L. Salt's Blog, page 10
March 7, 2022
[Book Blitz]: Zebra: Friends by Fate. Enemies by Destiny by Jill Wallace
Genre: Action Adventure, Historical
Publisher: Tsotsi Publications
An action-packed adventure is at its core a heart-warming saga of two boys, one Zulu, one white, who become best friends during the apartheid era in South Africa as they explore the treacherous area of a remote mountain hotel.
But society eventually succeeds in tearing them apart and they’re left with hearts than never heal.
A decade later they’re forced to meet on opposite sides of a bloody battlefield. Can only one survive?
About the Author
Jill Wallace, author of “War Serenade.” Photo by Chris Kridler, ChrisKridler.comJill Wallace was born and bred (her mother would prefer ‘brought up’) in South Africa, and lived the second half of her life in America. She feels like the African baobab with roots that look like branches. Like the confused “Upside Down Tree” she no longer knows where the South African ends and the American begins. She hopes it affords her some degree of complexity. A girl can always hope :o)
In South Africa, Jill was a contemporary dancer and a PRO for a shopping centre conglomerate. She flew as an “international air hostess” for South African Airways, enjoyed 6 continents and hundreds of adventures. She married her dream man, Athol, a rugby player who makes her laugh. They moved to America with the promise of a career that never happened, and Jill inherited her 2 heart-children full time in a strange, new country where together they found compromise, laughter and love.
In the U.S. Jill’s been a bad waitress and an excellent (but inconspicuous) movie extra for “Pretty Woman” director Garry Marshall, and a realtor for 28 years. As a screenplay, “War Serenade” (which was inspired by a true story) was twice optioned for a movie. As her first novel, “War Serenade” garnered multiple literary awards and a Rone and Readers Choice for the audio book version.
Her second novel “Zebra” is inspired by Athol’s life. It’s a searing, soaring, heart-breaking, heart-warming coming-of-age story about an unusual friendship between a Zulu and a white boy in South Africa during apartheid.
As immigrants they’ve been humbled by poverty and blessed by kindness. Proud to be an American, her heart is strongly African and her books will always reflect Jill’s plight as a baobab tree.
Contact Links
Website: http://www.jillwallace.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jwallaceauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jwallaceauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jwallaceauthor
Purchase Links
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/zebra-jill-wallace/1139381940?ean=9780999776827
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/zebra-friends-by-fate-enemies-by-destiny
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/zebra-friends-by-fate-enemies-by-destiny/id1565407405
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/books/zebra-friends-by-fate-enemies-by-destiny/9780999776834
March 1, 2022
[Guest Post]: Ask the Next Question by Richard Helms, an author of “A Kind and Savage Place”
My today’s guest is Richard Helms. His historical mystery “A Kind and Savage Place” will be released in March 2022 by New Arc Books / Level Best Books.
ASK THE NEXT QUESTION
by Richard Helms
When I was seven years old, a neighbor gave me an already worn copy of Groff
Conklin’s Big Book of Science Fiction. I was a precocious reader, my mother having taught me to read almost before I was out of diapers. I didn’t completely understand every one of the stories by John D. McDonald, Murray Leinster, Ray Bradbury, Fredric Brown, Theodore Sturgeon, Fletcher Pratt, Clifford D. Simak, and many more, but I read them nonetheless, over and over. As I read it for the tenth or twelfth time, a light went on over my head and I realized the names attached to the stories meant someone created them! It was my first inkling that books didn’t just materialize out of the ether. I think it was that moment that I determined to become a writer.
Fifteen years later, when I was in college and endeavoring to learn the writing craft, I finally met one of those creators, Theodore Sturgeon. I enjoyed dinner with Sturgeon and a small group of fellow fanboys. I brought along my copy of the anthology and asked him to autograph his story in it. He signed it with a flourish and a strange symbol I hadn’t seen before, like a letter ‘Q’ with an arrow pointing out at about two o’clock.
I asked him what the symbol was, and he said, “It means Ask The Next Question.” In an interview with David Duncan at Emory University, Sturgeon famously explained, “This guy is sitting in a cave and he says, ‘Why can't man fly?’ Well, that's the question. The answer may not help him, but the question now has been asked. The next question is what? How? And so all through the ages, people have been trying to find out the answer to that question. We've found the answer, and we do fly. This is true of every accomplishment, whether it's technology or literature, poetry, political systems or anything else. That is it. Ask the next question. And the one after that.”
I realized that the same philosophy applies to writing. We can pretend to be God and micromanage our characters’ actions, or we can listen to them, ask the next question, and let them lead us into the uncharted waters of their story. When we Ask The Next Question, we give our stories depth and color and tone.I still own my disintegrating copy of Groff Conklin’s Big Book of Science Fiction. The spine is held together by thirty-year-old masking tape, and I keep it in a baggie to prevent pages from falling out. It is my most prized physical possession, and if the house ever catches fire it will be the first thing I save after making sure everyone is outside. When I look at it, I remember Theodore Sturgeon’s admonition to Ask The Next Question, and how his advice has made me a better writer over the years.
About the Book
Genre: Historical Mystery
Date Published: 1st March 2022
Publisher: New Arc Books / Level Best Books
It’s 1954. The place is Prosperity, North Carolina, a small farming community in Bliss County. Three teenagers, the 1953 championship-winning offensive backfield for Prosperity High, are unwilling participants in a horrific event that results in a young man’s death.
One of the friends harbors a tragic secret that could have prevented the crime. Divulging it would ruin his life, so he stays quiet, fully aware he will carry a stain of guilt for the rest of his life.
The three buddies go their separate ways for almost a decade, before another tragedy brings them back to Prosperity in 1968. Now in their thirties, it is a time of civil and racial unrest in America.
They discover the man who committed murder back in ’54 is now the mayor, and rules the town with an autocratic iron fist. He’s backed by his own private force of sheriff’s deputies and forcibly intimidates and silences any malcontents.
Worse, now he’s set his sights on Congress.
A Kind and Savage Place spans half a century from 1942 to 1989 and examines the dramatic racial and societal turmoil of that period through the microcosmic lens of a flyspeck North Carolina agricultural community.
About the Author
Richard Helms is a retired college professor and forensic psychologist. He has been nominated eight times for the SMFS Derringer Award, winning it twice; seven times for the Private Eye Writers of America Shamus Award, with a win in 2021; twice for the ITW Thriller Award, with one win; four times for the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award with one win: and once for the Mystery Readers International Macavity Award. He is a frequent contributor to Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, along with other periodicals and short story anthologies. His story “See Humble and Die” was included in Houghton-Mifflin-Harcourt’s Best American Mystery Stories 2020. A Kind and Savage Place is his twenty-second novel. Mr. Helms is a former member of the Board of Directors of Mystery Writers of America, and the former president of the Southeast Regional Chapter of MWA. When not writing, Mr. Helms enjoys travel, gourmet cooking, simracing, rooting for his beloved Carolina Tar Heels and Carolina Panthers, and playing with his grandsons. Richard Helms and his wife Elaine live in Charlotte, North Carolina.Contact Links
Website: http://www.richardhelms.net
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rickhelms051
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rickhelmsauthor
Purchase Links
Coming Soon…
Giveaway
$5 Amazon Gift Card + eBook Copy
January 7, 2022
[Book Blitz]: A Golden Thread: Yesterday’s Tomorrow by R. E. Norton
Genre: Fiction
Publication Date: 2 August 2021
Publisher: MindStir Media
A Golden Thread is a human odyssey of redemption, discovery, and revelation. From the beginning, the protagonist, Jonathan, near to rock bottom in his life. He is estranged from his wife and son. He will do anything to reunite his family. As he struggles to cope with his shame and regret, an inexplicable phenomenon has him in its grip; he is slipping back in time at increasing intervals. Along with this experience, there are the vivid nightmares that bring him back to relive recent past lives. Just when it seems there is no way for this situation to get more extraordinary, Jonathan learns the phenomenon is connected to even bigger things than he could have ever imagined, and he, having no memory of his part, is a key part of an epic struggle between two forces that in the end will determine the fate of humanity.
About the Author
Richard Norton grew up in Portland, Maine. He has spent 28 years in social work providing supports to individuals with intellectual disabilities. Richard is an artist, musician, and writer. He currently lives in Windham with his wife and son.
Purchase Link
Amazon
December 31, 2021
[Book Review]: A Surprise For Christmas: And Other Seasonal Mysteries (anthology)
This is my last post for 2021, and I want to create a little bit of festive mood for you. I’m reviewing today a Christmas-y anthology, “A Surprise for Christmas & Other Seasonal Mysteries” edited by Martin Edwards.
About the Book
Genre: Mystery, cozy mystery
Publisher: The British Library
Release Date: 2020 (first edition)
Edited By: Martin Edwards
Two dead bodies and a Christmas stocking weaponised. A Postman murdered delivering cards on Christmas morning. A Christmas tree growing over a forgotten homicide. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, except for the victims of these shocking and often elaborate murders. When there’s magic in the air, sometimes even the facts don’t quite add up and the impossible can happen — and it’s up to the detective’s trained eye to unwrap the clues and put together an explanation neatly tied up with a bow. Martin Edwards compiles an anthology filled with tales of seasonal suspense where the snow runs red, perfect to be shared between super-sleuths by the fire on a cold winter’s night.
About the Editor
Martin Edwards’ latest novel, Gallows Court, was published in September. He is consultant to the British Library’s Crime Classics series, and has written sixteen contemporary whodunits, including The Coffin Trail, which was shortlisted for the Theakston’s Prize for best crime novel of the year. His genre study The Golden Age of Murder won the Edgar, Agatha, H.R.F. Keating and Macavity awards, while The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books has been nominated for two awards in the UK and three in the US. Editor of 38 anthologies, he has also won the CWA Short Story Dagger and the CWA Margery Allingham Prize, and been nominated for an Anthony, the CWA Dagger in the Library, the CWA John Creasey Memorial Dagger, and a CWA Gold Dagger. He is President of the Detection Club and Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association, and Archivist of both organisations. He has received the Red Herring award for services to the CWA, and the Poirot award for his outstanding contribution to the crime genre.
Featuring Authors
My Review
4* stars
I liked the whole concept of good, old-fashioned, very British cosy mysteries. Reading the anthology has helped me to get into festive mood.
The book consists of twelve short stories of different length, feel, and features different era. Some of the stories are more Christmas-y than the others, created in different time periods, starting from Victorian “The Black Bag Left on a Doorstep” by Catharine Louisa Lyne with a lady investigator as a main lead and “The Hole in the Wall” by G.K. Chesterton with its literary vibes to a hard-boiled thriller “Give me a Ring” by Anthony Gilbert and a light and humorous very short story “Dick Whittington’s Cat” by Victor Canning.
My favourites are:
A fast-paced thriller-like “Give me a Ring”. Set in the ‘50s, it’s a story of a young nurse Gillian Hinde who accidentally got into trouble by agreeing to help to deliver a parcel to a stranger on Christmas Eve. When Gillian got kidnapped, her fiancé Dr. Richard Fyfe teams up with a shrewd solicitor Arthur Crook to save the girl and catch the gang of drug dealers.
“Death on the Air” by Ngaio Marsh. A classical “whodunit” mystery. The lord of the manor, hated by all his relatives, is killed using a very clever method. He was electrocuted by his custom-built wireless radio. Roderick Alleyn is called to solve the murder.
“The Hole in the Wall” by G.K. Chesterton (best known for his series about Father Brown).
The aristocrat disappears from his Christmas fancy dress house party. One of the guests heard strange banging noises in the middle of the night and then was awakened at dawn by a cry for help. Using his knowledge of local history, he solves the mystery. This story feels more like literary fiction rather than a crime fiction to me.
Purchase Link
December 18, 2021
[Release Blitz]: Unravelling Women’s Art by P.L. Henderson
Creators, Rebels, & Innovators in Textile
Genre: Non-Fiction, Art, Women Non-Fiction
Date Published: 14 December 2021
Publisher: Aurora Metro, Supernova Books
The author unpicks the threads that link female textile artists and the arts they produce, revealing a global and historic patchwork of assorted roles, identities and representations. Entertaining as well as informative, this book offers a unique overview of female-centric textile art production including embroidery, weaving, soft sculpture and more.
Tells us:
How knitting became a spying device in wartime
Why dress design was so important for the Suffragettes
Why women and their textile arts were entangled in a web of global mythology
How women’s arts and crafts moved from the backroom to the gallery showroom
Includes over 20 interviews with contemporary textile artists, providing fascinating insights into their practices, themes and personal motivation.
About the Author
P.L. Henderson has almost 400,000 followers of her social media project @womensart1, inspired by feminist art theorists. Having gained a BA in Art History, she is now part of the writing team for Phaidon’s ‘Great Women Artists’ series and regularly contributes to publications such as ‘Resurgence & Ecologist’ magazine, ‘Art UK’, and ‘Culture Matters’ on topics of art, ecology, and social justice.
Born in the North of England she now lives in Lisbon, Portugal and writes the art blog https://womensartblog.wordpress.com
Contact Links
Website: https://womensartblog.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/womensart1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PL_Henderson1
Purchase Links
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unravelling-womens-art-pl-henderson/1138900583
AuroraMetro: https://www.aurorametro.com/product/unravelling-womens-art-book/
Blackwells: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Unravelling-Womens-Art-by-P-L-Henderson/9781913641153
Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Unravelling-Womens-Art-P-L-Henderson/9781913641153
December 10, 2021
[Release Blitz]: Cyber Count by SL Beaumont
A Kat Munro Thriller Book 2
Genre: Financial Crime, Mystery, Crime thriller
Release Date: 10 December 2021
Publisher: Paperback Writer’s Publishing
Has cyber-crime escalated to murder?
Forensic accountant Kat Munro puts her traumatic past behind her and begins dating journalist Connor O’Malley, whose investigations into online crime attract the wrong kind of attention. When a colleague’s teenage son goes missing, and his friend’s body is discovered, Kat finds herself working with DS Adam Jackson again.
The murder enquiry leads Adam to an exclusive London school where allegations of drugs, gaming fraud and child pornography abound. As he gets deeper into the investigation, Adam is forced to face issues in his private life while suppressing his feelings for Kat.
The faceless hackers become desperate, and Connor is found drugged with his research missing. Can Kat and Adam put the past behind them to solve a series of seemingly unrelated incidents before someone else becomes the victim of an elusive cyber-crime network?
Other Books in the Kat Munro Thriller series:
A Kat Munro Thriller, Book 1
Genre: Financial Crime Thriller
Published: December 2020
Publisher: Paperback Writer’s Publishing
Can a conspiracy be uncovered before the Death Count rises?
Forensic accountant Kat Munro fights corporate fraud during the day and kickboxes her demons at night while trying to ignore the nightmares that have plagued her since a car accident changed her life forever.
DS Adam Jackson is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of a friend two years ago.
When the partner of a successful London Investment fund dies in suspicious circumstances, Kat joins forces with Adam to investigate the firm. As they gather evidence of a crime with implications beyond the City, they find that events in their pasts are on a collision course; one which will ultimately put them both in serious danger.
Fast-paced and entertaining, Death Count takes a deadly dip into the world of financial crime.
Excerpt
Chapter 1
Marshall Tyler stamped his feet to keep warm and tossed his blond curls out of his eyes. It was supposed to be spring in London, but there wasn’t much evidence of that yet. He couldn’t wait for summer when school would finally be done. He would decamp to his parents’ holiday home on the French Riviera for the holidays, where he’d spend each day working out at the gym, working on his tan, and chasing any number of beautiful girls who flocked to the region.
He took another look at his watch, a gift from his mother, an expensive Girard-Perregaux timepiece similar to the one footballer Cristiano Ronaldo favoured. They were late. He’d give them another five minutes, and then he’d return to school and apologise to his mate Harry. Maybe he shouldn’t have gone behind his back to arrange this meeting, but Marshall loved the thrill of what they’d done. Harry wanted to take it slow, but Marshall had seen the opportunity when it presented itself. Despite Harry’s objections, he’d gone ahead and submitted the proposal anyway. Perhaps he was going to be a shrewd businessman like his father after all.
There was a rustle in the weeds near the abandoned building where he’d been instructed to wait. He spun around and caught a glimpse of the mangy red tail of an urban fox disappearing into the undergrowth. The single-level brick structure and surrounding security fence were marked with ‘Keep Out’ signs, overlaid with meaningless graffiti. Plastic bags, food containers and all manner of rubbish had blown into a pile against the wire fence at one end of the site. The lights on the estate lining the streets leading to the old substation had flickered on during the time he’d been waiting, and dusk now blanketed the city.
He looked around at the growing shadows, and a shiver ran down his spine. He couldn’t wait to leave this dodgy part of London behind him. He couldn’t believe, out of all the places where he could have completed his schooling, that his parents had sent him to a boarding school in the East End. It had been his father’s way of providing some counterbalance to the opulent lifestyle Marshall had been born into.
They weren’t coming. Marshall felt the emptiness of disappointment twist his stomach. He took one more look about him, turned his collar up and ducked back through a hole in the broken fence. When he straightened, two men were standing in front of him.
He jumped and took a step back, crashing into the fence. One of the men laughed, a harsh chesty sound. Marshall couldn’t make out much of their features in the gloom, except that they were both broad-shouldered, with knitted beanies pulled down over their ears.
“Tyler?” the first one asked.
“You’re just a kid.” The second man sounded surprised.
Marshall nodded and swallowed, feeling a sudden dryness in his throat.
“Let’s talk around the back, where we won’t be overheard,” the first man said.
Marshall hesitated, unsure whether he wanted to be out of sight of the flats. Still, it didn’t seem to be a suggestion, so he ducked back through the hole in the fence and waited while the two men followed. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that he was the one in charge; he had the thing they wanted. Squaring his shoulders, he led them around the edge of the substation into an overgrown yard that led down to the railway siding.
“Do you have it?”
The two men stood blocking his exit.
“Has the money been transferred?” Marshall asked. He heard the slight tremor in his voice and hoped that the men didn’t.
“Yeah.”
Marshall took out his phone and tapped on the app for the bank account. The balance was unchanged from when he’d looked earlier. “It’s not there,” he said. “I can’t give it to you until I’ve been paid.”
The second man stepped forward and knocked the phone from Marshall’s hand. The screen shattered as it landed at his feet.
“You didn’t really think we’d pay your blackmail, did you?” the first man sneered. “Now give it here.”
Marshall felt a frisson of fear. He opened his mouth to call for help, but the men laughed.
“No one will hear you, and if they do, no one will come to your aid, not around these parts.”
Marshall took a step backwards, but the first man grabbed him while the second man landed a solid punch to his abdomen, followed by one to his jaw. Marshall’s head dropped to one side, and he struggled to draw in a breath.
“Stop, I don’t have it on me,” he rasped. “But I can get it for you.”
The man hit him once more, and Marshall felt pain radiate from the centre of his face. Blood gushed from his nose, spilling down the front of his jacket.
“We’ll wait here, and you go and get it,” the first man said, releasing him and pushing him towards the building. “You have thirty minutes.”
“And we’ll keep that fancy watch as collateral to make sure you come back.” The second man reached for his arm, releasing the clasp on the strap and slipping the watch from Marshall’s wrist. He held it up to his face for a closer look. “Very nice.”
“No,” Marshall said, making a grab for the watch. The man pulled away as Marshall’s fingers grazed the back of his hand. “That was a present from my mother.”
“You know what you need to do if you want it and your phone back.”
About the Author:
SL Beaumont is the author of the award-winning novel Shadow of Doubt, the Kat Munro Thriller series and the Amazon best-selling series, The Carlswick Mysteries.She lives in beautiful New Zealand, which is only problematic when the travel-bug bites (which it does fairly often)! Her passion for travel has seen her take many long haul flights to various parts of the world. Her love of history helps determine the destination and the places she visits are a constant source of inspiration for her.
Prior to becoming an author, SL Beaumont worked in banking in London and New York.
Shadow of Doubt won the 2020 Indie Reader Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Award and was long-listed for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel. Death Count was a semi-finalist for both the 2021 Publisher’s Weekly BookLife Fiction Prize.
Contact Links
Website: https://www.slbeaumont.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecarlswickaffair
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slbeaumontauthor
BookBuzz: https://bookbuzz.net/crime-thriller-cyber-count-by-sl-beaumont/
Purchase Link
December 8, 2021
[Release Blitz]: Shared Sorrows by Vincent Panettiere
Genre: Literary Fiction
Release Date: 8 December 2021
Publisher: BookBaby
Frank DioGuardia, a New Jersey college professor, always feared the onset of autumn.
A chill in the air and rainy skies took him back to the day his father died decades ago. It was a memory that each year caused Frank to start counting the days until he reached the milestone of having spent more time on earth than his dad.
This year would be no different, bringing about the realization that after thirty years of marriage and three children he had been inhabiting the earth for all the wrong reasons.
This realization came to Frank after he committed a violent act on a stranger during New York’s Columbus Day parade. It also brought into his life Dr. Laurie McDevitt, the emergency room physician who had treated his injuries after the incident. When she revealed that her father died on the same night as his those many years before, Frank had a comrade in grief.
Will their shared sorrows be enough to survive the media frenzy that follows?
Shared Sorrows — a story of love and redemption.
About the Author
Vincent Panettiere is the author of five other books.In addition to Shared Sorrows, he has written the award-winning and critically-acclaimed These Thy Gifts; the Mike Hegan mysteries A Woman to Blame, and The Scopas Factor as well as The Music of Women – an Erotic Stream of Unconsciousness. His only non-fiction work is The Internet Financing Illusion, a cautionary tale about the dark side of the internet.
Contact Links
Website: http://www.vincentpanettiere.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kidbklyn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vincent.panettiere
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vpane13/
BookBuzz: https://bookbuzz.net/literary-fiction-shared-sorrows-by-vincent-panettiere/
Purchase Links
Amazon:
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shared-sorrows-vincent-panettiere/1140358567?ean=978166780766
November 8, 2021
[Book Blitz]: Dreams of Winter by Christian Warren Freed
Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Date Published: 18th January 2018
Publisher: Warfighter Books
It is a troubled time. The old gods are returning and they want the universe back. The Conclave has ruled the 700 known worlds since the fall of the gods. It is an empire built upon a lie. Together with the Inquisition and the mighty Prekhauten Guard, they preserve peace and justice for all, while stamping out heresy when it arises.
Senior Inquisitor Tolde Breed is sent to the planet Crimeat to investigate the escape of one of the deadliest beings in the history of the universe: Amongeratix, one of the fabled THREE, sons of the god-king. He arrives on a world where heresy breeds insurrection, and war is only a matter of time. Aided by Sister Abigail of the Order of Blood Witches, and a company of Prekhauten Guards, Tolde hurries to find Amongeratix and return him to Conclave custody before he can restart his reign of terror.
Perfect for fans of the Malazan Book of the Fallen, the Safehold series, and the Horus Heresy, Dreams of Winter is the first book in the exciting new military science fiction series the Forgotten Gods.
About the Author
Christian W. Freed was born in Buffalo, N.Y. more years ago than he would like to remember. After spending more than 20 years in the active-duty US Army he has turned his talents to writing. Since retiring, he has gone on to publish over 25 military fantasy and science fiction novels, as well as his memoirs from his time in Iraq and Afghanistan, a children’s book, and a pair of how to books focused on indie authors and the decision making process for writing a book and what happens after it is published.His first published book (Hammers in the Wind) has been the #1 free book on Kindle 4 times and he holds a fancy certificate from the L Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest. Ok, so it was for 4th place in one quarter, but it’s still recognition from the largest fiction writing contest in the world. And no, he’s not a scientologist.
Passionate about history, he combines his knowledge of the past with modern military tactics to create an engaging, quasi-realistic world for the readers. He graduated from Campbell University with a degree in history and a Masters of Arts degree in Digital Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He currently lives outside of Raleigh, N.C. and devotes his time to writing, his family, and their two Bernese Mountain Dogs. If you drive by you might just find him on the porch with a cigar in one hand and a pen in the other.
Contact Links
Website: https://christianwfreed.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristianFreed
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristianWFreed
Blog: https://christianwfreed.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8137590.Christian_Warren_Freed
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/christianwarrenfreed/
Purchase Links
Barnes and Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dreams-of-winter-christian-warren-freed/1124113429
Giveaway
eBook Copy
September 15, 2021
[Guest Post]: Ten Fun Facts about Brianne Moore, the author of “Bright Young Thing” historical novel
My guest today is Brianne Moore, whose historical novel “Bright Young Thing” was released in September by Alcove Press.
Brianne talks about her life outside creative writing.
Ten Fun Facts about Brianne Moore
There are a few things about me that are very obvious. For one, I’m a writer. As my
recently published novel, A Bright Young Thing, is historical fiction, you’d probably
guess that I’m interested in past eras (and you’d be right). But here are a few less
obvious, fun facts that offer a glimpse into the woman behind the book.
have a much loved (and much spoiled) Victorian bulldog named Isla. I spent
most of my childhood and adolescence riding horses and hope to get back
into it someday (when I have the time!).I was born and raised in the United States (specifically, Bucks County,
Pennsylvania, which is a really lovely part of the world). But almost 10 years
ago, my husband and I upped sticks and moved across the pond to Scotland.
We lived in Edinburgh for some years; then moved just outside the city to East
Lothian when we started our family. We live in a beach town that’s right about
where the North Sea meets the Firth of Forth.The town I live in has a castle. For REAL. It’s a ruin now, sadly, but it has an
amazing history. In the 14th century it was defended from English invaders by
a woman: the indominable Countess of Moray (who needs her own novel,
definitely). By the 16th century it was owned by Lord Bothwell, the third and
final husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. He may have kept her prisoner here
to force her to marry him, and she later retreated to the stronghold when other
lords rose in rebellion against her.My grandfather and great-grandfather were both chefs, and my mother is a
professional pastry chef. I had the BEST birthday cakes.I’m a dedicated tea drinker. I always have a full pot by my side when I’m
writing.My love of history goes all the way back to my childhood: I used to make up
stories from different historical eras to act out with my Barbie dolls. I learned
to sew so I could make them period-appropriate costumes (corsets and all!).I grew up watching British TV shows, because my father is English and my
parents both loved PBS. I was a huge fan of Jeeves and Wooster and the
Hercule Poirot mysteries with David Suchet.I met my husband at a Halloween party when he was in his first year of
graduate school. I was dressed as a can-can dancer, and he was dressed as
an extremely good-looking man!When I’m not writing, you can usually find me knitting, quilting, baking,
gardening, or making jam. We have enough marmalade right now to last for
years.I love reading non-fiction, and my favourite genres are food history and social
histories. Charlemagne’s Tablecloth and The Victorian House are fantastic
examples of both.
About the Book
Genre: Historical Fiction
Date Published: 7 September 2021
Publisher: Alcove Press
England, 1931
Astra Davies finds herself in rather a tight spot when her parents die suddenly, leaving her with a heap of debts and damaging family secrets to sort out. Unwilling to enter a loveless marriage with a wealthy suitor, she instead makes the audacious decision to make her own way in the world.
But the road to financial independence is a rocky one, fraught with hazards and heartbreaking choices. A brainless business partner threatens to ruin both her reputation and their company. Family mysteries and startling discoveries make her question her parents’ motives and her relationship with them. And when she catches the eye of the extremely eligible (and rather poor) Earl of Dunreaven, Astra winds up directly in the crosshairs of her longtime nemesis: the wealthy, influential Lady Millicent, who’s now hell bent on bringing her down for good.
Astra will have to dig deep and call on strength and skills she never knew she had if she’s going to prove to herself and the world that she is more than just a pretty Bright Young Thing.
About the Author
Brianne Moore is a writer, editor, baker, knitter, and lifelong history lover. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, she spent her childhood spinning tales of bold princesses and brilliant ladies and developing a deep love for British history.
She moved to the glorious, history-soaked city of Edinburgh nearly 10 years ago and felt like she’d finally come home. She now lives by the sea in an East Lothian town with its very own castle with her husband, sons, and bulldog, Isla.
Her debut novel, All Stirred Up, was published by Alcove Press in 2020.
Contact Links
Website: http://www.briannemooreauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrianneMooreWriter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/armchanglophile
Blog: http://www.armchairanglophile.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20005884.Brianne_Moore
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/armchanglophile
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/armchairanglophile/
Purchase Links
Barnes and Noble: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1643855336?tag=randohouseinc7986-20
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/a-bright-young-thing
Penguin Random House: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/673708/a-bright-young-thing-by-brianne-moore/9781643855332/
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September 3, 2021
“The Son of Immortals” by Valeriya Salt
Look, what appeared today in “The Chamber Magazine”! Happy Publication Day to me!!
I am the King of the kings. I am the son of the falcon-headed Horus. I am the beginning. I am the end. I am the one who will live forever. I am Nimaatre Smenkhare Meriamun, the living god of the land of Kemet.
The golden boat of Re has finished its way in the celestial Nile and submerged in the darkness of Nun. I found myself wandering around the tombs of deceased kings who have already met Osiris in the Afterlife. I try to remember what I’m doing here in the middle of the night but fail. The night is dark and quiet. Khonsu’s crown shines brightly and lights my path with its cold silver light.
Quiet voices interrupt my thoughts. They sound from one of the tombs. Coming closer, I can see the dim light of torches. The voices sound louder. There is no doubt I’ve met the…
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