Debra L. Martin's Blog, page 186

A Reading of ASLEEP by Krystal Wade

To celebrate the release of the spine-chilling YA psychological thriller ASLEEP by Krystal Wade, we have a full blog tour and exciting giveaways ahead! ASLEEP is the debut novel from Blaze Publishing, and answers the question of what happens when Sleeping Beauty meets Freddy Krueger. If you want to see more of ASLEEP, you can still find the Ten Weeks of Teasers and other great content on the Blaze Publishing blog. Order your copy now!

Asleep
Krystal Wade
Published by: Blaze Publishing
Publication date: February 16th 2016
Genres: Horror, Young Adult

“To cure fear, you must use fear.”
Rose Briar claims no responsibility for the act that led to her imprisonment in an asylum. She wants to escape, until terrifying nightmares make her question her sanity and reach out to her doctor. He’s understanding and caring in ways her parents never have been, but as her walls tumble down and Rose admits fault, a fellow patient warns her to stop the medications. Phillip believes the doctor is evil and they’ll never make it out of the facility alive. Trusting him might be just the thing to save her. Or it might prove the asylum is exactly where she needs to be.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Signed Copy

Follow the Blog Tour! Tuesday 2/16Wednesday 2/17Thursday 2/18Vicki Leigh: First Chapter ReadingJordan Elizabeth: First Chapter ReadingEve Langell: First Chapter ReadingCase Maynard: Promo PostWhat A Nerd Girl Says: InterviewA Thousand Books: Teaser OneFriday 2/19Saturday 2/20Sunday 2/21OriginiquEquanimity: Promo PostJanelle Howard: Teaser TwoArchaeolibrarian: Teaser ThreeRyan Hill: InterviewNerd Girl Official: Promo PostTesairie’s Book Reads: Promo Post
Chapter 1 read by author:

Author Bio:
Krystal Wade can be found in the sluglines outside Washington D.C. every morning, Monday through Friday. With coffee in hand, iPod plugged in, and strangers-who sometimes snore, smell, or have incredibly bad gas-sitting next to her, she zones out and thinks of fantastical worlds for you and me to read. How else can she cope with a fifty mile commute?
Good thing she has her husband and three kids to go home to. They keep her sane.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Want to stay up to date on everything from Blaze Publishing? Sign up for our newsletter so you don't miss a thing! The first 100 subscribers get free Blaze bookmarks (UK, US, and Canada only) AND get added to our Loyal 100 group, which gives you access to exclusive news, teasers, prizes, and ARCs!

Website   Instagram   Twitter   YouTube   Facebook   Tumblr   Google+
GIVEAWAY!We're giving away some awesome prizes to celebrate the release of ASLEEP, including this stylish cuff! Enter with the Rafflecopter below and tell your friends!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by:

#Excerpt: ABANDONED by Elisa Dane

Abandoned
Elisa Dane
Published by: Swoon Romance
Publication date: February 15th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

My name is Tierra Owens, and I like to kiss. A lot. It numbs the hollow ache in my chest and—for a few minutes—makes me forget how truly alone I am. My mother is an alcoholic. She hates me and insists I’m the reason she’s not married to my father, whom I have never met. My best friend, Kaylee, is the only person who knows the real me. Everyone else sees what I want them to: a happy, confident, popular girl who has the world at her feet.

I am a fraud.

Relationships are forbidden. I avoid them at all costs. Sex? Emotions? Those things make a person vulnerable, and vulnerability always leads to heartbreak. When my childhood crush, Mattie shows up at school my world tumbles off its axis. The shell I surround myself with feels more like a pathetic crutch than a protective barrier, and I find myself wanting things. Daydreaming about what it would be like to have a boyfriend, a relationship—love.

The sad fact is: I’ll never have any of those things. I am unworthy—trash. Which is why my mom abandoned me.

Goodreads / Amazon

READ CHAPTER ONE:
Kissing: You’re either good at it, or you suck. Zachary Harris sucked at kissing. Actually, it wasn’t so much that he sucked. It was more like he slobbered. All over my chin. My neck. My ears. My skin felt like flypaper—sticky and gross.
Then, of course, there was the issue of the very prominent bulge grinding furiously against my hip. With a groan, Dirk Diggler in disguise muttered a low “fuck” and licked a gooey trail across my collarbone. “God, you smell good. I want to lick you all over and make you scream.” Captain Slobber was, indeed, on a fast track to making me scream, but not in the way he intended. I didn’t care how popular he was—if I had to endure another second of his gross, reptilian tongue slithering over my flesh I’d vomit. All over him. It was a damn good thing kissing can be taught. This guy needed a crash course, stat.
Calloused fingers trailed a back-and-forth pattern between the hem of my top and the waistband of my jeans. My skin tingled from the soft caress and I dug my fingers into his hair, desperate to feel close, needing the contact, and ashamed of myself for getting it this way. When his fingers began fiddling with the button on my jeans, I shut him down.
“That right there is a no-parking zone, baby.” I slid my hand from his arm to his shoulder and shoved. “You need to slow down.”
A pair of dark eyebrows slashed over a set of brilliant blue eyes, the skin between them creasing in confusion. “Slow down? But we were just getting started.” He sat back on his hip, his gaze falling to my bed, then to my half-unbuttoned shirt. The right side of his mouth curled up into a wolfish grin. “I thought this was what you wanted. I mean … you did bring me into your bedroom. I thought you were hot for some action.”
Heat prickled across my skin like wildfire. I was hot, all right. Just not for him. The sooner he realized that, the better.
No guy got past second base with me. Ever. The stupid craving I had to feel close to another person was just that: stupid. Sex, emotions … They make you vulnerable. And vulnerable got you hurt.
I ran my fingers over the small pearl that hung from the gold chain around my neck, the tiny bead smooth and cool against my skin. I’d been foolish enough to love someone once, and the devastation I felt when he walked out of my life was more than I could bear. I wasn’t about to share that with Zach.
Kissing, though, I liked. A lot. It curbed the lonely ache I carried in my chest and took away the sting. And if the guy was cute, well … I might be persuaded, on occasion, to allow a bit of groping, here and there. But that’s where the fun ended. I might be the daughter of the town slut, but I was no whore.
I scooted back against my headboard with a sigh and grabbed a nearby throw pillow, hugging it tight. What I really needed was a towel to wipe the Saliva King’s spit from my neck and chest. Mopping up with a decorative pillow was less than efficient, and more than a little gross. In fact, there was a good chance I’d end up throwing the thing away when all was said and done.
“Look,” I said, trying my best to be inconspicuous as I blotted my skin with the fluffy, pink square. “I’m gonna give you the same speech I share with all my guy friends. I—”
Zach held his hands up. “Hold on a sec.” He flashed me an impish grin. “Let me just get … comfortable.” Smooth skin stretched over taut muscle, the deep grooves in his arms bunching as he pulled himself to the far side of the bed, resting his back against the wall.
I bit down on the inside of my lip as I watched him settle in and found myself wishing he didn’t kiss like a St. Bernard. With his sandy blond hair, sapphire eyes, and bone structure that reminded me of Channing Tatum, he was impossibly easy on the eyes and the true definition of what my mother referred to as “man candy.”
Sitting casually with his arm resting on one bent knee, he raised a brow and signaled for me to continue. Amusement flickered behind his eyes.
Jackass.
I found his attitude both ballsy and irritating. Half of me applauded his confidence. The other half wanted to jam my foot against the giant tent decorating the front of his pants.
“I don’t do relationships, and I’m not looking for a boyfriend. Graduation is just around the corner and I don’t plan on sticking around after. So, if you wanna hang out every once in a while and mess around a little, I’m your girl. If you’re looking for something serious, you’re barking up the wrong tree. I won’t chase you around and beg you to spend time with me, and I won’t have sex with you.”
Zach’s eyes flashed wide, and I could see the wheels turning inside his head as he mentally worked through what I told him. “So, no actual sex?”
I shook my head.
“But you’ll let me kiss you and stuff, and you won’t follow me around at school the next day and expect me to pay attention to you?”
I plastered a fake smile across my face and nodded. Clearly, Zach was all brawn and no brain. Somewhere, out in the farthest corner of nowhere, a village was missing its idiot. “Way to go, Einstein. You catch on fast.”
He swiped a thumb across his lips and sucked in a slow breath through his nose. “Is this the same arrangement you had with Tommy Silva?”
My reaction happened so quickly I was fairly positive he didn’t notice, but at the mention of Tommy’s name, I stiffened. Douche Nozzle.
Much like Zach, Tommy was a pretty boy. Captain of the varsity swim team, he was tall, lean, cut like a statue, and manscaped to within an inch of his life. Smooth. The boy was smooth as a baby’s butt, and I harbored an almost sick fascination with his tan, satiny skin. We hung out off and on for a good four months until he decided what I had to offer wasn’t enough. He tried, and might I add, failed, to put his hands down my pants. I, on the other hand, did not fail when I took a swing at him. My righteous fist met his chiseled nose with uncanny accuracy, resulting in a loud crack, loss of blood (on his part), and a string of curse words, half of which I’d never heard before.
I told Tommy to get lost.
Tommy told everyone I chromed his dome.
Asswipe.
Lips pursed, I raised a brow. “Tommy wanted more than I was willing to give, so I ended it with him.”
Zach barked out a single laugh and shook his head. “According to Tommy, you were very willing, and you gave a lot.” He lifted his hand from his knee and thrust a finger at me. “He said he dumped you.”
It was clear Zach was trying to get a reaction out of me. He’d failed miserably. I didn’t play into the normal teenage “He said this about you, what are you gonna do about it?” bullshit. Mostly because I just didn’t care. I valued one person’s opinion: my best friend, Kaylee. Everyone else could suck it, as far as I was concerned.
Come June, Kaylee and I were gone. Valencia Hills and everyone in it—including my mother—would be nothing but a distant memory.
“Believe what you want,” I said with a shrug. “If you want to hang with me, you know the rules. If you want to stay, great.” I tossed aside the pillow and started doing up the buttons on my chambray top. “If not, you know the way out.”
Zach shot forward and grabbed hold of my wrist. “I want.” He paused for a brief moment, then grinned up at me like he knew something I didn’t. “I’ll get you to want more too. Just you wait and see.”
My lips curled up into a smile. Boys were so predictable. I’d yet to have one turn down my offer. Captain Saliva and I would hang out until he asked for more than I would give, and then we would be over. Assuming, that is, that I was able to do something about his drool problem. As far as me wanting more from him? Nope. Wasn’t gonna happen.
I leaned forward, fully intent on schooling him in the fine art of tongue kissing when the slow, rumbling whir of the garage door opening caught my attention. “Dammit.” Heart pounding, I shot to my feet, grabbed hold of Zach’s wrist and yanked. “My mom’s home early. You have to leave. Like, now.”
Zach stared at me like I’d sprouted another head and frowned. “What’s the big deal, Tierra? It’s not like we were doing anything. We’re fully fucking clothed.” He rolled his broad shoulders and tugged at the hem of his black T-shirt. “We’re cool.” He waggled his eyebrows. “All parents love me.”
Whether there was any truth to that statement or not, I didn’t care. Being caught alone in my bedroom with Zach wasn’t the problem. My mother didn’t give two craps about what I did, or who I did it with. No. I didn’t want Zach to meet my mother.
Desperate to get him gone, I tugged him over to my window, got behind him, and pushed. “Out!”
Zach’s expression morphed from one of surprise to outright irritation. “You have got to be kidding me. You want me to take a dive out your window?”
I shoved past him, released the lock, and slid the aging glass pane sideways. “Damn straight, Skippy. It’s time to channel your inner Olympian. Tuck and roll.”
My mom’s voice sounded from the other side of the house. “I’m not going to change my mind. We’re through!”
My shoulders fell. Crap. Another break-up. Zach needed to leave. Things were about to get ugly, and there was no way in hell I’d let anyone witness the shameful reality that was my home life. My mother hated me, blamed me for her so-called crappy life, and made it a point to tell me what a burden I was every stinking day.
I could deal with her hatred. No one but me knew about it. But her addiction to booze and sleazy men? That wasn’t so easy to hide. I’d worked hard to shroud the truth about my home life over the past few years, and I wasn’t about to let my saliva challenged friend jack things up by hanging around for my mother’s latest breakdown.
Zach continued to gape at me, forehead creased, eyes narrowed. My earlier assessment of village idiot was apparently spot on.
“Why are you just standing there?” I placed one hand on the middle of his back, grabbed the waistband of his jeans with the other, and shoved him toward the window. “Move!”
“Fucking hell! All right,” he snapped before launching himself through the small space. A loud rustling noise echoed from outside, followed by a labored groan and a few choice curses. “Goddamned bushes!” He shot up, face twisted in a combination of pain and irritation, and pegged me with a hard stare. “You’re lucky you’re beautiful, T.” He jabbed a finger toward the ground. “Cuz this shit hurts!”
The sound of glass breaking echoed from the opposite side of the house.
I placed a shaky hand on the wall near the window and swiped the other across the front of my jeans, thankful my anxiety transferred to my hands and not my forehead. The old saying “Never let them see you sweat” had become somewhat of a mantra for me. On the inside, I was terrified, mostly of what might be happening on the opposite side of my bedroom door. Of people finding out the mask I’d presented to them was a total sham.
But on the outside?
On the outside, I was the smiling picture of cool perfection.
In keeping with my charade, I rolled my eyes at Zach and thrust a hand toward the street. “Leave! Before we’re caught!”
Zach gave a nod and held up his hand. “You’ll meet me at Dallas’s later?”
Crash!
My pulse skyrocketed as the commotion grew closer to my bedroom door. “Yes! I’ll see you in a little bit. Now go!”
The combination of moonlight and the yellow glow floating between the houses from the street lamp a few yards away cast an eerie glow across Zach’s toothy grin, likening him to the Joker. He pressed two fingers to his lips and took off with a spring in his step that told me I had, at the very least, a couple month’s worth of meaningless make-out sessions with him before he’d screw up.
Crash!
Thud!
“Angelo! S-stop … Please!”
Molars grinding together, heart ping-ponging against my ribs, I turned away from the window, crouched down beside my bed, and pulled out my own makeshift version of Professor Plum’s lead pipe.
The dented, secondhand metal bat felt cool against my skin as I stalked toward my bedroom door, frightened, yet resolute in kicking some loser’s ass had the slimeball hurt my mom. The woman might hate my guts, but dammit, she was my mom, and I wouldn’t abandon her in her time of need.
Oh yeah. Tierra Elizabeth Owens was totally going to down her mom’s ex-boyfriend, in the living room, with the lead pipe. Take that, Colonel Mustard.

Author Bio:
ELISA DANE is a self-proclaimed book junkie. A lover of handbags, chocolate, and reality television, she's a proud mother to three All- Star cheerleaders. Writing is her absolute passion, and it's her mission to create stories that will not only take you on a romantic journey that will warm your heart, but help you find a new respect and interest in the sport of All-Star cheerleading.

Elisa is no stranger to the publishing world. She writes steamy paranormal romance under her real name, Lisa Sanchez. Her adult works include the Hanford Park series (Eve Of Samhain, Pleasures Untold, and Faythe Reclaimed), Obsessed (an erotic suspense), and a paranormal novella, Cursing Athena. Elisa lives in Northern California with her husband, three daughters, and a feisty Chihuahua who stubbornly believes she's human.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Hosted by:

Excerpt: MACK by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Excerpt:
Darkness was the one thing in this world I didn’t care for—probably because I felt most comfortable with facts. Seeing objects equated seeing facts. There is the floor. There is the couch. Facts.
Guessing where things were—I think the leg of this table is around here somewhere—ouch!—was inefficient, useless. It was why nightlights were invented.
So when I entered John Doe’s dark room, the first thing I wanted was to bring in some light.
“Mr. Doe?” I said to the dark figure seated in the corner of the small room, staring at me like an eerie scarecrow waiting to frighten the shit out of anything that crossed its path. “My name is Dr. Valentine. I’m the new director. May I turn on the lights so we can discuss the reason you are here?”
“I asked not to be disturbed.” The man’s deep, masculine voice felt like a cold, chilling slap. Yet strangely, it was also…Well, I didn’t know really. Hypnotic, perhaps.
I squinted, my eyes straining to see his face but only able to make out his silhouette—broad shoulders, short hair, and fit-looking arms from the shadows of biceps I was able to spot.
“That’s exactly why we need to talk,” I said. “It’s come to my attention that you are not here to seek therapy—”
“Leave.”
My mouth flapped for a moment. “I’m sorry, but did you—”
“I said leave,” he growled.
Sadly for him, intimidation didn’t work on me. Not that I was stupid and wouldn’t get out of harm’s way. The question was, did he intend to harm me?
“And if I don’t?” I asked, testing the waters. His response would tell me everything I needed to know. Reading people’s internal emotional state was another gift of mine.
I waited for a reply.
And then I waited some more.
He’s not going to answer me. Fine. This was silly and a completely unproductive use of my time. I would just have to see him with my own two eyes. My gift would do the rest.
“Okay. These lights are going—” I flipped the switch, and the moment my eyes met his, I was hit by a hard wave of…
“Holy fuck,” I gasped.
I flipped off the lights, turned, and left the room. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What was that?

BLURB:
From New York Times Bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff, Comes the New Standalone Story of Mack, a Continuation of the King Trilogy
“THEY THINK KING IS EVIL, BUT HE’S GOT NOTHING ON ME.” - Mack
MY NAME IS MACK. And if I play my cards right, I will soon be dead. Permanently. Not even my powerful twin brother will be able to resurrect me. A good thing. Because a man like me has no business living. Not when I have killed. Not when I have betrayed everyone I have ever cared for. Not when I know I’m destined to do it again.
This is why I have come looking for her—the only one capable of ending me once and for all. But will she think I’m just another insane patient? Or will she believe the truth? I am thousands of years old, my heart too dark to be salvaged.
MY NAME IS TEDDI, short for Theodora. My entire life has been a canvas of grays, whites, and black. I can’t feel, I can’t understand joy, I’ve never truly lived. Until now. His name is Mack, and though he believes he’s cursed, my degree in psychology tells me otherwise. Besides, someone who’s capable of bringing so much light into my life can’t be anything but good.
But I can save him. If he’ll let me.
(STANDALONE STORY – BASED ON THE USA TODAY BESTSELLING KING TRILOGY)
SHORT LINKS: Kindle US: http://amzn.to/1HYBxiv
Kindle UK: http://amzn.to/1MV601W
B&N: http://bit.ly/1QuCgQc
iBooks: http://apple.co/1PNSbHW
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1SYuFrz
Print: Coming Feb. 2016
DIRECT LINKS:KOBO:  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/mack-2
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/MACK-King-Trilogy-Book-4-ebook/dp/B0184ZQLZK/ref=twoen-20Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/MACK-King-Trilogy-Book-4-ebook/dp/B0184ZQLZK
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mack-mimi-jean-pamfiloff/1122961521
iBOOKS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/mack/id1024246370?mt=11  AUTHOR Bio and Links: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff is a New York Times & USA Today best-selling author of Paranormal and Contemporary Romance. Her books have been #1 genre sellers around the world. Both traditionally and independently published, Mimi has sold over 600,000 books since publishing her first title in 2012, and she plans to spontaneously combust once she hits the one million mark. Although she obtained her international MBA and worked for over 15 years in the corporate world, she believes that it’s never too late to come out of the romance closet and follow your dream.
When not screaming at her computer or hosting her very inappropriate radio show (Man Candy Show on Radioslot.com), Mimi spends time with her two pirates in training, her loco-for-the-chili-pepper hubby, and her two rat terriers, DJ Princess Snowflake and Mini Me, in the San Francisco Bay Area.
She continues to hope that her books will inspire a leather pants comeback (for men) and that she might make you laugh when you need it most.
Sign up for Mimi’s mailing list for giveaways and new release news! : http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=0018NaU_-X0pzO4bOVekkO_v558hkRoBTd-5gZe2-tSNC6jCDlxWCmyFuwBRPrUvnMTqNX8fyhMicw-T9yGc79MMA%3D%3D
LEARN MORE:
mailto: mimi@mimijean.netwww.mimijean.nethttps://twitter.com/MimiJeanRomancehttp://radioslot.com/show/mancandyshow/https://www.facebook.com/MimiJeanPamfiloff
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/2016/01/book-blast-mack-by-mimi-jean-pamfiloff.html
a Rafflecopter giveaway

#Excerpt: FROM THE ASHES OF RUIN Series by Matthew D. Ryan

Excerpt from The Children of Lubrochius
Across from Ambrisia, Coragan placed his hands on the table and got right down to business. “Your note said someone’s life is in danger?” he asked.
“Possibly,” Regecon answered, leaning back in his chair. “We have another missing person issue. At this point, we don’t know if she is alive or dead or what.”
“Who is it?” Coragan asked.
“My student, Marissa,” Ambrisia interjected. “She disappeared a little over three weeks ago.”
Coragan lifted both eyebrows. “Three weeks?”
“The vampire …” Galladrin offered.
“She disappeared during the day,” Ambrisia said. “Our best diviners are working on the problem—”
“Your diviners are always working on the problem,” Coragan said. “Why is it that your magic never seems to solve the missing person issues. All it does is create questions, and I’m the one who has to sort out the knots.”
“In this case, the vampire, although most probably not the cause of the disappearance is definitely a culprit in a number of complications,” Ambrisia explained. “As you know, a vampire generates an aura of black time that interferes with divination. This aura surrounds the vampire as it moves and disrupts attempts to access the temporal continuum in which it operates creating pockets of inaccessible time as far as divination is concerned. The stronger the vampire, the stronger the aura. Lucian spent nearly a week besieging our guild house. And, as we feared, there is a great deal of temporal distortion caused by his aura.”
“So, once again your magic is rendered useless and you must fall back on more mundane methods. Namely, me,” Coragan said.

BLURB:
Buy Links:Drasmyr:Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/131156Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=DrasmyrBarnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Drasmyr?store=allproducts&keyword=Drasmyr

The Children of Lubrochius:Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/415779Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=The+Children+of+Lubrochius&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AThe+Children+of+LubrochiusB&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-children-of-lubrochius-matthew-d-ryan/1118892860?ean=2940045744942

The Sceptre of Morgulan: Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/574196Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=the+sceptre+of+morgulanB&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sceptre-of-morgulan-matthew-d-ryan/1122611024?ean=2940152331127
~~~~~~~~~~~~~AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Matthew D. Ryan lives in northeastern New York on the shores of Lake Champlain. He has been deeply involved in the fantasy genre for most of his life as a reader, writer, and game designer. His writing has been featured at Aphelion.com and YesteryearFiction.com. He is the operator of the web-site matthewdryan.com which features his blog, “A Toast to Dragons,” (http://matthewdryan.com/a-toast-to-dragons-the-blog/) a blog dedicated to fantasy literature, and, to a lesser extent, sci-fi. He is the author of the dark fantasy novels “Drasmyr,” “The Children of Lubrochius,” and “The Sceptre of Morgulan,” as well as a growing number of fantasy short stories including: “Haladryn and the Minotaur,” “The River’s Eye,” and “Escape.”
My Mailing List: http://www.matthewdryan.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgiMy Website: http://matthewdryan.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/matthewdryan1  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MatthewDRyanAuthorPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mryan_author/

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/2016/01/blurb-blitz-from-ashes-of-ruin-series.html

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#Excerpt: COMMANDER HENRY GALLANT by H. Peter Alesso

Excerpt:
Alaina Hepburn strolled across the walkway, smack-dab in the middle of Halo’s well-trimmed verdant garden park, lavish with diverse foliage and a flowing water fountain glistening under a brilliant summer sun. Several bronzed statues adorned the area attracting a glanced from pedestrians as they passed while an occasional car flew overhead. However, it was Alaina’s eye-catching outfit and radiant youthful vitality that captured the most attention of those around her, not merely because she was attractive—though her blond hair, blue eyes, and well-tanned skin accented her appealing figure—and not because her behavior was so unusual so as to stir excitement. Everyone who passed offered her a warm greeting—for she was well-known to the people of Elysium. No, what attracted the curiosity of those nearby was her bearing—with shoulders back and head held high, she led one to wonder what adventure she was just returning from—or, better yet, was just about to embark upon.
When Gallant entered the park on his way to a meeting at the town hall, the impact of seeing Alaina again struck him like a shock wave. His reaction was unlike what might be expected from the methodical logical captain who so recently fought a battle from the bridge of the Warrior. Now he was simply a man rediscovering his lover—filled with the joy of her presence, the relief of her safety, and the sensuality of her being—the emotional tizzy seething beneath the surface was enough to cause the fringes of his vision to grow hazy, excluding all others from sight. He felt a sense of well-being flood over him, creating the desire to seize and hold her. Despite his wish to run—he walked toward her along the intersecting walkway.
When she noticed him, she came to an abrupt stop and turned to face him. The surprise on her face couldn’t have been more pronounced. He could only guess that her emotional state was as heighten as his own.
Any passerby might have assumed that they were two old acquaintances meeting casually to exchange friendly greetings, but his heart was pounding and his palms were moist. A gust of wind blew a tangled lock of his hair across his forehead causing him to swipe it away mindlessly.
“Henry!” she said, biting her lower lip.
Her exclamation was short and sharp, giving Gallant a start. As it invariably happened, he was mesmerized by her. He stammered, “I . . . I said, ‘I’d be back.’”

   BLURB:
Despite his sorrow, he goes on a dangerous mission to an invading aliens’ home world in the Gliese-581 star system. There he uses a neural interface to penetrate their communication network and steal a high ranking alien’s identity. Through this artifice he learns about their history and society, and discovers a way to hinder and possibly defeat them.
A side-effect of linking into the alien network—which was created for autistic savants—is that Gallant’s mind was stimulated and enhanced to the point where he begins to experience superintelligence abilities.
Upon returning from his mission, there is concern that Gallant might pose an even more serious threat than the aliens. While he struggles to fend off those who doubt his loyalty, he fights to win back Alaina.
This is the fourth book of The Henry Gallant Saga, but it can be read as a standalone story.
Amazon link for the Henry Gallant Saga: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011M9O9RC/ref=twoen-20   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~Author Bio: As a scientist and author specializing in technology innovation, H. Peter Alesso has over twenty years research experience at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). As Engineering Group Leader at LLNL he led a team of scientists and engineers in innovative applications across a wide range of supercomputers, workstations, and networks. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a B.S. and served in the U.S. Navy on nuclear submarines before completing an M.S. and an advanced Engineering Degree at M.I.T. He has published several software titles and numerous scientific journal and conference articles, and he is the author/co-author of seven books.
You can visit his Web site at: http://www.hpeteralesso.com/Default.aspx
Author Web site at: http://www.hpeteralesso.com/Default.aspx
Goodreads Address: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/413852.H_Peter_Alesso
YouTube trailer for Henry Gallant Saga: http://youtu.be/2eciKOBFBSM
Facebook for Henry Gallant Saga: https://www.facebook.com/TheHenryGallantSaga/
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/2015/12/sbb-launch-day-commander-henry-gallant.html  a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

#Review: THE BLOODY QUARREL, THE ARBALESTER Trilogy 2 by Duncan Lay

3.5 / 5 stars
This is the second part of the trilogy. The story meanders back and forth between Fallon, the reluctant village sergeant tricked and betrayed by King Aidan; Brigit, his wife who is taken hostage by the evil Kottermani empire; and its heir to the Elephant Throne, Prince Kemal. The author does a good job of letting the reader inside Fallon's mind as he's being tricked to do unspeakable things, and betrayed by those he thought he could trust. He's basically a good simple man who is thrust into a world of political intrigue and manipulations. He can only do what he thinks is good and just and that's what causes a myriad of problems for him.
While I liked Brigit, I thought her character was a little too good to be true especially going from a simple country wife to the leader of the slave rebellion. I can't say more on this because I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I have to say the interactions between Brigit and Prince Kemal were quite good.
Overall, this was a good read and moves the story forward to hopefully an exciting and satisfying conclusion. Some parts of the story dragged especially the battle scenes which I skipped over especially at the end to get back to the characters. I'm looking forward to reading the final book in this creative and engaging trilogy.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest review.
Amazon buy link:http://www.amazon.com/Bloody-Quarrel-Arbalester-Trilogy-Complete-ebook/dp/B0152VPDDA/ref=

#Excerpt: 80's MIX TAPE: A Romance Rewind Anthology

’80s Mix Tape
A.J. Pine, Autumn Jones Lake, Bobbi Ruggiero, Gwen Hayes, Jenny Holiday, Karen Booth, Rachel Cowell
(Romance Rewind #2)
Publication date: February 9th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Save a Prayer by Karen Booth
Angie Dawson never wants to see Graham Whiting again, a complete impossibility living in Stourbridge,England, the town outside London where she and Graham grew up. His band, Banks Forest, is so hot in the UK they might as well be on fire. She can’t turn on the blooming radio or watch telly or look at a magazine without being confronted by the ’80s Fab Four, fronted by the sexy bloke she’d once called her boyfriend. Every girl in England wants him. Bloody bastard.

Desperate to escape the 24-7 Banks Forest overload, Angie takes a twoweek job working as a photographer at the Music Revolution festival in the US. Finally, she can set her mind on something other than Graham and what it was like before he started being such a wanker. Maybe she can sort out what to do with her life. If she’s lucky, she’ll meet a cracking guy who doesn’t think he’s God’s gift to women. The instant she steps off the plane, she learns how daft her plan was. Banks Forest mania practically followed her across the Atlantic. Her new job puts her in Graham’s sights and he’s dead-set on winning her back. He knows the perfect things to say, the right way to kiss her and make everything brilliant again. She wants him, she wants him to be the guy he says he can be, but he’s about to go on the road for a year. How does a reunion with her ex end up being anything more than a one-night stand?

Need You Tonight by Gwen Hayes
Jacob Stone is on the run for a crime he didn’t commit, but when he’s stranded with the only woman he’s ever loved by chance, the girl he abandoned to protect two years ago, he can’t deny the need to possess her one last time. Mind, body, and soul.

Typical good girl Becky McDonald has loved bad boy Jacob since they were kids, but even as she gives in to the passion only he can ignite in her, she hides the truth. The one secret that would bring him back is the lie she can never reveal.

One night of passion. One night of need. That’s all they can have, but it will never be enough.

Kickstart My Heart by Autumn Jones Lake
Russell“Chaser” Adams knows he’s destined to take over his father’s outlaw motorcycle club one day. With Chaser’s heavy metal band close to making it big, his father encourages him to pursue his music for now. Chaser straddles his Harley and heads across the country to the Sunset Strip.

Raised in a strict family with old-world traditions and their own secrets, Mallory Delov longs for glitter and glamor instead of blood and deceit. With her father serving time, it’s the perfect time to escape his domineering grasp and pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an actress.

After nailing her first audition, Mallory is offered the part of a playful vixen who torments the lead singer of the up and coming metal band, Kickstart. Her job description calls for lots of hair tossing and ass wiggling. Not quite the career she had in mind.
She didn’t plan to fall in love either. Unlike any man she’s ever known, she can’t help being drawn to the guitar player, Chaser. He’s sweet, yet dangerous. An irresistible mixture to Mallory.
On the surface they seem like complete opposites.
Little do either of them know how much they have in common.

867-5309 by Jenny Holiday
Jenny Fields is a crusader. The editor of her college newspaper, she never met a cause she couldn’t get behind. So when the administration announces it’s tearing down the historic art building, she’s on the case. All she needs to do is get Matthew Townsend, the art department’s most talented student, on board. If she could just get the moody genius to answer his phone…

Drummer Girl by A.J. Pine
Sam Walsh is done—done with college, done with guys, done with the whole scene. After graduation tomorrow, she’ll head home, ready to start her job as an elementary school music teacher in the fall. But her roommate coaxes her out for what she promises will be an epic last night, a night that ends up changing everything.

London Calling is the up-and-coming band playing at the local bar, and Sam can’t take her eyes off the sexy drummer. When he dedicates the drummer’s choice song to her, she knows the evening might be more epic than she’d imagined. Then one kiss turns her world upside down, making her question everything she thought she wanted out of her last night at school.

Ben McCarthy is the guy behind the drums, the would-have-been 306 valedictorian who dropped out three years ago to follow his dream. Tomorrow he and the band leave for London, but for one unforgettable night, it’s just Sam, the music, and him. Can a girl with her feet planted firmly on the ground fall for the boy who reaches for the stars when the only result is a broken heart?

Young Teacher by Bobbi Ruggiero
Control freak Julia Powers hates surprises. With the skills of a ninja, she keeps her ad business and personal life in perfect order. That leaves zero time for fun, let alone men. But there’s nothing wrong with having a little crush on the guy she sees at lunchtime, is there? Sure, he’s a lot younger, but it’s only a crush. It’s not like she’s going to date him or anything.

Matthew Gordon wants nothing more than for his band Joyride to go national. While he waits for his big break, he spends his days working in a sandwich shop—a job he loathes—and teaching guitar on the side—a job he loves. His days get a bit more interesting when a mysterious woman comes in for lunch and hands him a list of her favorite songs. So imagine his surprise when she shows up at his door for guitar lessons.

Unfortunately, Julia can’t play guitar to save her life, and her frustration threatens to ruin any chance of her finding happiness—with herself, or in love. Will he ever be able to teach her that she’s perfect just as she is?

Just Like Heaven by Rachel Cowell
As a premed student, college junior Sarah Lattimore’s life is a carefullycalibrated system of studying, studying, MCAT prep courses, and more studying. She didn’t have time for a social life in high school, and she definitely doesn’t have time for one now. But when she walks into the first day of anatomy lab and sees her gorgeous TA, Sarah’s brilliant mind is suddenly racing in new directions.

Grad student Josh Chapman’s mom died of ovarian cancer when he was a teenager, and his grief and rage at the experience turned his future aspirations toward cancer research. But the unbelievably cute, nerdy, and possibly insane Sarah Lattimore is in his section, and she’s… distracting. But when admiring from afar turns to up close and personal, both their academic lives begin to fall apart. Sarah cares too much about her grades to stay with Josh and she breaks things off.
But when she makes a mistake in class that results in Josh facing expulsion, will this mean the end of his dreams? Or will Sarah realize in time that being with Josh was the smartest choice she’d ever made?

Goodreads / Amazon
Sneak a Peek at a couple of books from this anthology:
Excerpt from Save a Prayer by Karen Booth
I sucked in a deep breath through my nose and willed a smile onto my face. I was over Graham. I’d worked my way through it. And enduring thirty seconds of screeching girls at the newsstand was enough of a test for now.I wound my way down to baggage claim, fetching my suitcase then out to the curb to wait for my ride to the city from an unknown volunteer for the Music Revolution Festival. Most parents would probably not be pleased by my new job, but mine were. Well, my mum was. I wasn’t sure about my dad. An award-winning photo-journalist, he hadn’t taken a picture in six months, nor had he spoken a word. Not since the stroke that left him paralyzed on one side of his body and unable to speak. Standing there, I couldn’t escape the self-doubt—first time in America, on my own, wanting to show Graham that I was not only over him, I was okay with what had happened, hoping like hell I could live up to even a fraction of my dad’s brilliance. Photographing Graham’s band left me at a serious disadvantage.Just then a dodgy looking sky blue car wobbled past me at the curb, sputtering black fumes when it came to a stop. Dozens of band stickers blanketed the bumper—Joy Division, The Smiths, Blondie, and Tears for Fears were only the start. Out popped a girl with curly blonde hair, more blue eyeliner than I’d ever seen, and an arm loaded down with black rubber bracelets. “You must be Angie Dawson. I was told to look for a British redhead.”My vision narrowed on her. “That’s me.”She held out her hand to shake mine. “Welcome to Philly. I’m Darla. But people call me Gigi. I’m supposed to drive you to the hotel and make sure you have everything you need while you’re here.” “Brilliant. Thanks.” I picked up my suitcase and followed her to the car. “The redhead I get, but what exactly makes me look British?”Gigi shrugged, opening the car boot with her key. “I have no idea. People say stupid things, don’t they? Luckily you were the only ginger out here.”“Ginger, huh? I take it you’ve been to England?”“Yep. That’s what you call redheads, right?”I nodded as she closed the trunk. “Absolutely.”We climbed inside the car and after several attempts she got the engine running again. “First time in the States?”“It is. I’ve been trying to get a magazine job as a photographer for over a year, and luckily, the guy at Music Maker got sacked after he was arrested for a fight in a pub. I just got hired.”Gigi pulled onto a motorway and put in a cassette that started out with The Cutter by Echo and the Bunnymen, one of my favorite songs. With the windows rolled down, the early afternoon heat swirled our hair every which way while the car rattled as if it was held together with chewing gum and a few odd screws. “I’m just a runner,” she shouted over the music and road noise. “But I’m learning how to run sound and lights. I really want to go on the road with a band at some point. I’m such a huge music fan. I can’t think of anything more exciting than that.”“Cool.” I didn’t offer more. Gigi would have to learn on her own how unexciting it could be to go on the road with a band, although touring with Banks Forest was likely a much higher-class affair now than it had been in the early days.“Oh!” Gigi exclaimed. “I forgot. I have a message for you in my bag from the editor at Music Maker. They called for you at the production office this morning. It’s right in that side pocket. You can go ahead and get it out.”I leaned down and slipped my hand into the outside compartment of Gigi’s black LeSport Sac. My heart picked up as I unfolded the paper. For the first time since I’d landed, I was thrilled by the prospects ahead, rather than dreading what would happen if things didn’t go right. I was finally a working photographer. I’d gotten a call at a major music festival production office from my employer.For: Angie DawsonFrom: Oliver Harvey, 7/11/85Banks Forest and their road manager will meet you in hotel bar at 7 pm to discuss the band’s schedule.And there it was. I was officially on my way. Back into the sights of Graham Whiting.—Excerpt from Need You Tonight by Gwen Hayes
Jacob’s eyes never rest. He glances at me briefly before scanning the swarm of disgruntled travelers around us. The logical side of my brain says that he is just being careful. People on the run have to be hypersensitive to their surroundings. The illogical poster-girl-of-a-train-wreck side thinks he just wants to get away from me as soon as possible and is looking for a break in the crowds.“Where were you going?” he asks. Probably to be polite.“Florida. You?” Stupid girl. “Never mind. That was dumb. You can’t tell me where you are going or where you’ve been or probably even what you had for breakfast yesterday.”“It doesn’t really matter where I was going,” he says, glossing over my sarcasm like he always does. “Nobody’s getting out of Detroit alive tonight.” He looks at his watch. “I guess I should try to book a room.”I follow his wrist back down to his side with my gaze. God, nothing has changed. Even his wrists turn me on. Focus, Becky. “Good luck with that. Hotel rooms are going to be scarce.”“I suppose you already have one.”I shrug. “You know me.”Awkward silence.“You look good, Becky.”Though they are kind, the words bite into my tender heart with razor sharp teeth. They are so tame compared to the last time he told me how I looked. When he said he couldn’t get enough of my hot little body. That I made him so hard every time he looked at me. My face was forever etched in his mind.Now I look “good.”I smile through the jagged pain because that is what you do when it hurts to breathe. “Thanks. I don’t suppose we could grab a cup of coffee, could we?” I don’t know why I said that. Why did I just say that?“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. It’s risky.”Two years. I have missed him every day for two years. “We’re random strangers in a crowded airport today. Is it really so dangerous?”He rubs his chin, scratching at the light dusting of stubble. “You’re not a random stranger, Becks.”I shrug. “Nobody here knows that.” What if he says yes? What would it be like to forget, just for one hour, all the things that haunt me? Just take a step out of time. “It’s coffee, not a dark alley. I’ll help you make calls to hotels first.”I don’t wait for an answer; I just grab his hand and pull. He’ll follow. He’ll roll his eyes, act a little miffed, and go along with me just like he always used to. Because he didn’t say no. He said he didn’t know if it was a good idea. Semantics are everything with a guy like Jacob Stone.Twenty minutes later, after fruitless phone calls for a room, Jacob takes a long pull from his coffee and sits back in his chair, defeated. “How did you score a room? Wait, don’t tell me. You reserved it days ago, didn’t you?”“The storm isn’t a surprise. They’ve been tracking it for a while.”Jacob looks out the windows across the terminal. “It looks like a hurricane out there. It’s getting dark, too.”The airport is stuffy and hot, with the temperature rising as the untraveling passengers’ moods get hotter. “I know you’ll say no, but you are welcome to crash in my room. It’s better than the floor at the gate.”“That’s a bad idea.” Jake shuts down, just like he always did. That means no.Now is make-or-break for what’s left of my pride. The interlude was pleasant, in its own way, but I am a realist now. A step out of time can’t take me a mile. I’ve learned the hard way that real life encroaches too soon. He’s broken my heart for the last time. I won’t beg again. This time, I’ll be the one to walk away.“Suit yourself.” I push away from the table, slinging my carryon over my shoulder. “I’ll leave a key for you at the desk, Mr. McDonald, in case you should change your mind.” I walk just past the table and stop without turning around. “Take care of yourself.”I miss you.And that is that.
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview with Jeanette Watts, BRAINS AND BEAUTY

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?My new book is Brains and Beauty. It's the sequel to Wealth and Privilege. Or, maybe it's more a "companion book?" The two books take place from almost the exact same starting moment to almost the exact same ending moment.  But they are told from different points of view. It's a "he said - she said." It's best to read them in order, Wealth and Privilege first; but it's fun to find out what was going on from a different perspective.  The theme of Brains and Beauty is that things aren't always what they appear!

Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?I can't say I've ever had that happen, exactly, but I have very frequently had characters go off in different directions than I was thinking. I had no idea that Regina's youngest sister was a lesbian. In the first book, I introduced a maid character with the thought that my lead protagonist would have a dalliance with her - but he's a one-woman guy. He couldn't even look at her. So that really did change the direction of the novel.

Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?I spent five years sending query letters and trying to please agents. Since, of course, no publisher will talk to you without an agent.  It was a nightmare. Almost every agent I queried liked my book. But they wouldn't represent me unless I rewrote it the way they wanted. And then when I did, they didn't like the book anymore!  There's some old saying about not being able to please two masters. It's true. I now know I should trust my muse before I trust an agent.

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?I had just wasted the better part of a year rewriting my first book - again - to please another crazy agent, who liked my book, but wanted me to make it much shorter. Then when I made it shorter, she complained there was no depth to any of the characters...well, duh! That's what all those other words were for.  I had several friends telling me to go straight to Kindle. I should have followed that advice a year sooner than I did.  When I finished writing the sequel, I didn't even bother with the traditional route. The publishing industry has changed so much in the last six or seven years! There are plenty of decent novels being self published. Sometimes, the self-published ones are superior for things that I've seen turned out by large publishing houses.

If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?My husband is a very talented graphic artist, and he does my cover art for me. The cover for Wealth and Privilege was from an old vacation photo, the back covers and the front cover for Brains and Beauty were all his design. He tells me what he has in mind, and I say "cool!" and then we have to collect the costumes and go to the locations to shoot the photos. I don't put in a lot of input, except to ask for different dimensions to fit the cover.
Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?I have a large collection of talented friends help with the review process. Some are writers, some are English teachers, some are just perceptive readers. Brains and Beauty had six editors. They all found different things that needed to be addressed. One reader "corrected" things I then had to UNcorrect - things pertaining to Scotland are referred to as "Scotch," not "Scottish" in the late 1800s. But that same reader was the one who pointed out that the word "sex" did not mean "intercourse" until 1929. Before that, the word was only used as a synonym for gender! I can't imagine ever having only one editor to review my manuscript.

What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?As many as I can manage! I do a poor job of maintaining it all, but I have my own webpage (www.JeanetteWatts.com), a Twitter account, and Wealth and Privilege has its own Facebook page. That was a mistake, instead of a Facebook page for every book, I should have an author page for me. But I have over 20,000 likes on that Facebook page, I'm reluctant to lose all those connections with people. I am on Goodreads, although I'm sure I don't know how to navigate it very well. I've chatted in some of their forums for a while, but life is so full of distractions!  A weekend trip away for a book signing, then a few extra days of writing retreat, then I have 500 emails waiting when I get home, not to mention laundry and all the other things that piled up while I was gone... and I've completely forgotten about the existence of Goodreads.  I have been meaning to start a blog, once I find the time to figure out how.
Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?Yes, and no.  There is always more to do than there are hours in a day.  But when I'm out at a book festival, I treat it like a writer's retreat. I love to schedule a couple of extra days wherever I happen to be, and put in some quality time with my laptop.  There are some gorgeous hotel lobbies out there. And B&Bs with verandas overlooking pretty gardens, and oceans, and forests. I find that time incredibly productive!
What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?Get lots of eyes to proofread your book! Self-publishing has a bad reputation, and sadly, it's for a reason.  I've seen books with grammatical and punctuation errors on every page. It seems obvious no one ever took a look at it before going to print. I can have six people proofread, and I will proofread between every other reader, and person number six will still find a missing set of quotation marks.
But make sure your book is really "ripe" before you start sending it out for other people to edit.  Don't make everyone else do your writing for you. I was once asked to proofread a manuscript that was obviously a failed screenplay. By the third page I was tired of reading screen directions without the heavy indentations. "Lights up on director and producer. Cut to projectionist turning off the lights" does not make a good novel. I didn't even finish proofreading it. The writer was offended when I pointed out it really wasn't ready for print yet. Problem is, publishing a book in that sort of state is not the way to build yourself a reputation as a good writer.

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?Too many! It makes it hard to stay on top of everything.  I am a dancer in so many contexts: I have a French Cancan troupe, and a belly dance troupe, and a Vintage dance troupe. I also run a social Vintage dance group. I love teaching people to dance! Dance transforms you. Once you are a dancer, you never see yourself or the world around you the same way.

I am also a costumer. I always, always have several projects going on at all times. Renaissance costumes, 1860s ballgowns, bustle dresses... between dancing and book signings and other events, I have tons of excuses to play dressup. I do love telling children who come to tell me they like my dress, that you are NEVER too old to play dressup.

  BLURB:
Regina’s life is one long tiptoe through a minefield; one wrong step and her entire life is going to blow up and destroy her.  Attempting to hold it all together, she appeases the husband, dresses the part, and never, never says what she is really thinking. That would get in the way of getting things done.  And, if there’s one thing Regina did really well, it was getting things done.
Enter Thomas Baldwin.  Young and handsome and completely off limits, Regina is smitten at first sight.  Then, to her great astonishment, he slowly becomes her best friend.  He’s the one person in her life who never lets her down.  Torn between her fascination with him and her desire not to ruin a marvelous friendship, she tries to enjoy each moment with him as it comes.
If only that were enough.
Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Brains-Beauty-Jeanette-Watts-ebook/dp/B017NEZ0P0/ref=twoen-20
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jeanette Watts only lived in Pittsburgh for four years, but in her heart, she will always be a Pittsburgher.  She missed the city so much after her move to Ohio, she had to write a love story about it.
She has written television commercials, marketing newspapers, stage melodramas, four screenplays, three novels, and a textbook on waltzing.  When she isn’t writing, she teaches social ballroom dances, refinishes various parts of her house, and sews historical costumes and dance costumes for her Cancan troupe.
Webpagewww.JeanetteWatts.com
Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/jeanette.watts.94https://www.facebook.com/WealthAndPrivilege?ref=hl
Twitterhttps://twitter.com/jeanetteawatts

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/2015/12/vbt-brains-and-beauty-by-jeanette-watts.html 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Interview with E. Mellyberry, I WON'T BREAK

 
Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series? I Won’t Break is a part of A Broken Love Story series. My Lea, its prequel, was published last 2014. The story follows two overseas students, Andrew and Lea, who came to America to study. One mistake changed everything between these two, and it haunted them from the moment it happened to the moment they were separated and met again five years later. The series, as opposed to a regular romantic fairy tale, starts with this heart-shattering incident. Andrew and Lea’s journey to overcome their fear and hatred is hard and full of self-doubt. But out of this bitterness comes hope and love. In a nutshell, I Won’t Break is a rollercoaster read about second chances, forgiveness, and self-acceptance.
Do you have a favorite character?I love writing Andrew because he’s such a complex individual. He’s a hero, but not exactly a Prince Charming. He’s a villain, but not a heartless demon. He’s loveable; he’s scary. Andrew is a flawed man; he is real. It’s amazing to watch his character grows. I, too, grow along with him. The experience of writing him is surreal and I cherish every moment of it.
If you used a graphic designer, how involved were you during the creative process of your cover?I was quite involved in designing the cover, especially during the brainstorming process. I explained my vision and preferences, then my designer gave me feedback on what was doable and what was not. Open communication is the key here. Once we agreed on the concept, I trust my designer to visualize it. 
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?When I write, I prefer silence. I’m easily distracted, so I always turn off my phones and internet when I’m down at my writing cave.
Do you outline your story or just go where the muse takes you?Well, I’m kinda both. Story ideas usually come to me in the form of scenes. I capture those scenes first, then develop them into a plot. Not all scenes are useable in my rough plot though. I take the ones I want and sorta ‘glue’ them together. I’m not sure if that’s the correct way of outlining, but it works for me J
Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?Yes and Yes! I always do. As matter of fact, I work with more than just one editor. I work with a content editor, a copy editor, and a proofreader. I cannot stress hard enough how important it is to have qualified editors in your team. Writers write for themselves, a saying says, but editors work for the readers. No writer should edit their own work. We need fresh minds to review our draft before it goes to publishing.
What have you’ve learned during your self-publishing journey?I learn everything. I learn that writing is a lonely job, but publishing a book is a team effort. Everyone I meet in the book industry is my teacher. There’s no self-publishing school in the real world, but working with each of the players (editors, designers, formatters, marketers, bloggers, other authors) is the same thing. It’s like going to a school specialized for writing and publishing.
Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?Yes. Book Depository and other ebook retailers such as Kobo, iBook, Scribd, Page Fondry, Oyster, and Barnes & Noble.
Besides writing, do you have any other passions?Travelling! Every time I visit a new place, it automatically becomes a potential setting for my next book.
What’s next for you?I can’t imagine myself without writing, so what’s next for me always involves writing. Currently I’m writing two novels, FLY (a YA Contemporary) and LOVE, THE SECOND TIME (a New Adult Contemporary). I’m planning to release them sometimes in 2017 J. Wish me luck!
_________Book & Author Details:I Won’t Break by E. Mellyberry
(A Broken Love Story, #2)
Publication date: February 2nd 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
Synopsis:Lea and Andrew’s story continues in this sequel to My Lea. From the city of San Francisco, the tale journeys on to the other part of the world: Jakarta, Bali, and Tokyo.It’s been five years since Andrew walked out of his apartment and left Lea in America. Five long years without any single contact. Andrew is now a twenty-eight-year-old man who just inherited his father’s business empire and is about to marry the granddaughter of the wealthiest man in Singapore.

At twenty-four, Lea is in the early process of sorting out her life and career back in her home country.When Andrew’s father passed away, they are reunited again for the first time since America.
Like it or not, they are forced to revisit their past and deal with their unfinished business. For most people, love is the answer to everything. But Lea and Andrew’s love is far from ordinary. Theirs is tainted by sin and guilt. And anger. Lots of anger.
What happened five years ago that made Andrew leave?What happened after Twin Peaks?What happened to their baby?
Told in both past and present events, I Won’t Break tests the limit of love when faced with grief and heartbreak, discovers the true power of forgiveness, and explores the meaning of second chances.I Won’t Breakis the sequel to My Lea (A Broken Love Story series) and cannot be read as a standalone.
Due to mature theme and content, this book is not suitable for readers under 18.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24330823-i-won-t-break
Purchase:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1519785119B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-wont-break-e-mellyberry/1123243257?ean=2940152771657
Book 1:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/My-Lea-Broken-Love-Story/dp/6027167009/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453757420&sr=1-2B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-lea-e-mellyberry/1120724407?ean=2940046322088
AUTHOR BIO:Melly is a full-time mom, wife, and fangirl. She used to work in a school and she’s very passionate about education. She has been writing children’s books since 2011 under the name mellyberry. She loves reading all kinds of books in her spare time, mostly MG, YA, NA, contemporary, paranormal, and fantasy. She avoids horror and sci-fi as much as she can.
Melly was born in Indonesia and grew up in a multi-language environment. When she talks to people, she could accidentally string words from different languages into one sentence. When she does that, simply reminds her to speak properly.
Her ideal vacation always involves a beach; usually it’s the Nusa Dua beach, Bali. She spent a few years in USA to complete her Master degree. It was during that time that she’d fallen madly in love with San Francisco and the Bay Area. According to her, San Francisco is no doubt the most romantic city in the world.
Author links:http://mellyberry.blogspot.ca/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5763205.E_Mellyberryhttps://www.facebook.com/emellyberryhttps://twitter.com/themellyberry
a Rafflecopter giveaway

#Review: IN THE KINGDOMS NAME by Amy

  5 of 5 stars

What would you do if you had a chance to change history? This is what Eva MacKay must decide when she time-travels back to 1297 Scotland in the time of William Wallace. Wallace was a heroic figure who fought with every breath in his body to drive the English from Scottish soil, but when backstabbing nobles turn on him at a crucial battle, William is left running and fighting for his life.

Ms. Jarecki does a magnificent job of bringing the characters and the setting in medieval times to life. The passion and undying love of Eva and William could inspire even the most hardened reader to believe in love conquering all. Unfortunately, history has already been written and Wallace's fate was sealed 700 years ago, but that does stop Eva from trying to save the man she so desperately loves. I could hardly put this book down even though I knew what had to happen. The author pulls the reader along to an inevitable end and it will make you cry NOOOOOOOOO as you watch history unfold. A definite read for those who love historical fiction and especially Scottish history. Highly Recommended.

I received a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Amazon buy link: