Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 233

Blog Tour: IF SHE DIES by Erik Therme

 

If She Dies

by Erik Therme

 

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GENRE:   Psychological Thriller

 

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BLURB:

 

Nine months ago, Tess’s five-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident. The driver, Brady Becker, was sentenced to two years in prison. It didn't make Tess’s pain go away.

Brady also has a daughter: A twelve-year-old named Eve who walks to Chandler Middle School every day. Tess knows this because she's been watching Eve for the last three weeks. It isn’t fair that Brady’s daughter gets to live, while Tess’s daughter does not.

When Eve goes missing, all eyes turn to Tess, who doesn’t have an alibi. But Tess isn’t guilty.

Or so she believes.

 

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Excerpt One:

 

I slouch further into the driver’s seat as Eve exits her apartment complex across the street. Today, she’s wearing jean shorts, sandals, and a blue tank top; blonde hair pulled into a crooked ponytail, her electric-pink backpack secured firmly over both shoulders. Eve turned twelve a few weeks ago, and since that day, she walks the six blocks to and from Chandler Middle School alone. She’s a few minutes later today than yesterday, but last Friday she was so early I almost missed her leaving. That won’t happen again.

 

Eve stops just outside the complex doors and tilts her head upward. Her mother, Meg, is raining down an angry stream of words from the screen-less window one story above. I can’t make out what’s being said, but I do manage to catch a single word riding the mild May breeze: ungrateful. There was clearly an argument this morning, maybe about laundry that wasn’t folded, or unfinished homework, or a dishwasher that wasn’t unloaded, or one of a thousand other things a mother raising a twelve-year-old daughter alone can stress over.

 

But Eve is a trooper.

 

She patiently listens to every word with her head raised, not talking back, not crossing her arms, not reflecting her mother’s anger. I think to myself: what if today’s the day? What if something unthinkable happens to Eve this very morning and she’s never seen again? What would Meg do with that guilt? How would she live with herself, knowing her final words to her daughter were angry and bitter over something trivial and inconsequential?

 

 

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My review: She watches the 12-year-old girl as she leaves the apartment and heads to school. She can’t take her eyes off her. She can’t help but wonder what if…she dies.

It’s not right that someone else gets to keep their daughter, while Tess Parker doesn’t. Someone has to right this wrong.

Written in a compelling diary narrative, story is of a woman still grieving over the loss of her daughter’s death and is a crumpled soul locked in a shell of her former self. The girl she follows around belongs to the man that killed her daughter. Intrigue.

Overall, Tess summarizes the odds and ends of her drab daily living while keeping tabs on the girl. Slow and easy, story settles into a low-grade monotony. It deals mostly with her grief, loss, and minute desire to get back to her life. The reader’s curiosity is once again piqued with the stranger letters she gets and the vandalization of her daughter’s tombstone. Still, I thought it be more exciting. The writing is good and it’s a nice story with mild suspense.

 

My rating: 3 stars

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Erik Therme has thrashed in garage bands, inadvertently harbored runaways, and met Darth Vader. When he’s not at his computer, he can be found cheering on his youngest daughter’s volleyball team, or watching horror movies with his oldest. He currently resides in Iowa City, Iowa—one of only twenty-eight places in the world that UNESCO has certified as a City of Literature.

 

BUY LINKS

 

Amazon—US

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L9KFFPS

 

Amazon—UK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08L9KFFPS

 

Audible—US

https://www.audible.com/pd/If-She-Dies-Audiobook/B08VS331HS?qid=1614004372&sr=1-2&

 

Audible—UK

https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/If-She-Dies-Audiobook/B08VS2VV7G?qid=1614004316&sr=1-4&

 

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

 

Website

https://www.eriktherme.com

 

Twitter

https://twitter.com/ErikTherme

 

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ErikTherme.writer

 

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/7831573.Erik_Therme

 

BookBub

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/erik-therme

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

 

Erik Therme will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: PALL BEARERS AND PEPPERONI by Patti Benning

Ellie was visiting her grandma after 25 years. Her granny runs her recently deceased husband’s pizzeria, but the place was struggling big time. Ellie was going to try to save it.
On the day Ellie was planning to clean the place, she finds her old crush dead at the back entrance.  Who could’ve done this?
A simple read. Most of the time, Ellie is trying re-acclimate to her hometown and her old friends while trying to get the pizza place back in shape. There wasn’t too much focus on the mystery.
An okay read. 
My rating: 3 stars

Review: ENGAGED IN TROUBLE by Jenny B. Jones

After being left at the altar, Paisley immediately returns to life in L.A. only to return back to a place she’d hoped she’d never have to see again. Let’s face it, Paisley looked a little broke and brokenhearted. So when she inherited her great aunt’s dying wedding business, she thought it would be a quick 8 weeks and a quick sell. If only the wedding details didn’t make Paisley queasy. Me too!
Paisley didn’t want to plan weddings, but if she hung on, then she could go back to L.A. If she could handle divas from a rock band, she could handle Bridezillas…right? Boy was she ever wrong! And, of course, her biggest client was the worst bride of all! And it was equally shocking to find out Bridezilla was engaged to Paisley’s ex-fiancé. Really!?
Bridezilla threatens Paisley and orders her to stay away from the fiancé. Gladly!
Soon after, the Bridezilla turns up dead, and, of course, Paisley is the #1 suspect. For godsakes, she was only there for 3 days and she hadn’t had time to unpack her underwear let alone plan a murder. With the news, business quickly came to a stand-still with cancellations coming out of the wood works. Paisley aims to solve the case with a posse in tow.
Even though I can’t stand weddings, this was fairly easy to get into. I liked Paisley’s snarky wit. I thought this would be a quick mystery, but it lags a lot and doesn’t focus too much on the case. It’s an okay read, but it’s mostly the characters working around the clock to keep the wedding shop open for business.
My rating: 3 stars

Review: NEWS AND NECTARINES by Carly Winter

Fireworks, a nectarine tree on fire, a lone reporter in town.
Who lit the fireworks and why?
The next morning, Tilly finds her neighbor dead with a knife in his chest. He pointed up to the sky to indicate who lit the fireworks and started the fire. The person who lit the fireworks was the same person that killed Mr. York.
As the lone reporter, Tilly had several stories to wad through for the newspaper. This focused more on the reporting and trying to cover the different stories (humanities piece, the mayor's fireworks, and the murder.) Not that focused on the murder case. Still, a pretty good read.
My rating: 3 stars

Review: CUPCAKES AND CORPSES by Carole Fowkes

Claire is the Terrified Detective, but she was good at it. She worked two part-time jobs—one at the detective agency and the other at her aunt’s bakery, Cannoli’s. On assignment, she checks on a woman by crawling through a doggie door and finds a dead body—murdered and tied up like a birthday present. A $10K reward prompts her to find the killer.
Shortly after, another body is discovered—her old babysitter, which served as a personal vendetta. Two women killed the same way. What’ the connection? Was there a serial killer? But Claire is turned more into a loop when a third case falls on her lap—the case of a missing person. But then she ends up dead too. So there are three murders.
At first, this was pretty easy to get into…until the multiple murders get involved. You almost mix up the cases. And the lag and typos in it didn’t make it any easier. It would’ve been better if the story had focused on one case. It would’ve been easier.
My rating: 2 stars

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Blog Tour: TYING THE KNOT by E.C. Bell

 

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Tying the Knot

by E.C. Bell

 

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GENRE:   Paranormal mystery

 

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BLURB:

 

Marie Jenner just wants a Vegas holiday.

When psychic Crystal Demoines tells James Lavall that his uncle’s spirit is trapped in Las Vegas, Marie is thrilled. All she’ll have to do is help Jimmy “anything for a buck” Lavall move on to the next plane of existence, and then she and James can have the holiday of her dreams.

But she never dreamed that a lieutenant of the drug kingpin from Edmonton would be staying at the same hotel as her and James, and that James would become his new best friend. Or that she’d have to find Jimmy’s girlfriend Rita—who disappeared the same night Jimmy died—before he would finally move on. Or that the most powerful man in the hotel would be looking for Rita too. To find the money she stole.

And Marie never dreamed that she’d be planning a Vegas wedding in the middle of it all. But she is.

Looks like her dream vacation is about to become a nightmare.

 

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Excerpt One:

 

WE DROPPED THE rental car off with the valet and got the keys for our room on the sixth floor.

 

“Can you remember what room your uncle died in?” I asked as we waited in a small crowd at the bank of elevators. A couple of people glanced at us, looking fairly aghast, and I wished I hadn’t said anything.

 

“Room 214,” James replied. “According to Crystal.”

 

The crowd around us backed away, and I guessed that people didn’t want to hear about someone dying here. Even though it was the truth.

 

The elevator opened and two men walked out. They pushed past us like we weren’t even there, and I glared, trying to think of a truly cutting remark to make. But I stopped, because there was something familiar about one of the guys. At least I thought there was.

 

Seeing people out of context sometimes made it very hard to connect the dots, memory-wise, but I was certain I’d seen him somewhere before. Not recently, but when I opened my mouth to ask James if he recognized him, he gently placed his hand on my arm like he could read my mind.

 

“Not now,” he said.

 

So I shut my mouth and watched the men walk past. They were dressed in suits, and I blinked when I realized I could see the outline of a gun under the armpit of one of them.

 

Who the heck were they?

 

 

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My review: A death in Vegas results in a ghost search for Rita. A psychic is forced to help, and she reaches out to a detective duo.

This was an fascinating story line and the fact that is started off with the point of view of the dead guy was rather unique. Each character relays the story in diary format—plain and simple. The writing was pretty good, but it was slow at times. It wasn’t as thrilling as I thought it be, but it was fairly interesting nonetheless.

 

My rating: 3 stars

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

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E.C. Bell is the author of the award winning paranormal Marie Jenner Mystery series. She lives in Alberta, Canada, and when she’s not writing, she’s scouting out new locations for her upcoming novels or renovating her round house where she lives with her husband and their two rescue dogs.

That’s right. Her house is round. 

 

Join her mailing list on her website at http://www.eileenbell.com/for news about new books, upcoming appearances and, occasionally, recipes.

Follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ecbellmystery/

and Twitter at https://twitter.com/ApocalypseWoman

 

Marie Jenner Mystery series books, in order:

Seeing the Light

Drowning in Amber

Stalking the Dead

Dying on Second

Hearing Voices

Haunting the Haunted

Tying the Knot

 

Buy links for Tying the Knot

 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tying-Knot-Marie-Jenner-Mystery-ebook/dp/B08ZSX5T13/

 

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

 

E.C. Bell will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: TWENTY-FOUR SHORT STORIES by Michael Ross

 

Twenty-Four Short Stories

by Michael Ross

 

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GENRE:   Anthology

 

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BLURB:

 

Why can time consumed reliving memories provide enough motivation to carry on? Why keep a diary if you don’t want people to read it? Why let prejudice cloud your judgement? Why do the most simple of smells bring memories back to life? Why is it possible to believe the impossible? What does it feel like to take another person's life? Will the good deeds we do come back to us in different forms?
These are of some of the questions posed in this imaginative collection of short stories involving, amongst others; a private detective with super powers, a loveable car salesman, a dour public health inspector, a vicar’s daughter with a dark secret, a sculptor with a destructive obsession, a young man with a passion for language, a reluctant public executioner, two sisters whose petty disputes hide something deeper, a job hunter with an unusual skill.
There are so many diverse characters and in this intriguing and imaginative collection of stories everyone has a tale to tell.
A collection of stories that will surely leave its mark on the reader.

 

 

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Excerpt One:

 

From my window, I spot my fellow students grouped in excited conversation, circling around, probing each other with thoughts and words, questions and answers. After two years, we know each other well. I know they all wish they could play the violin as well as me, and in my turn, I wish I could be as happy as them. I wind down by running through scales for twenty minutes, and then I hear the old grandfather clock in the hall strike eleven—my other life beckons.

 

In Chinatown, it is easy to find a restaurant where you can spend £100 a head on a meal. At my parent’s place, six people can eat like kings for less money.

 

The walk from the rehearsal rooms takes the best part of an hour. I cast aside my musical mantle as I walk, so that by the time I reach Uncle Wong’s, I am prepared for my twice-weekly four-hour shift. This is the only payment my father and mother have ever asked of me. It is nothing.

 

Two years ago, my parents ushered me into the tiny lounge area above their restaurant, and wordlessly, my mother passed me my gift. My eyes moved to my father and then back to my mother. I could not speak. It was beautiful. Feeling its dark ebony grain, I turned it tentatively through my fingers, tilting, and twisting—gazing, unsure of my breath.

 

“Baba. Mamma. It’s beautiful, but you cannot afford it.”

 

“Shush, my son.” The look on my mother’s face said that my joy was all they required.

 

 

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Q&A with the Author

JUST FOR FUN, IF YOU COULD TAKE A VACATION ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? Somewhere with history no way could I cope with lying around on a beach, so…ITALY.

 

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING? Taking it seriously? About ten years.

 

ARE YOU WORKING ON ANY PROJECTS AT THE MOMENT? Halfway through creating a new anthology and working on the third novel in the ‘Pin-up and Tanner’ thriller series.

 

WHAT ARE YOU READING NOW? Where the Crawdad Sings.

 

YOUR WORK HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE TITLE FOR THIS BOOK? My novels from all over the place – Chasing What’s Already Gone came from a Mary Chapin-Carpenter song. Words on Paper - I had the title before I started writing the book.

 

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS BOOK? IS IT PART OF A SERIES? Lots of short stories littering my PC – had to get rid of them somehow!

 

WHAT CRITERIA DID YOU USE WHEN SELECTING THE COVER FOR YOUR BOOK? The cover for the first anthology Twenty Short Stories was just a photo I took when on holiday in Poland and so I look for something bright, obvious and eye catching.

 

WAS THERE A MESSAGE IN YOUR BOOK THAT YOU WERE TRYING TO CONVEY? There is always an underlying message in all my novels, with the short stories the intent is to make readers look beyond the text – the tag line on my website is “Words, once written, have a life of their own.”

 

WHEN AND WHY DID YOU BEGIN WRITING? My partner set me up to try a creative writing class. I had written my first short story (in my head) on my drive back home from the first session – she believed in me more than I did myself.

 

DESCRIBE YOUR WRITING STYLE. My editors and beta readers say my characters are believable and my plots fascinating (mind you I pay some of them!)

 

WHAT IS THE HARDEST LESSON YOU HAD TO LEARN AS A WRITER? To accept rejection, also because a writer is successful does not necessarily mean they are any good – hundreds of examples of that!

 

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE AS A WRITER? Marketing – yuk,yuk,yuk.

 

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR NEW WRITERS? Go for it – you never know until you do.

 

Thank you Sandra’s Book Club for helping me exercise my brain.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Born and raised in Bristol, England. I spent my adult life in business, the majority of that time marketing cars. I eventually owned the largest Saab specialist in the world, before a divorce put an end to that part of my life.

This led me to leave Bristol to live halfway up a mountain in the Welsh Valleys; start a part-time six year English Literature course at Bristol University, and attend creative writing classes in Cardiff. My interest in English literature flourished and I have since won several prizes for my short stories. My first book, 'Twenty Short Stories - Settling a score," reached No 1 in the Short Stories Best Sellers and is still available, as is "Twenty-One (more) Short Stories,” and “Another Twenty-Two Short Stories.”

Also available are the first 5***** crime thrillers in the Tanner and Pin-up series:

Hand over Fist

Hand in Glove

Plus a 5***** light hearted rom-com "Chasing What's Already Gone.”

I still live very happily halfway up that mountain in the Welsh Valleys with my wonderful partner, Mari, and our two rescue dogs, Wavy and Wenna.

Website       http://michaelrosswriter.net/

 

Facebook    www.facebook.com/michaelross.writer

 

Twitter         https://twitter.com/mikerosswriter

 

                                           Email          mikerosswriter@outlook.com

 

 

The book will be free.

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

 

Michael Ross will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt: THE DEVIL PULLS THE STRINGS by J.W. Zarek

This scroll better be worth dying for plays on repeat in Laureus’s head.
A bead of sweat trickles down Laureus’s temple, down his neck, the scroll
clenched between his teeth. Deep in the underground caverns beneath the
Lavender and Roses Society Headquarters in New York City, his muscles strain
in the damp darkness. He climbs up steep earthen walls. Grunts, shrieks, hisses
below him. He peers down, and there’s a blur of bluish-orange shapes. Damn
those domovoi.
Professor Stone claims they’re friendly and docile. But Laureus knows
otherwise, especially when you steal something they’re guarding—like a scroll.
When piranha are done, they leave bones. The domovoi do not.
Laureus digs his fingers deeper into the pit’s wall of dirt and climbs faster.
Finally, at the top edge, Laureus heaves himself up and over and takes the
scroll from his mouth.
Four, then five, blue-haired, blue-bearded domovoi emerge from the pit,
and their eyes lock on the scroll. The closest holds out a hand, puffs his orange
chest.
Laureus waves the scroll. “Damn it, Papa Pip, it’s me, Laureus. I’ve been
down in the pits a thousand and one times. I took this for Professor Stone, I’ll
bring it back.”
Papa Pip still holds out a hand, cheeks an angry red, his mouth flashes
rows of razor-sharp teeth. Teeth meant for tearing, slashing, slicing, and thick
enough to gnash and grind bones. Laureus’s bones.

 

Available on Amazon

Excerpt: AWAKENING: QUEEN OF SPADES by EJ Dawson (Book 1)

Ayla drank in the sights and scents, but so too was she cataloguing what she might need to make her eventual escape. Faroux’s stranglehold about her throat was as welcome as holding a wet and furious cat. Ayla drew on her training, musing how she’d go about it here and now.

 

“Don’t,” Leith said, whispering in her ear. Ayla was about to protest, but he caught her with his penetrating gaze, warning her not to try. “If you think you’re going to lose yourself in the crowd, don’t. I will hunt you down.”

 

“Just collecting intel,” she said. “I’m not about to leave while credit-less and clueless.”

 

“Good,” he said. “Because Kabe has found someone who might be able to help with your nanites.”

 

He’d done a scan aboard the ship before Leith let her sleep. But even while she was awake the scans wouldn’t allow access or even information on what was inside her.

 

Ayla brightened. “They can figure out what was done to me?”

 

“Got to give it a try,” Leith said, looking her up and down. “Need you in peak condition if you expect to keep up.”

 

“I think I can match you,” Ayla said, lips curling in something that wasn’t quite a smile.

 

“We’ll see.”

 

Queen of Spades Trilogy Available Now