C.A. Milson's Blog, page 123
April 11, 2021
Movie Review: Godzilla Vs King Kong
Godzilla Vs King Kong … Review
SPX – Good
Plot – Mediocre
IMDB Rating: 2/10
Downfall: Going by the last installments of the “King Kong” “Godzilla” franchises, I expected a lot more from this installment , rather than the rushed out “Power Rangers/Pacific Rim” piece of trash they threw out with this “installment.”.
What can I say about this “Masterpiece” that “Hollywood” threw at us?
Hmmm lets see….
Don’t waste your time of this $200M+ POC.
Verdict: Wait for the Snyder Cut
April 7, 2021
Book Blast – HE’LL BE WAITING
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.
What would you do to remember? What would you give to forget?
When Tess Porter agrees to pick up her boyfriend’s college pal at the airport on a snowy December night, she has no idea she’s about to embark on the most dangerous ride of her life.
Two days later, the 17-year-old wakes up in a hospital with broken bones, unable to remember how she got there. Her parents are acting strange, and neither James, her boyfriend, nor her best friend, Izzy, has visited.
As she struggles to physically recover, Tess wrestles with haunting questions: What happened? Will her memory ever return? And what if she’s better off not recalling any of it?
Read an Excerpt
A blast of heat smacks my face as I walk through the automatic doors. I look at the monitors. If someone gave me a dime for every time the word “canceled” appears beside a flight, I could buy a private jet.
Stranded holiday travelers sleep on the floor using their suitcases for pillows. Families eat dinner slumped against garbage cans. The stale air smells like French fries and feet. It’s chaos, and though I don’t want to drive again anytime soon, I’m jumpy to get out of here as fast as possible.
Circling the baggage carousels like a shark, I’m bursting with adrenaline after that hell ride. My shirt, damp with sweat, sticks to my skin. I feel chilled beneath Mom’s coat. I’m wondering how I’ll ever find Nick Lawrence in this sea of people when a guy walks up to me. At first, I think he’s going to ask me for money or a ride, but then I take a closer look. Dark hair, dark eyes, empty-looking duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He’s wearing a lightweight hoodie over a t-shirt. The neck is stretched out and wavy. He looks sloppy, not like a guy who attends a top university, but maybe he’s shot from finals too. His eyes, vaguely familiar, meet mine. He holds out a thick, clammy hand. When our palms touch, an electric shock passes between us. He holds my hand a beat too long and smiles, a weird, goofy grin. I have the sudden urge to pull away, turn around, leave him standing there. He doesn’t look like the kind of guy James would befriend, but James always reminds me: Don’t judge a book by its cover.
About the Author:
Liz Alterman lives in New Jersey with her husband and three sons. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Parents, McSweeney’s, and other publications. She spends most days microwaving the same cup of coffee and looking up synonyms.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LizAlterman
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21164511.Liz_Alterman
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/liz-alterman
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liz.alterman
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethalterman
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizalterman
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091N9XH9M
Liz Alterman will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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April 5, 2021
SHE’S THE ONE WHO CARES TOO MUCH
She’s the One Who Cares Too Much
(Book Two of the War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters)
by S. R. Cronin
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GENRE: Historical Fantasy
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BLURB:
Coral, the second of seven sisters, has been hiding her affair with the perfect man until her older sister can get her life together. But the perfect man is getting impatient and now she’s gotten pregnant. Coral decides it’s time to consider her own happiness.
But what does she want? The perfect husband turns out to be less than ideal. She adores the small children she teaches but the idea of being a mother fills her with joy. Meanwhile, her homeland is gripped by fear of a Mongol invasion and she can’t stop crying about everything now that she’s with child.
Then a friend suggests the ever-caring Coral possesses a power well beyond what she or anyone else imagines. Does she? And why is the idea so appealing?
When Coral’s big sister loses faith in the army and decides to craft a way to use magic to save Ilari from the Mongols, she decides Coral’s formidable talent is what the realm needs. Can Coral raise a baby, placate an absent military husband who thinks he’s stopping the invasion, and help her sister save her homeland?
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EXCERPT:
The wedding was only four anks away, and I’d wondered where I’d live afterward. I could stay with my folks, though married women seldom did so. I hadn’t figured Davor would look for a solution but he arrived one morning to announce he’d found a house for me he liked.
We rode to it slowly, in consideration of my pregnancy and the morning sickness that now lasted all day. When ee reached the cottage in the late morning. I loved it as soon as I saw it. It was small, but with a big covered front porch and large trees well cared for by a previous owner. Davor had hired workers to fix it up, as it had been empty awhile, and he was having furniture made to go in it. Furniture for me.
“Best of all,” he said “it’s less than ten minutes ride to your school. Do you think some of the older students, or perhaps your youngest sisters, would watch the baby for you while you teach?”
“You don’t mind if I keep teaching after the baby is born?” This was far better news than I expected.
“Of course not. I won’t be around much; you won’t need to care for me. And I’ve heard you’re uncommonly good with the little ones. I’ll put in a word, let them know how strongly I feel about your getting to use your talents. I think if I twist a few arms…” he gave me that charming smile, “… they’ll let you teach until you near your time to have the baby. Then you can come back after he’s born, whenever you’re ready.”
Well. This made my decision easier. I’d once thought falling in love with a man would be the most important thing in my life, but it now appeared Davor and I didn’t have to love each other for me to get almost everything I wanted. My own house. My own baby. A husband almost everyone else adored. The rare chance to keep teaching after my child was born. And my time to spend as I pleased.
Did it matter that I already knew our marriage would be a sham? It didn’t, at least not nearly as much as I would have guessed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Sherrie Cronin is the author of a collection of six speculative fiction novels known as 46. Ascending and is now in the process of publishing a historical fantasy series called The War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters. A quick look at the synopses of her books makes it obvious she is fascinated by people achieving the astonishing by developing abilities they barely knew they had.
She’s made a lot of stops along the way to writing these novels. She’s lived in seven cities, visited forty-six countries, and worked as a waitress, technical writer, and geophysicist. Now she answers a hot-line. Along the way, she’s lost several cats but acquired a husband who still loves her and three kids who’ve grown up just fine, both despite how odd she is.
All her life she has wanted to either tell these kinds of stories or be Chief Science Officer on the Starship Enterprise. She now lives and writes in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where she admits to occasionally checking her phone for a message from Captain Picard, just in case.
Author Social Media Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cinnabar01
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/46Ascending
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/5805814.Sherrie_Cronin
Amazon: www.amazon.com/Sherrie-Cronin/e/B007FRMO9Q
Author Blog: https://sherriecronin.xyz/
Book Series Blog: https://troublesome7sisters.xyz/
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
S. R. Cronin will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
March 30, 2021
MIDNIGHT MASQUERADE
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.
Sophia is in trouble. Again.
Maybe it’s the masks. Maybe she needs to feel something other than regret. Whatever the reason, she is either daring… or foolish… when she trades places with another submissive, and ends up spending the night in her mysterious boss’s bed.
He doesn’t recognize her, but now she’s had him, she knows one taste of his dark love will never be enough.
Gabriel Ryan has one firm rule: don’t sleep with employees.
Even though he’s infuriated beyond measure to discover Sophia in his bed after a night of mind-blowing pleasure, she is now in his blood. He craves her. Needs her. Yearns for her surrender.
But she is forbidden. He will break her with his dark desires.
When Sophia’s dangerous past waltzes into his club, Gabriel must protect her. He must claim her. And break every single one of his rules to keep her safe.
Read an Excerpt
Son of a bitch!
She’d pulled it off again.
Gabriel Ryan surveyed the crowded scene at Eternal Eros, amazed by the transformation of his club. Tonight, it was decorated for the feast of May Day, with May Day poles stationed throughout the club. Great wreaths, and streamers bursting with colorful flowers were draped along balconies and overhead, transforming the black floors and walls into something bordering on ethereal. The patrons in attendance were fully invested, dressed in all manner of costumes from elegant to bawdy, with the added touch of masks, shielding their real personas, allowing them to transform themselves for the Masquerade Ball. In a few short months, his event coordinator, Sophia, had taken his club from great to the crème de la crème of nightclubs in Denver, catapulting it into the top hot spot in the city.
His bank account wept with joy.
There wasn’t much Gabe relished more than adding to his company’s sizable funds, the exception being finding a sub for the night, and losing himself in the pleasures of the flesh. Not that there had been much of that lately. There always seemed to be one task or another vying for his attention. Eternal Eros was one of many companies under the umbrella of RMD Industries, his family’s conglomerate enterprise that was the parent company for a plethora of businesses—including this club.
Thinking of his event coordinator, he smiled. The ballsy woman was half his size, smart as a whip, immensely creative, and didn’t back away from a fight, not to mention she was a stunning beauty, with one of the purest souls he had ever met.
It really was a shame she worked for him, because she stirred him with her direct gaze and take no prisoners attitude. But since she did, she was in the off-limits category. Gabe prided himself on his control. It was part and parcel of being a Master. In his opinion, a Dom who couldn’t manage his lust and baser instincts, was a piss poor excuse for a Dominant. It was why he followed a set of self-imposed rules he had established years ago.
Rule number one: he didn’t fuck his employees. Ever.
Mixing business with pleasure was simply bad business.
Rule number two: no falling in love. Gabe kept his heart to himself, no matter the scene or the submissive. Nothing good ever came from allowing your emotions to get in the way. It was why he kept his interactions with the opposite sex to the club or the private playroom in his penthouse, but he never allowed the women to spend the night, and didn’t permit them anywhere near his bedroom.
And rule number three: never lose control. A Master who couldn’t control himself and his responses in all things was a sad excuse for a Dom.
About the Author:
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Anya grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Anya never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.
Anya is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance under the name Maggie Mae Gallagher. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the Midwest with her two furry felines.
Website: http://www.anyasummers.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AnyaSummersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/anyabsummers
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15183606.Anya_Summers
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Anya-Summers/e/B01EGTVRKC/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/anya-summers
Instagram: Anya Summers Author
Newsletter: https://anyasummers.com/newsletter/
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2MSosG4
Nook: http://bit.ly/3e0yf8e
Kobo: http://bit.ly/389cG1p
Apple: http://apple.co/30bEOga
Universal: https://books2read.com/u/me7vDl
Anya Summers will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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March 29, 2021
BLOOD OF THE DRAGONFLY
Blood of the Dragonfly
by Hawk MacKinney
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Fiction/Mystery/Suspense
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
While dangling a fishing hook from his flat bottom skiff before dawn, former SEAL-turned-PI Craige Ingram spots grey-black smoke coiling above the treetops across the river in the direction of the Georgia bayous and Corpsewood Manor. Bayou or bogs, fire in the uncut cypress and pines bodes a sense that the river is no barrier to the fire that threatens his ancestral home, Moccasin Hollow. Neither are the bodies later found in the burned mansion of Corpsewood Manor. Craige wastes no time in helping his ex-SEAL buddy Lt. Graysen MacGerald who is now Head of Buckingham Homicide Investigations by unofficially investigating the bodies and an exquisite dragonfly brooch found in the mansion with a reputation for evil, hauntings, and mystery.
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EXCERPT
“How many times you got to be told to stay away from this place?” Clenched fist, a threatening stomp through the ashes and rubble of Corpsewood toward Kenyon, was no bluff.
Kenyon said, “Ain’t got no other place ‘cept them leaky sheds behind the garage. Least before the fire, I had a place to sleep. Got kicked out of my other place.”
“I’ll just bet they let your sweet cheeks sleepover. You’re just the kind of meat they liked to sucker in.”
“Now I got no place, an’ nights are gettin’ colder.”
“Get a job. Quit blowing your money, and you’d have a place of your own. They the ones that hooked you on crystal?”
Kenyon whined, “I told you. I don’t do drugs.”
Steady raven-black gaze, “Cut the crap. Ever’body’s heard all your stories. Out’a your mouth never been nothing but pity-me mewling.” Between a snarl and a chuckle, “I suppose you never done meth, push crank up your nose—whatever’s on the streets to stoke in your arms.” Glanced at the needle tracks on both arms, “Or running out’a veins in your arms and using the ones in your ankles. Wash your stringy, greasy hair; take a bath, stop acting like some mangy animal.”
“I don’t snort crystal or Nazi dope,” Kenyon griped. “You’re like ever’body else, judging someone by the way we live.”
“I don’t care what you’re on, but anyone fool enough to supply you is askin’ for trouble if that goddamn homicide Lieutenant MacGerald starts nosing around, asking questions. And his friggin’ PI SEAL mate Ingram helpin’ him is worse.”
Kenyon wiped his nose across the grimy grunge sleeve of his jacket. “If you hadn’t torched the house, I’d still have me a place.”
Knotted a fist in Kenyon’s jacket, “Buttin’ into stuff that don’t concern you ain’t good for your health. I ain’t telling you again. I didn’t start no fire. I don’t know who did, but if I find out, they won’t be startin’ no more fires.”
Kenyon squinched his face, “Ever’body always puts the blame on me.” Didn’t want no cops finding out he’d done a couple of torch-for-insurance.
Yanked Kenyon eyeball to eyeball closer, “Don’t give me shit, and don’t make trouble. Get your ass off from around Corpsewood Manor, and don’t let me catch you around here again.” Shoved Kenyon backwards against charred support beams.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Hawk MacKinney began writing mysteries for his school newspaper, served in the US Navy for over 20 years, earned two postgraduate degrees with studies in languages and history, taught postgraduate courses in the United States and Jerusalem, authored professional articles and chordate embryology texts on fetal and adult anatomy, and is well known for his works of fiction. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel, was nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award. Both his CAIRNS OF SANCTUARIE science fiction series and the MOCCASIN HOLLOW MYSTERY series have received worldwide recognition.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/698008.Hawk_MacKinney
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Hawk MacKinney will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $20 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for being my guest. Tell us about you as a person.
Nothing earth-shaking. What makes this writer me is how fortunate I was to have lived a childhood and teen years west of the Mississippi on the sprawling unfenced domains of parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, in-laws and outlaws. I was alone but never lonely. There were horses which I rode bareback, a rope halter, no bridle or bit, the saddle left in the barn. One of my favorite memories is of me on my favorite quarter horse with the dogs, waiting for the late afternoon belching-steam engine ramming its long freight along the track, screaking as it highballed through the creek valley. Till my last days, there will remain a harkening in my train-foamer soul for the steam whistle undulating its greeting to me with a big wave from the engineer. It’s a liberty of the free spirit and a refreshing of the soul that no crowded city, credit card or possession can ever achieve.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
The program Director/Publisher of NOVA. It would be such a great opportunity to delve into the mind of this person and find out how they come up with their ideas.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
A blackened set of ruins, anonymous corpses, missing crime reports, designer jewelry mixed with plots and double twists. It is loosely based on a true crime.
What is your writing process?
I write best in my study. No windows, NO music. Editing is the opposite…the hammer-and-screwdriver of cleaning up/deleting junk can be done anywhere, but preferably in the study.
Tell us about your main character/fiction
Many of the characters in the Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series are serial characters. The main character, Craige Ingram, is a Navy Seal no longer on active duty, currently a parttime PI. Having inherited his Grannie’s ancestral Moccasin Hollow land and home on the South Carolina side of the Savanno River—the Isondiga River named for the Isondiga tribe—Craige is comfortable within his Moccasin Hollow home, and he picks and chooses cases that suit him.
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why.
Eric Christian Olsen – he can fill out the characters who are rough around edges, and know the rules but inch over the edge when necessary. But he can go tender with those he cares about.
What are you working on next?
Book 6 of the Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series is in final edit(s). This story is about the unpredictable world of the psychopath who knows the rules but lives by his or her own rules. Seemingly well-adjusted, this is one of the most dangerous personalities that lurks in the emotional crevasses of our killer-ape brains.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?
If you like to write, write. Hunt-and-seek good members for your marketing team. Follow honesty and trust. They’re golden. Ignored the sour apples of jealous…never take their numb-brained bitterness for genuineness – it’s not. Don’t be afraid to market outside of the box. Be innovative.
What is your favorite book on your shelf right now?
The Grammar and Vocabulary of Ancient Hieroglyphs…800 thin fine-print oversized pages. I have only managed the first 10pp. Still working at it –
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
Perhaps not taking myself too seriously. I don’t let being published be the glory of existence and let it go to my head from the wrong end of Mother Nature’s anatomy.
You are given the choice of one superpower. What superpower would you have and why?
An unending supply of inner patience – it can solve issues before they become problems.
List 5 things on your bucket list:
Living long enough to put to write the books from all the notes across my cross-genre draftsHaving a stable with a couple of mixed-blood quarter horses – along with the dogsRemodeling my fishing cabin and living (wild dream) with no phoneHaving time to edit the 2 working drafts in my sci-fi seriesGetting me a used pick’em-up truckWhere can readers find you on the web?
Any final thoughts?
None of them copyrighted…yet.
Hawk MacKinney
www.hawkmackinneyauthor.com
March 23, 2021
THE PLACE BEYOND HER DREAMS
The Place Beyond Her Dreams
by Oby Aligwekwe
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GENRE: YA, Fantasy (Black & African American Fantasy Fiction)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
“We are most courageous at our weakest; when we believe we have faced what we fear the most and have nothing more to lose.”
At the sudden death of her grandfather, Ona’s pain transports her to mystical Luenah—a place of infinite possibilities, free of turf wars and other ills that plague the earthly dimension she lives in. In Luenah, where her grandfather awaits her, Ona learns she is an Eri, one bestowed with unique intuitive and spiritual gifts passed down from generation-to-generation.
On her eighteenth birthday, she returns to Luenah and is handed a box to deposit her ‘exchange’ for love and happiness—her great desires.
Burdened by her quest, Ona crosses paths with danger and heartbreak as the two men that love her dearly are viciously pitted against each other. As evil looms, she learns that dreams carry a hefty price, and no one is who they seem. Now, she must unmask the villain and save the one she loves, even at the risk of losing everything she holds dear.
Set against the backdrop of two warring towns, Oby Aligwekwe’s Young Adult debut—told from the viewpoint of her main character—is inspired by her West African heritage, fables, and spiritual beliefs. Ona’s journey reveals the power of choice, the true source of happiness, and, most importantly, the transformation one must go through to realize and eventually occupy their purpose.
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EXCERPT
Amidst all that chaos, Okem lifted me with both hands and walked in the direction of the house. Everyone stared at us in amazement. Okem had grown from the scrawny child that came to live
with us a few years back to a strong teenager. I couldn’t believe it was the same person who had irritated me so much the first time I met him that sacrificed his own life to save me.
**************
Before long, Okem became my greatest friend, brother, and teacher. My grandmother sent Okem to the community secondary school in Ntebe, and I moved away from home to attend the private co-ed in Ajidi, the big city. Okem’s school wasn’t highly ranked, but it was relatively good. It had produced some high caliber individuals that went on to become successful leaders in the community. In contrast, my school was one of the highest-ranked schools in Ajidi. It was reserved for the brightest and the most privileged pupils—the children of the rich, and top government officials.
Despite the differences in our upbringing, Okem and I treated each other as equals. I wished I could see him every day I was in school. Unfortunately, that luxury was left for the holidays and once a term when he came along with my grandmother on visiting days. On those special occasions, Okem dressed in his Sunday best and wore his hair in a different hairstyle each time to impress me—whatever was in style that season. The haircuts always had a name —“pompadour” or “high top fade,” or “mohawk.” It was always something funny. I could sense his excitement whenever he showed them off. Those occasions were the most memorable of my stay in boarding school.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Oby Aligwekwe is the author of Nfudu and Hazel House. The Place Beyond Her Dreams is her Young Adult debut.
Oby’s first novel, Nfudu, a romance set in 1960’s Paris, received critical acclaim and was featured in publications such as Excellence Magazine and Mosaic Editions. Her second novel, Hazel House, paints a vivid portrait of how the needs of humans collide amidst intense desire and the quest for power. In her Young Adult debut, The Place Beyond Her Dreams, the protagonist Ona goes on a transformative journey to discover her purpose.
A talented writer, Oby is also an inspirational speaker and a chartered accountant. She lives in Oakville, Ontario, with her family and supports her community through her charity Éclat Beginnings.
When Oby is not working on her day job or whipping up stories, she enjoys traveling to exotic locations and bringing pieces of her travel with her. She lives in Oakville, Ontario, with her family and supports her community through her charity Éclat Beginnings.
Amazon author page URL – https://www.amazon.com/Oby-Aligwekwe/e/B076G1J4YC?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000
Barnes and Noble Author URL – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Oby%20Aligwekwe%22?Ntk=P_key_Contributor_List&Ns=P_Sales_Rank&Ntx=mode+matchall
BN Buy Link https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-place-beyond-her-dreams-oby-aligwekwe/1138601469
Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08SLPGCFP/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
March 21, 2021
NIGHT TO DAWN 39
Night to Dawn 39
by Barbara Custer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Dark Fantasy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
The apocalypse of the movie screen and the printed page has become a reality. A microbe threatens humanity, making Corona seem like the common cold. Innocents die to appease young and hungry gods. A doctor feeds the souls of his patients to a demon. Featuring Marge Simon, Lee Clark Zumpe, Margaret L. Carter, Rod Marsden, Matthew Wilson, and other authors.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
Excerpt from Kevin R. Doyle’s “Why is?”
She’s (notice I don’t address her by name, seeing as I have no clue where she came from, let alone her name) spending more and more time out on the enclosed patio these days, while I barely stir from my old rocking chair, all the way across the living room, which has two large doors that open out onto the patio.
In the more normal past, those doors usually stayed shut. With the shoreline only a hundred yards away, all manner of dirt and critters could have invaded the house. But then, as the news got progressively worse, and the lockdowns and quarantines which began in Europe started marching across the globe, Roger went to the trouble and expense of installing the large, transparent plexiglass shell that completely encloses the patio. We got into the habit of throwing open the doors, which gave the illusion of a wide-open space throughout the house.
Minus the invasion of critters.
It seemed a good idea at the time, and Roger installed the material even before the majority of government mandates on how best to combat the scourge. But we didn’t realize that things would stay so permanent, and shortly before he passed away, Roger grumbled at the fact that the once-clear barrier had begun to dull and darken.
Even when I stand right up against it, as I occasionally still do, my old eyes can’t see much besides murk. But if I listen as hard as I can, and there’s no other sound, I can sometimes hear the surf crashing against the shore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Barbara lives near Phila., PA, retired from her job as a respiratory therapist. Nowadays, she chases Mylar balloons at the supermarket, enjoys a fright flick, or works on horror and science fiction tales. Many of her short stories have appeared in numerous small press magazines. She’s been editor of Night to Dawn Magazine since 2004.
Books by Barbara include When Blood Reigns, Twilight Healer, The Forgotten People, Steel Rose, City of Brotherly Death, Close Liaisons, and Life Raft: Earth. She enjoys bringing her medical background to the printed page and then blending it with supernatural horror. She maintains a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and The Writers Coffeehouse forum. Look for the photos with the Mylar balloons, and you’ll find Barbara.
Website: www.bloodredshadow.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/barbara.custer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NighttoDawn1
Amazon Buy Link: – https://www.amazon.com/Night-Dawn-39-Barbara-Custer/dp/1937769674/ref=sr_1_1
BN Buy Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/night-to-dawn-39-barbara-custer/1138692108
Doylestown Bookshop: https://www.doylestownbookshop.com/book/9781937769673
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Barbara Custer will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
March 1, 2021
VBT – COMPANY ASSASSIN
Company Assassin
by Claudia Blood
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Fantasy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
It’s Duff Roman’s eighteenth birthday, but no one is lighting candles.
Turning eighteen in the orphanage on Kalecca means starvation for those who aren’t hired into a Family. Outside the Family compounds lies the jungle. And in the jungle lies death. And Relics—the only real currency on Planet Kalecca.
The orphans are Duff’s family, and he’s sacrificed everything to keep the orphanage running, even his chance to move on. Now, at eighteen, he has no choice but to leave. Without him to bring in extra money, the orphans will starve under the Company’s control. Duff’s only chance to save them is to find a spot on an independent crew and hopefully find a Relic to sell.
A seemingly chance encounter with Z, leader of the most feared independent crew, offers Duff his opportunity to score a Relic. And offers Z a chance to relieve the guilt he feels over his past.
But a company assassin has plans to lay waste to Duff’s future, and the orphanage as well.
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EXCERPT
Matilda from Chapter 4
Matilda sat at the table and threaded the needle. The demon alarm still buzzed in the background. She’d given the kids their assignments and tried to act as normal as possible. She didn’t want them worried about Duff or the demons since even the orphanage had company supplied protections. As long as they stayed in the orphanage, they should be fine.
Miss CuddleBug, Sheila’s doll, needed some surgery. Usually this sort of activity would calm Matilda. She checked her nails and saw the distinctive purple at the base that meant her nanites were activated. She took a deep breath and used the mantras her father had taught her.
Peace is within my reach.
Breathe and breathe again.
“Will Miss CuddleBug be well?” Sheila stood on her tip-toes to see her dolly on the table.
“I’ll get her fixed up.” Matilda stroked Sheila’s hair. Sheila’s complexion grayed. Matilda snatched her hand back. She had to be careful with the little ones when she was this worked up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Claudia Blood’s early introduction to Dungeons and Dragons, combined with her training as a scientist and a side trip into the world of IT set her up to become an award-winning author of Science Fiction and Fantasy.
For her latest release, visit her at http://www.ClaudiaBlood.com
LINKS:
www.ClaudiaBlood.com
facebook.com/AuthorClaudiaBlood
http://bit.ly/ClaudiasAdventurersFB
twitter.com/AuthorClauBlood
instagram.com/authorclaudiablood
Short Story give away for newsletter sign up
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/knyz61msub
BUY links for Trilogy
https://books2read.com/CompanyAssassin
https://books2read.com/HorizonFound
https://books2read.com/TimeRift
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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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you ever wish you were someone else? Who?
I have always wanted to be a dragon. I know it sounds funny, but with that change you are almost guaranteed to be in a world with magic and possibilities.
The best part would be to camouflage myself and people watch. I bet I could make a great chai latte with my flame.
What did you do on your last birthday?
In my house, my hubby’s, my birthday, and our anniversary are a couple weeks apart. So we tend to have them all celebrated together. This last year was not a year that I woke up with a card from my hubby, but I had forgotten to get one for him. Awkward. (That was the year before)
What part of the writing process do you dread?
The part that is the hardest is the editing. When you start your story can be literally anything, but when you edit you have to pick THE story to tell.
For dread, It’s more a dread and hope mix and that’s when I’m sending a book to a beta reader. That inner critic comes out with a megaphone and sirens, but I want the reader to like it.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
Yes. I have suffered writer’s block. It honestly took me a while to figure out I was blocked. I remember one time I had binge read eight books in a weekend. So – if dusting is done or my TBR is smaller in one go, I’m blocked.
I have writing buddies that I call and we talk. It helps to “what if” or even just try to vocalize why whatever I’m working on just isn’t working. If I’m lucky, I have an “ah ha” moment. If not, then I have to either walk the dog, or write a journal entry in a character’s POV.
Or I switch to one of the other projects I’m working on. I think sometimes my subconscious just needs some alone time with the problem.
Tell us about your latest release.
I’m in the middle of releasing a Trilogy. The first book came out on January, 15th. The next book will go live on Feb, 15.
The tagline is: Time is coming apart at the seams.
This series was inspired by a dream about the second book.
The scene opened with a team hacking through the jungle and uncovering this ancient ruin. They were desperately looking for Relics. (whatever that was)
Then inside was an alien machine. Rocks and dust fell down on them as they moved into the room. They put a silver pocket watch on a platform and turned the machine on.
Lights and electricity coalesced on a platform and the whole structure shook. But they stayed inside because they were desperate for one of these Relics.
What appeared on the platform? An ’80’s aerobic instructor who had been pulled forward in time. She was even wearing leg warmers!
I thought wow, I have to figure out what happened!
The first book is about Duff Roman and his desire to save the kids he had to leave behind in the orphanage.
There’s a jungle with monsters, ex-assassins, an obsessed CEO, and secrets.
February 23, 2021
REAPER: AFTERMATH
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.
Five years have passed since the Reapers invaded Earth and tore it asunder. Gregory, his mother, Trent, and their group of scavengers hunt the decimated wastelands for survival.
But when a sudden Reaper attack forces Gregory through a Reaper door, he finds himself in a bizarre place, one that may provide answers to the Reapers’ past and where they came from.
Can Gregory put together the pieces of the past and find his way home, or will he just become another human casualty in the lost war against the Reapers?
Read an Excerpt
Inside the grocery store was just as run-down as it was outside. The late afternoon sun did little to illuminate the space, but our flashlights revealed uneven aisles with busted shelves, dirt and litter-caked tile floors, and thick layers of dust everywhere.
There was a foul stench like rotting flesh that I attributed to the Reapers that had been hiding here. They’d most likely come charging out because we’d unearthed their nesting spot, but their bravery to reveal themselves in daylight was still unnerving. I’d never seen that happen before.
Mom had me stay with the noncombatants while she and the other sharpshooters scoped out the store for signs of Reaper offspring. Female Reapers laid large basketball-sized eggs in nasty gray-veined sacs. The slightest sound could awaken them, and they were formidable due to their size and speed.
Luckily, Mom and the sharpshooters came back momentarily and gave us the all clear. She had us split up in pairs of two, and we each took an aisle to stash supplies. I got paired with a mousy girl named Meredith who pretty much lived at the library back home. We rounded the corner of aisle four, canned goods, and I groaned when I saw its meager contents.
Cans sparsely populated the slanting shelves in tiny rows, a few dozen or so on each side. This was it? After risking our lives to get in here? I wondered how much of the food would still be good. Preservatives or not, it had been five hellish years. Nothing was exempt from that.
“I’ll take the right side,” I told Meredith. I walked ahead of her to my side of lopsided racks as I unzipped my large supply bag. I shone my light on the first can I saw. Sliced Beets. I recoiled. Grandma food. I begrudgingly threw the can and a few identical ones behind it into my bag, then moved on to the next row.
Dinty Moore beef stew. I chuckled to myself. More like dog food. After a couple minutes of scrounging I was done with my side, and boy was it depressing. Turnip greens, diced rutabaga, menudo. What the hell happened to carrots and green beans, peaches and pineapple? I didn’t even want to think of what monstrosities the cooks would make out of this stuff back home.
I glanced back at Meredith. She was looking over the cans meticulously, taking her time before placing each one in her bag. Geez, what was her damage? Our job was simple; put the goods in the bag and go. At her speed, we wouldn’t get out of here until nightfall when the Reapers came out in droves.
I tried waiting for her, but my patience wore out. In my frustration, I noticed the back aisle of the store. Several rows of knickknacks laid virtually untouched, and I weighed my options.
What was the harm? The others weren’t that far away, and with Mom’s birthday just weeks from now I had to find a present for her. I walked ahead in slow cautious steps, entering the back aisle. No one else was here. In front of me and panning to my left were the racks of trinkets I’d seen. This side of the aisle ended in a back room separated by tall, thin sheets of plastic. To my right was a freezer section. Whatever was in there had long since spoiled without electricity.
I rummaged through rows of untouched doodads, clouds of dust rising as I went. Most of it turned out to be junk: small stuffed teddy bears, fake jewelry, pinwheels, and other cheap crap. When I unearthed a small globe-shaped object, I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but as I brushed it off I couldn’t help a small squeal of excitement.
Mom always had a fascination with snow globes. I guess she just thought they were beautiful. This one said Billings, Montana and had a small, insignificant skyline. When I shook it, little flurries inside stirred to life. I smiled. She was going to love it.
I set my supply bag down on the ground, shuffling cans around to make room for the trinket down below so no one would see it. As I sorted through my supplies, one of the cans fell out and rolled down the dirty tiled floor to the entrance of the back room before settling. I groaned to myself and walked over before picking up the can. Sliced beets. I shook my head and chuckled. Fucking beets, man.
Suddenly, all the hairs on my body stood on end. I jerked my head up just in time to see a tall dark silhouette lurking behind the thick lines of plastic. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
As I backed away, the Reaper emerged from the back room into the aisle. This one was just like the other two we’d killed, boils, teeth, foul odor, and all. But unlike before, there was nothing between it and me.
“Reaper!” I spun around and bolted, only to catch my feet on my own supply bag. I went plummeting to the ground, cushioned by trash and dirt.
The monster gave a horrendous howl of rage just feet away, and I scrambled forward futilely. It was all over. At this range, there was no way I could esca–
Several thunderous gunshots sounded ahead of me, followed by a wail of pain from the Reaper. I looked up. It was Carlos, one of the only noncombatants with a gun.
“Get behind me!” he shouted.
I double-timed my crawl to him as he fired several more shots at the Reaper, the last one ending in a click from his gun. Carlos’s face went white. Oh shit, he was out of bullets! I closed my eyes in defeat, expecting the Reaper’s long claws to rake into my back and through my body at any moment. Instead, all I felt was a rush of air as the Reaper leaped over me and charged Carlos.
He punched and kicked fruitlessly as the Reaper grabbed him and lifted him into the air. It gave a hideous screech as it shoved Carlos headfirst into the glass door of the refrigerated section, keeping its grip on him. As it removed Carlos, I fought the vomit that lurched up my throat.
Large glass shards embedded in his face jutted out in all directions, blood flowing freely from each wound. He gave a gurgled cry before the Reaper threw him down to the floor.
Loud footsteps echoed closer to us.
“Over here!” I called out.
As Mom and several others entered the aisle, the Reaper lifted its razor-sharp claws, bringing them down on Carlos.
A deafening hail of bullets pounded all around me. I sank to the ground, covering my ears and closing my eyes until the carnage quieted. When I opened them again, the Reaper was in front of me, lying on the floor in a pool of its own black blood. As I set my eyes on Carlos, I gaped in horror. We were too late. Carlos was dead.
About the Author:
Jonathan Pongratz is a writer and author of captivating horror, fantasy, and other speculative fiction stories. When he’s not writing, he’s busy being a bookworm, video game junkie, and karaoke vocalist. A former resident of Dallas, he currently resides in Kansas City with his Halloween cat Ajax. By day he works magic in finance, by night he creates dark and mesmerizing worlds.
Website: http://www.jonathanpongratz.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jonathanpongratz
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/jonathanpongratz
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jonathan-pongratz
Tumblr: https://jonathanpongratz.tumblr.com/
Reaper: Aftermath Universal Ebook Link: https://buy.bookfunnel.com/3asmrg39g7
Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578827441
Barnes and Noble Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reaper-jonathan-pongratz/1138649891
Reaper: A Horror Novella Universal Ebook Link: https://buy.bookfunnel.com/yaar1pv37e
Jonathan Pongratz will be awarding a 15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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February 22, 2021
VBT – HAUNTING IN OLD TAILEM
HAUNTING IN OLD TAILEM
by Janice Tremayne
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GENRE: Supernatural suspense, horror
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BLURB:
An Australian Ghost town. A resident demon and a local Shaman. A confrontation with evil awaits.
Clarisse realizes that running from evil is not a bad idea until you figure out you can’t hide. When some ghosts get tired of hanging around, they latch onto you. At the centre of the war on evil is a historic Church that carries dark secrets within its walls. After she meets with the local Shaman, Clarisse discovers secrets with evil consequences by digging too deep into the town’s past. When matters become complicated, she visits a circus of young performers on the outskirts of town triggering unexpected paranormal events and unleashing memories of a one-hundred-year curse. After being caught in the crossfire of a battle for evil supremacy, Clarisse confronts Little Charlie as he rallies the town’s ghosts into an impeccable evil stronghold.
Can the local Shaman and townsfolk rally in her quest to defeat the evil incarnate or will the town succumb to Little Charlie and his evil crew?
Haunting in Old Tailem is the third book of the Haunting Clarisse Series. If you like spine-tingling, chilling, creepy and spooky supernatural thrillers, then you will love this story by 2020 USA Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards Finalist in Supernatural Fiction, Janice Tremayne.
Pick up your copy today and follow Clarisse through her battles with evil!
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EXCERPT
He hung with the rope around his neck, his tongue sticking out with a red-starved oxygen face. At the same time, he was smiling as though he was only having fun. Death was a reenactment that he had become accustomed to, to the point he thought it funny; a way of horrifying others and making them pay attention. He had a young mind—innocent and conditioned to get the attention of others. Little Charlie didn’t know whether he was dead or alive; far too young to understand. As far as he was concerned, tying a loop around his neck, jumping, and choking to death made him realize he felt no pain. He could do it over and over again.
Clarisse knew from her encounter in Hartley that Little Charlie was an attention seeker and someone who liked to cling onto you. That could explain how he had ended up in Old Tailem Town. Running away from evil might seem like a good idea at the time, but you could not hide.
“Come over here, Little Charlie. There is nothing to be afraid of,” she said.
He replied with a cheeky grin on his boyish face. His mousy brown hair thrown from side to side, he signaled with his right index finger, waving it left to right many times.
“Nuh-uh,” he mimed, his way of saying no.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Janice Tremayne is an Amazon bestselling and award-winning ghost and supernatural writer. Janice is a finalist in the Readers’ Favorite 2020 International Book Awards in Fiction-Supernatural.
She is an emerging Australian author who lives with her family in Melbourne. Her recent publication, Haunting in Hartley, reached number one on the Amazon kindle ranking for Occult, Supernatural, and Ghosts and Haunted Houses categories, for hot new releases and bestsellers.
Janice is well-versed in her cultural superstitions and how they influence daily life and customs. She has developed a passion and style for writing ghost and supernatural novels for new adult readers.
The concept of writing the Haunting Clarisse series was spawned over a cup of coffee many years ago, and she has not looked back since. Her books contain heart-thumping, bone-chilling, and thought-provoking ghost and paranormal experiences that deliver a new twist to every tale.
www.janicetremayne.com.au
author@janicetremayne.com
https://www.facebook.com/hauntingclarisse
Buy the series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HGPL2G5
Buy Haunting in Old Tailem: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B524JNW
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
THE AUTHOR WILL BE GIVING AWAY:
A print copy of the book to a randomly drawn winner
Enter to win a print copy of the book – a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Q&A With …
Tell us about you as a person.
So, it here comes—Janice Tremayne is my pen name. I write under the pen name of Janice Tremayne to separate my writing from my business life. In real life, I am married to my beautiful wife and two children. I am Australian and live in Melbourne. Yes, I am a male!
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
I would like to spend a day with Stephen King and pick his brains about writing. Because I am a fan of his writing, I would like to get his perspective on what makes a great story and writing technique—learn more about the craft.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
My latest series is the Zack Bolder Supernatural Thrillers. Books one and two are launched, and I am writing book three. The story has the hallmark of everything I enjoy writing—a unique storyline, supernatural elements, thriller and suspense and characters that grow on you. There is the banter between the characters that also makes the story enjoyable. They are all based on real Australian ghost towns for the setting.
What is your writing process?
I plan my writing in advance from a thought process. I know what I am going to write about. Most of my ideas come from walking around the lake on a sunny day—when the endorphins kick in. I like to listen to music that helps stimulate my senses and creativity and set the mood. So, you will often see me writing with my headset on or talking to myself when walking around the like—people must think I’m mad!
Tell us about your main character.
In the Zack Bolder series, the main character is a priest turned parapsychologist—yes, it’s a mouthful but also intriguing. Zack Bolder is assigned to the police force to help solve supernatural murders. He is young, good looking and you would never think of him as a priest if you walked past him along the road. He can reach the dead and spirits (Reacher or lightworker).
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why.
It would have to be the Australian actor Chris Hemsworth. He has the right looks and age. I also believe he has the skills to portray a character like Zack Bolder convincingly with all his character’s peculiarities.
What are you working on next?
I’m working on book three of the Zack Bolder series—Guilt-Edged. It’s a hell of a story, and I take the protagonist and antagonist to another level. However, in another Australian ghost town and an unsolved murder, this demon screws with your head and is not your typical poltergeist. I’m having fun writing it!
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?
Learn as much as you can about book marketing—its essential. Your first book will not be your best, and it won’t be until you write book two or three that you will start to put together some great stuff. Try not to over market the first book but built a strategy around two or three books.
What is your favorite book on your shelf right now?
Stephen King-The Stand
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
I have a very imaginative and creative mind. I can conjure up stories that readers find refreshing and different. It helps me with my branding and providing a point of difference.
You are given the choice of one super power. What super power would you have and why?
To be invincible like a fly on the wall!
List 5 things on your bucket list:
To write a best seller.To give something back to the community through charityChanging careers successfully (I don’t want to work in a corporate job anymore)Travel to AntarcticaRediscover my faith and be humble.
Any final thoughts?
We don’t write for the money but for the love of the craft. When I get messages from readers halfway around the world in small towns I have not heard before—I pinch myself. I can’t think of many jobs in life that enable you to reach people in such away. And for that short time that they engaged in your writing and their precious time to your story—it’s a privilege.
