the past few days. It’s like I’ve become a totally different person, someone unrecognizable.

The adrenaline that had been pumping through my veins has completely melted away now as I lean against the wooden door. My breath comes fast and ragged. My body feels heavy and weary and my legs weaken. Gravity pulls me down. Too tired to resist, I slide down the length of the door until the white marble floor rushes up to meet me.

I work hard to steady my breath and focus on taking in fresh air, expelling the old. It’s a simple process, yet it takes all of my concentration. When air starts to flow, my eyes close. Time slows and drifts by erratically.

Images flash through my mind—an eclectic group of memories: childhood birthdays, second place in a spelling bee, hanging out with Troy, rock climbing with Sicheii. Most are happy, but they’re all tainted now. The lies spoil them. They were never true. They were just part of a story, one that’s changed forever.

My weary mind reaches for sleep, but I resist. Too much time would be wasted. There’s too much for me to do. Too many loose ends need to be tied, so I open moist eyes and wipe away tears I don’t recall crying.

When my vision clears, crimson-streaked fingers flutter near my face as if directed by someone else. I thought blood looked like ketchup, but it’s darker and thicker than you would think. My hands spin in tight circles. Each finger is stained with thick, mud-colored smears.

Whose blood is on them?

A cold sweat coats my back and my chest tightens. This blood must be scrubbed away immediately. It starts to burn as if it’s alive, as if possessed by dark spirits, spirits that want to harm me. It freaks me out. I have got to wash them clean now, this second, immediately, before....

I turn the faucet and hot water tumbles over my skin. I frantically rub my fingers together and hope friction and water alone will make the blood disappear. The water in the sink turns red and then pink, but traces of blood stubbornly stay behind. A bar of soap rests on the edge of the porcelain sink. Lather squishes between my fingers—twisting and turning, scrubbing and rinsing. My skin turns raw from the rubbing, and when the water has lost all its warmth, I turn the faucet off.

Hard to find specks of blood cling to my flesh, but I still see them and feel them.

Will they ever wipe clean? I don’t think so.

A silent scream builds deep within me, which so desperately wants to be released it practically hurts, but no sound slips past my lips. I’m too tired to scream.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Wind Catcher: A Chosen Novel is a joint project between the father/daughter team of Jeff Altabef and Erynn Altabef. Jeff Altabef is an award winning author who has two published thrillers. He has a column on The Examiner focused on writing, and a blog designed to encourage writing by those that like telling stories. He spends time volunteering at the writing center in the local community college. Erynn Altabef is an avid reader, dancer, and community activist who has just earned her Girl Scout Gold Award. When she’s not in High School, she loves reading, performing in school musicals, baking, and watching movies with her friends.

http://www.jeffaltabef.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeff-Altabef-Author

https://twitter.com/JeffAltabef

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7055582.Jeff_Altabef

http://www.amazon.com/Jeff-Altabef/e/B00FNVK3NK

http://www.evolvedpub.com/team-view/jeff-altabef/

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Rookie Season Stop & Giveaway

4/19/2015

6 Comments

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ROOKIE SEASON

by V.K. Robbins
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Talented young ballplayer Clay Love has just been called up from the minors to play major league baseball. Freelance writer and divorcée Rose Lasting, the world's biggest baseball fan, wasn't expecting to fall in love when she fell into Clay's arms, but fall in love she did. Now they are caught up in a whirlwind romance complicated by the paparazzi, Clay's ex-girlfriend, Rose's ex-husband, and a stalker who puts Rose's life in grave danger. Saving her life and catching her attacker takes you on a roller coaster of emotion and intrigue that you won't soon forget.

Rookie Season is the first book in the Love in the Ballpark Series, by V.K. Robbins. This adult erotic romance tale sizzles with romantic and sexual chemistry, emotion, and suspense. Once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt Three:

Steve, Joe, Dave and I were waiting in the living room. I called up to Sam several times. He didn’t answer.

“He’s probably having trouble deciding which Clay Love jersey to wear,” Dave joked.

I ran up the stairs and knocked on his door. “Sam?”

No answer.

I turned the doorknob and pushed the door open slowly.

“Sam, are you ready?”

Still no answer.

I walked through his room toward his bathroom. When I came around the other side of his bed, I saw him. He was laying on the floor unconscious.

I screamed, “Call 911! It’s Sam!”

In less than two seconds, Steve was in the room. He must have taken the stairs three at a time. He pushed me out of the way and knelt next to Sam, checking his pulse, listening for breathing.

“He’s alive! Let’s not wait for an ambulance. We can get him there faster.”

“No,” said. “The hospital is close. The ambulance is probably already here.”

I was right. Within a couple of minutes, the paramedics were lifting Sam onto a gurney. Dave and Morrison held the photographers back so the paramedics could get Sam to the ambulance.

Steve took my arm. “Come on, I’ll take you to the hospital.” Then he looked at Joe. “Do you have that paperwork?” Joe nodded. I had no idea what paperwork they were talking about, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to get in the car and get to the hospital as fast as possible. Joe and Steve got me into the car. Dave was going to watch the house and Morrison would be following to the hospital in another car to help with security there, if needed.

All I could think about was Sam.

In the car, I asked Steve, “How long was it since anybody saw him? How long could he have been lying there?”

“I don’t know,” Steve said.

“I saw him several hours ago, right after lunch. He said he was tired. He was going upstairs to rest.”

“So he could have been there for hours? Oh my god.” I put my head in my hands.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Veronica Robbins is a published author of both fiction and nonfiction who has been writing professionally for the last 20 years. In addition to writing fiction and poetry (her first love), she is also an expert grant writer and copy writer. When she's not writing, she's watching baseball, enjoying her children, reading, and trying to train her dog, Handsome, who so far has been very successful at training her. You can follow Veronica on Facebook or through her blog, A Writer's Journey.

Blog/website:   http://veronicarobbins.com

Facebook:       http://www.facebook.com/veronica.robbins

Twitter:            http://twitter.com/veronicarobbins

Goodreads:     http://www.goodreads.com/veronicarobbins

Instagram:       http://instagram.com/grantgoddess/

Pinterest:         http://www.pinterest.com/veronicarobbins/

Google +:        http://google.com/+VeronicaRobbins50

Tumblr:            http://veronicarobbins.tumblr.com

Buy links:

Amazon:          http://www.amazon.com/Rookie-Season-Love-Ballpark-Book-ebook/dp/B00R6G2I6U/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1419467289&sr=8-4&keywords=Rookie+season

B&N:               http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rookie-season-veronica-robbins/1120940243?ean=2940046470000

Kobo:               http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/rookie-season

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/502725

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Bittersweet Tour Stop & Giveaway

4/15/2015

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BLURB:

To save the Faery world and her mother’s life, seventeen year old Lorelei sacrificed everything, and the dangerous bargains she made in Nevermore had lasting repercussions. Now safely back in her own world, Lorelei seems the same to her high school friends and her supernatural boyfriend, despite the dark magic growing within her. Love across dimensions is complicated, especially when an invisible veil between the two worlds is sealing, threatening to separate Lorelei and Adrius forever.

Determined to find a solution, Lorelei resorts to exploring her new found powers. But when her friends fall ill, and her healing touch only makes things worse, Lorelei can’t help but wonder if she's responsible.

Nightmares from the Nevermore tighten their icy hold when someone arrives determined to destroy Lorelei’s world, starting with those closest to her. Once again she’s forced to choose between her family… her friends… and a love that was ill-fated from the start.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
“Stay. Just…. Stay.” The second I said it I felt awful. What was I asking? I knew he couldn’t stay, that he needed to return to his world to stay alive in mind.

Since the night of the dance we’d carefully stayed away from discussing our little predicament. We were still at a standoff. He couldn’t live in my world without magical aids to keep him alive, because of the toxic nature of our polluted air, and I couldn’t go back to his world, because of a bunch of angry beings trying to kill me. That left us here. He would have to return to his world and refuel, to come back to mine. How long the potions lasted depended upon how much stress he was under. Physical exertion, extreme emotions all used up the reserve more quickly. Then there was the issue of his still being tied to Venus, the daughter of the ice witch I killed. A curse had caused his forced fealty to her. Killing the witch was not only supposed to save Mythlandria from her destructive wrath, it was also supposed to free Adrius of the curse that bound him to the ice witch’s commands. Who knew there was a daughter who would take over the bonds, and that she was also his ex-girlfriend.

Now she wants me dead in payment for killing her mother, and as a bonus, I’d be out of the way so she could get Adrius back in her life. That he could come here at all means the curse is weakening. I want his freedom, but at which price? Was I willing to kill for it? I’d have to end her life as well if I was going to destroy the bonds. And I wasn’t a killer. Even Octăhvia’s death was more of an accident than intended. I had no idea what awakening the magic would do, or how to wield it. This arrangement seemed like our only option, for now. And while I hated to see him leave, there was something comforting in being able to pretend that my life was normal again. As normal as it ever was. I could enjoy being back home with friends and back at school which surprisingly enough, I’d missed. It’s amazing how coming to the edge of your life multiple times will make even the most mundane routines a welcomed change.

“Think about what you’re asking me,” he said. “You know why I have to leave.”

He watched me suck in a breath of regret, as I wished I could take back my self-serving plea.

Pain creased his eyes. “Sleep soundly, Lorelei,” was all he said. He kissed the top of my head and turned to go.

The tense set of his jaw revealed the effort it took to leave. I watched him walk away, biting down on my lower lip until he reached the driveway.

“How am I supposed to sleep?” My voice was almost too quiet to be heard over the howling wind. But his hearing surpassed most mortal’s.

“Warm milk with honey works well,” he answered my whisper, his back still facing me. “It helps with the night terrors too,” he added.

“You know that’s not what I meant.” I moved closer, descending one step at a time until my bare feet hit the cold of the pavement.

Adrius froze. Electric pulses crackled between us.

“I was talking about sleeping without you. Here.”

“You’ve managed to do it before,” he said cautiously, the strain of his resolve vibrating in his voice.

“I know. But—“

This was wrong. It was selfish. How could I ask him to stay, when I know that leaving is what would keep him alive to return to me?

“I’m sorry. I’m being silly. It’s just I can’t—“

With whipcrack intensity, his resolve burned away and he rushed toward me and pulled me into his arms. His touch burned though my shirt as his hands splayed against my back, pressing us closer. He kissed me, hungrily at first, then it quickly deepened to ravenous. Matching his fervor, I tangled my fingers in his hair. Every inch of me was on fire. He gasped, his lips slowing against mine. By the time we separated, we were both breathless. He leaned his forehead against mine for a few rapid heartbeats, then pulled back. Our eyes remained locked in a palpitating stretch of silence that spoke volumes. My head swirled, and all I wanted was more of where we’d left off.

But he read my intentions. The corners of his lips quirked and he shook his head. Warm hands slid down my arms with one last caress, before he disappeared. Gone so quickly I didn’t actually see him leave. Swallowed by the darkness of the night and the forest that held the secret doorway into Mythlandria.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
A dreamer at heart, Michele Barrow-Belisle has always lived with one foot in this reality and one foot in another, one of her own imagining. So it follows that she would grow up to write about the characters from those enchanting worlds she knows and loves so well. A fan of all things romantic, her young adult novels are populated with scintillating witches, vampires and fey. Her bestselling debut book series Fire and Ice (Faerie Song Trilogy) was optioned for a major motion picture this year. Michele resides in southern Canada with her hubby and son who indulge her never-ending obsession with reading, writing and most importantly… chocolate.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Website: www.michelebarrowbelisle.com (join my mailing list)

Blog: www.michelebelisle.blogspot.ca

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/authormichele

Facebook Street Team page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/396189297153826/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3059577.Michele_Barrow_Belisle

Twitter: www.twitter.com/MicheleBelisle

Pintrest: www.pinterest.com/micheley26

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/micheley26

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110546512991850441753/posts/p/pub

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Michele-Barrow-Belisle/e/B00BVRJADY

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THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUITE DREAM STOP & GIVEAWAY

4/10/2015

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GRAB THIS #FREE SEXY ROMANCE BY CLICKING ON THE LINK BELOW. MAKE SURE TO ENTER RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY BELOW TOO.

BLURB:

Her Secrets Are All About to Come Out

Pop star PJ Cantrell's life and career are threatened when an angry blackmailer uncovers the truth about her hidden past. PJ knows it has to be someone close, someone she trusts. She turns to long-time friend Gabe Sawyer for help, but finds more than she bargained for. As she quickly discovers she wants more from him than friendship and support, she has to wonder what he'll think of her when he finally learns the truth.

Gabe Sawyer built a successful chain of luxury hotels by focusing on one thing and one thing only - his work. And, he's now discovering, that just isn't enough in life. He's loved PJ from afar, but he's never felt the time was right for a deeper relationship. When he discovers a blackmailer is threatening her life, everything changes as he struggles to keep her safe and end the threat to her life and to the career she loves.

Excerpt Two:

“What happened, Gabe?” she asked, but it came out more as an accusation. “What aren’t you telling me?”

He tried a halfhearted ‘it’s nothing’ kind of response, but she put her hands on her hips and waited him out.

He picked up the envelope and handed her the sheets of paper. “These came to me by courier while you were sleeping,” he said as she read the sheaf of papers. It’s almost time, Pretty Pru. It’s almost time, Pretty Pru. It’s almost time, Pretty Pru.

She looked up at Gabe and Zach. “He knows where I am.”

Gabe’s face was grave as he nodded. “Yes, he knows.”

She looked at him and knew he wasn’t telling her everything. “What are you hiding? What haven’t you told me?”
“This came, too,” he said quietly. She knew what it was the minute she saw it. Matthew’s baby picture. The one she’d carried with her until it was lost a month ago. The photo of him the day he was born.

PJ didn’t hesitate. She dropped the photo back on the counter as though it had bit her, and ran to her room and began haphazardly shoving her things into her bag. She needed to get to Matthew. Gabe and Zach followed her. She felt Gabe’s arms come around her, stilling her hands and stopping her frantic packing.

Zach came around in front of her. “PJ, I’ve got guys headed that way now. They’ll have Matthew and his family whisked away within the hour, and they’ll get them to a safe place. Somewhere we can control.”

And Gabe kept talking to her, his breath warm and reassuring as her heart raced in her chest. “They’ll get to them, Pru. I promise. We’ll keep Matthew safe. I’ll keep you both safe.” But PJ didn’t care about her own safety anymore. In a heartbeat, she’d give herself to whoever it was that was doing all of this in exchange for Matthew’s safety.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Lori Ryan is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author who writes contemporary romance with a twist of suspense. Her books range from sweetheart to steamy in heat level (for sweeter, read the Evers, TX series.)

She lives with an extremely understanding husband, two wonderful children (with another on the way!), two mostly well-behaved dogs, and a lone little cat in Austin, Texas. It's a bit of a zoo, but she wouldn't change a thing.

Lori published her first novel in April of 2013 and has fallen in love with writing. She is the author of the Sutton Capital Series, the Evers, Texas Series, and will be putting out several novellas with baseball player heroes in Bella Andre's Kindle World, Game For Love, in late 2014. She loves to connect with her readers. Follow her on Facebook or Twitter or subscribe to her blog.

www.loriryanromance.com

www.facebook.com/loriryanauthor

Twitter: @loriryanauthor

Amazon US: http://bit.ly/billionaireamazon

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/billionairebarnes

iBooks: http://bit.ly/billionaireibooks

Kobo: http://bit.ly/billionairekobo

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Talisma Tour & Giveaway

4/6/2015

5 Comments

Make sure to enter $20 Amazon GC Rafflecopter below. Follow the tour by clicking on the side banner.

BLURB:
Thrilling fantasy, dramatic twists and a stirring love story!

Why did Kaja – a bearer of good fortune – suddenly run out of luck? Shadow creatures lurk in the dark, one misfortune leads to the next, and her fear of being claimed by the aristocrats increases by the hour. Furthermore, she is torn between her seaman and the wild wood wanderer, before whom all warn…

Can she escape her superior opponents? And how will her heart decide?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt Two:

Before the midday heat sent Donn’s residents retreating to their homes, she was almost sold out and Kaja hummed to herself as she packed up the leftover goods. Just as she stowed the last honey jars, she discovered two stalls further, in front of Salina the tailor, a tall man with pitch-black, wild hair standing on end. He was barefoot, and wore dark suede pants and a fur bag over the shoulder. A wood wanderer!

Kaja knew she’d better look away – her father had ingrained it in her thoroughly. “Never speak to a wood wanderer!” he had always warned. “Do not look to them and keep your distance! They are dangerous!”

However, she couldn’t pull her gaze away from the stranger. Dangerous? Might be. But fascinating! And besides, she couldn’t leave Salina alone with one of the dangerous forest dwellers! Now he turned his head to her and held midway in the movement. She wouldn’t be deterred! Defiantly, she lifted her chin, took a few steps toward him and held his gaze. Were those gold spots in his deep brown eyes? His mouth twisted into a grin. His teeth were not in the least black and putrid, as it was always said!

She had almost reached him, as a tumult arose.

“A wood wanderer!” someone yelled. “Arrest him!” and, “Guards!”

The savage looked around. Before him was the market stand on his left, and from the middle of the market guards came through the crowd. The only possible way led past Kaja. He gave her an appraising look and sprinted in her direction. In passing by he touched her arm and a huge energy shock flashed through her. If the sky hadn’t been clear and free of clouds, she would have sworn she’d been struck by lightning! By the gods, how was that possible?

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
As a fantasy writer, office manager and optimist Marie Mohn lives with her husband and her son happily in the heart of Austria.

Born in 1985 as the daughter of two authors, she was naturally fascinated by the magical world of books since childhood, devouring one book after another, and soon began to write herself.

Creativity and joy interlink closely in her opinion and she loves to enjoy – besides her own life – invented worlds and adventures.

The German version of “Talisma” has already been successfully published in 2014. It has plenty of great reviews (average rating at Amazon 4,9/5).

"Talisma" has been published on 25th February 2015. It offers thrilling entertainment with a sarcastic heroine, new figures in the world of fantasy (wood wanderers, bearers of good fortune and shadow creatures) and a stirring love story.

Get the book at Amazon

Follow Marie Mohn:

http://www.mariemohn.com

https://www.facebook.com/author.marie.mohn

https://twitter.com/AuthorMarieMohn

http://bit.ly/talismatrailer

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Moccasin Trace Tour & Giveaway

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A No Good Itch Author Interview & Giveaway

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Inhuman Interest Tour & Giveaway

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Reluctant Prince Stop & Giveaway

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Wind Catcher Tour & Giveaway

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Rookie Season Stop & Giveaway

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Bittersweet Tour Stop & Giveaway

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THE BILLIONAIRE'S SUITE DREAM STOP & GIVEAWAY

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Talisma Tour & Giveaway

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