Debra L. Martin's Blog, page 154

#Excerpt: SOLO by Lauren E Rico

I’m melting into him. For the first time, I’m not fighting against Drew Markham. I’m moving toward him, with him. It happens slowly for the first few seconds as we’re hesitant in our actions and unsure of one another’s intentions. But somewhere within those inches we both draw the same conclusion. I lurch toward him and he catches me in his arms, both of us falling backward onto the couch. Our lips connect with a ferocity that is jarring.
My hands are under his shirt, feeling the smooth plane of his back, absorbing his warmth through my skin. We’re both gasping and panting, pushing and pulling. And then he stops. I nearly fall off the couch when I no longer have the resistance of his body to push against. I pull back and look up at him, confused.
“W-what? What is it?”
His eyes are closed and he’s shaking his head. His face is a mask of regret.
“Drew?”
“I can’t. I’m sorry, Katherine. You…me…”
He gestures toward the four empty bottles of wine on the coffee table. “We’ve both had way too much. You’re still not a hundred percent well. I’m your professor. You’re my student. There are a million different reasons why we need to stop this. Why I need to stop this. Right now. Right. Now.”
I take a deep breath and extricate myself from what’s left of his embrace.
“I don’t know where that came from,” he’s muttering, more to himself, than to me. “What’s wrong with me? I know better.”
With a sigh, I wonder the same thing about myself. We hate one another. Don’t we? Apparently not. But even I, with my limited knowledge of psychology, recognize that there’s a very fine line between love and hate. Not that I love him or anything. But I certainly wouldn’t mind another one of those kisses.
  BLURB:
When graduate student Katherine Brenner walked into my class, I couldn’t stand her—all perfect skin and big, blue eyes—just like the woman who broke my heart.
If it wasn’t for that blizzard, if her car hadn’t broken down outside my house, if she hadn’t looked amazing by the firelight, I never would have kissed her. No matter how hard I try, every excuse I make not to see her comes up flat.
I can’t stop thinking of her lips. Or the way her curves fit perfectly in my hands. There’s a million reasons why this won’t work. I’m her professor. It’s against university policy.
And if this gets out, I could lose everything. 
Buy Links:
Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Solo-Symphony-Hall-Lauren-Rico-ebook/dp/B06ZYQYTXW/ref=sr_1_1
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/solo-lauren-e-rico/1126240187
~~~~~~~~~~~~~AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Lauren Rico was going to be principal French horn of the New York Philharmonic. That was HER plan, anyway. The New York Philharmonic had no idea of her intentions, and that's probably a good thing, since she wasn't an especially good French horn player!
Lauren was, however, an exceptionally good classical music radio host. Calling herself a "Classical Music Reanimator," she has made a career of demystify classical music for her audiences by taking it off a dusty old pedestal and putting it into a modern context. 
It's only been over the last couple of years that Lauren has discovered a passion for writing, which she's managed to combine with her love and knowledge of the classical music world.
You can hear Lauren Rico on SiriusXM's Symphony Hall Channel; on WQXR and WSHU-FM in the New York City metro; WSMR in Tampa/Sarasota, FL; WDAV in Charlotte, NC and KMFA in Austin, TX
Links:www.LaurenRico.com
www.Facebook.com/LaurenRicoAuthor
https://www.goodreads.com/LaurenRico
Twitter: @RadioRico
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BAD BLOODS: JULY LIGHTNING by Shannon A Thompson

July Lightning
Shannon A. Thompson
(Bad Bloods #4)
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: May 1st 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

From best-selling author Shannon A. Thompson comes an exciting new duology in the Bad Bloods universe.

Sixteen-year-old Caleb has been called many things: a patient, a musician, even a prostitute…now he has a new name—son. After his identity is uncovered, Caleb bands together with the family he once rejected in order to save the city of Vendona. But it won’t be easy. Enemies wait around every corner—and so do harsh realities.

With Violet and Kuthun by his side though, nothing seems impossible. As Vendona sits on the verge of an economic collapse and a massive hurricane threatens the city, Violet and Caleb must show its citizens how to overcome decades of hostility and division to save themselves.
Standing or not, a sea will rage, a wall may fall, and all will depend on immortal pain and sacrifice.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo—
EXCERPT:Everyone in the Pits called the fifteen-year-old Skeleton, for obvious reasons. Supposedly, the bad blood had been born a normal, healthy baby boy, but, over time, his skin unraveled and revealed pieces of bone. Somehow, defying all science, the boy continued to live. The last time I’d seen him, his right arm and chin showed bone, but now, half his face and all his fingers had contorted to the haunting shape. Even Adam cringed.“You here to fight?” Skeleton asked, eyeing both Adam and me.
I attempted to answer, but Adam shouted over me. “You work here?”
The betrayal Adam felt was one I would never comprehend, even if I wanted to. Adam was a bad blood. To see a fellow bad blood protect the Pits that killed his kind went beyond my human pain. I volunteered to fight. Bad bloods often didn’t. Moments like this reminded me why Kuthun slapped me when I told him I wished I was a bad blood. Just because I sympathized with them and loved them, lived with them and listened to them, did not mean I would ever be one. I could never feel the same emotions Adam did, and Adam couldn’t comprehend mine.
“The humans aren’t the only ones who see value in bad blood.” Skeleton egged Adam on, and Adam fell for it.
“You mean, your blood.”
The boy’s bony fingers rattled against the door. “Of course,” he said, then smiled. The addition of teeth only made the bony boy look worse.
“You’re one of us,” Adam snapped. “How could you—”
I stepped in front of my cousin. Thankfully, my actions stopped him. “We’re here to talk to Connelly,” I said.
The lanky, crass kid looked me over and stepped aside, but as we passed, he gave in to temptation. “If you need a tag for the bad blood, let me know.”
Adam knocked the boy out cold before I could stop him. That was how fast his powers worked. And, for once, I didn’t feel the need to reprimand him.
“You know you have to fight if you hurt the workers,” I said.
“No one will know,” Adam said as he strode past me. “You’re good at keeping secrets, right?”

Author Bio:
Shannon A. Thompson is a young adult author, avid reader, and a habitual chatterbox.

As a novelist, poet, and blogger, Thompson spends her free time writing and sharing ideas with her black cat, Bogart, named after her favorite actor, Humphrey Bogart. Her other two cats bring her coffee. Between writing and befriending cats, Thompson graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis on creative writing, and her work has appeared in numerous poetry collections and anthologies. Represented by Clean Teen Publishing, Thompson is the best-selling author of The Timely Death Trilogy and the Bad Bloods duology. When she is not writing, she is climbing rooftops, baking cookies, or watching murder shows in the middle of the night, often done with her cats by her side.

Visit her blog for writers and readers at www.ShannonAThompson.com.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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Interview with L.S. O'Dea, HANGMAN'S ARMY

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?
Lake of Sins: Hangman’s Army is the third book in the YA, dark fantasy Lake of Sins series.  These books must be read in order and you can get the first two books free.  Escape, book 1, is free on Amazon (http://myBook.to/LOS_Escape ) and all other major ebook retailers (https://books2read.com/u/4Xgn21).  Book 2, Secrets in Blood is free if you join my newsletter (http://lsodea.com/yourfreebooks-2/).

Hangman’s Army takes place about five years after Secrets ends.  Hugh Truent is sitting in jail and a rebellion between the classes is brewing.  Trinity and her friends must free Hugh and convince him to lead their army.  This book is filled with action like the others but there’s also the start of the love triangle that will filter through the remaining books in the series.  It’s a fun, fast read and I think you’ll love it.

Do you have a favorite character?
I really like a lot of my characters, but I’d have to say that Mirra is my favorite.  She’s simple in her wants, actions and loyalties.  She loves who she loves.  She kills who she wants and most importantly, she’s not ashamed – at all – with who she is.  I admire that.

Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?
Definitely.  Christian, the River Man, was initially just something spooky in the forest for Trinity to encounter, but then he kept popping up throughout the stories.  He actually became such an important character that he got his own book.  Conguise Chronicles: Rise of the River Manis about him.

He truly helped to shape the ending of Secrets In Blood.  He reminds me of the story that I’d heard about the filming of Jurassic Park.  From what I’d heard, it was supposed to end differently and Spielberg was like “T-Rex has to re-appear.  He’s the hero here.”  Well, that’s Christian.  He had to show up again.  He just had to.

Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?
I did.  I spent months contacting agents and had a few get back with me.  They always requested revisions.  I’d spend another six weeks revising.  Send the new book back to them and never hear another word.  That irritated me.  I understand that agents are absurdly busy and I understand the ones who NEVER contacted me at all, but the ones who requested changes, should have (in my opinion) at least sent me a quick note, saying that they were no longer interested.

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?
This goes along with question four.  I got tired of modifying my story for agents who really weren’t interested.  Plus, I discovered that even if I got an agent and a publishing contract, I’d still have to market my own book.  Since I do my own editing (along with a terrific team of beta readers), I realized that there really wasn’t much that an agent could offer me.  If I signed with one, they’d control the cover and the price, but I’d still have to market it.

I decided that indie publishing was more for me and have not regretted it.

Do you belong to a critique group? Have they helped improve your writing?
I do not.  However, I have a four tier approach with beta readers.  The first tier is the beta readers who read one chapter and then discuss it with me.  This is kind of like a critique group. These readers get into the smallest details of the story and help me to fix issues.  The next group reads the entire book and then discusses it with me.  This group also critiques the books. They tell me what works, what doesn’t and I have a lot of questions from my first tier beta readers to ask them.  They are also like a critique group.  The third tier is mainly looking for typos and such – more editing than critique.  Finally, I have my Advanced Readers.  They give me their feedback but at this point, remolding the story would be next to impossible.
I have a BA in English Creative Writing so I have participated in critique groups in college and they’re very, very helpful.  Of course, you have to learn to keep your mouth shut and let people speak.  Otherwise, you won’t learn anything.

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?
A little of both.  I summarize kind of in outline form.  I get that all down and then I start “fleshing it out”.  This is where the characters really take control.  They’ve taken me down some dark paths that I had no intention of traveling when I started.  It’s so exciting when this happens.  For example, I never intended to include sex trafficking in these books, but the characters took me by the hand and showed me that dark, nasty little corner of their world.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?
You can find my books on Draft2Digital which has links to Kobo, B&N, iBooks, and several other sites.

Lake of Sins: Escape = https://books2read.com/u/4Xgn21Lake of Sins: Secrets In Blood = https://books2read.com/u/bo6Dn9Lake of Sins: Hangman’s Army = https://www.books2read.com/u/bzpA5ZConguise Chronicles: Rise of the River Man =  https://www.books2read.com/u/mZwWPD

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?
Absolutely.  Marketing takes a lot of time—A LOT.  That’ll be one of the first things that I hire someone to do for me once I start making enough money.  I really don’t like the marketing aspect especially when it takes me away from writing. 

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?
Animals are my passion and you may recognize that in my books.  I don’t believe that there are any “just a” in this world.  A dog is not “just a” dog.  It has its own wants and desires and we need to stop treating animals as if they were less than us.  Different does not equal less.
  BLURB:
A rebellion is brewing in the world of the Lake of Sins while Hugh Truent sits in prison days away from his execution.
After taking his findings about the genetic similarities between the classes to the Supreme Almighty and the Council, Hugh had been arrested for treason and all his evidence had vanished as if made from smoke.
To protect his family, he cut off all contact with the outside world while he sat in prison for over four years waiting for his execution. He has no idea that some of his reports were leaked to the other classes and that civil war looms on the horizon.
Trinity and her friends have no hope of winning the war unless they can unite the classes. In order to do that, they need someone everyone will follow. They need the one person all the classes trust and believe in. They need Hugh.
That means they have to break him out of a maximum security prison and convince him to lead their army, but that won’t be easy because Hugh wants revenge and he’s not going to let anything get in his way especially mouthy, attractive, know-it-all Trinity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~AUTHOR Bio and Links:
L. S. O’Dea grew up the youngest of seven in a family that uses teasing and tricks as an indication of love (or at least that’s what she tells herself).  Being five years younger than her closest sibling often made her the unwilling entertainment for her brothers and sisters.Before she started kindergarten her brothers taught her how to spell her first and middle name—Linda Sue.  She was so proud she ran into the kitchen to tell her mother.  She stood tall and recited the letters of her name:  L-E-M-O-N   H-E-A-D.She’s pretty sure she has her siblings to thank for the demons that lurk in her mind, whispering dark and demented stories.
Website:http://www.lsodea.comFacebookhttps://www.facebook.com/lsodeatwitterhttps://twitter.com/lsodeaemail:lsodea7@gmail.com
Join Readers’ Group and Get the First Two Books in the Lake of Sins Series for FREEhttp://lsodea.com/yourfreebooks-2/
This book is the third in the series--and the series should be read in order.  The first two books is the series are FREE. http://myBook.to/LOS_Escape
http://myBook.to/LOS_Secrets
http://myBook.to/LOS_HangmansArmy 
draft2digitalescape = https://books2read.com/u/4Xgn21
secrets = https://books2read.com/u/bo6Dn9
hangman = https://www.books2read.com/u/bzpA5Z




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#Excerpt: THE POWER OF PRAYER by Lorana Hoopes

“What’ll you have?”
The voice was deep and masculine, and as I turned to find the man who owned it, a small gasp escaped my lips. Broad shoulders tanned by the sun stood out against his cream tank top, and dark brown hair fell in waves to about his chin. He was the most handsome man I had ever seen, but it was his piercing green eyes I couldn’t seem to look away from. He stared at me expectantly, an empty glass in his hand as he waited for my order.
“Uh, tequila sunrise,” I stammered as the blush climbed my cheeks. Had he heard my gasp? I tried to look away, but his gaze was a magnet drawing my eyes back to him.
“Tequila, huh?” His lips pulled into a smile revealing perfectly white teeth, and my heart fluttered in my chest.
“It’s my weakness.” My lips parted, and my tongue darted across her bottom lip. I wondered how his lips would feel against mine. Apparently, he was a weakness for me as well.
“In that case, how about a double shot?” The wink he flashed solidified the notion he was flirting with me, but I couldn’t tell whether it was because he liked me or because it was part of the job description.
“Sure.” My heartbeat magnified in my ears, and despite his magnetic pull, I forced my attention away from the bartender and back to the crowd, hoping to hide the red on my face.  Though the bartender was easily the most handsome man there, several other nice looking gentlemen filled the area. Most appeared to be chatting with women, but one man sat alone, tapping at his laptop and nursing a beer.

BLURB:
Life doesn't always go as planned; sometimes it goes better. Callie Green thought her life was planned out until her fiance leaves her at the altar, upending her perfect plans. She is spiraling out of control when she meets JD, a man who offers a love she has never known, but she is too blinded to see it. When she realizes JD is what she has been missing, she has no way to find him. All she can do is pray and hope that God sends him back to her.
THE BOOK IS ON SALE FOR $0.99 DURING THE TOUR
The Power of Prayer is available at Amazon: http://bit.ly/PowerofPrayer1
Barnes and Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-power-of-prayer-lorana-hoopes/1125014735
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32822493-the-power-of-prayer?from_search=true
~~~~~~~~~~~~~AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Lorana Hoopes is currently an English teacher in the Pacific Northwest where she lives with her husband and three children. When not writing, she can be seen kickboxing in her local gym, singing at her church, or performing on stage. The Heartbeats series is her first full length novel series. She has also just released the first book in her early reader chapter book, The Wishing Stone.
You can follow her blog at https://twoheartbeats.org
Twitter: www.twitter.com/loranahoopes
Facebook: www.facebook.com/loranalhoopes
Get a free novella or audio reading of The Wishing Stone by filling out the contact form at http://authorloranahoopes.site123.me/
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#Excerpt: THE DEVIL'S WHISPER by T.H. Moore

The Devil’s Whisper
T.H. Moore
Publication date: May 1st 2017
Genres: Adult, Dystopian, Suspense

Take a moment and imagine your history books devoid of war. Envision entire civilizations absent of heinous crimes against humanity. A planet spared from the plagues of slavery, cultural genocides, and the colonization of indigenous nations by foreigners.

Would you dare make the choices necessary to maintain this Utopia in which universal peace existed? Could you ignore the Devil whispering in your ear, luring you away from a world in which loving your fellow man was the expectation, not the exception?

In a state of reverie, an impractical idea of world peace has given birth to a culture in which the human race has chosen to live free of violent criminals. Instead, criminals have been systematically exiled to the lone prison city, Katingal, constructed in a far corner of Earth. Sentenced for the remainder of their natural lives, the wicked pit themselves against their soulless brethren. Exposure, disease, and starvation claim their victims daily. Those who survive nature’s wrath negotiate the perils of the prison city through murder and cannibalism. All the while, this inimitable death sentence satisfies civilization’s aim to punish the world’s irretrievable outcasts.

Charles “Yäbälay” Gravo is the criminal mastermind behind the world’s largest human trafficking network. As a prime most-wanted fugitive, he sets into motion events that will forever alter the realities of both civilization’s Utopia and Katingal’s Hell.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble—
EXCERPT:Though Charles felt relieved to have discovered Kristoff’s lair, he could see that the savage was surrounded by his men. Nevertheless, Charles surged ahead, his heart racing in tempo with his legs as he moved closer to his objective.
As Charles drew near, a commotion broke out on the balcony. The group of men were drinking, dancing, and fighting as if the balcony were a mosh pit. One reveler grabbed another, while a third man struck the unfortunate chap with a pipe. He buckled, and with one swift movement, the two men flung their victim from the balcony. His limp body fell twenty floors to the hard pavement below. Charles heard the thump when it hit, and the cheers from a group of men who had been waiting for it on the street.
“The king is offering sacrifices tonight,” one maniac on the balcony cheered, hooting down at the dead man sprawled on the pavement.
Charles quickened his pace, staying close to the edges of the road. He ducked into a nearby building and crouched down in a dark corner, using his hands to gather a pile of dirt. He took a mouthful of the water from his satchel and pushed it around his mouth to alleviate his thirst before releasing a thin, controlled stream onto the dirt pile. After mixing the water and dirt into a dark paste, he covered his pale face until all that remained visible were his green eyes.
As he continued his trek toward the epicenter of the city, Charles heard the faint symphony of suffering. Angry yells of men coming from the east and bloodcurdling screams of women pierced the night to the west. Moments later, he slid past a band of filthy men vying for ownership of a corpse like a pack of wolves.
Another ruckus was followed by another violent assault. Just like the one before him, the beaten man was thrown from the balcony. He screamed the entire way down while the maniacs rejoiced from above. Scavengers sprinted past Charles to the man’s broken body and started ripping him apart.
Kristoff’s acolytes leaned over the balcony railing and waved their arms in the air, chanting, “Kris-toff! Kris-toff! Kris-toff! The king of K-City!”
Charles was fifty yards from the barbed wire courtyard that secured the front entrance to the Apex building. Another scream of fear, followed by another thud, a pitched body, and the scurry of the scavengers. This time, Charles was close enough to hear bones snapping against the pavement. He took cover to avoid the scavengers, and waited while they butchered the latest sacrifice with their homemade weapons.
Charles darted along the side of the building until he spotted four men guarding the back doorway.
“Four offerings so far tonight,” one of the guards warned the other three. “Two more before it’s safe to go back up there.”
“You sound like a woman, Manta,” the smallest guard said.
“Fuck you, Hiro!” He laughed. “You look like a woman. Now give me some pussy, you dwarf!”
“Curse me again and I’ll take your tongue,” Hiro seethed, pulling a short knife from his belt.
The other three guards erupted into laughter. “You call that a knife?” said one. “The only thing that knife is good for is picking your rotting teeth.”

Author Bio:
T.H. Moore is a Southwest Philadelphia native who relocated to Camden, New Jersey at the age of ten. He’s an active member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Morgan State University. His career as an Information Technology Consultant and Real-Estate investor has afforded him the opportunity to travel to many countries all over the world as well as the majority of the United States. Blending experience with imagination helped formulate the basis of, and inspired him to write his first novel, ‘The End Justifies the Means’.

His second novel, The Devil’s Whisper, is uniquely creative fiction that ventures away from the inspiration of his own life experiences. In The Devil’s Whisper, he dives into a darker set of dual protagonists whose sole objective is to survive the circumstances of the world they live in. T.H. Moore is the proud father of one son, Jason, and currently resides in Virginia, where he is working on the next two installments of The Devil’s Whisper trilogy.

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#Excerpt: LAKE OF DESTINY by Martina Boone

Anna blinked at him like an owl. “It was a joke.”
He leaned closer. “I know that,” he said, his breath fanning across her cheek. “So was mine.”
This was flirting. He was flirting with her, wasn’t he? Or was he?
Maybe he said things like this to every woman.
See? This was why it was treacherous to be around a man like Connal.
Anna stared back, unable to come up with a single word to say. Mercifully, the bell jangled again above the door, and Connal glanced across the room. “Here’s Elspeth. I suppose we should go through and get the meeting started.”
Anna blinked again and took another long, slow sip of spiked coffee that scalded her tongue, seared warmth down into her stomach, and left her disoriented. At least, it must have been the whiskey’s fault. Another explanation would have involved admitting that it was Connal as much as the Scotch, and that was inconceivable. Men hadn’t had this kind of an effect on her since high school. Since college.
Since Henry.
She’d grown up since Henry. Grown more rational since Henry. And she’d learned a thing or two about not taking actors at face value.
  BLURB:
Helping her aunt organize a Beltane Festival in a picturesque Highland village seems like the perfect escape from Anna’s second broken engagement and the meltdown that wrecked her legal career. But to succeed, she’ll need to wrangle kilt-wearing villagers, dangerous sheep, a disaster of a dog, and the reclusive laird who refuses to open his property to the public for the ancient tradition of “Sighting.”
For centuries, Loch Fàil in Balwhither has been known to locals as a ‘thin’ place, one where the veil between worlds peels back on Beltane morning to reveal the face of a person's one true love. The tradition could draw tourists by the busload, but that’s exactly what Connal MacGregor fears will expose the two secrets he's been desperate to keep hidden.
As Anna struggles to mediate between the needs of the village and Connal’s need to protect his identity and his child, she finds herself falling in love with all of them: Connal and his daughter, the magical glen, the villagers. But day by day, opening herself to love exposes deep scars from Anna’s childhood, and confronting those wounds could finally set her free--or endanger her every chance of happiness.
Amazon  https://www.amazon.com/Lake-Destiny-Martina-Boone-ebook/dp/B01N4WMDDM/
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lake-of-destiny-martina-boone/1125707914
iTunes | https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/lake-of-destiny/id1203391119?mt=11
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lake-of-destiny
On sale for $0.99 at Smashwords with this tour specific coupon!  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/702217Coupon Code: FF83K – expires the final date on the tour
~~~~~~~~~~~~~AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Martina Boone is the award-winning author of the romantic southern gothic Heirs of Watson Island series for young adults, including Compulsion (Oct ’14), Persuasion (Oct ’15), and Illusion (Oct ’16), from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse, and heartwarming contemporary romances for adult readers beginning with Lake of Destiny. She’s also the founder of AdventuresInYAPublishing.com, a three-time Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers Site, and YASeriesInsiders.com, a site dedicated to encouraging literacy and reader engagement through a celebration of series literature. She’s on the Board of the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia and runs the CompulsionForReading.com program to distribute books to underfunded schools and libraries.
She lives with her husband, children, shetland sheepdog, and lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing romance set in the kinds of magical places she loves to visit. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.
Website http://www.martinaboone.com/
Blog http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/
Tumblr   http://martinaboone.tumblr.com/
Facebook   http://www.facebook.com/martina.boone
Pinterest  http://www.pinterest.com/martinaboone
Instagram  http://www.instagram.com/martinaaboone
Twitter  http://www.twitter.com/martinaaboone

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#Excerpt: SHOPPING FOR A CEO'S WIFE by Julia Kent

Shopping for a CEO’s Wife
Julia Kent
(Shopping for a Billionaire, #12)
Publication date: April 25th 2017
Genres: Adult, Romance

Snowbound. Sounds so romantic, with visions of cuddling before a roaring fire, hot chocolate spiked with brandy, and a secret elopement.

Wait. What?

My fiancé’s father won’t stop trying to turn our pending wedding into a three-ring media circus so he can get free publicity for his family’s Fortune 500 company. My mother has decided she’s done with All Things Wedding and asks her teacup Chihuahua for mother-of-the-bride advice.

They’ve all gone certifiably mad.
Then the stress from the wedding puts my mother in the hospital, I scream at my future father-in-law in front of a camera crew and the video goes viral, and the romantic wedding that started with Andrew’s grand Pride and Prejudice proposal looks less like Jane Austen and more like Dostoyevsky.

So what do you do when you’re a fixer and you can’t fix something?
You give up on it.
Not on Andrew, silly.
The wedding.

Shopping for a CEO’s Wife is the 12th book in Julia Kent’s New York Times bestselling Shopping series. As Shannon and Declan enjoy their newlywed bliss, Andrew’s father wants to exploit Amanda and Andrew’s nuptials, much to Amanda’s chagrin. Can she learn to stand up to her future father-in-law and fight for what’s right? But the real question is: will Spritzy the teacup Chihuahua end up being a flower girl?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play—
EXCERPT:“You have a remarkable capacity for imagining the strangest worst-case scenarios, Amanda.”“I have to. I’m in love with you.”
“Hey!”
“Did I or did I not walk miles in an 1800s Regency-era costume after you lost your car keys AND a three-carat diamond ring in Walden Pond?”
“Yes, but — ”
“Did you or did you not have to rescue me, half clothed, from a pool at your brother’s wedding?”
“I am sensing a trend.”
“And did you, or did you not, wake up with me in a Vegas hotel room, thinking for a few hours that somehow we’d both married more than one man?”
Now he just sighs.
Ah.
Victory.

Author Bio:
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men's room toilet (and he isn't a billionaire). She lives in New England with her husband and three sons in a household where the toilet seat is never, ever, down.

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#Excerpt: DAUGHTER OF AITHNE by Karen Rita Gastreich

Eolyn shifted in her seat. A thousand words stood poised upon her lips, of which only a handful could be chosen and delivered. Each conversation in the coming days had to be undertaken with great care, especially when it came to this mage.
“Why did Thelyn come for us, and not you?” she asked.
“I was needed to track down the magas still residing in the City,” Corey replied. “Besides, Thelyn was the better mage for that task.”
Mariel, she thought. He would not have had the heart to bind Mariel.
A small sign, perhaps, that Mage Corey could yet be counted among her friends.
“I understand you are to oversee their interrogation,” Eolyn said.
“It is true, my Lady Queen.”
“I have expressed my concerns about this to the King. He assures me that you and your mages will not be permitted to—”
“My Lady Queen, if there is one thing you have learned in the years of our friendship, it is that I will do whatever must be done in the moment at hand, and I will harden my heart to see it through.”
“That may be the case, Mage Corey. Yet I also know that words are your most effective tool. You have never resorted to violence to obtain what you require.”
Corey let her statement hang in the air.
Eolyn averted her gaze, suddenly aware of the icy tension in her hands.
I, too, am being interrogated.
“You did not bring a scribe,” she said quietly.
“What need have I for a scribe, my Lady Queen?” He softened his tone. “We are, as of yet, simply conversing.”

BLURB:
Betrayed by her own prodigy, Eolyn stands accused of treason. As power-hungry nobles dismantle her life's work and honor, the desperate queen forges a risky alliance with the ruthless and cunning Mage Corey. Determined to defend her son's claim to the throne of the Mage King, Eolyn prepares for her last and greatest battle, this time against her own sisters in magic.
Across the Furma River, Taesara of Roenfyn is drawn out of seclusion and into an ever-more vicious game of intrigue and war. Subject to the schemes of a shrewd uncle and the mysterious ambitions of the wizards of Galia, Taesara struggles to assert her own destiny, even as she takes up arms to defend her daughter's inheritance.
In the climactic finale to The Silver Web trilogy, threads of love, honor, betrayal, and vengeance culminate in a violent conflict between powerful women, opposed to each other yet destined to shatter a thousand-year cycle of war.
"A tale of female oppression, prejudice, and even deadly seduction, EOLYN touches on issues that are deeply relevant to our own society." -Apex Reviews review of EOLYN, Book One of the Silver Web
“The story's greatest triumph is Gastreich's prose, a consistent blend of lyrical verse and dark imageray....Lush, evocative descriptions carry readers through an unforgettable journey.” –Kirkus Reviews review of SWORD OF SHADOWS, Book Two of The Silver Web”
The first book of the series, EOLYN, will be a FREE download on Kindle only on May 1.
Purchase link for EOLYN, Book One of THE SILVER WEB: http://www.amazon.com/Eolyn-Silver-Web-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01B8F4G50/
Purchase link for SWORD OF SHADOWS, Book Two of THE SILVER WEB: https://www.amazon.com/Sword-Shadows-Silver-Web-Book-ebook/dp/B01G5L1GEG/
Purchase link for DAUGHTER OF AITHNE, Book Three of THE SILVER WEB: https://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Aithne-Silver-Web-Book-ebook/dp/B06WCZYRNW/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Karin Rita Gastreich writes stories of ordinary women and the extraordinary paths they choose. She lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she is part of the biology faculty at Avila University. An ecologist by vocation, Karin has wandered forests and wildlands all her life. Her pastimes include camping, hiking, music, and flamenco dance. In addition to THE SILVER WEB trilogy, Karin has published short stories in World Jumping, Zahir, Adventures for the Average Woman, and 69 Flavors of Paranoia. She is a recipient of the Spring 2011 Andrews Forest Writer’s Residency.
Website: http://krgastreich.com
Twitter: @EolynChronicles
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Eolyn-110814625640244/

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#Excerpt: DEATHBRINGER by Tamara Grantham

Deathbringer
Tamara Grantham
(Fairy World M.D., Olive Kennedy)
Published by: Crimson Tree Publishing
Publication date: April 25th 2017
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Some heroes are fated to save the world. Others are meant to destroy it…

Olive Kennedy is all about positive thinking. She’s been stuck on Earth for the past four months, waiting for the spring equinox to arrive so she can return to Fairy World — but she’s staying positive. She’s hopeful she’ll once again see her handsome Viking fiancé who’s waiting for her. She’s optimistic that her mission to reclaim the sword of Dracon — a sword of King Arthur fame and the only weapon capable of killing Theht — won’t result in death and destruction. And then there’s the small matter of an asteroid that’s been ripped out of its orbit and is hurtling toward Earth…no biggie.

One last thing — she’s fated to destroy the world. To stop that prophecy from being fulfilled, she may have to sacrifice the one person she loves the most.

Good thing she’s staying positive.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo—
EXCERPT:I stood and crossed to my bedroom, then grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder. After grabbing my temporary mirror case out of a drawer, I placed it on top of my dresser.I wasn’t sure if I should cringe or laugh as I scanned my new mirror. I’d found it at the dollar store after a frustrating day of trying to create a new mirror box with no success. I’d bought it because it was absurd and to remind myself that it was temporary.
The plastic box was pink with the name BARBIE scrolled on the top. Inside was a foam liner that had once held five nail polish bottles. I’d cut the foam to make larger slots. Now, it held my five figurines that represented the races of Faythander: Dragon, elf, Wult, pixie, and goblin.
After unlocking the latch, I opened the lid. “You’re fabulous! Inside and out!” sang to me in a bubble-gum voice as I propped the lid open.
As I said, temporary solution. Extremely temporary. It had a mirror under the lid and was the perfect size for my figurines, so it worked. For now.
Scanning my figurines, I found the Wult and removed it from the foam, then propped it upright against the mirror. I needed to get to the Wultlands, and this would be the easiest way to do so.
I ignored the glittery scrolling along the edges of the mirror and focused on the glass. Taking a deep breath, I paused before touching my fingers to the mirror.
Months ago, the portals had started acting erratically. I’d thought the problem had been solved after we’d restored the fairies’ stone, but when I’d returned to Earth four months ago, the portal had almost torn me apart. I’d gotten several stitches in my abdomen because the crossing had been so violent. Since then, I hadn’t once been able to open a portal, but tonight, I had no choice. I needed to return to Faythander before the equinox, and I had one thing in my favor—I hadn’t tried opening a portal with my new Barbie box yet.
Here’s to hoping my luck improved, I thought. Then again, this was my luck we were talking about. Yeah, probably not.
Carefully, I placed my fingertips to the screen, inhaled a deep breath, and then conjured the word to open the portal.
Magic flowed from my heart, through my arms and hands, and into the mirror. Gold and amber swirls licked like fire over my skin as the magic interacted with the mirror, mingling with the blue glow coming from the plastic case.
The power grew inside me as the portal opened. Wind swirled around me until the room disappeared and I floated in a void. Voices came from somewhere. Soft whispers. Among them was a familiar one. The cold, detached voice of Theht.
I am here. I am waiting.
I’d gotten better at tuning her out, but being in a place like this, between worlds, made it almost impossible to keep her away.
Soon, we shall destroy the world together. Deathbringer.
The wind grew stronger and faster, wrapping around me, squeezing the air from my lungs. It compressed me until I couldn’t breathe. Pain coursed through my nerve endings as the pressure weighed me down. I felt as if I’d been buried under millions of tons of sand.
I cried out, but couldn’t hear my voice over the wind. Tears leaked from my eyes. I felt their warmth on my cheeks. In a desperate attempt to survive, I focused on the magic within me, unleashing every ounce, pouring it into the portal to keep it steady.
I thought for sure I was dead when I hit the ground. I landed awkwardly, my shoulder and hips taking the brunt of the impact. My mirror, on the other hand, made a graceful landing in a pile of leaves beside me.
I lay on the ground, panting for air, staring at the faded blue sky through the patchwork of branches with budding green shoots.
“Never again,” I muttered between gasps. Next time, I would find a Viking ship and cross through an underground ocean filled with man-eating sea-snakes before using a portal. “Never. Again.”
On the bright side, at least I’d finally made it back to Faythander. The $.99 investment into the Barbie mirror wasn’t such a bad buy after all.

Author Bio:
Tamara Grantham is the award-winning author of more than half a dozen books and novellas, including the Olive Kennedy: Fairy World MD series and the Shine novellas. Dreamthief, the first book of her Fairy World MD series, won first place for fantasy in INDIEFAB’S Book of the Year Awards, a RONE award for best New Adult Romance of 2016, and is a #1 bestseller on Amazon in both the Mythology and Fairy Tales categories with over 100 reviews.

Tamara holds a Bachelor’s degree in English. She has been a featured speaker at the Rose State Writing Conference and has been a panelist at Comic Con Wizard World speaking on the topic of female leads. For her first published project, she collaborated with New York-Times bestselling author, William Bernhardt, in writing the Shine series.

Born and raised in Texas, Tamara now lives with her husband and five children in Wichita, Kansas. She rarely has any free time, but when the stars align and she gets a moment to relax, she enjoys reading fantasy novels, taking nature walks, which fuel her inspiration for creating fantastical worlds, and watching every Star Wars or Star Trek movie ever made. You can find her online at www.TamaraGranthamBooks.com.

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#Excerpt: RACHEL'S DREAM by Lisa Jones Baker

After finishing her chores, Rachel bounded through the open doors and shouted, “Old Sam!”
He looked up from his workbench and smiled.  “Rachel, I was wondering how you were.  I haven’t seen you for awhile.”
She plopped herself down into the chair opposite him and caught her breath, pushing some loose hairs back under her kapp.
“What’s on your mind?”
She launched into an explanation of her dilemma.  As she did so, Buddy whined for her attention, making himself comfortable on her shoes.  Automatically, she stroked the canine’s head.
As she related the brief contents of Jarred’s letter, her heart pumped faster to keep up with her desperate words, which started to run together.  When she’d finished, she said, “Old Sam, you’ve got to help me.  I don’t know what to do.” 


BLURB:
Rachel Kauffman and Jarred Zimmerman seem to have nothing in common.  She's the outgoing youngest of a large, close-knit Amish clan, while Jarred is a young veterinarian who trusts the animals he heals far more than he trusts people.  However, when Rachel's horse falls ill, Jarred's struggles to save him show Rachel he's a man who cares deeply.  And the respect he feels for her gentle warmhearted ways soon becomes an irresistible bond. When Rachel tries to help Jarred reunite with his parents, it's an unexpected blessing..with one complication.  If he takes this chance to put his past to rest, it could separate him and Rachel for good.  Now, with prayer, love...and her hope chest's small miracles, Jarred and Rachel must find the courage to reconcile their wishes into a joyous life together.
Buy links:BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rachels-dream-lisa-jones-baker/1124230256
Kensington - Print: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/34546
Kensington - eBook http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/34547
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rachels-Dream-Hope-Chest-Dreams/dp/1420141562/ref=sr_1_1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~AUTHOR Bio and Links:  
Lisa Jones Baker is a multi-published author with Kensington Books.  Her debut book of THE HOPE CHEST OF DREAMS series, REBECCA’S BOUQUET, won a Publishers Weekly starred review.  A former teacher with a BA degree in French education, Lisa has been on 5 out of 7 continents, is a dog lover.  She enjoys positive thinkers , volunteering in her church’s food pantry, and strong female characters.    
You can find her on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009288891265
Website: http://www.lisajonesbaker.com/



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