Roxanne Rhoads's Blog, page 254

A Bewitching Wednesday

INTERVIEW - LGBTI ROMANCE - The Refuge Trilogy by Annabelle McInnes
https://thebookjunkiereadspromos.blog...

Guest Blog and Excerpt "The Nightmare Room" by Chris Sorensen #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/NixS30iwKRJ

INTERVIEW - Custodian (Elemental Paladins, #5) by Montana Ash https://thebookjunkiereadspromos.blog...

Into Nostra by Brantwijn Serrah w/ giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/etMb30iwKMZ

Dead Girls Don't Sing by Casey Wyatt: Spotlight with Giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/jjLp30iwKxh

La Contessa by S. Nano - Book Tour
http://bookreviewsbyjasmine.blogspot....

Spotlight & Giveaway: Soul Thing by Lana Pecherczyk #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/T2HM30iwKPE

Enchanter Redeemed by Sharon Ashwood
https://teaseraddictsbookblogblog.wor...

A Year In The Life of Dr. Fox Spotlight Tour! #Giveaway! #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/NIMB30iwKrG

The Nightmare Room by Chris Sorensen #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/hHXx30iwKTp

Enchanter Redeemed by Sharon Ashwood #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/AmHE30iwKIo

#BookPromo…Drinking the Knock Water: A New Age Pilgrimage…#BookBoost #ChickLit Emily Kemme #bewitchingbooktours

A Bewitching Tuesday

Character Biographies in the Paranormal Romance Custodian by Montana Ash #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/JqXI30ivpvV

Guest Blog The Nightmare Room by Chris Sorensen
https://fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com...

Please Welcome Tani Hanes as She Tells Us About Her Paranormal Romance, FARRAWAY MIST #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/fZzc30ivrqT

Book Spotlight: La Contessa by S.Nano #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/minP30ivrIh

A Year in the Life of Dr. Fox by Frederick L Malphurs #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/g2vb30ivpst

New Book Release ~ Since We Fell by Ann Gimpel #Contemporary #Romance @AnnGimpel https://saphsbooks.blogspot.com/2018/...

Drinking the Knock Water: A New Age Pilgrimage by Emily Kemme #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/ryP430ivrjX

Into Nostra by Brantwijn Serrah #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/PzoL30ivrCv

Soul Thing by Lana Pecherczyk #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/tCuA30ivrUh

#BookPromo…The Refuge Trilogy…#BookBoost #LGBT #Romance @RoxanneRhoads @akmcinnes #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/SXJR30ivs7D

The Nightmare Room by Chris Sorensen #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/y2dS30ivrYm

La Contessa - Book Tour #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/8sLz30ivrED

Guest Blog - The Nightmare Room by Chris Sorensen

      PEELING BACK THE VEIL     Chris Sorensen
When I was in kindergarten, I saw my first ghost.

I was lying awake in bed when a misty figure walked past me and approached my younger brother’s crib before disappearing.

Was I actually visited by a spirit? Your guess is as good as mine. Do I remember the incident clearly? Oh, yes. And the fact that I do is my strongest argument for why I write supernatural fiction.

We all have moments in our life that we can’t explain. When we try, we as often as not muck it up. “You’ll never believe what happened. This morning, I woke up behind myself. Outside my own body.” I have yet to tell that story without some trepidation. But write it into a story, and I can examine it more fully. Peel back the veil and look at it head on.

If we could see the moments that make up our lives strung together like beads, we’d find a handful that would stand out from the others. A door closing by itself. The sound of music drifting down the hall. The smell of roses in an otherwise empty room. Imagined or not, these moments are part of our lives.

I like watching a character fumble about on the page as they come face to face with the supernatural. There’s a dangerous quality to it, both spiritually and emotionally, and all bets are off. It snips the string, letting the beads scatter. It’s chaos and it’s exciting and it’s interesting as hell to write.

And best of all, it’s the truth.

So the next time your phone lights up and a dead relative’s number pops up on the caller ID, I’d answer. You never know what they might have to say.

The Nightmare RoomThe Messy Man SeriesBook OneChris Sorensen         Genre: Paranormal Fiction
Publisher: Harmful Monkey Press
Date of Publication: 1/25/2018
ISBN: 978-0998342412ASIN: B07943P5S8
Number of pages: 273Word Count: 45,000
Tagline: The past is always present in the Nightmare Room.
Book Description:
A boy in a basement, a man in a booth and a darkness that threatens to swallow them both...
New York audiobook narrator Peter Larson and his wife Hannah head to his hometown of Maple City to help Peter's ailing father and to put a recent tragedy behind them. Though the small, Midwestern town seems the idyllic place to start afresh, Peter and Hannah will soon learn that evil currents flow beneath its surface.
They move into an old farmhouse on the outskirts of town—a house purchased by Peter's father at auction and kept secret until now—and start to settle into their new life.
But as Peter sets up his recording studio in a small basement room, disturbing things begin to occur—mysterious voices haunt audio tracks, malevolent shadows creep about the house. And when an insidious presence emerges from the woodwork, Peter must face old demons in order to save his family and himself.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/8Qtce0shydM
Amazon Excerpt: The man threw open the basement door. A rush of mildewed air rose up from the darkness, like the hideous breath of some subterranean thing. He flicked on the light, and the cascade of descending stairs came into view. Among their number was the treacherous one midway down, the one that bent like a bow at the slightest weight.“Are you going down on your own or do I have to make you?”The boy looked up at his father. The anger that had fueled him thus far was fading, seemingly sapped by the trip from the boy’s bedroom. Instead, his father looked pained. If he didn’t know better, he might think the Old Man was about to cry. But his father had said he was tired. Dead tired. And perhaps it was as simple as that."I'll go," the boy whispered, and he took the first tentative step down.The change in temperature was immediate; it was like diving into a cold pool. He took another step down, and another.He paused on the third step and looked back at his father. The bare bulb above paled the man’s countenance. The grey circles under his eyes made him look like he’d been bludgeoned.“Git!” the Old Man snarled. The boy went. When he reached the sagging step, he stopped, took a breath and leaped over it. His heel hit the lip of the next step, but the wood was damp, and the boy came down hard on his butt.“Get some sleep. And no more dreams.”As if he could help it.His father closed the door, and the lock clicked. It would not open again until morning. The boy descended the final few stairs and stepped onto the floor. Ice-cold cement sucked heat from his soles. He squinted, trying to adjust to the dark.The usefulness of the light bulb ended a few feet into the basement. And there was no more source of light until he reached the…The gears in his head ground to a halt, stopping short of allowing the dreaded name to be uttered.He started picking out objects around him. The solemn metal face of the furnace, a stack of water softener salt bags, the frame of an old bicycle.Straight ahead lay a distance of twenty or so feet before he'd come to a door. Three-quarters of that stretch was in pitch black. To get to the door, to get to the room, he had to dash through the darkness until his hand found the doorknob. Then, he would throw the door open, reach to his right, flip the wall switch and presto. An island of light in an ocean of black.He girded himself for the sprint.“One…two…”He hesitated…but why? He’d already made this run two times this week. Both Monday and Thursday, he’d awakened screaming, bringing down the Old Man’s wrath, and sending him here. To the penalty box. To time out. To the Night—“Three!”The boy startled at the sound of his own voice, and he lurched into motion. He hurtled into the darkness, his feet slapping the floor, echoing off the walls in hollow applause.He bumped into something and spun, temporarily throwing himself and his inner compass off balance. He skidded across the floor and came to a stop.Heart pounding in his chest, he quickly located the lit stairs off to his left. He made a rapid calculation and turned to face the invisible pathway to the room. He bolted, coming to a halt only when he slammed head-on into the door.His hand floundered before finding the knob. He launched into his practiced routine. Open door, flip switch, step inside.In seconds, the boy slipped into the room and slammed the door shut. A pink light overhead bathed him in imaginary warmth—he had made it.He stepped back and sank into the waiting beanbag chair, facing the door. The small room with its mint green walls and rollaway bed felt almost welcoming, an odd feeling for a place that was meant as a punishment.The boy pulled a quilt from the bed and wrapped it around him tight. For the first time in his life, he felt safe here in this room—in the Nightmare Room. Because he hadn’t bumped into something out there in the dark. He had bumped into someone.He was almost certain of it.He kept one eye on the door as the minutes hummed past on the illuminated clock on the nightstand. He busied himself with crayon and paper, doodling to keep his mind quiet. Soon, his vision began to flutter; the room began to strobe. And, in the space between two breaths, the boy sank into his beanbag chair and fell into a fitful sleep.The doorknob twitched.The boy bolted upright. He pressed back into the chair. His whole body started shivering, and he feared he would wet himself for the second time that night.A thought…no, a voice crept into his head.Coming in.The door quivered as if someone was leaning against it, trying to stifle a laugh. Nails scratched against the wood.“Dad?” the boy whispered.The door shuddered.“Is that you?” Knowing it was not.Coming…“Please don’t.”Coming…“No.”Coming…“No!”In.




About the Author:
Chris Sorensen spends many days and nights locked away inside his own nightmare room. He is the narrator of over 200 audiobooks (including the award-winning The Missing series by Margaret Peterson Haddix) and the recipient of three AudioFile Earphone Awards. Over the past fifteen years, the Butte Theater and Thin Air Theatre Company in Cripple Creek, Colorado have produced dozens of his plays including Dr. Jekyll’s Medicine Show, Werewolves of Poverty Gulch and The Vampire of Cripple Creek. He is the author of the middle grade book The Mad Scientists of New Jersey and has written numerous screenplay including Suckerville, Bee Tornado and The Roswell Project.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrissorensenauthor/

Mailing List Sign Up: http://www.casorensen.com/



Get it Free for Your KindleFebruary 21st, 22nd  and 23rd

A Bewitching Monday

W.I.P. it real good: William Blackwell shares his next project + giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/4nFp30itYyb

Casey Wyatt's Creative Pursuits #bewithcingbooktours http://ow.ly/yJkK30itYe7

Please Welcome Annabelle McInnes as She Tells Us About Her LGBTI Speculative Romances, TRUE REFUGE, FRACTURED REFUGE, and ETERNAL REFUGE #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/RGWw30itYWM

HEXCOMMUNICATED: When the sun comes up the girl of his dreams will murder him, by Author Rafael Chandler Excerpt - Giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/o9BF30itYD0

The Nightmare Room by Chris Sorensen w/ excerpt #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/sCl630itYTY

Book Tour & Giveaway: Enchanter Redeemed by Sharon Ashwood #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/SalT30itYkW

Soul Thing by Lana Pecherczyk w/ giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/aiSj30itYQQ

Read an Excerpt from Drinking the Knock Water: A New Age Pilgrimage by Emily Kemme #Giveaway Emily Kemme #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/WKd930itYm5

Montana Ash – Author of Custodian #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/zZE030itYcj

A Year in the Life of Dr. Fox by Frederick L Malphurs w/ giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/nEQ930itY4g

Bitter Harvest Series by Ann Gimpel
#bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/F6DX30itYk3

Book Spotlight ~ Farraway Mist by Tani Hanes ~ Paranormal Romance #PNR Tani Hanes #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/xyGv30itYiA

Freaky Franky by William Blackwell: Book Tour Spotlight with Giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/V1Z230itYzn

Hexcommunicated by Rafael Chandler - Book Tour + Giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/znYW30itYHJ

Into Nostra The Pact Book 2 by Brantwijn Serrah book Tour #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/9ZWE30itYJw

La Contessa #bewitchingbooktours https://saphssteamybooks.tumblr.com/p...

The Nightmare Room by Chris Sorensen #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/LocN30itYSA

Freaky Franky by William Blackwell #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/7Whj30itYxl

The Nightmare Room by Chris Sorensen #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/Zlfu30itYsr

Soul Thing by Lana Pecherczyk

Soul ThingThe Game of GodsBook OneLana Pecherczyk
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Prism Press
Date of Publication: 20th February 2018
ASIN: B079FM8BF3
Number of pages: 379Word Count: 101,989
Cover Artist: Lana Pecherczyk
Tagline: Evolution is the Game, Witches are the Glitch
Book Description:
After a decade long war, witches have been obliterated, or so the world thinks. A precarious peace settles and, for the small town of Margaret River, life returns to normal, but for Roo, the hard work is just beginning.
Roo works at the local bar, is a little facetious and can’t wait to high-tail it out of there to keep her powers secret. She’s not certain where they came from but the last thing she wants is to be burned at the stake. Hiding in plain sight seems to work until Cash, a darkly handsome hunter, arrives with disaster in his wake. Witches aren’t defeated, only hidden, and there’s one gunning for Roo and her family. The recent war only touched the surface of the preternatural world and with Cash’s help, Roo learns there are worse things that go bump in the night... and she might be one of them.
Soon she must make a choice—risk exposure to save her loved ones, or remain hidden and safe. But sometimes safe isn’t an option. Sometimes safe is a never-ending game.

Amazon
Excerpt # 1 (1126 Words) from Chapter 1
Sooner or later I had to stop feeling guilty about killing my mother. I had no memory of it, and I was a baby when it happened. As if I could control it. It was time I started thinking of myself.Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, I thought as I curled my fingers into fists and punched the air. Now or never. I rounded the corner to the kitchen and planted my feet squarely in front of Aunt Lucy. “I’m moving out,” I blurted.Aunt Lucy turned, eyes blinking. She wore colorless clothing to match her gray hair, and never used makeup. The only inspiring thing about her appearance was her glass bauble necklace. She pulled her arms out of the sudsy sink and tapped her gloved fingers on the porcelain bowl. The action sent baubles clinking and a tiny waft of lavender perfume floating my way. Deliberately, slowly, she removed her second skin, one finger at a time and then dabbed her hands with a tea towel. Despite her careful charade, thoughts collided behind her steely gaze.“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said through gritted teeth.I took a step back and darted a glance at my sister, Leila, as she sat at the grand table reading the newspaper. The ghost of a smile danced across her delicate features but she covered it with a sip of coffee, then turned the page, pointing to an article in an evasive gesture. “Oh, look at this one,” she said.Ignoring her, I held up my key. “I’m not being ridiculous. Kitty’s leasing her apartment and I can move as soon as my probation is over. I’m half packed.”Leila spat coffee everywhere and then grimaced at her accident. She slammed her mug down. “Now, look what you’ve made me do. I wish I had a normal sister.”I snatched a towel from the rack and mopped up her mess. “Yeah, well I wish my sister didn’t hate my guts for something I can’t control—”“Uh, uh. We’re not going there.” Aunt Lucy cut me off, raised a finger, and then turned her back on me to help Leila dry her precious clippings. “What did you find today, sweet-heart?”My jaw dropped. I’d given her monumental news, and she’d turned her back on me.“Look at this one.” Leila tapped an article. “The Church is recalling their latest safeguard against witch possession. Apparently, there was a faulty part in the device or something. It would be nice for them to get one invention right, don’t you think? And this one, see?” She held up another clipping. “The DNA test used to identify maleficent victims isn’t accurate because there haven’t been enough cases of possession over the last four years to benchmark—you know, since the Purge.”“Tsk, tsk, such a shame.” Aunt Lucy rubbed Leila’s shoulder affectionately. “Never mind, sweet, it could be a good thing. Only a few possessions in four years isn’t bad. But just in case, we’ll continue to go to church like they told us. It’s worked so far, right? We’ve never seen a witch in town.”Leila hummed in agreement.I scowled at them. A woman moving out of home was not to be taken lightly. Witches attacked females—it had something to do with our higher estrogen levels—but like Leila said, since they’d burned half the female population in the Purge, there were few cases of possession. The world had relaxed and being a woman wasn’t so bad anymore.I waved the key in the air. “Um hello? Did you hear what I said? I’m moving out.”“You stubborn girl.” Aunt Lucy shook her head at me. “You’ll be labeled a whore, just like your friend. I should never let you have that job at that devil’s playground. It’s caused nothing but problems.” She pulled off her headband and threw it on the counter, releasing her gray hair from its captivity.Did she just call Kitty a whore? Hang on—did she called me a whore?“After all, I’ve done for you,” she continued. “I housed you when your father abandoned you, I put up with your criminal ways, I even let you get a job when there’s so much to do here at the vineyard. You’re going to throw it all in my face and leave a week before the food festival.” The tenacity of her words caused a coughing fit, she wheezed and spluttered into a quickly grasped tissue. The sour stench of smoker’s breath hit me moments before her pungent lavender perfume. I flinched and tried not to screw up my face. The bad-girl smoker habit was such a contrast to her drab, gray attire. Seriously, brush your teeth.With shaky hands, she reached for a glass of water and took a sip. Aunt Lucy ran her boutique vineyard estate with an iron fist, but quit smoking? Impossible. She downed the water in gulps and held up a finger indicating the conversation wasn’t over. When she finished, she busied herself with drying the dishes. The muscles in her shoulders and neck grew rigid as she mulled over her next words. Finally, she picked up a spoon, and waved it at me. “That sin-bin you work at is just a lawsuit waiting to happen.” She opened the cutlery drawer and slammed the spoon in place. “I can’t believe it was allowed to open in the first place.”Leila snorted in sympathy.In an effort not to roll my eyes, I stared at the sparkling black and white checked floor. There she goes again, spouting her devil nonsense.“The Cauldron,” I said, “is not a ‘sin-bin’ or a ‘devil’s playground.’ It’s a legitimate establishment where people can enjoy a drink or a meal, and learn about the history of witches.”Leila laughed. “You can’t be serious, Roo. It’s a mockery; they poke fun at the myth, not teach the reality.” Her last words came through a clenched jaw and she shuddered.It was true. The Cauldron was a clichéd, witch-themed bar. It resembled something from Halloween, and served cocktails like ‘The Holy Grail’ and ‘Brew to Forget.’ Taxidermy crows peered down at you as you ate, but it was harmless fun. And I felt at home there.
I shrugged. “If it makes people feel safe and confident they have one up on witches, who cares? I get paid, and all I have to do is serve drinks and look pretty with this thing hanging around my neck.” I flicked my slick UV-liquid filled probation collar. It made me special. “I’m accepted for who I am. Besides, it’s coming off in a few weeks and I’ll be free to do what I want. Everyone with opinions can bite me.”

About the Author:
Lana Pecherczyk is a freckle-faced writer from Perth, Western Australia. She’s a fan of 'pro-caffeinating' and writes in Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. Basically if it’s got sexy heroes, thrilling action and a kick-ass heroine, you know she’ll write it because she loves reading it.
When she’s not writing the next great novel, or wrangling the rug rats, or rescuing GI Joe from the jaws of her Kelpie, she fights evil by moonlight, wins love by daylight and never runs from a real fight.
You can find her books on Amazon and other good online retailers.
WEB: http://www.lanapecherczyk.com
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/authorzoo
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/lansi26
INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/lansi
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13693128
NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/dgd0pb

Enter Giveaway Here

A Bewitching Friday

Life with Deadpool Guest Blog- Dead Girls Don’t Sing by Casey Wyatt #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/cS0W30irzoY

Guest Blog- Drinking the Knock Water: A New Age Pilgrimage by Emily Kemme #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/13GN30irzwA

Join the Multi-Author Facebook Party today at 2PM with Marcella Burnard, Laura Bickle, Nikki Lee Taylor, and Sadie Grubor https://www.facebook.com/events/15185...

The Refuge Trilogy Spotlight & #Giveaway ~ Annabelle McInnes ~ LGBTI Speculative Romance @akmcinnes
https://saphsbooks.blogspot.com/2018/...

Custodian by Montana Ash: Book Tour Spotlight #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/ilFm30irzno

Bitter Harvest Series by Ann Gimpel #bewitchingbooktours
https://paranormalists.blogspot.com/2...

Hexcommunicated by Rafael Chandler: Book Tour Spotlight with Giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/GCUR30irziu

Freaky Franky by William Blackwell #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/1a2k30irzYf

Book Review: Enchanter Redeemed (Camelot Reborn) by Sharon Ashwood + giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/QqGo30irzKm

Into Nostra by Brantwijn Serrah - Book Tour + Giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/xwPs30irAj0

Hexcommunicated by Rafael Chandler #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/u7QX30irAfe

A Year in the Life of Dr.Fox by Frederick L. Malphurs Book Tour & Giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/THlX30irz3Q

#BookPromo…Farraway Mist…#BookBoost #PNR #Romance Tani Hanes #bewitchingbooktours https://mellojune.com/bookpromo-farra...

FREAKY FRANKY by William Blackwell #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/jHiE30irA15

A Bewitching Thursday

A Day in the Life of… Annabelle McInnes (@akmcinnes) #giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/e6HM30ipW6C

Guest Blog + Giveaway: Hexcommunicated by Rafael Chandler #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/H8U730ipVVz

Into Nostra by Brantwijn Serrah: Spotlight with Giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/mr3Q30ipVXO

Interview with Casey Wyatt, Author of Dead Girls Don’t Sing! #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/6TCj30ipVDT

INTERVIEW WITH RAFAEL CHANDLER (Hexcommunicated) #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/Jekf30ipVU2

Custodian Excerpt #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/HqMD30iq0mz

Enchanter Redeemed Camelot Reborn Book Four Sharon Ashwood #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/7DoD30iq0hQ

Freaky Franky by William Blackwell - Book Tour + Giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/TGYe30ipVOH

Drinking the Knock Water by Author Emily Kemme - Reviews - Excerpt - Giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/OCVt30ipVIg

Freaky Franky William Blackwell #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/3GCW30iq0de

SPOTLIGHT - Farraway Mist by Tani Hanes
https://thebookjunkiereadspromos.blog...

Book Spotlight: A Year In The Life Of Dr. Fox #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/bggD30ipUIy

Drinking the Knock Water: A New Age Pilgrimage by Emily Kemme #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/SDK330ipVGm

Join the Multi-Author Facebook Party this Friday with Marcella Burnard, Laura Bickle, Nikki Lee Taylor, and Sadie Grubor
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Valentine’s Day Interview with the Witches from Paranormal Pleasures: Ten Tales of Supernatural Seduction

We have a special Valentine’s Day interview with a few of the witches from the erotic short story collection  Paranormal Pleasures: Ten Tales of Supernatural Seduction .
I’ll start with Marissa from “A Last Goodbye”. Marissa is new to the supernatural world, being a late bloomer with her magic but her trainer, Deirdre, who happens to be a vampire, is showing her the ropes and helping her acclimate quite well.
RR: So Marissa how are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year, is Deirdre very romantic?
Marissa: Deirdre is quite the romantic though don’t tell her I said that, it would ruin her ice queen image. I’m not sure what she has planned but I know she’s up to something, she’s had a twinkle in her eye and that always means she’s in planning mode.
RR: Has she done grand romantic gestures before?
Marissa: Not any extremely grand gestures, she’s more of an everyday romantic- a rose on my pillow, a new book of spells on my desk…she always does something sweet for me.
RR: That is precious. I think it’s so important to have those little everyday reminders of love they keep the romance alive.
Marissa: Oh yes, it definitely does. And with our crazy lifestyles and supernatural drama…it can be hard to think about the mundane stuff.
RR: Vampires, witches and their drama…
Marissa: You know it.
As Marissa giggles thinking about her new life full of vampires I turn to Ariadne from “Witch in the Middle”. Ariadne has not one but two gorgeous men in her life. Such a greedy witch J
RR: Hi Ariadne, how are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year? Anything special planned? Will you celebrate with both of your men?
Ariadne: I’m not sure what I will be doing for Valentine’s Day this year.
RR: Why not?
Ariadne: The whole “who to be with” issue, and choosing which guy to celebrate with is such a headache.
RR: Why not be with them both?

Ariadne: And risk the dirty looks, the questioning looks…or even worse the guys getting into it in the middle of a romantic dinner and embarrassing me? No thank you.
RR: So they’re still having issues with each other?
Ariadne: Men are so territorial, jealousy is always an issue. They are always trying to one up each other or be the better man. Sometimes I wonder if I should just choose and be done with it.
RR: I’m sorry to hear that, I was really hoping the three of you had worked things out.
Ariadne: Perhaps they’ll get over the pettiness so I can have a HappyValentine’s Day. I would really love to be with both of them and have a good time.
RR: Well there you go, just tell them you want to go out and have fun without their egos getting in the way.
Ariadne: Thanks, Rox I will do that. Now I just have to figure out what to wear.
RR: Maybe you should go chat with Marissa and Deirdre I hear Deirdre has closets full of amazing clothes.
Ariadne: Thanks, I’ll do that.
Ariadne wanders off to find Marissa and I turn to Elita from “The Questioning Concubine”.  RR: Hello Elita, glad you could join us today. How are things going with the investigation?
Elita: Thanks to Connor I’m finally making some headway with the case. I’m closer than ever to finding out who killed my parents.
RR: That’s great news. Are you taking any time off to celebrate Valentine’s Day?
Elita: Oh yes *she smiles coyly*. We will definitely be celebrating Valentine’s day.
RR: Do you and Connor have anything planned?
Elita: A wicked little grin creeps across her pretty features…I do. I want to surprise him with a very romantic and sexy evening.
RR: Really? How do give an incubus a romantic surprise? I mean, after all he is all about the sex.
Elita: That’s just it, he is used to doling out the pleasure and being the means to an end. I want to give him pleasure, treat him like he has treated me. I want to return the affection. I don’t think he’s used to being on the receiving end of love.
RR: So you plan to turn things upside down for your pleasure demon?
Elita: Oh yes *again with that wicked grin*. I wanted to ask her more but I didn’t want to get into the TMI area plus I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise for  Connor, who knows maybe there’s a future story in the works featuring Elita and Connor’s Valentine’s pleasurefest.
RR: Good luck with that. I hope it turns out to be a spectacular night for the tow of you.
Elita: Oh it will it’s going to be so amazing and so damn hot… *she blushes as she realizes she’s getting a little carried away*
RR: I clear my throat thanks for joining me for this little interview, I hope all of your Valentine fantasies turn out to be fabulous.
Elita: Thanks Rox I’m sure they will.
Elita wanders off and I turn to the witch that’s left, Vicki from “Witching You A Merry Christmas”.
RR: So Vicki, You and Daniel ended up having a very wonderful Christmas last year, will you be celebrating Valentine’s Day together as well?
Vicki: She gives me a shy smile Yes, we’ll be together for Valentine’s and for the rest of the holidays.
RR: Wonderful. So any plans?
Vicki: I think Daniel has something up his sleeve. He is such a sweet and charming romantic.
RR: What kind of romantic is he, hearts and flowers or something deeper?
Vicki: Oh a little of both. He does the hearts and flowers and chocolates but he always adds something deeply personal- like finding a first edition copy of my favorite book signed by the author. Or hunting down my grandmother’s locket which had been pawned years ago when my mother needed money.
RR: Wow. He puts his detective skills to work for romance huh?
Vicki: She laughs Oh yes. He is very good at tracking things down, and he’s such a good listener. Sometimes I think he knows me better than I know myself.
RR: I know he loves Christmas and goes all out with the decorations, is he the same way for Valentine’s day?
Vicki: He loves to celebrate…anything. He has an entire room filled with decorations for every holiday.
RR: So that’s a yes? I laugh.
Vicki: Most definitely.
RR: Well thank you for joining me today, thanks to all the witches that took the time to stop by and answer my questions.
To learn more about these characters check out Paranormal Pleasures Ten Tales of Supernatural Seduction.
Paranormal Pleasures:Ten Tales of Supernatural Seduction Roxanne RhoadsPublisher: Bewitching BooksGenre: Paranormal eroticaISBN: 0615470386 / 9780615470382Page Count: 138
Book description:
Ten tantalizing, erotic tales of vampires, witches and demons grace the pages of this short story collection by Roxanne Rhoads.
Step into the darkness and let these tales tempt and tease to satisfy your paranormal cravings.
Eight of Roxanne Rhoads' previous eBook publications appear in print for the first time, along with two brand new, never before published tales of supernatural love and lust.
Extended Description
A Last Goodbye
New witch Marissa is learning the ropes of being one of The Others. One of her mentors is vampire Deirdre, a tall beauty who really irritates Marissa. Marissa is extremely pissed when she shows up to Dante's Ball and finds Deirdre there with Marissa's recent ex-boyfriend, Jeff. The one she was encouraged to break up with because of his humanity. Deirdre explains her reasons for bringing Jeff and offers to help Marissa say goodbye to him in a way none of them will ever forget
Overkill
Vanessa is tired of her boyfriend Simon’s promiscuous vampire ways and stakes him, repeatedly- not close enough to the heart to kill him but close enough to make it hurt. But now she’s had a change of heart and considers embracing the sexual world of the vampire instead of being jealous of it.
Witch in the Middle
Ariadne is a witch torn between two men, a vampire and a human. Her heart doesn’t want to choose but the men force her to make a decision that could break her heart, unless with the help of the Goddess all three of them can come to a mutually acceptable…and enjoyable agreement.
When It Storms
Devon’s witchy girlfriend becomes insatiable every time a storm rolls around and he’s more than happy to give her exactly what she needs.
Monster Inside
Shannon’s never seen her vampire boyfriend, Logan, vamp out before. Then one night he has to kill to save her life. Can she ever look at him the same way again?
The Questioning Concubine
Elita, a pure blood witch, has come home to find who or what killed her parents and to take her rightful place as the head of the coven. After five years of investigating and exhausting all conventional methods at her disposal, she decides to do the one thing a good witch should never do—summon a demon. The demon is not what she expected. Elita is soon swept up in his power… and her own.
Renata
The residents of the sleepy little town of Flushing, Michigan had no idea a vampire lived among them, seducing and drinking from all the men in town. Renata walked among them, blending in, taking only what she needed. One night, while she was on the prowl for fresh blood at a carnival, a handsome carnie caught her eye. She had no way of knowing he was a vampire hunter and was there for her.
Sea of Blood
Liana made Nerissa a vampire centuries ago in the islands of Greece but she’s never tired of her companion or the way she hunts her prey.
A Halloween to Remember
What says Halloween better than a wild party at an old Victorian mansion complete with its own cemetery? Perhaps meeting the man of your dreams thanks to the magic of Halloween.
Adena can’t believe her eyes when she spots Dimitri in the library- he looks like something straight off the cover of a historical romance novel-the type of guy she’s always dreamed of. Too bad he disappears before she has the chance to introduce herself. When she finally spots him again later that night she decides she’s not letting him get away again. Adena thinks she’s finally found the one. Until she wakes up alone the next morning- in the cemetery.
Halloween magic brought them together but will it be strong enough to keep them together?
Witching You A Merry Christmas
Witch Vicki has been leery of vampires ever since she was attacked five years ago. Daniel's a vampire and he's been secretly in love in with Vicki for two years ever since becoming Vicki's partner in The Guardians a supernatural group of paranormal crime fighters. Daniel loves Christmas and hopes the spirit of the holidays will soften Vicki's hatred of vampires and help her see him in a new light. Will he get his Christmas wish?

Drinking the Knock Water: A New Age Pilgrimage by Emily Kemme

Drinking the Knock Water: A New Age PilgrimageEmily Kemme
Genre: Chick Lit
Publisher: Arrowhead Publishing
Date of Publication: January 27, 2017
ISBN: 0983740127978-0983740124ASIN: B01MTE7QGJ
Number of pages: 288Word Count: 107,532
Cover Artist: Mia Kemme
Tagline: “We all live with ghosts. . . Some are those of people who’ve never been born.”
Book Description:
“We all live with ghosts. . . Some are those of people who’ve never been born.”
So begins Drinking the Knock Water: A New Age Pilgrimage, the second novel by award-winning Greeley, Colorado author Emily Kemme.
Loosely based on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the novel takes on life itself as a pilgrimage. One of life’s biggest struggles is fitting in with the rest of the human race, and an aspect of that is having children. It’s not meant for everyone and yet, true to Darwinian forces, it’s almost expected. Giving birth and then raising a child to maturity is one of the bravest tasks we take on. 
On what was supposed to be a day to celebrate, another cruel outburst from Holly Thomas’ sister-in-law begins a spiral of events that would leave Holly questioning every choice she’d ever made and every belief she held as truth.
Had she done the right thing by her unborn child? Had she given enough, or too much, freedom of choice to her son? Did she truly, deeply know her husband and clinic partner, Roger? And what right had she to counsel infertile couples after her own pregnancies?
With the Fertility Tour only weeks away, a group of unlikely and disparate pilgrims look to her for guidance. But Holly’s life has unraveled in ways she could not have imagined, including a restraining order against her. Will she be able to find her footing and make peace with her choices and herself? Will visiting the religious and sacred feminine sites in England help her regain control or only tear her further apart?
Hardcover    Amazon Kindle
Reviews
"Today exists for you to let your mind wander, let it free, all week long. This is the time for reflection and evaluation."
Deeply traumatized after her daughter, Arella, is born dead, fertility counselor Holly Thomas struggles to achieve inner peace. Roger—Holly's supportive husband and a prominent fertility doctor—accepts her grief-induced eccentricities, but his intolerant Christian family resents her and her Jewish roots. When Edward, Roger's brother, openly belittles the Bar Mitzvah of Daniel, Holly's son, tensions escalate, and her whole world threatens to fall apart. To overcome heartbreak and reflect on self-discovery and relationships, Holly and Roger take a group of patients from their clinic on a fertility tour. This tour becomes a spiritual pilgrimage for unrealized truths.
Kemme elegantly examines the complicated aspects of life and relationships. Using Holly's experiences with a failed pregnancy, her in-laws, and Roger, Kemme focuses on how pain can shape and enlighten us. That religious intolerance can inflict significant emotional damage is depicted through Roger's family members who weaponize words to hurt Holly. This, along with Holly's emotional fragility, causes strain in her marriage. However, Roger's unwavering love helps Holly stay somewhat balanced, letting her emotionally heal many patients who cannot conceive. Some of these couples include Leah and Rachel, the Rhanjhas, the Chandlers, Burbages, and Jane Brown and her mother. As Holly and Roger take their chosen couples on a fertility tour to England, various colliding elements within the patients' lives emerge, thereby projecting how relationships bless or burden us. Pain becomes a recurrent theme in the novel, neutralized by the healing touch of water as a metaphor. Arella's grave is near water, and the visit to the sacred sites of England serves as ritual cleansing for the characters. Artistically nuanced language and the sincere, soothing tone bring out the true beauty of this literary novel. This is an introspective, gentle novel that illuminates and rejuvenates in the same breath.
RECOMMENDED by The US Review of Books

Fertility doctors confront the lingering effects of personal and cultural emotional trauma. Holly and Roger Thomas have a stable marriage, fulfilling careers, and a son practicing for his bar mitzvah. Holly insists on throwing a birthday party each year complete with gifts for their stillborn daughter, but Roger doesn't complain. His Catholic brother and sister-in-law, however, find fault with Holly, primarily because she's Jewish. Her religion haunts her, almost as much as the death of her daughter. . .. . . the author often beautifully depicts Holly s self-doubt as she explores different aspects of overcoming trauma. . . [in a] positive tale of moving forward through unexpected circumstances.
-- Kirkus Reviews
Dr. Roger and Holly Thomas run a successful fertility clinic in New York City. Roger tends to the patients' physical needs while Holly ministers to their emotional and psychological ones. The couple cherish the routines of their partnership and their happy marriage as they struggle with the pain of a lost child. Holly continues to throw their daughter birthday parties long after the child's been buried. This painful ritual causes her in-laws to question her sanity and is a source of annual familial strife.Then the Thomas's son, Daniel, decides to complete his Bar Mitzvah. While Holly was born Jewish and Roger was born Catholic, neither parent practices his or her childhood religion. They've exposed Daniel to both religions for the sake of their families, but neither of them expected him to take it this far. Roger's devoutly Catholic family cannot accept Daniel's sincerity, and harsh words are said at his birthday party. Holly and Roger's resulting fight has surprising and unintended consequences.All this turmoil takes its toll on the workings of the clinic. The Thomases have hosted something they call the Fertility Tour for over a decade. It's an opportunity for their clients to connect to one another outside of their familiar surroundings. Holly conducts the tour; she chooses the participants, orchestrates ice-breakers, and mediates conflicts. Normally she's a skillful operator, but she's lost her confidence. This year's tour is populated by an odd and ill-matched assortment of individuals. Needless to say, this tour does not run smoothly. Roger and Holly must find a way to reconnect with one another in order to salvage the retreat.
The Thomases deal with people at their most vulnerable. Fertility is closely tied to an individual's identity, and both men and women find it difficult to process the inability to have a child. While Holly and Roger have never encountered problems with conceiving, they have suffered a loss and are sympathetic to thwarted expectations. This closeness to struggle and their ongoing religious turmoil provide the pair with a lot of philosophical ground to cover. Is religion necessary to cope with the vicissitudes of life? Is God responsible?
Drinking the Knock Water is at heart an exploration of the role religion plays in the life of an individual. Faith in a god can both connect a soul to others and sow discord. In the end, it's up to the reader to decide if faith is essential or composed of empty rituals.
-- Manhattan Book Review
Excerpt: CHAPTER 1: Circumnavigating Sanity
          In a town famous for its ghosts, it was easy to imagine there was one lurking behind every tree. And while Holly knew most visitors to Sleepy Hollow expected movie-inspired visions of the headless horseman, in truth the densely wooded surroundings allowed a more peaceful somnolence. In spite of its thirty-mile proximity to the most populated city in the country, what with New York’s electric hubbub of restless, cosmopolitan energy, there was never a feeling of urgency in the little hamlet, merely a sleepy torpor, a sensing that the world stopped in this hollow of quiet dead.             Whether the town cultivated any sensational image was another question altogether. Holly suspected it did not, at least not year round. Of course, there were the Halloween weekends, prompting arrival of thrill seekers by the thousands, but that was just theatrics. No real ghosts shared the stage.             If there was any spectral unrest, it existed only in the minds of the towns' inhabitants.             Even by the light of early evening in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where saturated gray skies released rain to drip from the trees, dotted here and there with planted shrubs and summer flowers in fresh bloom, there was a lovely serenity, enhanced further by the rain’s sudden cease. Here, there was nothing to fear.            Holly entered the cemetery through scrolled iron gates wedged between gray quarried stone, which made up the wall bordering the grounds. She jogged up Forest Avenue, turned left on Transit, making her way up Hill Side, and then down onto Cascade, where she left the well-marked gravel path. From there she strode through wet grass crowded with lichened grave stones, some weatherworn and leaning askew, others newly polished with crisp lettering, until she reached the pale little stone marking the grave. At the baby’s feet, a short drop off past the main road, the Pocantico River burbled as it shot over rocky masses. Holly’s one request of Roger and the cemetery’s caretaker was that the site be near water, the giver of life, bringer of tranquility. Knowing how nearly Holly brinked insanity in those days, Roger swiftly supported her wishes; they were lucky to find a small plot in a relatively unpopulated section.            Holly sat next to the grave, nestled the spray into the humped grass covering it, and leaned her cheek against the smooth stone. It was simple and austere, with only a slight scallop of embellishment at the top, befitting a little one who had never breathed air. She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply to catch her breath from the run, collecting her thoughts. Above her head, squirrels batted sticks together, hidden away in the leafy trees, a reminder of the unseen life they shared.            Marit always managed to rattle her, either poking fun at Holly’s whims, or sometimes with outright malice, which Holly knew all too well stemmed from their differences in religious outlook. The fact that Arella’s birthday fell on St. John’s Eve didn’t help. For someone as devotedly Catholic as her sister-in-law, celebrating a baby’s life who had never been born, was sacrilege. The saint’s day was meant to celebrate a birth, Marit insisted, and certainly had nothing to do with a baby born dead.            But it wasn’t a topic Holly was willing to think about today, not on Arella’s birthday. Instead, she catalogued her daughter’s gifts:  an enormous stuffed pony for her bed, and a cellphone. She chuckled at that one, recalling Roger’s perplexity.            “Why do you have to get the baby a phone?” he’d asked her the week before when she walked into the house, arms loaded with shopping bags. Holly had exclaimed that Arella wasn’t a baby anymore, she was turning eleven, and every preteen needed a cellphone.             Roger chewed his upper lip for a while, before asking, “Is this along the lines of ‘ET phone home?’”  He had laughed, and so had she. Gifts for Arella were an annual practice in their household, and long gone were the days where Roger made much of a fuss over it. Keeping Holly happy was his primary goal in life, even if that meant some particularly nutsy charges on their credit card every June. His wife’s frenzied activities subsided within a week or so after the birthday celebration, allowing her to settle back into reality, recharged and reaffirmed with the notion that she was doing the right thing by Arella.            She felt warm pressure on her right shoulder, and opening her eyes saw that Millie’s husband, Josiah, knelt at her side on one corduroyed knee, his gnarled hand grasping her shoulder lightly, holding her steadfast. Holly looked up into the old man’s deep blue eyes, shot through with red veins, but firm and gentle in their gaze, and nodded. He stood up slowly and she extended a hand for him to pull, which he did.             “Almost everybody’s there at the cottage,” he said. “Except Edward, but you knew that.” They were both aware that there was no need to explain further; of all the friends and relatives, Roger’s brother had never attended these parties, whether he was in town or off somewhere in the world. For some reason, Josiah enjoyed pointing out this fact to her, a reminder perhaps of which of the two older men in her life she could count on more.            Holly stood immobile, gazing into the tangle of trees rambling up the hillside away from the brook.            He looked at her closely. “We all live with ghosts.”            The motion of her head was barely noticeable. “Yes,” she agreed. “Some are those of people who’ve never been born.”
            She looked down at the grave. “I have to leave now, Arella. Your party is starting.” She swept her index finger over the top of the stone, letting it linger on the upward swooping scallop, and then turned to walk with Josiah back up the hill.
About the Author:
As the award-winning author for her novels, Drinking the Knock Water: A New Age Pilgrimage and In Search of Sushi Tora, and on her lifestyle blog, “Feeding the Famished”, Emily Kemme tends to look at the world in all its rawness. She writes about human nature, and on her blog shares recipes and food for thought along with insights about daily life. She is a recipe creator but winces when labeled a foodie. She is the Food and Lifestyle Contributor for the Greeley Tribune’s Dining column and also writes features for the newspaper and its magazine, #Greality.
"I write about what I ate for lunch only if it's meaningful," Emily says. "Mostly, I'm just hungry.”
Emily also writes because her degrees in American and English History, followed by a law degree from the University of Colorado, left her searching for her voice. She also suffered from chronic insomnia.
“Writing helps clarify my mind, erasing clutter, and makes room for more impressions. My thoughts can seem random and disconnected, but once they flow onto paper, a coherency and purpose emerges, directing patterns into story. I sleep much better, too.”
As an author who lives in Greeley, Colorado, she celebrates people’s differences, noting that the biggest problem with being different is when it’s deemed a problem. Emily often identifies with the underdog, focusing on humanizing the outsider, showing there is not only one right way to be or to live. Through her writing she hopes her audience will be open to new ideas, the acceptance of others, and will recognize the universalities of human experience in a non-judgmental way as they meet her characters and follow their stories.
Her first novel, In Search of Sushi Tora, was awarded as Finalist for First Novel in the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and her second novel, Drinking the Knock Water, was awarded as a Finalist in Chick Lit in the 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and received two CIPA EVVY awards.  Emily is currently working on a children’s book series, Moro and The Cone of Shame, a collaborative project with her daughter-in-law, Mia. She is also writing her third novel, The Man With the Wonky Spleen, a story about human idiosyncrasies.
Professional Memberships: PEN America
Blog: www.feedingthefamished.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmilyKemme/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/EmFeedsYou
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emfeedsyou/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilykemme
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34315015-drinking-the-knock-watera Rafflecopter giveaway

Review Witch Creek by Laura Bickle

Witch Creek by Laura Bickle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A page turning adventure I could not put down. I started the book right before midnight on Saturday and finished it around 11:30 pm Sunday night. I just couldn't stop reading.

This is book four of Petra and Gabe's story- and the most emotional and in depth one yet.

This book pulled no punches when it came to making you feel the story. Witch Creek proves that Bickle's strengths are definitely character development and world building as she takes us deep into the wild and weird world of Temperance from the current mess involving Owen the latest Rutherford heir, all the way back to the town's dark beginnings with Lascaris.

We finally get Gabe's backstory in bits and pieces as Petra searches for him while he's being held prisoner by Owen Rutherford. Petra fears the worst, that she may never see her love again and that heartbreak will yank at your emotions as you ache for the two of them to be reunited.

We are introduced to new characters and we see a couple characters fleshed out that were previously just in the shadows. We learn a lot about Lev, the bartender, who becomes an integral player in Petra's story. We learn about his past and we suffer his heartbreak. I wonder how he'll play into future books. I wouldn't mind seeing him become Petra's ally.

And Sig, Petra's coyote sidekick, we learn a little more about him in each book. I love how Bickle usually incorporates an animal sidekick into her books- and slowly reveals that the animal is much more than what they appear to be.

The most gripping part of Witch Creek is that it takes the reader on a roller coaster of emotions as characters deal with death and rebirth from different perspectives.

Petra faces death from cancer. Gabe faces death at Owen and The Mermaid, Muirenn's hands.

Other characters deal with the death or impending death of loved ones. Even the Tree of Life, The Lunaria, is dealing with its own version of death and rebirth.

Parts of this book are truly heart wrenching. It was so well written, so deep...I was in tears several times.

The Wildlands Series is the perfect blend of alchemy, folklore, and magic with Petra and Gabe's love story at the heart of it. Urban fantasy, contemporary fantasy, with touches of horror and romance. This multi genre mash up is a must read.

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