Maria Savva's Blog, page 15

You can now buy Lost and Found in paperback on Amazon!

Lost and Found, my latest collection of short stories is now available via Amazon in paperback.





Here are the links you'll need:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Mari...
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Found-Ma...
Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/Lost-Found-M...
Amazon CA: http://www.amazon.ca/Lost-Found-Maria...
Amazon FR: http://www.amazon.fr/Lost-Found-Maria...
Amazon DE: http://www.amazon.de/Lost-Found-Maria...
Amazon IT: http://www.amazon.it/Lost-Found-Maria...
Amazon IN: http://www.amazon.in/Lost-Found-Maria...
Amazon JP: http://www.amazon.co.jp/Lost-Found-Ma...
Amazon BR: http://www.amazon.com.br/Lost-Found-M...
Amazon NL: http://www.amazon.nl/Lost-Found-Maria...
Amazon MX: http://www.amazon.com.mx/Lost-Found-M...
Amazon ES: http://www.amazon.es/Lost-Found-Maria...

More about the book:

Human nature is not neat and predictable.

What makes us betray a loved one?

Can isolation lead to irrational behaviour?

Why do other people’s lives always look more appealing?

Ordinary people living ordinary lives, torn apart by regret, remorse, and deceit. We’re all stumbling through life together. This collection of stories shows you the Lost and Found among us.

Contents:

1. A Different World - a story about a young man looking for work who is forced to take a job he doesn't want to do.

2. An Innocent Man - Is Oliver going to be found guilty for a crime he didn't commit?

3. Boomerang - A young mother struggles to bring up her daughter alone.

4. What's Left Unsaid - When one lie leads to another.

5. Office Gossip - What happens when a handsome new male boss starts work in a female dominated office?

6. Birthday Boy - Will Victor get away with his lecherous behavior?

7. Happy Anniversary - Les is unhappy in his marriage but things take an unexpected turn.


Take a look at the book trailer at the following link: https://youtu.be/qMlDEg0rg-w

Book Review: The Perfect Picnic, by Ciara Flood

The Perfect Picnic by Ciara Flood

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This author's debut children's book Those Pesky Rabbits is excellent. I bought it for my nieces and nephew (age range 2-8 years old) and they loved it. Just like the first book, The Perfect Picnic has lovely illustrations that complement and enhance the story.

This book is about a mole and a squirrel who are best friends and decide to go on a picnic together. Things don't go as planned but all is well in the end. A sweet and fun story that I'm sure children will love.



View all my reviews

Pre-order: Tempering the Rose (The Rose of Nerine Book 1), by Dionne Lister

Talented author, Dionne Lister, is preparing to release a new fantasy series. Book 1 in her "The Rose of Nerine" series is now available for pre-order on iBookstore, and Amazon worldwide.

Tempering the Rose is a dark, epic fantasy.




About the book:

A dark epic fantasy series, where one woman's thirst for revenge will put the entire world in jeopardy.

The only thing twenty-one year old Adrastine wants is revenge against her depraved father—but when she tries to kill him, she is caught and thrown into a holy war for a god she doesn’t believe in. But disaster is coming, and all Adrastine’s problems will seem minor by comparison. Someone, or something, is draining the planet’s lifeblood, killing the land and everything on it at an alarming rate.

Jacob is a shelon, a man who can wield magic, and a spy dispatched by Queen Valtice to find The Rose of Nerine – the only one who can stop the rape of the land and save the people. But when Jacob finds Adrastine, he can’t convince her that she is The Rose, let alone to leave her home and journey with him across the tempestuous sea to Nerine.

Adrastine is drawn to Jacob, despite their differences. But that is a dangerous path, as he is an unwelcome distraction to her quest for revenge. And if she learns his secrets, it will cement her hatred of men forever, weakening powers she is only just learning she has, powers needed to save their world.

Pre-order links:

Amazon:

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tempering-Ros...
US: http://www.amazon.com/Tempering-Rose-...
AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/Tempering-Ro...


iBookstore:

https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/temp...


Author links:

Website: http://dionnelisterwriter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dionne-Liste...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DionneLister

Pre-order: FORBIDDEN, by D.G. Torrens

Prolific author D.G. Torrens has a new book coming out soon. "Forbidden" is a romantic suspense novel and will be published on the 31st of March 2016. You can pre-order a copy on Amazon Kindle, worldwide.






About the book:

The ties that bind us are the ones that can break us...

Jessica Hamilton is 25-years-old and born into a strict, white, Christian family. One that does not believe in interracial relationships under any circumstances. She meets Ajay Sharma at work, an associate director for Lansdale and Down Communications. There is only one problem – he is a Hindu. Jessica and Ajay fall irrevocably and irreparably in love with one another. A perfect love they have to conceal from all those around them for fear of reprisal from their unforgiving families… families that are imprisoned by their own cultural constraints. They are both faced with unimaginable and unforeseeable obstacles that leads Jessica to a near fatal accident, one that changes their lives forever. Jessica has no memory of the events that led to her tragic accident or why she was alone at ridge point on that fateful night. Will Ajay find justice for Jessica? Will Jessica’s memory return and reveal the truth?

Pre-order FORBIDDEN:

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C...


Author links:

Website: http://dawnsdaily.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dgtorrens
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Torrenstp

Lost and Found, now in paperback!

You can now order my new collection of short stories directly from Lulu in paperback!

Here's the link: http://www.lulu.com/shop/maria-savva/...

The book will also be available in paperback from Amazon and other sites in a few weeks' time.



You can currently pre-order Lost and Found in Kindle format from Amazon worldwide. Kindle books can be read on many devices using the free Kindle app from Amazon.

The book will be released on Kindle on March 18th.

About the book:

Human nature is not neat and predictable.

What makes us betray a loved one?

Can isolation lead to irrational behaviour?

Why do other people’s lives always look more appealing?

Ordinary people living ordinary lives, torn apart by regret, remorse, and deceit.

We’re all stumbling through life together. This collection of stories shows you the Lost and Found among us.

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Found-Ma...
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Mari...

Author Charity Parkerson is running a silent auction to benefit St. Jude's Children's Hospital

Author Charity Parkerson is running a silent auction to benefit St. Jude's Children's Hospital - the drawing will be on the 1st of May. Here's some more information from Charity:

"As most of you know, St. Jude's Children's hospital is a charity close to my heart. Every year I try to raise money for them."



This year's silent auction basket contains books 1-5 of Charity Parkerson's Hard Hit series autographed, a Kindle Fire, two small swag bags, a carry-on, a Novel Experience t-shirt autographed, and cover art for her upcoming book Clinched signed by the cover model  Ryan "Stacks" Harmon   and the author. Bidding starts at $150.00 USD and whoever has the highest bid on May 1st wins.  

Charity says:
"Email your bid to admin@charityparkerson.com
The winner will be contacted once bidding closes. Once your payment is made through Paypal, I will ship out your prize. Thank you!" –Author, Charity Parkerson

http://www.charityparkerson.com/silent-auction

Join the Thunderclap campaign for Lost and Found!

I have a Thunderclap campaign for my new book.



I need at least 100 people to support the campaign. If I reach my target, on the 18th March (release day) Thunderclap will arrange for Tweets and posts about my book to be automatically posted to my supporters' Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr pages.

It's free to join and add your support and takes less than a minute. You will have to authorise the app before you can add your support. Thunderclap is a legitimate website and I've used it many times to support other authors' campaigns, so there is no risk involved.

If you'd like to help, please follow this link: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/3...

You can add support from your Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr account (or if you're feeling generous, you can add support from all three!).

Once you've confirmed your support, you don't have to do anything else. Thunderclap will automatically tweet or post something for you on the day of my book's release.

If any of you have a Thunderclap campaign, or you know of someone who does, feel free to post a link below and I'll support back.

Thanks for reading!

Pre-order Lost and Found on Kindle!

I am pleased to announce that my new collection of short stories, Lost and Found is now available for pre-order on Amazon worldwide.





The beautiful cover was designed by Kat from Aeternum Designs

Formatting for the Kindle version was done by Deena at EBookBuilders


This collection is called "Lost and Found" because I thought the stories were lost and then I found them! I wrote six of the stories back in the '90s and they were on a floppy disk. I found the disk a few years ago, but it was corrupted so I couldn't retrieve the stories. Luckily, I had printed copies of the stories and they were hidden away in a drawer at home. I found those last year and decided to publish them. I updated and edited them. I also wrote a new story for the collection, "Boomerang".

Here's a bit about the stories:

1. A Different World: A young man finds friends in the most unlikely place.

2. An Innocent Man: Will Oliver face a prison sentence for something he didn’t do?

3. Boomerang: A single mother wants her old life back, but will her prayers be answered?

4. What’s Left Unsaid: When one lie leads to another.

5. Office Gossip: What happens when a handsome new male boss starts work in a female dominated environment?

6. Birthday Boy: Will Victor get away with his lecherous behaviour?

7. Happy Anniversary: Les is unhappy in his marriage but things take an unexpected turn.


You can pre-order on Kindle now. It will be released on the 18th of March 2016. The paperback version will also be available soon. I'll announce that when I have more details.

Pre-order links:

US: http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Mari...
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Found-Ma...
CA: http://www.amazon.ca/Lost-Found-Maria...
FR: http://www.amazon.fr/Lost-Found-Maria...
AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/Lost-Found-M...
ES: http://www.amazon.es/Lost-Found-Maria...
DE: http://www.amazon.de/Lost-Found-Maria...
IT: http://www.amazon.it/Lost-Found-Maria...
NL: http://www.amazon.nl/Lost-Found-Maria...
IN: http://www.amazon.in/Lost-Found-Maria...
JP: http://www.amazon.co.jp/Lost-Found-Ma...
MX: http://www.amazon.com.mx/Lost-Found-M...
BR: http://www.amazon.com.br/Lost-Found-M...

Blurb:

Human nature is not neat and predictable.

What makes us betray a loved one?

Can isolation lead to irrational behaviour?

Why do other people’s lives always look more appealing?

Ordinary people living ordinary lives, torn apart by regret, remorse, and deceit. We’re all stumbling through life together. This collection of stories shows you the Lost and Found among us.

3 novels for one low price! The Desert Series, by Lisette Brodey

Lisette Brodey's Desert Series is on sale for just $2.99 on Kindle from today until the last day of February 2016.

The Young Adult Paranormal trilogy boxed set edition includes all three novels: MYSTICAL HIGH, DESERT STAR, & DRAWN APART.

The series spans six years in a Southern California town called Mystekal.




You can pick up the series here: http://amzn.to/1NydnkE

For those on Kindle Unlimited, you can read The Desert Series and all of Lisette Brodey's novels for free.

About the books:

Mystical High:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/MYSTICAL-HIGH-D...



In Mystekal, a small, dying town in the Southern California desert, only 75 students attend the old, sometimes creepy high school dubbed “Mystical High,” where strange things have been known to happen. Jessie Dalworth and Jinxsy Patterson are juniors and lifelong best friends. At home, Jessie deals with the pain of an absentee mother who has abandoned the family for the lure of Hollywood; Jinxsy contends with a 17th “birthday present” she never wanted or expected.

Meanwhile, at school, the unexplained activity begins to escalate when Jinxsy keeps seeing a long-haired guy in the hallway checking her out. Jessie can’t see him, but her younger brother, River, can.

Then, in English class, a stapler mysteriously flies off teacher Eve Carrow’s desk, hitting a student in the face who has just mouthed off to her. The beloved teacher is in the unenviable position of having her brute of a father as principal, so she hates sending any student to his office. As Principal Ernest Carrow begins to terrorize Eve and others more openly, something or someone unseen decides that it’s payback time.

School is getting stranger, and Jinxsy and Jessie are faced with mind-boggling changes in their home lives that complicate everything. When a string of shocking events expose explosive secrets, decades-long mysteries are finally revealed.

CONTENT WARNING: Mild sexual content and non-gratuitous profanity. Recommended age: 14+

2014 eFestival of Words winner for Best Young Adult novel


Desert Star:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/DESERT-STAR-Des...



Larsen Davis isn’t afraid to stand up to those who bully him, but in a two-against-one situation at Mystekal High, it’s never easy. When classmate River Dalworth witnesses the abuse and intervenes, the two seniors become good friends. Larsen explains that he’s fighting another battle at home: his own mother, Raylene, bullies him for being gay.

When Larsen meets River’s mother, Arielle, and learns she is overseeing the renovation of the Desert Theater, he shares his dream for a career on stage. Soon, Arielle offers Larsen a job as her assistant, but Raylene is dead set against the idea of her son doing what she considers “gay work.” After Raylene gets a new boyfriend, Reggie, the bad situation at home worsens and Larsen has no choice but to leave.

Now working at the Desert Theater, Larsen feels the unearthly presence of someone in the long-abandoned theater. Meanwhile, as the theater nears completion, a talent show is scheduled for opening night. As it becomes more evident that the theater may have a ghost, it also comes to light that someone may be sabotaging the renovation and the show. Is the ghost real or just the handiwork of someone with a grudge?

Opening night at the Desert Theater sets the stage for a crime, never-imagined reunions, long-awaited explanations, and otherworldly miracles.

CONTENT WARNING: Mild sexual content and non-gratuitous profanity. Recommended age: 14+

Drawn Apart:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/DRAWN-APART-Des...



When Avalon Martelli and Stephanie Lambert meet at the start of their junior year at Mystekal High, they form an instant connection. Stephanie is from South Jersey and Avalon from North Jersey, and they both feel out of place in the Southern California desert.

Aside from having a home state in common, they each possess a talent for art and the heartbreak of a broken family. Avalon has the gift of sight, where the future is sometimes revealed in her paintings, while Stephanie’s drawings are all about forever love. As Stephanie, a self-described poetry geek and hopeless romantic, talks about past lives and eternal happiness, Avalon denies she’s in love with her best guy friend, River Dalworth, who is attending art school in Los Angeles.

Only weeks before graduation, Stephanie is in a car accident and falls into a coma. Devastated, Avalon believes it is all her fault. The night before, she had painted Stephanie with her head against the steering wheel—and hadn’t told her. She confides this to River, who has come home to be with her, but he can’t convince her she’s not to blame. Avalon loudly proclaims to the universe that she no longer wants her gift, but River warns her she may receive another one in its place.

Avalon and her family, along with Stephanie’s mother, pray for a miracle. River tries to console her, but she finds his presence difficult, knowing he has someone else who “just might be the one.” Trying to push her own pain and disappointment aside, Avalon keeps vigil for her best friend, hoping that Stephanie will wake up and have her greatest wish fulfilled— the meeting of her soul mate.

Author links:

Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/Lisette-Brodey/...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrodeyAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LisetteBrodey
Website: http://lisettebrodey.com/

Free book: Touch of Darkness, by J. Michael Radcliffe

J. Michael Radcliffe's wonderful fantasy tale, Touch of Darkness, will be free this week from Monday 15th - Friday 19th February!

Grab your free copy while you can.

I am a big fan of J. Michael Radcliffe's stories. I used to read fantasy books as a child, but then didn't really read them. When I met Michael online a few years ago (as well as another brilliant fantasy author Julie Elizabeth Powell) my love of the fantasy genre was rekindled.

J. Michael Radcliffe is a master of the genre. His books are full of magic, dragons, intrigue, and mystery.

"Touch of Darkness" is book 4 in the Beyond The Veil series. I would highly recommend all the books in the series. I don't think it's necessary to have read the other 3 books in order to enjoy A Touch of Darkness, however, as the author always gives details of the background in each of his stories.







About the book:

“…There was a sudden flash, and two large, yellow, cat-like eyes appeared before him in the darkness. Rami stumbled backward, unable to see in the jet-black surroundings. “You killed them Rami, their blood is on your hands …” Rami felt something warm and wet dripping from his hands, and he frantically wiped them on his tunic as he continued to stumble blindly, desperate to escape the eyes. He pitched backwards as the stone give way beneath him, and he tumbled into the darkness. The voice dissolved into harsh laughter, echoing all around him. Then he woke up, screaming…”

Alone and on the run from his past, Rami is tormented by the dark spirit that haunts his dreams. Terrified of the power he may possess, he must find a way to control it before it drives him insane. When he finds himself thrown into an unlikely partnership with the alluring and stubborn daughter of a caravan leader, he soon realizes she may be his downfall. Like a moth to a flame, Amirah is drawn to Rami and his mysterious past. Together they must find the long lost ‘Book of the Dead,’ before they are consumed by the darkness..


J. Michael Radcliffe is also a "Mind's Eye" series author. He's contributed many great stories to the series, including 2 new ones for the upcoming book. I'll have more news about that soon.

If you haven't read any of Michael's books, don't miss your chance to sample his work by downloading Touch of Darkness this week.

Links:

Amazon:

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Touch-Darknes...
US: http://www.amazon.com/Touch-Darkness-...
CA: http://www.amazon.ca/Touch-Darkness-B...
AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/Touch-Darkne...
FR: http://www.amazon.fr/Touch-Darkness-B...
IT: http://www.amazon.it/Touch-Darkness-B...
DE: http://www.amazon.de/Touch-Darkness-B...
NL: http://www.amazon.nl/Touch-Darkness-B...
ES: http://www.amazon.es/Touch-Darkness-B...
MX: http://www.amazon.com.mx/Touch-Darkne...
BR: http://www.amazon.com.br/Touch-Darkne...
IN: http://www.amazon.in/Touch-Darkness-B...
JP: http://www.amazon.co.jp/Touch-Darknes...

Author links:

Website/blog: https://michaelradcliffe.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/J-Michael-Ra...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alderdrache