Roxanne Rhoads's Blog, page 383

Heuer Lost And Found by A. B. Funkhauser

ON PROVENANCE: WHAT MAKES HEUER TICK
Who we are and what we are depends on how honest we choose to be. At least that’s how my character Jürgen Heuer (pronounced ‘lawyer’) likes to play it out in life and death. Born in Bremen, Germany with summers spent in the Austrian Tyrol he is literally preprogrammed to be a romantic.
His mother, a dreamer raised on Schumann, palinka shots and weeping Hungarian violins demands it. “Love, my love, and desire—Sensucht—longing: These are the things that make the history, the things upon which great legends are built. Without these, you have dust in your mouth.”

Yet Heuer’s love for things musical “the cicada’s song” or lyrical “... her tangs of violet commixing with scents of must, like the old place back home in Europe” are squelched by history and a profound belief that he is “born bad” and cannot undo it.

“Small, both in mind and body, he had tremendous appetites, all of which skewed towards becoming more than what he actually was.” An apropos description not of the man, but of the father, Werner, whose tastes “... classic in [their] narcissism, embraced the moldy old ethos of ethnicity over geography, and, as such, he was first in line when Anschluss came to Vienna...”
Werner Heuer has no time for art or music: “For him, the rhythmic tapping of jackboots on pavement went beyond forced occupation; it was the end of the road after a long trek.”
Eschewing his parents’ hang-ups, Heuer does his best to build a life in America that is, by all accounts, immensely successful and hardly lonely. But it is contrived. Dodging promotion, cruising the outer banks that frame society, he keeps to himself, except when he toys with the lives of others. When a young colleague joins the firm Heuer takes action, not swiftly, but slowly, the way he likes it: “The decision to ruin a young man half his age was taken lightly and on purpose, as if giving weight to the decision conferred unjust power on the youth. To Heuer, it was personal, but also a test to see if he could actually do it.”
All business, Heuer reminds me of another character, Irmtraut Weibigand, currently under construction in POOR UNDERTAKER, a work in progress. A woman of business, she wrestles with secret doubts about the veracity of her citizenship, place in the community, and the integrity of the people she tries to call friends. A raucous Chamber of Commerce luncheon exacerbates this, when she rises in defense of her frenemy Hartmut Fläche, whose effete manners and pomposity alight the simmering hatred of fellow Chamber member Conrad Hickey. Defending Fläche’s right to exist, Irmtraut loses her cool as she’s reminded that she’s as ‘foreign’ as he is even though she has been a part of the community for nearly thirty years. Well read, she cannot help but think of Shakespeare’s monster Caliban from the Tempest making a subtle but conscious comparison to her own place on the ‘island’ that is Portside, Michigan. Thinking back to her mother, her provenance and her roots, she is cut at the knees, reminding herself that no matter how fine she becomes, she will always wear homespun.
Like Irmtraut, like Werner, Heuer wrestles with his identity which takes centre stage anno domini. His inane Germanity  no longer an issue, Heuer wishes only to be cared for and remembered.





Heuer Lost And FoundUnapologetic LivesBook 1A. B. Funkhauser
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction,Metaphysical, Paranormal, Dark Humor
Publisher: Solstice Publishing
Date of Publication:  April 23, 2015
Number of pages:  237Word Count:  66,235
Formats available:  Electronic, Paper Back
Cover Artist: Michelle Crocker
Book Description:
Unrepentant cooze hound lawyer Jürgen Heuer dies suddenly and unexpectedly in his litter-strewn home. Undiscovered, he rages against god, Nazis, deep fryers and analogous women who disappoint him.
At last found, he is delivered to Weibigand Brothers Funeral Home, a ramshackle establishment peopled with above average eccentrics, including boozy Enid, a former girl friend with serious denial issues. With her help and the help of a wise cracking spirit guide, Heuer will try to move on to the next plane. But before he can do this, he must endure an inept embalming, feral whispers, and Enid’s flawed recollections of their murky past.
Is it really worth it?


Book Trailer 1    Book Trailer 2
Available at   
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Reviews:
Fresh writing filled with rich vocabulary, this story features a vivid cast of colourful, living-breathing characters. This one will keep you reading late into the night until the final page.— Yvonne Hess, Charter Member, The Brooklin 7
Ms. A.B Funkhauser is a brilliant and wacky writer …Her distinctive voice tells an intriguing story that mixes moral conflicts with dark humor.—Rachael Stapleton, Author, The Temple of Indra’s Jewel and Curse of the Purple Delhi Sapphire
The macabre black comedy is definitely a different sort of book! You will enjoy this book with its mixture of horror and humour. — Diana Harrison, Author, Always and Forever
Heuer Lost and Found is a quirky and irreverent story about a man who dies and finds his spirit trapped in a funeral home with an ex-lover who happens to be the mortician. The characterization is rich the story well-told.— Cryssa Bazos, Writer’s Community of Durham Region, Ontario, Canada

Author A. B. Funkhauser strikes a macabre cord with her book "Heuer Lost and Found". I found it to have a similar feel to the HBO series "Six Feet Under".--Young, Author, A Harem Boy’s Saga Vol I, II, and III


Short Excerpt:
Enid Krause nee Engler had made her way down to the embalming room where he lay waiting for her. She paused on her way to dither over some emails and, he noted with approval, to check out Kijiji for vintage GTO’s. Next, she mucked about with the coffee maker, juicing up her brew with two bags of pre-packaged Columbian. This, he noted wryly, was not the wisest thing to do when one’s hands were already shaky. It was apparent to him that she liked her booze as much as he did, and if she were to play around with sharp things, she stood a good chance of facing him sooner, rather than later. “It is here that you must speak to her,” the lamp intruded, muddling his thoughts and destroying his pleasure. He did not like this popping in and out at will inside his head. He hoped her powers were limited to audiences in the basement, but not so—she was a body trapped in a house she did not choose, yet her spirit travelled, permeating the mind at will. “If you want to move on, it must be so. Put things right, mein Schön.”He frowned at her use of ‘Schön.’ It was his term of endearment, yet she took it for her own, as if her right to trample him escheated once he agreed to do her bidding. Make amends. Sure. The Holy Moly Book of Hooey said so, but to which place would he go thereafter? The land of milk and honey, where everyone ran around in bed sheets? Or the other place, where no amount of sunscreen would help? “Neither,” the lamp said confidently, her words ironic, because she was a lamp and obviously hadn’t been anywhere. “To your purpose,” she said, twisting him in the direction of Enid, who muttered under her breath as she fumbled with her earrings. He grinned, longing to see what she would do next: Fraulein Engler was obviously struggling over his dramatic return, and for good reason. They had not parted on the best of terms. She wept sentimentally in the coroner’s suite—woman’s tears—much to her colleague’s chagrin, and now she was dragging her feet like a shotgun bride. Walking alongside her, he thought about theatres and floorboards and actors moving from mark to mark, their steps mapped out strategically on the floor with sticky tape. “This is why people spend so much time and money on make believe, Mächen,” he said. “It’s so much better to watch.”
Enid managed to get past the door that separated the O.R. from Weibigand’s outer hall, where she was greeted by the buzz and hum of a big fan that would keep his stink off of her. He concentrated on the noisy traffic that was her brain: like car tires spinning, rubber burning, a lonely heart hammering, and an incomprehensible fear. He was in despicable shape and it would take every ounce of skill to bring him to heel.
About the Author:
A.B. Funkhauser is a funeral director, fiction writer and wildlife enthusiast living in Ontario, Canada. Like most funeral directors, she is governed by a strong sense of altruism fueled by the belief that life chooses us and we not it.
“Were it not for the calling, I would have just as likely remained an office assistant shuffling files around, and would have been happy doing so.”
Life had another plan. After a long day at the funeral home in the waning months of winter 2010, she looked down the long hall joining the director’s office to the back door leading three steps up and out into the parking lot. At that moment a thought occurred: What if a slightly life-challenged mortician tripped over her man shoes and landed squarely on her posterior, only to learn that someone she once knew and cared about had died, and that she was next on the staff roster to care for his remains?
Like funeral directing, the writing called, and four years and several drafts later, Heuer Lost and Found was born.
What’s a Heuer? Beyond a word rhyming with “lawyer,” Heuer the lawyer is a man conflicted. Complex, layered, and very dead, he counts on the ministrations of the funeral director to set him free. A labor of love and a quintessential muse, Heuer has gone on to inspire four other full length works and over a dozen short stories.
“To my husband John and my children Adam and Melina, I owe thanks for the encouragement, the support, and the belief that what I was doing was as important as anything I’ve tackled before at work or in art.”
Funkhauser is currently working on a new manuscript begun in November during NaNoWriMo 2014.
Website: www.abfunkhauser.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamfunkhauser
Facebook: www.facebook.com/heuerlostandfound
Publisher: http://solsticepublishing.com/  

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The Power of the Gods: Dreamwalker by K.A. M’Lady

Much of Viking history is shrouded in mystery and magic.  Old gods, old beliefs and stories written on tablets long after their heroes had passed from this realm.  The All-father – Odin, is associated with knowledge, magic, war and death.  Sacrificing himself, Odin hung himself from the great tree, Yggdrasil, to obtain the knowledge of the Runes.  For nine days he hung in the tree, pierced by his own sword, teetering in the realm of death, until the Runes accepted his offering. 
Equipped with their knowledge, Odin became the most powerful of the gods.  With this wisdom he learned the abilities to heal emotional and physical wounds.  To bind his enemies and render them and their weapons useless.   He learned to banish evil and malevolent practitioners of magic and thereby protect his people and their lands.  And he learned how to seduce and keep a lover, protect his brothers and to wake the dead.   
There was much to be said for love and destiny.  The Vikings took much stock in the words of their wise-men and their Seidr (witches.)  Gifts granted by the gods held great authority and power over this warring race, but were they fighting for gains or fighting to keep their way of life? 
Perhaps, only the gods know.

DreamwalkerK.A. M’Lady
Genre:  Fantasy, Paranormal, Erotica
Publisher:  Mojocastle PressDate of Publication:  3/8/15
ISBN:  9781601802057
Number of pages:  72Word Count: 18138
Cover Artist:  Vanessa Hawthorne
Book Description:
In a time when legends ruled ~
Deep in the heart of the Kelljek Mountains the Wolf People of Elnorn follow the ways of Odin – living and dying by the sword.
An untried warrior king must find truth in the darkness ~
Gararic – warrior and ruler wages war against the dark arts of the Black Witch, Dianaria and finds he must battle for more than just his people’s freedom. Will he find the truth he seeks on the sweet taste of her lips or will treachery destroy him and his people?
To be set free, one only needs to dream ~
A Dreamwalker by birth, Dianaria knows her fate and her future lies with the warrior king. Can love conquer the shadows of betrayal and hate?
Mojocastle Press      Amazon       BN     ARe     Kobo


Excerpt:
Lightning and thunder danced through the sky in a symmetrical glow, roaring through the cliffs. Gararic hurried up narrow winding paths of loose shale. It would take him a morning’s time in good weather to get up the path to the Perch. With the storm riding the edge of the sky, he needed to be there sooner and by the looks of the storm clouds, their darkening, heavy weight would not hold for long.
As lightning continued to arc across the sky, illuminating his way in intervals, each step grew more precarious as the small stones beneath his feet crumbled and the incline grew steeper. Halfway up the rocky path, the heavens opened up, unleashing the storm in all its fury, pelting Gararic with sleet and rain and soaking through his garments within moments.
Thor’s Hammer! He quickened his pace, all the while keeping the opening to the cave in sight. In a flash of light bright enough to warm the heavens, a shadow appeared in the opening of the cave.
He paused to watch the light dance around the mountain, giving him an excellent view of the cave’s opening. Staring in disbelief, he cursed Dianaria freely. “Witch! I swear by Odin’s blood, if you have brought this storm to torment me, I will kill you with my bare hands.” His roar echoed off the mountain.
Is that not your wish?
Startled, Gararic turned on the trail, certain he would find her on the path beside him. But the path he climbed was empty. No one followed up the winding rocky pathway. No one could be seen in the valley below.
He reached for the hilt of his sword, certain the devil’s army was on his trail. When he looked back to the opening of the cave, it too was empty. He stood silent on the path; the icy rain sluiced down upon him, staring at the empty opening of the cave in disbelief.
“What do you know of what I wish, Witch?”
The wind silently whispered her seductive reply. Come and tell me, Gararic, Leader of the Chenia River Clan. Leader of the Wolf People of Elnorn. There are many things to know this night.
Chills of desire flowed over Gararic; her soft words danced over his body. “I’ll not barter with a dead woman!” He tightened his grip on his sword, angered at his body’s response to her.
Are you so sure? Your father was not so quick to turn me away. Her voice was sultry as a moonlit night.
Gararic cursed under his breath. An image of her in all her naked beauty, alone in the creek with winter surrounding her, instantly filled his mind. Cursing himself for a fool, he tried to let his anger rule him and turned his thoughts to his father’s death. He tried to let his rage turn to molten lava and spread through his veins, knowing it was the one thing that would keep her from affecting him.
She had killed his father. She sought to kill his people. Yet even now, she wished to barter with him for his soul. If he wished to be the victor of this battle, he could not let his baser needs affect him. She would use her womanly wiles against him if she could. And that he could not allow if he wished to live.
Amazed at her audacity, he vowed he would defeat her. He would see who was more cunning; the Witch, or the warrior. Aye, he would play her game. But it was a game that he was certain she would never win.
Bounding up the path, his anger fueling his every step, Gararic hastily made his way up the remaining length of the mountain through the snow, ice, and rain. By the time he finally reached the entrance, there was no sign of Dianaria, the cave appearing as dark as his mood.
“Too afraid to face me, I see?” He wiped the rain from his face and wrung it from the length of his sable hair.
The back of the cave burst into a brilliant red flame. Gararic jumped back, drawing his sword before him. The fire died down to a single flame. He was able to see the shadow of a woman reflected on the wall of the cave. Next to the fire stood the Witch, in all her dark glory.
At first he was unsure if she was real or another image, this time from a waking dream. His eyes narrowed, taking in the voluptuous figure before him. With her back to him, besides her lush curves, he could see the rich fall of her waist-length black hair.
She wore no cloak, and through the length and thickness of her hair he could see the glorious stretch of her legs, encased in boots to her knees. He recalled the visions from his dreams, and wondered absently if she ever wore clothes. Her feminine laughter startled him from his reverie.
“Do you intend to stand in the cold all night, warrior?” Her voice was soft and sweet as a gently flowing brook.



About the Author:
K.A. M’Lady lives in the ‘burbs of Chicago with her husband, her three children, and her beagle, Chevy. She’s gone to school to be a business assistant, a criminal investigator, and an insurance agent, but she’s more at home lost in the pages of mythology, myth, and fiction, in the worlds of possibility, with all the dark creatures that the night can hold. And she’s happily dragging her husband right along with her — though he questions her sanity at times.
You can find more of her mayhem on her website — www.kamlady.net. Or feel free to drop her a line — mladyfair12@yahoo.com. Sometimes, she does come out of the Darkness to answer her e-mail.
http://www.kamlady.net/
http://kamladyotherworld.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/kamlady
http://www.facebook.com/FaithSavageDemonHuntress
http://www.mojocastle.com


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Spotlight and Giveaway The Witch’s Daughter by Ron D. Voigts

   






The Witch’s DaughterA Cavendish Brown MysteryBook 1Ron D. Voigts                
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
Publisher: Champagne Book Group   
Date of Publication:  March 2, 2015
ISBN:  978-1-77155-176-2ASIN: B00U0W28LC
Number of pages: 219Word Count: 72K
Cover Artist: Ellie Smith
Book Description:
Investigative reporter and recent widower, Cavendish Brown, is unemployed and floundering. Coerced into returning to his childhood home by the town's eccentric matriarch, Cavendish finds himself involved in murder, deceit, and a not-so-subtle attempt at matchmaking.
Joined by Jane, a disturbed psychic, and Alexandra, a young Goth woman with uncanny abilities, they follow leads into the hills of West Virginia to catch the killer. A sheriff who shoots first and asks questions later makes solving the case difficult for the trio. Adding further complications is an ex-girlfriend with a mob hitman on her trail who seeks Cavendish’s help.
Immersed in a never-ending spiral of clues and secrets, he must unlock the darkness that surrounds the enigmatic Jane, stay ahead of the law, and come to terms with his own grief.

Available at  Amazon    BN   Kobo  Champagne Books
Excerpt:
I stood on the spot with the shovel we had found earlier, staring at the ground where Jane told me to dig. My heart pounded in my chest, and I considered whether this was a good idea. “If a body is here, it might have been buried a hundred years ago. People do die and are buried. It could be sacrilegious to uproot somebody. There are laws about doing things like that.”
Alex sat on the chopping block. She took a long draw on her cigarette, exhaled the smoke and watched it linger in the still air. “I’m sure whoever it is won’t mind.”
How stupid would it sound to tell anyone I was out in the woods with a chain smoking Goth girl and a psychic who could divine the past by touch, digging up a body? If one was buried here, it may lead to a story. The headlines would read “Editor, Goth Girl and Psychic Dig Up Civil War Hero.”
I took a deep breath and scooped out the first shovel of dirt, paused and peered in the hole. No body. I dug and tossed a few more spades full. Nothing. I scooped out more earth, still finding nothing. My pace became less ginger. Dig. Toss. Dig Toss. Dig. Thud!
Whatever I hit seemed solid. I worked the shovel more carefully, taking smaller bites of dirt. Something pale contrasted against the dark earth. Using the tip of the shovel, I moved aside more ground until I exposed something long and slender. I’d seen skeletons pictured on anatomy charts at the doctor’s office and more than a few body parts while in Afghanistan, doing a stint in the Army, but I was no expert on bones. “I found a tibia or maybe a femur.”
Alex tossed her cigarette, ran over to the hole and stared into it. She knelt down and brushed back dirt with her hand. “It’s a root.”
“Can’t be.”
She grabbed it, and what looked like a bone bent as she tugged on it. I knelt next to her and examined it closer. It sure looked like a root.
Jane, who had been poking a stick at something in the grass, came over and pointed to a spot about two feet over. “Dig here. Not there.”
I repositioned myself and began digging again, wondering how many more roots I would dig up that looked like bones.
The air grew heavy, and my clothing damp as I dug. The sounds of the forest became distant, and all I heard was the shovel striking the ground and my heart beating. The last time I’d worked up a sweat digging a hole was boot camp at Fort Jackson. I didn’t like it then, and my current sentiments were the same. I tossed a shovel full of dirt and spotted something.
Rather than shout for Alex and discover I had found another root, I took it and rubbed the soil away. Definitely this had to be a bone. Picking through the dirt, I found more bones, like from a chicken.
Alex came over and looked down into the hole. “Phalanges or metacarpals.”
Surprised she’d know the correct names, I stared at her. “Really?”
“I took an anatomy class in college.”
I stepped back and let Alex pick around in the hole. She found more small bones and sorted them on the ground until they began to form the arrangement of a hand. “I’d say a body is buried there.”
Alex took the shovel and removed dirt from the excavation. She took her time and paused occasionally to peer into the hole. Where I was a bulldozer plowing through the soil, she worked more like a seasoned archeologist on a dig.
As a reporter on the Gazette, I often teetered on the fine line separating legal from criminal. My informants were druggies, boosters and mechanics. I’d done interviews at crack houses, brothels and chop shops. When I came to Maiden Falls, I figured those days were behind me. Things here would be safe, mundane and predictable. Yet, here I was, digging up a dead body.
Alex found more small bones and placed them with the first ones. “Hey, we keep this up we’ll have a complete Mr. Bones in no time.”
A chill passed through me. This was a Frankenstein movie, and we were the grave robbers. We’d take the body parts to the mad scientist and get a bag of coins. Things could not be creepier, and I really didn’t want to see a dead body, even if the flesh had already gone to the worms.
We took turns digging, and I worked more cautiously. Alex did the detailed stuff like cleaning the dirt off the bones and arranging them with the others. She named them as she found them. Humerus. Ulna. Clavicle.
“Were you pre-med at college?”
“No.”
Jane sat in the grass nearby and watched. She seemed indifferent about the body we unearthed, and I speculated what conditions had molded such a strange being.
“Look here.” I pulled back a tattered shirt and pointed to a broken rib. “Looks like someone shot him.”
Alex looked closer. “Maybe.”
“Do you have a better explanation?”
The trauma of seeing exposed human bones no longer seemed as threatening. I stood back and let Alex continue the exhumation. I feared the moment when we’d get to the head. A grinning skull with hollow eyes gave me a chill.



About the Author:
Originally from the Midwest, Ron D. Voigts calls North Carolina where he and wife have a home just off the Neuse River. Ron’s writes dark mysteries with a supernatural flair, but his reading in more eclectic tending towards whatever catches his interest. When not writing and reading, he enjoys watching gritty movies, playing games on the PC, and cooking gourmet meals.  
http://www.authorrondvoigts.com
https://twitter.com/RonDVoigts
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRonDVoigts
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25076479-the-witch-s-daughter
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4939421.Ron_D_Voigts

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How I Transitioned from Working with Publishers to Becoming an Indie Author

How I Transitioned from Working with Publishers to Becoming an Indie Author
I’ve published over twenty-five books with publishers, plus bunches of short fiction, over the past few years. I had a few complaints with my various publishing houses—well, more than a few—but I feared the stigma of going out on my own. Another consideration was that writing is a fairly solitary pursuit. At least with publishers, I had a group of editors, cover artists, acquisitions staff, etc. to create the illusion I wasn’t alone.
Last summer, my contracts came due on my first three novels with a very small press. I was given a choice: maintain the status quo, reduce the prices to .99, or take my rights back. I took a good hard look at those three novels—and winced. Actually, it was worse than that. I wanted to cry and apologize to everyone who read them. My writing was pretty bad, and I knew the books needed gutting and rewriting. Goodness, but I was a wordy little thing back then. Worse, I had a favorite type of sentence that I used over. And over. And over. Big sigh.
Anyway, I inquired about rewriting the books, was told no, and subsequently requested my rights back. I took my time rewriting the books that turned into my Soul Storm Series. The original books were so bad, I didn’t bother keeping the original titles, blurbs, covers, or anything. Nor did I worry about reviews transferring. I decided I’d start from bedrock.
Did it pay off? You bet. Via intensive marketing, I’ve sold over 5000 of the Soul Storm books since the first one released 12/5/14. I have lots of good reviews back up, and I learned a lot about formatting and uploading and which vendors I needed to use.
Roll the clock forward to 2/20/15, two weeks before my book, Earth’s Hope, was due to release from Musa Publishing. I’d inquired about my galleys and was stunned when the email I got back told me they were closing on 2/28.
Someone must’ve been watching over me—a beneficent angel or a goddess—because suddenly I needed every shred of that hard-earned knowledge about formatting and uploading to make certain Earth’s Requiem and Earth’s Blood were back online in time for my 3/6 release date for Earth’s Hope. It was a crazy few days, but I actually managed to do a round of edits on the books that had already been published. First one needed it; second was okay. My cover artist stepped up to the plate like a champ, and voila! The Earth Reclaimed Series is available for purchase, and selling much better than when the first two were with Musa.
My take home message is this: At least for me, self-publishing works. I wouldn’t have been a good candidate for it at the front end of my writing career because I didn’t know enough. I’m still learning, but having access to a dashboard with real time sales numbers is invaluable as I plot which of my promotional activities worked—and which didn’t. Also, I know enough other authors, editors, cover artists, and others in the field that the isolation that worried me isn’t a consideration.
I’d love to hear from all of you. Writers and readers alike. Writers, are you Indie, did you stick with publishers, or are you a hybrid? Why’d you make the choice you did. Readers, do you differentiate between Indie books and those with publishers? Can you tell a difference?


Earth’s RequiemEarth ReclaimedBook 1Ann Gimpel
Dream Shadow Press107K words
Release Date: 3/1/15
Genre: Dystopian Urban Fantasy
Resilient, kickass, and determined, Aislinn's walled herself off from anything that might make her feel again. Until a wolf picks her for a bondmate, and a Celtic god rises out of legend to claim her for his own.
Book Description:
Aislinn Lenear lost her anthropologist father high in the Bolivian Andes. Her mother, crazy with grief that muted her magic, was marched into a radioactive vortex by dark creatures and killed. Three years later, stripped of every illusion that ever comforted her, twenty-two year old Aislinn is one resilient, kickass woman with a take no prisoners attitude. In a world turned upside down, where virtually nothing familiar is left, she’s conscripted to fight the dark gods responsible for her father’s death. Battling evil on her own terms, Aislinn walls herself off from anything that might make her feel again in this compelling dystopian urban fantasy.
Fionn MacCumhaill, Celtic god of wisdom, protection, and divination has been laying low since the dark gods stormed Earth. He and his fellow Celts decided to wait them out. After all, three years is nothing compared to their long lives. On a clear winter day, Aislinn walks into his life and suddenly all bets are off. Awed by her courage, he stakes his claim to her and to an Earth he's willing to fight for.

Aislinn’s not so easily convinced. Fionn’s one gorgeous man, but she has a world to save. Emotional entanglements will only get in her way. Letting a wolf into her life was hard. Letting love in may well prove impossible.
Available at Amazon

Earth’s BloodEarth ReclaimedBook 2Ann Gimpel
Dream Shadow Press105K words
Release Date: 3/1/15
Genre: Dystopian Urban Fantasy
Clinging to their courage in a crumbling world, Aislinn and Fionn vow to save Earth, no matter what it takes.
Book Description:
In a post-apocalyptic world where most people have been slaughtered, the Celtic gods and a few humans with magic are all that stand between survival and Earth falling into chaos. The combination of dark sorcery leveraged by the enemy is daunting. Destruction is all but certain if the small enclaves of humans who are left can’t get past their distrust of the Celts.
Captured by the enemy, Aislinn Lenear wonders if she’ll ever see her bond wolf or Fionn, a Celtic god, again. She’s had nothing but her wits to rely on for years. They haven’t failed her yet, but escape from her current predicament seems remote.
An enticing blend of dystopian urban fantasy and romance, this second volume of the Earth Reclaimed Series provides fertile ground for Aislinn and Fionn’s relationship to deepen. Headstrong and independent, the pair run up against each other’s demands time and time again. Fireworks spark. In the end, they learn to savor every moment in a bittersweet world where each day may well be the last.
Available at Amazon
Earth’s HopeEarth ReclaimedBook 3Ann Gimpel
Dream Shadow Press95K words
Release Date: 3/6/15
Genre: Dystopian Urban Fantasy
Power so old, deep, and chilling it hurts to think about it will overrun Earth if nothing changes. Targeted, furious, and fighting back, Aislinn runs wide open, gathering allies and putting her life on the line.
Book Description:
Aislinn Lenear has traveled a long road since the dark gods invaded Earth better than three years ago. After seeing her father slaughtered in front of her, and her mother sink into madness, Aislinn built strong walls around her heart. First her bond wolf, and then Fionn MacCumhaill, changed all that, but she and Fionn are far from home free. 

Four of the six dark gods are still sowing destruction, and they’ve joined forces with Lemurians, a desperate lot, running just ahead of the tide of their own mortality. In a bold move, they try to coopt a group of young dragons, and very nearly succeed. Dewi, the Celtic dragon god, and Nidhogg, the Norse dragon god, banish their brood to the dragons’ home world, but they refuse to stay put.

In a fast-paced, tension-riddled closure to this dystopian, urban fantasy series, Earth's Hope sweeps from Ireland to the Greek Islands to the Pacific Northwest to borderworlds where the dark gods live. Fionn’s and Aislinn’s relationship is strained to the breaking point as they struggle to work together without tearing one another to bits. Fionn is used to being obeyed without question, but Aislinn won’t dance to his tune. If they can find their way, there may be hope for a ravaged Earth.

Available at Amazon
About the Author:
Ann Gimpel is a mountaineer at heart. Recently retired from a long career as a psychologist, she remembers many hours at her desk where her body may have been stuck inside four walls, but her soul was planning yet one more trip to the backcountry. Around the turn of the last century (that would be 2000, not 1900!), she managed to finagle moving to the Eastern Sierra, a mecca for those in love with the mountains. It was during long backcountry treks that Ann’s writing evolved. Unlike some who see the backcountry as an excuse to drag friends and relatives along, Ann prefers solitude. Stories always ran around in her head on those journeys, sometimes as a hedge against abject terror when challenging conditions made her fear for her life, sometimes for company. Eventually, she returned from a trip and sat down at the computer. Three months later, a five hundred page novel emerged. Oh, it wasn’t very good, but it was a beginning. And, she learned a lot between writing that novel and its sequel.
Around that time, a friend of hers suggested she try her hand at short stories. It didn’t take long before that first story found its way into print and they’ve been accepted pretty regularly since then. One of Ann’s passions has always been ecology, so her tales often have a green twist.
In addition to writing, Ann enjoys wilderness photography. She lugs pounds of camera equipment in her backpack to distant locales every year. A standing joke is that over ten percent of her pack weight is camera gear which means someone else has to carry the food! That someone is her husband. They’ve shared a life together for a very long time. Children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out their family.
www.anngimpel.com
http://anngimpel.blogspot.com
http://www.amazon.com/author/anngimpel
http://www.facebook.com/anngimpel.author
@AnnGimpel

Kindle Book Blitz for Seraphina: The Awakening and Seraphina: Initiation by Sheena Hutchinson

Seraphina: The AwakeningThe Seraphina SeriesBook OneSheena Hutchinson
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: SL Hutchinson Publishing
Date of Publication: 1/5/14
ASIN: B00HL5PQYM
Number of pages: 224Word Count: apx 60k
Cover Artist: Andrea Garcia
Book Description:
For as long as she can remember, Seraphina Cross has experienced these visions that made her feel like there was more to life. It wasn’t until one moment, one accident that her life changed forever. She awakens the next day a new person in more ways than one. With no recollection of past night’s events, she’s forced to adapt to certain sensations she is experiencing all while trying to piece together what exactly happened to her that fateful night.
Her strange, hectic life doesn’t seem to make sense until she meets a handsome stranger. Only then does the puzzle finally piece itself together. What she doesn’t expect is the new powers she has developed attracting all kinds of unwanted attention.
Thrown into a world she never truly believed existed she is forced to come to grips with who she is becoming while staying out of trouble long enough to figure out what needs to be done to fulfill her destiny.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/oj3W8jamP6s

Available Free at Amazon


Excerpt Book One:
I was 18 the first time it happened. I wake up the next day and remember everything about the dream I had just experienced. It’s as if I live one life during the day and once I close my eyes on this world, I wake up in another. I’ve gotten used to it over the years; my dreams have actually become something of an escape from my mundane life. During the day I’m a normal, everyday receptionist, but at night I become something else, something important. It’s not always images, either. Sometimes my dreams are blank and I’m just experiencing emotions or sensations. Don’t get me wrong -- it can be scary sometimes. I never know if it will be a good dream or a bad one. The good ones tend to make me feel empowered and strong, while the bad ones will have me waking up in a pool of my own sweat screaming or even shaking in fear.It’s very odd, but lately I seem to be having the same dream. For the past couple months it is as if it’s on a never-ending loop. I’m walking down the busy streets of New York City. I don’t recall how I get there or what it is I’m doing, except for the fact that I’m apparently looking for something. I’m glancing up at the numbers of the stores on Madison Ave as I’m walking along. People are pushing past me because I’m interrupting their hurried pace. I’m trying to get people to help me, but no one has time to stop and answer my question. So I trudge on, alone and lost in a city that I don’t belong in. I’m so frustrated that I’m on the verge of tears when a heavy set man knocks into me on his way past. I trip and fall to the floor. Kneeling on all fours as people continue to push past me like I’m not even there, I eventually climb to my feet as I begin to feel the tears build up behind my eyes. Wiping the filth of the New York City street off my hands and knees, I look up in awe. Standing further down the street with his back to me is a man that sends a shock through me to my very core. I’m staring at his strong, broad back as the sunset on the horizon behind him lights up all his profile features in such a romantic way.The red in the sun’s setting rays accentuates his chestnut hair and his strong jaw line is more pronounced. His white clothes seem well defined against the pink hue behind him. When he finally turns in my direction, I’m stunned once again when I see the blue of his eyes. It’s unlike any color I’ve ever seen in nature. His eyes meet mine and I see him study me for a minute before he reaches out his hand to me. Unconsciously, I find myself walking towards him. I’m drawn to this handsome stranger for reasons I can’t explain. All around me the streets of NYC, the people, and their faces are a blur as the handsome, angelic creature before me captures my attention. Once I reach his arms, he too blurs before me as I awaken to my own bedroom. The dream feels so bittersweet. The emotions I feel are indescribable, but once I wake I’m left to my own boring existence again.





Seraphina: Initiation     The Seraphina Series  Book TwoSheena Hutchinson       
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: SL Hutchinson PublishingDate of Publication: 10/20/14
ASIN: B00NE4Q7J2
Number of pages: 203Word Count: 60k
Cover Artist: Andy Garcia
Book Description:
Seraphina Cross is unexpectedly thrown into this crazy, spiritual world of Angels versus Demons.
Never did she expect to meet Nate who was just a figment of her imagination until last week. Now she finds herself moving in with him because of her innate responsibility to protect her loved ones from harm.
Finally beginning to feel at home in her new house and with her new relationship. Nate begins training Sera in all that she can do, surprising even himself at times.Just when she is starting to feel safe and powerful, the Devil finds a new way to attack her at her most vulnerable.
When her dreams are no longer a gift, can Sera control the powers needed to defeat what's coming before Lucifer fulfills his promise to her?
Available for Just .99 at Amazon

Excerpt Book Two:
Something happened. I can feel it, the evil. My senses are overwhelming right now as I dash out of the shop. I don’t care what Sera said; I can’t just let her blow me off like that. I love her. I wish I didn’t, I wish it was someone else. But unfortunately, Sera is all my mind can think about day and night. I’m running down the street in the pouring rain, but I’m determined to figure out what is going on around here. She must care about me! She came to me! I know on some level she has feelings for me, too. Maybe if she can see how much I will go through to protect her, if she can only see what I would do for her, then she will realize she made the wrong choice. I’m getting closer. I can feel it; the evil is all over this place. Well, that’s different – it’s Mr. Green’s Supermarket. I pause before rounding the corner to the entrance, hoping that whatever was here is gone. If having the sight has taught me anything, it is not to be afraid of the unknown. I just hope whatever it is will see me as one of them and cause me no harm. It’s my one hope as I turn around the corner. Correction, it was my one hope. Looking at the sight in front of me, all my hopes and endless dreams have just been washed down the sewer with the rain.She’s standing there, her arms wrapped around him with her hands on his face kissing him like I’ve always dreamed about. I think I’m in shock because I can’t move. I think maybe I’m a masochist because I continue to stare at them flat out making out like a corny movie right here in the supermarket parking lot. How could she do this to me? Right here? Flaunt her choice right here out in the open for all to see? I feel the anger grow inside of me. This ignites something in me and I feel it spreading its way through my veins and enveloping my entire body. My heart turns cold as stone before I finally turn away and walk back towards my store. She will regret this—she will see she made the wrong choice. I want her to feel like I do right now in this very moment. Yet, there is something inside me that doesn’t want to give up on her. I will still do anything to have her. Anything. I think it’s time to place a call I’ve been avoiding. I think it’s time I have her.




About the Author:
Sheena is a born and raised New Yorker, even her writing can’t hide her hard sarcasm. She claims destiny lead her to writing again. She constantly strives to be a positive role model and write stories that empower and inspire. Sheena always roots for the underdog, believes in love at first sight, and that everyone should have their happily ever after. While God is currently writing her love story she continues to put all her time into her writing as she is constantly getting new inspiration.
For more on Sheena and her books visit her website www.SheenaHutchinson.com
www.Goodreads.com/SheenaHutch
www.Twitter.com/Sheena_Hutch
www.Facebook.com/TheSeraphinaSeries
www.Tsu.co/SheenaHutch
https://instagram.com/author_shea/

April 27 Mythical Bookshttp://www.mythicalbooks.blogspot.ro/
April 27 CBY Book Clubhttp://cbybookclub.blogspot.co.uk 
April 27 happy tails and tales (review)http://happytailsandtales.blogspot.com
April 28 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & sissy, Too!  http://3partnersinshopping.blogspot.com
April 28 Sapphyria's Book Reviewshttp://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/
April 29 The Creatively Green Write at Home Momwww.creativelygreen.blogspot.com
April 29 Lisa’s World of Bookswww.lisasworldofbooks.net
April 30 Share My Destinyhttp://sharemydestiny.blogspot.com
April 30 Fang-tastic Bookswww.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
May 1 Fanatical Paranormal Romantical (review)http://fanaticalparanormalromantical.com/
May 1 Roxanne’s Realmwww.roxannerhoads.com

Guest Blog and Giveaway: After Life Lessons: Book Two by Laila Blake and L.C. Spoering

The best writers, they say, are readers. We wouldn’t call ourselves the best writers in the world, maybe, but we’re both voracious readers! Our tastes are eclectic, wide-ranging, and we’ve never met a genre we won’t at least try out. Here are five of our favorite, must-read books each!
L.C. Spoering1. The Virgin Suicides, by Jeffrey Eugendies. Told by a euphonious, anonymous group of narrators, it’s a story of five sisters who, one by one succumb to a stifling upbringing in the late 70s Detroit suburbs. Told with almost religious reverence, we’re exposed to the mysterious Lisbon girls and their final days.2. The Everlasting Story of Nory, by Nicholson Baker. Nory is young American girl living in England. The story follows her thoughts on adult life, her frequent nightmares of teeth, and dreams of her future. In full disclosure, had my son been a girl, we were going to name her Eleanor, just so I could call her Nory.3. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, by Karen Joy Fowler. Raised alongside a most unusual foster sister, Rosemary Cooke looks back on her upbringing and the reasons behind her own current life and her brother’s turn to domestic terrorism.4. White Oleander, by Janet Fitch. Astrid is the only daughter of self-absorbed poet Ingrid. The story follows her journey through a series of foster homes after her mother murders her lover, and continues to orchestrate her daughter’s life from behind bars.5. Wonder Boys, by Michael Chabon. Grady Tripp was once a famed writer; now his life is falling apart—in part because of the 2611 page, and counting, novel that has invaded every corner of his being. The novel chronicles an eventful weekend where even Tripp’s mess of a life still has room to turn upside down.

Laila Blake
1. Kassandra, by Christa Wolf. I’m German, but the truth is there are very few German authors I ever really connected with. One is Michael Ende, the other is Christa Wolf. Kassandra is a very artistic retelling of the ancient Greek story of Troy, told from the perspective of Kassandra, who is the King of Troy’s daughter and the seer who foretold that Troy would fall. It’s the most incredible story about women and what it has always meant to grow up in a world of men.2. Juliet, Naked, by Nick Hornby. It always feels like an odd choice as a favorite book, but after reading it least 10 times (a few which were audiobook sessions) I still can’t wait to dive back in. I love its take on music and fans and people. I love the dialogues, the meta feeling to it, and the redemption it offers. 3. 1984, George Orwell. As a massive fan of pretty much every politico-literary dystopia, this was a tough choice. But 1984 feels like the most prophetic and important read of the genre. I have read it several times over the years, it has strongly influenced my beliefs and convictions and I think it is one of the most important pieces of fiction in the western canon. 4. The Time-Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger. It’s one of those books almost everybody has read, but it has always stuck with me. Trend-book or no. I think when it comes to love stories, and stories about families, it’s always inspired me a lot. I’m also a huge fan of the way it mixes genre influences with romance with literary fiction to such great effect.5. After Dark, Haruki Murakami. I love Murakami’s style and most of his novels. After Dark is short and effective novel that hovers between reality and those other spheres. Beautiful and haunting magical realism that I’ve always found intensely inspiring.

After Life LessonsBook TwoLaila Blake and L.C. Spoering
Genre: post apocalyptic
Publisher: Lilt Literary
Date of Publication: April 28, 2015
Number of pages: 350Word Count: 95.000
Cover Artist: Laila Blake
Book Description:
Years after the end of the world, the scattered survivors have begun to reconcile with their fate and are starting to build communities from the rubble. Life has been kind to Aaron and Emily, and maybe it is that infusion of hope that leads them on a winter trip to search for Aaron’s family. But the world outside their little haven has grown harsher, the conditions rough and dangerous.
Not everybody they meet on their journey allowed the grim realities to harden their hearts, however. Malachi and Kenzie - an easy-going drifter with a bum leg and amnesia, and a teenage girl who has lost everyone and everything - are on an ill-conceived mission to Mexico, while Iago and his band of nomads work to forge trading connections between the small settlements of the south.
All of them will discover new nightmares on the road, far surpassing the threat of the last rotting zombies still roaming the countryside. And now they must come together to fight for peace and justice in the world they trying to rebuild.
Warning: This novel contains language some might find offensive, some gore and situations of a sexual nature. Reader's discretion is advised.
Excerpt 3: Kenzie & Malachi - 966 words
“Is that a house over there?” Mali asked, and Kenzie looked where he pointed, ahead down the tracks. She felt a momentary sense of annoyance that he’d seen it first while she’d had her nose on the ground, looking for more loot. But then she shrugged.“Kinda small for a house.”“What kind of house did you live in?” he asked, poking her in the side before picking up his pace. Given his bum leg and the fact that he was eight hundred years old and falling apart, it just meant he moved with a more acceptable speed.“It’s skinny, I mean,” she grumbled, stomping just a little. “Like, no bed could be in there. It’s not like I lived in a mansion...”“You’re skinny.”He grinned a sweet, winsome smile, but Kenzie ignored the quip and squinted into the distance. It was hard to see because of the sun, but she tilted her head this way and that, biting at her lower lip. Finally, she laughed.“It’s a train, doofus.” But she looked far too delighted for the insult to sting.“Really?” He shaded his eyes despite the hat on his head actually doing the job. There was a sort of impressed tone to his voice that made Kenzie straighten her back in pride.“See? Told you if we followed the tracks we’d find something.”This time, she couldn’t help it. She tried to keep his pace, but before she knew it, she was skipping ahead, pressing her nose against the dusty windows. They made her sneeze, but she looked with longing at the cushioned seats. They looked like heaven to her hurting ankle.Malachi finally arrived next to her, a little out of breath. He pushed his hat back on his head to look through another window, more easily than she with his height.“Huh,” he breathed, tipping his forehead against the glass, making an instant sort of mud with his sweat. “I wonder when they stopped using this.”“Who cares?” she asked with the kind of childlike glee she usually hid far better. “It’s ours now.” And she whooped, once and happy, until a sound washed every hint joy from her face.Something banged against the wall of the compartment. Kenzie jumped back, Mali on her heels. The next came muffled against the window. One rotted hand stood out quite clearly against the gloom, leaving a trace of brown slime on the glass.They both stood still. The zombie was old, clearly, and locked safely inside the train car—the doors were shut and latches firmly in place, if a little rusted.“Oh.” Mali looked at Kenzie with a small smile. “So that’s why this is just sitting here.”She huffed. “Okay, maybe it’s his.” Pouting a little, she banged back against the window with a stick she’d used to swipe at the tall grass with. The zombie growled, threw itself harder against the window. It didn’t even quiver in its frame, and Kenzie couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sucks for you,” she said, eyes on the dead thing.Mali, for his part, backed a bit further away with each new advance. “Maybe we should just let him have it,” he suggested.“No way,” she protested, smashing the stick against the window again. “I bet he just stank up that one compartment. And where else are we gonna sleep?”She glared at the thing as it hurled itself against the window once more, like a stupid dog when the postman was in the yard. Her smile turned something dangerous then, a cool, distant thing.“I bet I can take it.”Mali opened his mouth, but couldn’t speak. After a second or two, he closed it, lifted his hands, and tried again. “Are you kidding?”“No.” And it was as though she’d only just realized that herself. She squinted her eyes at the window, watched it move like a tiger in a cage. “I’m serious. Fuckers have taken enough from me. I want that train.”He lowered his hands very slowly. There was an expression on his face that Kenzie couldn’t quite puzzle out, but she was already so busy planning, she didn’t bother to think about it for more than a beat.“All we have to do is be ready and lure it out,” she informed him, setting her pack on the ground in front of them. “I mean, it’s all in the surprise, right? If we’re ready, then it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.”“Fish don’t generally try to kill you though,” Mali pointed out, but his voice petered away almost immediately.“Sharks do,” Kenzie pointed out, “and, like, piranhas.” It was a silly argument, but she didn’t put any effort into it, as she rifled through her things. She found the thickest sweater she could find, then wrapped a scarf around her hands and grabbed her knife.“Kenzie, wait a second,” Mali said. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest. He looked green.“No.” She was louder than she had intended to be, looked angrier, too. “We have to stop just… letting them have everything. It’s just one. Look how rotted he is.” A few more of her things went flying, scattering across the ground until she found a piece of rope, and grinned, nodding to herself before she focused on Mali again. “If we want to become more… like, proactive, we gotta train somewhere, don’t we?”The man was silent again, and she could see something like a fight on his face, like he wanted to agree with her but couldn’t, not without a struggle. She waited, hopping from foot to foot, before she sighed heavily.“I don’t want to be scared all the time,” she told him, and, finally, Mali nodded. Like she knew he would.


About the Authors:
Laila Blake is an author, linguist and translator. She writes character-driven love stories and blogs about writing, feminism and society. Her work has been featured in numerous anthologies. Keeping a balance between her different interests, Laila Blake’s body of work encompasses literary erotica, romance, and various fields in speculative fiction (dystopian/post-apocalypse, fantasy, paranormal romance and urban fantasy) and she adores finding ways to mix and match.
A self-proclaimed nerd, she lives in Cologne/Germany with her cat Liene, harbors a deep fondness for obscure folk singers and plays the guitar badly. She loves photography, science documentaries and classic literature as well as a number of popular TV-Shows.
http://www.lailablake.com/
https://twitter.com/LailaJBlake
https://www.facebook.com/LailaBlakeAuthor
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6829033.Laila_Blake
https://www.pinterest.com/stainsofblue/
http://stainsofblue.tumblr.com/
https://instagram.com/lailajblake/
https://plus.google.com/101280102174058433862/posts
L.C. Spoering has a degree in English writing from University of Colorado, and a lesser degree in sarcasm earned from the days of yore on AOL. A storyteller since she started talking, she now spends her days writing, reading and contemplating the universe through various pop culture lenses.

http://www.lcspoering.com/
https://twitter.com/kisstheground
https://www.facebook.com/LCSpoering
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6646545.L_C_Spoering
https://www.pinterest.com/kisstheground/
http://rockcandymelted.tumblr.com/
https://instagram.com/kisstheground/
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Guest Blog and Giveaway: Beneath by Robin Heggelund Hansen

Mythical Creatures in Eldritch City
It’s natural, I believe, to look upon Eldritch City with eyes of curiosity and anticipation. In a place where the darkest corners of your mind could very well be real, then surely it must be possible to catch glimpses of mythical creatures like vampires, werewolves and, perhaps, even Frankensteins monster? I’m here to tell you that that won’t happen. I mean it will, but it won’t.
It is important to know that while anything can happen in Eldritch City, it is intended to be a clean slate. In the stories to come, you will probably read about creatures that drink blood, humans who come back from the dead and maybe even creatures that can change shape. However, one should not confuse these with vampires or werewolves. The shapeshifting creatures of Eldritch City may, or may not, be allergic to silver. Those who drink blood are not implicitly beautiful, or live forever. What they are, what powers they possess, and what motivations power their actions, is largely unknown.

Welcome to Eldritch City. BeneathEldritch City Shorts  Book 1Robin Heggelund Hansen
Genre: Crime/HorrorDate of Publication: March 21st, 2015
ASIN: B00V0R5QYW
Number of pages: 15 Word Count: 5100
Book Description:
Nine years have passed since the tragic and mysterious deaths of Mr. Phillips and his daughter. A new clue surfaces, one which the lead investigator will follow to the brink of insanity.  Available at Amazon


Excerpt:
To whoever reads this: I feel that I must apologize if what you find on these pieces of paper appears to be nothing more than a collection of near-indecipherable words. I can assure you that I have tried everything I can think of, and yet I cannot keep my hands from trembling. This, however, is only a symptom of my much greater problems.I cannot eat, or sleep, or even close my eyes for longer than the briefest of moments. I feel as if I’m about to lose my mind, but I’m clear enough to realize that I have to get this story off my chest, before it consumes whatever sanity I have left. Unfortunately, the only recipient I can trust with a story as bizarre and horrible as this are the same pieces of paper upon which these words are written.For officers of the Eldritch City Police Department, no two days are alike. Even with this in mind, yesterday morning would still single itself out as peculiar. As I entered the precinct to begin my shift, I met a man who I realized was from out of town. It was clear that he was uncomfortable since he was constantly scratching his arm and shifting his gaze. It was as if he was trying to view the entire room at once.There are many things that can be said of Eldritch City, but the one thing people always remember is the air. It’s not that it has a particular smell, but it has a way of sticking to your skin, like wet clothes on a rainy day. Us locals usually say that it is due to the humidity that comes with being in a warm coastal city, but humid air does not leave you with a feeling of being watched, or that something terrible is about to happen. Given time, one learns to hide this discomfort. People from out of town, however, usually haven’t learnt the knack.The man introduced himself as Deputy Swanson of the Heartbrook Sheriff’s office. Upon learning my name, he raised his eyebrows in surprise. “It would seem I am in luck,” he said. “It is in fact you that I have come here to see.”Before continuing the conversation, I invited Swanson back to my desk — I have yet to earn my own office — and offered him a choice of coffee or tea, of which he chose the latter. When we were both sitting comfortably, I asked what had brought him all the way here from Heartbrook. To this he responded by handing me a newspaper article, dating back nine years. The article was an interview with a younger me regarding a murder case out by Mirkwood. I knew the article well, not just because I was the subject of the interview, but also because the case in question had been troubling me ever since I had been assigned to it.Nine years earlier, for their summer-break, the Phillips family had gone out to their newly built cabin in Mirkwood, on the outskirts of the city. Only a day into their vacation, Mr. Phillips and his daughter, Julia, were brutally murdered. Their bodies had been mutilated to the point of being barely recognizable — large portions of flesh were missing. It was almost as if something had fed on them. The coroner couldn’t rule out an animal attack, but thought it unlikely since the wounds were inconsistent with the bite of any species known to be living in Mirkwood.
About the Author:
Robin was born on a cold winter night in Oslo, Norway, 1989. Growing up, he was always fond of telling stories, leading people to wonder when, not if, he would move on to writing stories of his own. Inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, he wrote his first short story, 'Beneath', in 2015.
Blog: http://insideeldritchcity.tumblr.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eldritchcityauthor
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April 27 Guest blogThe Creatively Green Write at Home Momwww.creativelygreen.blogspot.com
April 27 Reviewfuonlyknew http://fuonlyknew.com/
April 28 Guest blogMythical Bookshttp://www.mythicalbooks.blogspot.ro/
April 28 InterviewEclipse Reviewswww.totaleclipsereviews.blogspot.com
April 29 Character InterviewAuthor Karen Swartwww.authorkarenswart.blogspot.com
April 29 Spotlight3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, Sissy, Too!  http://3partnersinshopping.blogspot.com
April 30 Guest blogFang-tastic Bookswww.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
May 1 Spotlight and reviewDeb Sanderswww.debsanders.com
May 1 SpotlightLisa’s World of Bookswww.lisasworldofbooks.net
May 4 InterviewDeal Sharing Auntwww.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com
May 4 SpotlightRoxanne’s Realmwww.roxannerhoads.com

The Reaper Series by Lisa Medley: Book One Free on Amazon

Reap and RepentThe Reaper SeriesBook 1Lisa Medley
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Big Cedar
Date of Publication: March 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9908856-2-7ASIN: B00TJFIOFK
Number of pages: 328Word Count: 84k
Cover Artist: Sweet and Spicy Designs
Book Description:
They see death. Can they share a life?
Ruth Scott can read the energy of every person she meets. Then she meets Deacon Walker. She can see his ice-blue eyes, his black hair, and his gorgeous face. But this beautiful stranger has no aura.
Deacon is just as unsettled by Ruth—and, having spent more than two hundred years ushering souls to Purgatory, Deacon is seldom shocked by anything. As he helps Ruth to understand her true nature, she awakens desires that he decided long ago a Reaper can’t afford.
A demon invasion forces Deacon to confront the darkness in his own past even as he fights to save the human souls he’s charged to protect. When he’s taken captive, his first concern is for Ruth. But Ruth just might be able to save herself—and the Reaper she can’t live without—if she can learn to wield her newfound powers.
Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

The end is near...start here: REAP & REPENT (Book 1)  FREE on AMAZON April 29-May3 http://amzn.com/B00TJFIOFK

Reap and Redeem                  The Reaper SeriesBook 2Lisa Medley
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Big Cedar
Date of Publication: March 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9908856-4-1ASIN: B00UKBZO7S
Number of pages: 326Word Count: 80k
Cover Artist: Sweet and Spicy Designs
Book Description:
He’s a reaper who has given up on saving souls. Will a dying woman be his salvation?
After a century of enslavement to pure evil, Kylen Larson is finally free. But he’s long past caring. The only woman he ever loved is dead, and he’s tormented by memories of the horrors his demon parasite forced him to commit. Now, he lives for nothing more than hunting down the infernal creatures invading Meridian, Arkansas, and destroying them.
Olivia Evans is in the final stages of cancer when Kylen accidentally saves her from demonic possession. When he rescues this innocent soul, Kylen rediscovers his mission—and his heart. All he wants is to help Olivia stay alive. He’ll just have to fight off an invasion from Hell first…
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Reap and Reveal The Reaper SeriesBook 3Lisa Medley
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Big Cedar
Date of Publication: April 5, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9908856-6-5ASIN: B00VB4VFJY
Number of pages: 302Word Count: 78k
Cover Artist: Sweet and Spicy Designs
Book Description:
By day he saves lives in the city he loves. Can he save souls too?
Nate is an EMT, a witch and a newly inducted member of the Reaper Authority Force. What he's not is a reaper. With unexplained abilities, his true nature lies somewhere in between the angels, demons and reapers he finds himself involved with. When he's paired with the reaper Maeve, he struggles to find his place in the rising war to save the souls of Meridian and the world.
Maeve has tried to hide her reaper handicap--her toxic reaper energy--from her colleagues. But when she's possessed by a fallen angel and forced to poach souls for Hell, her greatest weakness might be the only thing that saves her.
Nate uses his growing powers and his innate magic to find Maeve. He'll do whatever it takes to save her, revealing more than he ever imagined in the process.

Amazon and Kindle Unlimited
About the Author:
Lisa has always enjoyed reading about monsters in love and now she writes about them, because monsters need love too.
She adores beasties of all sorts, fictional as well as real, and has a farm full of them in her Southwest Missouri home, including: one child, one husband, two dogs, two cats, a dozen hens, thousands of Italian bees, and a guinea pig.
She may or may not keep a complete zombie apocalypse bug-out bag in her trunk at all times, including a machete. Just. In. Case.
http://lisa-medley.com
https://www.facebook.com/lisamedleyauthor
https://twitter.com/lisamedley
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7824406.Lisa_Medley
https://plus.google.com/u/1/+LisaMedley/posts

The Talented by Desy Smith- Interview and Take the Quiz

Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired to write in this particular genre?
I’m 21 and my favorite color is pink and blue, I’m currently a junior in college. I love eating lemon sugar cookies, and watching TV.  My mother played a pivotal  role in my writing because I would sit and watch shows that ranged from Vampires, wolves, angels, elves, etc. I decided to make up my own story and my writing begins. 
What is it about the paranormal that fascinates you so much? 
I believe it’s the romance, and the quest for good despite the evil forces that tries to deter you from your true destiny.
What inspired you to write this book?
I’m in love with the angel era at the moment, and I like X-men. So I thought why not combine the two and The Talented was born.
Please tell us about your latest release.
My latest release is title The Talented, here’s the synopsis: At age 17, Carmel founds herself in a mental institution thanks to an ice dagger, and a woman who apparently isn't human.  After being rescued and arriving at the H.O.T, House of Talents, where no ONE is entirely human in the house. She learns that she's Talented and has the ability to control Water and Ice.
At the H.O.T, Carmel learns to control her Talent, makes new friends, a few enemies, and begins to fall head over heels for a handsome guy. Who has a few secrets of his own? Carmel begins to realize that many people want her dead because of who she is.  However, he has no idea why. Can she figure it out or will she die. Look inside to find out.
Do you have a special formula for creating characters' names? Do you try to match a name with a certain meaning to attributes of the character or do you search for names popular in certain time periods or regions?
 I tend to use common names such as Ricky, or Devon. At other times, I create my own names like Carmel, or Roszin. It truly depends on what I am writing about on that particular day.  For example, the characters in The Talented appears to have common names; whereas the next book is a little edgy and have names yet to be foreseen or even heard of.
Was one of your characters more challenging to write than another?
Yes, my main characters were the hardest to write. I wanted to make Carmel strong, shy and timid at the same time. I didn’t want to overshadow her with the other characters nor take away from Flora and Devon.
Is there a character that you enjoyed writing more than any of the others?
Yes!  Flora tends to tell it like it is without holding her tongue.
Do you have a formula for developing characters? Like do you create a character sketch or list of attributes before you start writing or do you just let the character develop as you write?
Usually I have my characters develop before I start writing. I know their attributes from the beginning to the end that entails their strengths and weaknesses.
What is your favorite scene from the book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course?
My favorite scene is when Carmel finds out the BIG secret that Devon’s been keeping from her.  It’s funny because Ricky is present an he has to pretend he doesn’t hear what’s going on without interfering.
Did you find anything really interesting while researching this or another book?
Yes, while writing The Talented, I had the pleasure of researching various herbs that play an important role in our health.  In fact, Flora aides Carmel with tea that has a herb in it.
What is the most interesting thing you have physically done for book related research purposes?
At this moment, I would have to say nothing. It just came to me naturally.
Can you tell readers a little bit about the world building in the book/series? How does this world differ from our normal world?
 I believe the Talented occurs in our time period. As the series develops, my readers will see more interaction between other Talents and humans.  Readers will have the opportunity to visualize destruction that some of The Talented cause in the real world and how the humans deal with it.
With the book being part of a series, are there any character or story arcs, that readers jumping in somewhere other than the first book, need to be aware of? Can these books be read as stand alones?
I think readers can read the first book and stop if curiosity doesn’t come for them.     They will be wondering about the outcome and the final blows. However, I strongly discourage reading the second or third book because they will definitely be lost and confused.  They wouldn’t understand the characters.
Do any of your characters have similar characteristics of yourself in them and what are they?
Yes, Carmel characteristics display my passive nature and my addictions to sweets.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? How do you deal with it?         I certainly experience writers block and I refocus by walking away from the computer and help myself to some delicious cookies and cupcakes and wait for the inspiration and thoughts to hit me again.
Do you have any weird writing quirks or rituals?
I think the only weird writing quirk I have is that my stories pops in my mind when I am watching my favorite shows and it forces me to stop engaging and to jolt the ideas down because if I don’t it will constantly replay in my head like a broken record.
Do you write in different genres?
No, although my first book was just a romance. I prefer to write fantasies romances.
Do you find it difficult to write in multiple genres?
I think it depends on the genre your writing, I think it would be more difficult to write hardcore sci-fi or mystery due to the fact I only write fantasy romance.
When did you consider yourself a writer?
After I wrote my first book, Hello My Name is Floebe
What are your guilty pleasures in life?
I’m a TV junkie; I’m always watching Girlfriends, Scandal, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, The Originals and much more. I love to read as much as I do writing. I have to refrain myself from reading because no writing will get done. Not to mention, my love for old fashion lemon cookies and this incredible popcorn called poppycock that I’m obsessed with.
Other than writing, what are some of your interests, hobbies or passions in life?
Believe it or Not, I would love to be a CHEF!  I am always finding new receipts to try from desserts to fish, pasta and many more.  I enjoy working out in the gym because it helps me to keep my figure down from all my extra indulgences with food.
What was the last amazing book you read?
Chosen Thief by Scarlett Dawn
Where is your favorite place to read? Do you have a cozy corner or special reading spot?
I really don’t have a favorite place to read. I read wherever and whenever I can, this includes in class, at the dinner table, at family functions. I tune everyone out when I’m reading.
What can readers expect next from you?
Talented 2 Past Lives revealed and my new series Supernatural Residence Advisor.

Would you like to leave readers with a little teaser or excerpt from the book?  
And ruin the fun... No way, How about a quiz instead- and readers who follow me will be in for a TREAT!



Quiz 1- How well do you know The Talented?
1. What does H.O.T mean?a. Heaven on Topb. It doesn’t mean anythingc. Helium over Titaniumd. House of Talents
2. Devon’s Talent is?a. Waterb. Airc. Water, Air, Earth, and Fired. Fire
3. What is an Equal?a. Same size and quantityb. Your best friendc. Your other halfd. Your enemy
4. Ms. Viola is?a. The W.E.A.F Teacherb. A studentc. The principled. She’s not in this story
5. What is a Tike?a. Do you mean type?b. A person who is small in sizec. A toddlerd. When a W.E.A.F talent sleeps with another Talent or Human

6. Who is Christopher?a. No one specialb. The guy who captured Carmelc. The human boy who possess a Fire Talentd. A baby

7. What are The Talented really?a. Humans and Angelsb. Witchesc. Demonsd. Birds
8. Who is Queen Ice?a. Flora in disguiseb. Rosec. No one importantd. Carmel’s Past Life
9. What is a Nephilim? a. A snakeb. A angelc. Half angel, half humand. Demon
10. In the H.O.T what characters may be Nephilima. Ms. Roseb. Ms. Lilyc. Nurse Tyed. All of the Above
Answers can be found on the Bewitching Tour Page


The TalentedDesy Smith
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Romance Fiction
Publisher: Floebe Publishing
Date of Publication: January 30, 2015
ISBN: 9781507799291ASIN: B00SXOLV80
Number of pages: 197Word Count: 46,170
Book Description:
At age 17, Carmel founds herself in a mental institution thanks to an ice dagger, and a woman who apparently isn't human.  After being rescued and arriving at the H.o.T, House of Talents.  A house where no one is entirely human. She learns that she's Talented and has the ability to control Water and Ice.
At the H.o.T, Carmel learns to control her Talent, makes new friends, a few enemies, and begins to fall head over heels for a handsome guy. Who has a few secrets of his own. Carmel begins to realize that many people want her dead because of who she is.  However she has no idea why. Can she figure it out or will she die. Look inside to find out.
Available at Amazon and BN


Excerpt:
She led me to the other side of the cafeteria where a wall separated us from everyone else. We made our way towards two separate tables. Ricky was sitting at a table by himself, and there were four other people sitting at the other table. I was getting ready to walk in when Flora stopped me.“You see them four at that table.” She pointed to all of them.“Yes.”“That’s Montigo.” She pointed to a guy with skin the color of melted chocolate, and brown eyes. He was tall like Ricky and had black dreads in his hair. “His girlfriend is Tess.” She pointed to a white chick that had red hair, green eyes and freckled skin. “She’s a hot head. That’s Lanisha over there.” She rolled her eyes at her. She pointed to this light skin black chick with crazy brownish green eyes and brown hair. “Last but not least, there’s Simon, who is the nicest of  the group, if you ask me.” She pointed to this white guy. He had pretty blue eyes and blond hair. “What are their talents?” She was about to walk in, but I stopped her.“Montigo is water, Tess is fire, Lanisha is air, and Simon is earth.” We walked in the room, and Flora greeted everyone at the table before we sat down.“Why are you guys pointing at people?” “I was filling her in on whose who.” “Oh.” Ricky eyed my plate.“Are you going to eat all that?” Ricky asked me. “No, if you want something, you can have it.” His hand went directly to the chocolate chip cookies. I stopped him. “Yeah, anything, but those.” Then his hand went for the peach pie. I had to stop him once again. Flora started laughing.“Let me clarify. You can have anything but the sweets.”“Looks like someone has a sweet tooth,” Flora said. “So where’s Devon at?” Flora asked Ricky.“I don’t know. What do I look like his keeper?”“Don’t start, I just asked a simple question, that’s it.” They got into an argument. I ate my nachos and realized something was missing. Where was my hot sauce? I looked around and saw it was sitting on the farthest table against the wall with the rest of the condiments. As I grabbed the bottle, I heard someone whistling. I ignored it until I realized they were whistling at me and not that, ‘Oh you’re fine whistle’, it was that come here, whistle. I turned and saw who it was, Montigo. I rolled my eyes. If he wanted to talk to me, he would have to use his words. All of a sudden, I felt something wet hit me on my but almost like a belt. I jumped and dropped the hot sauce on the floor. I turned around to touch my pants to make sure I didn’t feel anything, and sure enough there was a wet spot there. I looked at Montigo, as he sung a water lasso around his head.“Keep your hands and other objects to yourself.”“This is what happens when you ignore me hon, so tell me what are you going to do about it.” I remained quiet. “Nothing, just like I thought.” He threw the water lasso at my arm, and it left a wet whelp there.“I already told you to stop,” I said.“Or what?” I noticed Flora and Ricky looking at us now.“Montigo stop, it’s not funny,” Flora said.“Mind your business Flora.” She gave him the finger. Montigo looked at me again and once again threw the water lasso. This time I caught it and slowed down my breathing, and it froze. When I let go of it, icicles formed going everywhere in the cafeteria. One almost hit him in his face, but his girlfriend Tess, held up her hand just in time. She created a fire wall melting the ice dagger.       Tess rose up, but Montigo raised his hand, and she sat back down. Instead, he got up.“Finally your group is complete.” He said eyeing me up and down. “So you think you’re big and bad, just because you can make a few icicles?” He laughed not waiting for me to answer. “I think you need to be taught a lesson.” I noticed everyone’s cups beginning to shake. He raised both of his hands, now had two water lassos. He threw one at me, and I mentally prepared myself to grab it, but at the last second, someone stepped in front of me. I realized it was Devon. The water was melting off his body.“Still picking on people smaller than you?” Devon said.“Yeah and you’re still poking your nose in other people’s business.”“If you stop starting shit, then I wouldn’t have too.”“What makes you think I started it?”“Who else would it be?” Montigo stepped closer to Devon.“Again what does this have to do with you?”             Suddenly a line of fire appeared separating Montigo from Devon. Tess slowly, but gracefully got up.“That’s enough for tonight boys.” Her voice sounded like she was older than what she appeared to be. “Wouldn’t want Devon killing you over his little equal.”She looked at me. “Word of advice, next time he speaks to you, just answer him.” I smiled at her.“The last time I checked, he isn’t anyone of importance, and I’ll speak when I want to. Not a moment sooner than that.” Then I mimicked her. “Word of advice, whistling at someone isn’t the right way to get their attention. I’m not a dog.” She looked at me and twirled her hair around her finger. I bent down to wipe the hot sauce I spilled. I felt something hot on my back, and I turned around to see the fireball coming at me. I rose my hand, slowed my breathing, and it froze, it was now a big ball of ice. It fell on the floor not shattering. I looked at Tess, who was now smirking at me. I noticed Devon looking at us, probably wondering if he needed to intervene. He didn’t, I could handle it on my own.“I don’t know what’s more pathetic, you trying to attack me when my back is turned or you attacking me and me defending myself, when I just find out today that I had a talent.”



About the Author:
Desy Smith was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She wrote her first book when she was thirteen years old, because she ran out of books to read inside her home. She loves reading books as much as she loves writing her own. Desiree also loves food and sweets, if she’s not reading, she’s probably eating a cupcake or two.
She published her first book The Talented under a publishing company she started Floebe Publishing. Desy writes to provide an escape for anyone who wants to live in a fantasy world, and not worry about the trouble of everyday life. She also writes to inspire. This is Desy’s first novel, and she plans to release the second part of The Talented series during late summer.
The Talented will be a five part series. Currently she is working on another story, which she hopes to release in the fall.
Website: http://desysmith.wix.com/desysmith   
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25130702-the-talented    
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authordesysmith
Instagram: Author_Desydiva23
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Guest Blog The Black Swans by N.W. Moors

Paranormal is defined as “a supernatural or paranormal phenomenon is an event that defies explanation in terms of the typical human experience.” Examples include ghosts, cryptids, vampires, werewolves, Bigfoot, zombies, and the Loch Ness monster. Paranormal abilities include telekinesis, telepathy, clairvoyance, and reincarnation.
My bookshelves overflowed with paranormal romances long before the Twilight phenomenon and I expect that I will continue to read in this genre. After all, who doesn’t love a tall, dark, and handsome vampire or a muscular alpha shapeshifter?
I didn’t set out to write a paranormal romance. I thought I was writing a fantasy with some romance added in. I had a strong heroine determined to save her lover from a curse by the Fae. It wasn’t until I had to write the chapter where the hero must shapeshift  and is seen by Taisie, the heroine, that I realized I was also writing a paranormal romance.
But my shapeshifter isn’t the normal alpha in most paranormal stories. After all, swans don’t have claws or fangs – the most they do is hiss at you. Conn is a musician, a little quiet and introverted, and very sensitive about his swan shape. It isn’t until he realizes that Taisie loves him anyway that he finds the courage to love her back in truth.
All four of the shapeshifters in The Black Swans have valor and bravery that is different from a werewolf pack. They have endured for centuries in freezing oceans or wretched caves, watching their loved ones die in violence or from old age. They persist anyway, finding new ways to live with their curse while others might succumb to hopelessness. And they never give up on magic and love.
I’d like to thank Roxanne and the Fang-tastic Books blog for hosting me. 




The Black SwansA Tale of the Antrim CycleBook OneN.W. Moors
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Sunday Morning Publishing
Date of Publication: March 1, 2015
ISBN:  978-0692397602ASIN:  B00U6I9PUC
Number of pages:  277Word Count:  96,003
Cover Artist: N.W.Moors
Book Description: 
Taisie MacDonnell loves Celtic music and when a traditional Irish group moves to her small town of Antrim, Maine, she's thrilled. She has no idea that becoming involved with Conn McLaren, the handsome pipe player will enmesh her in magic, a centuries-old enchantment and pursuit by the Fae.
This is a modern retelling of the Irish story "The Children of Lir".
Each book in the series can be read as a standalone.
Available at  Amazon US    Amazon UK    Amazon CA
Excerpt:
“Maybe I should put some lime green color on the other side, to contrast with the magenta.” Nola had pulled the rear view mirror over to the passenger side, her long black hair pulled down in front of her face. She was peeking through the strands over her eyes, studying herself in the dim light of the dashboard.She tilted her head to the side, then pulled hair from each side of her head and held it out in front of her. The hair on the right side of her head had swathes of purple. “What do you think?” she asked, studying him from under her hair.Owen had been driving the van for five hours without any breaks. The way from Montreal was mostly highway, but once he crossed into the United States, he was on two lane roads that climbed up and down mountains and were lined by thick brush and trees, occasionally marked by small towns and farms. He was mostly following the white line marking the middle of the road at this point, just trying to make it to his destination, and wasn’t paying all that much attention to what Nola was saying to him.Nola squinted and frowned at Owen, then tried again. “Hmm, I wonder if I cut my hair like Finn’s….” This time she got his attention. He looked over at her, just in time to catch the grin as she swept her hair back behind her ears.“I don’t believe it would look as good on you as that haircut does on Finn, but, hey, if it’s what you want, go for it,” Owen played along. Nola grunted and pushed the rear view mirror back over to an approximation of where it should be.Owen reached up and positioned the mirror in place again. He used it to look in the back seat to where Finn sat, headset in his ears, listening to his iPod, his head bouncing to the music. His hair was a mess of colors and stuck up in short spikes. While it was a hairstyle that worked for Finn, Nola would definitely not be cutting her hair like her brother, not if Owen had anything to say about it. He liked her hair long and silky way too much.There was a street light blinking up ahead and Owen braked, gradually slowing the van. They were approaching another small town or maybe it was just a crossroads. This one looked like it was a gas station combined with a dilapidated general store. Owen glanced down at the dashboard. There was about half a tank of gasoline left according to the gauge. And it was a good thing he didn’t need gas because the station was closed up tight. No one seemed to be around, just a dim light in the store and a crooked “Closed” sign on the front door. The only thing in the parking lot was a rusty pickup truck, parked over on the edge of the asphalt. He wheeled in anyway and stopped the van in front of the pump.“I need to stretch a minute,” he announced and turned off the key.Heads popped up in the back seat. “What are we doing?” said Finn who couldn’t hear Owen over the music from his iPod. Conn, who was sitting next to his twin in the middle seat, pulled his earphones off, mussing his long hair, and waited patiently, looking around the dimly lit parking area. He had been working on his laptop, probably on an arrangement for one of their songs, Owen guessed. There was no sign of Hugh who had been stretched out sleeping in the bench seat in the very back of the van.“I need to get out and walk around a little,” Owen restated. “And I want to check the trailer.” Nola had already opened her door and was standing on the pavement, stretching her arms over her head, getting the kinks out of her back.Owen got out, headed around the back of the building and stepped back into the trees. He was joined by the rest of the lads, Hugh wandering back last.  He must have woken up with the slamming of the doors. It had been a long ride with no stops and Owen had drunk at least three cups of coffee out of the thermos jug that Nola kept in the front seat for him.Once they had finished their business, Conn and Owen went back out front to check on the trailer. Owen crouched down and looked under the frame while Conn pushed on the tires. The rig looked fine. The trailer wasn’t very heavy, loaded mostly with sound equipment and camping supplies. Their instruments and personal items were in the way back of the van. Nola wandered out from the other side of the garage where she had gone to find a bit of privacy away from the guys.“How much further is it to the pub?” Conn asked.“I think that we have a couple more hours to go. It’s going to be late when we get there,” Owen answered.   Nola came over and wrapped her arms around Owen’s waist, snuggling under the denim jean jacket he wore. He stood there, resting his chin on her head, while she rubbed the lower part of his back, pulling up his tee shirt to get at his stiff muscles.



About the Author:
N.W. Moors lives in Portland, Maine, land of lobster and pine trees. She is a voracious reader and avid traveler. She loves visiting Great Britain and Ireland especially. Researching trips meant that she tries to learn as much about the area as possible and uses those tidbits in her books. She enjoys interacting with readers.
Blog  http://antrimcycle.blogspot.com/
Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009322893083
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/blackswansantrim
Twitter   https://twitter.com/AntrimCycle
GR  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13572124.N_W_Moors
Pinterest  https://www.pinterest.com/antrimcycle/



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