C.A. Milson's Blog, page 177
September 5, 2017
Book Trailer Blitz – Emily Stone Thriller Series
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About the Author
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Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning crime fiction author and consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent sociopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
About the Book:
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Title: EMILY STONE THRILLER SERIES
Author: Jennifer Chase
Publisher: JEC Press
Genre: Crime Thriller
BOOK BLURB:
Vigilante detective Emily Stone hunts serial killers and child abductors, covertly and under the law enforcement radar. She uses her fine-tuned skills of criminal profiling and forensic perceptiveness to locate predators that cops cannot or will not find. She is trained, she is tough, she is serious, and she gets results.
With Stone’s toughest cases yet, the killer immediately crosses her radar and sends her into the dark territory of a serial killer’s mind—to the point of no return.
Take your pick of any of the award-winning, stand-alone books and tag along with a serial killer hunter.
ORDER YOUR COPY:
Amazon
Book Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCbpk4jwtZY&feature=youtu.be
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #pumpupyourbook, Crime Thriller, JChaseNovelist, Jennifer Chase, Pump Up Your Book, PUYB Virtual Book Club
A Shape on the Air – Book Blast
Title:
A SHAPE ON THE AIR
Author: Julia H. Ibbotson
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Pages: 267
Genre: Medieval Timeslip Romance
Unlocking a love that lasts for lifetimes … and beyond …
Dr Viv Dulac, a lecturer in medieval studies, is devastated when her partner walks
out (and with her best friend too) and it seems that she is about to lose everything. Drunk and desperate, her world quite literally turns upside down when she finds herself in the body of the fifth century Lady Vivianne. Lady V has her own traumas; she is struggling with the shifting values of the Dark Ages and her forced betrothal to the brutish Sir Pelleas, who is implicated in the death of her parents. Haunted by both Lady Vivianne and by Viv’s own parents’ death and legacy, can Viv unlock the mystery that surrounds and connects their two lives, 1500 years apart, and bring peace to them both? Can the strange key she finds hold the truth? A haunting story of lives intertwining across the ages, of the triumph of the human spirit and of dreams lost and found.
ORDER YOUR COPY:
Amazon
Prologue
1500 years before
Lady Nymue, her
mother, is rising from the mere like a spirit: tall, slow like a dream,
over-gown falling in slim folds from her waist. Vivianne sees her in a haze of
mist, like magic, an illusion. She feels it, that enchantment, and it is
enfolding her, but making her shiver, too. Her life-giver, robes dry despite
the water, is coming towards her as she stands anxiously on the bank, waiting
impatiently, calling out urgently, hopping from one foot to the other, tangling
her feet in her earth-sweeping kirtle, longing to rejoin her playmates who are
chasing around the village pretending to be Roman soldiers. Her mother,
reaching out a hand to her, is shaking her head, but laughing. Be more patient,
my little Lady Vivianne, she says, I have not completed my rituals, but let me
wrap you in my cloak, for I must return to the mere. But she is only a little
girl and something is making her feel cold, frightened. No, she calls, sticking
out her lower lip, I want to play! I want to be Honorius this time! They
promised! Eleanor will play my wife – or maybe my lady servant.
Her mother is
ruffling her soft curls. Well, then, she smiles, I will return later to finish.
She is lifted onto her mother’s horse, in front, held close. Dry, warm,
comforting. Riding back to the village. Her care-giver is taking her back to
play with her friends again. Her mother turns to the special hall which her
father, Sir Tristram, called “sacred” and where she is only allowed to go
sometimes.
And then, fire,
flames, the acrid smell of smoke. Looking across to the great hall, terror
strangling her heart, stealing her breath. Running towards the wooden building,
through the ash and cinders and the roaring, screaming now, choking. Someone
holding her back, pulling her.
Darkness.
Waking up in her
little bed. A big red-faced man in the shadows, haloed with a fair unruly beard
and thick wild hair, telling her that her parents were dead, burned in the
fire. Her mother and her father, both of them. An accident with tallows. She
knows those tallows; they are always on the altar in the sacred hall. They are
only spoken of in whispers. But this man is speaking in a strange way, loud,
too loud, and it seems to her, sneering, as she peers at him through the
darkness.
Julia Ibbotson is giving away a PDF
copy of ‘Drumbeats’!
Terms & Conditions:
By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter
This giveaway ends midnight September 29.
Winner will be contacted via email on September 30.
Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!
ENTER TO WIN!
Award-winning author Julia Ibbotson is obsessed with the medieval world and concepts of time travel. She read English at Keele University, England (after a turbulent but exciting gap year in Ghana) specialising in medieval studies, and has a PhD in linguistics. She wrote her first novel at 10 years of age, but became a teacher, lecturer and researcher, and a single mum. Julia has published four books, including a children’s book S.C.A.R.S (a fantasy medieval time slip), a memoir, and the first two novels of her Drumbeats trilogy (which begins in Ghana). Apart from insatiable reading, she loves travelling the world, singing in choirs, swimming, yoga, and walking in the English countryside.
Her recent release is A Shape on the Air .
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #JuliaIbbotson, #pumpupyourbook, A SHAPE ON THE AIR, Ebook giveaway, Julia H. Ibbotson, Pump Up Your Book, PUYB
September 4, 2017
Book Blast – Forestry Flavours of the Month
Publication Date: May 20, 2016
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Formats: Ebook
Pages: 228
Genre: Biography
Tour Dates: September 4 – 15
Forestry touches on all aspects of human welfare in one way or another, which is why foresters need to play an active role in determining our collective agenda. Alastair Fraser, a lifelong forester and the co-founder of LTS International, a forestry consulting company, explains how forestry changes with political cycles and how foresters can promote healthy forests at all times.
He explores critical issues such as:
• forests and their connection to coal;
• forest’s role in combatting floods and climate change;
• illegal logging in Indonesia, Laos, and elsewhere;
• tactics to promote sustainable forestry management;
• plantations as a solution to tropical deforestation.
From pulping in Sweden and Brazil, paper mills in Greece and India, agroforestry in the Philippines, “pink” disease in India and oil bearing trees of Vietnam, no topic is off limits. Based on the author’s life as a forester in dozens of countries, this account shows the breadth of forestry and makes a convincing case that forestry management needs to focus on managing change and achieving sustainability. Whether you’re preparing to become a forester, already in the field, or involved with conservation, the environment or government, you’ll be driven to action with Forestry Flavours of the Month.
SIGN UP HERE
Alastair Fraser is a founder member of the archaeology group No Man s Land. He has worked as researcher and participant in a number of Great War documentaries. Steve Roberts is a retired police officer and an ex-regular soldier. He specialises in researching individuals who served during the war and is also a founder member of No Man s Land. Andrew Robertshaw frequently appears on television as a commentator on battlefield archaeology and the soldier in history, and he has coordinated the work of No Man s Land. His publications include Somme 1 July 1916: Tragedy and Triumph, Digging the Trenches (with David Kenyon) and The Platoon.
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #pumpupyourbook, Alastair Fraser, Forestry Flavours of the Month, Pump Up Your Book, PUYB
September 3, 2017
Book Blast – A Poet’s Diary 1
Publication Date: May 30, 2017
Publisher: Xlibris
Formats: Ebook
Pages: 58
Genre: Poetry
Tour Dates: September 4 – 15
A Poet’s Diary 1 is a collection of thought-provoking poems such as, “It Doesn’t Stop Me from Being Happy,” “When I Think of Love,” “Police State,” and “God’s Recipe for Love. ”
As his poetic words flow, thought-provoking observations and experiences will have the reader mentally and emotionally stimulated.
SIGN UP HERE
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #pumpupyourbook, A Poet's Diary 1, Earnest Navar Williams, Pump Up Your Book, PUYB
Book Blast – The Billionaire in Her Bed
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The Billionaire in Her Bed
by Regina Kyle
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GENRE: Contemporary Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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BLURB:
Real estate mogul Eli Ward needs to keep a low profile on his new project. He’s expecting a fight from the somewhat eclectic folks currently living there. What he doesn’t expect is for that fight to be led by Brooke Worthington, the woman who rocked his world one unforgettable night. The one woman who doesn’t know who he is, which is a good thing. She just sees him as a regular guy. It’s refreshing.
Graphic designer and part-time bartender Brooke Worthington refuses to follow her family’s plan for her. She’s too busy building her artistic career. She doesn’t have time for relationships, either, especially with the super hot Eli, because she has to save the building she lives in with people she thinks of as her real family from some greedy real estate billionaire.
These two have secrets and chemistry that is nothing short of explosive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK EXCERPT
Brooke cleared her throat for attention. “Okay, people.As exciting as our new addition is, we’re still in the middle of a meeting here.”
“We can deal with the garden later. I want to hear more about Eli.”
An older woman eyed him appraisingly from the sofa. The gray-haired man next to her blew a loud raspberry,but she continued, undeterred.
“I don’t see a ring on your finger. Tell me, young man, do you have a girlfriend?”
“Or a boyfriend?” asked David, the arm around Chris tightening.
“I’m straight,” Eli assured him, then directed his gaze at Brooke. “And single.”
She ignored him and started in on the bean dip.
“Oh, what a pity.” The older woman tsked her disapproval. “A handsome young man like you should have someone to come home to.”
“Get a dog,” the man next to her suggested. “Less expensive than a woman, and they never talk back.”
“Or cook dinner,” said the woman next to him, who Eli had figured out must be his wife. “Or do your laundry. Or…”
“See what I mean about talking back?” Her husband pushed his wire-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose.
“Dog’s definitely the way to go.”
“About the garden…” Brooke tried again.
“Is it true, what Chris said?” Charise piped up. “Do you and Eli really know each other?”
“Were you two an item?”
David asked, jumping on the way-too-personal bandwagon.
“Despite what you all seem to think, this is not Melrose Place.”
Brooke adopted a Wonder Woman power pose,hands balled into fists on her hips and feet planted firmly apart. “And I am not sharing the details of my private life at a tenants’ meeting.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
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Regina Kyle knew she was destined to be an author when she won a writing contest at age ten with a touching tale about a squirrel and a nut pie. By day, she writes dry legal briefs, representing the state in criminal appeals. At night, she writes steamy romance with heart and humor.
A lover of all things theatrical, Regina lives on the Connecticut coast with her husband, teenage daughter and two melodramatic cats. When she’s not writing, she’s most likely singing, reading, cooking or watching bad reality television. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America and of her local RWA chapter. Her book Triple Dare was a 2016 Booksellers’ Best Award winner.
Social Media:
www.facebook.com/reginakyleauthor
www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomreginakyle
https://www.pinterest.com/reginakyleautho/
https://twitter.com/Regina_Kyle1
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074SYQX47/
BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/billionaire-in-her-bed-regina-kyle/1126974476?ean=9781640631946
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Regina will be awarding a signed copy of Triple Score, her last book for Harlequin Blaze to a randomly drawn winner (US only) via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a signed book – a Rafflecopter giveaway
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #bookexcerpt, #Regina_Kyle1, Contemporary Romance, Goddess Fish Promotions, Rafflecopter giveaway, Regina Kyle, The Billionaire in Her Bed
Don’t Call Me Crazy – Book Trailer Blast
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/-OmTskvZNoI?rel=0
Title:
DON’T CALL ME CRAZY! I’M JUST IN LOVE WITH GOD
Author: Swiyyah Woodard
Publisher: Swiyyah Productions, Inc.
Pages: 229
Genre: Inspirational / Motivational / Romance / Christian
BOOK
BLURB:
Because of God, nothing will
stop Anika from marrying the love of her life, not even paranoid schizophrenia.
You don’t want to miss this spiritual journey filled with inspiration and
power.
This book is insightful and perceptive. Inspired by a
true story. Few people consider the God factor in mental health. Join Anika and
journey with her as she receives revelations from God while on her walk to
overcome mental illness and naiveness towards religion. Required reading for
High schools and colleges.
ORDER YOUR COPY:
Amazon| Barnes & Noble
Anika begins to lose her mind. While continuing to stare at the television
set, Anika sees a vision of Jesus. He appears to her in just as perfect form
and image as the paintings on Mary’s wall. She then hears Jesus speak, “I am
the son of God.” Then just as fast as he appears, he leaves her vision.
“Did
you see him? Did you see Jesus?” Anika turns and looks at her friends. Words
are stuck within their throats.
“Did
you see him? Did you see Jesus?” Anika repeats once more.
“Anika, you’re really scaring us. I thought
you were Muslim?” Mary says.
Anika then feels as if someone was
controlling her thoughts. “Forgive
yourself.”
She then begins to ramble, “Atoms are
neither created nor destroyed. There was always an existence. You have to take
baby steps to understand how this existence works, where we came from, how it started.
Don’t jump from A to Z. No, you must go from A to C. Take a break. It has been
painted. First there was nothing; it was blackness, pitch blackness. There was
first the black hole. A plumber can understand the black hole. There was a
white light. The creator is positive energy. We all have a little bit of
positive energy. A person of positivity can change your life without saying a
word. We try to increase positive energy which is the same as increasing
spiritually. Once we are of that same positivity as the creator, we become one
with him. Only a few souls have reached this level of existence. The rest of us
are growing spiritually so we can reach that level.“
It appears to Anika that she is making sense as she began to explain
herself, justifying her words.
“Positive times positive equals positive. Negative times positive equals
negative. Therefore, if you have any negativity in you, you cannot become one
with positivity.”
“The creator is all positive energy. Negative times negative equals
positive. If you learn from loads of negativity you will learn from your
mistakes and become all positive. It’s mathematics. Everything stems from
mathematics. Less than a cup of wine is what I need to rest. Don’t want to
scare away this beautiful spirit controlling my thoughts.” While holding the
sides of her head trying to rid her racing thoughts, she runs into the kitchen
and pours herself a cup of wine. She then thinks, “no one will ever have to
go through what I went through again!”
Anika takes a look at her past to see how
in the world she got to this point in her life.
Swiyyah Nadirah Woodard was selected as
a Bay News 9 Everyday Hero, which was seen by two million viewers, for
publishing a book and teaching the community about her own battle with mental
illness. She was hospitalized six times and misdiagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
Her first book, Don’t Call Me Crazy! I’m Just in Love, became required
and suggested reading in Reading, Writing, Abnormal Psychology, and General
Psychology classes at a four year Institution.
She was born in the housing projects of Saint Petersburg, FL. Her father left when she was three so
she was raised in a single parent home. At the age of five she was
molested by her eight year old brother. She
later started school, she had slurred speech and didn’t care to make friends so
she was bullied by her peers. At the age of eight, she wanted to kill herself
because a girl wanted to fight her. She looked into the medicine cabinet for
medication. Thank God, she couldn’t find any.
As a teenager she was physically abused by her
step dad. The abuse was so severe, God blocked it from her memory. At the age
of 20 the brother that molested her committed suicide, which was devastating to
her and the entire family. Swiyyah has always viewed herself as normal. She
never received any disciplinary problems in school, made good grades, and
received her BA degree in Psychology from the University of South Florida.
When the doctors misdiagnosed her with the most
debilitating mental disorder known in mental health, paranoid schizophrenia,
she denied it. She questioned their expertise. She refused to take medication.
She was then hospitalized six times. Her family took a picture of her at her
worst and that’s when she knew she needed help. She has been taking medication
now for ten years without a relapse.
She is now a published author and a National
Inspirational Speaker. Her first book is entitled, “Don’t Call Me Crazy! I’m
just in Love,” and is inspired by her true story.
She was raised Muslim and the revelations she
received from God and placed in her books, didn’t make any since until she meet
her Christian husband 14 years after her first relapse.
Please contact Swiyyah to book speaking
engagements, life coaching, author and speaker coaching, radio and TV
interviews, or to purchase her books at 727-495-3217, Swiyyah@swiyyah.com.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
Filed under: Guest Authors, Release Blitz Tagged: #swiyyah, Book Trailer Blast, Don’t Call Me Crazy, Pump Up Your Book, PUYB, Swiyyah Woodard
August 28, 2017
VBT – Magdalena Gottschalk: The Crooked Trail
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About the Book
Title: Magdalena Gottschalk: The Crooked Trail
Author: M. Gail Grant
Genre: YA Fantasy
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The enchanted secret of Lily Brooke was safe and sound, until Magdalena and her thirteen-year-old friends accidentally unleashed the revengeful demons of the past. How were they supposed to know that a friendly expedition in the woods on a stress-free Saturday morning would lead to the most intense and scary moments of their lives? So many mysterious happenings have occurred ever since they found that crooked trail leading to the sacrificial cave, and hidden monstrosity of a treehouse. With the chanting voices and shrill noises that only Magdalena could hear, the friends decide there is something sinister living amongst them. Time is of the essence to save Lily Brooke and their childhood club, the Mystical Alliance of Lily Brooke, knows it is up to them to capture the demons hiding in their community and set the town free. Witches, wizards, and some black magic may just be what it takes for Magdalena and her best friends to save the day.
Author Bio
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Melinda Gail resides in Canton, Georgia with her three daughters, husband of over twenty years, and two adorable fur babies. Surrounded by the north Georgia mountains, the scenery provides for inspirational settings for her novels. Being raised in the south, she brings a little southern flair and tradition to her characters, all the while remembering the adventurous nature of middle grades to young adult age children. With a passion for the extraordinary and imagination, Melinda hopes you enter a world of fantasy as you see life through the eyes of the characters.
Writing has always been her underlying passion in life. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, and a minor in Sociology, she felt understanding and studying human behavior on the individual and collective level, would apply to anything and everything chosen to do in life. Identified as being a strong writer for her age at the time, she attended a summer literary writer’s camp around age twelve. She flourished and loved every moment of the experience and it has stayed with her throughout adulthood.
The desire to write has always been an integral part of who Melinda is, and about eight months ago she decided it was time. Having always been an avid reader of topics from intense young adult fantasy and thrillers, to light hearted summer romances, she chose juvenile to young adult ages for her book. In middle school summers, she would stay up to the wee hours of the morning reading because she just couldn’t put the book down. This basic idea, not being able to put a book down, is the principal she built on while writing Magdalen Gottschalk: The Crooked Trail. It has moments of ease, moments of intensity, moments of humor, striving to offer some of her own personality in her writings. There is a time for sweetness, a time for seriousness, and always a time for kindness and life lessons. Her style isn’t made up. It is simply who she is, on paper.
Links
For author signed paperback and hardcover editions: http://www.MelindaGailBooks.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35580384-magdalena-gottschalk
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/MelindaGailAuthor
Instagram: http://www.Instagram.com/MelindaGailAuthor
Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/MelindaGAuthor
Amazon purchases: http://www.amazon.com/Magdalena-Gottschalk-M-Gail-Grant/dp/069291210X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502285261&sr=8-1&keywords=magdalena+gottschalk
Barnes & Noble purchases: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/magdalena-gottschalk-melinda-gail-grant/1126658125?ean=9780692912102
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #MelindaGAuthor, Enchanted book promotions, M. Gail Grant, Magdalena Gottschalk: The Crooked Trail, YA Fantasy
August 27, 2017
VBT – Krait’s Redemption
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About the Book
Title: Krait’s Redemption
Author: T.L. Shreffler
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: September 12, 2017
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With winter solstice fast approaching, Sora and her companions are running out of time. She must stop The Shade from awakening the Dark God, yet a powerful force has overtaken her Cat’s-Eye necklace, rendering the stone almost useless. To use the stone, Sora must learn to trust her instincts and embrace her own inner strength. She joins forces with unexpected allies, Lord Gracen Seabourne among them, to protect the City of Crowns. As the city dissolves into chaos, she finds herself barreling toward an epic battle that will decide the fate of mankind.
At risk to his own life, Crash returns to the Hive seeking aid against Cerastes. However, the events that led him into exile have not been forgotten. Will the Hive offer him redemption, or will they demand he pay the ultimate price for his transgressions?
Join Sora and Crash in their epic battle to save the City of Crowns!
Author Bio
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T. L. Shreffler is a noblewoman living in the sunny acres of San Fernando Valley, California. She enjoys frolicking through meadows, sipping iced tea, exploring the unknown reaches of her homeland and unearthing rare artifacts in thrift stores. She holds a Bachelors in Eloquence (English) and writes YA Fantasy, Paranormal Romance and poetry. She has previously been published in Eclipse: A Literary Anthology and The Northridge Review.
Website – http://www.catseyechronicles.com
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/catseyeauthor
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/tlshreffler
Google+ – https://plus.google.com/+TLShreffler
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/catseyeauthor/
Instagram – http://www.instagram.com/catseyeauthor
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5138153
Amazon Author Page Link – https://www.amazon.com/T.-L.-Shreffler/e/B00AGIYQR4/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Pre-order available now!
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Kraits-Redemption-Cats-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B073NQCDGY
NOOK: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kraits-redemption-t-l-shreffler/1126694513?ean=2940158962882
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/sora-s-quest-the-cat-s-eye-chronicles-1
ITUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/kraits-redemption/id1264145659?mt=11
Giveaway
Win 1 signed copy of Krait’s Redemption, 1 Cat’s Eye Necklace or 1 free eBook copy of the book during our giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
EXCERPT
Prologue
Crash watched the bonfires in the distance.
Each day, more devotees swelled the Shade’s ranks. Shadow portals transported them from cities, from fields and mountains—from anywhere—to this forsaken desert. Nameless warriors pooled beneath a red plateau that towered in the twilight, blocking the moon.
An army of the lost, Crash thought. Their burning pyres beckoned to him like lighthouses on a foreign shore. But he had left those fires behind, walking miles into the flat desert to sit among the sand.
The Shade’s encampment might be in the Desert of Ester, but he wasn’t sure. His sense of certainty had fled long ago. He wondered at this unprecedented gathering. He wondered at the royal city’s evacuation, so close to winter solstice night.
He watched the fires glint against the darkness. He watched, and sat, and pondered. At first, Cerastes’ army had puzzled him. He didn’t know why a Grandmaster, typically a solitary figure concerned with martial discipline and meditation, would want to gather so many numbers. But now, as Crash became more firmly entrenched in the Shade’s activities, he knew what they were about. He had thought Cerastes meant to wage war against the human kingdom, but he was wrong.
Cerastes wanted the Hive.
Crash had realized the Grandmaster’s ambition when the assassin Cobra had issued his last dying words. It had all become suddenly, perfectly clear. Stop him. Cobra’s death had returned the arrow to Crash’s compass, and perhaps for the first time, he knew true north. He knew what he had to do.
He stood and walked away from the crimson fires on the horizon, behind an outcropping of rocks. There, he emptied a bag onto the ground. Ingredients for his spell, including a sheaf of yellowed parchment and fresh salamander ink, fell to the sand. He wrote the spell, then built a small fire out of venomgrass and willow bark. He drew symbols in the sand, and the flames turned indigo blue. Then he burned the paper with its written message. A wandering wind brushed the top of the dunes, carrying wafts of sand and smoke up to the stars.
He doused the fire when he was finished. Then, his black hood pulled low over his face, he sat on his heels to wait.
Redemption. A returning, a renewal. Would the Hive help him now, or would they hold him to his trespasses? Someone must answer, he thought. Someone must answer his call, his message burned on the wind, and someone must answer for his Grandmaster’s mistakes.
He thought back to Sora and the rest of his companions in the City of Crowns, and he felt ashamed. Under the influence of Cerastes’ power, he had wavered. His demon had sensed his Grandmaster’s dark aura, had sensed a home, and for a while, he had lost himself. But Sora’s touch—more than that, her words, her spirit—had brought him back.
He couldn’t fight Cerastes alone. He couldn’t trust his darker half to resist the Shade’s pull, because he, too, was a discarded outcast of the Hive. His Grandmaster’s demonic presence was irresistible, drawing close all those scattered savants with nowhere to belong. Crash had felt his own will tremble. Even now, he couldn’t quite steady his hands. He couldn’t show Sora his weakness. More importantly, he couldn’t show it to his own kind.
Someone had to do the right thing. The right thing, he thought ironically. Someone had to warn the Hive. Anyone who can read the Wind can read this message, he thought. He only hoped Cerastes was too distracted to see it.
Hours passed as he waited. The silence of the desert stretched, as spacious and echoing as a tomb. The stars and moon circled overhead, trailing across the heavens. He found the constellation of Kaelyn the Wanderer and asked, begrudgingly, for luck. Then his eyes picked out other celestial formations known to his race. He recounted their stories in his head: Sibilant, the assassin so stealthy and quiet, she could walk between this realm and the world of ghosts; Dartmouth, who replaced his teeth with knives; Marrow, so cunning he outsmarted the gods and stole the Dark God’s weapons in eons past. Crash found it ironic that, despite all that had transpired, a story could still lend him courage. And each star was a story, a light in the dark, a dream in the abyss.
The wind picked up without warning. A whirl of sand twisted up from the ground, building, growing. Then a figure stepped from the dust.
Crash stood up. He didn’t know what to expect.
The sand settled. A woman dressed in black stood before him. She was insidiously tall. Her hair fell in plaited rows down her back. He noted the chakrams at her belt: circular blades that could remove a man’s head with a single powerful throw. Her eyes glowed the shocking green of aloe.
Memory stirred, and he recognized her. He searched for her name. It came to him.
“Grandmaster Natrix,” he bowed.
“Viper,” she returned, and waited for him to straighten. “I have listened long for word of my brother. Tell me, what has Cerastes done?”
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #bookexcerpt, #catseyeauthor, #excerpt, Enchanted book promotions, Giveaway, Krait’s Redemption, Rafflecopter, T.L. Shreffler, YA Fantasy
August 20, 2017
VBT – Grave Injustice
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About the Book
Title: Grave Injustice
Author: Netta Newbound
Genre: Psychological Thriller
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Geri and James return in their most explosive adventure to date.
When next door neighbour, Lydia, gives birth to her second healthy baby boy, James and Geri pray their friend can finally be happy and at peace. But, little do they know Lydia’s troubles are far from over.
Meanwhile, Geri is researching several historic, unsolved murders for James’ new book. She discovers one of the prime suspects now resides in Spring Pines Retirement Village, the scene of not one, but two recent killings.
Although the police reject the theory, Geri is convinced the cold case they’re researching is linked to the recent murders. But how? Will she regret delving so deeply into the past?
Author Bio
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Netta Newbound is the author of twelve popular thriller novels/novellas to date including the Adam Stanley Thriller Series and the Cold Case Files. Her debut psychological thriller, An Impossible Dilemma, shot up the charts in 2015 in both the UK and US reaching #1 in several thriller and horror categories. This rapid success gained Netta a name for herself in the thriller genre. The Watcher, another of her bestsellers that reached the top 20 in the Amazon chart, was published through Bloodhound Books, who will also publish her next book, Maggie, in October 2017.
Originally from Manchester, England, Netta has travelled extensively and has lived and worked in a variety of exciting places. She now lives in New Zealand with her husband. They have three grown up children and four grandchildren.
Links
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/nz/en/ebook/grave-injustice-3
Book Excerpt
Dalton Lloyd closed the shutter on the serving hatch just as a doddering old woman appeared pushing her walking frame towards him.
“Am I too late?” she asked. “I only want an apple.”
“Do you see the sign? Kitchen’s closed,” Dalton barked.
The woman stepped backwards. A look of total shock played out in the deep wrinkles of her face, and her already watery eyes welled some more.
“Don’t look at me like that, you old witch. I do have a life, you know, unlike you lot sitting around here waiting to die.”
Another old codger, who had been sitting towards the back of the dining room, suddenly jumped to his feet and rushed towards them. “How dare you speak to her like that!” he cried, shaking his fist towards Dalton menacingly.
“And you can shut up, and all. What are you going to do with that? Beat me senseless?” Dalton boomed out a laugh as he turned off the light and exited the side door to where his dilapidated truck was parked. Climbing in, he turned the key and headed out the main gates of the Spring Pines Retirement Village.
Relieved to shake off his day’s work, he headed to his local pub to play on the fruit machines, something he did every night—or on the nights he could afford to, that is.
The White Hart had been his local since leaving school. He didn’t like change and was perfectly happy to go about his daily routine until the day he popped his clogs. He didn’t like working at the retirement village—it did his head in. But the feeble-minded old people more than made up for it with their gullible attitudes and more money than they could possibly spend before they carked it.
He had a few favourites that he’d groomed over the past few months. Befriending the needy bastards had been a doddle—offering to pick up a bit of shopping worked every time and would always culminate in the offer of a cup of tea, leaving him to have a good mooch about their bungalow.
No matter how many times they were told to put their money into a bank or building society, they never seemed to listen, and he would always find a stash of notes either under the mattress, in a large old teapot in the kitchen, or in a shoebox in the wardrobe. They wouldn’t have a clue how much they had and, better still, they would add to it every week. So long as he wasn’t greedy, and didn’t take the lot, they were none the wiser. It was easy pickings to top up his wages with.
Pushing his last pound coin into the slot, he prayed for a win. It was much earlier than he usually left for home, but he’d have no choice if he didn’t win any money. And that would also mean no dinner as he hadn’t a scrap of food in the house.
When the last of the credits spun away, he slammed the heel of his hand on the play button and kicked the front of the machine. “Fucking rip-off piece of shit!”
“That’ll be all for tonight, Dalton, buddy.” Wayne, the hefty barman, lifted the hatch and shuffled his paunch through it. “Come on—or you’ll give me no choice but to bar you. Again.”
Dalton shrugged Wayne’s hand from his arm. “Get your stinking paws off! I’m going. But you wanna get someone out to look at that fucking machine. It’s rigged.”
“You don’t complain when you clear it out though, do you, Dalton?” Wayne grabbed his arm again and shoved him towards the swinging door.
“Alright. Take it easy. I’m going.” Dalton scowled at the much larger man, and then at the pub full of people who had all stopped what they were doing to focus on him. “What the fuck are you lot looking at?” He slammed through the door and out into the chilly night air.
As he approached his vehicle, he dropped his keys in the gutter and, after picking them up, he was startled by a man standing beside him.
“What the fuck do you want?”
The man didn’t say a word. He just stepped forward and punched Dalton on his chin.
Dalton laughed, and then began choking. The punch hadn’t been hard, and yet something was seriously wrong. He lifted his hands to his chin and gasped when he saw the amount of blood covering his fingers. He looked back up at the man before falling forwards to his knees and sprawling in slow motion to the gutter.
The last thing he saw was the man’s brown leather shoes as he walked away.
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #bookexcerpt, Book Excerpt, Enchanted book promotions, Grave Injustice, Netta Newbound
August 16, 2017
VBT – Black and White
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About the Book
Title: Black and White
Author: Ben Burgess Jr
Genre: Contemporary
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When the prestigious law firm of Wayne, Rothstein, and Lincoln catches two major cases—a rape case where a White NBA star allegedly raped a Black stripper, and a murder case where a Black rapper allegedly killed a gay couple and two policemen—Bill O’Neil and Ben Turner are tasked to handle these racially charged litigations. The cases hit emotional chords with the two lawyers and force them to reckon with their interracial relationships and families. Will the racial tension of their cases destroy them or make them stronger?
Author Bio
Ben Burgess Jr is the author of the award-winning novels “Monster,” “Wounded,” “Love and Happiness,” ” Daddy’s Girl,” and the new novel “Black and White.” He is an active performer of spoken word poetry. Ben Burgess Jr uses his love of writing to inspire and influence youths to strive for what they believe in and to never give up on their dreams. His novels “Monster” and “Wounded” are currently used in schools on the lower east side of Manhattan. Ben Burgess has a BA degree in Business Management and an MA degree in Educational Leadership. He is the proud father of his daughters Jaelynn and Jaclyn and he is active in trying to improve urban neighborhoods and communities.
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Links
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ben-Burgess-Jr./e/B00BCKZPHK/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Website: http://www.benburgessjr.com/
https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/black-and-white
https://literarytitan.com/tag/ben-burgess-jr/
http://tometender.blogspot.com/search?q=Black+and+White
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #bennyb15, #Ben_Burgess_Jr, Ben Burgess Jr, Enchanted book promotions, guest author, VBT, virtual book tour
