Debra L. Martin's Blog, page 261

#Review: SEEKING PHILBERT WOODBEAD by Anya Wylde

  4 of 5 Stars


I'm a fan of Anya Wylde and have thoroughly enjoyed her previous books. I was excited to read this book. Ms. Wylde has a fair for writing comedic scenes that leave you laughing out loud. In her latest release, we follow Celine (Amy) Fairweather as she comes to London to help her sister Penelope run a large household. Penelope is close to giving birth and Celine steps in to take over many of her duties. While she's there, she meets Lord George Elmer who has a flair for madcap adventures. George agrees to help Celine find her long lost love Philbert, but what happens next will keep you thoroughly entertained.



Ms. Wylde is a talented writer who infuses her books with zany fun. Many of the things that happen in this book are ridiculous, but that's the beauty of the book. The Regency period was so stiff and full of rules that reading about them with Ms. Wylde's light-hearted slant will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it if you're looking for an escape from the daily grind. It will leave you happy and wanting to read more of this author.



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

 

NEW #Regency #Romance: LOVE BY DECEPTION

Book Blurb:

Content
with her life as a lady's maid, Isabel Knott learns the father she
never knew has left her a fortune. The news comes with one
restriction--she can never reveal his name. Isabel falls in love with
Colby Tisbury, but with her nonexistent pedigree his father, Lord
Tisbury, will never accept her as his daughter-in-law.



Colby
Tisbury must marry, and soon. If he doesn't find a bride before the end
of the Season, his father will supply one. Then Colby meets sassy
Isabel Knott, and everything changes--but can he go against his father's
wishes and marry a girl utterly lacking in family and connections?
Isabel is forced to make an impossible choice - reveal her secret
identity and bring shame to her true father or lose Colby forever.




Amazon buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Deception-Age-Innocence-ebook/dp/B00G4DSLYO




BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-by-deception-debra-elizabeth/1117228672

Book Tour Blast: TOUGH LOVE by Marcie A Bridges

 
Tough Love
Janessa knows she should run in the other direction when Brendan enters her life. Her squeaky-clean upbringing is in direct opposition to his piercings, a myriad of tattoos and the rumors that surround him. But she doesn’t run. Love, betrayal and lies become the foundation of their lives, but one heartbreaking confession makes Janessa question everything. 



After a devastating diagnosis, Janessa’s world crumbles around her. When she can no longer ignore the reality of who Brendan really is, she must choose between those who love her and the only one she has ever loved.

  








 

Marcie Bridges has always wanted to be a writer, from the time she started keeping a diary in seventh grade. Since then, she has earned a master’s degree in education from Cumberland University while teaching some wonderful children with special needs in Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky.



While she will always bleed scarlet and gray (GO BUCKS!), she now lives south of Cincinnati with her husband and daughter. When Marcie isn’t writing, she can be found reading, watching her favorite TV shows, listening to music, or browsing her favorite websites. 







Follow Marcie Bridges: 




Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/MarcieABridges

 

Twitter: @marcie_ann

 

Blog: http://marcieshrinks.blogspot.com/

 

Pinterest Personal: http://pinterest.com/mabridges2/

 

Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/109921896394674548677/posts/p/pub 



 a Rafflecopter giveaway
 





Follow the Book Tour

Interview with P.T. Michelle

As a writer, how do you come up with your ideas for stories?

Writers by nature are very
observant people. We absorb what we see, hear, smell and touch everyday, so
everything inspires us from movies to music to people. One thing that has
always inspired when forming a new story idea is I always ask myself the
question, "What if…." and then I fill in the blank. :)




A story about a girl dreaming her entire next day (and ONLY her next
day) the night before is unusual. How did you come up with the concept for
BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS?

The idea behind the BRIGHTEST
KIND OF DARKNESS series started off as one of those "What if"
questions. I ask myself, "What if a girl dreamed her entire next
day?" Then I think through all the possible scenarios: How would that
impact her? Would she act upon what she saw? And if not, why? What if she
didn't have a choice? And from there…the story starts flowing. 




DESTINY is the 3rd book in the BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS series.
Did you know how many books it would be when you first wrote BRIGHTEST KIND OF
DARKNESS?

I didn't know how many books
the series would be, but I definitely knew the story was far bigger than just a
couple of books. I'm what you call a hybrid-pantser writer. A pantser is
someone who sits down and just writes…no planning, no plotting involved. The
story just flows out. My stories are intricately weaved, so I have to do a bit
of planning before I start writing. I write a very high-level outline and give
myself TONS of permission to veer off course as the story unfolds while I
write. But at least the outline keeps me reminded of what my goals were for the
story.  When you have mystery elements like I do in the BKoD series,
knowing where you're going is pretty important. :) So as the stories have
unfolded, they took on a life of their own. And then I've had to plan each book
as I go and also dovetail back into the previous books I've written in the
series.




Ravens feature dominantly in the BKoD series, which is definitely
different from vampires, werewolves and the like we've seen in a lot of popular
paranormal books. What made you choose to write about ravens?

I've always been fascinated
by ravens. The lore about them is so interesting. Ravens have been on many of
my previous book covers and are mentioned in passing or are part of the
storyline in past books. They just weren't the main storyline. In BRIGHTEST
KIND OF DARKNESS, ravens finally take front and center. :)




How many books do you plan for the BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS
series? 

Right now the plan is four
books. Depending on how the last book unfolds, there may be a spin off. I'm
leaving the possibilities open. :)




BKoD is listed as a YA series, but DESTINY could definitely fall
into the New Adult category. Tell us more about that; give us the scoop on the
smexy stuff. :)

My goal in writing the
BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS series was to write a series that both upper teens
and adults would enjoy equally. I've written the stories in the series based on
Nara and Ethan's age and the progression of their relationship as it deepens.
That's the reason things heat up as me move from book 1 to book 2 and then on
to book 3. 




Any thing else you'd like to add?

I just wanted to shout out a
huge THANK YOU the readers and bloggers who've supported the BRIGHTEST KIND OF
DARKNESS series from the beginning! 






Book & Author Details:


Synopsis:

When destiny is on the line, will love be enough to light the way?

In
order to save Ethan, Nara gets pulled deeper into his dark world, where
everything she thought she knew about Ethan and herself turns on its
head. Ethan and Nara turn up the heat with bone-melting seduction and
heart-rending moments, but surprising revelations, lies,
treachery, betrayal, and unimaginable evil will challenge their
relationship and their future together. As the stakes rise, encompassing
more than just her relationship with Ethan, will Nara make the ultimate
sacrifice?




Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13504881-destiny?ac=1




Purchase:


DESTINY BUY LINKS




Amazon: http://bit.ly/1bSlrMi

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/destiny-pt-michelle/1117135101?ean=2940148697626
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/destiny/id725875082?mt=11

Kobo:  http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Destiny-Brightest-Kind-Darkness-Book/book-iLfX3a6PBkuGL7ZXdHg6BQ/page1.html?s=3x4tomSevEqq68CcE0yc6w&r=1




BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS BUY LINKS




Amazon: http://bit.ly/GSnyBw

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/brightest-kind-of-darkness-ya-paranormal-romance-pt-michelle/1106016258?ean=2940044639706

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/brightest-kind-darkness-ya/id460285698?mt=11

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Brightest-Kind-of-Darkness-Book/book--eJ-rrY8zEaXzhh7ymMbvg/page1.html?s=SQWmrxpp-0CVMXCpeq-Fcg&r=4














AUTHOR BIO:

P.T. Michelle is the author of the young adult series BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS.
She keeps a spiral notepad with her at all times, even on her
nightstand. When P.T. isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading or
taking pictures of landscapes, sunsets and anything beautiful or odd in
nature. 

LINKS: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Newsletter

 

 









 

Interview with Jeff Suwak

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

“Beyond the Tempest Gate” is a standalone dark fantasy
novel. It tells the story of Gabriel Aterias, Holy Knight of the Church of
Dunrabian, and his quest to destroy an ancient evil named Elezear.




To reach his enemy, Gabriel must pass through the Tempest
Gate, something that no person has done for 500 years. Over the course of his
quest, he’ll be forced to confront some hard questions. What if Elezear isn’t
meant to be destroyed? What if, rather than saving the world, Gabriel’s task
might destroy it?




Did you
try the traditional route to publishing?

Yes, I am published with Vabella Publishing, which is
headquartered in Georgia.




What
factors influenced your decision to go with a particular agent or publisher?

I went with Vabella Publishing and North Star literary
agency for essentially the same reason. I like the idea of growing my writing
career side by side with my publisher and agent. There is a feeling of teamwork
while working with them. I can get into personal, one on one contact with them
any time I need to.




Are you
currently under a traditional publishing contract for future books or do you
have manuscripts that you will self-publish? Are you doing both?

I’m not under contract for another book, but will be seeking
one. Long term, I want to use a combination of traditional publishing and
self-publishing. Both options have something to offer. I write because I love
to write, and I have a mountain of material that I’d love to get there. To me,
my books are sort of like my children, and I just want all of them to get out
into the world and see what they can make happen. Ultimately, I’ll explore any
option that gives them wings.




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

For me, the writing of the first draft is completely
different from the rest of the process. While writing first drafts, I like to
blast music and bop around in my seat, writing spastically from start to finish
of a scene or story. I try to move too fast for my conscious mind to slow me
up. Sentence fragments, gibberish, it’s all good.




During my revisions, on the other hand, I work in absolute
silence. I prefer to work in the library, but no matter where I am, I work in
silence and absolute focus. This is where 90 percent of my writing time is
spent, because I blast out first drafts very fast, but then revise dozens of
times until the work is polished and complete.




Do you
belong to a critique group?

Yes I do. They are helpful in some ways, and not so helpful
in others. Some people can just be jerks, but they’re usually easy to spot and
so easy to disregard. The more nefarious threat comes from those well-meaning
people that earnestly believe they’ve got it all figure out and know the ‘right’
way to do everything. Number one, they’re just a drag to the creative process.
Number two, they plant seeds of doubt, exaggerating and misinterpreting offhand
comments from editor’s blogs, or some writer’s words of advice that they use to
extrapolate rigid rules to every aspect of writing.




Feedback is great and I’ve benefited from my group. At the
same time, a writer has to be careful to hold on to his or her central vision
for a story. The only advice that should be heeded is that which helps bring
story closer to that vision, and makes it more of what it’s meant to be. It can
be a dangerous thing to let someone’s well intentioned advice totally derail a
perfectly good story.




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

I do a little bit of both, really. Some stories are a little
more muse-driven, but others are a little more outline-driven. Usually the dual
processes are happening simultaneously.




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

Yes. My book is also available at Barnes and Noble (http://barnesandnoble.com/) and at Vabella
Publishing (www.vabella.com). There
are also links at my website at www.jeffsuwak.com.





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

Yes, it’s extremely difficult. I miss all the writing time I
used to have. It’s actually caused me to rethink all of my publication goals. I
write because it’s what I love to do. Making money is very low on my priority
list, and the notion of fame, to me, is horrific.




I keep marketing, and will continue marketing, because I
want my books to sell. I want them to sell because I take pride in them, and I
think they’re worth reading. Also, it comes back to that idea of the books
being my children. Every good parent wants to see their children do well in the
world, no matter what sacrifice it costs.




What’s
next for you?

Well, hopefully I sell enough of my book to get my next
project published, as well. That’s really the goal. I have an endless backlog
of ideas and partially finished stories. Ideas are no problem. The challenge is
in deciding which idea to focus on first.




If I don’t attain respectable sales and become pariah to
publishers, then I’ll self-publish. No matter what I’ll keep writing, and I’ll
keep producing quality stories without shortcuts. That’s the most important
thing to me. If they sell…great. If they don’t sell, I can rest knowing that I
did my absolute best and putting everything I had into my work.

How Can You Resist This?

Today, I thought I'd take a break from the usual posts and give you all something to smile about. Really, now - how can you resist such cutie pies! Enjoy...



































 

#Excerpt: URBAN HARVEST Anthology

 
























Don’t
Be Afraid by Tara Hill

Excerpt:




Every
night, I rise just as the twilight ends and night descends around the city.
Walking through the old cemetery, I wander to the front doors of the church.
Old Trinity Church welcomes me long after the last visitor’s steps have faded
into the sounds of the bustling streets. Walking the long aisle, I always stop
at the altar to pray. Only this night will be different. This is All Hallow’s
Eve, the one night of the year when the veil between the Spirit World and the
Living is thinnest. Every year at this time, I go back to the old neighborhood
hoping to find the one that I lost.

Having
said my piece, I exit the church and start the long, lonely walk. The city is
busy with people and spirits roaming about. Another gentleman and lady from my
time nod their heads as I pass by. I tip my hat in return, but there are plenty
of spirits from all walks of life and eras here. If the Living only had the
sight, they would see souls of people from modern times all the way back to the
ancients who first walked the land. All gather together sharing ideas and
helping to influence the ones on the physical plane when they can. Most come
and go as they please, but others are stuck here on the Earth. I should know because
I am one of them. While people use the terms interchangeably, the real
difference between a ghost and a spirit is that a spirit has the ability to
shift between the two realms at will.




How
I died is not important. I do not really remember it being different from any
other day. I seemed to wake up just as I always did. Actually, it was a lot
like waking up from a nap. I opened my eyes to find myself fully dressed even
though I thought I remembered having gone to bed the previous night. I was
sitting in my study, only the shades were drawn and the windows were closed. I
had always liked to have them open even during the coldest days so that a bit
of air could get into the room. Standing up, I walked out into hallway and
toward the center of the house. That’s when I heard the weeping. It was a sad
sound that shuddered up and down as it came to me from across the hall.
Astounded at the noise, I still swept forward to find the source of it. My hand
stopped at the parlor door, which was wide open for a viewing. Everything was
draped in black and candles burned all about the room amidst the overwhelming
perfume of flowers.




My
wife and our grown children sat in the parlor, surrounded by friends and other
members of the community. The grandbaby sat on his mother’s lap, his fingers
stuck in his mouth to soothe himself. They all wore black and grey. Shaking my
head, I looked toward the raised dais in the back of the room. All conversation
was lost on me for the moment; I had to see for myself to make good their words.




Walking
over to the coffin, I stared down at the remains of the body that I had only
recently occupied. There was the strong, square jaw, the jet black hair laced
delicately with grey at the temples, the broad shoulders and wide chest. I had
been in the peak of health for a man in his sixties. What had happened? Surely
someone must know. 







Book & Author Details:




Urban Harvest: Tales of the Paranormal in New York City
Anthology
Publication date: September 22nd 2013
Genres: New Adult, Urban Fantasy

Synopsis:

New
York City–it’s home to 8 million people trying to make their
way through the day–a crop of humanity seething with hopes and fears,
dreams and nightmares. Autumn comes, and nine authors harvest nine tales
from this unique setting and people. From stories of everyday life in
an otherworldly light to nightmarish tales of human darkness, Urban
Harvest has something for everyone.

Urban Harvest contains tales
of the paranormal from Alex Shvartsman, Laurie Treacy, Donna Ansari,
Tara Hill, Laura Wenham, Andrea Stanet, Don Corcoran, Saif Ansari, and
Sean Sakamoto.

In keeping with the spirit of harvest, all
proceeds from this anthology will go to support City Harvest, an
organization that feeds NYC’s hungry.




Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18528733-urban-harvest?ac=1




Purchase:

--Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FCLSMOS




AUTHOR LIST:

Donna Ansari 

Alex Shvartsman

Laurie Treacy

Tara Hill

Laura Wenham

Andrea Stanet

Don Corcoran

Saif Ansari 

Sean Sakamoto





Grand prize giveaway
Prize (open internationally): 

--Paperback of Urban Harvest 



 a Rafflecopter giveaway

New #Fantasy release & .99 sale: INDICIUM RISING by Matthew Keith

With Indicium Rising, Book 2 in the Watchers of the Night series newly released, author Matthew Keith has put Book 1 Watchers of the Night  on sale for .99. Be sure to grab a copy before the price goes back up!











Blurb:

In
your dreams you can go anywhere, see anything, and no one can hurt you.
Paul Bennett's dreams are like that, too - but his are real. Paul is a
socially awkward high school senior from small-town Kentucky. His days
are normal enough, but every night at sunset he falls into a deep sleep
he cannot wake from until sunrise. He spends his evening hours in what
he believes is a common recurring dream, wandering the streets, watching
the people of his town go about their business as they normally would.
What he doesn't know is that each night, he leaves his body and enters
the Dream, unseen by the waking world, able to go anywhere.

 

Because
of his abnormal sleep schedule, Paul finds himself in trouble over his
chronic tardiness at school. Forced to spend time with a well-meaning
high school counselor, he is referred to a clinic, Astralis, which
specializes in sleep disorders. Astralis, however, is much more than
just a sleep clinic. Astralis is an agency funded by the United Nations,
one constantly searching for people with the same ability as Paul.
Termed by Astralis as "Walkers"--Dream Walkers--they are recruited to be
spies, assigned to missions that would normally be unsolvable for
agencies such as the CIA or FBI. Paul begins a new life at Astralis,
forging new friendships and unintentionally creating new enemies.
Through the mentoring of the agency's director, Dr. Abrams, Paul finds a
place that he finally feels he belongs. Unfortunately, Astralis is an
organization under siege from within. Not everyone feels Dr. Abrams is a
fit director, and some are willing to do anything to make a change of
leadership.










Blurb:

Paul Bennett is a Walker—someone who can walk the night in their dreams free of their body—and a member of Astralis, an agency funded by the UN that uses Walkers to gather intelligence.



A rogue Walker from Astralis attempted to take over the agency six months previous, but failed in his attempt. Now, he has formed his own agency and declared war on Astralis, stopping at nothing to gain control of every Walker in the world.

Interview with T.J. Loveless

Tell us a little
bit about Going Thru Hell.

Going Thru Hell explores
parenthood, and the family we create. What would we do? Would we kill? Die? Lip
service is one thing, having to actually make the decisions another. I
constantly heard, while writing the book and sending pieces to beta readers, “I’d
die in an instant for my child.” So would I. But you can bet your sweet bippy I’ll
try to find a way for everyone to survive first, I want to watch my kids grow
up, explore their world, I want to be there for their triumphs and failures. If the only way for them to survive was my death, take me
now. And that is the constant question the MC, Kylie, asks herself.




Where did you get
the idea for Going Thru Hell?

As with a lot of the books over the past two years, the
spark for the idea came from Wild Horse Loop outside of Rock Springs, WY. We’d
head up there, and watch the bands of mustangs for hours. One incident involved
an older stallion and a lead mare with her new foal. The band’s stallion died a
few days earlier, and the new one was sniffing around. A stallion sometimes
kills the very young foals, and the lead mare fought the stallion. She was
bleeding, limping, breathing heavy, but not once did she allow that stallion
near her foal. Three days later, they found the stallion dead from the wounds,
and a new, younger stallion in charge of the band. The foal survived. The lead
mare never stopped limping.




What type of
research did you have to do for GTH? 

Tons of research! Oh my gosh! I had to call a cousin in
Hawaii, he’s an astrophysicist, to learn more about the fourth dimension, and
if it was feasible. I also contacted an old professor to talk genetics, and
then spent months looking for a dragon goddess, and the real mythology of
several forgotten gods. My Google history would have likely landed me in the
looney bin LOL




What genre is GTH?

Adult Contemporary Fantasy. It was really the only way it
would work.




Why
did you choose that genre?

I write mostly in the Spec Fic genre,
although I have a dark Contemporary Fiction I’m working on. I love playing with
mythology, using the old stories, not what is taught today. It’s fun to come up
with a new twist to old ideas.




What actors would play the characters in your
novel?

Oh! This one is easy! Kylie played by Genevieve Padalecki,
Aki played by Anson Mount (so yummy!), Alicia Coppola is definitely Anahita, and
I always see Brunhilde played by Emma Stone.  




If Going Thru Hell
had a theme song, what would it be?

My friend, Joey Francisco, handed over the Kylie’s song: Immortal by Eve and Adam. It is the
perfect fit, and of course, now I have every album LOL




How long did it
take your to write your novel?

When Kylie took over my imagination, it didn’t take long
to get the rough draft out – approximately two weeks to write 66k words. I
already knew the story, it was just a matter of typing it.




What is your
favorite type of scene to write?

Definitely the action scenes. I used to be a Correctional
Officer at a Men’s Maximum Security Unit, and it’s easy to write violence when
you had to live through it.




If you could meet
one author, dead or alive, who would it be?

Margaret Mitchell. I’ve gone through seven paperback, and
one hardback, copies of Gone With The Wind, three VCR tapes (now I’m just
dating myself), and two DVDs. She wrote Scarlett, and the entire cast, with
such realism. They were flawed, making bad decisions, trusting at the wrong
times, trying to survive a horrific moment in American history. She didn’t
flinch showing they were human, with all the foibles and strengths inherent in
all of us.




When did you decide
to become a writer?

I’ve been dabbling for years. But early in 2012 we moved
to Wyoming, and the opportunity presented itself to really dig into learning to
write properly. I took that opportunity and ran with it.



How can readers follow you and learn
more about your works?

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tjloveless

Book Links: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FJZ46O2 

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1117011509?ean=2940148468349

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/363134

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/TJLoveless






AUTHOR
BIO:

T.J. Loveless has been reading and writing stories since the
fourth grade. She writes predominantly in the Spec Fic genres. A former copy/content
editor at a small pub house, she now freelances at Cliffhanger Editing.



She lives with The Writing Zoo, a Hubby who prefers her mood when writing,
and a teenager who loves to tells stories of her mother on the floor
trying to visualize "legs all akimbo" and how Writing Momma has
long, often yelling, conversations with the computer screen.

Website: http://tjloveless.com/

Blog: http://queenofpaddedroom.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/TJ-Loveless-Author/129753790413808

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tjloveless3

Linkedin:
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/teejwrites/boards/

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0046VUI0Q

#Review: SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS by Elizabeth Gilbert

3 of 5 stars


I was excited to read this book especially based on all the wonderful reviews it had received. While I agree with many of the good things other reviewers wrote, I did not love this book. The opening sequence about Henry's rise to power and wealth was captivating and I was eagerly turning the pages. However, I was not a fan of all the exposition in the book. I understand that Alma had a brilliant mind, but I skipped page after page about her fascination with moss. It was tedious and boring to me. Alma's trip to Tahiti was not satisfying either especially her conversation with Tomorrow Morning. 



I don't want to go into too much detail so as not to spoil the plot for new readers. The character of Prudence was a puzzle. I would have loved to have a chapter or two in her POV. What was going through her mind? She was an enigma to Alma and frankly to me as well for the choices she made. The author has a beautiful writing style, but I would have liked to see less exposition and more dialogue and action instead.