Debra L. Martin's Blog, page 26

Interview with Kristen Jackson, AND TIME STOPPED

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

AND TIME STOPPED is a new release, and is the third book in the KEEPER OF THE WATCH series. It continues the story of dimension travelers Chase Walker and Alyx Eris, whose magical watches allow them to jump to each of the twelve existing dimensions during each month of their eighteenth year. Each world they visit varies in ways both big and small. This book takes place in Dimension 9, where Chase and Alyx go back to high school and deal with the very real issues of bullying and teen suicide. 

 

Do you have a favorite character?

Because this is a series, all the characters have become like family to me. However, Bo, the chimera hybrid pup Chase and Alyx brought with them from Dimension 8, is one of my favorite characters in this story. Animals are so much fun to write! I wanted to add a pet to the story because I’m a lover of pets of all kinds, and of course, I had to give him some special powers of his own! 

 

Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?

I queried lots of agents for this series, which is the only way to snag a big publisher, but despite interest from a couple of them I was unable to land an agent to represent this series. So, I dug in my heels, not willing to give up on this story, and decided to send out some queries to some small publishers. Black Rose Writing offered me a contract, and here we are! I have a children’s picture book which is published by another independent publisher, Schiffer Publishing, and I have one self-published sci-fi/fantasy novel and a self-published novella (the prequel to the series.) There are definitely pros and cons to all routes to publishing!

 

How long before you got your offer of representation/your first contract? Was it for your first novel?

My first contract was for my children’s picture book, Jocelyn’s Box of Socks. The book is published with Schiffer Publishing, based in Pennsylvania (my home state!) It took about two years from the date I signed my contract until publication. My first published novel was book one in the Keeper of the Watch Series, with Black Rose Writing based in Texas. This was not, however, the first novel I had written. My first attempt at writing a novel was a middle grade novel entitled Snow Dog, which is still not published. 

 

Briefly describe your journey in writing your first or latest book. Have you joined any FB author groups to inspire and help you along the way?

When I first entered the publishing world, I joined as many FB groups as I could! They are very helpful in answering a broad range of questions, especially for beginners. I highly recommend having some kind of support group, and the most convenient way these days is on social media. 

 

 

If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover? 

My publisher allows writers to be very involved in cover creation. The cover designer asked what my vision for the cover was…and then he added his creative expertise to make it all come to life! The cover wasn’t complete until I gave final approval, and I’m very pleased with the results. And Time Stopped truly has a cover that speaks to both the series and the storyline of this book.

 

Do you have an ARC review team? How did you recruit your reviewers? BookFunnel? Readerlinks? Booksprout?

When I feel the book is ready, I put it out there on social media and in my newsletter that I’m ready for beta readers to give feedback and answer a questionnaire so I can perfect the writing. After that, I join BookFunnel promotions, use Book Sirens, and NetGalley. These are all ways to generate early reviews, which is so important for pre-release promotions. There are also writing contests that you can enter, and sometimes a review is part of the entry. 

 

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?

I like complete silence while I’m writing. Music can be too distracting for me…because I love music and will be enticed to sing along instead of focusing on the writing. I love to write in the early morning hours, the quietest time of the day. (I’m also a morning person, so you won’t catch me writing at night!) During spring, summer, and fall, I love to write at our cozy cabin in the woods. It’s so inspiring!

 

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?

I have tried outlining my stories, but the characters are so insistent! They always take over, and sometimes the storyline goes in a different direction than I could foresee when I started writing. When I begin a new novel, I always have the basic idea where the story is going. I know the beginning, middle and end. The rest is up to the characters. 

 

What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook ads, amazon ads, newsletters, TikTok] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?

I have a Facebook page (@kristenjacksonauthor) which is the platform where I am most active in promoting my books. I am also on Twitter (@KLJacksonAuthor), Instagram (@krisjack504), LinkedIn, and Pinterest. I will run occasional ads, especially when a book releases or if it is on sale. I have a website and blog (www.kristenljackson.com), and I write a newsletter every few months. 

 

And Time Stopped: Dimension 9 Kristen L. Jackson (Keeper of the Watch, #3)Publication date: Kristen L. JacksonGenres: Contemporary, Fantasy, Young Adult

After a smooth jump to Dimension 9, Chase, Alyx, and chimera pup, Bo, discover that this world’s peaceful existence only extends as far as the local high school. A different kind of battle wages there, and the identity of the school bully is a surprise they never anticipated. When Chase decides they have no choice but to enroll at Dune Harbor High and repeat their senior year, Alyx is less than thrilled. But the two soon discover the influence just one person can have over the decisions, lives, and even deaths, of those around them. While they try to prevent one tragedy, another one unfolds even as Chase unravels one more piece of his family history. What he discovers will leave him reeling, and his life will never be the same.

Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Author Bio:

Kristen L. Jackson lives in Reading, PA, with her husband, two grown sons, and four large-breed dogs. She has been a teacher for over 20 years, and writing for children of all ages is close to her heart. Her debut novels KEEPER OF THE WATCH and MAGIC HARBOR (Books 1 & 2) are available now, as well as a novella, DIMENSION KEEPER, which is the prequel to the series. A children’s picture book, JOCELYN’S BOX OF SOCKS, (2019 1st Place Pencraft Award Winner) is also available now. Kristen enjoys writing, reading, and spending time with her family at their cabin in the Pocono Mountains of PA. Follow Kristen on Social Media:

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#Review: DANCE OF LOVE by Meara Platt

 

  4 of 5 stars
This was another sweet story in the Book of Love series. Rafe and Auggie have an instant connection when she comes to Essex to take care of her elderly aunt after a fire destroyed her aunt's home. There's a mystery throughout the book of who and what has been going on with missing priceless art and stolen gems. Auggie's cousin seems to be caught up in the middle of the criminal activity, but it's up to Rafe to prove or disprove his involvement. Rafe's son Sam is adorable in the story and adds a sweet element to the romance between Rafe and Auggie.

While there's no real conflict or obstacles for Rafe and Auggie to overcome to reach their happily ever after, it was a sweet and pleasant read. I really enjoy these books and look forward to the next one in the series.

Interview with Erin Fulmer, CAMBION'S BLOOD

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

CAMBION’S BLOOD is the second in the series I began with CAMBION’S LAW. It follows the adventures and misadventures of Lily Knight, a half-succubus (or “cambion”) attorney in modern-day San Francisco. In CAMBION’S LAW, Lily raced to stop a murderer who targeted other succubi like herself and became entangled with the defendant accused of those murders, whom she believed to be innocent. In CAMBION’S BLOOD, she’s asked to hunt down a new supernatural threat—and this time, humans are the victims. She finds herself in a position of responsibility over a demon teenager who reminds her of her younger self and faces down a force determined to enact vengeance where the justice system has failed. Meanwhile, she must juggle her fraught relationships with the humans she cares about and the consequences of the choices she made in book 1. 

 

Do you have a favorite character?

Lily’s friend Daniela is probably my favorite character, although a new character in this book is a close second. I really enjoy the characters that challenge my heroine or push her to step out of her comfort zone. It’s always good to have a foil, especially one who brings good jokes along with life lessons. Danny and Lily also have an undercurrent of sexual tension between them that I enjoy, though Lily has a male love interest as well.

 

How long before you got your offer of representation/your first contract? Was it for your first novel?

I got my first contract before I got my offer of representation! It was for Cambion’s Law and it was my first finished, polished novel. I had queried it with agents and small presses at the same time (which I later learned was not the best strategy), but agents weren’t biting while several small presses expressed interest. Someone explained to me that big publishing houses weren’t buying a lot of urban fantasy debuts these days, so when my editor, Heather McCorkle of City Owl Press, liked one of my pitches in a Twitter event, I decided to try my luck with her. Heather offered the same week I got into Pitch Wars, and then the following year, my agent offered on another project the same week I released my first book! I’m on submission to editors now with that manuscript so hoping the trend continues and I get an offer this week. Just kidding! (Or am I?)

 

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?

I write most nights after dinner until 9 or 10 pm. Like most writers, I still have my day job, so evenings are really the only time I have for drafting. I thought I preferred absolute silence, but recently I got noise cancelling headphones and they are the BOMB. I can’t listen to any music with lyrics as it’s too distracting for my ADHD brain but listening to super chill instrumentals while writing is perfect. I also sometimes use focus assist apps on my browser if I’m having trouble pulling myself away from social media. I hate that it works but it does. If things are going well, I write an average of 1k words a day, but I don’t force myself to write every day because sometimes it just isn’t possible.

 

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?

I usually try to outline, but I’m a pantser by heart so I almost always veer away from it in practice. At minimum, I do know how the story begins, what happens around the midpoint, and generally what happens at the end, but I improvise a lot in between. I made a detailed outline for my most recent project, but the reality is that I often find what I planned is not the most interesting way for the story to go. I update my outline as I write and it changes a lot from what it was at the start.

 

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?

Yes! My books go to wide release which means you can order them through other retailers including Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, direct from the City Owl website, and at your favorite indie bookstore. In fact, requesting from your local indie is the best way to buy! You can also request it in ebook or print format at your local library. Online retailers for Cambion’s Law are here and retailers for Cambion’s Blood are here.

 

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?

It can be challenging, yes. I basically have two full-time jobs at the moment: writing and my other job. Obviously, the other one is the main moneymaker so I can’t exactly quit, even if I wanted to. But with social media posts, designing promos, doing author takeovers, guest blogs, worrying over sales rankings, and all the rest that comes along with trying to stand out in a crowded market, it is hard to find time to write. Not to mention maintaining my own blog and my mentoring efforts, both of which are labors of love. I often wish for more time or the kind of sales that would justify quitting the other job. I truly do love my second job, the writing gig, and dream of doing it full-time. I even love doing the promo when I get to be creative with it. But times like now, when I’m ramping up promo, I’m not getting a lot of writing done.

 

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?

Too many, to be honest. I’m passionate about JUSTICE. I’m making fun of myself there, but the truth is that activism and advocacy is a big part of my life. That’s another reason I will probably never quit the day job, where I push governments to adopt anti-poverty policies and work on impact cases to improve life for people in need. 

 

This inevitably comes out in my online presence as a writer, too. I passionately believe our society should value creative work more highly—people are hungry for art, entertainment, books, content, but the creative economy depends so much on artists’ unpaid labor while most profits go to big corporations. I’m passionate about the urgent need to support diverse books and voices in publishing, about writers knowing their rights, and about fighting back against book banning campaigns.

 

I’m also a huge nerd who loves science, space, weather, technology, and all the weird, wonderful variety of life on Earth. I follow a lot of citizen scientists, animal rescuers, and sci comms folks on Twitter. I’m obsessed with birds and trees and sharing our world sustainably with other living things. 

 

Also, naps. I love a good nap.

 

Some fun facts about you, which do you prefer – dogs or cats? Chocolate or vanilla? Coffee or Tea? Talk or Text? Day or Night?

I have two cats I raised from tiny bottle babies, so I have to say cats though I also think dog love is one of the purest things in this world. I’m partial to both chocolate and vanilla depending on mood, but coffee is life. I prefer text to talking as I’m much more articulate with the written word and tend to lose my train of thought when speaking out loud. And I’m a night owl, although my very favorite times are the twilight spaces between night and day.

 

What’s next for you?

More books! At least, that’s the plan. I am just about finished drafting the third book in my Cambion series. After that, I’m probably going to take a break from writing urban fantasy and do something different. I like to jump between genres so I’m thinking of working on another science fiction project next. We’ll see what happens!

Cambion’s Blood
Erin Fulmer
(Cambion, #2)
Publication date: June 7th 2022
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

Half-succubus attorney Lily Knight has blood on her hands.

Haunted by guilt, behind on her rent, and facing professional disgrace, Lily must figure out how to survive in the wreckage of her former life. To make ends meet, she accepts a contract job she never wanted but can’t seem to avoid—hunting another demon murderer. This time, the victims are human, and a shadowy government agency will reward Lily with a way out of her dire financial straits.

If Lily doesn’t solve the case before the news gets out, fear and hatred will put all demonkind at risk from the proverbial torch-carrying mob. But when a young succubus on the run from the authorities begs for her help, Lily faces a new conflict of interest—especially after the suspect, Eve, reveals her father is Lily’s old frenemy.

Now Lily must juggle the pressures of a high-stakes murder case, her complicated relationship with her “not-boyfriend” Sebastian, and responsibility for a wayward teenager as she races to find the real killer. Worse, the culprit isn’t just a demon, but a self-proclaimed goddess who will stop at nothing to carry out her bloody quest for justice. To stop the killings, Lily must confront that which she most fears: the truth about what went down with Eve’s father in the desert—and its consequences.

That is, if the goddess doesn’t get to her first…

Sequel to:

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Author Bio:

Erin Fulmer (she/her) is a public benefits attorney by day, author of urban fantasy and science fiction by night. She lives in sunny Northern California with her husband and two spoiled cats. When she’s not writing or working, she enjoys yoga, taking pictures of the sky, playing board games with friends, and napping like it’s an Olympic sport.
CAMBION’S BLOOD, the second book in her Cambion series and sequel to her debut urban fantasy CAMBION’S LAW, is out June 7 from City Owl Books.

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#Excerpt: FOUR WEDDINGS AND A BILLIONAIRE by Tina Gabor

Four Weddings and a Billionaire
Tina Gabor
Publication date: June 8th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

He cannot be serious! God’s gift to bridesmaids is trying to let me down gently. Listen up Bradley Bronson. This fix up is a scheme put together by your brothers and my besties. Not me!

I’m trying to put together a fresh start for myself. The last thing I want is to get into a relationship.

The problem is we keep running into each other at engagement parties, weddings, and even around town.

So we become friends, and everything is perfect until one lust-filled night.

Now, the foundation I’ve laid for my new life has morphed into a minefield of questions.

Do I pretend it didn’t happen? Does Bradley think our night together was a mistake, too? And most importantly, how do I stop thinking about him naked?

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

As I bent down to make sure the bottom of the dress was wrinkle free, my shape wear shifted around my stomach.

I gave it a quick tug as we headed out of the bridal suite. As I followed the group to the elevator, I could feel the telltale movement of my figure-enhancing undergarment curling in on itself.

Damn. Mackie was right. I should have worn the bodysuit style Spanx, but the idea of having to climb out of that thing every time I wanted to pee made me feel claustrophobic. Instead, I’d opted for the high-topped underwear style that stopped under my clear-strapped bra with a biker-shorts style bottom half that held in my pooch and upper thighs.

But it seemed like my support underwear was looking at that high slit as the getaway route. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my dress and tried to discretely yank them back into place with no one seeing, but they kept sliding down.

I figured I’d hike up my dress and give everything an unladylike tug in the elevator. The doors dinged open. A pack of five adolescent boys in the elevator stepped aside to let us in,

I debated taking a different carriage, but we’d met the only polite group of teenage boys, who held the door open for us.

“Going down, ma’am?” the red-headed one said, holding the door.

“Yes, thanks. We’re going to the ground floor,” Lauren said as she hurried into the elevator. There was plenty of room for us all to fit, but no room for me to hide.

When we reached the ground floor, I lingered behind, hoping to get a quick moment, but as our group stepped out, another tide of teens flooded in. Damn.

How the hell were all the teenagers staying at this hotel? I’d never stayed in a hotel this nice in my entire life, and they just traipse around here like it was a Motel Six across the street from an amusement park.

“Where’s Carolyn?” I heard Mackie ask. I’d fallen half a lobby behind.

“Coming,” I said, as I swam upstream against the flood of teenage testosterone trying to exit the elevator.

They paused and waited for me in the center of the lobby. I rushed to catch up. Pushing through the crowd shifted my errant underwear even more. The top folded in on itself, and the bottom shimmied down my leg another inch.

Everyone oohed and awed at Lauren. She was a beautiful bride, even in a town filled with beautiful people. But I couldn’t focus on that. The fight to tame my out-of-control control-top underwear consumed me.

I slipped my hands in my dress pockets and held onto my granny panties for dear life as we crossed the lobby to get to the Main ballroom. My walked morphed into a waddle the last few feet. The crotch of my undergarment threatened to make a break for my knees.

Our groomsmen, minus Bradley, were waiting at the entrance. Damn. No way could I do the underwear hike in front of Lauren’s new in-laws.

Mr. Bronson, Aiden’s dad, was there to walk Lauren down the aisle at the end. “Lauren, you look absolutely stunning,” he said as he gazed down at her. The broadness of his smile and the teariness in his eyes gave me a lump in my throat. I wished I had a dad that looked at me like that.

Mr. Bronson then turned to the rest of us. “You are all so beautiful.” My heart melted for a moment.

Everyone paired off with our counterparts except me—still no Bradley.

Damien, Mackie’s boyfriend, and Aiden’s younger brother, answered his phone and spoke. “Yup, the Main ballroom. On the East side of the lobby.”

He hung up and made another quick call. The music started. Damien looked over at me. “He’s coming now. Literally thirty seconds away.”

We would march down the aisle at any moment. I looked around and spotted a large potted plant in a corner near the wall. Everyone’s attention was fixated on the ballroom. This was my last chance. I ducked behind the plant, turned my back, hiked up my dress, and made unladylike adjustments to my shape wear.

I looked up as I continued to adjust.

A stunningly handsome man in a tuxedo was five inches from my face, holding his jacket up like he was a bullfighter or something. I stifled a scream, but a high-pitched squeak escaped from my throat before I could flip my skirt down.

Author Bio:

Are you like me?

Do you enjoy funny, contemporary romances with spicy love scenes?

Because if you do ...

You've landed in the perfect place.

I'm Tina Gabor, and it’s so much fun getting to write the books I love reading. Gorgeous men and fierce, feisty, and funny women are my jam.

And since there’s nothing like a love story with a dash of sun and fun ...

I set most of my in Southern California and Florida. I grew up in South Florida, and now I live in Southern California with my fiancee and a stray cat we named Fred.

To get special deals on new releases and updates on what your favorite book couples are doing after the story ends, go to SparksFlyRomance.com/Tina

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#Excerpt: WHEN EARTH SHALL BE NO MORE by Paul Awad & Kathryn O'Sullivan

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Paul Awad and Kathryn O'Sullivan will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Environmental scientist Constance Roy is one of forty-nine refugees rescued from Earth’s destruction and transported to the ark spaceship Orb by an automaton race called the Curators. Twelve months have passed since their rescue. But now, with the ship’s orbit decaying, the refugees seem doomed to crash into Jupiter’s fiery belly.

In a parallel universe on present-day Earth, another version of Constance seeks answers to the questions that have haunted her since childhood: How and why did her mother die? The head of a mysterious corporation housed at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility can give her the answers, but not without a price.

Two timestreams collide when the Constance on Earth discovers that Nicolas, her son, has the ability to save the Orb and its inhabitants. Now she must battle treacherous Curators wishing to destroy Nicolas, while on the Orb, another Constance must fight to save the ship from Jupiter’s fatal pull. Only together can they save their son – and future generations of humankind.

Excerpt:

She glanced at a rocket on the flight pad, barely discernible in the distance, and stepped back from the window. She assessed her reflection, tugged at her suit jacket, and pushed aside red tendrils that had escaped from the ponytail tied at the nape of her neck. After five years as a professor of environmental science, this was the look she had cultivated for the classroom. She hoped it would be appropriate for tonight’s meeting with her benefactor.

“Ms. Roy?” a man said.

Constance spun around, startled. She scanned the room. It was grand in size and outfitted with high-tech monitors. A dozen gray mesh chairs surrounded a glass conference table. The decor was the obvious influence of corporate investors. The stainless steel elevator doors at the end of the conference room were closed. The room was empty.

“Ms. Roy?” the voice said again in a smooth tone that seemed to emanate from the walls.

“Yes?”

“Dr. Malic is finishing his treatment. He will be with you directly. Are you enjoying the view?”

“Yes.” She studied the ceiling for hidden speakers. “You mentioned treatment. Is Dr. Malic sick?”

There was a pause before the voice said, “Dr. Malic will be right with you.”

She found the lack of specific answers and the mysterious voice’s dulcet tone disconcerting. Was the voice human? Or artificial, like Siri? 

About the Author:


Paul Awad and Kathryn O'Sullivan are an award-winning husband and wife writing and filmmaking team. They have collaborated on feature and documentary films, screenplays, and a web series. WHEN EARTH SHALL BE NO MORE is their first book collaboration. Paul is a cinema professor and Kathryn is a theatre professor at Northern Virginia Community College. Kathryn is also the author of the Colleen McCabe mystery series.

Paul Awad
Kathryn O'Sullivan
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#Excerpt: MURDEROUS INTERRUPTIONS by C.J. Carson

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. C.J. Carson will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The paranormal mystery The Veils of Parallel Times continues with “Murderous Interruptions”. Allie Callahan’s nemesis is a challenging and formidable adversary.

Travel with Allie as she finally accepts and embraces her ancestral gifts to stop her archenemy who would have her destroyed for his own lust of power. Explore the depths of her relationship with this rival in this life and beyond the veil.

Excerpt:

I wasn’t traveling long when darkness settled over the woods, and the air became chilled and damp. I was getting nervous that I might not find my way back out of the woods in the dark. I stopped at a brook to give my horse a quick break and a cool drink. As I raked my fingers through his mane, something caught his attention. Nodding his head, he whinnied. When I looked up, I spotted a campfire in the distance. As I walked him in that direction, I found a heavyset elderly woman with long dark braids sitting at, and stoking the fire. Moving in for a closer look, she wore a dress made of brown suede and was wrapped in an animal skin blanket, shielding her from the cold.

I didn’t recognize her, but somehow, she was oddly familiar to me. Without speaking a word, she reached out, beckoning me. I could feel a connection that drew me in as I slid down from my horse and joined her. She opened the blanket and, as I sat down, she held me in her arms to warm me by the fire. I was suddenly in my youth again, swept up in warmth and safety I hadn’t felt for a very long time.

Raising her arm, the woman drew my attention to the flames, and as I stared into the blazing fire, I couldn’t pull my eyes away. It was as if it was speaking to me, its warmth drawing me in.

“This is your truth, my daughter of my daughter’s son. You are at your best and can do your work in this lifetime when you accept that you are one with the earth, fire, water, and elements. Only when you embrace them, can you move toward your true destiny. You are a rare spirit in that you are blessed with many gifts that you are yet to discover and recognize. Yours is not an easy path unless you embrace it. I am always here; you have only to think of me, and I will be in your thoughts to help you, as are all your ancestors.

“Little Bird, you have traveled and lived in many times and dimensions. Think of time as a path that runs horizontally, but many paths are layered, one on top of the other, in a horizontal pattern.

“You have the ability to move through them, not only in time, but from one dimension to another. It was the element of water in the stream that brought you to me. Keep your routes planted firmly into the earth, for that will ground you and keep you balanced. Tonight, I want you to look into the dancing flames and listen to them speak to you. It is past the time for you to begin to understand your truth, my dear. You do not have the luxury of putting it off any longer.”

Gazing into the flames, I saw visions of a young woman riding my white horse. As the horse moved up a hill and into a green meadow, the young girl was now a young woman. As I studied her, she looked nothing like me, but I felt like I was watching my memory unfold. She was riding on a horse with a knight that looked like he was from medieval times. As the horse reached the top of the meadow, I knew the woman in the vision was an image of me, and when the valiant knight turned to me, a chill coursed through my entire body. Although his face was unfamiliar, his deep blue eyes caught me off guard. Those eyes, those beautiful eyes. I would know them anywhere.

Author bio: CJ Carson was inspired by a great story from a very early age. What brought her to this juncture in life and encouraged her to put pen to paper are the many rich experiences and opportunities of her life's journey.

While working in the medical field, she explored energy work and became a Polarity Therapist and Reiki Therapist.

Exploring acting brought her into the theatre world both on the stage and behind the scenes.

Painting introduced her to a group of artists that shared her passion for bringing a scene to canvas.

Her love of singing allowed her to travel twice to Europe as a soloist with conductor Sonja Dahlgren Prior, who inspired her to do something, she never dreamed possible.

CJ Carson has always wanted to write. Now she is introducing to the world her second published book, "Murderous Interruptions," from her trilogy, Veils of Parallel Times.

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#New Release: DEATH WARDEN by Debbie Cassidy

Death Warden: Grave Spirits MC
Debbie Cassidy
Publication date: May 27th 2022
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Reverse Harem, Romance

Death waits for no one, unless you’re a necromancer, in which case he might stop for a cup of tea and a chat.

I didn’t ask to be a necromancer, and I certainly didn’t ask to be saddled with a magical amulet holding an ancient big bad at bay.

I got both.

All I want to do is steer clear of trouble, write horror novels, and hang with my talking cat.

But the spell on my amulet is weakening, and the only way to sustain it is to pick up and go to Frostgate—a city built on a powerful convergence of ley lines.

The plan is to lay low and wait for a revelation that’ll lead me to my conduit, my perfect match, to help me to sustain the spell on the lock.

But there is no laying low at Grave Spirits MC. No avoiding the burning stares of the hellhound Vice President, the icy cool assessment of the undead Sergeant at Arms, or the warm amber gaze of the hellhound Club Secretary.

I can’t get involved with any of them. I have a perfect mate to find.

But for the first time in my life steering clear of trouble is the last thing I want to do.

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—

Author Bio:

Debbie Cassidy lives in England, Bedfordshire, with her three kids and very supportive husband. Coffee and chocolate biscuits are her writing fuels of choice, and she is still working on getting that perfect tower of solitude built in her back garden. Obsessed with building new worlds and reading about them, she spends her spare time daydreaming and conversing with the characters in her head - in a totally non psychotic way of course. She writes Urban Fantasy, Fantasy and Reverse Harem Fantasy. All her books contain plenty of action, romance and twisty plots.

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#Excerpt: DARK BLUE WAVES by Kimberly Sullivan

Dark Blue Waves
Kimberly Sullivan
Publication date: May 27th 2022
Genres: Adult, Historical, Romance, Time-Travel, Women’s Fiction

When you wake up in Bath, England two hundred years in the past, how far can a love of Jane Austen get you?

Janet Roberts dreams of an academic career in literature, so she can hardly believe her good fortune when she’s accepted into a Jane Austen graduate seminar in Bath, England. Settled in Georgian splendor among her seminar colleagues, Janet and her classmates live, eat and breathe Jane Austen.

An accident interrupts this idyll when Janet regains consciousness in her own room—back in Regency England. For a scholar of nineteenth-century literature, this should be a dream come true.

But Janet quickly learns there’s a world of difference between scholarly knowledge of the written page and maneuvering real life as a reluctant time traveler.

Her burgeoning friendship with Emma Huntington eases her entrée into nineteenth-century society. However, Emma’s brother, the handsome, proud and frustratingly magnetic Sir Edward, is far less welcoming.

While desperately attempting to make sense of her dilemma, Janet treads a thin line between trying to blend into her new world and not being unmasked as the imposter she is. Can she discover the way to return to her twenty-first century life? After working so hard to create a rewarding nineteenth-century life for herself and opening her hart to friendship and love, does she even want to?

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EXCERPT:

Janet marveled at her reflection in the mirror. Her light brown hair with its sunny highlights looked elegant swept up; her neck appeared long and delicate. Her green eyes sparkled. She looked older, more sophisticated with her nineteenth-century toilette. She was certainly too suntanned to be fashionable among the creamy-skinned young women of Bath. Her form was perhaps too muscular for nineteenth-century tastes, but sport-sculpted shoulders and legs would be well-covered by the fashions of the day.

It did not require an extreme stretch of the imagination to believe that she might have just stepped out of the Bennet household. If only she could learn the manners and banish anachronisms from her discourse, she might actually get away with it.

“Why, Jane! Don’t you look lovely! What a miraculous recovery.” Emma glided into the room, all smiles and good cheer. “Doctor Perry has given me an excellent report. We are to take a short walk, but I have strict instructions to rest frequently. I have brought my sketching pad and pencils so that we shall have every excuse to sit and rest. Doctor Perry assures me you are strong, and he is confident you should soon be back to your old self.”

Janet smiled at her new friend. How kind they were being to her. She followed Emma out of the room, and then out the front door into the glorious, sunny June day.

June 17, 1813.

She could hardly believe it. She, Janet Roberts, writing her master’s thesis on nineteenth-century English social customs and manners and how they were reflected in the literature of the period, was now walking around Bath on June 17, 1813. This was a dream come true. How her fellow students and scholars would envy her, if only they knew.

But would they ever know? Would she ever return to her twenty-first-century life to complete that half-finished thesis, the one she needed to finalize by next May? Would she return to finish her Austen seminar? She’d agonized endlessly over her father controlling every aspect of her life—her studies, her career, her choice of a husband—yet here she was, a few days later, and her life was one giant question mark.

Emma slipped her arm through Janet’s, and the two women walked along the green of The Crescent, then continued the short distance to The Circus. This was the very same route Janet jogged with Siobhan only a few days earlier, on the morning of the accident that changed her life.

The streets were a riot of sights, sounds, and color. Women in their elegant dresses, servant girls in their coarse, functional smocks and aprons. In Janet’s world, it was not always easy to distinguish the classes by fashion. A twenty-first-century internet billionaire might work daily in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, just like the worker cleaning the streets. But here, in this new world, class and privilege were prominently displayed in one’s dress and carriage. There were no blurred lines. No room for ambiguity.

Children wandered the streets, carrying heavy parcels and buckets in their delicate, tiny hands. Janet longed to relieve them of their loads. How on earth could such young creatures be working so hard, carrying burdens that must weigh as much as they? Surely they should be in school, or enjoying their brief childhood, or accompanied by an observant adult, someone to ensure that they were vigilant and would not risk being run over and killed by a passing horse and carriage in a careless moment of childish distraction. Goodness, her modern sensibilities found this far too difficult to digest.

As she and Emma promenaded, elegant men stepped aside to allow them to pass. The men smiled and tipped their hats to the passing ladies.

The smell of horse manure was overwhelming. It hung so thickly in the air that Janet felt a wave of nausea wash over her. She saw a few men braving oncoming traffic, shovels in hand, attempting to clear the streets, only able to eliminate a small portion of the mountains of accumulated horse droppings.

Hadn’t the automobile been touted as the ideal solution to eliminate pollution? Janet, alongside her middle school classmates, had laughed smugly at the absurdity of that premise. How easy to have been smug in her clean and hygienic modern world. But now that she was actually living in the time period and breathing in the overwhelming odor that must have permeated every major city, she felt more sympathy for those who had welcomed the technology as a possible liberation from the nauseating stench that blanketed cities and towns.

Janet tried in vain to compose her face, but she couldn’t help but stare at the sights and sounds all around her.

Emma laughed at her friend. “You must remember to close your mouth and not gape at your surroundings. It looks as if you are out in the world for the first time, my dear Jane. Surely, you have not forgotten in this brief time what the world looks like beyond the confines of the sick bed.”

You would be surprised, Emma.

Author Bio:

Kimberly grew up in the suburbs of Boston and in Saratoga Springs, New York, although she now calls the Harlem neighborhood of New York City home when she’s back in the US. She studied political science and history at Cornell University and earned her MBA, with a concentration in strategy and marketing, from Bocconi University in Milan.

Afflicted with a severe case of Wanderlust, she worked in journalism and government in the US, Czech Republic and Austria, before settling down in Rome, where she works in international development, and writes fiction any chance she gets.

She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) and The Historical Novel Society and has published several short stories and two novels: Three Coins and Dark Blue Waves.

After years spent living in Italy with her Italian husband and sons, she’s fluent in speaking with her hands, and she loves setting her stories in her beautiful, adoptive country.

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#Review: A DARING PURSUIT by Kate Bateman

 

4 of 5 stars

Carys Davies and Tristan Montgomery, members of rival warring Welsh clans, have been enemies their entire lives always sniping at each other in public. When Carys makes a youthful mistake, she plays the price by being blackmailed for her youthful indiscretion. Tristan is the epitome of control except when he's around Carys. She has a way of getting under his skin and it takes every ounce of his willpower to resist her. When Carys dares Tristan to show her what lovemaking can be, he accepts the dare and it sends them on a path that neither of them could have ever predicted.

I really like the enemies to lovers trope and this story did it well. I felt such compassion for Carys dealing with the aftermath of her youthful mistake by being as scandalous as possible without ever going over the line to indecent. When she loses her composure, it's Tristan who's there to help pick up the pieces. Their chemistry is undeniable and I really enjoyed the house party and their flirtations. There were a few twists and turns in the story that kept me turning the pages. This was a thoroughly enjoyable romance.

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own. 

New Release: DESPERATELY SEEKING A DUCHESS by Christi Caldwell

 

Blurb:

What happens when an impoverished duke with a reputation for being a rogue collides with a strong-willed heiress who wants to explore the world? An unlikely friendship . . . and unexpected passion.
 
Cailin Audley does not fit in with Polite Society. A life spent among the working class taught her to value her independence in a way no newfound fortune or glittering ballroom could ever erase. When a major misstep sees the new heiress whisked away to the English countryside, Cailin soon realizes the vexing lengths her family will go to see her settled. But having risked her heart once before, Cailin has no interest in the men of the ton—especially not the frustratingly charming Duke of St. James.
 
Courtland Balfour, the Duke of St. James, devoted brother and notorious rogue, despises what he must become—a fortune hunter. With the ducal coffers drained by his late spendthrift of a father, Courtland knows his duty lies at the altar, and he will do anything to ensure a future for his siblings. Just his luck that the one lady who could make this new fate bearable, who enflames him like no other, is the one woman who wants nothing to do with him or his title.
 
When an act of desperation inadvertently lands him and Cailin at the heart of another scandal, Courtland knows better than to waste his chance. Surely he can convince Cailin to love him?

 

Amazon buy link:

https://www.amazon.com/Desperately-Seeking-Duchess-Dukes-Sins-ebook/dp/B09F624GH4/

 

About the Author

Christi Caldwell is the USA Today bestselling author of the Sinful Brides series and the Heart of a Duke series. She blames novelist Judith McNaught for luring her into the world of historical romance. Christi lives in Charlotte, North Carolina where she spends her time writing and being a mommy to the most inspiring little boy and empathetic, spirited girls who, with their mischievous twin antics, offer an endless source of story ideas. 

 

Learn more online at christicaldwell.com.