C.A. Milson's Blog, page 118
September 13, 2021
Book Tour – STARTING OVER IN CEDARWOOD
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Starting over might just bring them the love they deserve.
Shaun Fallows came to Cedarwood to start over. He wants to be done with dating, but the moment he sees Kevin, the sparks are off the charts. He can’t get the sexy man off his mind. So much for not wanting to get involved. Kevin is the man of his dreams. Can he convince Kevin to give him a try or will the romance end before it gets the chance to begin?
Besides, there’s the small issue of Kevin’s cat…
Kevin Keiser did the dating thing and ended up burned. One of the few bright spots in his life is his cat, Leo. The animal might be a bit prickly, but he’s been a good meter for who Kevin should date and who he should avoid. He wants a boyfriend who isn’t put off by his pet. Shaun sure seems to fit the bill. Is he just another man or the love Kevin’s been waiting for?
Read an Excerpt
©2021 MeganSlayer All Rights Reserved
“He doesn’t date anyone who isn’t approved by his cat,” she said. “You hate cats, so you’d better just have one beer with him and cut your losses, now that I think about it.”
“I don’t hate cats.” He hadn’t found one that liked him, but that was beside the point. “Are he and the cat that close?”
“Very.”
Shaun shrugged. Cara was probably exaggerating. She tended to when she discussed something dramatic. The car accident was always the worst she’d ever seen or her kid scoring a goal was always the best goal ever in the history of eighth grade hockey. “I’ll give him a chance.”
“Who?” Warrick found them and sat beside Shaun. “Dave? Don’t date Dave. He’s full of himself. Plus, you’ll smell like you’ve bathed in his cologne.”
Shaun shrugged again. Their co-worker, Dave, did tend to wear his aftershave a bit on the thick side. Everyone who hugged him tended to smell like him.
“Shut up,” Dave said. “I heard our Shaun gave Kevin Keiser his digits.”
“Keiser? He’s so quiet,” Warrick said. “He’s gay? Oh wait. I knew that. He had a guy…Kyle someone or another. I guess they had a falling out.”
“Over the cat,” Cara said.
Shaun gritted his teeth to keep from speaking. Kevin’s personal life wasn’t their business. “You need to leave him alone.”
“Why? He had a fight with a guy over a cat. The critter hated Kyle, I think,” Warrick said. He shrugged, then downed some of his beer. “If I can’t find a woman to get along with Patrice, then it’s a nonstarter.”
“Your dog?” Dave snorted. “It’s just a dog.”
“Might be to you, but she’s a good dog,” Warrick said. “She’s more loyal than you’ve ever been.”
Shaun snorted. “You two.” He ignored the rest of the conversation in favor of the baseball game. “Kevin seemed nice and I went out on a limb. It might not work, but I won’t know unless we go out, so there.”
“You should give him a shot,” Cara said. “You’d be good for him. You’re quiet and smart like him. Maybe you’d bring each other out of your shell.”
“Maybe.” His thoughts turned to Kevin. He hadn’t felt sparks like that in ages and he liked the rush. He missed the delight of being with someone and being wanted. Hell, he liked being part of a relationship.
Besides, he was tired of the one-night stands and pretty boys who only wanted him to pump up their ego or be their sugar daddy. He was only forty-two, but sometimes he felt ancient. He worked hard for his money and the paper. Could Kevin be the one he’d been looking for?
He hoped so.
About the Author:
Megan Slayer, aka Wendi Zwaduk, is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than one-hundred short stories and novels. She’s been writing since 2008 and published since 2009. Her stories range from the contemporary and paranormal to LGBTQ and white hot themes. No matter what the length, her works are always hot, but with a lot of heart. She enjoys giving her characters a second chance at love, no matter what the form. She’s been nominated at the LRC for Best Author, Best Contemporary, Best Ménage, Best BDSM and Best Anthology. Her books have made it to the bestseller lists on Amazon.com.
When she’s not writing, Megan spends time with her husband and son as well as three dogs and three cats. She enjoys art, music and racing, but football is her sport of choice. She’s an active member of the Friends of the Keystone-LaGrange Public library.
Find out more about Megan and Wendi at: http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm
Sign up for the newsletter here: http://ymlp.com/xgjmjumygmgj
Website – http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm
Blog – https://wendizwaduk.wordpress.com/
Fan Page – https://www.facebook.com/wendizwaduk.meganslayer/
Amazon Author Page – http://www.amazon.com/Megan-Slayer/e/B008BJCFSC
Bookbub – https://www.bookbub.com/authors/megan-slayer
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/wendizwaduk/
Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5330530.Megan_Slayer
Twitter – https://twitter.com/#!/MeganSlayer
Buy links:
https://books2read.com/u/b5o5N7
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096KXPMC4/
https://www.firstforromance.com/book/starting-over-in-cedarwood
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/starting-over-in-cedarwood
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=jqsxEAAAQBAJ
https://www.scribd.com/book/510301417/Starting-Over-in-Cedarwood
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/starting-over-in-cedarwood-megan-slayer/1139622982
Megan Slayer will be awarding a prize pack featuring a necklace made by the author to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
September 9, 2021
PHOTO BOMBED Book Blast
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
When a corpse crashes the party, Bianca is on the case.
Bianca Wallace is a work from home mom raising her teenage daughter as a single parent. She’s determined to stand on her own two feet in Edenville, Texas after her bitter divorce. When the town’s wedding of the year stars her friend as the bride, Bianca can’t wait to celebrate the nuptials. Neither she nor the guests expect a corpse! When the police suspect the bride, Bianca’s determined to prove her friend’s innocence.
Lamar Sims, the new police detective in Edenville, is investigating the murder case. Bianca’s “interference” is not helping, but she won’t stop when her friend’s freedom is on the line. He makes it clear he wants her to let the police do their job, so she has to find ways around him.
No one in Edenville is safe until the killer is behind bars. Bianca won’t let Detective Sims dismiss her hunches. They may have to work together before another dead body shows up.
Read an Excerpt
“Good evening,” a tenor voice said.
Bianca raised her head and acknowledged the man taking a seat across from her. “Good evening.” She folded her fingers on the clothed table.
The man extended his tanned hand. His bright smile made him charming. “I’m Simon.”
“Bianca.” She shook his hand, ignoring his sweaty palm.
His face softened as his tone contained wonder. “Tell me something you love about yourself.”
His question surprised her. “Well… I think I love my creativity. I’m a graphic designer.”
His smile grew bigger. “How long have you been doing that?”
“I’ve been drawing since I was a kid, but I opened my business a few years back.”
“Same here.” Simon ran his fingers through his short, brown hair. He grabbed at the small bowl of nuts on her table, popping a few in his mouth without even taking his baby blue eyes off of her. “I got into photography in high school, but now I travel for the magazine I work for.”
Bianca didn’t mind this conversation so far. “That’s amazing. I know for me, graphic design wasn’t my first choice. I thought about the law, but when I had my daughter…” Her eyes bulged as Simon’s mouth fell open. “Are you all right?”
His spoke as if in disbelief. “You have a child?”
“Yes. She’s a teenager.”
“So you’re…?” He blinked rapidly as if trying to process what she was saying.
“Divorced. Almost three years now.” She tilted her head to the side, trying to read his expression. “Are you alright?”
He ran a hand down the back of his head. “Yes, I just wasn’t planning on dating a woman with children. I never wanted kids of my own.”
Bianca froze momentarily. Not everyone wanted children. She could understand that, but this was the first time she’d heard it out loud and to her face. It never crossed her mind until now that if she got into another relationship, would the man accept her daughter? If he didn’t, it was his loss. Her daughter came in the package deal.
“Thank you for sharing,” she said.
He gave a faint smile and stood to his feet. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.” He extended her hand. “Have a good evening.”
She returned the gesture. “You too.” Bianca returned to her chair as he walked away. She hadn’t expected that. As she adjusted in her cushioned seat, another man approached her table. Chin high and shoulders back. Bianca didn’t know whether to describe him as confident or cocky based off the smolder he gave her. With an earring in one ear and a gold chain hanging around his neck, he took the seat across from her.
About the Author:
Daria started writing as a teenager. Since she loves romance novels, she figured why not write them too? She also writes Christian fiction along with cozy mysteries! Daria graduated with a degree in healthcare management, so writing was not in the cards for her. It’s rare that you won’t catch her reading. Aside from that, she loves Turner Classic Movies, painting, Pilates, the piano, and chocolate.
Website: http://www.dariawhite.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Daria_White15
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dariawhite90
Buy the book:
BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/photo-bombed-daria-white/1137390284
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Photo-Bombed-Bianca-Wallace-Mystery/dp/1952667496
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1034594
Other Books by the Author:
The Wedding Report https://books2read.com/u/31Gow6
Christmas Therapy https://books2read.com/u/b5Q1rA
Christmas Connection https://books2read.com/u/bMpYRV
Wish for Love https://books2read.com/u/49oyNd
Daria White will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
PHOTO BOMBED is on sale for only $0.99
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
September 8, 2021
Book Blast – SERVING THE WICKED
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
A scared human plus a vampire with a secret. Things could be better, but they could be a lot worse.
Raine can’t remember time before the darkness. She’s a human in a paranormal world where humans are a commodity, not people, and she’s been abused by the vampires. When she ends up at the slave auction, she fears her nightmare will never end.
Enter Casey. He’s part vampire, part Fae, dangerous and only has eyes for Raine. He saw her at the BDSM club before she entered the vampire slave world and he swore he’d rescue her. He buys her the instant he sees her on the stage. The innocence in her eyes, combined with the sweetness in her soul calls to him. He wants her to serve him in the bedroom and be his partner everywhere.
She’s been hurt, and he’s a born protector. Can they make the attraction last and turn it into something eternal or will the fear win out?
Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of violence, fighting and death, as well as references to forced sex and feeding from humans.
Read an Excerpt
©WendiZwaduk, 2021, All Rights Reserved
“You’re an odd vampire. Most every other one I’ve known wants me for dinner. Either you don’t because you’re weird or you’re lulling me into liking you so I’ll give in. If you are, you don’t have to make me like you. I’ll give in. I know the rules because you bought me. Remember?”
“Why don’t you shower and maybe get some sleep? I won’t kill or drain you.” He wanted her to trust him, but he didn’t want compliancy. Not yet and not outside of the bedroom. He liked her fire and the spunk he’d seen at the club.
“I don’t have much of a choice,” she said. “May I have this?”
“The wine? Of course.” He poured himself a glass of merlot. “Let’s drink to your freedom and new home.”
She stared at him, and he couldn’t read her expression. Wary? Confused? He wasn’t sure.
Casey sipped his wine. “Feel free to use whatever’s in the bathroom. I have no secrets from you.” Not many.
Her eyes widened again, and her lips parted. “You scare me.” She drank the wine in one gulp, then coughed.
Good merlot should be sipped—not gulped. But he hadn’t gone two days without food. “Why do I scare you?”
She shrugged out of his coat. “Because I can’t tell what you’re thinking or what you want from me.”
“Oh?” His previous girl had said he’d telegraphed every move.
“I don’t know what you want and I can’t figure out if you’re telling me the truth.” She left the stool. “I’d like that shower, though, please?”
He kept getting her right to the edge of opening up when she shut down again. Soon, he’d know her secrets, and she’d know his. He led her to the set of rooms along the back of the house. “In here. I’ve got towels, soap and anything you need in the drawers.”
“Even a flat iron?”
She’d volleyed a challenge. Nice. He liked her spirit. “If you want.” He turned the water on in the open stall. “I’ll leave you to your shower.”
“You can watch. I haven’t showered in ages.” She removed her filthy dress. “I used to have guards so I wouldn’t run away. I don’t know what it’s like to have privacy.”
Lomax used guards? Interesting. Casey spied the lines on her back. Lashings? “Were you whipped?”
She shuddered and didn’t turn around “I was told I deserved it.”
He touched the silvery scars. He remembered when he’d seen her at the club, she’d gotten off on being flogged, but not to the point of bloodletting. What she’d been through was abuse. She flinched when he touched her again.
“I’m sorry.” He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “I’ll never do anything like this to you ever.”
She tensed, but didn’t pull away. “Uh-huh.”
Soon, she’d give him her trust, and he’d prove not all vampires were evil. He wasn’t a nice man—more a son of a bitch—but not with her. She could be his salvation, and he refused to screw that up.
About the Author:
Wendi Zwaduk, is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than one-hundred short stories and novels. She’s been writing since 2008 and published since 2009. Her stories range from the contemporary and paranormal to LGBTQ and BDSM themes. No matter what the length, her works are always hot, but with a lot of heart. She enjoys giving her characters a second chance at love, no matter what the form. She’s been the runner up in the Kink Category at Love Romances Café as well as nominated at the LRC for best author, best contemporary, best ménage and best anthology. Her books have made it to the bestseller lists on Amazon.com.
When she’s not writing, Megan spends time with her husband and son as well as three dogs and three cats. She enjoys art, music and racing, but football is her sport of choice. She’s an active member of the Friends of the Keystone-LaGrange Public library.
Find out more about Megan and Wendi at: http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm
Sign up for the newsletter here: http://ymlp.com/xgjmjumygmgj
Website http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm
Blog https://wendizwaduk.wordpress.com/
Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/wendizwaduk.meganslayer/
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Wendi-Zwaduk/e/B003KA589U/
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/wendi-zwaduk
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wendizwaduk/
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5330530.Megan_Slayer
Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/MeganSlayer
Buy links:
https://books2read.com/u/4EKkqo
https://www.firstforromance.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=71386
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098QSZK36/
https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1575607975
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/serving-the-wicked-wendi-zwaduk/1139805908
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=rUg3EAAAQBAJ
https://www.scribd.com/book/505413880/The-Refuge
Wendi Zwaduk will be awarding a prize pack with a necklace made by the author to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
September 6, 2021
VBT – Sherlock Holmes and the Remaining Improbable
Sherlock Holmes and the Remaining Improbable
by Susanne M. Dutton
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Mystery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
The game is not afoot. The Better-Every-Day world of 1895 is gone, even hard to recall as WWI ends. From his rural cottage, Holmes no longer provokes Scotland Yard’s envy or his landlady’s impatience, but neither is he content with the study of bees. August 1920 finds him filling out entry papers at a nearly defunct psychiatric clinic on the Normandy coast. England’s new Dangerous Drugs Act declares his cocaine use illegal and he aims to quit entirely. Confronted by a question as to his “treatment goal,” Holmes hesitates, aware that his real goal far exceeds the capacity of any clinic. His scribbled response, “no more solutions, but one true resolution,” seems more a vow than a goal to his psychiatrist, Pierre Joubert. The doctor is right. Like a tiny explosion unaccountably shifting a far-reaching landscape, the simple words churn desperate action and interlocking mystery into the lives of Holmes’ friends and enemies both.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
Watson writes:
Not for the first time, I felt a surge of gratitude for Holmes’ unspoken understanding that his digs at Bolt Cottage couldn’t suit me. No doubt his cottage fit his needs precisely, but it was no place for a visitor, perhaps purposely so. Some might say it was no place for any inhabitant at all, full as it was with apparatus meant for Holmes’ scientific inquiries, not to mention the maps and almanacs, the world’s newspapers, and of course, his library. Books lined shelves and the stairway to the sleeping loft. Books invaded the corner of the ground floor room usually devoted to meal preparation, too. They filled the unused icebox, the pots that never knew soup, and lined most of the cupboards. Books climbed the walls, stacked and somehow tracked in their positions with ribbons that hung from the center pages in a festive display—red, black, gold, green, purple, blue, white. Holmes claimed his color-coded system was modern and flawless. I never grasped it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Susanne Dutton is the one who hid during high school gym, produced an alternative newspaper and exchanged notes in Tolkien’s Elfish language with her few friends. While earning her B.A. in English, she drove a shabby Ford Falcon with a changing array of homemade bumper strips: Art for Art’s Sake, Forgive Us Our Trespasses, Free Bosie from the Scorn of History. Later, her interests in myth and depth psychology led to graduate and postgraduate degrees in counseling.
Nowadays, having outlived her mortgage and her professional counseling life, she aims herself at her desk most days; where she tangles with whatever story she can’t get out of her head. Those stories tend to seat readers within pinching distance of her characters, who, like most of us, slide at times from real life to fantasy and back. A man with Alzheimer’s sets out alone for his childhood home. A girl realizes she’s happier throwing away her meals than eating them. A woman burgles her neighbors in order to stay in the neighborhood.
Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Susanne grew up in the SF Bay Area, has two grown children, and lives with her husband in an old Philadelphia house, built of the stones dug from the ground where it sits.
Blog https://www.inside221b.com
Facebook https://www.facebook/noguessing (Improbable Holmes)
Publisher bookstore link to book:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
Enter to win a $50 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
INTERVIEW WITH …
If you could apologize to someone in your past, who would it be?
I would apologize to anyone to whom I never said a real good-bye. I hate good-byes and I try duck it, always as if there will be a next time. I should not have counted on that. When I think of those people now, and how grateful I am to have known them, I feel as if I let myself, and them, down. I have resolved to do better.
If you could keep a mythical/ paranormal creature as a pet, what would you have?
I’ve only recently learned about Hans the Hedgehog. He’s actually part boy and part hedgehog, rides a rooster and sits in a tree playing magical bagpipe music. I don’t know how he’d take to being a pet, but I have a few nice trees. He’d be welcome. His ability is to help you to find anything you need to find. That could be a place as it is now, in the past, or the future. He can also find people, lost treasures or simply wonderful ideas. Of course, he does ask for something in return. The story I read makes it clear that you must keep your side of the bargain—or else—but that when you do you won’t be sorry.
How do you keep your writing different from all the others that write in this particular genre?
Writers naturally develop their own voices, as unique as their spoken voices, though it takes years. I believe I do have a writing voice, but I have to take care. Sometimes after reading a lot of someone else’s work, I slip into a bad imitation of that voice, only because I enjoy the work so much. Reading Mark Twain is dangerous for me. Suddenly a Huck Finn type takes possession of one of my characters. As my genre in this case is mystery, but also Sherlock Holmes, it’s a difficult question to face. I want to be true to Holmes and yet address his “myth” in a unique way. I believe I’ve done that.
What are the best and worst pieces of writing advice you ever received?
Writers are individual. That’s why I enjoy being in their company. You can be headed for the same thing and be going about it very differently. Over three decades, I have had the benefit of extraordinary feedback at the Muse Writing Center in Norfolk, Virginia; Charlotte Writers in North Carolina and Kelly Writers House at the University of Pennsylvania. Michael Khandelwal in Norfolk says this about taking advice: “Take note of all the feedback you receive and be thankful for all of it. One third you may discard, one third you may keep or not, and one third is serious input. Pay close attention. You decide which is which.”
Are the experiences in this book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
I’m not a 19th Century consulting detective and I don’t know one, but certainly I owe a lot to Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes’ creator. Conan Doyle based his character on Joseph Bell, a professor at the Scottish medical school he attended. Holmes’ famous method, having to do with making decisions based on actual hard evidence and not assumptions, was Bell’s method of medical diagnosis. My writing does owe a lot to what I know about relationships, good and bad, as a professional counselor in several settings.
August 25, 2021
Book Blast – RUNAWAY ROYAL
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Will this runaway royal ever find her place…and true love?
All Princess Catherine Zara of Lysianna wants to do is attend college like everyone else her age. So she’s a royal and requires a security guard to move about in public, but if she goes to university, she doesn’t have to marry the man chosen for her. He’s not her true love, so why torture herself? All she has to do to get her life started is to run away to the US…
And then she meets Luke.
Luke Cobb wants to survive college with a degree in studio art and guarantees that he can show his paintings in the local galleries. All he needs is the right break to get his work mainstream and the right woman to stoke his dormant muse. When he meets Zara, he’s smitten and his creativity sparks.
Except, she’s a princess and he’s a commoner, which could be a big problem…
Read an Excerpt
©2021 Wendi Zwaduk, All Rights Reserved
She opened her sketch pad and created a list.
While I’m at university, I want to:
*be kissed properly
*buy a cheeseburger
*see a rock band play a concert
*have sex & lose my virginity
*have sex with a handsome man
She tapped her pencil against her lips as she debated the next item for her list.
*to meet the tall, dark and handsome artist downstairs
*to model for someone (nude?)
*to attend a real party
*to fall in love
She snorted. Love wouldn’t happen. Not for her. Before things got that far, she’d be found out. The law of averages wasn’t in her favor. If her stepmother didn’t tell someone she’d arrived at the college, Corinne would let the secret slip.
Still, she could dream.
Besides, the list was only one of dreams. It wasn’t like she’d created a checklist to live by. She’d come to the college to get an education, not fall in love. Even if she wanted to be with someone and experience those aspects of life, she had to finish her degree first. She’d paid the money to attend and refused to waste the chance—even for love.
About the Author:
Wendi Zwaduk, is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than one-hundred short stories and novels. She’s been writing since 2008 and published since 2009. Her stories range from the contemporary and paranormal to LGBTQ and BDSM themes. No matter what the length, her works are always hot, but with a lot of heart. She enjoys giving her characters a second chance at love, no matter what the form. She’s been the runner up in the Kink Category at Love Romances Café as well as nominated at the LRC for best author, best contemporary, best ménage and best anthology. Her books have made it to the bestseller lists on Amazon.com.
When she’s not writing, Megan spends time with her husband and son as well as three dogs and three cats. She enjoys art, music and racing, but football is her sport of choice. She’s an active member of the Friends of the Keystone-LaGrange Public library.
Find out more about Megan and Wendi at: http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm
Sign up for the newsletter here: http://ymlp.com/xgjmjumygmgj
Website http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm
Blog https://wendizwaduk.wordpress.com/
Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/wendizwaduk.meganslayer/
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Wendi-Zwaduk/e/B003KA589U/
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/wendi-zwaduk
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wendizwaduk/
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5330530.Megan_Slayer
Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/MeganSlayer
Buy links:
https://books2read.com/u/4jA1zD
https://www.firstforromance.com/book/runaway-royal
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VJHSJBF/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/runaway-royal-wendi-zwaduk/1138737040
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=8zAhEAAAQBAJ
https://books.apple.com/us/book/runaway-royal/id1551834734
Wendi Zwaduk will be awarding a Prize Pack featuring a necklace inspired by the book and made by the author to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
August 23, 2021
VBT – THE HOTEL SERIES
The Hotel (Series)
by Michael James
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Series Blurb:
No one has ever escaped from the Hotel at the End of Time. Until now.
Vain only wants to be left alone, but the Hotel has other plans. Forces will align against her: a group of multi-dimensional felons collectively named The Wyatts; and their leader, Trick, a mild-to-medium psychopath with a fondness for impractical jokes.
The only way forward is to go back. Back to the one place in the world she swore she’d never return.
Back to the Hotel.
Blurb for: The Hotel at the End of Time:
Vain is the only person to ever escape from the Hotel at the end of time. On her way out, she took their prized possession: A Padlock that grants immortality.
They will do anything to get it back.
The forces of the Hotel are aligned against her: mundane items turned into weapons; a group of multi-dimensional felons collectively named The Wyatts; and their leader, Trick, a mild-to-medium psychopath with a fondness for impractical jokes.
Everything changes when Vain meets Emma, a timid grad student with impossible and terrifying powers. Together, they are propelled into an adventure that will see them battle the Wyatts, blow up several objects of significant value, and quite by accident, discover a way to stop the Hotel.
Even with Emma, Vain has a lot of problems to deal with.
She’s exhausted from being hunted.
Stopping the Hotel might kill them.
She has a hangnail.
But Vain is resourceful. Vain is clever.
And she always has a plan.
Blurb for: The Well at the Bottom of Everything:
Vain thought destroying the Portal to the Hotel at the End of Time would mean freedom for her and Roman, but her happy ever after is coming to an end.
A horrible mistake and a stray bullet force her to infiltrate the Hotel and contend with a new and terrible power: The Well at the Bottom of Everything.
Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken.
The Hotel will have its revenge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
The Hotel at the End of Time
The woman glanced over. “I’m Emma, by the way. Thank you for helping me.”
“I’m Vain.”
Emma blinked and positioned the rear-view mirror so it showed Vain her reflection. “Is that better?”
Vain shook her head. “My name. My actual name is Vain.”
“Are you, like, a street artist?”
Vain sighed. “I’m just me.”
“How did you know who those men were? How did you know they were after me?”
“They’re not men,” replied Vain. “They’re things. Their name is Wyatt. Their only job is to find people like you and take them back to a place called the Hotel. It’s a place I escaped from.”
“How are they all called Wyatt? Why do they look the same?”
“They’re from alternate Earths.” Vain waved her hand, shooing away the explanation.
“I don’t believe you,” Emma said. “I’m sorry. I know I’m supposed to humor crazy, but I’m exhausted. Please tell me the truth.”
“How about this? You go first. Explain how you threw a person with your mind in a way that doesn’t violate a couple dozen natural laws, and once you’re done, I’ll come up with a better explanation for duplicate psychopaths from various incarnations of Earth.”
The Well at the Bottom of Everything
“Can I help you?” The perky girl behind the counter smiled like she enjoyed her job. Vain was immediately suspicious.
“Two coffees, please.”
“Sure, what size? We have mediu, moyen and mittel.”
“Are those real words?”
“Yes.”
Vain waited for a further explanation. Sweat pooled in her lower back. The man behind her coughed, and she nearly jumped. The perky girl offered no further details, but smiled more aggressively. Vain examined the menu for clues with growing distress.
“I don’t know. The third one. Mitten. Two mitten coffees, I guess. Oh and Mark said he wants an everything bagel, but I’m not sure if he meant he wants all the bagels or if he wants everything on the bagel.”
“One everything bagel and two mittel coffees. No problem. How do you take them?”
Vain wiped her forehead. A car started outside the shop and she bit her cheek. “In my hands, please. That’s fine. Hurry.”
“Cream or sugar?”
“Yes, okay. Give me two mitten coffees with cream and sugar and all the bagels in my hands. Here is some money. I’ll be on the couch.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Michael James spent his formative years writing, and when he wasn’t writing, he was writing. A mistaken belief that a “real” job would be more satisfying led him down a dark path that did not involve writing but did involve meetings. Fortunately, he has since course-corrected and is back on the right (write? Ha!) path. The Hotel at the End of Time is not his first book, but it is the one with the most Hotels in it.
He lives in Canada with his family. When he’s not writing, he does Canadian things – saying sorry a lot, being polite, talking about the weather, you know how it goes.
Website: https://www.michaeljamesauthor.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeJamesAuthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMichaelJames
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikejamesauthor/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Michael-James/e/B07P8GJS8K?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000
The Hotel at the End of Time: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QG59SXL
The Well at the Bottom of Everything: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095CL2T6H
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Michael James will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $50 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q & A With …
Tell us about you as a person.
Yikes, you cut right to the chase. I’d say as a person, 99% of my mass comes from oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. I pretty effectively convert oxygen to carbon dioxide. Once, I saw a seal in real life. Oh shoot, I’m a writer. I always forget that part.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
Remember that dude, Techno Viking? He was super huge on YouTube like ten years ago. Mostly I’d want to learn how to be that cool and also a viking.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
When I was little I fell into a Well, but unlike Batman, I didn’t get a super cool fear of bats that led me to a life of superhero adventures, instead I broke my leg. The book The Well at the Bottom of Everything has nothing to do with that at all, but it’s the only backstory I have that has anything to do with Wells.
PS my books are about human batteries in a time displaced Hotel, and there’s also a Well.
What is your writing process?
Oh, you know, pretty standard. The ghost of John Milton who lives in my library screams at me to be more talented and I bawl my eyes out while begging him to stop, only he doesn’t, and I guess I turn that into my creative process.
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role(s) and why.
Vain would be played by Emma Roberts because that’s who I pictured when I was creating Vain.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their latest book?
Shoot, that’s a great question, and I don’t have a great answer. Probably advertising, but like get ready to spend a lot of money.
List 5 things on your bucket list.
Ohhh snap, I don’t have a bucket list, so I guess that is item number one. Get a bucket list.
In what way do you think that this current pandemic has changed the book & publishing industry?
This is super anecdotal, but everyone I know is reading way less because we’re all sort of going insane. It really sucks. PS my book will make you like 4% less insane though and that’s a guarantee
Any final thoughts?
Okay I can’t actually guarantee reading my book will make you less insane.
Release Blitz: Seventeen Butterflies
Title: Seventeen Butterflies
Author: Anna Katmore
Genre: Contemporary Teen Romance
The embarrassment of being the only unkissed girl in high school is something Sandy Cardington refuses to accept. The first kiss project is her foolproof plan to finally get rid of the status at her 17th birthday party, while her parents are out of town.
With several kissable boys on her guest list, this should be a walk in the park. But she didn’t count on her older brother returning from college and throwing a wrench into her plans. To make matters even more complicated, he has a friend in tow, and the cute hockey player stirs unexpected butterflies in her stomach every time their paths cross.
While Sandy moves heaven and earth to make her party and project come true, it looks as if Thane Griffyn has his own plans to teach her the real meaning of a first kiss…
Buy on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited
The nitty-gritty:
I’ve been a storyteller all my life, building bridges into different worlds. Already in kindergarten, I’ve seen the most fantastical things and wanted to share them with everyone. My teacher called me a liar back then. Today, I call it the first real flash of my spiritual gift and the cornerstone of my writing career.
When I got older, I’ve had many visions of a perfect career, while writing has always been more of a hobby and kind of a therapy for me when the longing for more magic in this world once again caught up with me in a crushing way. When my first book was finished, I couldn’t even imagine sharing one of my stories with others, ever. In fact, I only got used to the idea while I wrote my second book and learned in a very miraculous way where the many stories in this world really come from.
It’s funny how, at that point, everyone told me I can’t possibly make a living with writing. They even warned me not to quit my job. But after my debut novella PLAY WITH ME came out and sales skyrocketed within the first week, I knew I could do anything I wanted if only I never stopped dreaming.
That’s also part of what I teach my students in writing and spiritual workshops today. Always dream big! If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.
Some personal stuff:
“I’m writing stories because I can’t breathe without.”
Disney is my attitude to life, and if I could I’d save the world from itself. My Patronus is a wolf, my wand the broken twig of an apple tree, 13 ¾ inches with a unicorn hair core. I can’t deny that on some days, I prefer my book characters over real people, but there’s not a single day going by where I wouldn’t try to find magic in reality. And when I’m alone, I love to listen to the many stories of the wind in a mystic mid-summer night.
So you see, I’m lucky enough to live in an enchanting world of my own. It’s peaceful there and full of magical things, fairies and wonders. You’re welcome to follow me there – if you’re ready to open up your mind and leave everything you learned about reality behind. But beware, if you dare to step through this door, you may never want to leave again…
Author LinksWebsite:
Facebook:
German: www.facebook.com/annakatmore
English (brand new) www.facebook.com/annakatmorebooks
August 22, 2021
Cover Reveal – PREYING ON THE CHURCH
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Click on the tour banner to see the rest of the tour.
Preying On The Church, is an inspiring novel about an African American middle-age woman Margie, who is well-known in her community through her job as a Realtor, serving as a representative on the Rockford Town Council, and giving her portion of life at Rockford Baptist Church.
A tragic accident happens that no one could ever believe. After a church shooting, Margie loses faith as her life is shattered into pieces losing someone close to her that causes her to journey through the five stages of grief.
It takes her to the lowest possible point of survival: isolating herself from friends and family, losing faith, drinking alcohol, almost getting arrested, and losing her job to realize she is on a path of destruction.
Read an Excerpt
“Where would you like to have the funeral?” asked Mr. Stephens. “There is an option
to have it at the convention center.”
“That would be great,” said Barry. “Then we can have all his teachers and friends
from school attend.”
“Okay, this is a book for flower arrangements and this one is for caskets and grave
markers. Browse through to see which ones you would like,” Mr. Stephens said as he
spread the books on the table.
Margie and Barry went through the books and picked the things that would best fit
for Jason.
They came across the perfect casket. The casket had a storm blue exterior with a
spruce blue interior and a football symbol inside, quoting a Bible verse.
After they came up with a decision, Margie wanted to go back upstairs.
“Barry, can you help me back upstairs?”
“You sure you don’t want to hang out with your mom and Burnie?” Barry posed as
they walked up the stairs.
“No, I’m not up to it,” Margie said as they continued to the bedroom. “Let Mom and
Burnie figure out the program for the homegoing service.”
Barry laid Margie down on the bed and sat beside her.
“Are you sure you want your mom and Burnie to do the program?” asked Barry.
“Yes, just make sure they leave room for Coach Mackey, Principal Jenkins, and his
teammates to say a few words.”
About the Author:
Kimberley is a professional early childhood educator and entrepreneur. She was born in the small town of Saint George, South Carolina, on September 12, 1982. Graduated from Woodland High School in 2000, Benedict College in 2004 with B.S., Child & Family Development, and from Ashford University in 2013 with a Masters in Early Childhood Education.
After receiving her education and being a military spouse, she held several jobs as a preschool teacher and a preschool director, but she wanted to her education to use by writing children’s books. She wrote her first book in college for her children’s literature course. She has self-published several children books on Amazon.
Currently, she is branching off into writing fiction YA, NA, and A novels on issues in society. She loves writing and would not change it for nothing in this world She is now published by Rhetoric Askew. Kimberley is the author of Our Friendship Matters and Preying on the Church.
Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimberley.jones.3762584/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KimberleyBJones
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberleybjones/
Website: https://www.kimberleybjones.com/
The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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VBT – IF THE LIGHT ESCAPES
If The Light Escapes
by Brenda Marie Smith
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Sci-fi (post-apocalyptic)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
A standalone sequel to IF DARKNESS TAKES US
A solar electromagnetic pulse fried the U.S. grid fourteen months ago. Everything’s gone: power, cars, running water, communications, all governing control and help—gone. Now northern lights have started in Texas—3,000 miles farther south than where they belong. The universe won’t stop screwing with eighteen-year-old Keno Simms.
All that’s left for Keno, his family and neighbors is farming their Austin subdivision, trying to eke out a living on poor soil in the scorching heat. Keno’s still reeling from the the death of his pregnant sister. His beloved Nana is ill, Grandpa’s always brandishing weapons, and water is far too scarce. Desperate thieves are hemming them in, yet he can’t convince his uncle and other adults to take action against the threat.
Keno’s one solace is his love for Alma, who has her own secret sorrows. When he gets her pregnant, he vows to keep her alive no matter what. Yet armed marauders and nature itself collude against him at every turn, forcing him to make choices that rip at his conscience. If he can’t protect Alma and their unborn child, it will be the end of Keno’s world.
IF THE LIGHT ESCAPES is post-apocalyptic science fiction set in a near-future reality, a coming-of-age story told in the voice of a heroic teen who’s forced into manhood too soon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
OPENING LINES:
Bright green lights stream and pulse across the northern sky all night now, growing from thin and wispy to bold and fat, expanding, contracting, sending out bands of yellow streamers like they’re partying on ecstasy at some cosmic rave. The lights are pretty, and they’re hypnotic, and they creep me out to the core.
Northern lights every night for two solid weeks in Texas. Halfway to the equator from where they belong. They’re supposed to be a phenomenon tied to the magnetic poles—it’s a scientific fact.
Nothing is right about this. The only explanation I can think of is that the north and south poles are shifting. I don’t know what that means for the planet and the future of its creatures. We don’t have TVs or talking-head scientists to tell us…
The universe just won’t stop f**king with us.
Today, I’m hoeing corn in our front yard, sweat stinging my eyes. It’s blistering hot out here—early December in what used to be high-tech Austin, until the … sun zapped us with an electromagnetic pulse and took our power, our cars, the damned running water. It stopped pretty much everything—everything modern, that is.
It’s been fourteen months, and all the front yards in our subdivision are mini-cornfields now. We grow beans and veggies in the backyards. It’s a desperate attempt to keep us alive when our food stockpiles run out. Don’t know if it will work, but I’m doing my damnedest to make sure it does.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2018-10-18_Brenda Marie Smith
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Brenda Marie Smith lived off the grid for many years in a farming collective where her sons were delivered by midwives. She’s been a community activist, managed student housing co-ops, produced concerts to raise money for causes, done massive quantities of bookkeeping, and raised a small herd of teenage boys.
Brenda is attracted to stories where everyday characters transcend their own limitations to find their inner heroism. She and her husband reside in a grid-connected, solar-powered home in South Austin, Texas. They have more grown kids and grandkids than they can count.
Her first novel, Something Radiates, is a paranormal romantic thriller; If Darkness Takes Us and its sequel, If the Light Escapes, are post-apocalyptic science fiction.
Social Media:
Website: https://brendamariesmith.com/
Twitter: @bsmithnovelist
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrendaMarieSmithAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brenda_marie_smith/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJlLSnORIyoaygvZ1j49ZKw
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52206957-if-darkness-takes-us
Buy links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Takes-Brenda-Marie-Smith-ebook/dp/B07WK9BQHN/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/if-darkness-takes-us-brenda-marie-smith/1133374442?ean=9781970137835
BookPeople Austin: https://www.bookpeople.com/book/9781970137835
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
Enter to win a $50 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q & A With …
Do you ever wish you were someone else? Who?
I’d like to be a better version of myself—someone who has aged better than I have, who is more present and more helpful to my loved ones. I’d like to have better health so I could go out and meet more of my readers, have book events, visit friends and family, cook healthy meals, play ball with my grandkids, travel, and host lots of parties, large and small.
What did you do on your last birthday?
I was in the middle of a stylistic edit for If the Light Escapes, and I was on a tight deadline. So, I kept right on editing on my birthday, and postponed the celebrations for two weeks—until the edit was out the door. Then my kiddos came to visit me on the back patio at a distance, and my son and his girlfriend made the family’s 5-generation strawberry cake. It was delicious, I got some lovely gifts, but mostly I enjoyed my kids. And I did get some sweet phone calls and messages on the actual day.
What part of the writing process do you dread?
Ha! All of it? I don’t know if “dread” is the best word, but I do have anxiety over every bit of it from the first word on the page, to the critiques and edits, to the publication and marketing. It’s really a mix of excitement and anxiety that gets me too riled-up for my own good. I’m anxious about my story choices, my word choices, the punctuation, but mostly about my ability to tell a clear and compelling story with the depth I want it to have. Probably the most dread-inducing part is waiting for and receiving the first developmental edit from the publisher and wondering if I will be up to the task. Also, not fond of multi-tasking.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
I get stumped sometimes on where I should take the story next, or on what story I want to start writing, what to add, what to cut, how to fill a plot hole. I usually make some notes, and then I spend a lot of time thinking, staring out windows, noodling around on the computer, reading other books, watching TV. I find if I take my mind off the problem, the answers usually bubble up. More often than not, I just start writing anyway, realizing that I may have to throw away a lot of it, but it will get my juices flowing.
Tell us about your latest release.
If the Light Escapes is a post-apocalyptic science-fiction thriller and a standalone sequel to If Darkness Takes Us. An electromagnetic pulse from the sun has fried the entire U.S. grid, and these books focus on a family’s struggle to survive without power, cars, communications, or running water in an Austin, Texas subdivision.
While If Darkness was written from a grandmother’s point of view, If the Light is told in the voice of her grandson, 18-year-old Keno Simms. He’s grappling with grief and family turmoil, he has to farm the yards of the neighborhood to grow their food, and outsiders pose threat after threat. His one solace is his love for Alma, and when he gets her pregnant, he vows to keep her alive if he has to die to do it. But nature and militant marauders put his resolve to the test.
August 18, 2021
Book Blast – THE ACK ACK GIRL
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
It’s 1941 and the German war machine has defeated all of Europe except England. In an effort to force a surrender, the German Luftwaffe is bombing villages and cities the length of the country. As the battle rages, Britain is in desperate need to put more pilots in the air.
To free up more men a new unit is formed: The Ack Ack Girls. Teams of courageous young women will now fight in anti-aircraft stations. Excited to be part of the effort, Ava Armstrong has volunteered for one of the special teams. Her unit just happens to be located near an RAF airfield teaming with pilots. Sparks fly, and not just from artillery, when Ava crosses paths with the highly decorated and handsome Royal Air force pilot, Chris Fairfield.
Read an Excerpt
“I have a couple of favorites. I like Night and Day and Blue Moon,” Ava sang a couple of lines from each and added a shoulder and body sway. “They’re good to dance to.”
“Nice moves.”
“Do you dance?”
“When necessary.”
She wondered what that meant, exactly. She heard her mother in her head advising her not to pry. But what if he had a fiancé and she liked to dance and that was the necessity? Sorry Mum, I have to ask. “Pleasant as this evening has been, flirtations and all, just curious but do you have someone special waiting for you somewhere?”
“No. If I had, I wouldn’t have invited you out.”
“I had to ask.”
“Understandable. What about you?”
“No one special is waiting for me either.”
“Good. Back to the songs. Sing Night and Day again.”
She sang the first line and as she did, Chris put his arms around her and danced with her. The warm touch of his hands felt through her uniform. “You’ve nice moves, yourself.” He pulled her closer. “Oh.”
“My mother insisted my sister and I take ballroom dancing when we were in our teens. She said it was uncivilized not to know how to dance.” Without missing a beat, he added, “We’d make a cracking good recruitment poster. Join the RAF or ATS—”
“And share the starry sky?”
“And share the starry sky, I like it.” He gave her one more whirl and stopped. “I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”
Falling off a cliff, she had no better words to describe the sudden sense of loss. They hardly knew each other. He’d warned her he’d be going within days, but none of that made the loss less acute.
“Well, who knows what the future holds. Maybe I’ll get leave down the road and if I go home, we can meet for drinks or something.” She didn’t know what else to say.
“I don’t want to lose this.” He gestured wide a broad stroke of his arm to the sky. “More starry nights, I hoped you’d agree to write me.”
That jolted the life back into her. “Of course. I don’t want to lose this either.”
He kissed her, thoroughly, deeply, and like no other had.
About the Author:
I was raised in Chicago. My father, a history professor, and my mother, a voracious reader passed on a love of history and books along with a love of travel. My husband and I retired to the Pacific Northwest where we live with four crazy rescue dogs.
I am a retired police detective. After twenty-five years in law enforcement I decided to pursue my dream of writing. I’ve completed a historical-time travel romance series called Knights in Time. I currently write a historical suspense called The Bloodstone Series.
I am also working on a world war two series of novella romances.
https://twitter.com/chriskarlsen1
https://www.instagram.com/chriskarlsenwriter
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4822048.Chris_Karlsen
https://www.pinterest.com/chriskarlsen/_saved/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08VDSQGDM/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-ack-ack-girl/id1554149585?mt=11&id=1554149585&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-ack-ack-girl
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-ack-ack-girl/9781393715412-item.html
Chris Karlsen will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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