C.A. Milson's Blog, page 214
July 25, 2015
Book Tour – Patricia Asedegbega
Biography
Author of I stand Corrected, Rewind, Balou Uncensored, Bienvenidos a gatos anónimos, Pasarse cuatro Pueblos and Sesenta segundos dan para mucho, Patricia Asedegbega Nieto was born to a Spanish mother and a Nigerian father in Madrid. As a child, she relocated with her family to Nigeria and later returned to Spain, where she acquired her BSc and master´s degree.
She is currently living near Madrid with her family and her very stubborn cat, Merlin Mojito.
LINKS
https://twitter.com/Patricias_Place
https://www.facebook.com/PatriciasUniverse
www.patriciascorner.co.uk
BUY LINK:
Blurb
When I grow up…
“You need a plan B,” said Alicia’s mother when at five years old she told her what she wanted to be when she grew up. Thirty odd years later, Alicia is on plan D: sharing a flat, no tangible savings, and working for hateful Julia, whose sole purpose in life is to make her existence utterly miserable. Good thing she has Oscar and the girls to make the long hours at work bearable. But when a series of events tears the close-knit group apart, putting friendships and motives under suspicion, will Alicia be able to restore balance and set things right? More importantly, will she ever be able to upgrade her life to at least plan C?
BOOK EXCERPT
CHAPTER ONE
I glance at the clock on top of my desk, willing the time to go faster. I have been painfully watching the seconds pass by all morning. In five more minutes Oscar and the girls will be at the kitchen for our accustomed tea break. He had sent a group message half an hour ago informing us when he was taking his break and asked if anyone else was free.
I look nervously at the door, hoping Julia, my boss, won´t choose that moment to open it for one more useless urgent request, when we both know it can also be done three hours from now or even tomorrow. She has a knack for being most inopportune, and if she gives me a task and I take my break late, I´ll have to sit on my own as the others will already have returned to their desks. We are only allowed ten minutes off outside our lunch hour—we always add one or two more, though, as we feel time spent in route to the kitchen should not be included— and we try to coordinate with one another so we can take our breaks together.
The seconds tick so slowly. I can hear Julia on the phone speaking in the voice she uses when she is talking to a client, the same voice that would mislead anyone who didn´t know her into actually thinking she is remotely human.
Just in time, I grab the handset and race to the staff kitchen where Oscar, Emma, Amparo, and Carmen are sitting around the wooden table staring hungrily at the cream-filled buns resting on a plate. We take turns in bringing something to accompany the pot of steaming coffee the first one to arrive makes, and I can´t wait to sink my teeth into what Carmen has brought for us today.
“Ah, there you are!” Emma exclaims as I rush to pour a cup of coffee. “We were only going to give you half a minute more before starting.” The rest start tucking in, while at the same time trying to fill each other in on their hectic days and how our bosses seem to have a goal of making our lives even more difficult than necessary, if possible.
We work for Fernández & Associates. It´s the kind of law firm where the lawyers bill their clients six figures just for answering the phone. We have some of the most prestigious and wealthy clientele, both in Spain and abroad. One of our departments deals with international law, so we cater to all the legal needs of a lot of Spanish businessmen who own companies in other countries, as well as foreigners who come to set up businesses here in Spain. It was started by Sergio Fernández Castellón , the father of our present senior partner, Alejandro. He wanted to provide very personal service to his clients, so our policy has always been to have just five lawyers, each heading a department. This enables them to have a very close and direct relationship with each client. Now that Alejandro has taken over, he is following the same philosophy and, as a result, we have clients that have been with the firm for over thirty years. We accept new clients strictly on recommendations and only on rare occasions.
The firm occupies three floors of a building located in Calle Serrano . The ground floor holds the reception area and conference rooms. The secretaries and junior lawyers have offices on the middle floor. And finally, on the top floor, where few venture except when summoned, the partners have what we like to call their dens.
The five of us are “corporate personal assistants”, which is an important sounding title that really means your job description is whatever the boss wants, no matter how ridiculous it is. We all speak various languages, have university degrees, and are known for our discretion—except during our breaks, of course. There, we have no secrets from each other. But really, apart from it being extremely interesting to know all that goes on with the other four bosses, confiding in each other has really helped us on more than one occasion to narrowly escape impending disasters that might otherwise have cost one or two jobs. So our undercover network is of utmost importance to us and probably to the firm as well.
I love a good gossip, but sometimes knowing what someone else´s boss has done is important for me. I can then feel that I am not the unluckiest person on Earth because I work for Julia.
Julia is a brilliant lawyer. She has two law degrees and a Masters degree, and she speaks perfect English, German and French. She is thirty-five years old—I saw both her passport and ID card, information that was quickly shared with my friends as soon as I discovered it—but she has the character of a cobra, always ready to spring and attack. For some reason, only those of us beneath her station have been “lucky” enough to see that side of her. Her colleagues respect her, and I admit she has earned that esteem by having practically no life outside of work. But that is where her charm ends, especially with me. I seem to always be at the receiving end of her attacks. Sometimes she is all smiles and extremely solicitous, but a second later succeeds in almost reducing me to tears.
After five years of working for her, I have finally developed the ability to look directly at her and not lower my head when she berates me. It all enters through one ear and goes out the other. That, and the fact that I have convinced myself, after some intense online searches, that she must have some sort of emotional disorder that she is probably unaware of.
“It has been a difficult morning,” I say. “Julia missed her dentist appointment and blamed me for it.”
“I know you didn´t forget to tell her,” Oscar replies. “Go on; shock us with what really happened this time.”
“Yesterday morning, I reminded her that it was at nine today. Good thing I also sent a text message to her mobile last night. She got there at ten and was surprised they weren´t able to squeeze her in. She seems to think everything should be dropped when she arrives somewhere. I tried to get her to look at the text message where she could have easily seen the time it was sent, but she refused to, claiming she didn´t receive it. I´m sure she has erased it. I have a good mind to go through her phone, but I´m not going to waste my time as I wouldn´t be able to use it as proof anyway. I know she knows that she isn´t right. It just annoys me how she always seems to blame me for everything that goes wrong without giving me a chance to defend myself. Honestly, this firm does not pay me enough for the mental stress she puts me through.”
“I know what you mean,” says a visibly upset Emma. “Gonzalo forgot his wife´s birthday again, which must be because when he isn´t working he is pursuing anything that closely resembles a female. I sent her flowers as usual, but he didn´t follow it up with a call or do anything special, and she came to the office looking extremely furious. There was a mighty row. I´m surprised it wasn´t heard in the surrounding buildings. Guess who was to blame for everything?”
Amparo says: “You guys are really paying for some past sins in a big way. I have to say that Alejandro, apart from being very easy on the eye, has never treated me in a demeaning manner and is quite considerate for a boss. He even knows when my birthday is and sends me flowers.”
We can´t help but nod in agreement with our mouths full. Even Oscar, who is about to marry his longtime girlfriend, has often said that Alejandro is one of those men that should not exist, as they make women compare what they have at home to them and probably wish they could trade. Every woman in the firm is secretly in love with him— except Julia who seems quite indifferent to his charm, but that just reinforces my belief that she isn´t quite human. He has the dreamiest blue eyes and abundant hair that he absentmindedly has to push away from his eyes occasionally as it is quite long. He looks as if he has just effortlessly stepped out of the cover of a magazine; not at all the image that comes to mind when one thinks of a lawyer. Alejandro heads the International Law Department, so he is not just a pretty face. He has succeeded in maintaining and even upgrading the high standards his late father left the firm with when he handed the reins over to him.
I don´t think he knows I exist, but, like every female worker here, I too have imagined walking down the aisle with him at one time or another. Pity that all his girlfriends have been models or rich heiresses and I, not being one or the other…
We cram all that we can into those short ten minutes, then hurry back to our desks and daily work routines. As soon as I sit down, I read a message from Julia asking me to go to her office, where she proceeds to dictate various letters that need to be sent out. I look up when she finishes the last one to see if she needs anything more from me and see that she is looking at her computer screen intently. I take this as an indication that my presence is no longer required.
“You need to reschedule my dentist appointment and apologize for the mix up,” she says as I reach for the door handle. I hesitate, about to argue, but then I wonder what use it would be. I have no desire to give her one more reason to humiliate me.
I walk away and call as she had asked me to. I say how sorry I am for the misunderstanding, but Esperanza, the receptionist, and I both know who really made the mistake. It´s not the first time it has happened, and it won´t be the last.
I print out the letters, put them into a folder, and take them back to her so she can sign them and so I can post them on my way home. Whilst I do this, I reflect on how difficult some women make it for their own kind sometimes. There is no love lost between us, but for the life of me, I have no idea what Julia has against me. In my case, it´s because of everything she has done to me throughout the years. She has killed any affection or respect I tried time and time again to develop for her. I wonder what she does when she isn´t working. I know there is no husband or children. She keeps her personal life under a closed lid. It seems to be women in general she has a problem with, as the only one of us lowly PAs I have ever seen her smile at is Oscar.
I go online, as I always do when I need a boost, and type the words that will lead me to the images that have always taken me to my happy place…
INTERVIEW
Patricia, thanks for being my guest today. Tell us about you:
I am a product of mixed raced parents and as a result have had the opportunity to live in both Africa and Europe; this has greatly enriched my life. I currently live in sunny Spain and even though I have a degree in Environmental Biology, writing is my passion. My favorite genre is mystery and I have started two series one in Spanish and another in English and I hope to be doing this for a very long time.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
The first thought that came to mind when reading this question was “It´s something I do automatically” but once out of bed, I guess I´m inspired by practically everything around me and the people that are important to me. The things we are passionate about keep us going and hopefully bring out the best in us.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
Of the living, I´d love to have an insight into the thoughts of any of my favourite writers. Elizabeth George, for example. But if it could be anyone, it would be Mother Teresa of Calcutta. I think she was a remarkable person and I´d have loved to have been able to chat with her.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
Although a fiction work, my book “When I grow up…” has an underlining of reality. It will probably remind the reader of childhood dreams and lost opportunities that have taken them to the point in their lives they find themselves in but ultimately, it is a book of hope for the future.
Tell us your writing process:
I don´t really have an organized writing process. I normally have a main idea that I develop as I write, somehow things fall into place and in the end, I´m able to get a coherent story line from all the alternate scenarios running through my head. I write when I can, not really having a fixed schedule or number of hours I dedicate to writing. I do set time frames for the whole process that I do my best to achieve.
What tips can you give other authors who are looking to get the word out about their book?
Being an author is a very competitive career as there are so many talented authors out there trying to leave their mark in the world. I´d advice new authors not to be discouraged and keep trying until they are able to create a small niche for themselves.
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
In the past, I had made various failed attempts at being a writer but I didn´t start seriously until about four years ago. I haven´t stopped since then.
Tell us about your main character:
The main character in “When I grow up…” is Alicia. A young woman in her mid thirties, who like most of her peers, struggles to make ends meet. She is a strong, sensitive and determined person who tries to fight against her circumstances and rise above them. I believe she is someone the readers will find easy to identify with.
What are you working on next?
I´m about to continue working on the sequel of my suspense series “I stand corrected”, it will hopefully be out for December.
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
I think I´m very creative and this comes very handy when writing. I´m also very good at organizing events, especially charity events.
Who are your favorite authors?
My all time favorite author is Agatha Christie; I also enjoy reading Anne Perry, Elizabeth George, P.D. James, Marian Keyes…
What do you like to do with your free time?
I love reading, experimenting with recipes, watching TV series, listening to music…
Tell us about your plans for upcoming books.
I´m having “When I grow up…” translated to Spanish and it will be out in October. For December, the next in The Rosario and Balou series will be released and I have plans for next year to bring out a fiction novel to aid a special needs kids school we help with in Nigeria.
Any final thoughts?
I feel really privileged to be able to do something I´m genuinely passionate about and nothing makes me happier than when someone tells me they had a great time reading one of my books. This is what keeps me going and I hope I´m able to do this for many more years.
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: @Patricias_Place, Balou Uncensored, Bienvenidos a gatos anónimos, book promotion tips, I stand Corrected, Pasarse cuatro Pueblos, Patricia Asedegbega, Sesenta segundos dan para mucho, The Book Mistress Blog Tours and More, When I grow up...
July 24, 2015
Book Tour – To The Promised Land
About the Book
Title: To The Promised Land
Author: Michael Boylan
Genre: Literary Fiction / Mystery
Every student leaving the protected grounds of school wonders: must I now throw away my ideals, or can they guide me through the rough-and-tumble city? The philosopher Socrates’s descent into the bloodsports of business and politics was called “ketabasis.” But for the old college friends Moses and Peter, it is betrayal and murder found in Michael Boylan’s fast-paced and gripping novel, To the Promised Land. Can their friendship, and their morals, survive in the Washington world of corporate crime, backstabbing bosses, floundering do-gooder groups, and a media ravenous for scandal? The old adage, “Do no harm,” is pulverized in Washington’s internecine power-struggles: for nearly every action brings an unexpected harm, and several enemies. Moses leaves the law, seeking atonement for shielding a company that poisoned a town; Peter leaves the small world of the campus, and takes up a controversial campaign to alter affirmative action, seemingly to bring about “the greater good.” Their threads of ethics must do battle against lawyers, private detectives, secretive lobbyists and, looming over all, the charge of first-degree murder. Boylan sets philosophical passions, and an engaged dialogue about forgiveness, inside a film-noir world, where affection, family loyalty, and trust come under threat. Propulsive and witty, To the Promised Land is smart about ideas, and smart about people negotiating justice and power in public life.
—David Gewanter. Professor of English, Georgetown University.
Michael Boylan’s thought-provoking novel, “To the Promised Land,” is a gem. Read it for its suspense-filled, fast-paced action, for the philosophic insights its characters raise as easily as they breathe, or for probing its main mysteries: why did Moses Levi disappear; why did he send his journal to his college roommate; and, more profoundly, how can one heal a guilty conscience or live without harming others?
—Virginia L. Warren, Professor of Philosophy, Chapman University
Author Bio
Michael Boylan is Professor and Chair of Philosophy at Marymount University. He is the author of 26 books and over 120 articles in Philosophy and Literature. Details can be found at michaelboylan.net.
Links
Website: http://michaelboylan.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelboylan22207
Twitter: https://twitter.com/michaelboylan60
Buy the Book:
Amazon (Kindle)
Amazon (Paperback)
B&N
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: @michaelboylan60, Enchanted book promotions, Michael Boylan, To The Promised Land
July 23, 2015
Cover Reveal – In Shadows Waiting
About The Book
Title: In Shadows Waiting
Author: Stewart Bint
Genre: Paranormal, Horror
Young Simon Reynolds lives a bucolic life at his family home, White Pastures, surrounded by a loving family and a charming community. Simon finishes his A levels and looks forward to unwinding while his sisters work on their tans.
Meanwhile the tiny community of Meriton has been plagued by a spate of burglaries, and White Pastures seems to be next. A shadowy figure stalks the house, but the police can find no signs of an intruder.
Inspired by the author’s real-life experience with the supernatural, In Shadows Waiting recounts a summer that changes the Reynolds’ lives forever. As the summer progresses, the shadows take on an altogether more sinister implication, and White Pastures begins to reveal a terrifying secret.
The epicenter of an event that has scarred an entire community, White Pastures grows more and more dark, possessed by a shadow that yearns, a shadow that will not be denied. At White Pastures, someone will die — but love never will.
Author Bio
Stewart Bint is a novelist, magazine columnist and PR writer. He lives with his wife Sue in Leicestershire in the UK, and has two children, Christopher and Charlotte. As a member of a local barefoot hiking group, when not writing he can often be found hiking barefoot on woodland trails.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorsjb
Website: http://stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StewartBintAuthor?fref=ts
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: @authorsjb, Enchanted book promotions, In Shadows Waiting, Stewart Bint
Book Tour – Dare to Trust by J.L. Bowen
Dare to Trust
by J.L. Bowen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
J.L. Bowen will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Thirteen-year-old Armond Costa heals in three days, no matter what abuse his uncle and aunt inflict upon him. On his fourteenth birthday, he sprouts wings and discovers his aunt and uncle had lied to him. He’s the lost Golden Demon’s Healer. His father, King of the Golden Demons, insists he return with him and save his people from being persecuted by their mortal enemies, the Dark Demons. Now, Armond must choose between the Ellis brothers and seventeen-year-old Rusty Owens — the only family he’s ever known — or condemn the Golden Demons to extinction.
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Excerpt:
I grabbed the wobbly banister and climbed the stairs two at time, my pounding heart threatening to jump out of my rib cage. Bulky footsteps trailed me, thundering louder and louder. A small stampede trailed after me.
“Going somewhere, boy?” Uncle Peter yelled. “You’ll never get a chance to heal. Not…after…I…get…through…with…you.”
His heavy panting echoed in the cramped stairwell. He was getting closer and closer.
“Not in three days, you won’t,” Aunt Janet said. “I promise you that.”
Her voice was shrill, a sure sign I was in real trouble. She was right behind him.
Great, more pain. They could at least tell me what I’d done. I hadn’t done anything bad at the baseball game. I even hit a home run—something that usually made them happy.
My hand shaking, I whipped open the door. I charged toward the window. My speeding heart sent blood rushing between my ears. Freedom was only six feet away. Out of the corner of my eye, an elephant-size blur barreled right for me. I shrank, but Uncle Peter seized my arm, digging fat fingers into my flesh.
He threw me. The room swirled. Pain slammed into my back. I had crashed into a wall, knocking the wind out of me.
Sweet Aunt Janet stormed over to me and backed me against the wall. “This. Is. Your. Fault.”
With each word, she slapped me across the face and slammed my head like a ping-pong ball into the hardwood paneling. Metallic swirled around in my mouth. Blood.
She wheezed and stopped. “Since it’s your damn fourteenth birthday tomorrow, they’re hunting you, putting us all in danger.”
Aunt Janet ran her hand through her Sonic The Hedgehog-cut ™ blond hair and paced around the room. Her high heels clicked on the hardwood floor. “What will we do?”
“Keep him locked in the cellar,” Uncle Peter said. “If he’s beat down…”
She stopped and clapped her hands together. “You mean they can’t find him if he’s in pain?”
Uncle Peter stretched out his flabby arms and nodded. “Yup.”
I knew that look. My stomach dropped to my toes. Nausea gripped me. Damn, my right arm just healed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J.L. Bowen writes both contemporary and paranormal young adult books, and she lives at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Denver, Colorado. She loves to take her cocker spaniel, Raven, walks on the trails behind her house or up at her family cabin in Frisco, CO. She is a member of the Colorado Romance Writers of America, Young Adult Romance Writers of America, and Romance Writers of America. She has won awards for her CRW newsletter articles. She loves to go on ghost tours and her favorite ghost tour was the Jack the Ripper Tour in London.
J.L. Bowen can be contacted through her website:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jl.bowen
Twitter: @jlbowen2
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/J.L.-Bowen/e/B007W969IE
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: @jlbowen2, Amazon Gift Card, B&N gift card giveaway, Book Excerpt, Dare to Trust, J.L. Bowen, Rafflecopter giveaway
July 22, 2015
Book Release – The Daughters Lem
About the Book
Title: The Daughters Lem
Author: Nila Aamoth
Genre: Biographical / Memoir / Historical
The Daughters of Lem witnessed and survived the tragic event that forever transformed them. Orphaned, frightened, fiercely independent, the four sisters fought defiantly to raise themselves. But Lucille, Louise, and Nell Rose could not defeat the notion of a Lem bad seed; they chose to remain childless. Only Dorothy sought to achieve what she perceived to be a “normal” life as a wife and mother. In the process, she discovered her power as an independent woman. Her own three offspring became a new generation of the Daughters of Lem, and fortunate participants in their mother’s improbably joyful journey.
Author Bio
Nila Knack Aamoth wrote her first story at age four, and never stopped plying the pencil, the typewriter, and finally the computer keyboard. She began her journalism career in Houston, Texas, and owned two community newspapers in Michigan. For 25 years, she was editor and publisher of The Penasee Globe. “I figured my thoughts were more valuable than the traditional penny, so I called my weekly column A Nickel’s Worth,” she likes to joke. Those mostly light-hearted musings won her numerous state and national writing awards. Her insightful editorials, both humorous and serious, won the Michigan Press Association award for “Best Editorial” two years running. “I believed I could write about anything,” she says. “But writing the incredible story of my own family was almost too heart-wrenching. I think I’ve finally grown up!”
Links
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: @NilaAamoth, Enchanted book promotions, Nila Aamoth, The Daughters Lem
Book Tour – Amanda Moonstone: The Missing Prince by Dan Wright
Title: Amanda Moonstone: The Missing Prince
Author: Dan Wright
Genre: YA Fantasy
“No one is past redemption”
Threatened with eviction, Amanda Moonstone stumbles across a lost Prince, of which there is a reward for his safe return. Little does Amanda know is that this “reward” is actually a wicked plan created by the tyrannical King Kimera to keep his claim on the Royal Throne intact. However, finding the Prince may just be the key to undoing the one mistake that has haunted Amanda for over a year. Because being a sorceress comes with a terrible price…
From the shadows, a mysterious man in black watches every step Amanda takes. But what is his purpose? And what part does the insidious Blood gem (her most guarded of gems) have to play in Amanda’s future?
Author Bio
Dan lives Canterbury, Kent, UK. He picked up a love of Fantasy stories after reading The Lord of the Rings, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and numerous Roald Dahl novels. He is best known for his Draconica series, a Fantasy/Manga series that has been praised for its Anime style action, humour and illustrations. He has also had a short comic strip called Queller, which was published in an anthology for the comic Lighting Strike Presents . . . and has also been a judge for a book competition at his local school.
Dan also runs various websites dedicated to the world of Draconica, a blog and he occasionally reviews books. His other hobby is playing guitar in a band called Rage of Silence. He likes all kinds of music—but he mainly listens to rock and metal, rap, some pop music and also film and video game scores. He also loves Disney and Pixar movies—often finding himself singing along to the tunes, or crying manly tears!
He is also a slave to his cat, who takes up a lot of his time when he isn’t at work or writing!
Links
Blog: http://pandragondan.weebly.com
Amanda Website: http://moonstonefalls.weebly.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PandragonDanWright
https://www.facebook.com/AmandaMoonstoneSeries
Twitter: @PandaDanWright
BOOK EXCERPT
Art by Kirsten Moody
Grumbling, Amanda stormed over to see who dared disturbed her work. She put on her best pout and flung the door open.
“Yes?”
When she saw who it was, she instantly regretted her tone.
“Oh . . . er . . . hello, Miss Berger.”
Miss Berger was a rotund woman with hair the colour of mouldy parchment. Her face seemed to be permanently etched with disagreement, as if it were impossible for her to smile. She glared at Amanda with fists on her wide hips.
“Er, lovely day we’re having,” Amanda said, trying to make polite conversation.
“You know what day it is, Moonstone?” Berger crowed.
“Er . . . the last day of the month?”
“It’s the first of the month.” Berger held out a hand. “Pay up.”
Rent. Oh, bother.
“Ah,” Amanda stuttered. “Yes . . . you see, there has been a little bit of a drought in sales recently and . . . well, you know, making potions is expensive.” She laughed nervously, but Berger’s frowning eyebrows and curled lip gave Amanda the impression that she didn’t see the humour in that statement. “I need ingredients and . . . well, they aren’t cheap.”
“You don’t have it, do you?”
“Give me just one more month and I swear I’ll have it.”
“That’s what you said last month, and the month before that—and the month before that! In fact, you’ve said little else for the last five months! My patience is wearing thin with you, Moonstone.”
“I know—I know . . . I’m sorry, but I promise you, I’m working on a new potion and it’s going to be a bestseller!”
Berger gazed into her house towards the potion table. She spotted the broken glass on the floor, and then glanced back to Amanda.
“Er . . . production problems.”
“What have I told you?” Berger snapped. “You’ll ruin the woodwork! That,” she stabbed a pudgy finger towards the mess, “is going on your bill!”
“Really? Oh, come on . . .”
“I’ve been very kind to you—kinder than I should have been after what you did. I know you had problems, but my patience is wearing thin. One month without paying rent is bad enough, two is unacceptable—but five? Accommodation here isn’t free. You either pay rent or you’re out.”
Amanda was trapped. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “You know . . . you shouldn’t mess with a sorceress. Not when she could use her magic to . . . burn you alive.”
Berger glared back, folding her arms, which was a bit of an effort given the layers of fat padding her midsection.
“That was a bad joke,” Amanda apologized sheepishly.
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: @PandaDanWright, Amanda Moonstone: The Missing Prince, Dan Wright, Enchanted book promotions, world of Draconica
July 21, 2015
Cover Reveal – HUNGRY AS A WOLF
HUNGRY AS A WOLF
by Elizabeth Einspanier
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BLURB:
Wolf Cowrie is back in his second adventure! In the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory in 1865, tensions run high between white settlers looking for gold and the Sioux people who consider this region their holy ground. When Wolf is hired to find out what happened to the workers of a mining outpost in the area, the general theory in Goldwater is that they were slaughtered by the Sioux. Wolf discovers something far more sinister lurking in the Black Hills, an ancient evil whose unending hunger drives sane men to ghoulish extremes.
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Excerpt
It was a young woman of perhaps nineteen years of age, with auburn hair and brown eyes. She was well-dressed in a white blouse with leg-of-mutton sleeves and a narrow column of ruffles down the front. A dark blue skirt respectably covered her ankles and black boots, and her hair was pulled back in a style he could not readily see from this angle, with wisps curling delicately around her face. She was a pretty little thing as well, and Wolf wished he could have made her acquaintance under better circumstances—like, say, fully-clothed, rather than stark naked with only his hat to conceal his shame.
The two of them stared at each other for maybe half a minute—him in a state of poker-faced, heart-pounding embarrassment, her in open-mouthed shock. Wolf’s heart and his stomach had lurched in opposite directions when he saw her—his heart upwards to lodge in his throat, his stomach downwards to gurgle in low panic somewhere around his knees. He swallowed hard to try to clear the lump of nerves behind his larynx. Somehow, Wolf was the first to find his voice.
“Ordinarily, miss, I’d be the first to tip my hat to a lovely young lady like yourself,” he said as politely as he could manage, with a glance down at the hat in question. “But I don’t think either of us wants that right now.”
She blushed bright scarlet and whirled out of the bathroom without a word, revealing the bun that secured her hair and slamming the door behind her. Wolf put his free hand over his face.
About The Author
Elizabeth Einspanier is the self-published author of the Weird Western novella Sheep’s Clothing and the upcoming sci-fi romance novel Heart of Steel. Her short stories have been published in Down in the Dirt and Dark Fire Fiction. She is a member of the St. Louis Writer’s Guild and an associate member of the Horror Writers of America. She lives in St. Louis, but frequently spends extended periods in worlds of her own creation.
Links
Website: http://elizabetheinspanier.com
Blog: http://calliopeskiss.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeekGirlWriter
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ElizabethEinspanier/
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Book Tour – The Demons of Plainville Daniel R. Mathews
About The Book
Title: The Demons of Plainville: A Survivor’s Story of Storms and Reconstruction
Author: Daniel R. Mathews
Publisher: Lost Legacy Press
Publication Date: May 26, 2015
Format: Paperback – 292 pages / eBook / PDF
ISBN: 978-0990710745
Genre: Autobiography / Memoir / LGBT / Non Fiction
Buy The Book:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
Book Description
Some true stories read like fiction, but for those who have to personally live through the experiences, the nightmare is vividly real. Daniel R. Mathews digs into the darkness of his past with his haunting memoir, The Demons of Plainville.
As a child, Daniel struggles to find his footing in an upside-down world. His mother is mentally ill and addicted to drugs; she performs black masses to summon demons, is physically abusive, and plays brutal mind games that make him doubt his sanity and despair of ever making sense of life or himself. Even his father beats Daniel after “rescuing” him from his mother. Thanks to a few unexpected friends, Daniel survives his devastating youth and emerges stronger for it.
But Daniel’s battles aren’t over. Finally free of his abusive parents, he now must face himself and wrestle with his sexual identity in a community that sees nothing wrong with homophobia.
Candid and compelling, this is a triumphant tale of a young man who walked through the darkness, bravely faced his demons, and against all odds carried the faint light of hope with him every step of the way.
Book Excerpt
Accusations. This is how it always begins. S Screaming follows when my answers prove inadequate. Then come the threats, and finally the misery of surrender.
I was about eight at the time, living in a small red brick apartment building in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Our apartment was on the basement floor, so there was not a good view outside, only a few small quarter windows allowing in some daylight. The building stood on a grassy hill that overlooked Myles Standish State Forest. Some days I would just curl up on the sun-warmed grass, staring down into the forest below me and imagining that I was a bird darting between the trees.
My anger grew as we went through the same cycle day after day. I stood in our tiny living room facing the yellow sofa with my mother giving me that disdainful stare that made me feel ashamed. I’d look towards the light tan carpet, afraid to make eye contact with her. The details of the accusation did not matter, as I seldom had any idea what she was talking about. Whether there was a quarter missing from her bureau or the bathroom light being left on at night, there was no end to the possibilities of accusations. Each day the school bus dropped me off at the bottom of the hill, I paused at the bus-stop to gather whatever courage I could muster. I knew that a new accusation would be awaiting me, starting the cycle anew.
“Stand up straight when I’m talking to you!” She barks at me. “And stop looking
down at your feet. Where is it, what did you do with it?” she screams, finger
pointed towards me.
“I don’t know,” I say defensively, shrugging my shoulders.
“You little fucking liar,” she says, standing up from the couch and slapping my
face. “Now get in your room!”
I would rush into my small room in our apartment, slamming the white door shut before ripping clumps of my own short blond hair out. I hid the hair under my giant stuffed bear, which stood up to my waist in height. The bear was a gift from my maternal grandparents, ever standing ready to accept my love. I clung to the bear; its soft white and gray fur brought me comfort during times of sadness or anger.
My mother grew suspicious of the growing bald spot on the top of my head and one afternoon decided to tear the room apart. Eventually, she found the tangled lump of blond hair hidden under the bear and challenged me for answers, answers I did not have. I could not explain the anger inside me, at least not an explanation I dared speak in front of her. I had begun craving independence and the seeds of rebellion sprouted forth. She pushed me at every opportunity, accused and cursed me for anything ranging from theft to family misfortune. I just did not understand.
My only outlet was to punish myself through self-inflicted pain, just to release the frustration. My mother took an attitude of open hostility against me, one that persisted throughout my childhood.
“I’m going to send you to a mental institution!” she screamed at me, her long dirty blond hair swinging between her shoulder blades as she frantically shook her head. She wiped the sweat from her flushed brow then paused for a moment and looked down at me with great disgust waving the fist full of my hair she found at me. I clung to my stuffed bear, looking up at her.
“If you do not learn to behave, I’m going to send you to a reform school for boys.” She had hesitated for just a moment longer before her voice shifted into a menacing tone. “They just love cute little white boys at the reform school. They will take care of you real good.” Turning her back on me, she stormed out of the room, leaving me weeping into my bear’s fur while I continued to hug it with all my strength.
I’d heard of reform school before I was in second grade. However, I was left pondering the nature of how they would take care of me. Strange feelings overtook me. At first, heat surged through my body, then excitement. My heart began to beat faster, and for the first time that day I smiled. The words take care of you echoed in my mind over and over. Other boys at this reform school were going to take care of me. My mind reinterpreted her hidden threat; other boys were going to be touching me. I did not understand what this might mean, but I wanted desperately to find out. These strange longings would grow and expand in time. The seed long within me had sprouted. Yet, it did not grow for a while.
We eventually moved from the basement apartment to my grandparents’ house in the same town. The small ranch style house was nestled in small groves of pine and oak trees. There were numerous cranberry bogs in the area and a large waterfront district a few miles east of the house. Small single engine airplanes frequently flew overhead, taking off and landing at the local airport just to the north.
The yard was ideal for play, with a large back yard that sloped down into a small grove of pines and blueberry bushes. The neighbors behind the house owned a pair of horses that I visited every day. The house had three small bedrooms. My room was adjacent to the living room, just wide enough to fit my bed and a small dresser. When in the house I spent most of my time looking out the large living room bay window watching the cars and trucks drive by. Otherwise, I sat on the back deck with my grandmother. We would try to identify the particular birds visiting the feeder using a small field guide to birds. I went down the stairs and tossed a ball around with my grandfather on the lawn or helped him weed his small garden.
Because of the influence and presence of my grandparents (my mother’s parents), my problems decreased. More often than not, my mother would go off with her cousin Alice, leaving me behind. Alice’s arrival frequently corresponded with noticeable changes in my mother’s behavior. Alice was stern yet generally pleasant towards me. However, when they left together, they would return in a giggly or light-hearted mood, which would come crashing down a few hours later. I found the sudden mood shifts to be the most troubling occurrence because it added uncertainty and fear to my already besieged mind. One afternoon, though, while my grandparents were out for the day, my mother and her cousin called me into the small bedroom my mother was staying in at the end of the house.
Mother closes the curtains and shades, leaving just a shaft of sunlight entering the room. She held a large red case, almost like a toolbox of some sort. She opened the case and took out some items, including candles, a bell, incense, goblet, matches, and a book. The book was entitled The Satanic Bible. She placed the black and red candles around in a pattern that she refers to as a pentagram with a circle around it. She ordered me into the imaginary circle and told me to remain silent and not leave the center of the circle for any reason,” or else.”
She and Alice joined me in the circle while they lit a burner and then some incense. The snaking trail of smoke climbed towards the ceiling. The ritual was both exciting and frightening. She picked up the book and looked over at me, smiling. She told me that she would pray to Satan and summon demons, but the demons were not allowed to enter the circle. As long as I remained calm, I would be protected.
She began the mass by ringing the bells; she used the book to speak words I’d never heard before. The ringing echoed faintly in the room, combining with the sweet smell of the incense. I felt almost dizzy, overcome by a giddy feeling of excitement.
She proceeded to cut herself with a silver knife with an ornate looking pearl handle, just enough to draw a steady trickle of blood from her finger, allowing it to flow into a tarnished bronze colored chalice. Alice took the knife and sliced her own finger, allowing drops of blood to fall into the chalice. My mother held the chalice upwards as an offering and mumbled a few words.
After placing it back on the ground, she took a long slender writing instrument and dipped it into the blood. The blood served as the ink, allowing her to write on a small blank piece of white paper. I couldn’t see the writing, but she told me it was an offering for our luck and fortune. She ripped the paper into small pieces and set it ablaze. The mass finished with a final ringing of the bells, driving away the demons.
I couldn’t see these creatures, but the air was laden with smoke and darkness. I was sure the demons were there.
Book Trailer:
http://www.daniel-mathews.com/site-news/tdop-book-trailer-released/
About The Author
An avid reader of science fiction, horror, and fantasy, Daniel R. Mathews is a novelist and nonfiction writer whose books feature LGBT youth braving danger with honor and dignity, including his personal memoir, The Demons of Plainville , and debut horror novel, The Unseen Kingdom .
For the past two decades, Mathews has worked as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified ground instructor, meteorologist, and a member of the web development and Internet technical support community. He currently lives in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Connect with Daniel R. Mathews:
Website: www.daniel-mathews.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/AuthorDanielMathews
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DanielRMathews
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Daniel_R_Mathews
Author Interview
Daniel. Thanks for being my guest today. Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Daniel Mathews and I live in Flagstaff, Arizona. I’m a professional dreamer and certified technician of insanity. Well, the insanity part is more of a hobby really. I’m a writer that has published a memoir titled ‘The Demons of Plainville’ and I am currently working on several novels in various stages of production. I write primarily in the genres of horror and science-fiction. However, I’m also a part-time Meteorologist, which represents both gainful employment and something of a life-long obsession.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
I would say the sweet, alluring smell of bacon but alas, nobody has invented self-cooking bacon. So, I settle for the fact that my day requires some level of writing or marketing, along with my Meteorology job.
Although I say that I’m a writer, I really see myself more as a storyteller. And with each new day, I’m presented with a new opportunity to prepare, plot or dream up stories to share with people. More than anything else, that is the one thing that induces me to face a new day.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
That’s a tough question since the fanboy in me struggles with a few possibilities. I admire storytellers and would value spending a day picking their brains and hopefully learning some tricks of the trade. However, there is one person that perhaps more than most, influenced my childhood love of the horror genre, and my desire to share similar stories with the public. And that would be Director John Carpenter. While I have absolutely no film-making training or experience, John Carpenter just fascinates me both as a movie fan and as someone who wants to tell the world stories. I believe there is a great deal of symmetry between movie directors, authors and game developers and so there is something to be learned from any of these professions when it comes to the art of crafting compelling stories.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
My current book ‘The Demons of Plainville’ is a memoir that nearly didn’t happen. My personal backstory was one I seldom ever shared with anyone, except for the closest of friends. Even then, nobody really knew the full extent of the bizarre events that constituted my childhood. The little bit that I shared had always prompted some degree of “Wow, you should make that a book!”
However, I was too ashamed of my own past. I questioned everything from my sanity to my masculinity. I called the memoir ‘The Demons of Plainville’ because I had to fight the demons of fear, regret, sorrow and anger to survive my childhood. Then, I needed to fight them again to write the memoir.
I had the book professionally edited and had a few people read it. Even though the response was quite positive, it sat on a shelf for years. Every time I thought about publishing it, my courage faltered and I let my demons get the better of me.
As it happens, I had been preparing to publish my first horror novel but was having issues with scheduling my editor. I ended up with a large gap in my planned publishing schedule and had just made a significant change in my life. I decided to use that as an opportunity to polish the memoir and finally publish it.
Tell us your writing process.
Writing the memoir was a little different than how I handle genre fiction, but the general idea is the same. I usually come up with a broad premise for a story and then begin envisioning some major scenes that I play out in my mind like a movie. I then begin plotting out the book in outline format, including the key scenes and developing my main characters.
Now for the memoir, I needed to recollect the key events in my life that would resonate with readers or would otherwise help them understand how my life evolved over time. In reality, that isn’t too different than handling a fictional character. The character is given flaws and obstacles and then evolve over time as they attempt to overcome those challenges presented during the story. The only difference here, of course, is that character was me, and the childhood obstacles were quite real.
What tips can you give other authors who are looking to get the word out about their book?
Marketing a book is a long-term battle of attrition. There is no magic bullet or technique that will place your book in front of relevant readers at an efficient price. Your best strategy is to keep writing books and improving your craft. This will allow you create a library of works that are always available, and can be marketed at an increasingly efficient price point.
Once you start getting some strong reviews on your books, you can leverage some of these major e-Book newsletters and advertise periodic sales which will help develop a readership that will hopefully endure as you continue to write new content. At least that’s the strategy that I’m pursuing, and it requires a multi-year commitment.
Even if your fortunate enough to have a publisher with a marketing budget that can outreach to bookstores, as an author you need to be reaching out to the public. Blogging and using services like Bublish (www.bublish.com) that allow you to comment on your own book excerpts, using your existing social media platform to distribute the links. You need to take every opportunity to showcase your talents. Words are your greatest weapon and asset, so use them well.
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
Around age twelve I had begun writing my own little newspaper to share with my classmates. At first, it was an excuse to share my weather forecasts with them, but eventually that morphed into something more substantive. I had developed a love affair with the written word, and began writing about news stories and upcoming movies in my own words. This little hobby began as a typed, one-page carbon-copied newsletter that gradually grew to several pages in length that I typed every morning. But, I didn’t see myself as a “writer” at that point, it was something I just enjoyed doing and made a little money on the side. It would be some years before the little stories and roleplay scripts I developed for friends would become a serious endeavor.
One day my grandfather, sensing I was unhappy with my Internet career at the time had taken me aside and asked why I wasn’t writing books. Honestly, while telling stories was always in the back of my mind, actually writing a novel was not something I had the courage to attempt. It wouldn’t be until after his death that I decided to test his notion that I had been “born to write.”
Tell us about your main character.
Well, this is awkward. You’re interviewing him already! This memoir focuses on my childhood between the ages of ten and twenty-one. I focused on these years because it best shows the evolution of my adolescent mindset and candidly reveals my struggle against abuse and homophobia. Perhaps more importantly, it highlights the few special people in my life who helped preserve my sanity and handed me the tools needed to build a more positive self-identity and ultimately break free.
One of the things I tried to accomplish in writing this memoir was to share my actual thoughts and reactions as a child at the time. As opposed to recollecting the events and commenting on them as an adult. So in many ways, I treat myself as a fictional character growing up and “stay in character” while only periodically adding commentary as an adult.
I want the reader to understand what was going on in my mind, and the mechanisms I used to cope and endure. And, of course, how these mechanisms would later sabotage my efforts as I entered college.
What are you working on next?
My debut horror novel ‘The Unseen Kingdom’ is currently in post-production. This is an LGBT Young-Adult, Lovecraftian style story which focuses on teenager Tommy Wilson and his close-knit group of friends in a small New England town. Just days before Halloween, Tommy discovers a dream portal to another dimension, the fabled city of R’lyeh. The city is inhabited by children that refer to themselves as The Unseen, who appear to be victims of a cult operating in the town. As a malaise begins gripping the inhabitants of the town, R’lyeh’s mysterious master beckons the children forward, to unlock the mystery of ‘The Unseen Kingdom’ before it’s too late. Look for this novel to be available for sale by early September.
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
I feel like this is an opportunity to shout out, “I’m Batman!” but that’s probably not the response you’re looking for. Although I’m rather out of practice, I am a student pilot and have logged time in everything from a Cessna-152 to a Super King Air. I have about thirty hours logged and am also a Certified FAA Ground Instructor. For several years, I taught aviation ground schools, a job that I confess I miss very much. I was also an Aviation Safety Counselor, I ran an Internet Service Provider for many years and am a few credits short of obtaining my Bachelor’s Degree in Geology. The later I hope to complete someday. I guess you could say I’m a jack-of-all-trades, but master of none. Although, I do believe this benefits my writing.
Who are your favorite authors?
J.K. Rowling, I think got me inspired to try and elevate my own writing because her world-building and characters are amazing. Stephen King was my inspiration growing up, along with H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe. My grandfather was a bookbinder by trade, so I grew up with the classics and have an enduring love for Mark Twain and Charles Dickens. During my teen years, I followed Tom Clancy very closely and this is probably why I enjoy cross-genre writing.
What do you like to do with your free time?
I’m a PC Gamer and enjoy games like World of Warcraft, Skyrim and am looking forward to Fallout 4. When I’m not doing that, I’m usually just surfing the internet or watching a movie.
Tell us about your plans for upcoming books.
I’m currently revising a fantasy novel tentatively titled “The Druidic Chronicles”. This coming-of-age adventure novel focuses on a young druid and his eclectic group of friends that are struggling against a series of mysterious attacks on their land. I’m hoping to have this available during the first quarter of 2016 and will be the first in a series. I will be releasing more information on this before Halloween.
My next project is a science-fiction novel that detail the exploits of a group of military school cadets who are unexpectedly put to the test when their city comes under attack by what appears to be a supernatural force. I’m hoping to turn this into a series and is something of an obsession of mine. I’ll be releasing more information on this project later this fall. This is very much an LGBT-themed book to show gay teens that they can be heroes too though truthfully most of my writing is geared toward accomplishing that goal.
Any final thoughts?
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for this interview and hope that your readers who have an opportunity to become a positive force in the life of an abused or bullied child will accept that role and make a difference.
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: @DanielRMathews, author interview, book promotion tips, Daniel R. Mathews, Pump Up Your Book, PUYB, The Demons of Plainville, The Unseen Kingdom, virtual book tour
July 20, 2015
Book Tour – Untouchable by Cindy Skaggs
Title: Untouchable
Author: Cindy Skaggs
Publisher: Entangled Ignite
Pages: 216
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Format: Kindle
Action. Romance. Hot heroes. Don’t miss Ignite’s newest romance…
She’ll do whatever it takes to find her son – Lie. Cheat. Steal. Seduce…
As the former wife of an infamous crime boss, Sofia Capri is untouchable. She exists outside of the law…and outside of the criminal world. When her son is kidnapped, Sofia’s desperate to find him. She’ll do anything. Lie. Cheat.
Steal. Anything but trust. But it’s a strikingly handsome FBI agent who’s her only chance to get her baby back…
Something about Sofia’s fiery beauty must be hitting all of his weak spots, because suddenly Mr. Law And Order Logan Stone finds himself bending the rules. When they’re implicated in the kidnapping, Logan and Sofia discover a horrifying reality – they have less than 72 hours to find the boy and clear their names.
Now the heat is turning up…and time is running out…for everyone.
ORDER INFORMATION
Untouchable is available for purchase at
Amazon
B&N
Kobo
Add to your Goodreads Shelf.
About The Author
When they told her a woman could do anything, Cindy thought they meant everything, and decided to give it a go. Cindy holds an MA in Creative Writing from Regis University, is an MFA student at Pacific Lutheran University, works three jobs, is a single mom to two of the most active kids on the planet, pet owner, and child chauffeur extraordinaire.
She took her first job at age thirteen as a motel maid. Since then, she has worked in myriad offices, at Spencer’s Gifts, in a summer stock theater, a college library & art gallery, and more odd jobs than she’ll admit. That was all before running away to join the Air Force where she saw nearly every state in the union and more countries than she can remember.
Following the Air Force, she worked as a travel agent, a retail store manager, and operated two small businesses before the a-ha moment hit. Books! Writing! She now works in a library and teaches writing to college students while working on her novels.
When she’s not writing, she’s trying to prevent the neurotic dog from either chewing the furniture or eating whole sticks of butter (often still in the paper). She’s beginning to think maybe she can’t do it all. At least not all at once.
Untouchable, Cindy’s first romantic suspense, releases 7/21/2015 from Entangled Publishing.
For More Information
Visit Cindy at her website.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cindy is giving away a $25 Gift Card!
Terms & Conditions:
By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to Amazon
This giveaway begins July 21 and ends on August 19.
Winners will be contacted via email on August 20.
Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!
ENTER TO WIN!
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: @clskaggs, Cindy Skaggs, Pump Up Your Book, PUYB, Rafflecopter giveaway, Untouchable
Luna Marina and the McMachina
Title: Luna Marina and the McMachina (The Adventures of Luna Marina Blue Book 1)
Author: G.A. Costa & A.R. Costa
Publisher: G.A. Costa & A.R. Costa
Pages: 485
Genre: Young Adult
Format: Paperback/Kindle
Fourteen-year-old Luna Marina Blue has the temper and disposition of a sailor (with the language and the manners to match)!
She’s mad at everyone and everything around her, but what has her maddest of all is that it’s the first day of school and summer vacation is over. Poor Little Luna has had it with all her shallow friends and the stupid grown-ups who make demands and refuse to listen to her. When one of her classmates recounts her ‘wonderful’ summer vacation on an Italian farm, an idyllic place right out of the 1950′s, where she told of hayrides, dances, parties and stolen kisses, Luna starts daydreaming about going back in time. She desperately wants to be in Old Italy during the 1950′s, and experience all that for herself.
Luna imagines how she would wow and impress all the poor ‘backward’ farm people with her beauty, modern look and ‘new-age’ style; she would be a little queen and the star of everyone’s attention, she just knew it! Later that day, after getting suspended from school and punished at home, Luna gets the chance to have her wish come true. Mad at everyone and convinced that no one cared for her or would even notice if she went missing, Luna accepts the offer, thus beginning her own Grand Odyssey.
Going back in time to the farming community in and around the Italian town of Pontecorvo during the 1950′s, Luna Marina Blue embarks on a journey of personal discovery and realizes that the so-called ‘backward’ farm people are just as educated, intelligent, and capable as she is (if not more so). She also learns some valuable life lessons and family secrets along the way.
Homesick and desperate to get back to her original family, whom she spurned so easily before, yet learning to love an entirely new family in Old Italy, Luna is torn between her old life in modern times, and the new one she found in the 1950’s.
Luna Marina Blue has a choice to make, one which will echo throughout her entire life and beyond …Will she stay? Will she go back? What a conundrum!
Teens from fourteen to ninety-four will enjoy taking this journey with Luna, watching her grow from an immature child to a thoughtful and intelligent young woman, all the while sharing the exciting adventures and wonderful surprises that lie ahead …
This is a wholesome, feel-good and heartwarming tale that the entire family can enjoy together! Not only will teens and preteens love this story, but adults will as well.
Luna Marina is available at Amazon.
Visit the book’s Facebook Page.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
G. A. Costa was born in Pawtucket, RI. He grew up in Seekonk, MA and now resides near Boston. He attended The Perkins School for the Blind until Junior High, where, as a child, he started learning how to sing and play the keyboard. After outgrowing Perkins, he attended Junior High in Watertown, MA. He then came home to Attend High School in Seekonk, MA, where he received High Honors and was inducted into The National Honor Society. While at Seekonk High, he joined ‘The Verdandi Male Choir for Swedish Singers’ with whom he traveled the country singing in concerts. After high school, he was accepted at SMU (now UMASS Dartmouth), and graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science and with a minor in Sociology. After graduation, he wrote for a computer magazine and designed computer games. Besides writing, he now plays various instruments, including the guitar and drums, while continuing to sing and write music. Other interests include any and all kinds of science and physics, reading, listening to music, and electric trains.
A. R. Costa was born in Milan, Italy, just before the Second World War, and was raised in Pontecorvo, Italy, in the Province of Frosinone. She obtained a teaching degree from ‘The Fancy School in Town’ when she was twenty, and soon after she was married in The San Bartholomew Cathedral, right across from her house. Since her mother was born in Fall River, Ma, and always talked about her life in America, Alessandra decided to ‘come home’ to the USA, and her entire family came with her and her husband. Now the author and her two children, her brother, sister, their children and grandchildren are all spread out very close to their roots, in and around Fall River, Massachusetts, in the Good, Old U.S. of A. Her parents, Nonno and Nonna, lie peacefully next to each other, near their family and together forever.
Their latest book is the young adult novel, Luna Marina and the McMachina. – See more at Amazon
INTERVIEW
Thanks for being here today. Tell our readers about you both.
Alessandra – I’m a little Italian old lady, I’m old-fashioned and fussy; that is the way I was raised. I love cooking for my family, I make everything from scratch and I don’t believe in prepared food and eating out. I believe in the old-fashioned values and I’m disappointed with today’s laissez-faire attitude, but I also believe that everyone has a right to live their life the way they want and I only try to influence people with niceness and by example. What I am above everything else is a wife and mother. My family and their welfare is my primary concern; I can stop doing everything I do but I can never stop taking care of my family.
Gino – I’m a computer programmer, singer / songwriter / musician and writer. I enjoy many activities including reading, writing, and learning new things. I have a lot of friends, and I have a wonderful relationship with my mother. Like my Mom, I’ve always believed in the family, and of keeping close to each other. But of course, that is our Italian heritage.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
Alessandra – My family’s needs, and this includes my cat, performing my duties, fulfilling my promises and finding time for my favorite activities; reading and writing.
Gino – My family and friends, getting back to work on my music and writing. Every new day brings challenges and opportunities, as well as new things to see and discover.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
Alessandra – Lucille Ball. In Italy, in the 1950s almost no one had TV, but the Monsignor at the cathedral across from our house had one. He invited his neighbors to come and watch TV every Saturday, and he lined up a lot of chairs in the rectory and put out a little table of goodies to eat while we watched mostly American shows dubbed in Italian; of course you had to kneel and thank God for this new and wonderful invention before you could sit down and watch TV, but no one minded. I Love Lucy was everyone’s favorite, and we even forgot to eat the goodies when it came out. I thought that she was the luckiest lady, and I wanted to be her, but when I came to America, in 1960, I realized how hard her life was. At first she just seemed a funny lady, kind of ridiculous really, but later I saw how beautiful she was, and how strong to be able to make it in a men’s world and to run a major studio. I would have liked to spend a day with her to realize how she coped with the great stress connected to everything she achieved, and how she faced day to day work. How did she find time to run a home and take care of her family sounds to me like an even bigger achievement than her artistic career. How strong she had to be, and how much she had to endure while creating this wonderful word of carefree life that we all enjoyed in her shows! I have always admired her, and I would really have liked to follow her around especially at home and learn from her what the secret of her endurance was.
Gino – Leonardo da Vinci. I’ve always had the utmost respect for him, not only because he was so well versed in so many completely different subjects, everything it seems, from music to geology, far more than just being a painter, which everyone knows about. He not only invented so many devices that we use today, but did so centuries ago, even including the helicopter! Because of my love of things such as science, music, art, writing, etc., it would be a wonderful experience, not only to talk to him and learn how he thinks, but to get his thoughts and opinions on how history has developed, as well as modern technology and cultural values. I would love to hang around with him all day, lying on my back and talking to him while he painted.
What’s the story behind your latest Book?
Alessandra – My son Gino and I were watching Star Trek TNG, an episode titled The Inner Light; it was about a race extinct for a thousand years. Before their planet died, this race send out a probe. After a thousand years of lonely travel, this probe found the Spaceship Enterprise and Capt. Picard. In a few minutes it instilled in the Captain a life lived with the extinct race on their doomed planet. After Capt. Picard woke up, the probe had a message. This race did not want their life, hopes, dreams and accomplishments to be lost in the mists of time; they did not want to be forgotten. They wanted someone to acknowledge their existence and to tell others about it. I turned to my son and said that I wished I had a probe like that, as I didn’t want my life in the 1950s Italy to be forgotten. My son told me that I did have a probe! He said: “Write a book about it, I’ll help you!” At first I laughed, but eventually I realized that I wanted to do it. Since no one would be interested in the memories of a little Italian old lady, Gino and I decided to make it the story of a young girl called Luna.
Tell us your writing process.
Gino – I often change my writing process for different things. But usually, I get something in my head, which I can spend a long time thinking about before even starting to write. what will happen is I may look like I have nothing to show for my efforts, but in reality, it’s all in my head. After I get a good idea off what I want to develop, I’ll start writing, followed by trying out different things to see how they work. some things can come out correct the first time, whereas others might take many iterations to get right. My mother and I write our own thoughts then we compare and integrate what we have. Our writing is the result of trials and tribulations, even some arguments, but then everything comes out alright in the end.
When did you realized you wanted to be a writer?
Alessandra – When I was a young girl. At around 15 years old, in Italy, I started to write articles for a teen magazine called Mimosa. Those little articles were all about boys, clothes, makeup and hairdos. At 17 I wrote articles for a local newspaper, and at 18 I wrote a short romantic novel for a steamy magazine called Grand Hotel. At first they loved it and accepted it, but later they rejected it when they found out how young I was. At 19 I married, and soon after I came to the U.S. with my GI husband. After I arrived in the U. S. all I cared about was my new home, my husband and my children. I always loved reading, and found out , again, how much I love writing in my seventies.
Gino – When I was 14 years old, I wrote reviews for TV shows and movies for my school newspaper. I realized I enjoyed writing, as I went on to write articles for a computer club newsletter. I’ve written things here and there ever since, but this is my first novel.
Tell us about your main character
Gino – As the saying goes, Luna Marina Blue has the temper and disposition of a sailor, with the language and manners to match. There are many teens these days who think like Ms. Blue, who just want what they want – NOW – and who cares about the future. Luna Blue hasn’t thought or cared about her heritage, and has no reason to care, having lived in America all her life. Fortunately, however, Luna quickly learns the error of her ways when she sees things outside her previous experience. She desired to leave everyone and everything behind, but when she was given this wish, all she can think of is getting back home to everyone and everything she knows. Eventually, she has to prove to herself and everyone else that she’s mature enough to make her big choice in life.
What are you working on next?
Alessandra and Gino – My son and I are working on a small book for children, because we want to submit it to the Newbery Medal Award before the end of the year. After this is done, we will start the second installment to the Luna book series.
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
Alessandra – I don’t know if any of my talents are special or extraordinary, but I know I have intuition and deep feelings for anything or anyone of my own, not just my family, but my home, my things, my thoughts and even my little cat. I at times have a sense of foreboding, feel that something is wrong, and sure enough it is, and at times I know someone close to me is in pain, and sure enough I find out it’s true, even though they try to hide it. Some time I think about some upcoming event or other stuff and I see with clarity what is going to happen; it doesn’t work with lottery tickets, though. I think it’s nothing other than acute intuition, sharpened by my need to watch out for my people, my home and my things.
Gino – Like my mother, I have intuition that lets me see things not readily apparent, including knowing what will happen next, and when. Also, I can see things in my head as if they’re right in front of me. For example, someone could verbally describe some strange device to me, and I can tell them exactly what it is and how it works. This helps me with many things, like science and music, and writing and composing. I’ve been asked am I scientific or creative, but to me, there’s little difference between them. I can do either equally well, and my imagination helps immensely. Along with that, I have Synesthesia, whereby I associate colors and sounds to words, numbers, even basic concepts.
Who are your favorite authors?
Alessandra – When I saw this question I was quite terrified. My mind became a jumble of writer’s names and titles of books, and as much as I tried to stop myself and put some order into this, I was powerless to do it. When I put pen to paper, the floodgates opened, and I had a tough time choosing my authors. I tried to pare it down, and this is the best I could do:
From when I lived in Italy:
Honore’ De Balzac, favorite book Eugenie Grandet
James Hilton, favorite book Lost Horizon
Baroness Orczy, favorite book The Scarlet Pimpernel series
Dante Alighieri, favorite book The Divine Comedy
Niccolo’ Machiavelli, favorite book The Prince
Since I lived in the US:
Herman Melville, my favorite book Moby Dick
Kathleen Woodiwiss, favorite book The Flame and the Flower and everything else she wrote
Jane Austen, favorite book Pride and Prejudice
J D Salinger, favorite book The Catcher in the Rye
and, of course, J K Rowling, favorite book the whole Harry Potter series.
There are just too many to mention, and I’m not ashamed to say that I also have loved Harlequin books for years, and any other book that happens to come to my attention. Sorry for the long, boring list, but you should know that I could have gone on for pages and pages. Only my superhuman control and my desire not to bore you to tears stopped me from continuing. I know that I never have had a favorite kind of subject or a favorite genre and that my reading is not organized or preplanned, but I’m proud to say that I have never met a book I didn’t like.
Gino – I don’t really have favorites, since each author has his or her own style and their writing is very different from each other. But I do have some I enjoy the most.
Edgar Allen Poe, poet
J K Rowling, wrote the Harry Potter books
Isaak Asimov, science fiction author
Ben Bova, science fiction author
Cynthia Sue Larson, science nonfiction author
Frank McCourt, autobiographical books
What do you like to do with your free time?
Alessandra – I love to read and write, go shopping, sit on the deck with my husband just to be alone together in the evenings, and talk on the phone with my son John and my sister Adele. I also love to cook and bake, and spend time on the internet looking at recipes from all over the world, and once in a while I love to go to the movies with Gino to buy an over sized, and refillable tub of popcorn and see a new Disney movie or a new Sci-Fi movie.
Gino – I love to do many things, including playing computer and video games, reading, especially science fiction, but any good book is enjoyable to me. I also enjoy scientific books and articles. I enjoy visiting my cousins and relatives or talking to them on the phone, and I enjoy performing, recording and listening to all kinds of music.
Tell us about your plans for upcoming books.
Gino – We plan to write a sequel to Luna Marina, and we might do a cookbook that illustrates our Italian heritage through food. In addition, I have some ideas for books I want to write on my own.
Where can people find you on the web.
Gino – I can be found on social media sites like facebook and twitter, and I visit many various gaming, science, music, and other sites.
Facebook: Gino Costa
Twitter: @GiACosta
Any final thoughts?
Alessandra and Gino – We worked very hard to put our feelings and values into the story of Luna Marina Blue, and we truly hope that this can teach today’s children the values of the past in order to be good people for the future. In addition, adults can enjoy our stories as much as the kids. We could imagine our book being used in the classroom or during family reading nights.
Thank you both for being here today.
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: @GiACosta, A.R. Costa, author interview, G.A. Costa, Luna Marina and the McMachina (The Adventures of Luna Marina Blue) (Volume 1), Pump Up Your Book, PUYB
