GENRE:   suspense/mystery/romance
 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
BLURB:
 
Carola’s life is perfect – or so it seems. Her husband, her friends, her staff don’t see the emptiness of a loveless existence. Every day is the same, until the day when she has enough. Without warning she leaves her home country of Germany to start a new life in the Canadian wilderness.

But she is not equipped to handle the hardships of a lonely existence in a remote cabin. A five-day snowstorm brings her close to her breaking point. Searching for means to survive, she discovers the written confession of the previous cabin owner who wants to clear his conscience by admitting to a terrible sin he committed involving a girl called Rose.

When the storm subsides, Carola begins to ask questions but nobody is willing to talk. Nobody wants to tell what happened to Rose, but Carola becomes obsessed with finding out the truth.

Will Rose finally get justice? If you love mystery and suspense, with an added romance bonus, this new novel by an Amazon bestselling author will keep you turning the pages all night long.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Excerpt One:
 
It started to snow. Thick and heavy.
 
Deep in thought, she registered the brake lights of the car in front of her a nanosecond too late. Carola hit the brakes hard, and felt her truck fighting the slippery road. She managed to slow down enough to avoid crashing into the rear bumper of the car in front of her, but the right front wheel of her truck slid over the shoulder, hit the snow bank covering the ditch and came to a stop.
 
She moved into first gear and accelerated again. The truck buried itself deeper. Now both wheels, front and back, slid into the ditch. Leaning sideways, the truck would not right itself without being pulled.
 
Shit. Shit. Shit.
 
She hit the steering wheel with her bare hands.
 
She switched the hazard lights on, climbed out of the cab, walked to the side of the road to avoid oncoming traffic, and pulled out Maria’s cell.
 
No reception.
 
Shit, again.
 
Fat snowflakes danced around her face, seriously reducing visibility and muffling most sounds. Standing by the roadside was getting dangerous.
 
A pickup passed. A guy leaned across the passenger seat, the window slid down.
 
“Can I help you?”
 
 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
 
Helga Zeiner is a German born Canadian author. She left her home town Augsburg at age eighteen to explore the world. In the following fourteen years she has lived and worked in Australia and Asia, writing in her spare time.
Several of her thrilling novels have been on the Amazon bestseller list and enjoy an enthusiastic fan base. 
She now lives with her husband on a country estate in the wilderness of British Columbia, devoting all her time to writing.
 
Amazon link for Helga Zeiner novels:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Helga+Zeiner
 
Helga Zeiner - Social media links:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/helgazeinerauthor/?ref=bookmarks
 
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/HelgaZeiner
 

​Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1132197.Helga_Zeiner
 
Newsletter:
http://eepurl.com/bXJGVL

 Talking with Author Vera Tarman

1. Can you describe your dream home?
I have my dream home now: an old Edwardian home with lots of wood paneling. There are a number of bookshelves in the house, even though I read most my books electronically or listen on audible. I love the feel of a library. To make it an even better dream home? I would put the front end in a city street (as I am now) and the back end on a ravine, with a stream, with deer and rabbits. That way I could have the best of two worlds – engaged and excited on the one hand, and solitude and intimacy on the other.

2. If we were to come to your house for a meal, what would you give us to eat?
LOL! You would probably not want to visit me! I would give you healthy foods. The only snacks we offer are coffee and cashews. No cakes, candies, donuts, chips etc. I would serve grilled vegetables and broiled chicken with the skin and old blue cheese.

3. Tell us about the absolute BEST fan letter you have received.
I have a received a couple of fan letters that still warm my heart when I think of them.  They have described sentiments such as “ Vera is a pioneer in the field” and “Vera is caring and compassionate”.
These express values I hold in high esteem and while I strive for them, I am not sure I can meet them much of the time. When I read these letters, I feel acknowledged, really heard and touched that someone has put their time aside to write and send to me. These letters are very precious to me.

4. Say your publisher has offered to fly you anywhere in the world to do research on an upcoming book, where would you most likely want to go?
Though I have already been there twice, probably I would go to Iceland again. There is a strong food addiction community there AND the country is lovely.  The geography and the people are both awesome (in the original sense of the word). They are rugged, individualistic yet open and friendly. Or I might go to Austria, because I have family that I don't see often enough. Sometimes I imagine I could live there, to do my research in solitude during the day, and connect with beloved relatives in the evenings. 

5. Who designed the book cover for the book you are touring?
My publisher. When I saw the mock up of the book cover, I was both intrigued and alarmed: a plate of glistening donuts that food addicts would be confronting every time they picked up the book? What a trigger!
I told the publisher that it might repel people who were struggling. Indeed, some critics have been very vocal about the triggering nature of the cover, but she convinced me to keep it. Who needs to read a book of food addiction but the very people who will notice a book that has donuts on the cover? 

GENRE: Non-Fiction, self-help
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
BLURB:
 
Is it possible to be addicted to food? When does indulging in 'comfort' food become substance abuse? Is it possible that there is more than a lack of will power at work when someone can't stop eating? In Food Junkies, Vera Tarman and Phil Werdell explain what is - and isn't - food addiction, tackling this complex and poorly understood problem through the stories of many survivors and from the perspectives of medical researchers/practitioners. They break down the science behind the research so that anyone can understand it, and take a fresh look at obesity, overeating, binge eating, anorexia and bulimia. For people struggling with these issues — and their families — recognizing the condition is the first step to gaining the kind of support and advice they need.
 
Food Junkies (finalist in the 2016 Voice Arts Awards) offers hope and guidance. Read by Lisa Bunting, according to one audible customer review, her "calming voice assists with decreasing the shame so often found with addiction and can open the listener up to actually hearing," while another noted the audiobook version "brought the science to life in a different way than the book. It made it even more real as one can't 'skim' or 'rush' through the life-changing content."
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
EXCERPT:
 
Excerpt One:
 
AUDIO EXCEPRT:   https://soundcloud.com/post-hypnotic-press/audiobook-food-junkies-the-truth-about-food-addiction
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
 
Vera Tarman is a medical practitioner who focuses on addictions. She is the medical director of Renascent, an addictions treatment centre. Dr. Tarman conducts workshops and speaking engagements on the science of food addiction and "comfort food" abuse. She has reached audiences across the world. She lives in Toronto.
 
Phil Werdell is a recovering food addict, a social work clinician, and an educator. He is the primary organizer of the Food Addiction Institute and the International Society of Food Addiction Professionals, and is Director of ACORN’s Professional Training Program. Phil currently teaches Addictions Studies at Springfield College, School of Human Services, Tampa. He lives in Florida.
 
NARRATORS BIO:
 
Lisa Bunting is a stage, screen and voice actor, drama instructor, audition coach, and professional skills development simulator.  For Post Hypnotic Press, she has narrated the non-fiction self-help titles The Woman Who Changed Her Brain, The Remarriage Blueprint, Voice Arts Awards-nominated Food Junkies and the forthcoming i-Minds. She was named Best Supporting Actress at LA’s Focus International Film Festival, Winter 2015. She is a member of Canadian Actors’ Equity and ACTRA.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
 
 ​ 
BOOK:
http://addictionsunplugged.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Addictions-Unplugged-115629771844679/
https://twitter.com/FoodJunkiesBook
 
Vera Tarman:
 
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/925163.Vera_Tarman
 
Phil Werdell:
 
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8591529.Phillip_Werdell
 
Lisa Bunting:
 
https://twitter.com/foodaddictman
 
Post Hypnotic Press:
http://www.posthypnoticpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/PostHypnoticPress
http://www.twitter.com/Post_Hypnotic
 
Buy links for the books:
 
http://www.dundurn.com/books/food_junkies
 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IAMIG06/
 
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/food-junkies-vera-tarman/1118611721
 

Talking with Award Winning Author Kurt Kamm

If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?
I'm not sure about this question. I already have the ability to influence the stock market by sheer concentration. Is that a paranormal ability? I do confess that, as I have grown older, my power is waning. Now all I can do is influence the New York Stock Exchange. When I was younger, my concentration reached across global financial markets. (If you like where this is going, read about Dedo, the banker for the Sinaloa Cartel in The Lizard's Tale.)

What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to learn about you?
I think they would be surprised to know that I am a serial killer, and that I write from a cell in a maximum-security prison. I have tattoos covering most of my body, which were done over the years by other inmates. I have a scar running from my left ear to my chin, which I suffered from a knife fight with a rival gang member in the prison laundry. While I am quite young, my hair has turned pure white after I spent six months in solitary confinement.
Of course, my readers would be surprised to learn all of this, because none of it is true, but hey, I'm an author, and I have an imagination.

When writing descriptions of your hero/ine, what feature do you start with?
Before I start writing, I have to have the right names for my main characters. I know that sounds silly, but I can't visualize that person until I name him. As I progress through the book, I often change a character's name three or four times as his/her image become clearer to me. In The Lizard's Tale, Alejandro was Angel for months, and Gina was first Lisa and then Kate. Dedo, on the other hand, never had a name change. As the cartel's banker, his name was El Dedo del Oro (Goldfinger) from the very beginning. Once I have named the person, the next thing my reader learns about a character is his/her mindset. It is important to know his thoughts or obsessions before the story can progress. Later, the physical depiction comes, and by then, it fits the person's mental description.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I am definitely a pantser. I have tried to outline my novels in advance and have never gotten beyond the second paragraph. I have to sit down and simply start writing, with only a global idea of the plot before I begin. In The Lizard's Tale, I wanted to write about a cartel boss who was trying to collect an exotic reptile. I also knew I wanted to work in my knowledge of the DEA. Beyond that, it was quite vague. I have found in all my novels, once I start to write, the characters come forward and take charge. They create the story, and I become just the scribe. Sometimes I have to do a lot of cutting, pasting, and revising to get them out of the trouble they get into, but it always works out in the end. I don't think I could produce a detailed plot outline if my life depended on it.

Did you learn anything  from writing this book? If so, what?
I learned a lot about the habits of the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard, I discovered the multitude of ways the cartels smuggle drugs into the US, and I found out how easy it is for boats coming up from Mexico to reach the California coast undetected.
​
What I relearned about writing a novel is that it is always darkest before the dawn. No matter how many times you are stuck on a plot development, or reread some of what you have written and despair that it is absolute junk, don't give up. Keep at it. Even if you have to sit for two hours and write only 25 words, keep doing it. Work at it every day. It's the cumulative effort that counts. Eventually you will work through your problems and move on to write something worthwhile.
 

GENRE:  Mystery/Crime Thriller
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
BLURB:
 

Kurt Kamm has written a novel that's a literary crime novel, with a strong thread of non-fiction running through it. The Lizard's Tale is a tale of crime—with an a wide-ranging cast of characters.

When the DEA goes up against the Sinaloa Cartel, an orphan and an endangered lizard are caught in the conflict. The action moves from Guatemala to Mexico to Catalina Island off the coast of California.

Alejandro, a middle class Guatemalan, wants his share, and makes a deal with the cartel. Now he’s risking his life to deliver the goods.

El Dedo, a brilliant financier, is the Sinaloa Cartel’s banker. He worries about what to do with the billions of dollars collecting dust in his underground vault.

Ryan, a DEA Special Agent, needs to make a high profile case to get a promotion. Is the big yacht headed for California carrying a Mexican drug shipment?

Kate, a wildlife officer on Catalina Island, smells smoke. When she heads out in the middle of the night to investigate a fire, she makes an astonishing discovery.

Jorge, an orphan from the streets of Mexico, is abandoned in the United States. Will he find his way back home and track down his mother’s killer?
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Excerpt Three:
 
The General’s tank was near empty. Alejandro stopped and took down one of the red plastic gas containers. After he filled the tank, he extracted the second of the three bottles of beer from his cooler. “Bienvenido a Mexico,” he said aloud and held the bottle up in an imaginary toast. The beer was warm, but he enjoyed it anyway. He had overcome the harsh Guatemalan roads and crossed the border safely with his cargo. Now all he had to do was survive the trip through Mexico.
 
Ahead of him lay 2,500-kilometers on Mexico Highway 200, the main road along the Pacific Coast. The trip north would take Alejandro past Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlan before reaching Culiacán. The condition of the road itself had been the challenge in Guatemala, but that was not the big risk on the journey ahead. Highway 200 was a winding, two-lane paved road. The real danger was what Alejandro might encounter. He had been warned not to travel at night. Drunk drivers, livestock, pedestrians, and unlighted farm equipment were some of the lesser hazards. The real threat, day or night however, was robbery and hijacking, and he had read several reports of travelers coming upon roadblocks set by bandits armed with machetes and machine guns, decked out in bulletproof vests draped with hand grenades. Alejandro planned to keep moving and cover about 800 kilometers. By evening, he hoped to reach Acapulco.
 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
 
 
Malibu, California resident Kurt Kamm has written a series of firefighter mystery novels, which have won several literary awards. His newest novel, The Lizard’s Tale, provides a unique look inside the activities of the Mexican drug cartels and the men dedicated to stopping them.
 
Kurt has used his contact with CalFire, Los Angeles County and Ventura County Fire Departments, as well as the ATF and DEA to write fact-based (“faction”) novels. He has attended classes at El Camino Fire Academy and trained in wildland firefighting, arson investigation and hazardous materials response. He has also attended the ATF and DEA Citizen’s Academies. After graduating from the DEA Citizen’s Academy in 2014, he began work on The Lizard’s Tale.
 
Kurt has built an avid fan base among first responders and other readers. A graduate of Brown University and Columbia Law School, Kurt was previously a financial executive and semi-professional bicycle racer. He was also Chairman of the UCLA/Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center Foundation for several years.
 
Visit his author website at www.kurtkamm.com
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kurt Kamm   LITERARY AWARDS
TUNNEL VISIONS  (MCM Publishing 2014)
2014 USA Best Book Award -Fiction: General – Finalist
 
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL  (MCM Publishing  2013)
Best Novel 2013 – Public Safety Writers Association
Winner of the 2012 Hackney Literary Award for best novel of the year ($5,000 PRIZE)
Reader's Favorite 2013 – Finalist – Urban Fiction
The 2012 Dana Award – Finalist
Eric Hoffer Award - Finalist (2014)
Excerpt published in Birmingham Arts Journal  http://www.birminghamartsjournal.com/pdf/baj10-2.pdf
 
ONE FOOT IN THE BLACK  (MCM Publishing  2012)
The 2012 USA Best Book Awards – Fiction: General  – Finalist
The 2013 Beverly Hills Book Awards – Fiction: General  – Finalist
Excerpt published in Felons, Flames and Ambulance Rides: Stories About America's Public Safety Heroes
 
CODE BLOOD  (MCM Publishing 2011)
Writer’s Type -  First Chapter Competition.  January 2011- First Place
2012 International Book Awards -  Fiction: Cross Genre Category –  First Place
National Indie Excellence Book Awards – Faction (fiction based on fact) -  Winner of the 2012 Award
The 2012 USA Best Book Awards -  Fiction: Horror  -  Winner
LuckyCinda Publishing Contest 2013  First Place – Thriller
Reader's Favorite  2013– Finalist – Horror Fiction
Knoxville Writer’s Guild -  2011 Novella or Novel Excerpt – 2nd Place
 
RED FLAG WARNING  Aberdeen Bay 2010
The Infinite Writer– Mystery 2010 – First Place
The Written Art Awards -  Mystery/Thriller 2010 – First Place
Royal Dragonfly – Mystery Category 2011 – First  Place
 
Buy Links:
 
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lizards-Tale-Kurt-Kamm/dp/0997441305/ref=sr_1_1
 
B/N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lizards-tale-kurt-kamm/1123975999
​

GENRE: Contemporary Romance
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
BLURB:
 
The price of survival…
 
Gabriel Miller swept into my life like a storm. He tore down my father with cold retribution, leaving him penniless in a hospital bed. I quit my private all-girl’s college to take care of the only family I have left.
 
There’s one way to save our house, one thing I have left of value.
 
My virginity.
 
A forbidden auction…
 
Gabriel appears at every turn. He seems to take pleasure in watching me fall. Other times he’s the only kindness in a brutal underworld.
 
Except he’s playing a deeper game than I know. Every move brings us together, every secret rips us apart. And when the final piece is played, only one of us can be left standing.
 
THE PAWN is a full-length contemporary novel from New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren about revenge and seduction in the game of love.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Excerpt One:
 
A sense of familiarity fills the space between us even though I know we haven’t met. This man is a stranger, but he looks at me as if he wants to know me. He looks at me as if he already does. There’s an intensity to his eyes when they sweep over my face, as firm and as telling as a touch.
 
“I need…” A thud against my ribs as I think about all the things I need—a rewind button. One person in the city who doesn’t hate me by name alone. “I need a loan.”
 
He gives me a slow perusal, from the nervous slide of my tongue along my lips to the high neckline of my dress. I tried to dress professionally—a black cowl-necked sweater and pencil skirt. His strange amber gaze unbuttons my coat, pulls away the expensive cotton, tears off the cotton fabric of my bra and panties. He sees right through me, and I shiver as a ripple of awareness runs over my skin.
 
I’ve met a million men in my life. Shaken hands. Smiled. I’ve never felt as seen through as I do right now. Never felt like someone has turned me inside out, every dark secret exposed to the harsh light. He sees my weaknesses, and from the cruel set of his mouth, he likes them.
 
His lids lower. “And what do you have for collateral?”
 
Nothing except my word. That wouldn’t be worth anything if he knew my name.
 
 
 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
 
Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance such as the Chicago Underground series. Her books have been featured in Jezebel, Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, two sweet dogs, and one evil cat.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
 
– Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/skyewarren
– Twitter  https://twitter.com/skye_warren
– Youtube  https://www.youtube.com/user/SkyeWarrenBooks
– Pinterest  https://www.pinterest.com/skyewarren
– Instagram  https://instagram.com/skyewarrenbooks
 
Buy Links:
 
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MCV02X1
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MCV02X1
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-pawn-skye-warren/1124892956;jsessionid=E389EB80B20DC5B63F463C0AF1FB013B.prodny_store01-atgap10?ean=2940156816125
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-pawn/id1166560955?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-pawn-14
​

TALKING WITH CARMEN AMATO​

Tell us about yourself:
Thanks for having me, I’m delighted to be able to stop by. I write romantic thrillers and the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in Acapulco. I’m originally from New York but got bitten by the travel bug early in life when I went to college in Paris. Mexico inspired me to write fiction and my first novels have all been set there.
 
What was your first book?
My romantic thriller THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY took me 10 years to write. Well, to be more precise, it took me 2 years to write and 8 years to edit (see red pen drama above). 
 
I first wrote it entirely from the point of view of Luz de Maria, the female protagonist, which meant too much repetition as people explained things to her that had happened “off camera.” The book really came together when I broke up the initial 800 page (!) draft and rewrote key scenes from the point of view of Eduardo Cortez Castillo, the ex-cop and federal attorney who breaks a drug smuggling ring.
 
My writer’s critique group liked the chapters and the book came together as a thrilling Cinderella story set against the backdrop of Mexico’s drug wars and presidential elections. People have told me that compared to the recent US presidential elections, the political slogans and sex scenes in THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY are much better.
 
Describe your first break.
My first big break came when screenwriter and director Emily Skopov contacted me in early 2015. She is probably best known for TV series Xena, Warrior Princess and Andromeda. Her interest in the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series led to a contract with a major television studio this year. Hopefully next year we’ll all be watching a series based on my books. FYI, I’m still pinching myself!
 
What is your favorite genre to read? To write?
I love both reading and writing mystery series. Once a character and setting intrigues me, I will read all the books in that series. I just finished all of the Dr. Genevieve Lenard series by Estelle Ryan, which is about an art crime-solving team headed by a woman who is both autistic and a specialist in body language.
 
When I write a mystery the most important thing for me are the relationships between characters. I’m not in love with forensics or technology. People are much more compelling! I want to probe motive and just how far someone will go to get what they want or hide their tracks.
 
Are Happy Endings are must in your stories?
I want my characters to live to fight another day and to have someone who will stand by their side. So while the crime and the corruption still swirl around them, they have the strength to go on.
 
Hotel manager is the person standing by Emilia Cruz’s side. She has a hard time with commitment, and is always assuming he’s going to break up with her and leave Acapulco, but their relationship is a key theme in the books.
 
What makes a protagonist interesting?
I think characters have to be authentic and multi-dimensional. And they should have a Fatal Flaw that becomes integral to the plot. Detective Emilia Cruz is an exceptional liar. Her ability to lie at crucial times--and inability to tell the truth at others—can really create mystery!
 
What is the best thing about being a writer?
To tell entertaining stories that also make people think about something in a new way. So many readers tell me how much they have learned about Mexico from my books. My next book, however, is a romantic thriller with a paranormal twist set in Virginia. In AWAKENING MACBETH, a university professor realizes that her dreams are a game in which the devil steals souls. I wonder what people will say they have learned from that!
 
What is the worst thing?
The hardest thing about being a full time author is using my time wisely. I have a needy dog and a fixer-upper house so there are always other things I could be doing.
 
Pantser or plotter?
Plotter! I’m an outline addict. Before I start a novel I create an outline. I scribble “scenes” on sticky notes and post them on a wall. I’ll arrange and rearrange until I like the flow at which point I’ll tape them to a poster and hang it over my desk.
That preliminary outline usually survives to about the middle of the book, at which point I’ll have had better ideas and will repeat the sticky note process. For KING PESO, I did this three times. By time the book was done, the last poster was a mess, with some stickies overwritten in red and others hidden behind a snowfall of new ones.
 
What do you see the direction of your future writing taking? What can we expect next? Give us a little taste.
AWAKENING MACBETH, a romantic thriller with a paranormal twist, will be released just before Christmas this year. After that I’ll return to the Detective Emilia Cruz series. The 5th novel in the series, PACIFIC REAPER, is slated for a February 2017 release after which I’ll be hard at work on 43 MISSING, the 6th in the series.
While I doubt I’ll ever run out of ideas for the Detective Emilia Cruz series, another mystery series is taking shape in the back of my mind that takes place in Norway during WWII. Another excuse to travel!
 
Just for fun:
Cat or dog person?
Dog. Our rescue mutt takes me for a walk every morning.

Favorite food?
Coffee. Also anything Italian, especially if someone else is doing the cooking!

Favorite book?
You’re kidding right? There is no such thing as one. But if I had to pick a thriller it would be THE KEY TO REBECCA by Ken Follett. Everyman hero, historic time and place, lovely yet flawed heroine, tantalizing sex scenes, high drama, gripping climax, happy ending. It was my role model when I wrote the romantic thriller THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY.
 
Favorite movie?
Anything with Bill Murray.

Favorite holiday?
Christmas, probably because I’m from an Italian family and have wonderful memories of Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and the party my mother always threw afterwards. We’d stay up until the wee hours toasting friends and family, but somehow be up at dawn to open presents!
 
Would you rather be the princess or the villain? Why?
Princess, of course. I assume that princesses have better shoes.
 
Who has more fun, orcs or hobbits?
Hobbits. I first read Tolkien’s books in high school. I even had some friends who wrote notes to each other in Elvish. Orcs held no appeal, either then or now.
 
Last words?
Readers often wonder how Emilia Cruz came to be the first female police detective in Acapulco. The only place to find that out is in “The Beast,” the short story that I wrote in response to all the requests. It’s part of the Made in Acapulco story collection available on Amazon OR you can get it for free here as part of the Detective Emilia Cruz Starter Library. You’ll also get my monthly email newsletter, Mystery Ahead.
 
In addition to “The Beast, the Starter Library includes “The Angler,” a story based on the true-life murder of my pastor, Father Richard, in Mexico City. The drug addict who disrupted Christmas Eve didn’t kill him; in fact his murderer has never been caught. But in “The Angler,” Detective Emilia Cruz will bring the killer to justice.
 
Thanks for having me and happy reading! All the best, Carmen
 
http://carmenamato.net
http://amazon.com/author/carmenamato/
http://facebook.com/authorcarmenamato/
http://twitter.com/CarmenConnects/
http://pinterest.com/CarmenConnects/
​

GENRE:  police procedural mystery
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 BLURB:
 
KING PESO is the fourth book in the sensational Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series recently optioned for both television and film. Emilia is the first female police detective in Acapulco, where Mexican drug cartels battle for control and politicians are bought with blood money.

Three cops are murdered, execution style. Emilia worked with them all.

Her partner’s wife is killed in a home invasion. Was he the real target?

Is Emilia the next?

She hopes to be assigned to a task force to investigate the killings, but is instead directed to a new police unit championed by Acapulco’s ambitious mayor and overseen by a shady union strongman. But when Emilia stumbles upon a falsified report, she will conduct a private investigation, even as another murder victim carries a stark message for her. 

Home is no refuge for Emilia; hotel manager Kurt Rucker has a shocking secret that could tear their relationship apart.

Unexpected help comes from a frightened attorney and a famous movie star, but each new clue to the murders unravels the one before. Meanwhile, Emilia’s ongoing hunt for a missing girl, a continuing series subplot, leads to the infamous El Pharaoh casino, a place she knows only too well.

What do a casino and a cop killer have in common? Emilia bets on her partner, but his gamble could cost both their lives. 
 
Excerpt Two:
 
“Detective Cruz, I’m so glad I found you.” It was Claudia Sanchez again, but no longer Emilia’s new best friend. She thrust out a cell phone, the gesture full of shaky bravado. “I need your contact information.”
 
Emilia blinked at the woman.
 
“We need to schedule our first planning meeting,” Claudia continued. “I’d like to make it the same time every week. We’ll meet in my office in this building until we move to the Las Palomas headquarters.”
 
She paused and looked at Emilia expectantly.
 
Emilia didn’t move.
 
After a moment of confusion, Claudia went on doggedly. “We have a lot of decisions to make. Carlota has given me a file full of her ideas. We really need to focus on the uniforms. Carlota wants something with that signature Las Brisas pink.”
 
“Do you have any idea what it means to be a cop in this city?” Emilia asked abruptly.
 
“I . . . I majored in public administration and security in college,” Claudia stammered. “I’ve been working for the mayor for almost two years.”
 
Emilia was nearly speechless with sudden fury. “Have you ever listened to your partner describe how he came home to find his wife a bloody dead mess?” She launched herself off the wall as she spoke. “Paid a snitch on the street for information to keep your friends from being killed? Scraped bodies off a sidewalk after a gang fight?”
 
Claudia took a shaky step away from Emilia. “You’re not being very nice, Detective Cruz.”
 
Emilia’s anger fled as quickly as it came. Claudia’s face was puckered with the effort not to cry.
 
The situation was hopeless.
 
“I have to go,” Emilia said.

GENRE: Romantic Suspense
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
BLURB:
   
After the tragic death of his family, Ian, fresh home from the Army, is a shadow of his former self. Only his best friend's disappearance in South America pulls him back from the ledge. He rushes to Brazil, but he gets there too late. The best he can do now is find his friend's murderers. The single lead in the case is also the single biggest obstacle--Daniela, a mysterious beauty very much in need of protection, with a host of secrets hidden in a dark past. As the two of them track down clues and try to untangle an impossible case, they draw the attention of all the wrong people, and danger follows them back to the US.
 
Ian wants the murderers. Daniela wants Ian to acknowledge the hot sparks of passion between them. He doesn't mind breaking rules, just never his own. Rule #1: You don't seduce the woman you protect
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Excerpt One:
 
A couple of boats had been dragged up on the flat of the riverbank. Nobody around. Ian sat in the shade of the largest boat and pretended to be watching the barges and tugboats going past him.
 
He stole a glance at the house, hoping to spot Finch. Nothing there, but something rising out of the water maybe thirty feet from him caught his attention.
 
At first, he thought it might be a caiman—South America’s version of an alligator. Caimans were native to the area, although, he had no idea if they lived in this part of this particular river.
 
But instead, out of the river, rose a young woman.
 
She seemed to be struggling with…an anaconda?
 
When the shiny black, long body wrapped around hers, Ian moved, ready to dive into the water to help her, but she had the upper hand and dragged the wriggling beast toward shore with a triumphant smile, and he could see that she had a giant eel.
 
He couldn’t take his eyes off the thing. The eel stretched as long as the woman was tall, over five feet. They wrestled in the mud, the scene stunningly primal and elemental.
 
She had a piece of rag tied around her small breasts, and another around her slim waist, covering only the private parts of her body. She was the most stunning sight he’d ever seen, long dark hair streaming down in wet rivulets. A goddess risen.
 
A goddess in mortal struggle.
 
His western sensibilities pushed him to run and help, but the woman and the eel and their battle seemed somehow the spirit of the Amazon itself, and he felt like an interloper. He felt that he couldn’t take the woman’s triumph away from her.
 
And she did win, dragging the eel to shore, grabbing a rock the next second and smashing the eel’s head. The eel was still squirming when, with the same, sharp-edged rock, she gutted the thing, dumping the insides back into the river. She was not a peaceful goddess.
 
She washed the eel efficiently, then picked up the carcass and carried it, staggering under the weight, up the tall, steep bank, and in through the back door of the house Ian had been watching.
 
Ian’s chin might have dropped a little. Or a lot. In fact, he felt as if his chin just hit his lap.
 
Who on earth was she?

​AUTHOR Bio and Links:
 
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Dana Marton has thrilled and entertained millions of readers around the globe with her fast-paced stories about strong women and honorable men who fight side by side for justice and survival.

Kirkus Reviews calls her writing "compelling and honest." RT Book Review Magazine said, "Marton knows what makes a hero...her characters are sure to become reader favorites." Her writing has been acclaimed by critics, called, "gripping," "intense and chilling," "full of action," "a thrilling adventure," and wholeheartedly recommended to readers. Dana is the winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence, the Readers' Choice Award, and Best Intrigue, among other awards. Her book, TALL, DARK, AND LETHAL was nominated for the prestigious Rita Award. DEATHSCAPE reached the #1 spot on Amazon's Romantic Suspense Bestseller list.

Dana has a Master's degree in Writing Popular Fiction, and is continuously studying the art and craft of writing, attending several workshops, seminars and conferences each year. Her number one goal is to bring the best books she possibly can to her readers.

Keeping in touch with readers is Dana's favorite part of being an author. Please connect with her via her web site (danamarton.com) or her Facebook page (facebook.com/danamarton).

​Having lived around the world, Dana currently creates her compelling stories in a small and lovely little town in Pennsylvania. The fictional town of her bestselling Broslin Creek series is based on her real life home where she fights her addictions to reading, garage sales, coffee and chocolate. If you know a good twelve-step program to help her with any of that, she'd be interested in hearing about it! :-)
 
***Visit Dana’s website to read the first chapters of her books!
 
Links:
Website:  https://danamarton.com/   sign up for her newsletter and get a FREE novel!
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DanaMarton
Twitter:   @DanaMarton
Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/danamarton
 
GIRL IN THE WATER
 
https://danamarton.com/girl-in-the-water
 
 
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Water-Dana-Marton-ebook/dp/B01LW3QXT4
 
 
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Water-Dana-Marton-ebook/dp/B01LW3QXT4/
 
Nook:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/girl-in-the-water-dana-marton/1124815126?ean=2940156873050
 
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/girl-in-the-water-1
 
 
iTunes:https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/girl-in-the-water/id1152720006?mt=11
 
 
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31948388-girl-in-the-water