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Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 171
September 14, 2022
Blog Tour: THE CANNIBAL'S GUIDE TO FASTING by Dana Hammer
The Cannibal's Guide to Fasting
by Dana Hammer
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GENRE: Comedic horror
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BLURB:
Igor Fenenko, a former research scientist, is a scary, scary man. Not only is he a massive bodybuilder with a spider tattooed on his face, he has also been infected with Pestis Manducans — viral cannibalism. Igor tried to resist indulging, but his research specimens smelled so delicious. Who did it hurt, really, to nibble a corpse?
Caught, disgraced, and sent to a ‘rehabilitation’ center, Igor is now forced to live in a government-mandated Containment Center. He spends his days pressing wildflowers, growing blueberries, and doing his best to avoid human meat. More than anything, he wants a cure for the virus that has ruined his life.
Igor’s brother, Karl, is also infected with Pestis. But unlike Igor, he does not live in a Containment Center. He lives down by the river, where he runs a cannibal rights group. At first, the group seems harmless enough, if a bit creepy and overzealous. But when Igor discovers their evil practices, he is forced to intervene.
Aided and opposed by rich eccentrics who have their own agendas, Igor must use brains and muscles to find a cure while fighting the urge to turn brains and muscles into a delicious lunch.
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Excerpt One:
Igor is a huge, scary looking man. Standing six feet, six inches tall, encased in bulges of muscle, he attracts attention everywhere he goes. Ropey veins snake beneath his taut, tanned skin. A spider web sprawls across the left side of his face, a tattoo choice that has not endeared him to potential employers or dates, and one that he regrets deeply.
He is not the type of man one can ignore. He is also not the type of man who one confronts about breaking the park’s “no picking wildflowers” policy. He carries an old-fashioned woven basket, which is filled with bluebells, daisies, and a few shy violets he managed to find hiding behind a rotten stump. He picks wildflowers regularly. It is zen as fuck.
There was a time, not so long ago, when he would have mocked such a pursuit. There was a time when he turned up his nose at botanists, botany, and plant-based careers in general. He’d thought of them as glorified gardeners, hobbyists puttering away in the dirt. Those days are long gone now.
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GUEST POST
The Cannibal’s Guide to Fasting — inspiration
Dana Hammer
Talking about inspiration is hard, because it is, for the most part, inexplicable. There are a number of reasons I wanted to write this book, and there were certain characters who I wanted to bring to life. I don’t know if that qualifies as “inspiration” but it’s a reason, anyway.
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about drug addiction, and how we treat drug addicts in our society. One school of thought holds that drug addicts are weak-willed, or that they simply make bad choices. The idea is that we need to punish them, or threaten them, or at the very least strongly disincentivise drug use. Drug addicts, to this way of thinking, are degenerates, who lie, cheat and steal to support their habits. They are bad news.
The other school of thought holds that drug addicts are diseased, and are thus not responsible for their behavior. The idea here is to give them treatment — but only if they want it, of course. Give them clean needles, so they don’t get sick from their drugs, and give them safe spaces to do their drugs, so they don’t overdose. What these people need is love, not punishment.
(I’ve even seen it argued that drug addicts are addicts BECAUSE they feel alone, and unloved, like that is the root cause of addiction. Apparently there was some experiment with lonely rats and drugs. I find it personally insulting to insinuate that the drug addicts I’ve known in my life were addicts because I didn’t provide them with enough love, but I digress.)
The truth is, drug addicts aren’t monsters, or angels. They DO have a disease, and are NOT fully responsible for their actions. But they are a LITTLE responsible, and we can’t ignore the fact that they often do heinous things because of their habits, and that these bad behaviors have a negative impact on society.
And yet, we haven’t succeeded in solving the problem, because neither jail nor hugs are effective solutions. The solution is a cure.
In my book, Igor is a reformed cannibal. He has gone through rehab, and is trying to abstain from human meat. His life in in shambles. He has lost his career,and his friends. He lives in a trailer park now, where he presses wildflowers and has no social life. Society and the government see him as dangerous pariah. He can’t get a job, because no one will hire him.
And Igor, if he were to fall off the wagon, would be a terrifyingly dangerous predator. He is strong, and huge, and an excellent fighter. He could totally eat you, if he wanted to. And he is tempted to, often. He has made mistakes — sometimes tragic mistakes, which you will hopefully read about. He is not perfect.
But he’s the hero of this book, because he understands that there is only one way to end the addiction to human meat. A cure. And that is what he seeks to find.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
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Dana Hammer is a novelist, screenwriter and playwright. She has won over forty awards and honors for her writing, few of which generated income, all of which were deeply appreciated. She is not a cannibal.
https://www.facebook.com/Dana-Hammer-Author-Page-1707631229449685/
Amazon buy link:
https://www.amazon.com/Cannibals-Guide-Fasting-Dana-Hammer/dp/1953971512/
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GIVEAWAY :
Dana Hammer will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
September 13, 2022
Blog Tour: MOVING TARGET by Maggie Clare
Join us for this tour from Sep 6 to Sep 19, 2022!Book Details:
Book Title: Moving Target (Tactical Solutions International) by Maggie Clare
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 225 pages
Genre: Romance / Romantic Suspense / Thriller
Publisher: Wave Equation Media, LLC
Release date: June 2022
Content Rating: R for explicit sex scenes, some violence, language. "MOVING TARGET is an ideal beach, pool, or plane read. You'll get so engrossed in the story, which is equal parts romance and suspense, that you'll have your tan or be at your destination before you know it!" - 5-Star Review on Amazon!
Book Description:
Teagan Tate has everything he’s ever wanted, but despite his wild success as a musician and his wild popularity with the ladies, he’s lonely. Meaningless hook-ups are getting old. There is one woman he’s interested in, but she won’t give him the time of day.
Maria Ruiz has no time for men like Teag – men with a revolving bedroom door who are too cocky for their own good. Sure, he has the body of a Greek god and a sexy Aussie accent, but as head of security for his band, Maria won’t risk her professional reputation. And as a woman who’s been there and done that, she won’t risk her heart.
Things take a deadly turn when Teag is the sole surviving witness to a cartel murder. Still recovering from his injuries, he’s forced into hiding with his sexy bodyguard. As their feelings grow into something unexpected and wonderful, a ruthless killer continues to hunt Teag.
Maria and Teag must rely on each other to stay out of his crosshairs, or they risk losing each other and their chance at love.
Buy the Book:
Amazon
add to goodreads
Review: The tactical solutions team’s next assignment was security detail on the famous celebrity band. Agent Maria was reporting for duty, even though she really didn’t think much of that Aussie drummer no matter how hot he was. He was nothing but an arrogant player. But this was only a job. She was simply tasked to protect the drummer.
The writing was pretty good, vivid and rich. The author really paints a picture for you, however, the lengthy narrative made for slow reading. As is the norm, the first part of the story sets the stage with introducing the characters and setting up the scene, explaining the situation, and bringing back old characters from the previous books in the series. And this is all fine. But the thing was that it continued in this slow and steady pace. Story felt uneventful most of the time. Things really don’t pick up until the last quarter of the book when we get to see the feisty Latina agent in action. There’s some suspense and, of course, a little romance, which made it pretty good. But the read, overall, was pretty mild, I’d say.
It's a good effort. Interesting premise. It’s a fairly nice read.
Rating: 3 stars
Meet the Author:Maggie Clare is the pen name of award-winning speculative fiction author Tabitha Lord. When channeling Maggie, she writes all the naughty things! A lover of tea, chocolate, and yoga, she lives in Rhode Island with her husband and menagerie of fur babies.
Connect with the Author: Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads
Which Comes First?
By Maggie Clare
I’ve been asked which comes first when writing romantic suspense – the romance or the suspense? Since romantic suspense is considered a sub-genre of the romance category, I’d say the romance has to drive the story. Readers want the depth of emotion they’ve come to expect from a romance novel. They want emotional intensity, and they want the happily-ever-after. But, with a romantic suspense, they also want nail-biting intrigue and danger, so this has to be intricately woven into the tale. It’s a balancing act.
I’m drawn to writing the suspense part of romantic suspense because I also write speculative fiction. My science fiction novels especially tend to have action filled plot lines with plenty of twists and turns. Pacing, balance, and the right amount of character development all matter. I think about all these things when writing romantic suspense as well, but with these stories, we get to have sexy times as part of the package!
Of course, the hot scenes alone aren’t what make a romance novel satisfying to readers. It’s really about the characters falling in love, and their journey toward finding happiness together. When you throw in suspense elements, there are some fantastic ways to challenge those characters, discover feelings they didn’t know they had, and as is the case with Moving Target, invite those characters to grow out of their comfort zone.
The suspense side of the story often works really well as the backdrop for a blooming romance, or sometimes it can ratchet up the intensity of a relationship in progress. Whatever way the action plays out, it eventually helps push everyone toward a happy ending!
Tour Schedule:
Sep 6 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / guest post / giveaway
Sep 7 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review / giveaway
Sep 8 – JB's Bookworms with Brandy Mulder – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Sep 8 - Books for Books - book review
Sep 9 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Sep 12 – Stephanie Jane – book review / giveaway
Sep 13 – Sandra's Book Club – book review / guest post / giveaway
Sep 14 – Amy’s Booket list – book review / giveaway
Sep 15 – Literary Flits – book review / giveaway
Sep 15 - Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews - book spotlight / author interview / guest post / giveaway
Sep 16 – Books and Zebras – book review / giveaway
Sep 19 – Adventurous Jessy – book review / giveaway
Enter the Giveaway:
MOVING TARGET Book Tour Giveaway
September 12, 2022
Blog Tour: ON THE BEACH by Greg Jolley
Book Three: The Maison de Danse Quartet
Suspense
Date Published: 08-01-2022
Publisher: Épouvantail Books
Private investigator Joy Nakamura is working the strangest cold case of her career, the 1999 disappearance of the five Sanger children. Working the old files, she tries to make sense of a twisted and clearly delusional interview within the records, the closest thing to a confession or explanation. Fighting her personal demons and ruinous alcoholism, she latches onto a clue and goes on the hunt.
The trail leads Joy to Maison de Danse, a family compound in Ormond Beach. Gaining access,
she questions Bo and Jangles Danser, a handsome man with two distinct personalities: one well-mannered and kind; the other vicious and deadly. They are soon entangled in lies and deceits as she presses on with the investigation, determined to find out what happened to the five children.
When she next meets Izzy Danser, her world is turned upside-down as the mystery gets dark and menacing. Caught up in the family’s ménage, she’s drawn into their eccentric lives and secrets, desperate to discover what happened to the Sanger children. As she draws closer to the answer, a long black shadow threatens to consume her.
Risking her life and sanity, Joy will stop at nothing until the killer is made to pay for his crimes.
About the Author
Greg Jolley earned a Master of Arts in Writing from the University of San Francisco and lives in the very small town of Ormond Beach, Florida. When not writing, he researches historical crime, primarily those of the 1800s. Or goes surfing.
Contact Links
Twitter @gfjolle
Purchase Links
September 11, 2022
Review: GABE by Ann Omasta and Callie Love
A hot, sexy fire fighter? Could we ask for anything hotter? What can be more swoon-worthy than being carried out of a burning building by the sexy firefighter?
A sensual tale!
Rating: 4 stars
Review: ADAM by Ann Omasta and Callie Love
What can be sexier than a male librarian? How about a male librarian with a black belt in karate? Oh yeah!
Even though he sounded like a babe magnet, in reality, he was lonelier than ever. Could a sexy game with a hot Eve be the cure?
The story takes a dark turn when she mentions her brother auctioning off her virginity. Of course, Adam was outraged at that. Perhaps his karate skills might come in handy after all.
Not only was this a sweet and loving romance, but there was a touch of suspense in it, too, making this an even better read.
A swoon-worthy read, for sure!
Rating: 5 stars
Review: NICK by Ann Omasta and Callie Love
A hot Santa and a single mother. Could Nick be the answer to a boy’s wish? A sweet holiday love story!
Rating: 4 stars
Review: STERLING by Ann Omasta and Callie Love
A hot-shot baseball player has it all—money and women. All except one woman—the one he can’t and shouldn’t have. The coach’s daughter.
Who would’ve thought the womanizing player was a virgin. She certainly didn’t think so. The two naturally just head in a hot and experimental first time. But when word gets out on his innocent virtue, all hell breaks loose.
A sweet love story!
Rating: 4 stars
Review: BEAU by Ann Omasta and Callie Love
An accident causes a race car driver to lose his memory and forget his wife. Naturally the wife was devastated, but she was willing to do anything to make him remember…even have a hot romp in his hospital bed. It’s a real kicker when Beau kept making these typical “bachelor” comments and not remembering how the wife liked to be pleased. What was her problem anyway? You can’t force someone to remember. She definitely felt cheap though.
Can he re-learn everything in his own life? Can he remember that he loves his wife?
A sweet, second-chance romance!
Rating: 4 stars
September 9, 2022
Blog Tour: SOMEONE KNOWS by Mark Atteberry
Thriller
Date Published: 7/1/2022
Publisher: Acorn Publishing LLC
Meet Jason Vincent, a good man doing a bad thing. A school principal, he has allowed himself to slip into an affair with one of his teachers. Now, haunted by guilt, he decides to end it and get back to being the husband his wife deserves. But this is only the beginning of Jason’s problem. It seems that his secret wasn’t a secret after all. Someone knows what he’s been up to and that someone is ready to make him pay. Jason has gotten to know guilt. Now he is going to meet terror.
EXCERPT: W
hy did I do it?Why did I have an affair?
Six months ago, if you had asked what the chances were of me ever cheating on Mary Beth, I would have laughed and said, “None.” I would have argued that, while I find women as attractive as the next guy, what I don’t find attractive is the idea of destroying my marriage and ruining my reputation. Anyone who knows me will tell you I am, at heart, a guy who prefers not to take big risks, and other than skydiving without a parachute, there is no bigger risk than cheating on your wife. There are so many things that can go wrong. So many ways your best laid plans can implode. If your own missteps don’t do you in, some random, quirky, impossible-to-anticipate coincidence will blow in like the first wind of winter and expose everything. The smartest, most accomplished men in the world have learned that their brilliant plotting and scheming and playacting produced nothing but a house of cards.
To further mark the absurdity of your question, I would have had you get to know Mary Beth and tell me one thing about her a man—anyman—wouldn’t love. Her sparkling intelligence, character, and sense of humor—traits I have cherished since the moment I met her—set her apart. And yes, she is physically attractive. Not movie star beautiful, but girl-next-door pretty, which, to my way of thinking, is the best kind of attractive a woman can be.
And then I would’ve pointed to my faith. I’m a guy who believes in God, who has actually read the Bible, who goes to church, who believes in right and wrong. I realize that might sound lame to you, considering that history is saturated with nefarious acts committed by religious people. Still, my faith has been a primary driver of my thoughts and decisions for virtually all of my thirty-seven years. I would have counted it as a trustworthy defense against the kind of turbo-charged temptation that is required to make a man throw his life away.
And yet, there I was, locked in our guest bathroom, hands on the counter, staring with contempt at my own face in the mirror. It’s tempting to say I didn’t recognize that face, that I had become a stranger to myself. And maybe there was a time early on when that was true. But after three months of lying and sneaking and pretending and stomping underfoot every one of my most cherished values, not to mention my marriage vows, I had come to know myself sickeningly well.
I was not the man I’d always believed I was.
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Review: “Why did I do it? Why did I have an affair?”
With writing so strong and compelling, story was told in the diary perspective of Jason Vincent, a principal who had an affair with one of his teachers. His thoughts were filled with agony, grief, and torture. There was no denying the guilt written all over the man’s face. For months, the man was living two separate lives. But now it was time to end it.
The night he tried to make things right was the night it all went terribly wrong.
“Illicit affair with principal leads to teacher’s violent death!”
For a while, Jason puts on a charade about what he doesn’t know while battling with the truth of what he does know. At first, it would seem that he was getting away with it and that he would finally be able to get back to honoring his marriage vows. But then an alarming suspicion comes up: someone knows.
The story is an addicting read from start…until you get to the second half. For some reason, Part 2 relayed how the whole affair got started. It began with an attraction, a talk, a look, a connection, a dinner. Soon, this all led to texts, feelings, and, secret meetings. The whole thing was slightly off-putting and a disruption to the suspense that kicked off this story so well in the first chapter. I’m not sure if it was really necessary. Although still enriching and captivating, the pace certainly slowed to a lull in Part 2, which took up too much time and precious storyline.
Part 3 continued on where Part 1 left off (really, we could’ve omitted Part 2 altogether.) In Part 3, we get back to the doubt, fear, and paranoia that someone knows “what he did.” Getting toward the end wasn’t as terror-filled as I expected to be, but it certainly brought out more revelations.
Overall, this was a good, solid read with mystery and suspense.
Rating: 4 stars
About the Author
Mark Atteberry’s life has been spent working with words. He has been a teacher, counselor, and speaker; high-impact roles where every word matters. In 2020, Mark retired and devoted himself fully to writing. While still penning his own books, he has dedicated the majority of his time to ghostwriting. His body of work now sits at fourteen books, including the multiple award-winning suspense novel, Dream. Currently, Mark lives in Florida with his wife, Marilyn.
Contact Links
Purchase Links
September 7, 2022
Blog Tour: DIAMONDS N' ROSES by Vogue
Diamonds N' Roses
by Vogue
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GENRE: Contemporary Fiction
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BLURB:
After battling through the highs and lows of an intense and often dramatic relationship, fashion designer, Carmen Davenport, and business mogul, Jay Santiago, are finally ready to plan their most anticipated event to date – their wedding. However, before they can get down the aisle, they must endure a few unexpected surprises, twists, and turns.
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Excerpt One:
Finally hearing her voice, Jay set the pencil on the desk. “I’m serious about this wedding. Lately, I haven’t been showing that side of me, but I promise, all that is going to change. I’m going to be more involved like I should’ve been in the beginning.”
“You better,” Carmen replied, rising from her chair. “I don’t know what’s going to happen if we have this conversation again.” She picked up the rest of the papers, organizing the documents into a stack, which she set on top of her laptop. “Everything will be right here if you want to look at it. I’m gonna head upstairs. I’m done for the day.”
Jay didn’t pressure her into staying, but he did make sure to get a kiss before she left. To him, the kiss served as confirmation he was officially in her good graces. He still had a lot to prove, but at least he was off to a start. The only thing he had to do now was play catch up.
Once she left, he reached for the stack of papers. He reviewed each one until he was up to date. For Carmen to be the only person majorly contributing aside from the planners, she had put a major dent in the planning stage. There were still things which needed to be decided upon, which led Jay to grab a sheet of paper from the printer. He started jotting down ideas and by the time he was there was hardly any white space on either side of the page.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, Vogue’s journey through the world of creative writing first began in middle school with poetry and songwriting. However, it was her discovery of prose that opened the door to a world of endless possibilities.
A graduate of Winthrop University (Rock Hill, S.C.), possessing a bachelor’s degree in social work, Vogue, first birthed the idea of The Diamond Collection in the halls of her alma mater. In 2003, she put pen to paper and thus was created, Diamonds in The Rough, part one of The Diamond Collection series.
By 2010, Vogue had written drafts of the entire ten book series and in June of 2010, Diamonds in The Rough, was published. Soon followed by Diamonds Are Foreverin October of 2010, The Ace of Diamonds in February of 2013, andBlack Diamonds on July 4, 2015, Vogue joined a league of other writers, determined to make her mark in the literary world.
Vogue released the fifth book in the series, Diamonds N’ Roses, on December 25, 2016. She took a hiatus to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from Queens University in Charlotte, NC, but released parts six and seven of the Diamond Collection series, The Diamond Tiara and Dirty Red Diamonds, on June 7, 2022.
When she isn’t writing, Vogue enjoys cooking, blogging about food (Instagram: Miss Black Foodie), attending concerts, festivals, and traveling.
LINKS
Website: www.simplyvogue.net
Instagram: iam_carmendavenport
Amazon Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3QqSrRo
Barnes & Noble Purchase Link: https://bit.ly/3QrXwJ7
Books-A-Million Purchase Link: https://bit.ly/3zLJDzu
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GIVEAWAY :
Vogue will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
