Debra L. Martin's Blog, page 179

#Review: ASSASSIN QUEEN by Anna Kashina

  5 of 5 stars
What an incredible final book to the Majat Code series! With heart-pounding suspense and so many twists and turns, the Guildmaster Mai, along with his ally Prince Kyth Dorn, leads an army to defeat the evil Kaddim, all the while trying to keep his beloved Kara from descending into madness from a Kaddim mind link and turning on everyone she loves.

It was refreshing to see a strong female lead character and even when Kara is showing her softer side to her lover Mai, there is still an element of danger about her. She's a diamond ranked Majat assassin and she's always on guard. Ms. Kashina does a spectacular job letting the reader into Kara's mind as she fights the Kaddim mind link and Mai's character holds such a depth to it, one could not help but fall in love with him. He's the Guildmaster, the highest ranking Majat and yet, he must also try to temper his actions regarding Kara as she becomes more and more linked with the Kaddim. The struggle he faces would surely tear a lesser man apart.

There are quite a few surprises along the way and I could hardly read fast enough to find out what was going to happen next. The ending was fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed this final book and fans of fantasy will definitely have a new series to devour. Highly Recommended.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book will be published on June 7, 2016. Here's the pre-order link:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Assassin-Queen-Anna-Kashina-ebook/dp/B01DRXBJZG/ref=twoen-20

If you want to read books 1 and 2, here are the links:
Amazon, Book 1, BLADES OF THE OLD EMPIRE: https://www.amazon.com/Blades-Old-Empire-Book-Majat-ebook/dp/B00EX42MQO/ref=twoen-20

Amazon, Book 2,  THE GUILD OF ASSASSINS: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I75ET7A/ref=twoen-20

#Excerpt: EERIE by C.M. McCoy

Excerpt:
Nowhere to Hide“Judge of your natural character by what you do in your dreams.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson 
Hailey plunked her head on the desk and groaned. Why, why…why couldn’t she just tell Asher that she wanted out, that she was afraid—afraid of the others, afraid of dying, and even afraid of…of him. After all, he was planning to kill her. Only temporarily, but still.
She couldn’t believe she was even considering it, but she had no choice. If Asher didn’t kill her, one of the others would.
Permanently.
And Asher protected her. He cared about her. He loved her, right? Asher—an emotionless creature. Hailey wasn’t sure if he was even capable of love.
Oh, this made absolutely no sense. Kill her to save her? Was that love?Freshman year at her dream college was turning into nightmare, and as she rolled her forehead on the desk, the library’s impossibly large ceiling clock echoed a thump with her heart. She simply had to pull on her big girl pants and tell Asher she was done.
That’s all.
She squeezed her eyes shut as a swarm of butterflies took flight in her stomach.
Lately, she felt an awful lot like Jekyll and Hyde: logical, rational ParaScience student by day—emotional monstrosity at night. Come to think of it, this was more like The Phantom of the Opera, and she was the naïve student who didn’t realize the secret and strange angel she’d come to know was actually a homicidal maniac…
“I’m not a maniac.”
Hailey jumped up. She didn’t mean to say that out loud.
Asher slid behind her, putting his lips next to her ear. “But I suppose I am homicidal,” he whispered, his breath on her skin sending goose bumps down her arms and legs.
She leaned into him and sighed.
So much for steadfast resolve.
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer.
 “How did you know I was here?” she whispered.
“You were dreaming, Hailey,” he murmured. “I’ll always find you when you’re dreaming.”


BLURB:
As seen in People Magazine…
Hailey's dreams have always been, well...vivid. As in monsters from her nightmares follow her into her waking life vivid. When her big sister goes missing, eighteen-year-old Hailey finds the only thing keeping her safe from a murderous 3,000-year-old beast is an equally terrifying creature who has fallen "madly" in love with her. Competing to win her affection, the Dream Creature, Asher, lures her to the one place that offers safety--a ParaScience university in Alaska he calls home. There, she studies the science of the supernatural and must learn to live with a roommate from Hell, survive her ParaScience classes, and hope the only creature who can save her from an evil immortal doesn't decide to kill her himself.
Buy Links: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0176M19RMAmazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eerie-C-M-McCoy-ebook/dp/B0176M6MA6Amazon Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/Eerie-C-M-McCoy-ebook/dp/B0176M19RMBarnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781623422332Apple iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/eerie/id1052918810BAM: http://www.booksamillion.com/search?query=9781623422332Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/eerie-17Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/C_M_McCoy_Eerie?id=yfDPCgAAQBAJ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links: C.M. McCoy is an Irish dancer and former Air Force officer living in the Great White North. Though B.S.'d in Chemical Engineering and German, she’s far happier writing stories involving Alaska and a body bag (with an awkward kiss in the mix.) While working emergency dispatch for Alaska State Troopers, she learned to speak in 10-codes, which she still does...but only to annoy her family.
Social Media Links
★ Watch the awesome book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPx4FELVxH4
Website: http://www.cmmccoy.com/
Blog: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eeriesaga
Twitter: https://twitter.com/eerie_o
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27274308-eerie

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better the chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/03/blurb-blitz-eerie-by-cm-mccoy.html


a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

#Excerpt: SIMPLY THE BEST: A Collection of International Digital Award Winning Romances

 Excerpt: From Angel’s Assassin by Laurel O’Donnell
“Damien,” she called.
He hesitated.  He didn’t want her to fear him.  Would she condemn him now for his violence?  The silence stretched.  Finally, he turned to her and his breath caught in his throat.
She stood in middle of the forest, bathed in a pool of moonlight.  Her blonde hair, loose from any constraints, fell to her waist in thick waves.  Her back was straight, her tiny body alluring and curvy and delectable.  But it was her eyes that captured his attention.  He saw no fear in her eyes.  It was concern.  Had he mistaken fear for concern?
Damien had never felt such an overwhelming need for anything in his life.  He trembled with his want of her.
A swirl of emotions played over her face.  Concern, regret, helplessness.
It took all Damien’s willpower not to go to her and sweep her into his embrace.  He didn’t want to scare her.  He didn’t want to harm her.  He didn’t want to taint her.
“I will never leave you,” she finally confessed and tears entered her eyes.
Damien came toward her then, like a tumultuous storm cloud.  “You don’t know what you are saying,” he warned in a savage whisper.
Aurora did not run for cover; she did not shrink from his approach.  She stared up into his face with those damned clear orbs.  And for the briefest of moments, Damien saw himself reflected as she saw him.  A hero, a good man.  A man worthy of all he could attain.
He stood before her, stunned.
The sound of horses thundering through the clearing pounded a warning through the ground.
Damien grabbed Aurora’s hand in one hand, and drew his sword in the other.  He watched the group of men approach through the forest, clumsily maneuvering their steeds through the tight trees.  He pulled Aurora behind him.
These men were no brigands.  They wore heraldry, and while Damien couldn’t be sure, he suspected they were from Acquitaine.
As they drew closer, his suspicions were confirmed.  One of them called out, “Lady Aurora!”
Damien refused to relinquish her.  For just one moment, she had been his.  And it had been the most glorious moment of his life.

BLURB: Haunted by Death ~ Dale MayerDeath haunts anthropologist Meg Pearce…
In her last summer before college, an innocent camping trip ended in a friend’s disappearance…and destroyed her life.
Angel’s Assassin ~ Laurel O’DonnellWhen Damien enters Aurora’s life, tempting her with promises of dark passion and forbidden lust, he threatens to tear her peaceful world apart with shadowy secrets of his own.
Be Mine This Christmas Night ~ L. A. SartorAt Christmas, finding love and a family seems even more possible…unless you’re keeping a secret.
A Hunter 4 Rescue ~ Cynthia ClementWorlds Apart. Joined by Love
A unit of elite alien warriors, known as Hunters, crash lands on earth and their leader is torn between getting his men to safety or protecting the human woman he has bonded with.
The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet ~ Charity TahmasebSometimes staying silent is the biggest lie of all
No one expects the girl who has mastered the art of keeping quiet to join the speech team. But Jolia does. When a crush-worthy rival offers to coach her in secret, she can't say no. But secrets have a price, and this one might cost Jolia everything.
The Mapmaker’s Wife ~ Kathy L WheelerIn the midst of his worn-torn country, love posed the greater danger.
A flippant proposal and an attack on her person finds one young woman married to the mapmaker who only needs someone to take control of his ungovernable child. Feelings quickly shift into something less platonic and when the enemy gains vital secrets, her suspicions land her in jail.
Buy Links:
Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Simply-Best-multi-genre-collection-International-ebook/dp/B01F9RHLE6
Barnes and Noble:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/simply-the-best-a-multi-genre-collection-of-international-digital-award-winning-romances-laurel-odonnell/1123750422
iTunes:https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/simply-best-multi-genre-collection/id1109950492
Kobo:https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/simply-the-best-a-multi-genre-collection-of-international-digital-award-winning-romances
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
This multi-author boxed set will be sold for $0.99 cents.
Dale Mayer is a USA Today bestselling author known for her page turning plotlines and heartwarming characters. A prolific writer, she specializes in Romantic Suspense, but also writes thrillers, comedy, and contemporary romances. http://www.dalemayer.comwww.twitter.com/dalemayerwww.facebook.com/dalemayer.author

Award winning author Kathy L Wheeler loves travel, fantasy football, NBA and musical theatre. As an avid reader of romance and patron of the theatre, her main sources of inspiration come mostly from an over-active imagination. Kathy writes contemporary and historical romance, from sweet to spicy.Website - http://kathylwheeler.com/Blog - http://kathylwheeler.com/blog-right-sidebar/Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/kathylwheelerTwitter -https://twitter.com/kathylwheeler/
L.A. Sartor is a bestselling, award-winning author. She began telling stories around the age of 4 when her mother, at L.A.’s insistence, wrote them down and L.A. illustrated them. As an adult, she writes suspense and action-adventure novels with a dash of romance, and screenplays—she's had a contracted adaptation!  She lives in Colorado with her husband whom she met on a blind date.  L.A. loves to travel and thinks life is an adventure and we should embrace the journey.  Website -http://bit.ly/Msu6J8Facebook  -http://on.fb.me/NxXQPLFacebook Author Page -http://on.fb.me/MUU9HKTwitter  -https://twitter.com/LesannSartor
Laurel O'Donnell is a best selling author and has won numerous awards for her medieval romances, including the International Digital Award and the Holt Medallion Award.Website -http://www.laurel-odonnell.com/Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/LaurelODonnell.author/Twitter -https://twitter.com/laurelodonnell
Charity Tahmaseb has slung corn on the cob for Green Giant and jumped out of airplanes (but not at the same time). She’s worn both Girl Scout and Army green. These days, she writes fiction (short and long) and works as a technical writer.Website/blog -https://writingwrongs.wordpress.com/Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/charity.tahmasebTwitter -https://twitter.com/geekgirlx2
Cynthia Clement is an award winning author who began writing when she was a teenager. Her novels reflect her love of romance, strong honorable heroes, and suspense intertwined with the intriguing and unexplained.Website -http://www.cynthiaclement.com/Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/Cynthia-A-Clement-Author-124053354459215/?ref=hlTwitter -https://twitter.com/CynthiaAClement

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better the chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/05/book-blast-simply-best-by-various.html

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#Excerpt: KAITLIN'S TALE by Christine Amsden

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He reached out one long hand, just brushing a silken strand of hair that she had missed when she'd done her earlier hair flip. Her breath caught, and so did his. Her heart was pounding, echoing within his own chest.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal"><br /></div><div class="normal"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Kaitlin licked her lips, her thoughts racing, but not entirely in words. He won't kiss me, she thought, it's too soon. And I don't want him to, do I? Talk about being attracted to a bad boy! </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal"><br /></div><div class="normal"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Cassie always said I had terrible taste in men, and doesn't this just prove it? And it's not just me I have to worry about now, it's Jay. But oh, her body loved the idea. It's been so long, and I almost thought that part of me was dead. It isn't. It so, so isn't. She practically tingled. Like a teenager with my first crush.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal"><br /></div><div class="normal"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Or was that an echo? Matthew suddenly realized he was having trouble keeping her thoughts separate from his own. He'd felt this way before, but never so soon.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal"><br /></div><div class="normal"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">His hand moved from her hair to her upper arm, and he scooted towards her several inches. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Her eyes were on his lips; her mind half-hoping, half-disbelieving.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal"><br /></div><div class="normal"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Any minute now, I'm going to wake up, she thought.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal"><br /></div><div class="normal"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Not if he could help it.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NsHipLS67d..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NsHipLS67d..." width="320" /></a></div><div class="normal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">BLURB:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal"><br /></div><div class="normal"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="h.gjdgxs"></a><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Kaitlin Mayer is on the run from the father of her baby – a vampire who wants her to join him in deadly eternity. Terrified for her young son, she seeks sanctuary with the hunters guild. Yet they have their own plans for her son, and her hopes of safety are soon shattered. <br /><br />When she runs into Matthew Blair, an old nemesis with an agenda of his own, she dares to hope for a new escape. But Matthew is a telepath, and Kaitlin’s past is full of dark secrets she never intended to reveal.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">The Cassie Scot Series</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></b></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective (Cassie Scot #1)</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">•Amazon<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">   </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cassie-Scot-Par... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">•Barnes and Noble<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">   </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">•Audible.com<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Mysteries-T... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Secrets and Lies (Cassie Scot #2)</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">•Amazon<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">•Barnes and Noble<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">   </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secre... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">•Audible<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">   </span><a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Teens/Secre... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Mind Games (Cassie Scot #3)</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">•Amazon<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">•Barnes and Noblet<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mind-... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">•Audible<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fant... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Stolen Dreams (Cassie Scot #4)</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">•Amazon<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Dreams-C... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">•Barnes and Noble<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">   </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stole... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">•Audible<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fant... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Madison's Song (a Cassie Scot Companion)</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">•Amazon<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">   </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Madisons-Song-C... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">•Barnes and Noble<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/madis... class="normal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">•Audible<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fant... class="normal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div align="center" class="normal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">AUTHOR Bio and Links:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4oNRGtmgQC..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4oNRGtmgQC..." width="254" /></a></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Christine Amsden has been writing fantasy and science fiction for as long as she can remember. She loves to write and it is her dream that others will be inspired by this love and by her stories. Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but great speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. Christine writes primarily about people and relationships, and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">At the age of 16, Christine was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Disease, which scars the retina and causes a loss of central vision. She is now legally blind, but has not let this slow her down or get in the way of her dreams. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Christine currently lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and the key to her success. In addition to being a writer, she's a freelance editor, mom, and foster mom.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Christine will be having a launch party on May 16 with lots of prizes: </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/24966... style="color: #1155cc; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">https://www.facebook.com/events/24966... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Social Media Links:</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></b></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">• Website:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><a href="http://christineamsden.com/wordpress/... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">• Newsletter:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><a href="https://tinyletter.com/christineamsde... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">• Blog:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><a href="http://christineamsden.com/wordpress/... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">• Facebook:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">   </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christ... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">• Twitter:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ChristineAmsden&q... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">• Goodreads:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... class="normal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="normal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">• Google+:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/117845642... class="normal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-pagination: none;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="yiv9000236849msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better the chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  </span></div><div class="yiv9000236849msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot... class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span> </div><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="28e4345f1680" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/disp..." id="rcwidget_daazn622" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a> <script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com... src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TwoEnd..." height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

Book Tour: THE SECRETS OF FLIGHT by Maggie Leffler

  <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-noshow:yes; color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --</style><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">BLURB:</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">Estranged from her family since just after World War II, Mary Browning has spent her entire adult life hiding from her Jewish heritage. Now eighty-seven years old and a widow, she is haunted by a lifetime of secrets and fading memories of the family she left behind. Her one outlet is the writing group she’s presided over for a decade, but when a new member walks in--a fifteen year old girl who reminds her so much of her beloved sister Sarah--Mary is certain fate delivered Elyse Strickler to her for a reason. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">She hires the serious-eyed teenager to type up her story of a daring female pilot during WWII who gambled everything for her dreams--and both their lives take flight in unexpected ways.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">At times laugh-out-loud funny and at others heart-wrenching, this is a story of identity, betrayal, love, hope, and forgiveness.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">Buy Links:</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-s... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebo... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">AUTHOR Bio and Links:</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EscKNHWPNq..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EscKNHWPNq..." width="256" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Maggie Leffler is an American novelist and a family medicine physician. A native of Columbia, Maryland, she graduated from University of Delaware and volunteered with Americorps before attending St. George’s University School of Medicine. She practices medicine in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband and sons. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Secrets of Flight</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> is her third novel.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://maggieleffler.com/">ht... </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMaggie... class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better the chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  <a href="http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="28e4345f1686" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/disp..." id="rcwidget_z7kid5f0" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com... /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lcvac9Cq0T..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lcvac9Cq0T..." width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mJJoKjfYo8..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mJJoKjfYo8..." /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TwoEnd..." height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

#Review: RELIC HUNTED by Terry Ervin II

  4.5 of 5 stars
RELIC HUNTED continues the story of Security Specialist Kra Keesey. After miraculously surviving the Cranaltar IV brain scan with his memories intact, Keesey's contract is picked up by Intelligence. The action picks right up in the medical facility where Keesey is recovering and it  is under attack by the Crax. These aliens are winning the war. Humanity is on the brink of extinction, but then again, the Crax have underestimated Keesey's tenacity to survive. He single-handedly brought down Capital Galactic Corporation who had a secret alliance with the Crax, but not all of the CGC executives were caught. Keesey has become the most hated man in the galaxy and CGC has put a huge bounty on his head.

Mr. Ervin pulls the reader into the story with the opening chapter and from there it's one jaw-dropping scene after another. I could hardly take a breath wondering what would happen to Keesey next. Make no mistake, Keesey is no superman, but what he lacks in more advanced technical skills, he more than makes up for it with his mode of outdated fire arms. The cast of supporting aliens is inventive and was interesting to see how they interacted with humans. A slight criticism would be there were too many back story scenes especially at the end. I found myself skipping over those  paragraphs to get back to the action and the reason why this book didn't earn the full 5 stars. The story ends with a surprising twist, nicely setting up book 3. Can't wait to see what Mr. Ervin has in store for Security Specialist Keesey. Fans of science fiction/space opera will absolutely love the book.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Amazon buy link:
 https://www.amazon.com/Relic-Hunted-Crax-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B01AIGC30U

Interview with T.S. Pettibone, HATRED DAY

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series? Yes. Hatred Day is the first installment in a seven-book series that we have been planning for the past nine years.
Hatred Day is like a town filled with a hundred different styles of architecture. Readers have told us that they’ve encountered nothing similar. Our story blends science-fiction, fantasy, mystery and romance. To set the stage, we’ll give a few details about the state of the world. In the year 2052, all of humanity is unified against the Inborns, an extraterrestrial species with godlike intelligence and abilities, whose arrival on earth caused an environmental and biological crisis.
The premise of Hatred Day revolves around 18-yeard-old Snofrid, a girl who is part-Japanese and part-Inborn. To save her family from execution, she must take part in a hunt that will determine the fate of two worlds. But she not one of the hunters, she’s the bait.
Do you have a favorite character?In the past, having a favorite character influenced us to put more work into that character than any of the other characters, and this affected the story negatively. Nowadays, we make it our ambition to give equal attention to all of our characters, which, in our opinion, has resulted in a more balanced and realistic character web. 
Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?Initially, we wanted to be traditionally published. We received six different requests for our full manuscript by the time we had finished querying. While this was both exciting and encouraging, we ultimately chose to go our own way.
What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?Simply put, we wanted complete creative control. Because we have been working on The Hatred Day Series for the past nine years, we wanted to keep our vision as pure as possible—concerning the story’s final draft, the title, the cover, the marketing, etc. Of course, we aren’t against the idea of getting a publisher later down the road. That would be wonderful. But for now, we’re just focusing on finishing the series and marketing the best that we can. Fortunately, things are going well so far. Several BookTubers were kind enough to agree to review Hatred Day, plus Kirkus Reviews awarded Hatred Day the Kirkus Star and chose it as one of Kirkus’ Indie Books of the Month Selection for June. With that said, the books in The Hatred Day Series are the only ones we are looking to self-publish. We will likely query agents with any other unrelated stories.
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?Generally, we listen to music, but most genres are too distracting. While writing, we only listen to classical music, instrumentals, and film and videogame soundtracks.
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?Before we touch a keyboard, we outline. Our outlining process is detailed, but we do leave room for spontaneity. When we’re in the thick of writing, often times we realize simpler or better ways to execute plot.
Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?We’ve been working with a wonderful Canadian editor for the past three years. When something in our story is lacking, he makes it a point to let us know. No sugarcoating. But that’s exactly why we love working with him. Constructive criticism is generally more useful to us than praise.
Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?Yes. Hatred Day is available online at Barnes and Noble. In a few months, it will also be available on iBooks and Nook.
Besides writing, do you have any other passions?We have both studied art and singing on and off for the past several years. Also, oddly enough, we have a passion for research. Some of our favorite topics are foreign cultures, architecture, history, geography, cars, motorcycles, weapons and martial arts.
What’s next for you?Currently, we are writing Verdict Day, the second installment in The Hatred Day series. Expected publication is 2017. We are also working on a separate standalone novel in our spare time.


Book & Author Details:Hatred Day by T.S. Pettibone
(Hatred Day, #1)
Publication date: January 29th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Synopsis:In the year 2052, it’s not love but hate that unites the world. Humanity is unified against the Inborns, an extraterrestrial species with godlike intelligence and abilities whose arrival on earth caused an environmental and biological crisis.
Enslaved and despised even by her own Inbornkind, 18-year-old Snofrid reawakens to the world after having her memories stolen and is certain of only one thing: she will do anything to ensure her freedom. But her resolution is soon tested when the son of a high-ranking human official is murdered and her home city becomes the center of the interspecies war, one that might see the Inborns purged. Desperate to find a way out of the city for herself and her family, Snofrid risks making a deal with the manipulative Inborn Commander, Hadrian, and his brutal cadre of soldiers. Her task is simple: take part in a historic hunt that will bring wealth and fame to all who survive. Unfortunately, Snofrid’s role is one in which survival is rarely seen—the bait.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28698778-hatred-day
Purchase:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hatred-Day-Book-ebook/dp/B01AOC3KW8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1455046302&sr=8-1B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hatred-day-ts-pettibone/1123373245?ean=9780997202915

AUTHOR BIO:T.S. Pettibone are the authors of The Hatred Day Series. Expected publication for book two, Verdict Day, is 2017.

T.S. Pettibone is the pen name of identical twins, Brittany and Nicole Pettibone. They were born in California, grew up in Kansas, and these days, live and write in California. On the rare occasion that they break from writing, they enjoy taking their dog on night walks, reading books by long deceased authors, drinking too much coffee and tea, traveling the world, making friends out of strangers and trying new things.
Author links:http://tspettibone.com/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14907899.T_S_Pettibonehttps://www.facebook.com/tspettibone/https://twitter.com/tspettibone

#Excerpt: DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH by Lori L Robinett

Excerpt:
She peeked around the paper rack at the cowboy standing in the front of her store. He was tall, easily six foot. His shoulders were broad, his arms well muscled. A pair of work gloves tucked in his back pockets drew her eyes to his butt. Red dust covered his black cowboy hat, and his boots were scuffed. Yes, yes, yes, she thought, he was a real cowboy.
She scooped up the box of supplies and smiled around the pencil in her teeth. Something dark and fuzzy came into her field of vision, from below, right across the top of the box. Her focus shifted from the cowboy to the thing crawling across the box clutched to her breast.
Spider!!
She screamed. She pitched the box and the contents flew through the air. The spider moved fast across the old linoleum tiles, straight towards her.
She climbed on top of the folding table and squatted there. Its two front legs felt in front of it, as if it were trying to find her.
She was so focused on the spider, she didn’t see the others. Wasn’t even aware that she was not alone in the shop, until she heard Midge’s voice.
“Good grief, stop screaming, would you?”
And she saw him. The cowboy. It took a moment to remember his name. Aidan. That was it. Aidan.
Calm as could be, he walked over, picked up a piece of paper and scooped the spider up. It jerked a bit, then froze. Aidan strode to the front door. Gina stood up on the table and watched as he opened the door, squatted down and tipped the paper. Stunned, she stood and watched. She’d never seen anyone do that before.

BLURB:

Single mom Gina Montgomery has her hands full running a business and taking care of her little boy. The last thing she needs is a man in her life, but when a tall, dark and sexy cowboy strides into her store, she’s reminded that she’s still a young woman with hopes and desires.

Just as passion ignites between Aidan and Gina, her little boy is kidnapped by rustlers. Will the two of them be able to save her little boy . . . even if that means exposing Aidan’s secret?
Buy link:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Rough-Book-Lori-Robinett-ebook/dp/B01D7X77GQ/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:Lori is the author of four books, and serves as a mentor for aspiring writers. She is a creative soul trapped in a paralegal’s body. Several years ago, she discovered (and won) National Novel Writing Month and rediscovered the joy of escaping into a world of her own creation.
She lives in rural Missouri with her husband. One very spoiled Miniature Schnauzer and Miniature Beagle allow Lori and her husband to live in their house, and the outside is patrolled by BK (short for Barn Kitty) and Patches (a sweet tom cat stray that missed his calling as a lap cat).
Her novels cover everything from romance to thrillers, but mystery is the thread that binds them all together. Her favorite authors are Tawna Fenske, Tierney James, Colleen Donnelly, Allison Merritt, Lisa Medley, Lea Waite, Susan Mallery, Hugh Howey, HP Mallory and, well, the list goes on and on.
Linkshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8290968.Lori_L_Robinetthttp://lorilrobinett.com/https://twitter.com/LoriRobinetthttps://www.facebook.com/LoriLRobinettauthor/
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better the chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/04/book-blast-diamond-in-rough-by-lori-l.html
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Interview with Jennifer-Crystal Johnson, FIBERS

First, I’d like to say thank you to Two Ends of the Pen for taking the time to interview me and allowing me to share some of my thoughts with you and your readers today. I know there’s a lot of work that goes into some of these posts, so I just want to let you know that I appreciate your time and effort as well as the excellent questions you’ve asked!

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?
Yes, Fibers is part of a series called The Infiltration Trilogy. This series is about a woman named Anna Reynolds who develops a disease commonly known as Morgellons disease. This is a real illness without a cure, which was what fascinated me and got my mind going with ideas. I thought that maybe, even if I used it in a fictitious setting, my books could potentially help raise awareness about the condition.
As Anna’s disease progresses, other strange things begin happening to her as well. She has dreams and waking hallucinations of shadow people, one of whom has glowing red eyes. This makes her a bit paranoid, especially as she learns more about some strange things going on with her doctor. She feels like she’s being watched and this further feeds her fear and paranoia about her condition.
Eventually she learns about a secret organization that works with the government called the BQS (Bureau of Quantum Sciences), and things get stranger from there =).
Fibers introduces the concepts and ideas behind the series, and the second book, Numbers, will delve deeper into what’s happening between our dimension and a parallel dimension as well as more about how the technology used actually works. I won’t lie – I’m excited to get to work on this second book in-depth!

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?I’ve been self-publishing since 2010, but in 2005 I had my first book published, a novella called The Outside Girl: Perception is Reality. Unfortunately, in my search for an agent and publisher back then, the only organizations I found who actually got back to me ended up being on the Writer Beware list... I didn’t know about that list at the time, though.
Once I learned that and after realizing I was only getting $0.95 a copy on a short book they priced at $16.95, I figured I could learn how to publish myself and make the whole thing more profitable in the long run as well as not having to be under contract and dependent on someone else.
That’s not to say I wouldn’t be open to working with a traditional publisher eventually; however, if I’m going to have to do all the marketing work myself anyway, then why bother? I like to be able to observe how book sales are doing and what marketing tactics work when, and you usually can’t keep such a close eye on sales when you’re with a traditional publisher. Maybe I’m just a control freak about it, lol.

If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?I actually did the cover myself, and it was an awesome process! I do have some design training from college as well as knowing how to work with Photoshop, so I do book cover designs for clients, too.
The cool thing about this book cover is that I was telling a couple of my friends about the idea for the book and one scene in particular, which everyone got all excited about. I’ve known Dan since we worked together as pizza delivery drivers when I was 19, and I’ve known Malinda for just about as long because we used to hang out at Denny’s at night and go driving around randomly because it was fun. Nothing like a drive to nowhere at 3:00 AM, right? I used to get very restless; still do sometimes =). But I think that’s from being an Army brat, lol.
So Dan, Malinda, and I all brainstormed about how we could get this cover art done and make it seem real. Malinda is a very talented artist, and she has training in doing special effects makeup. Dan is a photographer, so he brought his equipment and lights to my house and set up a backdrop right in my living room =).
And who was the model for the cover? My oldest daughter, Guenevere, who has the most beautiful, big eyes. She’s always looked older, and believe it or not, she’s only about 11 in the picture on the cover, but it totally works and I love it.
I also ended up putting a great deal of thought into the font, which I found on dafont.com. It’s unique and sci-fi-looking enough without being illegible, so it was perfect.

Do you belong to a critique group? Have they helped improve your writing?It’s not a critique group, per se, but I do have two friends whom I talk to when I need to brainstorm or get the creative juices flowing. These same friends usually volunteer to be my beta readers, too, and go through the book thoroughly while leaving comments with their thoughts in the margins. This generally happens after I’ve revised a number of times already, but before I do my final 2-3 revisions and then my final edit.
I think that they have definitely helped me improve my writing. In fact, without one specific person, I may never have even finished the book. Writing is a lonely profession, and sometimes we forget that we need encouragement and critiques that are actually constructive to be at our absolute best.

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?
My writing process is still in development, lol. I will say that I learned that I need to create at least a basic outline to know where the story is going so that I can make sure everything makes sense and streamline the process. Though writing with the idea just in my head turned out okay by the end of Fibers, it would have been much faster if I’d created an outline, so I plan to do that for this next book, which is why I’ve only jotted down a few notes and one short scene. I’d like to continue focusing on marketing for now and I’ll probably get back to writing this summer.
Music is a must! Not only does it help me focus, but it also keeps me in a happy mood, so I listen to music all the time no matter what I’m working on. Without music – like if I forget for a few days or something – my mood tends to crash and I lose motivation. Music is ear food... I absolutely need it =).

What have you’ve learned during your self-publishing journey?
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been self-publishing since 2010. Because I had a knack for it and love learning new things, I began helping other people publish within a very short amount of time. Although I can go back now and see flaws and errors in my first few books, I feel like I’ve streamlined the process and can now effectively show other people how to self-publish. Or, if learning isn’t a desired option, people can hire me for services =).
I have some publishing packages as well as a portfolio on my author site, but I’m working on transitioning that information to www.NoBullSelfPublishing.com, where you can already find free video tutorials for some of the basic tasks involved in self-publishing. This project is also a work in progress, but I’m hoping to be able to help self-publishing authors bring quality work into the world.

What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?Fibers is the first book that I’ve actually created a marketing plan for, and I’m in the middle of it right now. In fact, your blog is a part of it =). My blog tours are the cornerstone of my marketing plan, so I scheduled three: a one-day book blast, a two-week standard tour with posts every weekday, and a 16-week extended tour with posts once a week. During the second week of the standard tour, I scheduled two Twitter promotions, a Countdown Deal for the Kindle edition, a Facebook boosted post, a Facebook marketer, and a Twitter ad for the second half of the week.
There are also Facebook events for multiple authors that I like to participate in, and I plan to do that once a month until August when the extended tour ends. I also want to supplement that with monthly Twitter and Facebook sponsored posts so that my novel gets as much exposure as possible. I also submitted my novel to the ReadingDeals book reviewer tool, which guarantees 10-15 unbiased reviews.
It’s stressful and kind of chaotic and not guaranteed to work, but at least I’ll be able to say I did everything I could to promote my novel. I’m also planning to pitch the trilogy to movie and TV producers sometime this summer so that I can hopefully get movie rights optioned.
I’m gathering all of this information and my resources together into a short eBook that I’m working on and hope to publish later this year. It’s called The No Bull Guide to Self-Promotion for Independent Authors and will be available on the Kindle and through the No Bull Self-Publishing website.
Oh! And as an aside, I entered the book into a contest. At this point I couldn’t afford to invest a whole lot more money, but I figured it would be important to try because even if I’m only a finalist, it will boost my credibility as an author.

What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?For self-publishing, it’s important to make sure your book is edited and formatted well. They always say that authors shouldn’t edit themselves, which is a rule I broke, but I make a living editing other people’s work, so I made the decision to just go with feedback from beta readers and trust my spelling and grammar skills. My major concern wasn’t about spelling and grammar, but rather about plot holes and character development, which is why I asked people for feedback to make sure.
If you can edit yourself, then I definitely recommend handing the manuscript to at least 2-5 people for critique... and don’t expect everyone to give you feedback. Sometimes people agree to something like that but then they don’t get around to it, so you have to be prepared for that. These people should also be highly creative and involved in the literary world somehow, that way they know at least the basics of writing a good story.
The presentation of the book is extremely important, though. Little to no spelling and grammar mistakes, pretty formatting for print and eBook, a cover that looks high quality and stands out, and if it’s a series, all of the covers should have a similar style and the same font for brand recognition. It also helps in a series to have titles that sound similar (think Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant), which is why the titles of my books in this series are Fibers, Numbers, and Embers. I also have an idea for a prequel, which will be called Ashes but will come out after the trilogy is finished.
Last but not least, don’t expect your book to sell itself. That doesn’t happen anymore unless you’re already famous, so be prepared to do a lot of marketing and advertising long-term. The more people see your book, the more people are likely to buy it... people generally have to see something 7-10 times before they buy, and even then only about 10% of people will buy. I know, those numbers don’t sound too great, but that’s just the way it is when everyone is bombarded with ads and promotions and products on a constant basis.
Those are some of the basics... hopefully this info helps someone =).

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?Music =). I learned to play the keyboard/piano when I was eight years old and spent a number of years composing music and thinking I would be a rock star, lol. I do plan to get back into music more regularly, but for now I’m focusing on my writing career and various other projects. Recording equipment tends to be pricey, so I need to make good money with something before I can comfortably set up a home studio and learn how to produce, mix, and master the music. In the meantime, I do karaoke and play the piano sporadically, but something I spent that much time doing as a child and teen is not easily forgotten. Who knows, maybe I’ll release a CD in the next few years ;).

What’s next for you?Well, obviously finishing the trilogy is a top priority. However, there’s another series I have an idea for that will be geared more toward a YA audience. Still sci-fi, but the characters will be in their mid to late teens. I’m not going to go into it too much because it’s not even close to being worked on, but I’m super excited about bringing this idea to life because it’s a very interesting concept and the idea came to me in a dream, which is where I get a number of my ideas. Aside from that, I’m also going to continue to make tutorials and help other authors self-publish, work with certain clients on their books, and continue with my other projects such as the Soul Vomit anthology (www.SoulVomit.com) to help raise awareness about domestic violence (and, shameless plug... submissions are open if you have a DV story to share!).
Thank you so much for having me! I hope that you go and grab a copy of Fibers, but if you’re not sure and would like to read some excerpts first, please head over to www.JenniferCrystalJohnson.com and sign up for my author newsletter. You’ll receive 12 excerpts from my book to either read or watch me read to you, depending on what you prefer =).I hope you have a wonderful week!

 BLURB:
Anna Reynolds is caught up in the middle of a secret interdimensional government agreement... and she doesn't even know it.

There's a medical anomaly loosely dubbed Morgellons disease afflicting a number of people. Symptoms include open sores that produce colorful string-like fibers, fatigue, and nightmarish visions of shadowy figures. No one knows where it came from. No one knows what causes it. There is no cure.

When Anna begins having nightmares and waking hallucinations of the shadow people, her uneasiness about her condition grows. Enlisting the help of her doctor and some friends, Anna is determined to find out what's really going on and why Morgellons is such a mystery.

With her health declining and doubts about whom she can trust, is Anna doomed to become a slave to her condition? Or will she and her unlikely group of would-be heroes come through, saving her... and, ultimately, the world?
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fibers-Infiltration-Trilogy-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01CRL084C/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:Jennifer-Crystal Johnson is originally from Germany, but was raised an Army brat. She has published one novella under her former last name, The Outside Girl: Perception is Reality (Publish America, 2005 - out of print as of 2013), a poetry book, Napkin Poetry (Broken Publications, 2010), and a collection of poetry, art, and prose called Strangers with Familiar Faces (Broken Publications, 2011). She's also published a collection of short creature horror stories called If You're Human Don't Open the Door (Broken Publications, 2012), a personal development book called The Ten Pillars of a Happy Relationship (Broken Publications, 2014), and a collection of more horror stories (no creatures this time, just people) called Our Capacity for Evil (Broken Publications, 2015).
She has several poems and short stories published on Every Writer's Resource and has recently published a science fiction novel called Fibers, the first book in the Infiltration Trilogy. Jen owns and operates Broken Publications (www.BrokenPublications.com) and publishes an annual anthology to raise awareness about domestic violence called Soul Vomit (www.SoulVomit.com).
When she isn't writing or editing, she enjoys playing games with her three kids, watching crime shows on Netflix, or reading. She lives in WA State with her three children, three cats, and a crazy puppy named Thor. You can connect with her at: http://www.JenniferCrystalJohnson.com http://www.twitter.com/brokenpoet www.Facebook.com/JenniferCrystalJohnson.
Video excerpts – watch the author read!
https://youtu.be/mddV9eGtdIUhttps://youtu.be/b_bM-d_2-BQhttps://youtu.be/GAAZjJeJcrIhttps://youtu.be/1GPYG1A5OKw
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#Excerpt: THE MIDNIGHT SEA by Kat Ross

The Midnight Sea
Kat Ross
(Fourth Element #1)
Publication date: May 10th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

They are the light against the darkness.
The steel against the necromancy of the Druj.
And they use demons to hunt demons….

Nazafareen lives for revenge. A girl of the isolated Four-Legs Clan, all she knows about the King’s elite Water Dogs is that they bind wicked creatures called daevas to protect the empire from the Undead. But when scouts arrive to recruit young people with the gift, she leaps at the chance to join their ranks. To hunt the monsters that killed her sister.

Scarred by grief, she’s willing to pay any price, even if it requires linking with a daeva named Darius. Human in body, he’s possessed of a terrifying power, one that Nazafareen controls. But the golden cuffs that join them have an unwanted side effect. Each experiences the other’s emotions, and human and daeva start to grow dangerously close.
As they pursue a deadly foe across the arid waste of the Great Salt Plain to the glittering capital of Persepolae, unearthing the secrets of Darius’s past along the way, Nazafareen is forced to question his slavery—and her own loyalty to the empire. But with an ancient evil stirring in the north, and a young conqueror sweeping in from the west, the fate of an entire civilization may be at stake…

Goodreads / Amazon
EXCERPT:My eyes flew open at the crack of dawn. I groaned and rubbed my forehead. My scalp tingled, an icy, unpleasant sensation. I knew right away where Darius was and what he was doing. It was another side effect of the bond, I’d discovered. I could feel his heart beating. I knew that one of his boots was too tight. I could shut my eyes and tell you exactly where he was, even if he was hundreds of leagues away.Why had no one told me what it would be like? I supposed Tijah did, but this was much worse than I’d expected. Much, much worse.
I threw on my new scarlet tunic and marched down to the river. Tendrils of mist swirled through the dead reeds at the edge. It was late autumn and the air had a dank chill that promised snow.
My daēva stood there, stripped to the waist, pouring water over his head with his right hand. He wore a gold faravahar on a chain around his neck, its eagle wings spread wide. His left arm lay at his side, grey and dead. I stared at his shoulder, at the juncture where smooth skin met rough. His Druj curse.
It slowed me for a moment, seeing that pathetic arm, but I wasn’t yet ready to forgive him for waking me. That was my excuse, anyway. Of course, what really angered me was the terrible realization that I was burdened with a sorrow not my own, but that bled me nonetheless. What really angered me was him—everything about him.
He was calmer this morning, but I wasn’t. I stopped about twenty feet away. He didn’t turn around although he knew I was there.
“It’s nice that you’re so pious,” I said. “But don’t you think it’s a little early to be down here performing the morning rites?”
He paused, then dumped the last of the water from the bowl. I felt the cold trickle down my spine and my lips tightened.
“I was taught by the magi to come at first light,” Darius said. “Did you expect to sleep in? I’m afraid that’s not the way it works for Water Dogs.” He smiled, and we both knew it was fake. “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you in some way.”
I stared at him, at the dark hair plastered across his forehead, his stubborn mouth. He looked so human. And yet there was something in the way Darius held himself, perfectly at ease in his own skin. Still but coiled, like the wolves I’d seen in the mountains.
“You haven’t offended me in the least,” I said. “I suppose you need the blessing more than I do.”
I spun on my heel and walked away, knowing I had wounded him. A small stab to my own heart. And I felt slightly ashamed. But that wasn’t the end of it. Then I felt his satisfaction at my shame. And my own anger that he knew and was glad.
And then his amusement at my anger!
I stalked off, determined to think nothing, to feel nothing, ever again.
If only it were that easy.

Author Bio:
Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She lives in Westchester with her kid and a few sleepy cats. Kat is also the author of the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day (Skyscape, 2014), about a world where the sea levels have risen sixty meters. She loves magic, monsters and doomsday scenarios. Preferably with mutants.

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