Blog Archives

Triangulating Bliss Stop & Giveaway

7/31/2015

Janelle will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on sidebar to follow tour & improve chances of winning.

Special Bonus only for readers who follow this 7/31 link

BLURB:
A struggling veteran reads about the mysterious death of a local athlete and wants to learn more. He meets the owner of the business linked to the crime and discovers others have “disappeared”.

All stories include a man with dark hair, blue eyes, and a strong jaw.

Then, it’s his turn.

The mysterious forces at Bliss change everything. What brought them all to Bliss is not as it appears and their lives are powerfully interconnected across space and time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
September 20, 2013

Greg’s mind didn’t follow his body into the coffee house. His mind was still on the fact that with a few strokes of a pen, he had undone everything that he worked towards. The exhilaration of that definitive step was quickly replaced by a growing sense of unease. It wasn’t his style to pull the trigger, figuratively or literally, without having a game plan. Then again, he didn’t need a game plan, he needed a life plan. One step at a time. He chastised himself as he joined the line of caffeine-craving citizens.

The newspapers near the door caught his attention. All of the headlines contained some variation of the same - Local Sports Legend Found Dead at 27.

Ha, Legend at 27? Greg thought. I'm 29, and no one’s calling me a legend. Survived a bomb in Afghanistan…haunted by the nightmares…soon to be an Ellison family disappointment when everyone learns what I did, and a guy who played basketball is considered a legend…at 27? He looked around the coffee house. Half of the people in line were double that age. At best - maybe - they were a legend in their own minds. Greg's self-loathing got ahead of his caffeine fix. He distracted himself with one of the newspapers.

MIKEL THOMAS DEAD AT 27

Greg studied the series of pictures of the same man, as a teen in a high school basketball uniform, in a college uniform, and in a professional one. The line for coffee at 8:30 in the morning was nearly out the door, so it gave Greg time to flip through the story.

Mikel Thomas, 27, was found in his West Los Angeles home Thursday night. His wife, Nisha, found Thomas bleeding from an apparent, self-inflicted gunshot wound when she returned home from a taping of her talk show. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Greg caught up with the line's progress and continued to read.

Thomas, a professional basketball player, had a troubled career in Philadelphia, Miami, and Sacramento. He attended Pasadena High School where an injury forced him to give up a promising football career. Thomas began playing basketball as a junior and became a top college recruit. He attended college in Los Angeles before being drafted to Philadelphia.

Shoulda played sports. Greg thought.

Thomas was involved in a shooting incident that left one dead after he was traded to Miami. His repeated altercations on and off the court led to a suspension. After a trade to Sacramento, Thomas missed part of the season for an undisclosed medical condition following a mental evaluation in a Pasadena hospital last Christmas. Thomas had a history of drug and alcohol incidents, but detectives declined to comment on that being a possible cause. The investigation continues.

Pretty standard celeb drama. Greg barely registered the comments from the player's wife and a teammate about the shock of it all. He caught up with the coffee line and skimmed further.

Mary Thomas, Mikel's mother, called into a sports radio show late Thursday. When asked if there was any indication that Thomas was in trouble, she responded. "He kept saying that his disappearance from that Bliss bar changed him forever. It was that crazy bar that killed him. I know it."

Janelle will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Janelle Jalbert has ghostwritten 15 nonfiction books on topics ranging from productivity, money management, marketing, cooking, and relationships. She also worked as a copywriter for some of the biggest online names and worked as a motorsports reporter covering NASCAR. Jalbert enjoys bringing stories to life that celebrate the magic in everyday living. To learn more about her current and upcoming releases and promotions visit www.janellejalbert.com. Jalbert currently lives in Southern California, though she regularly returns to her second home in North Carolina when her pack of pups grants her a vacation.

Twitter: www.twitter.com/justjjwriting

Facebook: www.facebook.com/janellejalbert.author

Author Website: www.janellejalbert.com

Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/Janelle_Jalbert

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Janelle-Jalbert/e/B00Q5MD7AW/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1432770403&sr=8-1

BN Author Page: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/janelle-jalbert

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

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Thin Slice of Heaven Stop & Giveaway

7/30/2015

6 Comments

Make sure to follow the tour by clicking on sidebar & increase your chances of winning.

THROUGH A WRITER’S EYES by p.m. terrell
At a recent book signing, I was asked if most writers suffer from depression. As I considered my response, images of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edgar Allen Poe and Ernest Hemingway flashed through my mind. I responded that one couldn’t really label a group of people based on their vocation; police officers have a higher suicide rate but we don’t automatically think that all police are depressed.

But the question remained with me long after I responded. I believe that writers see the world through a different lens than most. A good writer must be capable of feeling empathy; we must feel the anger, the hurt, the fear, the love and all the emotions in between in order to write convincingly about them. If I can’t feel it, I reason that I won’t be able to make my readers feel it, either. And without that connection, a book is empty.

Some writers can craft scenes of torture in great detail; I cannot. Years ago, I met an author whose suspense is based on real murder cases. As I read her novel, I recognized the case as one I’d read about in the paper, and the graphic detail horrified me. I can very easily place myself in any role in the book, and torture is where I draw the line. Kill me, yes; torture me, no. I’d give up anything to avoid the pain.

This carries forward to injury inflicted on a child, an animal or a helpless adult. I recently reread The Call of the Wild, and found it difficult to believe that grade school students study a book in which an animal suffers so acutely at the hands of evil people. Even though I know he will escape that life, it still troubles me.

I believe that authors will often place themselves in situations where they tell of unspeakable cruelty in order to change their world. Charles Dickens was a master at this, as was Harriet Beecher Stowe. Did the cruelty inflicted on their characters keep them awake at night? I’m certain it did. But they knew by telling the story effectively, withholding nothing, they could affect social change.

The opposite is true as well: when writing about romance, inspiration or the goodness of others, it can change the mood of the author to something lighter. If I can’t laugh out loud at an original joke, my audience won’t, either. If I am not drawn in to someone who is good, like Melanie Wilkes in Gone With the Wind, how could anyone else connect?

Authors often must connect with multiple personalities; it’s the conflict—the good versus evil—that propels a story forward. That means in order to make the characters believable and multi-dimensional, we must be able to place ourselves in the minds and hearts of those who are charitable and loving as well as those who are wicked.

Which characters remained with you long after you finished reading a book, and why?

p.m.terrell will be awarding a Celtic Butterfly Suncatcher similar to the one mentioned in the book, symbolizing both the never-ending cycle of life and the metamorphosis of a butterfly to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

BLURB:
She had arranged to meet her husband in Northern Ireland for a second honeymoon, but when Charleigh arrives at the remote castle, she receives a message that he won’t be coming—and that he’s leaving her for another woman.

Stranded for the weekend by a snowstorm that has blocked all access to the castle, she finds herself three thousand miles from home in a country she knows nothing about.

She is soon joined by Sean Bracken, the great-grandson of Laird Bracken, the original owner of the castle, and she finds herself falling quickly and madly in love with him. There’s just one problem: he’s dead.

As the castle begins to come alive with secrets from centuries past, she finds herself trapped between parallel worlds. Caught up in a mass haunting, she can no longer recognize the line between the living and the dead. Now she’s discovering that her appearance there wasn’t by accident—and her life is about to change forever.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
A movement caught her eye and Charleigh started, whirling around. No one was there. She laughed nervously; no doubt, it had been a bird outside the window, its reflection caught in the mirror. Still, she returned to the door. There was a simple doorknob lock which seemed woefully inept, but she quickly recognized a thick piece of wood standing against the wall as an old-fashioned bar, and slipped it into place. It was better than a deadbolt, she reasoned.

She kicked off her shoes and checked her cell phone again. Finding no reception, she returned to the window and held it aloft until a weak bar appeared.

The phone beeped, causing her to jump, as a text message appeared.

She stared at it, not realizing that she’d been holding her breath until it expelled in a whoosh that left her dizzy.

“Charleigh,” it read, “I can’t do this. I’m not in love with you. I’m in love with someone else.”

“The feckin’ arse.”

The sound of the man’s deep, rich voice startled her and she spun around. No one was there. The bar remained across the door. There were no blind spots in the room; it was circular and plainly, though tastefully, furnished. She strode purposefully to the bathroom. A set of candles blazed on the countertop and though the shadows danced in the corners of the room, she could clearly see that she was alone.

Yet she could not have imagined it. The tone had been resonant and almost gravelly, the timber of a man’s voice upon first arising. The brogue had been both commanding and melodious.

But as her heart stilled and her mind allowed the words in the message to sink in, she realized that Ethan was not coming. He perhaps had never intended to join her. And now she was stuck in Ireland as a snowstorm raged outside her windows, three thousand miles from home.

AUTHOR Bio and Links
p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, a multi-award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than twenty books in five genres: contemporary suspense, historical suspense, romance, computer how-to and non-fiction.

Prior to writing full-time, she founded two computer companies in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. Among her clients were the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Secret Service, U.S. Information Agency, and Department of Defense. Her specialties were in white collar computer crimes and computer intelligence, themes that have carried forward to her suspense.

She is also the co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation, an organization committed to raising public awareness of the correlation between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. She is the organizer and chairperson of Book ‘Em North Carolina, an annual event held in the real town of Lumberton, North Carolina, to raise funds to increase literacy and reduce crime. For more information on this event and the literacy campaigns funded by it, visit www.bookemnc.org.

Links:

Author’s website: www.pmterrell.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pmterrell

Blog: www.pmterrell.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.p.m.terrell

Book Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7QYLfXSQeo

Paperback on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Thin-Slice-Heaven-p-m-terrell/dp/1935970348/

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Thin-Slice-Heaven-p-m-terrell-ebook/dp/B00VGS3ES0/

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-thin-slice-of-heaven-pm-terrell/1121480920

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-thin-slice-of-heaven-pm-terrell/1121480920

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/528424
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Beautiful Prize

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6 Comments

Leather & Lace Review & Giveaway

7/27/2015

18 Comments

Maggie will be awarding $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on sidebar to follow the tour.

REVIEW

Leather & Lace by Maggie Adams is such a fun read. My regular job is to read for content, not pleasure, but this book is pure pleasure. The way Ms. Adams reveals tidbits of the back-story, but never the entire story had me electronically turning pages to discover what happened to Sam and Angel that brought their young love to such a tortured place.

Leather & Lace is the classic, rich girl who falls for a townie. Her prejudiced father is against the match, but Sam leaves town for the Navy anxious to improve his options and come back and impress Angel, and possibly her father. Something goes wrong along the way making the idealistic Sam turn bitter and cynical. He returns almost fifteen years later to the town where he taunts Angel. Even though he’s no longer the boy, she once knew. Angel still loves him, perhaps even more for the scars and the darkness.

The sass, the dialogue, and steam between the two makes this romance a summer must-read. Make sure to get your hands on this thrilling romance novel.

BLURB:

Sam Coalson, ex-Navy SEAL, has returned to Grafton for the wedding of his brother. After being run out of town fifteen years ago for a crime he didn’t commit, he’s determined to claim what is rightfully his and take on anyone crazy enough to try and stop him.

Angel Devereaux is smart, sexy and definitely on Sam’s blacklist. After siding with Sam’s enemy fifteen years ago, Angel can’t help but wonder what if….what if Sam had never left? What if he could forgive her now? She had her reasons, but he won’t listen. So enough with words, sometimes action is exactly what’s called for.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
“Well, if it isn’t the Angel of Mercy. Have you come to administer to the weak and injured? I’m afraid you’re a little too late. Everyone’s been patched up. Of course you can always kiss the boo-boos, can’t you?” Sam drawled as he shifted position on the railing.

Angel felt a blush heat her cheeks at his words and started to turn away. This was obviously a mistake. She was getting nowhere with him. She saw him wince as he moved and she turned back. “Were you really hurt?”

“Yeah, I’m in a lot of pain. Do you think you can help me?” he drawled as he passed his hand across his brow.

Angel immediately became solicitous. “Where are you hurt?” She ran up the front porch steps. She looked him over, searching for injury.

“Here.” Sam smiled and pointed to his groin. She could see his erection tenting his jeans. “Still want to help?”

Angel stiffened in outrage. “You bast…”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Careful there, Angel baby, you wouldn’t want to tarnish that halo, would you?” He hefted himself off the railing and came to stand next to her.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Hi! I'm Maggie Adams. I live near St. Louis, MO with my high school sweetheart, Ned, and my wonderful kids, Katie (Kyle) and Ross (Valerie). My life is like a walking, talking sitcom from I Love Lucy, but I love it, although people do tend to keep their distance from me! Writing has always been my dream, with reading my favorite hobby. I try to include a little bit of my life in everything I write, so when you read my books, keep your eyes wide open - I'm in there somewhere! Happy reading!

You can reach me at http://www.maggieadamsbooks.com

Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/maggieadamsbooks,

Twitter -@authrmaggieadms,

Good Reads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9867300.Maggie_Adams,

tsu - https://www.tsu.co/maggieadamsbooks

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/author/maggieadams

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18 Comments

Snow In July Review & Giveaway

7/26/2015

12 Comments

Kim Iverson Headlee will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a package of 10 autographed Snow in July note cards to a randomly drawn host (this is an international giveaway). Make sure to follow the tour by clicking on the sidebar & improve your chance of winning.

BLURB:
Commanded to marry by William the Conqueror, and facing shattered oaths and a ravening evil power determined to overthrow the new king, Alain and Kendra face a battle unlike any other as their honor, their love, their lives, and even their very souls lie in the balance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt One:
Kendra genuflected again, grasped her basket’s handle, and turned to accompany Waldron from the church. Not across the yard to the feast hall, as she’d expected, since that was where most Edgarburh business—including private matters—transpired, but past the garden toward the manor house. In silence they ascended the outer wooden staircase, entered the building, and trod the corridor containing the bedchambers. Specifically, she realized with a start when their course became apparent, Waldron’s.

Several paces from their destination, curiosity compelled her to blurt, “What’s wrong?”

Pulling up short, Waldron gave her an odd look. “Wrong? Let me see.” He snorted, ticking the points on his fingers. “Taxes are due ere long, and the tenants have barely recovered from the war to scrape together their payments. A Norman is on his way to take possession of my daughter and the estate.” His gray eyes gazed at her levelly. “My son is dead, and my daughter acts like a widow rather than a bride.” He inclined his head at the black woolen veil she wore even as these final spring days warmed toward summer.

This time it wasn’t the sun that made her face heat. “My choices honor Del’s memory.” She gripped the basket with both fists, raising it before her like a shield. “Do yours?”

FOUR STAR REVIEW

Snow in July is a historical novel penned by Kim Headlee, who has a colorful heritage as rich as any of her characters. The main character, Sir Robert Alain de Bellencombre, is troubled by the death of his younger brother who he failed to protect. He’s both a nobleman and a warrior who is living the good life due to his service in the Battle of Hastings.

His help is needed once again when the estate near him is besieged by all types of evil doings. He disguises himself to investigate without anyone being the wiser. Lady Kendra of Edgarburh is the lady of the place and has been left with a despicable duty of marrying a Norman, the enemy. She states it will have to snow in July before such a thing happens.

The story opens with a war and then launches into the attraction between Kendra and Robert. The author shows a great knowledge of the time and reflects it in her imagery and language. The situation she sets up for Lady Kendra is a common one with women forced to wed for political reasons. Ms. Headlee knows her way around a medieval landscape. Overall, I think it is a good novel, although the time period and battle scenes are not my favorite. It is sure to please Ms. Headlee’s fans & those who enjoy a historical tale imbued with romance and intrigue.

AUTHOR INFO & LINKS

Kim Headlee lives on a farm in southwestern Virginia with her family, cats, goats, Great Pyrenees goat guards, and assorted wildlife. People and creatures come and go, but the cave and the 250-year-old house ruins—the latter having been occupied as recently as the mid-twentieth century—seem to be sticking around for a while yet.

Kim is a Seattle native (when she used to live in the Metro DC area, she loved telling people she was from "the other Washington") and a direct descendent of twentieth-century Russian nobility. Her grandmother was a childhood friend of the doomed Grand Duchess Anastasia, and the romantic yet tragic story of how Lydia escaped Communist Russia with the aid of her American husband will most certainly one day fuel one of Kim's novels. Another novel in the queue will involve her husband's ancestor, the seventh-century proto-Viking king of the Swedish colony in Russia.

For the time being, however, Kim has plenty of work to do in creating her projected 8-book Arthurian series, The Dragon's Dove Chronicles, and other novels under her new imprint, Pendragon Cove Press.

BLOG – http://kimiversonheadlee.blogspot.com/

NEWSLETTER: mailto:info@dawnflight.com?subject=Subscription_Request

TWITTER – https://twitter.com/KimHeadlee

GOOGLE+ - https://plus.google.com/+KimHeadlee

FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/KimIversonHeadlee

PINTEREST – http://www.pinterest.com/kimheadlee/

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – http://www.amazon.com/Kim-Headlee/e/B001KE2LK2

GOODREADS – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/845537.Kim_Headlee

LINKEDIN – http://www.linkedin.com/in/kimheadlee/

YOUTUBE CHANNEL – http://www.youtube.com/user/gyanhumara

YOUTUBE VIDEO INTERVIEW: http://youtu.be/DV5iKrEIROk

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12 Comments

Cockpit Stop & Giveaway

7/24/2015

9 Comments

Follow the tour by clicking on the side bar banner & improve your chances of winning the two Amazon and BN giftcards. Today is the last day to enter.

BLURB:
High school sweethearts re unite forty years later at 37,000 feet.

Fifty eight year old commercial airline pilot, Bobbi Cooper, gets a blast from the past when her high school sweetheart, Mack McConnell, appears as one her first class passengers on her 747 transatlantic flight to London.

Used to being in control at all times, Bobbi is reeling from a crummy marriage and she must learn at Mack’s capable hands that losing control can be oh so sexy.

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

Excerpt Three:
Mack McConnell. He looked as good as the last time she’d seen him, when they’d broken up just after high-school graduation. The day she’d left for the military academy. The day she’d left him, taking off the small diamond solitaire he’d given her and handing back to him. She’d made her choice then. Career first. It had broken her heart to call it off, and she knew she had shattered his. But she also knew she could never have asked him to wait for her to return to sleepy Summer Hill after military school and her subsequent enlistment in the Air Force.

Many sleepless nights later, she’d assuaged her guilt by hoping Mack had found someone to love him as he deserved. Bobbi wasn’t one to look back at the past. But now it was sitting in row 2A.
Seeing Mack sitting there, in her cabin, had sucked the wind out of her. He’d looked great. Older, yes. More like...mature. Yes, that was it. He’d matured. The salt-and- pepper of his wavy brown hair only made him more handsome, if that were possible. And the look in his eyes hadn’t changed. He made her feel as if he could see right into her. One glance from him and she’d damn well come unglued.

She peered at herself in the mirror under the harsh glare of the fluorescent lights. Shit. She looked old. Especially having spent two-thirds of her lifetime in the air. Being a pilot dried out her skin, and no amount of fancy miracle creams seemed to remedy that. And as for beauty sleep...she was doubly screwed. A career as a pilot had guaranteed that her sleep pattern was ruined for life, a side effect of the hectic pace of working her way up the male-dominated ladder to captain.

She scrunched her face and made a bunch of wrinkles. Crap. “Don’t do that!” she scolded, and unflexed her face, easing the wrinkles away. Better. She smiled softly at the mirror, studying her face for clues of just what Mack saw when he looked at her. Do I look fifty-seven...okay, fifty-seven and a half, to be precise?

The plane jostled again, a series of mild bumps interrupting her self-examination in the tiny lavatory. Immediately alert to warning signs of weather, waiting to see if Scott and Neville were doing as she’d told them, she paused to see if the captain’s call button would ding. Satisfied by a lack of communication from the cockpit and no more bumps or fasten seat belt signs warning of turbulence ahead, she quickly peed and freshened up. Double-checking her face, she smoothed her starched white shirt and navy trousers before heading back to the flight deck...and to possibly face Mack again.

Glancing back into the mirror one last time before she exited the tiny bathroom, she chided herself for caring what Mack McConnell thought of her after all these years. He probably had a wife and four kids and a dog and a cabin at the lake by now.

Get ready for a hot romance that features a mature, intelligent woman. Author Kate is giving away two Amazon/BN GC. Make sure you enter below.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

KATE DEVEAUX is a contemporary, erotic romance writer and die-hard romantic. It was after reading Jane Eyre in high school, that she became hooked on the idea of writing about romance, excitement and drama. Kate has been penning stories, from the sensual to the sinfully sexy, ever since.

A former wedding planner, Kate has always been "in love" with love! She was inspired to transition from writing racy short stories to full length manuscripts after meeting other authors in the romance world at industry workshops, conferences and events. Originally from England, now resides in the U.S. with her husband. When she’s not writing or reading, Kate can be found on the tennis court—yes, there’s even "love" in that game too!

SOCIAL MEDIA:
Author website: http://www.katedeveaux.com

Facebook:            https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kate-Deveaux/349294291841235

Twitter:           https://twitter.com/KateDeveaux

Pinterest:        http://pinterest.com/katedeveaux

Google Plus:   https://plus.google.com/104114173171800541171/posts

Goodreads:        https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/7126956.Kate_Deveaux

My Street Team is the cat’s meow! Want to join?

Kate’s Kittens: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1561963064047158/

BUY LINKS:

AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Kate-Deveaux/e/B00DGH8X58

BARNES AND NOBLE: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/kate-deveaux

ELLORA’S CAVE: https://www.ellorascave.com/index.php/authors/index/author/slug/kate-deveaux/

What’s Kate up to next?

Kate is busy completing several books for release soon, each filled with sexy romance, heroines who are no shrinking violets, and heroes who make your heart skip a beat…

Coming soon…. More toe-curling erotic romance:

A Vixen in Venice, Bimini Bound and Bottoms Up and more…

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9 Comments

TRUST IN THE UNSEEN STOP & GIVEAWAY

7/21/2015

10 Comments

Seth Mullins will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

BLURB:

Following the rigors of their self-made tour of the West, the members of the groundbreaking and volatile band Edge of the Known - "hands down, craziest band on Earth" - have an unprecedented chance to finally expose their music to the world. Unfortunately, singer/guitarist Brandon Chane, founder member and erratic genius of the group, is weathering a spiraling trip through an abyss of heartbreak and despair.

His personal pain threatens to derail his band's progress even as it fuels some of its most incendiary songs. To further complicate matters, his mentor, Saul Mason, is weathering his personal crisis and no longer seems to be the all-knowing spiritual savant that Brandon first perceived him to be.

The road ahead looks bleak; and once more, he turns to the one thing that has sustained him throughout the course of his wounded, conflicted and inspired life: His Muse.

"We'd all thrown our fates to the wind, trusting in the unknown - in the Unseen, as our EP so proudly proclaimed - and that leap had thus far landed us in a place where we couldn't even grope our way forward in the dark anymore."

Discovering his voice was only the first step of the journey. Now he must somehow learn to trust the depths from which it comes, and the unknown horizons that it may sweep him away to, even as every part of his personal world seems to be falling apart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
Love was the most ruthless force in our universe. That’s what I’d believed, that I’d sooner endure the ravages of hate any day. Hate wielded the honest pungency of a fist full to your face. Love eviscerated you where you stood and yet still left you standing.

I remember the moonlight on the little window box balcony. Janie was so nervous that she’d stolen occasional drags off of my cigarette. This had been her idea in the first place: The two of us “getting away”, booking this room in the Latore Motel.

“I thought I was braver than I am,” she told me.

The idea – insofar as I’d believed I’d understood it - had been to pretend we were on vacation, perhaps try and resuscitate the amorous mood that had characterized our rendezvous in New Mexico months before, when everything had seemed to open up and flow. I stared back into the motel living room, which bore witness to the scalds and the warm patches of love’s dying embers, as if its solidity could somehow refute what was happening, what could not be happening.

I’d played deaf amidst all of the whispered warnings.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Seth Mullins first conceived of his dream to write novels in his early teens, and this one desire has stayed with him throughout all the other myriad twists and turns of life. His inspirations include methods of inner exploration such as dream-work and shamanism and his experiences as a songwriter and performing musician. He studied creative writing at Santa Fe Community College in New Mexico and Lane Community College in Oregon.

Seth has lived in Connecticut, New Mexico, Oregon and (currently) Vermont.

(Trust in the Unseen on Amazon) http://amzn.to/1qpSM6j

(Website) http://www.humanityswayforward.com

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

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10 Comments

A Time for Everything

7/21/2015

4 Comments

Mysti will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter

A TIME FOR EVERYTHING

by Mysti Parker
~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
After losing her husband and only child to the ravages of the Civil War, twenty-five-year-old Portia McAllister is drowning in grief. When she sees an ad for a live-in tutor in another town, she leaves everything behind in hopes of making a fresh start. But as a Confederate widow in a Union household, she is met with resentment from her new charge and her employer, war veteran Beau Stanford.

Despite their differences, she and Beau find common ground and the stirrings of a second chance at love—until his late wife’s cousin, Lydia, arrives with her sights set on him. Burdened with a farm on the brink of bankruptcy, Beau is tempted by Lydia’s hefty dowry, though Portia has captured his heart.

In another time and another place, his choice would be easy. But love seems impossible amid the simmering chaos of Reconstruction that could boil over at any moment into an all-out battle for survival. Will Beau and Portia find their way into each other’s arms, or will they be swept away by raging forces beyond their control?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
Brentwood, Tennessee — December 25, 1865

The angels are coming.

Portia lay on the frozen ground between her husband and daughter. Snow fluttered softly toward the earth in delicate flakes, each one melting on her face with a pleasant sting. She wouldn’t have to wait much longer.

The sunrise, hidden by snow-laden clouds, gradually lit the gray sky. With numb fingers, she traced her husband’s name, carved into the stoic slate. Jake McAllister, but let her hand drop to the ground before she touched that wretched date. December 16, 1864 — the day her whole world began to fall apart.

It had been a day as cold as this one when Jake returned. Portia had stood on their porch, holding Abigail, both of them wrapped in shawls and a quilt. Yet the cold had managed to seep inside, wrapping icy fingers around her heart. Her husband lay lifeless in the back of a wagon. His once-rosy face had turned ashen. Blood caked his Confederate jacket. His hands, large and strong, yet once so gentle, were posed across his belly. His fingers were stiff and claw-like, wrapped around a phantom gun. He did not look like Jake. It had to have been a mannequin with a wig the same dusty red shade of his hair.

“That’s not him,” she’d repeated to the men who’d so methodically carried him into the house. Jake would pop out from somewhere, still the jokester he had always been, and she would slap him for playing such a cruel prank. Then she would laugh with him and hold him tight because he had finally returned to her and Abby.

But the longer her eyes absorbed the wretched sight, the more evidence she had discovered. Little freckles and scars she knew so well. The pea-sized patch on his jaw where his beard never grew. The missing end of his middle finger, taken by a vicious dog when they were children.

It wasn’t a joke. Jake was dead.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Mysti Parker is a wife, mom, author, and shameless chocoholic. She is the author of the Tallenmere standalone fantasy romance series and The Roche Hotel romantic comedy series. Her short writings have appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines. Her award-winning historical romance, A Time for Everything, will be published this summer by EsKape Press.

Other writing pursuits include serving as a class mentor in Writers Village University's seven week online course, F2K. She has published two children's books (Quentin's Problem & Fuzzy Buzzy's Treasure) as Misty Baker.

When she's not writing fiction,Mysti reviews books for SQ Magazine, an online specfic publication. She resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three children.

http://www.amazon.com/Time-Everything-Mysti-Parker-ebook/dp/B00ZFUKEC4

Author Links:

http://www.mystiparker.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mysti-Parker/103786449704221

https://twitter.com/MystiParker

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Madison's Song Tour Stop & Giveaway

7/14/2015

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Christine Amsden is awarding a randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter a $10 Amazon/BN gift card. Follow this tour by clicking on the sidebar.

BLURB:
Her voice is enchanting; his soul is black…

Madison Carter has been terrified of Scott Lee since the night he saved her from an evil sorcerer – then melted into a man-eating monster before her eyes. The werewolf is a slave to the moon, but Madison’s nightmares are not.

Despite her fears, when Madison’s brother, Clinton, is bitten by a werewolf, she knows there is only one man who can help. A man who frightens her all the more because even in her nightmares, he also thrills her.

Together for the first time since that terrible night, Scott and Madison drive to Clinton’s home only to discover that he’s vanished. Frantic now, Madison must overcome her fears and uncover hidden strengths if she hopes to save him. And she’s not the only one fighting inner demons. Scott’s are literal, and they have him convinced that he will never deserve the woman he loves.

*Stand-alone companion to the Cassie Scot series

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:

“Silence,” David commanded.

Her throat continued to work, but no sound emerged. She felt like a fish being gutted, choking and spluttering as David returned to the work of cutting into the soft, sensitive flesh of her belly. Yet even as tears refilled her eyes and fear devoured her heart, some part of her recognized that her guts remained intact. Whatever David was doing to her with the dagger involved tracing shallow patterns across the surface of her skin.

Fight the pain. Take deep breaths. Ground and center. She was not in the empty living room of a house she had not quite moved into yet, she was at church, singing in the choir. Above her, Jesus hung from a cross, a crown of thorns atop his head, a soft glow surrounding him. She usually found the magic within that glow. She reached for it...

“Stop that!” David slapped her hard across the face.

Once again her eyes flew open. She saw the dagger dripping with blood – her blood. Had her feeble grab for magic actually made a difference? David seemed to have noticed something, but what?

“You're just making this harder on yourself,” David said.

“What do you want?” Madison tried to ask. Her mouth moved, her lips forming the question, but no sound emerged.

She didn't think he would answer; he couldn't even have heard the question, but to her surprise he only hesitated a moment before saying, “Your soul.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Christine Amsden has been writing fantasy and science fiction for as long as she can remember. She loves to write and it is her dream that others will be inspired by this love and by her stories. Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but great speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. Christine writes primarily about people and relationships, and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone.

At the age of 16, Christine was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Disease, a condition that affects the retina and causes a loss of central vision. She is now legally blind, but has not let this slow her down or get in the way of her dreams.

In addition to writing, Christine teaches workshops on writing at Savvy Authors. She also does some freelance editing work.

Christine currently lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and the key to her success. They have two beautiful children.

Website: http://christineamsden.com/wordpress/

Newsletter: https://tinyletter.com/christineamsden

Blog: http://christineamsden.com/wordpress/?page_id=200

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Amsden-Author-Page/127673027288664?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristineAmsden

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1030664.Christine_Amsden

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/117845642477854934607/posts

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Amsden/e/B001JOXSIW/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1434059504&sr=8-1

BN Author Page: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/christine-amsden?store=allproducts&keyword=christine+amsden

BUY LINKS

http://www.amazon.com/Madisons-Song-Christine-Amsden-ebook/dp/B010RIJA46/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1435794487&sr=8-7&keywords=Christine+Amsden

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/madisons-song-christine-amsden/1122235072?ean=2940151110457

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The Mysterious Mrs. Pennybaker Tour & Giveaway

7/12/2015

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Grab your copy of The Mysterious Mrs. Pennybaker for only.99. Scroll down to enter giveaway.

BLURB:
In the Roaring Twenties…

A former Hello Girl during WWI, widowed Ariel Pennybaker served her country proudly. She now carries on her late husband’s legacy…a home for the many returning, injured soldiers.

With her year of mourning nearly at an end, she’s had enough of her self-imposed celibacy. It’s time to get back in the game.

A chance meeting with a handsome WWI aviator has her imagining thoroughly naughty thoughts. When a second man walks into her life, her naughty thoughts turn downright decadent. What better way to fulfil her fantasies than by sharing both men’s beds.

As tempting as the idea is, Ariel has a huge secret, one she must protect at all costs. And, it’s possible one or both of her lovers is not what he seems.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt Three:
It was half-past six that evening when the doorbell rang. Ariel pushed herself from the comfortable chair in her living room, shoving the brown envelope and its contents beneath the plush cushion before starting toward the door. Marie had left less than an hour earlier, and Ariel had taken advantage of the peace and quiet to review the papers she’d been sent.

No doubt it was Nick Stanton on the other side of the heavy door, anxious for a repeat of the previous evening’s carnal delights. Her body thrummed with the memory and renewed anticipation. She reached for the brass knob and wrenched the door open.

Rather than Nick, as she’d expected, Lieutenant McMillan stood on her stoop. He reminded her of a Hollywood heartthrob with his classic good looks. Rather than his usual business-like demeanor, a sly, cocky grin adorned his otherwise handsome face.

“Good evening, Mrs. Pennybaker.”

Ariel nodded but made no move to allow him inside. “Lieutenant McMillan, to what do I owe the honor.”

He glanced past where she stood. “I stopped by earlier, to make sure you got home safe and sound following last night’s storm.”

“Marie mentioned you’d stopped by. I appreciate your concern. As you can see, I arrived and am quite safe. Thank you.”

“May I come in?” he asked.

“Why?” She paused to study him for a brief moment. “Have I done something to warrant a visit by the police?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “No, of course not. I assure you, my visit is one of personal curiosity, not professional.”

A moment of apprehension skittered across her skin. Her pulse raced. Had he assumed too much in the way she touched him when they’d bumped into one another at the theatre?

Had he also sensed her moment of excitement at being trapped between two handsome, virile men?

“Curiosity about what, Lieutenant?”

“Forgive me,” he said. His dark gaze and serious expression seemed to be one of true apology. “I should have explained the reason for my call to your maid so she could relay the message. Or, at the least, stated up front as to why I’m here.”

Her apprehension lessened somewhat and she stepped back and motioned him inside. “Perhaps now would be a good time to provide that explanation, Lieutenant.”

“Since I’m not on duty and this is not a police matter, I’d hoped you would forego using my official rank and call me Jon.”

“I guess that will all depend on what you want.”

He grinned. “I’d like to ask you questions about your service during the war.”

Her apprehension was back, ten-fold. She tilted her head and mentally measured the distance between him and the closed front door. “Whatever for?”

“My sister was also a Hello Girl, although she was stationed in England rather than France.” He paused, as if he were searching for just the right words. The smile she’d noticed when he first arrived disappeared, his brow furrowed, and his voice came out a hushed whisper. “She and four members of her group contracted a fever while they were there. By the time the doctors found a proper treatment, Audrey and one of the other girls had succumbed.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Like most authors, Nancy Fraser began writing at an early age, usually on the walls and with crayons or, heaven forbid, permanent markers. Her love of writing often made her the English teacher’s pet, which, of course, resulted in a whole lot of teasing. Still, it was worth it.

Published in multiple genres, Nancy currently writes for four publishers. She has published twenty-two books in both full-length and novella format. Nancy is currently working on a second fairy tale for Decadent Publishing.

When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five beautiful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.

Media:
Website: www.nancyfraser.ca

Blog: http://nancyfraser.ca/wordpress/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nfraserauthor

Facebook: http://facebook.com/nancyfraserauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7206382.Nancy_Fraser

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Nancy-Fraser/e/B004AOL61Y/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_8?qid=1434392132&sr=8-8

BN Author Page: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/nancy-fraser

http://www.amazon.com/Mysterious-Mrs-Pennybaker-Nancy-Fraser-ebook/dp/B00Z2DLJ46/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

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

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Dark Horse Tour & Giveaway

7/9/2015

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Michelle will award one randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter a $25 Amazon/BN gift card. Click on sidebar banner to follow the tour & better your chances of winning.

BLURB:
Some secrets carry the weight of the world.

Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she's made a powerful ally--a fellow prisoner with whom she's formed a strong bond. Sazo's an artificial intelligence. He's saved her from captivity and torture, but he's also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.

Captain Dav Jallan doesn't know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he's not going to complain. The only problem is, all its crew are dead, all except for one strange, new alien being.

She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5's owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn't the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games.

In this race for the truth, he's going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
Rose slipped her ticket out of hell over her head and tucked it beneath her shirt, where it lay against her skin, throbbing like a heartbeat.

The sensation was so unnerving, she curled her fingers around it and lifted it back out, eyeing the clear crystal oblong uncertainly.

“Iʼll try to keep all the passageways clear for you and Iʼve disabled the lenses, but just in case someone disobeys orders, it would be better if they didnʼt see me.” Sazo spoke too loudly through the tiny earpiece she wore, and she winced.

She reluctantly tucked the crystal, that was somehow also Sazo, back under her shirt, tugging the cord it hung from so it was below her neckline. After three months of being the only thing sheʼd had to wear, washed over and over again, the shirt was threadbare, and barely concealed Sazo anyway, but it was better than nothing.

She took the two steps to the door of the tiny control room tucked away to one side on the Tecran ship and it slid silently open. Sheʼd only been inside for ten minutes at most to steal Sazo, or break him out, depending on your view of things, and the corridor was as empty now as it had been when Sazo led her here.

She looked back, but the door had closed, completely concealing the control room, so it looked like an uninterrupted passageway again.

“Youʼre still in control, even though Iʼve unplugged you?” She spoke very quietly, because even though Sazo had opened doors, and diverted traffic all the way from her prison cell to this room earlier, there was no point taking foolish chances like talking too loudly when it was unnecessary.

“I would not have initiated this plan if I wasnʼt absolutely certain that it would work.” Sazo sounded a little . . . stressed.

“You okay?”

“There has been a delay loading the animals at the launch bay and the Grih have come through their light jump three minutes sooner than I calculated.” He went quiet for a moment. “Iʼm sorry, Rose.”

“What? What is it?” Freezing hands of panic gripped her heart and she stumbled to a halt. If he was going to tell her they had to abort, that she had to go back to the cell . . .

“The lion has been killed.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Michelle Diener writes historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction. Having worked in publishing and IT, she’s now very happy crafting new worlds and interesting characters and wondering which part of the world she can travel to next.

Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.

When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her blogging at Magical Musings, or online at Twitter, at Google+ and Facebook.

http://www.michellediener.com/

http://www.magicalmusings.com/

http://twitter.com/michellediener

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+MichelleDiener/posts

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Diener/196593580366013

BUY Links:
http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Horse-Michelle-Diener-ebook/dp/B00Z9R1W9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434370128&sr=8-1&keywords=dark+horse+michelle+diener

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-horse-michelle-diener/1122089042?ean=2940152186161

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Janelle will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on sidebar to follow tour & improve chances of winning.

Janelle will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour

Make sure to follow the tour by clicking on sidebar & increase your chances of winning.

p.m.terrell will be awarding a Celtic Butterfly Suncatcher similar to the one mentioned in the book, symbolizing both the never-ending cycle of life and the metamorphosis of a butterfly to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Maggie will be awarding $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on sidebar to follow the tour.

Follow the tour by clicking on the side bar banner & improve your chances of winning the two Amazon and BN giftcards. Today is the last day to enter.

Get ready for a hot romance that features a mature, intelligent woman. Author Kate is giving away two Amazon/BN GC. Make sure you enter below.

Seth Mullins will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Mysti will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter

Christine Amsden is awarding a randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter a $10 Amazon/BN gift card. Follow this tour by clicking on the sidebar.

Grab your copy of The Mysterious Mrs. Pennybaker for only.99. Scroll down to enter giveaway.

Michelle will award one randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter a $25 Amazon/BN gift card. Click on sidebar banner to follow the tour & better your chances of winning.

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