C.A. Milson's Blog, page 197
January 5, 2016
Book Tour – OH SHIP! TALES OF A CRUISING CHICK AND OTHER TRAVEL ADVENTURES
Title: OH SHIP! TALES OF A CRUISING CHICK AND OTHER TRAVEL ADVENTURES
Author: Lori Moore
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Pages: 134
Genre: Travel/Humor
Reading Lori A. Moore’s true tales of things that happen on the high seas will have you saying, “Oh Ship!”
From stories of passengers pepper-spraying other passengers to grown men fighting over glass figurines of penguins, you’ll laugh until your ribs hurt.
For More Information
• Oh Ship! Tales of a Cruising Chick and Other Travel Adventures is available at Amazon.
• Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
• Watch the book trailer at YouTube.
Book Excerpt:
As security was escorting the middle-aged woman from the second floor of the formal dining room, my friends overheard the woman saying, “But I only maced her once!” Curious, they followed behind and sat nearby to eavesdrop on the conversation while security questioned the woman whom they had just sat down in an empty lounge area.
Of all the things you could imagine one woman macing another woman for, what do you think this incident was over? A man, perhaps? Not even close. It was over a cup of hot chocolate! Yes, apparently this woman’s tablemate had drank her hot chocolate at dinner, so she pulled out her pepper spray and maced her with it.
Why it didn’t occur to the woman to just order another hot chocolate is beyond me. What further boggles my mind is why she thought just macing someone once was so much better than having maced her multiple times.
About the Author
Lori A. Moore is an award-winning author and professor who doesn’t take herself too seriously and believes her greatest gift to be silliness. A public speaker and consultant, Lori has four graduate degrees in business. Lori, her husband, and their four-legged child live in Louisville, KY. An avid traveler, she has explored much of the globe, finding and bringing silliness to all places.
For More Information
• Visit Lori Moore’s website.
• Connect with Lori on Facebook and Twitter.
• Find out more about Lori at Goodreads.
Interview
Lori, Tell us about you
Hi, I’m Lori A. Moore and I live in Louisville, KY with my husband and our sweet little cat, Grady, who we adopted from the Humane Society. A recovering workaholic, I worked 25+ years in corporate America without realizing I had a creative side. Now I’ve realized that I can write and take some pretty good photographs of non-living things. I believe that I have the gift of silliness, which keeps this almost-51 year old acting more like she’s 12.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
Knowing that my husband and cat are there for me.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
Kid Rock. You didn’t see that coming, did you? I’d like to know how he handles the fame and criticism and that he does to relax when he’s not performing.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
I love to travel. So far I’ve been to all 50 states in the USA plus somewhere between 55-58 other countries. Fun, silly, and unbelievable things happen when you travel and this book is a compilation of some of those stories.
Tell us your writing process
A process? You don’t know me, do you? J I just wing it.
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I still haven’t realized that. My first book was a result of my journaling to deal with my grief after my former husband died unexpectedly. Then I realized I had a lot to say about a lot of things. Am I a writer? I’m not sure.
Tell us about your main character:
In my latest book, “Oh Ship!,” there are many main characters, including myself. It’s stories of little snippets of drama that I either observed or participated in during my travels.
What are you working on next?
My next book will be coming out in the summer of 2016 and is my first attempt at suspense fiction. Are you ready for the title? “My Cold Kentucky Home.”
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
None. Absolutely none. My brother is older than me and he stole all of the talent before I was born.
Who are your favorite authors?
From wildly different genres, Liz Curtis Higgs and Ted Dekker.
What do you like to do with your free time?
Play on social media and travel.
Tell us about your plans for upcoming books.
After “My Cold Kentucky Home” comes out, I don’t know what I’ll write next. I really enjoyed writing suspense, so perhaps another one of those.
Where can people find you on the web?
http://www.LoriAMoore.com
Twitter @LoriAMooreKY
Pinterest: lorimoorebooks
Instagram @authorloriamoore
Any final thoughts?
Thank you so much for this opportunity to share my weirdness with your readers.
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #bookexcerpt, #LoriAMooreKY, #pumpupyourbook, @authorloriamoore, Lori Moore, lorimoorebooks, OH SHIP! TALES OF A CRUISING CHICK AND OTHER TRAVEL ADVENTURES, Pump Up Your Book, PUYB
Cover Reveal ~ Jump Cut by Libby Fischer Hellmann
Jump Cut
by Libby Fischer Hellmann
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Mystery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Hired to produce a candyfloss profile of Chicago-based aviation giant, Delcroft, Ellie is dismayed when company VP Charlotte Hollander, the architect of a new anti-drone system for Delcroft, trashes the production and cancels the project. Ellie believes Hollander was spooked by shots of a specific man in the video footage. But when Ellie arranges to meet the man to find out why, he’s killed by a subway train.In the confusion, she finds a seemingly abandoned pack of cigarettes with a flash drive inside that belonged to the now dead man.
Ellie has the drive’s contents decrypted, but before long she discovers she’s under surveillance and thrown into the middle of a situation filled with drones, hacking, and Chinese spies that put her life and those she loves in mortal danger.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book Excerpt:
Chapter Two
Monday
Before my gangstah-rap neighbor emptied his AK-47 into his buddy, the most exciting thing to happen in our village was the opening of a new grocery store. The store hired a pianist who played Beatles tunes, no doubt to persuade shoppers to part with their money more easily. My neighbor, rapper King Bling, was helping his fans part with their money too, but the shooting ended all that. Once he made bail, he moved and hasn’t been heard from since.
And so it goes in my little corner of the North Shore, about twenty miles from downtown Chicago. There are benefits. The King, as he’s known to his disciples, gave our cops something to do besides ticket speeders. And the new grocery store gave me the chance to buy prepared dinners so I could dispense with cooking.
Both of which come in handy when I’m producing a video, as was the case now. We didn’t finish the shoot until seven. I raced up the expressway toward home, dropped into the store, and was eyeballing a turkey pot roast—the only one left—when my cell trilled. I fished it out of my bag.
“Mom, where did you get the shoes?” I heard chatter and giggles in the background.
“What shoes, Rachel?”
“The ones you gave Jackie.” My daughter, Rachel, had successfully, if unbelievably, graduated from college and lived in an apartment in Wrigleyville. Jackie was her roommate. “Everybody thinks they’re awesome.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Libby Fischer Hellmann left a career in broadcast news in Washington, DC and moved to Chicago 35 years ago, where she, naturally, began to write gritty crime fiction. Twelve novels and twenty short stories later, she claims they’ll take her out of the Windy City feet first. She has been nominated for many awards in the mystery and crime writing community and has even won a few. *
With the addition of Jump Cut in 2016, her novels include the now five-volume Ellie Foreman series, which she describes as a cross between “Desperate Housewives” and “24;” the hard-boiled 4-volume Georgia Davis PI series, and three stand-alone historical thrillers that Libby calls her “Revolution Trilogy.” Her latest release, The Incidental Spy, is a historical novella set during the early years of the Manhattan Project at the U of Chicago. Her short stories have been published in a dozen anthologies, the Saturday Evening Post, and Ed Gorman’s “25 Criminally Good Short Stories” collection.
More at http://libbyhellmann.com.
* She has been a finalist twice for the Anthony, twice for Foreword Magazines Book of the Year, the Agatha, the Shamus, the Daphne and has won the Lovey multiple times.
Author of Compulsively Readable Thrillers
The Incidental Spy, Sept. 2015: http://www.amazon.com/Incidental-Spy-Libby-Fischer-Hellmann/dp/1938733843/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1439437050&sr=1-1&keywords=the+incidental+spy+hellmann
Facebook: facebook.com/authorlibbyfischerhellmann
Twitter: http://twitter.com/libbyhellmann
Google+: google.com:+libbyhellmann
BUY LINK:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Enter to win a $50 Amazon//BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2015/12/book-blast-jump-cut-by-libby-fischer.html
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #bookexcerpt, #libbyhellmann, GoddessFishPromotions, Jump Cut, Libby Fischer Hellmann, Rafflecopter giveaway
January 3, 2016
Music Spotlight ~ Sheila Cashanova
Sheila Cashanova. The Rapper/Songwriter hails from Brooklyn New York.
Her inspiration comes from poetry and art and being able to express herself through music. She started recording music as a teenager with upbeat club bangers and decided to stay independent in the music industry until she felt ready to pursue a music career. After going to college and gaining a business marketing degree she decided she rather market her own music and continue her music career. Now that she’s been back on the mic, her music is more creative than ever and very catchy and melodic. She owes everything to her deceased mom who left Cashanova searching for a meaningful life she finds in her music and her expression.
Her goal is to be a positive role model and come out with feel good dancing music
Check out her song on YouTube “All A Dream”
Connect with Sheila:
Twitter
Instagram
Jango.com
Amazon
Spotify
Soundcloud
IndieNationBlog
iTunes
eMusic
Google+
Filed under: Music Reviews Tagged: #sheilacashanova, Rap, Sheila Cashanova, songwriter
Virtual Excerpt Tour ~ Fairly Certain by Deborah Ann Davis
Fairly Certain
by Deborah Ann Davis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Young Adult Fiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Petir takes a rough tumble in the Connecticut woods, but awakens in the middle of old England. His instinct to freak out is tempered by the arrival of a fair maiden wearing a bow…and arrow. Throwing caution to the wind, Petir decides he has nothing to lose by pursuing Maid Rianne. But when she is captured by the enemy, a geek with no ability to defend himself must find a way to rescue the fair maiden.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
Despite the summer heat, she felt chilled to her very bones.
“I warned you not to cross me, Rianne. A true winner does not let anything interfere with his goal. You will come to thank me for this.” Lord Robert pulled her along.
“Thank you for this?” I have had enough.
Rianne shoved her shoulder into Robert’s ribs. He staggered to the side at the unexpected blow. She leaned over, raised a tucked leg, and slammed her heel into his chest. As he tumbled backward, she dropped to the ground to slip her bound hands underneath her and over her feet so they would be in front. Unfortunately, the simple maneuver was hampered by her skirts.
She was up and running, trying to reach the sanctuary of the forest, but untangling skirts from bonds had shortened her lead. Lord Robert was on her heels. Within moments, he seized her around the waist and grappled her to the ground.
He stood up, breathing heavily. Lord Robert was built for smashing, not running. He dusted his hands off with distaste. Rianne lay on the ground, glaring at him, ignoring the pain in her hip. He brushed off his clothing, ignoring her.
“You are trying my patience, Maid Rianne.” He reached down to grab her by the arms, but she rolled out reach.
Scuttling after her, he effectively halted her by stomping on her skirt. Puling her to her feet, he shook her by her shoulders. “Nice try, but I am taking you to the sheriff, and there is nothing you can do about it.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
I’m DEBORAH ANN DAVIS, and I write Quirky New/Young Adult Fiction with a Twist. I began writing when searching for inspiration for my 5th grade English Journal. Lo and behold, my world was full of funny tales just waiting to be told. It never occurred to me to pursue writing, not even when I discovered my flare for telling stories at college parties.
After a string of undergrad majors, I realized I could reach a captive audience EVERY DAY in the public school system. As you probably know, teenagers love to laugh, and what could be more entertaining than Biology, Earth Science, and Environmental Science? I jumped into teaching with both feet and loved it for 27 years. It came with an added bonus: Once teens know you like to laugh, they want to make you laugh. Go figure.
Twelve years after our first kiss, I reunited with, and married my childhood sweetheart. Together we coached our daughter’s AAU Basketball Team, which swept States two years in a row. (Yay!) Then, for several years, our daughter and our money went to college.
During a particularly nasty bout of Lyme disease, I turned to Fitness to boost my Health, and to Writing to boost my Happiness. Currently, I am a healthy and happy Educational Speaker and a Certified Personal Trainer who loves to write.
We presently reside on a lovely lake in Connecticut. When I’m not writing novels for my Love of Fairs series, I enjoy dabbling with living a sustainable life, dancing, playing outside, and laughing really hard every day. I also promote increasing movement throughout your day as Wiggle Writer in my Merry Meddling blog at http://deborahanndavis.com/merry-meddling
You can track my meddling on https://twitter.com/DeborahAnnDavis or https://twitter.com/WiggleWriter
Fairly Certain will be $0.99 during the tour.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/DeborahAnndDavis
www.Facebook.com/DeborahAnnDavisAuthor
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9220018.Deborah_Ann_Davis
Fairly Certain is available through:
IndieBound http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781942009016
Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/503303
Kobo https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/fairly-certain
B&N Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fairly-certain-deborah-ann-davis/1120492765?ean=2940150630598#
inktera http://www.inktera.com/store/title/74f5bcc8-1792-4ddc-97fd-ffd0bd1b7e23
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Deborah will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $25 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #DeborahAnnDavis, #WiggleWriter, Deborah Ann Davis, Fairly Certain, Goddess Fish Promotions, Rafflecopter giveaway
Cover Reveal ~ Blackbird Summer
About the Book
Title: Blackbird Summer
Author: Em Shotwell
Genre: Fantasy Romance
When people hate the unknown, being Gifted is a curse.
In the cornerstone of the rural south, Brooklyn, Mississippi, no one dares make eye contact with the strange Caibre family. Until the rewards are worth the cost. The townsfolk come, cash in hand, always at night, to pay for services only a Gifted can provide.
No matter the Gifts prevalent in her family, at twenty-one, Tallulah is expected to follow the path laid out for her: marriage, babies, and helping her mama teach the family home school program. She’s resigned to live the quiet life and stay out of trouble…until she meets Logan.
An outsider and all around rebel, Logan doesn’t care about her family’s reputation. Yet after a tragic loss wreaks havoc on the crumbling relationship between the Caibres and the townsfolk, Tallulah must decide if love and freedom are worth risking everything.
Add Blackbird Summer to your list on Goodreads
Author Bio
Em Shotwell is the author of Blackbird Summer (City Owl Press, 2016). She lives in South Louisiana with a husband who spoils her and two mini-superheroes who call her mom. Em think the most interesting characters are the ones who live on the sidelines, and that small towns often hide the biggest secrets. She is inspired by tall tales and local legends.
When she’s not writing about misfits and oddballs, Em enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, and debating Doctor Who facts with her obsessed ten-year-old.
You can visit Em Shotwell online:
www.EmShotwell.com Goodreads Twitter Facebook Instagram
Giveaway
Giveaway is for a $5 Amazon giftcard and a copy of “The Chans”, a short story which ties into “Blackbird Summer”.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #mamacrazysocks, Blackbird Summer, Cover Reveal, Em Shotwell, Enchanted book promotions
January 2, 2016
Book Promo – The Liquid Ether Physics
Steve Wilson is my guest today. Author Steve Wilson had formulated the basic building blocks, the “key ingredients” to dynamically obtain the success you desire. Inside his latest book: LIQUID ETHER PHYSICS, he analyses our responses and reactions to patience, vision and purpose.
Regardless of the situation you are in or the dilemma you desire to improve – patience, vision and purpose are the initial focal points for advancement to solution and success.
Steve’s book is available from his website and also on Kindle.
Steve, thanks for being here today. Tell us about you.
Hi everyone my name is Steve Wilson. I was born and raised in Bristol, VA. I am a former Virginia High School Student and graduated in 1993. I enjoy making people laugh. I enjoy competition. I like making people better.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
Tyler Perry – His success story from living out of his car to Multi Million Dollar Movies & owning his own movie set. Just really want to pick his brain on his determination.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
I wrote a dating book and I wasn’t satisfied with just dating information. I realized that I need to write a book on mindset.
What is your writing process?
I can’t say I have a certain writing process. Sometimes I might write words all through the day on a notebook or sometimes when I am on the phone and I am giving out advice words might come out of that just little piece of advice. Sometime when I am driving on a long drive I might be thinking about how to add or delete words from my notebook. Once I feel like I got enough information then I will take my notebook out and start putting sentence or paragraphs together. Once done I would read to my fiancée and get her feedback, if she approves. I will send to a professional editor to make sure no typos and does it appeal to audience. Right now I am listening to 100 Years-Five For Fighting. I am inspired by all types of great music.
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why.
Morgan Freeman – He has this way of taking the audience deep into a story.
What are you working on next?
Right now I am just working getting subscribers and traffic to my website www.loyaldetermined.com but Melissa and I are working on a e-book together and should be out this year.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?
Understanding that it takes a process. You need to be the one that believes in themselves and take your craft serious. Don’t let discouragement or failure get you down. Don’t worry about what others authors are doing and try to compare your work to other people’s success. There is authors out here that has put in time and hard work and thinking because you have wrote a book is going to get you overnight success to be in the discussion with the authors is going to create failure in your head. Just take your time and be dedicated to your book and also become your own marketing CEO.
What is your favorite book on your shelf right now?
Other than Liquid Ether Physics I would say Thomas Stanley – Millionaire Mind.
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
I can sell and also have way of reading people. I can really motivate people.
You are given the choice of one super power. What super power would you have and why?
Seeing in the future. Be able to stop bad things from happening to great people.
List 5 things on your bucket list:
Visit Penn State University College and Watch a Game at Beaver Stadium.
Go visit the Wall Of China.
Visit Brazil.
Walk the Red Carpet of a Event Where I am The Main Attraction.
Meet Patte Labelle.
Where can readers find you on the web?
www.loyaldetermined.com
Kindle
Any final thoughts?
I would like to take the time and say I am Thankful that you that you gave me this interview and a chance to reach out to new audience and promote my new e-book (Liquid Ether Physics available at www.loyaldetermined.com) to your readers and to give them a chance to change their lives. I really enjoyed this moment. Thanks For The Opportunity
Trailer:
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #sdwilson360, Bucket List, Steve Wilson, The Liquid Ether Physics
December 31, 2015
Book Blitz – The Big Fat Mermaid
The Big Fat Mermaid
by Dweezel and Pallie
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GENRE: Middle Grade Fractured fairy tales
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BLURB:
She’s nasty, she’s gross, and she’s anything but little. All Aria the mermaid princess wants is to stuff her face full of food, but what happens when her dad, the king, tries to stop her? The answer: laughs beyond belief! Watch as Aria deals with her mean dad, a chubby-chasing prince, a harpoon wielding sea captain, and, in a grand final battle, the monstrous water witch herself.
Aria will bite, belch, and fart her way into your heart in this second installment of the Funny Stories for Kids series, brought to you by the famed Dweezel and Pallie.
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Book Excerpt
Look at my stash, see all the treats?
See all the cupcakes and pickled pigs feet?
You can see I’m a mermaid
who wants to eat… everything!
I eat every second I’m waking
I’m so fat that I’m breaking the floor
Double chins?
I got twenty!
But so what?
I don’t care!
I want more!
I need to eat what the humans eat
I’d like to eat when the food is still dry
I want to eat some fresh…
Uggh… beef!
Down in the brine the food tastes so bad,
when all you’re allowed is some seaweed to live by,
None of that stuff that’s so salty and…
mmm mmm mmm… Sweet!
What do I care
if all the laws
say we have to stay hidden?
And what do I care
if eating of meat
is strictly forbidden?
I’m addicted to food
but it tastes so good
so I don’t give a single crum about rules;
want more yummies, dipped in honey,
no one to intrude.
Off by the ships
I get just get what drips
off of the sides, or they throw in barrels.
No primo stuff like
fresh dip and…
uggh… chips!
I want to munch,
I want to brunch,
I want to eat the thing they call lunch!
Sweets and the meats…
I need to eat
all of that food.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR BIO:
Dr. Dweezel and Professor Pallie have become famed in their respective fields for outstanding contributions. For nearly a decade they have collaborated on the recording of lost ancient texts and tales.
To download “The Big Fat Mermaid” visit:
http://www.dweezelandpallie.com/ebooks
https://www.facebook.com/dweezelandpallie
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GIVEAWAY
Dweezel and Pallie will be awarding a $30 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
RAFFLECOPTER CODE:
Enter to win a $30 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: Dweezel and Pallie, Fractured fairy tales, Goddess Fish Promotions, Rafflecopter giveaway, The Big Fat Mermaid
Happy New Year … 2016
Happy New Year to all my friends and followers. May 2016 be a year of blessings.
Filed under: Life.... Tagged: celebration, Happy New Year
December 29, 2015
Book Blast ~ Whiskey Devils by Brandon Zenner
Whiskey Devils
by Brandon Zenner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Crime Thriller
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Evan Powers has become the new manager in Nick Grady’s well-established marijuana growing operation. Led by his roommate and best friend, little has changed in Nick’s secretive business since the late ‘60s, which is just the way the aging hippie would for like it to remain. However, Nick’s complex past comes full circle, thrusting Evan in a scramble to decipher the truth behind the enigmatic lives of the people he holds dear. Deep in the woods, demons will be unleashed.
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Book Excerpt:
We walked directly across the hall, to a second door leading to a second warehouse. It was like those Russian Matryoshka dolls that get pulled apart to reveal smaller dolls nesting inside. A warehouse within a warehouse.
Nick took me to the door and knocked.
My previous work took place down the long hall to the left, in a room around the corner in the rear of the building, and I looked over my shoulder to where I normally worked with Becka. She was nowhere to be seen. Whatever Nick was about to show me was entirely new, but I had a very good idea of exactly what was behind that thick door.
A sliding viewing port opened, and a set of eyes looked out. The viewing port closed, and the sound of a heavy lock clacked from the hollows of the metal door. A moment later it opened and we stepped inside, shielding our eyes from the glaring light.
“Holy hell,” I muttered, stepping into the room. The temperature was hot in there, muggy, and my eyes were practically blinded from the succession of thousand-watt high pressure sodium light bulbs lining the ceiling. A sea of tall marijuana plants filled the room, all set in carefully arranged rows, some attached to an elaborate hydroponic system. The smell of fresh marijuana was as thick as soup. A silver tray holding orange slices and a knife sat on a table by the door.
“So.” I turned to Nick. “What exactly do you need me to do?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Brandon Zenner is an American fiction writer. His short fiction has been published in both print and online publications, the first being submitted when he was just 19 years old. THE EXPERIMENT OF DREAMS, his debut eBook thriller, has reached Amazon’s top-ten charts within its genre many times. His categories of choice are thrillers, dystopian, crime, and science fiction.
Links:
Vote for this book on the Kindle Scout program:
https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/2LQVZULLLRYJM
Information about the Kindle Scout program: https://kindlescout.amazon.com/about
Social media, website:
https://www.facebook.com/brandon.zenner
https://twitter.com/SlapstickII
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Brandon will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $20 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: #bookexcerpt, #SlapstickII, Brandon Zenner, Crime Thriller, Goddess Fish Promotions, Kindle Scout, Whiskey Devils
December 28, 2015
Book Tour – A Beginner’s Guide to Invading Earth
A Beginner’s Guide to Invading Earth
by Gerhard Gehrke
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Science Fiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
What would you do if you found a dead alien on a lonely highway?
Was it an accident, sabotage, or murder? And why is everyone blaming Jeff?
The extraterrestrials aren’t waiting for answers. They want revenge. And Jeff isn’t ready for company.
His only hope is an outcast mechanic from another world and a woman who might do anything to get off planet, including selling out her own kind. Jeff has to get to the bottom of why there are so many alien bodies piling up and who is really responsible.
A science fiction adventure novel, A Beginner’s Guide to Invading Earth tells the story of a reclusive ex-computer programmer who is the unwitting central figure of a plot to keep humanity from ever making first contact.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
First contact with the humans wasn’t going as planned, as was obvious by the rank smells that choked the air of the alien visitorsʹ craft. But no one called them aliens where they came from.
Seven little Greys, short bipeds with large heads and big eyes and delicate limbs, sat in the flight seats of their ship’s crew compartments and listened as the Mission Commander lectured them from the Command Module. The harangue lingered in the air, not as words or even sounds but as a smell, a ripe one replete with pheromones and scent packets that the Greys used to speak with one another. A new string of curses from the Commander’s glands smelled of licorice. The Mission Commander composed itself. It wiped sticky sweat from its hairless frontal lobe.
The lights and displays in front of the seven crewmembers blinked and flashed. No one would so much as touch a button until the Commander was finished addressing the crew.
“I’ll hear no more of it,” the Commander said. “We’re on the human world. We go forward. Probability calculations for success show at 100%. The computer will be trusted.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Gerhard Gehrke studied film at San Francisco State University. He wrote and produced several shows for community television. His Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror short stories have appeared in several publications, including an Editor’s Choice-winning short story at AnotheRealm.com. A Beginner’s Guide to Invading Earth is his first novel.
You can connect with him at Gerhardgehrke.com.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gerhardgehrke
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gerhardgehrkeauthor
Blog: www.capriciousnarrator.wordpress.com/
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-beginners-guide-to-invading-earth-gerhard-gehrke/1122581957
Also available on iBooks
YouTube Trailer:
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GIVEAWAY
Gerhard Gehrke will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $10 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
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INTERVIEW
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
Hunger and other base needs keep me from sleeping in. Writing comes into the picture as early morning is the only consistent time I have to write, so I want to get up early and I have been in the habit of doing so for quite some time.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
I would love to hang out with Charles Shultz, the creator of the Peanuts characters. Wouldn’t it be great to hear how he managed to portray a hopeful, positive view of the world through his characters while they focused on the mundane frustrations of childhood? His comic strips could be at once simple, funny, and profound and Mr. Schultz never wavered in a consistent output that lasted for decades.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
A Beginner’s Guide to Invading Earth began in my work truck’s notebook with the line “No one likes them very much.” That line was to be the conclusion reached by aliens intent on first contact who landed the USA and decided to try other parts of the planet after some unfortunate experiences. This developed into the aliens wanting nothing to do with the entire planet and them hanging a virtual “Do Not Disturb Occupants” sign on our doorknob. As I fleshed this out over a few months I decided a smaller story that focused on one man’s experience as a scapegoat for an alien conspiracy that was trying to make first contact fail just felt better. By then I had a rough idea on where I wanted the project to go, and the aliens would have to be part of it.
Tell us your writing process
When I can’t shake an idea, it goes into a notebook. When the notes in the notebook has enough friends I see what happens when I put them on a page. If they play well together and get my figurative juices flowing, I keep on it. I work with loose outlines, more of a connect-the-dots approach informing me where I want a story to go. My notebooks have lists of out-of-order scenes, words, and phrases that I later add. Plenty gets left behind and never used. Most of my writing gets done early in the morning because my brain turns to mush by 9am when the coffee wears off and I turn into a pumpkin once the sun sets.
Do you have any promo tips you can share with other writers?
I’m very new at promotion too as this is my first novel to see the light of day. From running a business I know that you have to advertise and you never know what will take. Social media is an essential component. The message can’t be “Buy my book” or you’ll fall in with thousands of others sending out the same message and be ignored. Engage with people. Try to be interesting or funny. Give them a reason to listen to you, whether its a blog, podcast, or cheeky tweets.
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
There’s never been a singular moment. In grade school I made Pac-Man comic books. I wrote regularly in a notebook and started putting down stories soon after. Getting involved in local community television introduced me to actually finding an audience for things put down on paper, even though most of what we worked on was non-narrative in structure. Writing fiction evolved from that.
Tell us about your main character:
Jeff Abel is a paranoid recluse whose mental condition has cost him his marriage and his job as a computer programmer. Unbeknownst to Jeff, he actually is being watched, and the aliens are coming for him. But it’s his skills with technology that may prove to be his and the aliens’ salvation, as they have a traitor in their midst and only Jeff is in a position to stop him, er, it.
What are you working on next?
I have a follow-up to A Beginner’s Guide to Invading Earth that is now going through editing. Also I have a post-decline of civilization novel I’m writing where a young girl escapes from a secret sanctuary only to discover that the world outside is a much more complicated place than she had ever imagined.
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
I have memory tricks for people’s names that irritates my brother-in-law whenever it actually works. I’m good at mixing drinks even though I don’t drink the things I make. I never use an alarm clock. And I can make the grumpiest baby smile for me.
Who are your favorite authors?
Margaret Atwood for her world building and defying my expectations for where her stories are going. Octavia Butler for creating aliens that are, well, alien. Andy Weir for making the memorable character Mark Watney. And Allan Cole and Chris Bunch for writing the most re-readable military sci-fi adventures out there.
What do you like to do with your free time?
Hiking, cooking, reading, and watching movies, all of which I do with my lovely wife Abby.
Tell us about your plans for upcoming books.
Besides the two projects listed above, a far-ranging project that I try not to think about too much as it would become distracting is a story that follows a group of ordinary children of some super villains.
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