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

BLURB:
Legal investigator Kristina Andersen has been drugged.

 It started when she came into work and was tasked with finding the firm's biggest client: the intense, enigmatic pharmaceuticals billionaire Landon Tatum.

 She'd just had a sexy encounter with him while working a birthday party undercover at a seedy strip club the previous night. Now he's missing, and she needs to find him.

 Problem: the drug coursing through her veins makes it so every man she sees looks like the man she's looking for.

 And that's just the start of it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:

 Keeping his eyes on hers, he took a brief sip of the champagne. Probably had to hide his distaste. “Have I seen you before?”

 She shook her head. “I don’t believe so, Mr. Tatum.”

 Even knowing it was coming, her breath caught in her throat. Listen to that. Mr. Tatum. Like she was a nervous English servant. What was the matter with her? Her brothers would have laughed up a storm. Hell, Anna would have laughed in her face.

 “You know my name.” It was a statement, not a question.

 Her last night’s self licked her lips and shrugged. “I suppose so.”

 “That seems a bit unfair.” He leaned forward almost imperceptibly, closing the gap between them so that she caught the briefest trance of his scent. A warm shiver eased down her spine. She was more into this than she wanted to admit. “What’s your name?”

 And here—thankfully¬—she’d loosened up a bit. She said the words in her head as she heard them aloud. “Do you want my stage name or my real one?”

 That wasn’t a bad line. She’d snapped out of it quickly enough, anyway. Tatum smiled full-on now, and the effect was half charming, half-titillating. “I didn’t realize the women wearing your outfit got on stage.”

 “Not tonight,” she bluffed, her voice low and throaty. She’d really been getting into it, hadn’t she? More people needed to watch themselves flirt in Recall to see how ridiculous they were. “But maybe if you come back another night you can see me up there.”


Author Bio:
C.B. Salem lives, writes, and dreams in Chicago. When she isn’t reading or plotting the next scene in her book, she enjoys cooking new dishes and having quality cuddles with her two dogs: Murphy and Oliver.

Website: www.cbsalem.com

Twitter: @cbsalem

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cbsalem
 

Buy On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Everywhere-Its-You-C-B-Salem-ebook/dp/B00UXK9HQU/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

BLURB:

Stepping out of your comfort zone can be hazardous…

Denver, Colorado, ER doctor Jillian Rodgers has never done an impulsive thing in her life. But all that changes when she meets the man of her dreams on a ski vacation. Within twenty-four hours, they’ve spent a passionate night together and Jillian is convinced she’s halfway in love. After all, she figures the worst that can happen is she’ll go home with a broken heart…
But the man pretending to be an ordinary guy is far from it. In fact, he shouldn’t get anywhere near Jillian. Yet there’s something about her he can’t resist—and she’s perfect for his cover. Besides, he’s sure he isn’t endangering her.

Unfortunately, they’re both wrong.

When someone uses their chairlift for target practice, Jillian ends up wounded—and her dream man promptly disappears. Within days, her car explodes. Just when things can’t get any worse, she’s kidnapped at gunpoint. Soon Jillian’s running for her life and forced to depend on the man who deserted her, a man who claims he’s trying to protect her but whose story has more holes than a gauze bandage. A man Jillian once thought she loved, but now isn’t sure she should even trust.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
The moon and stars sparkled in the crystal cold, illuminating shadowy peaks, onyx sky, and an occasional fat snowflake. In the lamplight below their chairlift, two silhouettes traversed glowing Styrofoam snow. Jillian half-expected to see an ice palace and snow queen. “Admit it, it’s beautiful.”

“Beautiful.” Mark kissed her, his lips warm despite the chilly air.

“Be careful. You might fall out.”

His teeth flashed in the twilight. “Then I could find out how good a doctor you are.”

“I’m damn good.”

He kissed her again, longer this time. “Can’t argue with that.”

“I was referring to my medical skills.” She took a deep breath, inhaling air that seemed to purify her lungs. “I love this. Thanks for agreeing to do it.”
* * * *
Mark nodded. He was glad she was enjoying it. But after two more runs, three tops, they were heading back to his place. He didn’t have much more time with her, and he didn’t intend to waste--
A bullet struck their chair.

“Damn it. Get down.” Mark pressed Jillian forward with her head between her knees. He covered her head with his chest as a second bullet hit his ski boot.

“What is it?” She sounded confused, scared.

“I think someone’s shooting at us.” Adrenaline sharpened his senses. He scanned the hillside, but couldn’t see anyone. From the direction of the bullets, the sniper was hidden in the thick pines that lined both sides of the slope. Shooting back would be futile, even if he’d dared stop shielding Jillian long enough to pull out his gun.

She cried out, jerked under him, and dropped her poles.

Mark’s gut clenched. “Are you all right?”

“It hit my shoulder, but I don’t think it’s bad,” she said shakily. “Why is this happening?”

A shot whizzed past his ear. Nearly a bulls-eye.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
When she was eight, Diana decided she wanted to be Nancy Drew. But no matter how many garbage cans she dug through, conversations she “accidentally” overheard, and attics she searched, she never found a single mysterious letter, hidden staircase, or anything else even remotely mysterious or suspenseful. She worked as a lawyer, a soda jerk, a stay-at-home mom, a hospital admitting clerk, and a conference host for events ranging from Lutheran music to the International BB Gun competition. She spent long hours volunteering in a nineteenth-century mansion allegedly full of secrets and a few ghosts. Still no luck.

Diana ultimately decided the only way she was going to inject any mystery or suspense into her otherwise satisfying life was by writing about it. Her debut novel, Dangerous Affairs, won a Golden Heart Award from the Romance Writer of America, and she’s received five Golden Heart nominations, including one for Out of Character. 

Diana lives in the Twin Cities with her family and an energetic Wheaten terrier.

LINKS:

Website:  dianamillerwriter.com

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dianamillerwriter

Kensington link:  http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/31374?category=313166

 BUY LINKS:

AMAZON:
http://www.amazon.com/Out-Character-Diana-Miller-ebook/dp/B00ONTR81S/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1433523241&sr=1-1&keywords=diana+miller
 
BARNES AND NOBLE
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/out-of-character-diana-miller/1120611642?ean=9781616505776

KOBO:
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search/Query?q=Out+of+Character

APPLE:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/out-of-character/id957182562?mt=11

Welcome to H. Abigail Bok, a Sunkissed Anthology author.


Here's the introduction.

Anne De Bourgh’s matrimonial expectations—or should we say those of her mother, Lady Catherine?—were thwarted when Mr. Darcy wed that upstart nobody from Hertfordshire. But Lady Catherine is determined to find her daughter a suitable match. After a London season does not answer the purpose, she drags Anne down to the seaside resort of Sanditon to spend the summer in the pursuit of health and a husband.

There Lady Catherine finds more than one potential suitor among the residents, raising her hopes of establishing her daughter creditably. What Anne finds is a degree of independence she has never before enjoyed, and the courage to follow her own path to love . . .


EXCERPT
      These reflections so occupied Anne’s mind that she could pay but little heed to Lady Catherine’s conversation on the morning of the party at Sanditon House, when they all met for breakfast. She was dimly aware that the subject of this discourse was the state of the local tenantry, which Lady Catherine had been investigating closely in the preceding days. Anne had no notion her mother might have a particular motive for this examination; she assumed merely that, finding little else to occupy her time, Lady Catherine was intent on involving herself in the affairs of others. The fruit trees of one farmer and the thatching on the cottage of another passed over Anne’s head unheeded until she found her attention more explicitly demanded.
           
        “Anne, Mr. Wingfield paid us a visit yesterday while you were out walk­ing. He is pleased with the progress you have been making, but is of the opinion more is required than simply taking the air daily. He is convinced you will not truly see an amelioration until you have pursued a course of sea bathing. I do not know whether there is any benefit to be had from it, but Mr. Wingfield is adamant. Fitzwilliam, you will escort your cousin down to the bathing machines this morning; I wish Anne to be in her best bloom tonight.”

            Colonel Fitzwilliam turned to Anne. “Are you inclined to attempt it?” he inquired.

            This was a great deal further than Anne had ever considered going in pursuit of health. Her incapacity for exertion was such an established idea that, a week earlier, she would never have considered sea bathing. But for several days now, she had been taking daily walks and had come to no harm; she could even admit to herself that she felt stronger. The notion of sea bathing, though—facing the buffeting of the waves and doing so in a state of undress…

            She eyed the colonel, considering the question—and a thought, breath­taking in its audacity, came to her: How better to distract a man from preoc­cupation with one lady than by a glimpse of the charms of another?

            A blush suffused her cheeks for even entertaining the notion. She had an appealing figure, she knew, if rather thinner than was considered fashion­able. She was well aware that, even though men and women did not bathe together, men took great pleasure in observing women from a convenient vantage point as they were disporting themselves in the water. Would she dare to flaunt herself in the sea before the colonel’s eyes in an attempt to lead him to abandon his interest in Miss Brereton? And if she did, would she succeed?

            Anne smiled. “I would enjoy it exceedingly.”

Abigail Bok is the author of a contemporary Austenesque novel, An Obstinate, Headstrong Girl, and of “A Dictionary of Jane Austen’s Life and Works,” published as part of The Jane Austen Companion. She is currently at work on a series called Darking Hundred, set in England in the year 1800. She can be found atwww.obstinateheadstronggirl.com and on Goodreads at www.goodreads.com/author/show/8345238.Abigail_Bok.

Thanks, Abigail, for stopping by. June is a big month for you with your inclusion in the Sunkissed Anthology and the brand new release, An Obstinate Headstrong Girl. Congrats

BLURB:

 Abandoned by her parents at fourteen, Jessica knows what it means to struggle. Jessica’s vowed that getting her degree is the only thing she has time for, until a summer internship brings Justin into her life. But Justin has scars of his own. A tour of duty in Afghanistan has left him with wounds. A medical discharge from the Navy leaves Justin struggling to make sense of his new reality. Then he meets Jessica; but can the two of them leave their pain in the past and make a future together?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt Three:

 Mike was looking at me, his eyes full of sympathy. “Look, J, I hate to say this but the choice is pretty simple.”

 “And that would be?”

 “You and I don’t know what it means to have a real family, but I know that’s what you want. I’ve seen you do some stupid shit to try and get it, too.”

 Leave it to my brother to come right out and say something like that. “Like what?”

 “Like move in with that loser who was boning some girl behind your back.”

 I rolled my eyes at Mike and put my hands on my hips. “Gee, thanks for reminding me.”

 “The point is, Justin can’t give you what you want. He might make you happy now, but sooner or later that train’s gonna come to a stop, and you’re gonna have to hop off.”

 “Mike,” Mel snapped.

 “Hey, I’m just being honest here.”

 Because that’s what Mike did. He told the truth whether you liked hearing it or not, and a small part of me worried that he was right. What I didn’t know was how I was ever going to find the courage to hop off the train before it crashed and left me in a million pieces.

This book is part of the Kindle Scout Program where readers decide what books will be published.
Kindle Scout is reader-powered publishing for new, never-before-published books. It’s a place where readers help decide if a book gets published. Selected books will be published by Kindle Press and receive 5-year renewable terms, a $1,500 advance, 50% eBook royalty rate, easy rights reversions and featured Amazon marketing.   https://kindlescout.amazon.com/about

 AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Teresa Roman is a lover of books. That's what prompted her to try her hand at writing. She currently resides in Sacramento, CA with her husband, three adorable children and the puppy her son convinced them to adopt. When she isn't at her day job or running around with her kids, you can find her in front of the computer hard at work writing or with her head buried in another book.
 

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

Website: teresaromanwrites.com  

BLURB:

*** #1 AMAZON HOT NEW RELEASE (YA/Teen)*** WORLDS COLLIDE . HEROES ARISE ***

Great as a Standalone or as an Explosive Sequel to #1 Amazon Kindle Bestseller, AEGIS RISING.

On a bright July morning in 1948, a B-29 Superfortress flying a top-secret research mission over Nevada crashes into the calm waters of Lake Mead and sinks, remaining lost for half a century.

 It has been nearly a year since five friends - Jag, Kody, Mariah, Tegan and Aari - mysteriously reappeared in a small town in Yukon several weeks after their small plane went down in Northern Canada. All were found in good health but with no recollection of what happened to them after the crash.

 A baffling contagion is spreading across the bread-basket of North America destroying vital crops. As this dark shadow marches across the globe, widespread famine and riots bring desperate nations to the brink of war.

 These seemingly unrelated events set the stage for a battle between the forces of darkness and those destined to become the 'bearers of light'. From ravaged fields in the Great Plains to clandestine installations around the world, the Aegis League must race against time to save humanity.
*******************************************************************************************************

“Unique and compelling! With non-stop action, adventure and intrigue, Aegis Incursion will appeal to fans of Maze Runner, Percy Jackson and Hunger Games.” ~Michael Beas - Bestselling Author of 'Strump: A World of Shadows' ~

“S.S.Segran brings us a worthy sequel to her best-selling debut novel, Aegis Rising. Relentless action and gravity defying twists and turns hold the reader in a tight grip till the last page.” ~ Honore Gbedze ”" The SAGE Foundation ~

"RECOMMENDED! A good sequel stands alone as a strong work without the accomplishments of its predecessors, but a great sequel inspires readers to go back and relive a book they've already read, and that is precisely what this book accomplishes."

~ The US Review of Books ~

"FIVE STARS! A great book to dive into and a fantastic follow up to the first... One of the best things author S.S. Segran has done here is that the book can be read as a stand-alone. Highly recommended!"

~ Readers' Favorite Reviews ~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
…A sound in the distance snapped him out of his daydream. It was a low rumbling, like thunder, but that was impossible—the sky was still bright and cloudless. As the sound gradually became louder, Elwood was able to pinpoint the location and slowly looked toward the east. He squinted against the sun, then gasped when he saw a shimmering silhouette emerge from the glare…

 …The aircraft thundered right over Elwood’s head, so near that the vortex of air created by the plane’s passing churned the water violently, capsizing the canoe and pitching him into the lake. He struggled and attempted to cry out, only to choke on water. He floundered back up to the surface and sputtered and spat as he tried to regain his bearings.

 Catching sight of the plane as it boomed overhead, he watched, agape, as the aircraft hit the surface of the lake on its belly. The massive propellers struck the water, violently tearing three of the four engines away from the wings…



 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
S.S.Segran spent a good chunk of her childhood exploring the enchanted forest of a million tales in the mystical land of books. In her early teens, she began crafting intriguing new worlds and conjuring up characters who came alive with the flick of her wand... err... pen. With the publication of her first novel in the Aegis League Series during her senior year of high school, she was surprised by the abundance of time that magically appeared right after graduation. She plans to use this newfound resource to expand the arc of the series. Her future plans include studying Cognitive Science at university and helping youths in developing countries realize their potential through her non-profit organization, Aegis League (www.aegisleague.org)

When not devouring a book or writing one, S.S.Segran can be found standing behind the cauldron of life, stirring a potion made up of chores, parkour, gaming, drawing, horseback riding and—having recently jumped off a perfectly fine airplane at fifteen thousand feet – perhaps skydiving.

WEBSITE: www.sssegran.com

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/SegranBooks

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/aegisnovel

AMAZON PAGE: http://www.amazon.com/Aegis-Incursion-Action-Adventure-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B00V56524W/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0R3B52T86N85KNNK5XFW

 

BLURB:
Lance Forrester is a dreamer. After a celebrated career as an astronaut and engineer, he and a friend build a secret spacecraft to seek their destinies in the stars. But his friend dies and Lance is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Desperate not to succumb to his fate, he convinces an acquaintance, ailing actress Sage Saint Claire, whom he hasn’t seen since high school, to join him on his quest to reach an advanced alien civilization which can heal them both. Unfortunately, true life is not a Hollywood movie, as much as Sage might want it to be, and problems abound. Mistakes in the past have turned Sage into a bitter old woman, and she turns out to be a less-than-perfect traveling companion which no amount of optimism, youth, or good health can cure. Can these two intrepid octogenarians-turned-immortals overcome the emotional scars of their pasts and achieve true happiness, or are they doomed to suffer for their mistakes, no matter how far from Earth they go?
~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:
I knew that the truth in my heart reflected in my old, weary eyes. “Yes, I do. Look, I’m no slick-talking salesman, as you can see. I’m just a scientist and engineer, but I truly believe there is a statistical probability of success. But even if I’m wrong, and our voyage ends up to be pointless, so what? Think of the fun you’ll have. Imagine the excitement and wonders of space travel that come before our long sleep.” I paused to dramatize my resolve and let a burst of quixotic energy erupt from me. “Cherish the adventure!"
 

It wasn’t her fears that I was battling against, but a lifetime of distrust. My confidence in a successful mission collapsed. “Of course, you have no reason to believe a word of what I’ve told you. You don’t really know me, except through my noted accomplishments. But I can’t disappoint you because I’m only offering friendship and hope.” I pushed my point harder. “Sure, we can die here on Earth. We can die in space. Or we can awaken on a remote and caring world that saves us! We are the captains of our fate, not the Grim Reaper—yet!”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Steven Rosenstein, penname S. B. Redstone, had a career as a school psychologist and private practice Licensed Clinical Social Worker on Long Island. Always seeking the truths of human nature, he wrote a personal improvement book, Taming Your Inner & Outer Bullies: Confronting Life’s Stressors And Winning, published by New Horizon Press Books. He has written articles on human nature and relationships, given lectures, and appeared on radio shows. Always having a vivid imagination, he first became a successful writer of short stories. His mystery thriller, A Sinister Obsession, was published by Black Opal Books. As an expert in the field of human psychology, he has an exceptional ability to develop realistic and exciting characters in his novels. Many of my characters have been taken from his clinical experiences. Stardust Dreams is his first romance novel, although romantic relationships stand out in his other works. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers Org and Romance Writers of America. He resides with his wife in New York and Florida.

 
Social Media Sites
http://sbredstoneauthor.com

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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5336425.S_B_Redstone

https://plus.google.com/u/0/112531054226952285537/posts

 
Buy Sites

http://www.amazon.com/Stardust-Dreams-S-B-Redstone-ebook/dp/B00XBJBET8/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1431982975&sr=8-5&keywords=stardust+dreams

http://blackopalbooks.com

BLURB:
Mayor Maggie Martin is knee-deep in the financial problems facing Westbury. The investigation into the fraud and embezzlement that created these problems is going nowhere and she’s on the hot seat to produce results. The bad guys are always one step ahead, with bribes and blackmail at their disposal. Her late husband’s mistress also has an ace to play against Frank Haynes. But will he slip through the net once again?

Meanwhile, Rosemont’s attic gives up its secrets; some welcome, some not. Will Frank Haynes establish his claim to Rosemont?

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Barbara Hinske is a practicing attorney in Phoenix, Arizona. She has two grown children with her exceedingly kind and good second husband, who died of cancer in 2006. Lucky in love, Barb married another exceptional man and father of two in 2010, and they live in their own Rosemont with two adorable and spoiled dogs.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Barbara-Hinske/402247529854511

https://twitter.com/BarbaraHinske

http://pinterest.com/BarbaraHinske/

http://barbarahinske.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/15080873-barbara-hinske

Newsletter sign up http://bit.ly/1BIS8F2

Coming to Rosemont - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BHPF2PU/

Weaving the Strands - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JW7E3AU/

Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/users/16897013-coming-to-rosemont?shelf=to-read

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/users/21946348-weaving-the-strands?shelf=to-read

BLURB:

Ascard power can strengthen, heal and create. It also has great potential to destroy, enough to topple entire governments. Indigo’s country places strict limitations on the use of ascard so she must channel her talents into the healing arts or risk severe punishment. An orphan from a disgraced family, trapped by her father’s treason, Indigo struggles reclaim her place in a society that has driven her into an abusive engagement.

Then a mysterious stranger from a neighboring country contacts her using ascard. He needs help escaping his prison so he can bring an end to his emperor's oppressive rule or die trying. His unshakable devotion to his cause and the passion hidden behind his cool arrogance move her to help him at the risk of being branded a traitor herself.

When the politics of society bring them together a second time, Indigo decides to use her growing powers to help him fight his war. If only she dared fight for her own future with such passion. Perhaps she can find the courage to do so by helping the man she has fallen for win his revolution. She might have exactly the power he needs to succeed.

WW: Tell us about yourself:
GTC: Let's see... I am a Southern California guy born in Los Angeles whose favorite pastimes as a kid were watching movies at the local theaters and buying books and magazines on history. My university adventures were in film and television that eventually landed me in a masters screenwriting program. My post-graduation fortunes did not pan out as planned and I ended up in marketing, which opened a door to magazine work as a journalist and later an editor. In recent years I have worked with a market research firm. Through the years I always planned to get back to writing fiction and started groundwork on a novel in 1999.





WW: What was your first book?
GTC: If you do not take into consideration the screenplays I wrote a while back, my first novel is Sudetenland, which is historical fiction set during the Sudeten Crisis between Czechoslovakia and Germany during 1938.

WW: Describe your first break.
GTC: As a writer my first break was in 1984 when I pitched a regular article on classic films arriving on home video. It was for a quarterly magazine with the perfect reader base for that subject. The editor liked the idea and I got the assignment, which lasted several years until the publishing company was acquired and the magazine was shut down. That gig proved to be very important because it set the stage for the kind of journalism work I would be doing the next 20 years.

WW: What is your favorite genre to read? To write?
GTC: I would like to say historical fiction but not many authors write around the subjects I want to read about. Therefore, I my favorite reads tend to be espionage thrillers or science fiction. As a writer, my take on storytelling tends to have some overlap so you will find ample parts drama, adventure, romance, suspense and comedy. Most of the projects I have mapped out have a strong historical component so historical fiction would be my primary genre as a writer.

WW: Are Happy Endings are must in your stories?
GTC: Good question! My take is there has to be a resolution, which may be happy or not. For example, Sudetenland's ending is positive, with elements that are unsettled. That makes sense because there is a sequel coming later. Everything depends on the kind of story you are writing. To have a firm policy on happy or sad endings will get you into trouble at some point because that diktat may not jive with the story in hand, which will lead to a resolution that can seem contrived to the reader. The characters I like to write are smart and sassy, which gets them into trouble that they usually can get out of after a struggle. Then again you can follow the ground rules of classic tragedy and have crap befall the hero from no fault of his or her own doing leading to a sad ending. Another aspect is whether you are working with internal or external threat. Often internal threat suggests flaws or personal demons in the character with a higher likelihood of leading to a downer ending.

WW: What makes a protagonist interesting?
GTC: In the simplest terms, how the character deals with threat and conflict. Conflict is the essence of drama so this is an important consideration. Another aspect is what affectations the author has given the characters. These can be mannerisms such as how a character holds a pistol or cigarette, or psychological habits as in how characters react to specific kinds of interactions. But if any of these elements are insincere or contrived, chances are the reader will lose interest.

WW: What is the best thing about being a writer?
GTC: Every day is a stimulating new adventure. There is absolutely zero chance of boredom. This is true for all aspects of the process from research to the actual writing. Other authors are pretty interesting and/or wacky too, so it is a engaging group to be a part of and interact with, Working at a job where the responsibilities were repetitive day in and day out would have driven me crazy.

WW: What is the worst thing?
GTC: Until the advent of ebook self-publishing the worst aspect was getting past the gatekeepers. People who read Sudetenland really like it, or at least respectfully appreciate it. But in the traditional publishing model I break way too many rules for a debut author and the novel would never have gotten past the gatekeepers to the general public.

WW: Pantser or plotter?
GTC: Honestly, somewhere in-between. A strict outline is a waste of time for me since I will always have to blow it up when, inevitably, I change things. Neither does jumping in with no direction at all work. My system is to know where the story starts, where it ends, and major plot points in the middle. That way I can dash and weave any way I want along the way and the end result is true to itself.

WW: What do you see the direction of your future writing taking? What can we expect next? Give us a little taste. 
GTC: There's a sequel to Sudetenland in the works and I am in the middle of primary research. But as I am looking at several years before I can get the sequel out I am also working on something else simultaneously. It is an adaptation of a Film Noir screenplay I wrote years. It is a fun story set around late 1940s Los Angeles with a lot of atmosphere. People will find some of the character interaction very similar to that in Sudetenland, which is why I chose to adapt this particular story. The plot is set around some secret German technology from the war that surfaces and people connected to it start turning up dead.

WW: Just for fun
GTC: Sometimes I like to take someone annoying from my past and have a little fun with him or her as a character within the story – nothing nasty, just a little payback.

WW: Cat or dog person?
GTC: Cats are awesome and make great familiars. However, I prefer minions and doggies – otherwise known as subservient quadrupeds – are much better in that capacity.

WW: Favorite food?
GTC: No doubt... Chicken Kapama over pasta.  So yummy!  It's a Greek dish.

WW: Favorite book?
GTC: Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea. Forget the Disney movie, read the original. Nemo is one of the most compelling, tortured villains out there.

WW: Favorite movie?
GTC: Hands down, Casablanca. For a rank sentimentalist such as myself it is the perfect flick.

WW: Favorite holiday?
GTC: Have to say Thanksgiving remains my favorite holiday. The whole concept of getting the family together with all of the awesome food is something I look forward to year after year.

WW: Would you rather be the princess or the villain? Why?
GTC: I grew up in L.A. so the princess often is the villain. As a guy there would be some novel aspects to being the princess, but likely I would probably would choose the villain. Desperados are so darn fun, they tend to be really smart and they work outside the constraints of society. As someone who likes find a different path to solutions, that is appealing to me.


WW: Who has more fun, orcs or hobbits?
 GTC: I plead guilty to playing World of Warcraft for way too long so it would have to be orcs... "Lok-Tar!" 

 

BLURB:
Sudetenland is the premiere novel by author George T. Chronis. The book delivers suspenseful and sweeping historical fiction set against Central European intrigue during the late 1930s leading up to 1938’s Munich Conference. Having swallowed up Austria, Adolph Hitler now covets Czechoslovakian territory. Only France has the power to stand beside the government in Prague against Germany… but will she? The characters are the smart and sometimes wise-cracking men and women of this era – the foreign correspondents, intelligence officers, diplomats and career military – who are on the front lines of that decade’s most dangerous political crisis. If Czechoslovak president Edvard Beneš ignores the advice of French premier Édouard Daladier and refuses to give up Bohemian territory willingly, then Hitler orders that it be taken by force. The novel takes readers behind the scenes into the deliberations and high drama taking place within major European capitals such as Prague, Paris, Berlin, Vienna and London as the continent hurtles toward the crucible of a shooting war.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
So this was how it was to be. Abandoned like a faithful spouse to the vagaries of a cheating scoundrel. Despite all of the warning signs and the advice of good friends, the fleeting hope that the one who you had invested so much history with would not betray that which had taken so long to build, was dashed. What Masaryk had said on the phone was right: screw them!

 Štefan Osušky could not remember when he had felt so embittered. The Franco-Czechoslovak Pact was dead. It had been dying for months through the long summer. For the last hour Bonnet had hammered the death certificate onto a public wall. Osušky had been summoned to the Quai d'Orsay to meet with the French foreign minister. Daladier and his cabinet ministers had been meeting since ten-thirty in the morning at the Élysée Palace to approve or reject the Anglo-French plan that Daladier had crawled back to Paris with from London. When they had finished, Osušky was to be waiting at Bonnet's office to hear the results. No audience with the premier was available.

 Osušky held no illusions as to what Chamberlain had proposed to Daladier. The newspapers had been shockingly detailed in their presentation of the expected major points. So many leaks to such a plethora of reporters usually suggested a raison d'être behind the disclosures. Osušky calculated there was a chance those ministers in Daladier's cabinet that opposed ceding Czech territory to Hitler might be setting the stage for an uprising against Chamberlain's cravenly acquiescence to the dictator… but a very small chance.

When Bonnet arrived back from Élysée Palace he got right to the point. Daladier's cabinet had unanimously approved the Anglo-French plan. As Bonnet read off the terms it was just as the press reports had purported. The only difference was that Bonnet had the full list while most of the newspapers lacked one component or another. The next hour was a blistering back and forth between the two diplomats. Osušky reminded Bonnet of the last two years of French assurances, to which the Frenchman countered the break-up of Czechoslovakia was, the least unpleasant solution. Osušky went on to reiterate the fullness of France's treaty obligations only to be instructed they were mere words on paper. The British had said in no uncertain terms that if Prague refused the Anglo-French plan then Britain would disassociate itself from the dispute. Without British solidarity the assistance that France could offer Czechoslovakia was of no effectiveness. The Czechs would not be allowed to drag France into a war over three-and-a-ha

lf million Sudeten Germans. Osušky's further protests only fed Bonnet's burgeoning hostility. France demanded that Czechoslovakia accept the plan. That was the message Osušky was to take to President Beneš without further argument.

There was nothing more to say to such intransigence so Osušky made his leave. Heading down the hall to the main entrance, Osušky felt his own emotions exploding as he replayed Bonnet's words in his head. The ostiary opened the tall, narrow door Osušky had been through so many times in better days and the Czechoslovak envoy stepped out to overlook a courtyard full of anxious correspondents. He couldn't restrain himself.

"Do you want to see a man condemned without a hearing?" Osušky played to the crowd while descending the stairs. "Here I stand!"

 
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
After years as a journalist and magazine editor, George T. Chronis decided to return to his lifelong passion, storytelling. A lover of both 1930s cinema and world history, Chronis is now devoted to bringing life to the mid-20th Century fictional narratives that have been in his thoughts for years. Sudetenland is his first novel. Taking place during turbulent times in Central Europe during the 1930s, the book took eight years to research and write. The author is already hard at work on his second novel.

Chronis is married with two daughters, and lives with his wife in a Southern California mountain community.

Links

www.sudetenland.georgetchronis.com

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www.georgetchronis.com

Buy Links
www.georgetchronis.com/book/381-2/

www.georgetchronis.com/book/112-2