Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 151
January 16, 2023
Blog Tour: ONLY ONE LIE by Audrey J. Cole
Only One Lie
by Audrey J. Cole
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GENRE: Historical Mystery
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BLURB:
From the author of The Pilot's Daughter and The Final Hunt comes a thrilling, suspense-driven mystery set in World War II-era Seattle.
Seattle, 1942. News of the war is interrupted by the kidnapping of young Max Ellis, heir to the wealthiest banking family on the west coast. When the boy's parents comply with the ransom demands, the kidnapper is found dead and their son remains missing. For newlywed Vera Chandler, the story hits close to home-her husband Hugh is just six months into his job as the Ellis's private pilot.
Within days, Hugh is deployed to the Pacific as a navy pilot, while Vera's flying instructor and best friend joins the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron. Left alone, her parents' words haunt her: If you really wanted to serve your country, you wouldn't have dropped out of nursing school.
In an exchange for a favor Vera can't refuse, she is pulled into the Ellis family affairs by the desperate mother of the missing child. The Ellis family, Vera learns firsthand, is as dangerous as they are rich. Soon, she is in a race to save the child's life, and it could be the only way she can save her own.
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Excerpt One:
Priscilla put her hand on the wool trousers covering the limp legs of the man she had tripped over. She shook the pants leg, but there was no movement. She heard Vincent’s footsteps flying up the path.
“Max!” she yelled out again.
Her cry was met with nothing but silence. The light from Vincent’s flashlight illuminated the body next to her when he reached her side. Priscilla shrieked and jumped to her feet. She impulsively took her husband’s arm and stared down at the man.
“Oh, no! Oh, dear God! This can’t be happening!”
A bullet hole marked the middle of the blond man’s forehead. Blood and brain matter speckled with gunpowder seeped into his hairline. Another bullet had pierced his chest just below his neck. A deep red stain flowed beneath the collar of his shirt. His blank eyes stared at her.
“Max!”
Vincent aimed his flashlight around the surrounding park as Priscilla continued to call out for their son. But there was no movement and no response.
“Max!”
“I know this man!” Vincent pointed to the bloodied corpse. “It’s Howard Mills—the man Rex fired for stealing! The guy we called the police on!”
Only three weeks ago, this same man had appeared at their home like a raging maniac, banging on their front door and complaining that Rex had unfairly fired him.
“I remember—but Vincent!” She gripped the sleeves of his overcoat and spun him toward her.
“Where’s our son?”
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Review: A boy ripped from his home and taken for ransom. All this happened while the nanny was on duty.
At first, the story shifts between the boy’s kidnapping and the woman test-driving a pilot. Of course, the connection is not clear at all. But then this shifting pattern continues. It was almost like we were getting two different stories here. On the one side, we had mystery and suspense; and, on the other, we had a technical manual on jet-flying. Odd.
Pilot training? Who cared? Between Vera, Opal, Dari, and Lilly, it was kind of hard to keep track of who was who in the 2nd story of the book. Really, the interesting portion was the search for the missing boy. Why even have the flying ladies in here? If we could’ve just focused on the kidnapping case, that would’ve been best. Do these characters from each side even meet here?
With the constant shifting, the whole thing was really slow. The writing was pretty good, but the stories here weren’t too great. This shouldn’t have been ONLY ONE LIE, it should’ve been ONLY ONE STORY.
A decent read though.
Rating: 3 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
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Audrey J. Cole is a registered nurse and a USA Today bestselling author of thrillers set in Seattle. Audrey J. Cole is a USA TODAY bestselling thriller author. Before writing full time, she worked as a neonatal intensive care nurse for eleven years. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two children.
Connect with Audrey:
bookbub.com/authors/Audrey-J-Cole
You can also visit her website:
Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Only-One-Lie-Audrey-Cole-ebook/dp/B0B94TNVBQ/
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GIVEAWAY :
Audrey J. Cole will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Blog Tour: THE MARRIAGE LIST by Ella Quinn
The Marriage List
(The Worthington Brides)
by Ella Quinn
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GENRE: Historical Romance
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BLURB:
By popular demand, USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn returns Regency England’s beloved extended family, The Worthingtons, for the first in a sparkling new spin-off series! Determined to tame the marriage market on their own terms and make advantageous love matches, three confident sisters draw up a list of qualities they expect their new beaus to meet. But as they are about to discover, people are hardly ever perfect and the road to love is far more thrilling and interesting than they could ever have imagined…
As part of a large, rambunctious family, Lady Eleanor Carpenter has gained some knowledge of what makes a successful marriage. She’s even compiled a list of essential qualifications in a potential husband. John, the Marquis of Montagu, seems of good character (check), with money enough to support a family (check). But what of the many other requirements on her list?
Montagu, meanwhile, believes the key to a comfortable life lies in marrying someone quiet and docile. Yet the one lady who captivates him could hardly be more different to what he envisioned. Lady Eleanor is as opinionated as she is lovely, determined to improve working conditions for coal miners, even at risk to her own safety.
From evenings at Almack’s to carriage rides in Hyde Park, this Season will contain many pleasures—and a few surprises that compel both John and Eleanor to rethink their expectations. For one thing is certain: love will not be defined by any list . . .
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Excerpt One:
John, the Marquis of Montagu, had noticed the three young ladies headed for the gate, and his gaze lingered on the one riding closest to him. She had a fine seat. Perhaps he should add that to his requirements for a wife. Since he’d arrived in Town, he had found himself distracted by the problems at home. Fortunately, it was still early, and the Season had not yet begun. He had to find a wife. His mother and sister would nag him until he did. And it was his duty. If only there was an easy way to go about it. Perhaps he’d meet some gentlemen who were looking for likely husbands for their daughters and John could arrange a match. Of course, the lady would have to agree. He didn’t want a wife who didn’t want him.
“We need to discover a way to meet them,” Giffard, the recently elevated Marquis of St. Albans, heir to the Duke of Cleveland, said.
“If they’re making their come outs, we will not be able to avoid it.” John had already decided what he wanted in a spouse. Someone who was not interested in politics, or causes, or charities. A lady who would not bother him about what he should do. He’d be happy if she read nothing but novels and knew only polite conversation. In other words, someone the exact opposite of his mother and his twin sister. An arranged match was looking better and better.
“I need a lady who will be acceptable to my father.” Giff scowled. “Excellent bloodlines are important. She must also be intelligent and not afraid to stand up to him. He detests cowards.”
“I’m surprised he did not make a match for you.” John’s mother had tried that with his sister to no avail and had suggested she provide him a list of names. Of course Aurelia’s godmother had helped her stand her ground until she’d found Lytton and married him. John had been lucky that the lady his father had wanted him to wed eloped with another man before they married. But that was four years ago. He’d been the head of the family for over three years, and it was time to take a wife.
Take a wife. It was his mantra until he completed his task.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side (political science professor and lawyer). Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them.
She is married to her wonderful husband of almost fourty years. They have a son and two beautiful granddaughters, a Great Dane named Lilibet, and a cat named Winnie. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true lived on sailboat for three years. After cruising the Caribbean and North America, she completed a transatlantic crossing from St. Martin to Southern Europe. She's currently living in Germany, happily writing while her husband is back at work, recovering from retirement. She expects to be back on the boat in 2022.
Ella loves when readers connect with her.
Author Contact and Social Media:
Website: https://www.ellaquinnauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllaQuinnAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ellaquinnauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7044274.Ella_Quinn
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ella-quinn
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ella-Quinn/e/B00CAE0FSQ
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Marriage-List-Worthington-Brides/dp/142015446X
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GIVEAWAY
Ella Quinn will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveawayJanuary 14, 2023
Q&A with Dan Williams, author of The Dreaming Crystal
THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING HERE. FOR STARTERS, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR WRITING AND WHAT INSPIRES YOU.
I’ve always been an avid reader and particularly in the SFF genres. I’ve dabbled in writing since childhood and at some point, you have to follow your inner voice. Now is my time! I’ve read some great books across all genres and in both the fiction and non-fiction categories. But something elusive about SFF always injects an extra spark into the read for me. I think good stories are ones told by their characters in their own unique voices and SFF is no exception. So my writing has characters at its heart and magic, apocalypse, space and technology are all and always part of the backdrop.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW BOOK
The Dreaming Crystal is the first in a duology set in a future Earth. The book blends ancient magic, futuristic tech and a hostile climate against a backdrop of shrinking resources to form the powder keg that is the humanity of its cruel, grey and grinding present day. While humanity has forgotten magic, magic hasn’t forgotten humanity. It creeps down through the years from the banks of the Yellow River in China twelve millennia ago to the rain-lashed grey islands of the Aotearoa Archipelago in the late twenty-nineties where the majority of the story takes place. After we witness the events that lock the power away, we speed forward through time to when the chains that bind it begin to warp and fray and people are unwittingly drawn into its ancient story, skepticism and all.
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE TITLE FOR THIS BOOK?
Particularly within the SFF genre, I have a weird fondness for magic crystals and stones; other-shaped talismans, daggers, knives, chains and necklaces etc., not so much. So there had to crystal, right? And the way ghosts work in this story, well, you’ll see why the name is appropriate implicitly and a little explicitly in the first book and more definitely in the final book.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS BOOK?
I love the idea of human or ‘altered human’ ancients (or immortals) who have born witness to history far beyond the normal human lifespan: vampires, werewolves (as in the Underworld series), elves from various worlds etc. And I like layered and complete universes too; where there are grand theories and grand mysteries rather than ‘things that just are’. In other words, even if there’s magic, there needs to be a science to the magic or the inhabitants of the world need to be asking those questions. So, this is my crack at a story that has all those things.
WHAT DRIVES YOUR CHARACTERS IN YOUR STORY?
There are quite a few characters with a wide variety of personal histories. Each is motivated by their past as it lives in their present and informs their hopes and dreams. In the end, everyone just wants to feel valued, experience human connection and personal homeostasis; calmness and happiness. But sometimes when their pain is too great, these needs become confused and amplified into toxic greed, jealousy, hate and ambition.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS A PIVOTAL SCENE IN YOUR BOOK AND WHY?
Tina realizes a rare sunlit day has dawned and hastens to dress and go outside to see the light and the clear blue sky. But when she opens her door, she discovers the hallway of her floor full of people doing the same and she’s suddenly pincered between her agoraphobia and claustrophobia. In the end she stays in her tiny apartment with the door closed. The clouds roll back in and she hears everyone going back inside and though she does not feel the slip, that is the moment her lonely life begins its final slow tumble into depressed and vengeful insanity.
IF YOUR BOOK WERE TO BE MADE INTO A MOVIE, WHO WOULD BE YOUR CAST?
You’ve got me there. I love watching SFF as much as I love reading it but I’d be able to correctly answer about three out of a thousand questions about who played who in what. I’m a weird kind of person who if asked what a movie was about or what it was like, I’d say what it was about (the plot) and maybe talk about the themes and subtext. As far as I know, I’m the only person who does that. Everyone I have ever met, if asked the same, will tell you who’s acting in it and what they were wearing. I can give you a feel for the cast in a ‘like that character…’ list, I guess (accents and appearances changed as appropriate though). Here are the main ones:
Nate: A cross between a guy I went to university with and Jason Stackhouse (Trueblood). Only he has to be a natural genius, frustrated only by his lack of education and with much darker skin (still blonde hair though)
Ethel: Servalan (Blake’s 7) only bigger, more muscular, black, just as ruthless but with also fiercely loving and loyal to her family and those she cared about.
Tina: Maggie the boxer (Million Dollar Baby) but with super light skin, yellow-blonde hair from futuristic root replacement treatment, taller, bigger build from distant pacific island heritage but similar anger and angst.
Sarah: Same as Tina but more sadness than angst and dark black hair tied into a bun. Plus more academically clever.
Tristian: The demeanor of Ursu the Uru mystic (The Dark Crystal). But human. 😊Very tall, massive pacific island build, shaven head, very pale skin.
Chen: Evelyn (Everything everywhere all at once). Only quieter, calmer, a lot younger and less stubborn; same tenacity though. NB: Along with Tristian, Chen is one of the most emotionally mature characters. She is merely plagued by existential factors that would challenge any person’s sanity. But I bet you won’t think that when you read her.
Susan: Bella (Twilight Saga). A part of her is broken and a part of her knows it. But she doesn’t understand it and is completely alone with it. Until…
David: Um, basically a cross between one of my aunties and my mum I think.
Rock: Andrew Scott (Universal soldier). Only bigger, very dark brown and with a giant unusual face due to strong neanderthal genes. Same cheerful psychopathic persona.
Neil: Carl Jenkins (Starship Troopers). In his CIA / Gestapo incarnation later in the movie. You think he’s human… but are you sure?
WHAT CRITERIA DID YOU USE WHEN SELECTING THE COVER FOR YOUR BOOK?
That I liked it and that it had some hidden images you have to look deeply into the crystal to see.
WAS THERE A MESSAGE IN YOUR BOOK THAT YOU WERE TRYING TO CONVEY?
A little. First and foremost, it’s meant to be good entertainment for SFF readers who love reading. But in line with my love of solid and believable characters, I also wanted to portray the probable struggles along humanly plausible lines in an increasingly hostile world. And I wanted it to be inclusive in line with my own personal politics (there’s a bit of me playing creator in my own world there I guess). But humans are not all inclusive and so some of the characters are also not or there’d be no conflict in the plot.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE AS A WRITER?
I’m bursting with stories and my characters write themselves as they go along. By the end of a manuscript, I can see their faces and hear their voices and speak the words I know they’d say in any given situation or conversation. But the details man! I hate the goddam details! I like starting books. Not finishing them. 😊
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR NEW WRITERS?
Yes. Don’t listen to any advice.
DO YOU HAVE A BLOG OR WEBSITE READERS CAN VISIT FOR UPDATES, EVENTS AND SPECIAL OFFERS?
I’m not that active on these platforms but you can try:
danwilliamsbooks.com
Insta: @danstofer
Face: https://www.facebook.com/danwilliamsbooks
Twitter: @DanielW48099544
TikTok: @DanWilliamsBookPerson
I’m probably most active on Facebook ATM. But that’s not saying much. 😊
The Dreaming Crystal is available for pre-order on Amazon
Review: BESTIES WORK IT OUT by Kayla Miller and Jeffrey Canino
Two besties opening a lemonade stand. Not your typical lemonade. This drink comes with a splash of color! But things don’t kick off as smoothly, especially when one guy orders a black lemonade and then can’t pay. Grrr!
“Life’s giving us lemons when we already made the lemonade.”
How were they going to make money? See the besties try out different ventures to see what works. Then it hits them: dog-sitting. But then chaos breaks out when they invite the popular girls over to their client’s house and then…an expensive lamp gets broken. What can the girls do? Work it out!
“Never underestimate how badly people don’t wanna do their chores.”
Such funny girls! Task after task after task.
“Welcome to the wonderful world of teenage responsibility.”
Goes to show that you can never give up. That little Baxter was a handful.
Awesome graphics! Love this tale of true friends working it out. Can’t wait for the next Besties adventure!
Rating: 5 stars
Review: BESTIES FIND THEIR GROOVE by Kayla Miller and Jeffrey Canino
A school dance is the perfect chance for the besties to find their groove. But the girls have nothing to wear.
Meanwhile, Chanda’s perfect older sister has come to visit and she wasn’t happy. That’s not the worst part though. The worst part was having to find dates. Dates?! Can Beth and Chanda find the perfect dresses and the perfect dates to have that perfect night?
Hilarious watching the girls go boy-hunting. Chanda’s too busy going for the perfect everything while Beth just wanted to have fun. But when Beth ends up getting a date instead of Chanda, Chanda’s whole world comes crashing down. When Chanda “accelerates” things, she approaches the boys like a crazed fanatic, scaring the poor things out of their pants. So funny!
WHAT’S A GIRL HAVE TO DO TO GET A DATE!!!!
I enjoyed the cool graphics and the witty commentaries. Loved the exaggerated poses and expressions. So funny and relatable!
It takes a while, but, in the end, the girls realize that they don’t need to be perfect. Just smart, strong, brave, beautiful girls.
An awesome read about being who you are and loving it. Girls jut wanna have fun.
Rating: 5 stars
Review: STINKERTON MCPOO GOES EXPLORING by Stephen Hodgkinson-Soto
Stinkerton is a fine dog, except for one thing: she’s gassy.
One day, she leaves the yard and goes out exploring. But what trouble will she get into?
Story was filled with fun and colorful illustrations. Love the facial expressions when people smell the gas. The whole thing is a fun chase with funny scenarios. It’s an explosive adventure! You just gotta love that stinky dog!
Rating: 5 stars
Review: STINKERTON MCPOO GOES TO THE BEACH by Stephen Hodkinson-Soto
Stinkerton, the gassy dog, goes to the beach. What smelly trouble will she get in there? She just can’t help following the sweet scent of food.
With funny scenes and fun rhymes, this story is a hair-raising, high-flying adventure. The colorful images are such a joy. A great read!
Rating: 5 stars
Review: I DON’T WANT TO HAVE HOT TOES by Rachel Branton
Lisbon was hot. Even her toes were hot. She needed to cool off. But how? Let’s see what her animal friends do. Laying under a rock? No. Panting? No. Splashing in a bird bath? No. See what finally works for her in the end.
Story had vivid and brightly colored illustrations that were just a joy. A cool, fun read!
Rating: 5 stars
January 12, 2023
Blog Tour: DESPERATE HOPE by Susan Leigh Furlong
Desperate Hope
by Susan Leigh Furlong
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GENRE: Historical Romance
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BLURB:
Revolutionary War soldier, Gavin Cullane, has desperate choices to make. He vows never to give up the fight for American freedom, but his role as colonial liaison between the Americans and the British brands him a seeming traitor to his own country. When he discovers the woman he loves is part of George Washington’s secret spy chain, his only choice is to expose his own lies so she can escape.
Tansy Carter risks her life to send messages to George Washington from the captured city of New York. When she is discovered, she must flee the city, and trusting her life to the traitor, Cullane, is the desperate chance she must take.
Will their freedom come at the cost of their love?
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Excerpt One:
“You can’t be seen with me. My orders include providing the evidence that will lead to your arrest, and Nate’s too. Please, let’s get off the street.”
Tansy lifted her skirts and started running away from him. Taking chase, he caught up with her two blocks later. After shoving her, none too gently, into a recessed doorway, he held her against the wall.
“I want to help you escape New York so Simon Duffy can’t find you or any of the family. I’m telling you the truth.”
“Who in the name of all the saints is Simon Duffy?” she asked with a sharp punch to his gut that made him double over, but he put up his arm up against the wall and stopped her from running off again.
“He’s the British officer I’ve been reporting to,” he choked out, knowing what he would say next would damn him to Hell. “He’s the one I’ve been giving information to about anyone not loyal to the crown.” From the look on her face, he knew she’d sentenced to him already. “He wants me to persuade Nate to send a coded message to George Washington that could be a turning point for the war in British favor.”
She didn’t respond.
“Then Duffy will arrest him and you, Daisy, and Charles and hang all of you.”
Her fist cocked. He prepared himself for her second punch to his gut by tightening his stomach muscles.
“Traitor!” she shouted.
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Review: As Gavin held on to his dying friend and heard the wedding ring rattling around inside his canteen, he thought of the woman that was his friend’s wife. One picture of Tansy showed Gavin the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Meanwhile, Alden’s wife, Tansy, was pregnant and awaiting her husband’s return.
Gavin and Alden were soon captured by the British troops. Before Alden died, he made Gavin promise to keep fighting and never give up hope. To escape the prison ship, Gavin had to turn into a traitor to the American troops and aid the British army. He was now labeled a traitor to his country.
Gavin arrives at Tansy’s home. They knew he was working with the British, so, naturally, they were all leery and wary of him.
“His was a double-edged sword, a patriot pretending to be a loyalist, a man despised on both sides while pretending to be a man true to both sides. Someone could easily slit his throat, and everyone would be glad for it.”
Needless to say, Gavin was in love with the lovely Tansy, another man’s wife. And she hated him. Eventually, Tansy sees a soft and tender side to the traitor. Helping out the people with money and supplies was not something a conniving traitor would do.
“His compassion for those people left in such dire straits moved her.”
Meanwhile, battle and treason wear on. Can they help Gen. George Washington achieve victory in this war? By the end, will Tansy see a friend, a lover…or an enemy?
Intriguing and well-written. The scenes were so vivid and captivating that you felt like you were right there in them. The story really brought to life the perils, decay, and suffrages of war. It really portrayed the fear and uncertainly of that time. Some areas were a little slow, like that long escape trek.
In a war, no one was safe. The fight for American freedom was certainly at a dangerous and bloody cost. It’s a tale of the cross and the double-cross.
A gripping historical romance with suspense and intrigue.
Rating: 4 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Susan Leigh Furlong knew she had a special connection with words since she was a child. When she was 9 years old, she wrote and directed her first play for the neighborhood children.
Susan’s love for history fuels her resilience against the sneezes and coughs that old books give her as she delves into research for unique historical events to inspire her historical fiction romance novels. Susan captures her readers’ imagination with a highly enthralling style, chronological events, and smoothly flowing narratives that keep one’s eyes glued on her novels from the first page to the last.
Susan has written two non-fiction books and three novels set in sixteenth century Scotland as well as several short stories published in national magazines. Her most recent release is Desperate Hope, a novel set during the American Revolution. When Susan is not combing through history piecing together her next novel, she writes, directs, and performs with a music and drama group.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook.com/SusanLeighFurlong
Twitter@FurlongLeigh
Susanleighfurlongwriter@gmail.com
BUY LINK FOR DESPERATE HOPE
UNIVERSAL LINK
https://books2read.com/u/bzVKjz
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GIVEAWAY :
Susan Leigh Furlong will be awarding a $30 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
January 11, 2023
Blog Tour: THE LADY DRAGON OF CHINATOWN by Noel Plaugher
The Lady Dragon of Chinatown
by Noel Plaugher
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GENRE: Action /Martial arts Fiction /Urban Fiction
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BLURB:
Maggie Long has only ever wanted to study martial arts, but it was forbidden. She found a teacher, Sifu Chang, to teach her in secret and she became a Kung Fu master.
After years in self-imposed exile, Maggie has returned to Chinatown to pursue her dream. The forces that govern Chinatown are working against her, and she'll have to fight for her school and her life. Is she strong enough to withstand all the forces against her?
A martial art story set in a neon-soaked Chinatown of the 1970's. The first book in a new series.
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Excerpt One:
“The sifu stepped forward. Maggie and the teacher stood opposite each other in the center of the school, on the red matted surface. The class encircled them and waited silently and still. Both fighters were in their fighting stances and studied each other expectantly. Maggie and the sifu eyed each other like two gunfighters waiting for the telling moment, a twitch, or a breath held too long, that would signal that the other was about to make the first move. With their gazes locked, the sifu’s body started to tremble and vibrate. At first, slightly and then violently, his body appeared to build up with rage as if he was preparing to explode. In an instant, the sifu yelled his fury and launched his body at Maggie. A fierce flurry of kicks and punches streaked toward her as he crossed the floor like a locomotive, his powerful body driving the attack relentlessly toward her.”
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Topic: What can readers expect to get from your book and how is it different from other books?
First and foremost, I hope that readers are entertained by the story. I definitely see that as my primary objective. Everything else is secondary. The challenge in writing a story with a lot of martial art elements was to make sure that it was accessible to those that aren’t martial artists. I didn’t want to have a story that readers would only understand if they were black belts in Karate or something. If a person studies martial arts, particularly Kung Fu, they may get some bonuses, but everyone should be able to enjoy it.
If you think of a show like Cobra Kai that operates in a martial arts-oriented universe but doesn’t require the viewer to have a lot of esoteric knowledge, that is kind of what I was going for. Hopefully, the story will appeal to readers that are looking for action and adventure with characters that make them want to know more and keep reading.
While there are books that may have martial art elements, I have never seen or heard of one that encompasses them in the same way as “The Lady Dragon of Chinatown.” Some stories that I have seen have been set in feudal times or are more along the lines of a James Bond-type character. This story is a little different, I think. It’s a story set in the 70s but with a timeless theme of fighting for an opportunity and seeking one's hopes and dreams. My readers, so far, have been enthusiastic about the idea that it is a female protagonist taking on an oppressive system, but in an entertaining way. The best thing that readers can do is read it, and decide for themselves. I hope they let me know what they think.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Noel Plaugher grew up in the San Francisco bay area of California. (1968- ) He planned on becoming a musician but things changed in 1990.
Noel was a victim of violent crime. He started studying martial arts in 1990 as a way of coping with the post-traumatic stress and as rehabilitation.
After attaining his black belt in Shou Shu Kung Fu he started studying various methods of Qigong and Xing Yi Quan. He completed his Xing Yi Quan certification in 2005.
"The power of the mind over the body is amazing and has always fascinated me. Xing Yi Quan is a deceptively simple style, and I have found that it benefits my health and martial arts."
Noel edited the book "How To Be A Champion" by world champion fighter Richard Trammell.
Noel's first book "Standing Qigong For Health and Martial Arts" was released in March 2015.
"This book has both martial and health postures. It is my hope that practitioners of other styles as well as those seeking an internal form of exercise will try it out. I think martial artists will be surprised by the great results they get from such a simple practice. If you are a Yoga practitioner, this will be a great addition to your current study."
Noel is an avid martial arts practitioner and writer, and lives in the USA in Atlanta, Georgia with his family.
“Noel has been studying martial arts since 1990 and writes about Qigong and martial arts-oriented material in both fiction and non-fiction.”
https://www.facebook.com/noel.plaugher.author/
Twitter: @shunshifu1990
Website: https://www.facebook.com/noel.plaugher.author/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Noel-Plaugher/e/B00PSNS9OS?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1669321047&sr=8-1
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GIVEAWAY :
Noel Plaugher will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
