Roxanne Rhoads's Blog, page 387

The Book Babes Trilogy by Jean Brashear

Texas TiesBook Babes TrilogyPart OneTexas Heroes 13Jean Brashear
Genre: Romance
Date of Publication: March 15, 2015
ISBN: 9781942653080ASIN: B00U7L2PYQ
Number of pages: 150Word Count: 33,000
Cover Artist: Covers by Rogenna
Book Description:
A new 3-part story in the Texas Heroes series from New York Times and USAToday bestselling Texas romance author Jean Brashear!
The Book Babes reading group began as five women wanting to talk books—but now they've become family. There's romance author Ava Sinclair, organizer and backbone; happily-married mother of five Ellie Preston, group mom; patrician art gallery owner Sylvie Everett; single mom and sociology professor Luisa Martinez; and ambitious attorney Laken Foster, the wild child of the bunch. For several years now, they've met monthly and discussed the current book a little--and dissected their lives and loves far more often.
But now change is rippling through the group, begun by Laken's restlessness with her freewheeling life of serial hookups and sent into hyperdrive by Ava's suddenly-hot career, while Luisa's abusive ex tries to reclaim their teenage son and Sylvie faces her mother's decline. But it's when Ellie takes her first step into life after her children fly the nest and falls under the spell of the sexy artist who's teaching her to paint that the group's orbit begins to wobble on its axis, and life--for all of them and the men they love--will never be the same.
And then there's the Sweetgrass Springs surprise…
Available at  iTunes    BN    KoboCHAPTER ONEAustin, TexasAugust
"You answered a freaking personals ad?" Ava Sinclair burst out laughing. "Which one, Laken? Six foot tall hunk of burning love seeks woman into foot massage and Bob Marley?"Three other heads swiveled, waiting for the inevitable flare-up when Ava's exasperation overcame her love, and Laken Foster’s shark-lawyer ego couldn't stand coming in second."Laken, you didn't," Luisa Martinez protested, her soft voice barely heard above the sudden din. She squeezed Laken's hand in commiseration.Laken shot her a look that forbade pity. Luisa settled back to drink her tea and wait."Well, I for one, darling, think it's about time you made the switch from the singles bar scene. All those dreadful married men with white bands on their fingers." Sylvie Everett's elegant nose wrinkled faintly. "Now tell all. Dish the details. What's he like? Any orgies in the offing?"Ava watched as Ellie Preston returned to her cozy living room, fresh wine bottles in hand. Ava could have predicted the rescue.She wasn't wrong. Ellie eased in between them, soothing. "Now, Sylvie. Laken may not want to talk about it. More wine, anyone?""Since when does Laken withhold a single detail of her sex life?" Ava couldn't resist prodding Ellie's perpetual air of virginity. The mother of five, her baby about to start first grade, Ellie could pass for sixteen in all but the harshest light. There was something of the ingénue about their auburn-haired friend that life couldn't seem to erase. The room around them reflected her: lush green plants at every window, the bright spill of knitting yarns in a basket, pillow tops she’d quilted by hand.The dusting of freckles across Ellie's nose dimmed as her cheeks turned pink. Then her grin turned impish. "Well, far be it from me to discourage her from talking about it—" Her eyebrows rose with her voice. "—if she wants to?"The whole group broke up laughing, Laken's sultry chuckles blending with Luisa's clear soprano."Come on, Laken, spill your guts. Luisa hasn't been laid in two years and Ellie's still trying to figure out where all those kids come from." Ava poured herself a second glass of pinot noir.Laken slugged down the last of her wine, holding out the glass for Ellie to refill. Her spiky dark mane shook with the force of her denial. "You do not have my permission to steal this for your next book, Ava."Ava clutched one hand to her breast with a dramatic sigh. "Trust me, Laken, I haven't run out of imagination yet. This crew has a ways to go to catch up with my heroines.""Too true," Sylvie nodded. "Thanks to your incredible imaginary men." She lifted her glass. "To Ava's heroes, long may they inspire our dreams."They all clicked glasses, laughing, and drank—Luisa her tea, Ellie her watered wine, Ava and Laken red, Sylvie her customary chardonnay.Another meeting of The Book Babes was well underway.Laken sprawled back and sighed, fanning herself against the summer swelter of Austin, Texas. "If only you could conjure some of them up in the flesh, Ava, I wouldn't be reduced to scouring the earth for one good man.""There are good men all around you," Ellie objected."Yeah, but you and Ava are married to them.""Wyatt has a friend—""Stop right there," Laken flashed her palm at Ellie. "No more matchmaking. Period. There are three men in this town worth a damn; Ava's got Tom, you've got Wyatt, and Sylvie's going to keep Gabe waiting until he's old and gray.""No, Sylvie's not." A tiny tremor shook the carefully modulated voice that matched Sylvie's ever-faultless appearance.Ava shot a glance across the coffee table, seeing what she should have recognized earlier in Sylvie's silence. "What happened?"Sylvie shook her head, the ash blonde shoulder-length pageboy shimmering. "It's over, that's all."Ever the nurturer, Ellie placed a hand on Sylvie's shoulder. Only Ellie would dare, and only Ellie would not be shaken off by shoulders tightened into almost military posture. "You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to.""I don't."Silence stretched out, an unheard-of occurrence at their monthly meetings. Far more common was the clamor of all of them talking at once, too much to say, too much to share, words tumbling in pell-mell fashion from the lips of intelligent women trying to piece out the ways of the world.Luisa filled in with their topic of last resort—the book they were supposed to be discussing. "So what did anyone think of Smilla's Sense of Snow?"Ava held back. She'd hated its dearth of emotion. The plot was intriguing, but the writing was so spare and sterile. But she knew that Sylvie had loved it, and Sylvie was already hurting.Laken had no such restraint. "It sucked.""Laken!" Ellie reached over, patting Sylvie's knee. "It was really interesting. Very exciting.""I loved it, Sylvie," Luisa responded. "I had to wrap up in a blanket, reading it, the setting was so vivid."Ava chuckled and shook her head. A blanket in August in Texas. "What was the a/c setting? Fifty-five?"Laken intoned, "Thank God summer doesn't last forever."Sylvie's smooth tones interrupted their laughter. "What about you, Ava? How did you like it?"Opening her mouth to respond, Ava glanced around the room, distracted by the tears brimming on Ellie's lashes. Ava's comments were forgotten as she took in the startling sight. "What's wrong, Ellie?"The auburn pageboy swung with the shaking of Ellie's head, her fingers pressed tightly to trembling lips.Even the Ice Queen was disturbed by the sight. Ellie always smiled, always ministered to the rest of them. "Is it one of the children?" Sylvie ventured.The tears overflowed ginger lashes, brown eyes filled with hurt. "I swore I wouldn't do this. It's silly...millions of women deal with this. I know it's dumb, but—" She shook her head again, dropping her gaze. "Sam's starting first grade, and Christy is leaving for college, and all of a sudden, all I can think is: what happens when they're all gone?"Ava and Luisa exchanged glances. The empty nest. It hit everyone. Laken and Sylvie had no children; they could look sympathetic, but they'd never truly understand.She tried for reason. "It's a long time until Sam leaves the nest, kiddo."Ellie sniffed. "I know that. Intellectually, I understand all of this. But it doesn't change the fact that being a mother is all I know how to be. Look at you, Ava. You've created a whole new life, becoming a writer. You're excited and alive and—""—crazed and despairing and insane to have tried it."Ellie brushed at her eyes. "But the fact remains that you know what you're doing with your life. You're a mother, but you're not only a mother. Luisa has her Ph.D. and tenure—""And a mother driving me nuts."Ellie ignored her, leaning forward. "Laken's a successful lawyer, Sylvie's got her gallery. What do I do that's interesting? I drive carpools and bake cupcakes and do laundry and feed the damn chickens." For Ellie to swear was almost earth-shattering."And lead Scouts and sew and garden—hell, Ellie, you can do anything," Laken's voice rose above the others."Jack of all trades, master of none."Ava drew a breath to respond, but Sylvie beat her to it."You need to be painting, Ellie. It's criminal that you ignore your talent."Ellie blushed. "I just fool around. I've never had lessons.""Anyone can take lessons. You have a gift."Ava could see that Sylvie meant it. Sylvie's life revolved around art; it was the great sorrow of her life to have an unerring eye for the beautiful, for startling new talent—and to be unable to draw with more than mediocrity herself. Sylvie did not suffer fools gladly; even with her great affection for Ellie, an alliance that surprised them all, she would never say something she didn't mean. Saving feelings was never a priority with Sylvie.Ava added her weight to the proposition. "I only had two children, not your five, but I know all too well the toll a family takes. You need to be feeding your soul, Ellie. You've still got a long way to go down this road of life, and you have a right to reserve some of it for yourself. You give everything to Wyatt and the kids, but Wyatt is a grown man, and the kids will need you less and less as they get older. It's time to start thinking about Ellie.""But I know how fast it goes. Before I know it, Sam will be leaving for college. I can't miss these years.""Come on, Ellie," Laken's dry tones crackled. "You're not talking about abandoning them. You can do this while they're all at school.""But they're not used to—"Ava spoke gently. "Your kids are great and amazingly unspoiled, but they won't die if you don't lie down in the road to be run over by them."Ellie blew her nose, her back stiffening. "I don't do that."Luisa's hand touched her gently. "What Ava means is that you give yourself to everyone you know, including us, and never reserve anything for yourself. We're all very lucky that you do, chica, but you have to look out for yourself, too.""The well runs dry, kiddo," Ava reasoned. "Nothing faster than a family to drain you. Cut yourself some slack and think of it this way: if you're happier, they'll be happier.""I should be happy now."Ava waved a dismissive hand. "We should all be happy. None of us are starving in Africa, we all have roofs over our heads, we have love in our lives—""Speak for yourself," Laken said dryly.Ava shot her a glare. "All right, everyone but Laken has love in her life, but constant hot sex is a workable substitute—"The entire group broke up laughing. Even Ellie grinned.

Texas TroublesBook Babes TrilogyPart TwoTexas Heroes 14Jean Brashear
Genre: romance
Date of Publication: March 26, 2015
ISBN: 9781942653097ASIN: B00U7HOWE
Number of pages: 150Word Count: 33,000
Cover Artist: Covers by Rogenna
Book Description:
The second serial installment of a new 3-part story in the Texas Heroes series from New York Times and USAToday bestselling Texas romance author Jean Brashear!
The Book Babes reading group began as five women wanting to talk books—but now they've become family. There's romance author Ava Sinclair, organizer and backbone; happily-married mother of five Ellie Preston, group mom; patrician art gallery owner Sylvie Everett; single mom and sociology professor Luisa Martinez; and ambitious attorney Laken Foster, the wild child of the bunch. For several years now, they've met monthly and discussed the current book a little--and dissected their lives and loves far more often.
But now change is rippling through the group, begun by Laken's restlessness with her freewheeling life of serial hookups and sent into hyperdrive by Ava's suddenly-hot career, while Luisa's abusive ex tries to reclaim their teenage son and Sylvie faces her mother's decline. But it's when Ellie takes her first step into life after her children fly the nest and falls under the spell of the sexy artist who's teaching her to paint that the group's orbit begins to wobble on its axis, and life--for all of them and the men they love--will never be the same.
And then there's the Sweetgrass Springs surprise…
Available at BN    Kobo


Texas TogetherBook Babes TrilogyPart ThreeTexas Heroes 15Jean Brashear
Genre: Romance
Date of Publication: April 9, 2015
ISBN: 9781942653103ASIN: B00U7l2PUU
Number of pages: 150Word Count: 33,000
Cover Artist: Covers by Rogenna
Book Description:
The final installment of a new 3-part story in the Texas Heroes series from New York Times and USAToday bestselling Texas romance author Jean Brashear!The Book Babes reading group began as five women wanting to talk books—but now they've become family. There's romance author Ava Sinclair, organizer and backbone; happily-married mother of five Ellie Preston, group mom; patrician art gallery owner Sylvie Everett; single mom and sociology professor Luisa Martinez; and ambitious attorney Laken Foster, the wild child of the bunch. For several years now, they've met monthly and discussed the current book a little--and dissected their lives and loves far more often.
But now change is rippling through the group, begun by Laken's restlessness with her freewheeling life of serial hookups and sent into hyperdrive by Ava's suddenly-hot career, while Luisa's abusive ex tries to reclaim their teenage son and Sylvie faces her mother's decline. But it's when Ellie takes her first step into life after her children fly the nest and falls under the spell of the sexy artist who's teaching her to paint that the group's orbit begins to wobble on its axis, and life--for all of them and the men they love--will never be the same.

And then there's the Sweetgrass Springs surprise…
About the Author:
New York Times and USAToday bestselling Texas romance author of over 40 novels, including the popular TEXAS HEROES series, a five-time RITA finalist and RT BOOKReviews Career Achievement Award winner, Jean Brashear knows a lot about taking crazy chances. A lifelong avid reader, at the age of forty-five with no experience and no training, she decided to see if she could write a book. It was a wild leap that turned her whole life upside down, but she would tell you that though she’s never been more terrified, she’s never felt more exhilarated or more alive. She’s an ardent proponent of not putting off your dreams until that elusive ‘someday’—take that leap now.
Website: http://jeanbrashear.com
Twitter: @JeanBrashear
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorJeanBrashear
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/228329.Jean_Brashear   
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bejeantx/

Giveaway with Lisa Clark O’Neill

Circumstantial EvidenceThe Sweetwater TrilogyBook 3Lisa Clark O’Neill
Genre: Romantic suspense
Date of Publication: February 26, 2015
ISBN: 1508605998ASIN: B00U1FH2L4
Number of pages: 475Word Count: 95,000
Cover Artist: Brian Koch
Book Description:
As Chief of Police in Sweetwater, South Carolina, Will Hawbaker has seen more than his share of violent crime. But none of it has prepared him for the aftereffects of a young boy dead at the hand of his mother’s boyfriend. And when the suspected killer turns up dead himself, it raises more questions. Could this crime which has already shaken the town be even more sinister than it appears?
Camellia Abernathy has seen her own share of heartache following the violent death of the husband she only thought she knew. In returning to Sweetwater, her childhood home, Cam hopes to pick up the pieces of a shattered life for both herself and her young son. One piece of that life includes Will Hawbaker, the man who not only launched the investigation which uncovered her husband’s double life, but with whom she’s been in love since they were teens.
A rapid fire series of events turns both Cam and Will’s lives upside down, drawing them together even as they find themselves in the crosshairs of a killer.
Available at   Amazon    BN     Smashwords


Excerpt:
The fog was so thick you could slice it with a knife and serve it up a la mode.Will Hawbaker scrambled over fallen logs, wading through a sea of saw palmettoes as deep as his waist. The maritime forest was nearly impenetrable, with boggy patches of ground to catch the unwary in its earthen grip, sucking the boots right off your feet if you weren’t careful.Will paused, shining his flashlight around, the beam a feeble weapon against the moonless night. It was hours yet until daybreak, when the sun would burn off the fog like the wispy vestiges of a bad dream. And this was definitely a bad dream. One Will wished he could wake up from.Even at this time of night the air felt like a slow cooker, baking him from the inside out. Sweat rolled down his temples, his back, causing his shirt to cling and his hair to drip salty tears on the fanned leaves of the nearest palmetto. Mosquitoes droned just outside the protective zone of the repellent he’d applied, black clouds swirling through the white. Nearby, an owl hooted.This was an uncomfortable environment for an adult, even one who was accustomed to putting himself in danger.For a child, it had to be terrifying.“Sam!” Will called out, listening as his voice seemed to be absorbed by the soup-like air. He heard barking, but couldn’t tell if it was coming closer to him or moving away. The team from the Sheriff’s Department with the bloodhounds had set out at the same time he had, but they’d all headed in different directions. They had a lot of forest to cover, and not a lot of time. The twenty-four hour window, that critical time after an abduction, was closing fast.Hearing something – had that been a whimper? – off to his left, Will turned the flashlight that direction.“Sam?”Even though no response was forthcoming, Will began moving toward the sound. If the child was hurt, he may not be able to answer. If he was frightened – and why the hell wouldn’t he be? – he may be too terrified to make his hiding spot known.“Sam!” Will called as he shoved a small sapling out of his way. “I know you must be scared, buddy, but I’m here to help you.”And because the kid probably didn’t believe jack shit coming from adults right now, especially adults he was supposed to be able to trust, Will didn’t bother to mention anything about being a cop. That wasn’t quite the vote of confidence it once was, anyway. Better to try something on the boy’s level.“I hear you like dogs,” he said, his voice radiating calm even as he viciously kicked at a vine that wanted to tangle him up in its thorny grip. “Do you hear the dogs barking? They’re looking for you, too.”Fingers of fog tickled the back of Will’s neck, teasingly cool against his overheated flesh.Mother Nature was definitely female, Will thought sourly. Soothing and confounding at the same time.“I like dogs,” Will said conversationally, because what the hell. If nothing else, maybe the boy would get sick of hearing him yapping and tell him to shut up. “You hear those bloodhounds barking? They’re out here looking for you, too. Kind of like Timmy and Lassie.” Will paused, wondering if the kid even knew who that was. Given that this was the age of animated sponges living in undersea pineapples, probably not.“That was an old show I used to watch, about this awesome collie that was always saving this kid Timmy’s butt. I thought it would be cool to have a dog that could get help when you did something dumb like fall down a well, but I couldn’t have one when I was a kid. My mom didn’t want one. She thought it would mess up the house and was too much responsibility.”His mother didn’t particularly want him or his siblings either, for much the same reason. But that was beside the point.“Your mom told me that you’ve been asking for a dog.” Will stopped, shone his flashlight toward the base of the enormous oak tree off to the right. Was that a flash of red he’d just seen?“But that you two had been debating about that responsibility thing, too. And that line about a boy who can’t even pick up after himself not being responsible enough to take care of a dog? I heard that one too, and it sucks. But the thing is, your mom is kind of right. I think she’s willing to give you a chance though. She told me that when you get back home, safe and sound, she’s taking you to the pound, first thing.”“Liar!”Will froze. It had been the merest whisper of sound, ephemeral as the fog itself. He half thought it was wishful thinking on his part.“Now, I’ve got no reason to pull your leg about that, son. Dogs are a pretty serious business. A lot more serious than putting away your Legos and getting your dirty clothes in the hamper. You’ve got to make sure you feed them and water them and take them for walks… but maybe you’re not ready for all that responsibility.”    “Am too!”That was definitely no figment of his imagination.Covering his relief with a look of exasperation, Will followed the voice with the beam of his flashlight. Nine-year-old Sam Bryant peered back at him from one of the branches of the oak tree.“Pretty good climber, are you?”The kid looked terrified, but defiant. “Yes. But my mom…” his voice trembled on the word   “tells me that I’m going to fall and break my head.”“Your head looks pretty hard to me.”“She’s dead.”“Excuse me?”“He…” the kid’s whole lower face started to quiver. “He said my mom was dead. So you’re lying about the dog.”Will swallowed the curse he wanted to say, but silently wished all the seven plagues to be visited upon the man in question. Hopefully while he was naked. And staked out on a fire ant mound. Why the hell would he say such a thing?“He lied,” Will told the boy. “He’s the liar.”He was Matthew Hastings, Sam Bryant’s mother’s boyfriend. After a particularly nasty argument over Hastings’ belief that Sam’s mom was coddling him too much because she was squeamish about Sam learning to hunt, Hastings decided to take the kid out into the woods anyway while his mom was at work. He’d abandoned him there, with no food, no water, and little hope of finding his way out. Apparently this was meant as an illustration of the importance of developing survival skills. Luckily they’d managed to track Hastings car to this area, a stretch of uninhabited woodland used primarily for a hunting club.Hastings seemed to have abandoned his car along with the boy, which meant he was in the wind somewhere. But the important thing was that they’d found Sam, alive and in one piece.At least he looked to be in one piece.“Sam, I need you to listen to me, okay? Your mom is fine. She’s worried sick, but she’s fine. But I need to know if you’re hurt anywhere.”“I’m thirsty.”“I’ll just bet.” The kid had been alone in the woods for almost eighteen hours. Given the fact that it was August in South Carolina, dehydration was a given. Will pulled a bottle out of the pocket of his cargo pants. “Lucky for you I brought some water with me. Now, I have to contact the other people who are looking for you, so that everyone knows you’re okay. Can you climb down from there, or do you need help?”“I can do it.”“Good man.” But because Will didn’t want to take any chances, he moved closer to the base of the tree even as he thumbed on his radio. “Found him,” he said, and gave his approximate coordinates. “I’ll give you a status report on his condition just as soon as I have a chance to check him out.”Fog swirled, obscuring his view of the boy, the tree, and Will moved his flashlight around in an attempt to see through it. “Sam?” he said, but received no answer.“Sam?” he said again. “Be careful climbing down.”That would be just what they needed at this point, for the kid to fall out of the tree and actually break his head.Concern niggled. “Sam? Maybe you should just stay put, buddy, and let me help you.”Will closed the final distance to the tree, but he tripped over an exposed root near the base and nearly went sprawling.“Some help I am,” he muttered. “Pretend you didn’t see that,” he called out. But still the boy didn’t respond.“Sam?” Will aimed his flashlight toward the branch of the tree where he’d last seen the kid sitting. Empty. He started moving the beam lower.“Sam!” he said one more time when he saw no sign of the boy on any of the branches. The nerves that had so recently calmed began to jump beneath his skin. Shit. Had the boy fallen? He shone his flashlight at the ground, the boiling fog making it nearly impossible to distinguish shapes, around the side, back toward that root he’d tripped –“Oh Jesus. Oh no.” Will stumbled the two steps that would take him to where the boy lay, dropping down on his knees beside him. How could he have fallen without Will hearing a thing?“Sam?” Will reached out, turned the boy over. And felt the blood drain out of his head.The boy hadn’t fallen. He’d been shot.
And he’d been dead for quite some time.
About the Author:
One fine day in the not-too-distant past, Lisa Clark O'Neill left Wittenberg University with a BA in English, which she promptly neglected. After working as an interior designer, decorative artist, and Montessori art teacher (there may have been a BA in art as well,) she finally settled into the role of mother to two very fine children.
However, two years of doing the stay-at-home-mom brain cell melt drove her to pull out a pen and one of her old college notebooks.
That turned into six manuscripts.
Lisa spent subsequent years avoiding housework by burying her nose in just about every romance novel she could get her hands on, after completely falling in love with the genre. Her own work falls into the romantic suspense sub-genre, with strong comedic undertones.
Lisa currently lives in the Atlanta area with her family, her dog, her cat and her daughter's pet rabbit. When she isn't attempting to keep the rabbit from eating the woodwork, she's hard at work on her next novel.
http://lisaclarkoneill.com/
https://twitter.com/LisaClarkONeill
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-Clark-ONeill-Novelist/287773574604107
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6480066.Lisa_Clark_O_Neill

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A Review of Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris

Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked up this book just to do a quick perusal...all the sudden I was three chapters in. That's how quick this quirky book sucked me in.

A mash up of odd characters who all have things to hide and stories to tell fill this book with questions and mystery that keeps you flipping the pages.

Midnight, Texas a tiny town in the middle of nowhere with few inhabitants...but each person there has a secret, a history, a reason they want to live where people don't ask too many questions or expect more than you're willing to offer.

Here you'll find a vampire, a witch, a psychic and who knows what else looking behind the innocent facade of a normal person.

In this first book a few secrets are uncovered, a few backgrounds are exposed and a murder is solved. But for the most part the reader will get sucked deeper and deeper into the questions and puzzles that surround this town. And they'll keep reading to learn more and keep waiting for the next book to uncover the next resident's deepest, darkest secrets and mysterious history.

I can't wait for book two.

View all my reviews

Interview with Megan Tayte Author of Death Wish

Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired to write in this particular genre?
I’m Megan, I’m a writer, and I live in Nottingham with my husband, a proud Scot who occasionally kicks back in a kilt; my son, a budding artist with the soul of a paleontologist; and my tiny daughter, a keen pan-and-spoon drummer who sings in her sleep.
Writing is a way of life for me. I write on commission for my day job, but for myself I create the kinds of books I love to read: young-adult paranormal romance fiction. Young adult, because it’s the time of life that most embodies freedom and discovery and first love. Paranormal, because I’ve always believed that there are more things in heaven and on earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy. And romance, because I’m a misty-eyed dreamer who lives for those ‘life is so breathtakingly beautiful’ moments.
Please tell us about your latest release.
Death Wish is the first of the Ceruleans series. The protagonist, seventeen-year-old Scarlett Blake, is haunted by death. Her estranged sister has made the ultimate dramatic exit. Running away from school, joining a surfing fraternity, partying hard: that sounds like Sienna. But suicide? It makes no sense.

Following in her sister’s footsteps, Scarlett comes to the isolated cove of Twycombe, Devon, with grand plans to uncover the truth. Alone. But she hasn’t reckoned on meeting two boys who are determined to help her. Luke: the blue-eyed surfer who’ll see the real Scarlett, who’ll challenge her, who’ll save her. And Jude: the elusive drifter with a knack for turning up whenever Scarlett’s in need.

As Scarlett’s quest for the truth unravels, so too does her grip on reality as she’s always known it. Because there’s something strange going on in this little cove. A dead magpie circles the skies. A dead deer watches from the undergrowth. Hands glow with light. Warmth. Power.

What transpires is a summer of discovery. Of what it means to conquer fear. To fall in love. To choose life. To choose death.

To believe the impossible. 
What inspired you to write this book?
The Ceruleans series began life as four discrete ideas that I planned to make into four discrete books. Then one day as I was walking (something I do when I’m looking for inspiration) the ideas knitted together, and from there the overall story arc of the series took form.
There are many inspirations for the book. The story is quite personal to me, based on a mix of experience and fiction woven from my imaginings and ponderings. The setting – in a part of coastal Devon where I spent every summer as a child – was a key inspiration. But the story is based on my own efforts to make sense of a world in which people close to you can die; in which being true to yourself can be incredibly difficult; and in which love – for people, for places, for a way of being, for a passion and an ethos – is the only reason to hold on.


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?
Many of the names in the Ceruleans have significance. Scarlett, for example, is so named for the colour, which has connotations of passion and blood, and which doesn’t blend well with the blue of the Cerulean light. Luke and Jude, the two main guys in the series, have similar names in terms of length and letters, and each is an old biblical name. Luke means ‘giver of light’, which is significant; and as for Jude... well, his name is short for Judas: make of that what you will!
Was one of your characters more challenging to write than another?
I found writing Scarlett’s mother a challenge. In the first book she’s a total nightmare – selfish, over-dramatic, needy. She has a long history of depression and alcohol dependency, and her grief over losing her daughter, Sienna, has pushed her into a meltdown. She’s not much of a mother, and as a mum myself I found it challenging to write her that way, because she behaves so differently to how I would with my own kids. But then, I try not to judge her. She’s carrying a lot of baggage and some harrowing secrets, and deep down she’s not a bad person, just a weak one.
Is there a character that you enjoyed writing more than any of the others?Cara, Scarlett’s best friend. She’s been left horribly disabled and scarred by a car accident, but she doesn’t let that hold her back in life; she doesn’t want sympathy or special attention, just to be seen as an equal. She’s also one of those brilliantly blunt people who tell it like it is – a few minutes into her first meeting with Scarlett she comes out with: ‘So, your sister’s dead and my legs are mangled.’ I’m so fond of Cara I’m considering making her the protagonist of her own book someday.
What is your favorite scene from the book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course?
I think I would have to say Luke and Scarlett’s first kiss, because in a romance story, that first kiss is everything. They’re at the top of an ancient stone folly that teeters precariously on a very high cliff over the ocean – ‘on top of the world and a step from death’, as I put it in the book. Both are trying hard to face the fear, not only that induced by the setting, but also that created by the past – they’ve lost people very close to them recently, and to let themselves love, to trust each other, knowing that people can be ripped away from you, is terrifying. The choice they make at the top of that tower is to stop being safe, stop holding on – and fall for each other. The folly is a real place; there’s a picture of it here if you’d like to see it. The view from the top is spectacular.
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?
You could – I provide some background at the start of each. But it would be a little like reading Breaking Dawn before Twilight or Mockingjay before The Hunger Games. The Ceruleans is one story, and I think you’d connect to it best if you began at the beginning.
Do any of your characters have similar characteristics of yourself in them and what are they?
Scarlett and I have some stuff in common. Some of her experiences are my own – for example, in her last summer before adulthood, between leaving school and going to university, she lives alone, independently, and that’s something I did at her age (which I found difficult but also hugely empowering). I’m also, like Scarlett, happiest someplace calm with a view, and more likely to prefer a meal cooked at home and a DVD than living it up at a rowdy party. I’m not as courageous as Scarlett, though: she conquers her fear of the ocean and becomes a pretty kick-ass surfer, but I’d probably always remain as Scarlett is at the start of Death Wish: bobbing about on the waves, clinging to a surfboard for dear life and in dire need of rescue. Ideally, by a very hot surfer, of course.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? How do you deal with it?
Not for my fiction writing. In fact, I have the opposite problem – a constant desire to write, which I can’t always fulfil because I’m a mum and a businesswoman (and sometimes I need to sleep!). I try to schedule regular writing sessions, otherwise I feel off-kilter. Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winner Pearl S. Buck explained the sensitive person’s need as “the overpowering necessity to create, create, create – so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not really alive unless he is creating.” That’s me, in a nutshell.
Do you write in different genres?
Yes. I’m a ghostwriter, so I write for publishers and authors across genres, and under my professional name and pen names I’ve published books in various genres. As Megan Tayte, though, I’ll only ever write romance – for now, in the YA and paranormal genres.
When did you consider yourself a writer?
I’d been a professional writer for years before I actually considered myself as that. I think writing on commission, for other people, feels quite different to writing for yourself. Getting my first publishing contract for a book I wrote for myself was the point I thought, ‘Aha! I’m a writer now.’
What are your guilty pleasures in life?
Cake, chocolate, fruit toast, iced coffee, frothy coffee... you get the idea! And boxsets. I’m a DVD boxset addict. 
Other than writing, what are some of your interests, hobbies or passions in life?
Most of them centre on spending time with my kids. We love being out and about, exploring.  Nottingham has loads of great parks and nature reserves, as well as the sprawling Sherwood Forest. My son is fact-mad, so we visit a lot of museums, and I try to fit in the odd art gallery. Our all-time favourite outing is into the city: lunch out at an Italian restaurant, followed by an hour or two at the bookshop, and then a drink in Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, the oldest inn in England that’s built into caves under the castle.
What was the last amazing book you read?
I recently finished Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series (I know – I jumped on board very late), and I was totally hooked by the writing. Rose/Dmitri: I was entirely convinced.
Where is your favorite place to read? Do you have a cozy corner or special reading spot?
In bed, at bedtime. Because it’s the one time and place I can be completely alone and give myself permission to read purely for pleasure. Before I had children, when I had a lot more time to myself, I also loved reading outdoors, on park benches. I read my way around London’s parks when I lived there; my favourite spot became the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park – the water feature is really soothing.
What can readers expect next from you?
The next book in the Ceruleans series will be out in May, and from there I’ll publish the remaining two. Then I’ll be starting work on my next novel. I intend to repeat the process ad infinitum; I learnt many years ago when I wrote my very first book that there will always have to be a next one. It’s a way of being for me, and a very happy one.
Where can readers find you on the web?
http://megantayte.com/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13478850.Megan_Taytehttps://www.facebook.com/megantaytehttps://twitter.com/megantaytehttps://www.pinterest.com/megantayte/
Would you like to leave readers with a little teaser or excerpt from the book?
Here’s a teaser...



You can get Death Wish at 
Amazon and Amazon UK

Kindle Freebie March 30- April 3 Bewitching Brews and Devilish Desserts

Bewitching Brews and Devilish Desserts 
A Collection of Cocktail and Dessert Recipes
Edited by Roxanne Rhoads

Paperback: 50 pages

Publisher: Bewitching Books

ISBN-10: 1502947013

ISBN-13: 978-1502947017
ASIN: B00PE0BNES

Book Description:

Stir up a little magic from our cauldron full of cocktails and desserts. 

The authors of Bewitching Book Tours conjured a collection of delicious potions inspired by their books and characters. 

Grab your wand (or spoon) and cast one of these spellbinding recipes today.

Available at Amazon

Desert Blood by Anna Lowe

Desert BloodThe Wolves of Twin Moon RanchBook 2Anna Lowe
Genre: PNR
Publisher: Twin Moon PressDate of Publication: April 2, 2015
ASIN: B00TIUEVL2
Number of pages: 117Word Count: approx 31,000
Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde
Book Description:
Heather Luth knows nothing about the paranormal world until one awful night changes everything. Now she’s on the run―straight into the arms of forbidden love. Her mind knows better than to fall for Cody Hawthorne’s sunny smile and mesmerizing voice, but her heart―and destiny―have other ideas.
On the surface, Cody is warm, witty, and fun, but beneath his carefree facade, Heather sees a real man struggling to break free. Day by day, Heather and Cody grow closer and closer, unable to resist their simmering passion―while day by day, a serial murderer closes in on his prey. Duty fights desire; fear wrestles trust as the human world clashes with the paranormal in a tale of forbidden love.
There’s more than meets the eye on Twin Moon Ranch, home to a pack of shapeshifting wolves willing to battle for life and love.

Available at  Amazon

Excerpt:
A knock on the door on a Sunday night should have set off every alarm in Heather’s body. It should have had her cowering, hoping that whoever it was, they’d please, please give up and go away. Part of her did cower. But the other part was drawn forward—bold and unafraid. Reckless, even. As if her dog Buddy were there, one step ahead, tail wagging in eager anticipation of a trusted friend. That’s what the night air was signaling now: friend, not foe. Slowly, carefully, she turned the lock and cracked the door open, bracing to bash it closed, just in case. It was him. Cody. More than a friend; her heart knew that already. Each time he walked her to her car, another section of her heart caved in. And two nights ago, his kiss had sent the rest crumbling. She could still taste him on her lips, still feel his hand on her hip. She’d been bumping into her own furniture, pouring tea into her cereal, watching the clock for some unknown appointment. Now, standing before her, Cody’s eyes sparkled gold behind the brown, like coins in an ancient well. In faded denim and a beige shirt, the man was all dry tones, but his hands cupped something succulent and red. Behind him, the desert was hushed, leaning in to eavesdrop. They stood staring at each other for a minute, or maybe ten, bathed in silence except for the hum. It was very faint, like a power station radiating electricity, but it came from between them, out of thin air. Or maybe it was from the thirsty earth below, thrumming with the beat of a primal drum.The lazy, lusty heat of it wrapped around Heather’s legs and clambered up her frame. Soon she’d be engulfed with that thumping need. Did he feel it, too? She stood silent, wondering what it was that tore at her gut with a curt, urgent message: Cody! Cody! It might have been the call a hibernating bear gets to wake up or a flower to bloom. Every scrap of her was being pulled in his direction. “Hi,” he breathed. His voice, normally so smooth, had a bit of sandpaper in it tonight. “Hi,” she said, or at least mouthed it while her pulse hammered in her ears. Warning bells sounded in her mind. Don’t trust him! Don’t trust anyone! His lips parted as if to speak then closed again. She could taste the kiss forming on them as he took her in. Not the way some men did, appraising and crude. No, his gaze was gentle, sincere. Hopeful, too. But he was holding back, giving her the power to choreograph what happened next. Danger! Danger! You don’t know what he will do! Heather shoved the spinster aside and swung the door wide. “Would you like to come in?” Grinning like a boy offered a cookie jar and trying to remember his manners, Cody stepped over the threshold. “Tina asked me to give you this.” He handed her a limp sheaf of papers. Meanwhile, all his focus—his hopes—were pinned to his other hand. The one that held out strawberries. Juicy. Sweet. Begging to be devoured. Temptation, there for her to take or reject. She was shaking inside, her mouth dry, her pulse racing. To take meant risk—risking her heart, maybe even her life. To reject meant locking herself away from a life worth living. She took, unable to deny herself. It was sheer instinct; the inner voice had no time to intervene. Only to react once it was too late. I hope you know what you’re doing. But she had no idea what she was doing, just this crazy instinct to trust him. She rinsed the berries and covertly watched Cody make a loop through her living room. He was taking it all in, from the second-hand couch to the desert scenes she’d cut out of an old wall calendar to decorate the walls. Everything was improvised, like the scrap of cardboard evening out the legs of the rickety table. God, what would he think? He leaned over a framed photo. “Nice dog.” A trick! A trick! Be careful! “Buddy,” she said, smiling automatically. “Buddy?” he laughed. “Hey, I was nine when I named him!” Her hands went to her hips, prompting Cody to throw his palms up in surrender. “He was the best.” He studied the picture more closely then shot her a skeptical look. “Him?” That dog had been closer to her than most of her family members. A shoulder for her to cry on through her parents’ divorce and subsequent remarriages to partners who gradually pushed Heather away. From her ninth birthday until that awful day a decade later when Buddy died, he’d always been there for her. “The absolute best.” Cody’s eyes danced. “Better than Lassie?” She laughed. He’d chosen the right moment to lighten things up. She was much too tense. “Way better.” “Better than Rin-Tin-Tin?” “A totally different class.” He raised his eyebrows. “What about Benji? Benji could solve crimes, you know.” His eyes sparkled at some inside joke. She shook her head, unimpressed. “Buddy didn’t need to solve crimes; he was so good at keeping trouble away.” “Big dog.” Cody shook his head skeptically. “I like big dogs.” His head tilted to one side. “How big?” “Big.” What was this, some kind of Freudian analysis? She moved from the kitchenette, holding out the bowl of strawberries, willing her hand not to shake. “Dessert?” Cody grinned, and she immediately felt her face heat in a flush. Never trust any man! the fearful voice cried. But this time, the voice came from a distance, as if it had been grabbed by the scruff of its neck and was being escorted out the back door, fading away into the night. Don’t trust anyone…

About the Author:
Anna Lowe loves putting the "hero" back into heroine and letting location ignite a passionate romance. She likes a heroine who is independent, intelligent, and imperfect — a woman who's doing just fine on her own. But give the heroine a good man (not to mention a chance to overcome her own inhibitions) and she'll never turn down the chance for adventure, nor shy away from danger.
Anna is a middle school teacher who divides her time between coastal Maine and a village in view of the Austrian Alps. She loves dogs, sports, and travel — and letting those inspire her fiction.
Once upon a time, she was a long-distance triathlete and soccer player. Nowadays, she finds her balance with yoga, writing, and family time with her husband and young children. On any given weekend, you might find her hiking in the mountains or hunched over her laptop, working on her latest story. Either way, the day will end with a chunk of dark chocolate and a good read.
http://www.annalowebooks.com/author/anna-lowe
http://www.annalowebooks.com/blog
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anna-Lowe-Books/677291092359521

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Retaliation by Imogen Rose

RetaliationBonfire ChroniclesImogen Rose
Genre: YA/Paranormal/Horror
Publisher: Wild Thorn Publishing
Date of Publication: 03/15/2015
Number of pages: 400Word Count: 84000
Cover Artist: Consuelo Parra
Book Description:
Ever since Bloody Fall, humans have lived in fear. 

Even though the apparently senseless human massacres have ended, President Elizabeth Ryan's administration has been under a cloud of disapproval for failing to bring the terrorists to justice.

She braces herself as a new spate of carnage is unleashed.

Cordelia and Faustine are recruited back into action as the supernatural agencies go on high alert. Has their nemesis re-emerged?

Kindle     Kobo     iBooks    Nook     Paperback


Bonfire Chronicles Reading Order
1. Faustine
2. Initiation (Prequel 1)
3. Integration (Prequel 2)
4. Uprising

5. Retaliation About the Author:
Globetrotter Imogen Rose was born in Sweden, educated in London (where she received a PhD in immunology), and is now an all-American Jersey girl.  She is the author of two bestselling YA series— the Portal Chronicles and the Bonfire Chronicles, both of which have been translated into German, French, Spanish, and Japanese.
In addition to writing, Imogen loves to travel, explore Madison Avenue (she is a self-confessed Hermès addict), watch movies, listen to music, and hang out with her family, friends, and Chihuahua. When she is not writing, she can usually be found sipping a chai latte at an ice rink while watching her daughter slam pucks.
Website: http://www.imogenrose.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImogenRosePage
Twitter: ImogenRoseTweet
Instagram: ImogenRoseGram
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Imogen-Rose/e/B0035Z3ZPO/
Tumblr: http://therealimogenrose.tumblr.com/
Blog: http://imogenroseblog.blogspot.com/
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/imogenrosepin/
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=86126291
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Guest Blog and Giveaway A Time Apart by Rebecca N. Caudill

Creating the Cover for A Time Apart: Book One of the Macauley Series
I’m definitely guilty of judging a book by its cover and because I know just enough about Photoshop to be dangerous, I set about designing a cover for my book that I could be proud of.  
I went through several ideations that started with a castle as the main imagery – after all, Macauley Castle plays a central role in my novel, as much so as some of the characters. At first I was really happy with what I had created but then I started to feel like it wasn't setting the right tone. All the photos I had at my disposal were of a castle during the day, surrounded by verdant fields of green. As readers of my book know, very quickly the action shifts to night, which made a daytime photo wrong on at least one very crucial level.
After scouring several stock photography sites I was nearly ready to give up and just go with a generic cover that I could purchase for $40 but then I stumbled on it – a series of photos of a red headed woman who looked a lot like I had pictured Olivia. I looked through the set and realized that with some time in Photoshop I could take those them and edit them such that they evoked the darker tone that I was going for.
When the reader is first introduced to Olivia, she's living in this sort of in-between state. She's of the living, but she hasn't been living; rather, the death of her parents has triggered a set back in her emotional stability and now she's pretty much obsessed with death. Everywhere she goes, everyone she meets, she wonders how s/he will die and she most often wonders how SHE will die. I liked the misty white gradient as it rises up to meet her face – in full, bright color – as it gives the sense of someone who's fading. On the opposite side is a dark, web-like texture peeking out of the shadows that hints at something sinister.
One of the things that I really like about this cover is that it isn't the typical black that you find with most paranormal romance novels. Of course, going this route could bite me in the arse, but I enjoy that what I’ve created isn't the norm for the genre, that it stands apart from the rest, that it establishes Olivia as the hero of my story and not my male protagonist. Then again, I’m sure a picture of William’s bare chest would have helped sell more copies. J

A Time ApartMacauley SeriesBook OneRebecca N. Caudill
Genre: Paranormal Romance , Vampire
Date of Publication: February 8, 2015
ISBN: 978-1508482666ASIN: B00TDR1O6U
Number of pages: 211 (estimated)Word Count: 71,020
Cover Artist: Rebecca N. Caudill
Book Description:
A love story that traverses the confines of time, life, and death, uniting two passionate souls from different worlds and ages …
Olivia Donnelly has spent her whole life obsessing about how she will die. When tragedy strikes, reality comes crashing down and she’s forced to confront her fears head on. Hoping that a move across the globe will help her to cope with a devastating loss, she arrives in Ireland a broken down shell of a woman looking for a second chance at life.
Almost immediately Olivia is drawn to places she’s never been, and to a man that she’s never met. When she crosses paths with the mysterious and frustratingly private William Macauley, her life is thrown into turmoil unlike any she has ever known. The two couldn’t be more different – she’s human, he’s a vampire – but Olivia can’t get him out of her mind. Having acknowledged her overwhelming desire for William, now she must come to terms with how her feelings for him will greatly alter her future.
Olivia’s understanding of life – and death – take on new meaning as she examines the truth of the person she once was, the woman she was born to be, and how William is the key to her everlasting happiness.
Available at AmazonExcerpt from Chapter 6
“Olivia,” he whispered, and then he too went silent, that one word all he was going to give her.  Except it wasn’t all.The way he had said her name did things to Olivia that she couldn’t adequately explain. To her ears, he had said it the way a man says a woman’s name as he’s about to make love to her for the first time, full of longing and desire. It felt like several minutes had passed since he had spoken her name, but in reality it had been less than 15 seconds. Olivia wasn’t worried about him hanging up the phone because she knew he could hear her breathing in response to his voice. Given how furiously she felt her heart beating, she thought he could probably hear it too as it was so terrifyingly loud. She certainly heard the thump, thump, thump of it echoing in her own ears.“William,” she eventually responded, trying to keep her voice cold and emotionless, hoping that her desire for him wasn’t evident in that one single word. She wouldn’t say more, not yet. Olivia wanted to make him tell her why he was calling. She wouldn’t ask. She wouldn’t show how much she actually cared what he thought of her; unfortunately her hitched breathing gave her away. If he hadn’t known it before, William certainly knew that his voice – his words – had power over her.“I had to call you. I don’t know why, I just felt compelled to. I didn’t want to continue conversing with you in one to two sentence fragments over email. While convenient, I find it so impersonal,” he said.  Impersonal? So he was looking for some sort of personal connection with her? No, she wouldn’t read too much into his words.When he realized that she wasn’t going to say anything back, he went on. “I know you don’t care one way or the other, but you are absolutely intriguing to me. A conundrum really. You see, for as much research as you’ve obviously done on me, I’ve probably done more on you. After all, you’re rather easy to find online.”  Olivia hadn’t seen that one coming.  Go on, she wanted to say, curious to know exactly what he found so intriguing about her, but her voice wouldn’t work. When she failed to speak for several more seconds, he finally broke the silence, the tone of his voice going from interested to terse and ... rejected?  “I can see you’re not going to speak to me. Perhaps I’m wasting my time. I’m sorry to have disturbed you.”Before he could hang up and Olivia would lose the moment with him forever, she took a deep breath and found both her voice and her courage. “I’m sorry, I’m just a bit shocked that you’ve called is all. I’m trying to figure out what you’re about,” she told him as matter-of-factly as she could. “We’ve hardly been what I would call cordial to one another since we spoke earlier tonight so I’m wondering why you want a more … personal … mode of communication. Hell, I’m wondering why you want any more communication, period.  You made it pretty clear that you aren’t interested in what I have to say, so I’m not sure what else there is to say.”  Olivia could hear the hurt in her voice, and in addition to feeling embarrassed over her uncanny physical reaction to him, she also felt ashamed. Unfortunately, he seemed to pick up on both emotions.“My apologies if I have … hurt … you.  It was ridiculous of me to have been so rude. Perhaps if you would allow me to explain myself, you might begin to understand why my initial reaction to you was so discourteous,” he said.  Okay, Olivia thought, start explaining. She couldn’t have prepared herself for what he said next.  “I know it’s late, but can I see you?  I’d like to speak to you in person.”  Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh ... SHIT.“It islate,” she replied, leaving the statement hanging between them for him to interpret. She didn’t want him to think that she wasn’t interested in meeting him, but at the same time she also didn’t want him thinking he could call her up at midnight and that she’d be at his beck and call. While Olivia had had her fair share of romantic entanglements throughout the years, she’d never been someone’s booty call. But damn if her curiosity wasn’t getting the best of her. Olivia internally calculated what it would take to make herself look presentable before meeting him – wherever he was. She figured that she didn’t have time to redo her make-up but she could easily throw her sweater and jeans back on, pull her hair up into a bun, and be in a cab on her way in just under 15 minutes.And then, as if she couldn’t be any more shocked than she already was, his next words stopped her in her tracks. “I’m in your hotel lobby, if that changes anything.”
It changed a lot of things. 

About the Author:
Rebecca Caudill read her first novel when she was just four years old and has been hooked on books ever since. When she wasn't writing her own stories, she was sneaking copies of her mom's paperbacks to read late into the night.
Fast forward several years later and Rebecca graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in English Lit, which gave her new insight into the written word. Following college, Rebecca embarked on a career in tech PR in the famed Silicon Valley, which eventually led to her leading Global R&D communications for a Fortune 500 company that everyone knows by name. Finally, after more than a decade of writing words ascribed to other people, in December 2014 she quit her job to pursue writing full time.
Today Rebecca lives with her husband and beautiful-but-neurotic cat in Oakland, California. When not creating fictional worlds inhabited by strong women, rakes, rogues, and dashing heroes, she is planning her next vacation, trying out new recipes, or drinking Islay scotch.
Blog – http://www.rebeccancaudill.com
Twitter - @rebecca_caudill
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rebeccancaudill
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13488550.Rebecca_N_Caudill
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/rebeccancaudill/

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A World Apart Playlist by L.J.K. Oliva

"Where words leave off, music begins."-Heinrich Heine
I don't know about you, but music always hits me right where I live.  It also plays a huge role in my writing.  One of the first things I do when starting a new book is cobble together a playlist.  If I get stuck, I plot by shuffling around the tracks.
As the story progresses, the hunt for the perfect songs becomes an obsession. Today, I get to share that obsession—along with some corresponding snippets from my new urban fantasy novel, A World Apart. 
If you're so inclined, you can also listen to the whole playlist for free on Spotify.
Enjoy!
1. Run Devil Run- Jimbo Mathus and the Tri State CoalitionPoor fellow.  He'd tried to end it quickly, but there were certain things required for the ritual; things necessarily obtained while blood still pumped through his unwitting assistant's veins.
2. White Rabbit- Jefferson AirplaneThe energy spiked abruptly.Before she could fully prepare herself, a ball of white light exploded into the center of the room.
3. Romany Dagger- All Them WitchesHis gait swayed, and she realized what she'd thought was a swagger was actually an injury.  An old injury, judging by the practiced grace with which he wielded his curved black cane.Lena relaxed slightly.  A wolf was bad news, but a wounded wolf?  That, maybe, she could deal with.
4. Superstition- Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double TroubleThere had to be a logical explanation for all this, one that didn't involve him losing his mind.  Unfortunately, he had no idea what it might be.
5. Welcome To My World- Depeche Mode"There are things that go bump in the night, Mr. MacMillian.  It's my job to bump back."
6. This Town- Firewater"Everyone's avoiding you," she murmured.Grim satisfaction flashed over his face.  "They should.  I'm the big bad wolf.""So what does that make me?"MacMillian looked down at her.  His lips twitched.  "From where I'm standing, you look an awful lot like Little Red Riding Hood."
7. Jesus Gonna Be Here- Tom Waits"Has it crossed your mind that sometimes crazy people are just, well, crazy?"
8. All The Lost Souls Welcome You To San Francisco- American Music Club"Let me get this straight." He struggled to form the words.  "You're telling me all the conspiracy nuts are right?  The Freemasons, the Illuminati, Area 51—all that shit's real?"
9. Worse Things- Johnny HollowIt wasn't a stretch to imagine the alley the way it had been a hundred years ago, lined with gambling parlors and opium dens. 
10. Phantom Limb- Alice In ChainsHer vision flashed between darkness and blinding light, as if each was fighting for control.  Everything started to spin.  Her stomach rolled.She doubled over and threw up on the wet concrete.  Then the darkness won.
11. Three Legged Dog- Firewater"Seen men like you come through here before.  Men who got the same look in their eye.  You can't stand the thought of relying on somebody else to get where you're goin'.  Think your ignorance makes you weak."  He stopped in front of a row of shelves and turned to MacMillian.  His bright eyes hardened.  "Well, it does."
12. This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now- U2She was burning, all of her was burning.  The only solution was for him to touch her.  Everywhere, and all at once.
13. Run Devil Run- Jenny LewisDamn it, this was how everything always started: with shadows.  She closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe. 
14. It Will Come Back- HozierThe darkness deepened, like it was laughing at her.  Suddenly, she felt like she was choking.
15. Drag The River- Kate MannLena managed a gulp of air, then ice flooded her veins.  She'd never been jumped like this before.  It hurt.  Worse, she was sure it was meant to. 
16. Too Old To Die Young- Brother DegeHer back arched off the table.  She was being ripped apart, turned inside-out, reduced to atoms and carbon.
17. Adam Raised A Cain- The Jeff Healey Band"You said you would help me!"She shrugged.  "I lied."
18. Your Heart To Haunt- GlossaryMacMillian searched her face.  She didn't know what he saw on it, but his expression changed, softened in a way she couldn't describe if she tried. 
19. The Devil Within- Digital DaggersShe was hardly the first person to hallucinate strange things during times of stress.  Comforted, she deposited an armful of clothes on her bed, dropped to her knees and plucked a fuzzy blue sock off the floor.Instantly, she froze.
**BONUS**20. Heavy/Like A Witch- All Them WitchesBottomless black eyes glittered down at her.  Realization thudded dully in the pit of her stomach.It was memorizing her.


A World ApartShades BelowBook OneL.J.K Oliva
Genre: Urban fantasy
 Book Description:
"There are things that go bump in the night, Mr. MacMillian.  It's my job to bump back."
Private investigator Jesper MacMillian was sure he'd seen it all.  After all, in a city like San Francisco, strange is what's for breakfast.  Following a long  recovery after a horrific accident, his life is finally the way he wants it- or at least, close enough.  The only monsters on his radar are the ones that keep him awake at night.All that changes the day he meets Lena Alan.
Before MacMillian has a chance to brace for impact, Lena drags him into a world where monsters aren't just real, they're hiding in plain sight.  Suddenly, everything he knows is suspect, starting with his current case.  For Lena, a medium since childhood, it's just another day at the office. 
For MacMillian, it's the beginning of the end of everything he thinks he knows.
Excerpt 2
The elevator came to a stop.  The doors started to open.  MacMillian backed away and shook his head.  "Do me a favor.  Leave now.  Don't come here again."He stepped into the hallway, then froze.  Clustered outside the door to the office was a horde of people, the widest slice of humanity he'd ever seen crammed into one place.  There were cowboys, businessmen, soldiers.  Native Americans, what looked to be early Chinese, and more than a few women resembling the one from the side street.The woman stepped out of the elevator behind him.  She hissed.  "Jesus.  Is it always like this here?"MacMillian stared down at her.  "What are you- you can see them?"She rolled her eyes.  "Well, obviously.  I'm a medium, remember?" She started down the hallway, paused, and glanced over her shoulder.  "Are you coming?"MacMillian hung back.  She shrugged.  "Suit yourself."She walked up to the edge of the crowd and cleared her throat.  "Okay, someone want to tell me what you're all doing here?"Multiple heads swung towards her.  An elderly man in a suit that would have been the height of fashion in the late eighteen-hundreds stepped forward.  MacMillian strained his ears, but he couldn't hear what the man said.  The woman listened closely, made a curious sound in the back of her throat and turned back to him.  "He says there's a medium here.  Are you sure you're not sensitive?"He was feeling rather sensitive, but he shook his head.  "I don't even know what that means."The woman humphed.  "That's what I thought."  She turned back to the man.  "So you're all here to be moved on?"The man nodded.Her shoulders relaxed.  She reached out and took the man's hand in hers.  His eyes widened, then a peaceful look came over his face.  His lips turned up.  White light appeared in the center of his chest, expanded outward until his entire body glowed.  With what looked like a sigh of relief, he evaporated.MacMillian's jaw dropped.The woman moved slowly through the crowd.  Hand after hand reached out for her.  She took each one, held on until its owner flashed white and disappeared.  By the time she reached the office door, the hallway was empty.  She leaned back hard against the wall and closed her eyes.MacMillian didn't remember moving, but somehow he was standing in front of her.  He closed his free hand around her arm and towed her inside, not stopping until they reached his office.He slammed the door.  "What the... what was..." He dragged a sleeve across his brow.  It was drenched in sweat, but his skin felt freezing.The woman watched him, her eyes sympathetic.  "Rough day, Magnum?"He glared.She sighed and rubbed her forehead.  "That, my dear detective, was the other San Francisco.  You've probably seen it before, just out of the corner of your eye.  You've probably dismissed it all your life.  Maybe you always told yourself you'd just had too much to drink."  She paused, her gaze heavy on his face.  MacMillian squirmed.  "But I'm guessing you always knew better."His head was throbbing.  He shook it once, twice, but it didn't clear.  "I don't get it, Miss...""Alan," she supplied.He nodded.  "Ms. Alan.  Why are you here?"Her eyes darkened.  "Because there are things that go bump in the night, Mr. MacMillian.  It's my job to bump back."


About the Author:
L.J.K Oliva is the devil-may-care alter-ego of noir romance novelist Laura Oliva.  She likes her whiskey strong, her chocolate dark, and her steak bloody.  L.J.K. likes monsters... and knows the darkest ones don't live in closets.
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Interview and Giveaway Missy the Werecat by P. G. Allison

What is it about the paranormal, in particular vampires, that fascinates you so much?
I've read LOTS of fantasy books about vampires, witches and werewolves and I really enjoy the genre but it always seems the focus is all about the supernaturals, with their interactions with humans almost nonexistent; humans are merely "prey or food" for vampires or else people to hide from and avoid for werewolves.  Also, the werewolf books are all about the packs and the alphas.
What I wanted to write was a book where: "There is no pack, no pride of other werecats and no alpha".  Missy has enhanced senses, abilities and powers (which increase in later books) but she's interacting with normal humans.  I also liked starting her off completely alone, making her have to cope for two years after suddenly being forced to become a wild predator while retaining her human intellect.  What would living like that do to a person?  Then, when she finally learns to be human again, what would she be like?  Returning to "normal" life yet still having all her enhanced senses and predatory nature?  She retains all the instincts and reactions of a mountain lion but these are now carried over to her human life and must be controlled.  (Hence all the extreme training and exercise she seeks).  I thought trying to write such a fantasy might be fun ... and, it was!  I'm enjoying what I've created and it seems most of my readers seem to "get" what I'm doing and enjoy Missy as well.
Completely unrealistic for a young girl to behave the way she does?  Yep!  Of course!  It's a FANTASY !!!  Is she arrogant?  Well, if you had all those enhanced abilities and powers, which you worked hard to keep hidden ... would YOU be arrogant?  Hard to be humble when you know you can easily overpower everyone around you.  At the same time, I've tried to have Missy be willing to protect her friends and loved ones, stand up to any bully and bravely risk herself in doing so.  Does she make mistakes?  Yes.  Is she perfect?  No.  It's been fun and I do hope readers can continue to enjoy her story.  I've now published Book IV, Missy's Misadventure, and am writing Book V.
What inspired you to write this book?
I started writing Missy the Werecat to see if indeed I could actually write; once I started writing her story, ideas kept coming and I kept writing.  The story evolved and after I’d written a hundred thousand words, I knew I had a novel.  I edited the story several times and then sent out a number of query letters to see if any agents were interested.  None were, so I decided to self-publish on Amazon.
Please tell us about your latest release.
I began writing Missy the Werecat the middle of 2013 and published it on Dec 6, 2013.  I then published three more books about Missy by Dec 2014.
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?
My favorite thing about writing is not knowing, when I start writing things, just where the story will end up going.  As I try to work through each situation which my characters find themselves getting into, possible scenarios and dialog will evolve and the result will often go places I’d never dreamed of.  Then, of course, I go back and re-write and edit and re-write some more, but the storyline has emerged and it’s fun to see just what has happened.
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?
While the books can be read as stand alones, it really is better to read them in order.  The various characters evolve, from book to book, as do their relationships.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? How do you deal with it?
I write.  I just write things down and see where those things will take me.  If I’m stuck trying to work out some elaborate plot?  I just write some things for each of my characters and see what they come up with, what direction they will take me.  Often, an exciting plot will emerge or new characters will show up.  So, I don’t just sit there … I write!  I always write the stuff that I want to read about and I don’t worry about my readers.  If I end up liking what I’ve written, chances are that others will like my stuff as well.
Other than writing, what are some of your interests, hobbies or passions in life?
Reading, of course!  I enjoy all of the following authors, who write the kinds of stories I enjoy and I read everything they write:  Kelley Armstrong, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Patricia Briggs, Rachel Caine, Sierra Dean, Jennifer Estep, Diana Gabaldon, Kim Harrison, Faith Hunter, Chloe Neill, Nalini Singh, Carrie Vaughn, Rachel Vincent and Eileen Wilks.
What can readers expect next from you?
I’ve only written about a third of Book V and haven’t got a title for it yet.  Missy develops more powers and then, of course, uses them to help others.
Where can readers find you on the web?
http://amazon.com/author/pgallison
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7491359.P_G_Allison
http://missythewerecat.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/P-G-Allison/1435556920052731

https://twitter.com/p_g_allison
Missy the WerecatBook OneP. G. Allison
Genre:  New Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Date of Publication: Dec 6, 2013
ISBN-13: 978-1494334260ASIN: B00H2WPGDA
Number of pages:  400Word Count: 105,000
Book Description:
When puberty brings on her first Shift, Missy goes into the mountains for two years until finally learning to Change back.  She can Change from fully human in one instant to a mountain lion in the next. 
Everyone assumes her two year disappearance was because she’d been kidnapped by a sexual predator that she managed to kill.  She keeps her werecat nature a secret. There is no pack, no pride of other werecats and no alpha.  She’s a girl with fantastic abilities growing up and learning to do great things in today’s world, amongst humans.  She only has her instincts to guide her and those drive her to train herself to extremes.  She must control those instincts; dampening the wild predator is often necessary. 
Her raging hormones and enhanced senses require very strong controls; she explores what happens when those controls are relaxed.
Available at AmazonExcerpt:
Prologue
Imagine a world where werecats at one time did indeed exist, but became extinct eons ago.  Then, because their recessive genes managed to survive and get passed on -- thanks to some rare unions with humans -- DNA with these special werecat genes continued down through the ages, further evolving and being inherited by a very small number of descendants.  And finally, imagine that two of these very unique individuals -- each one in a billion -- would meet, fall in love and become parents.  While three of their four children would be normal humans, one -- their daughter Missy -- would be very special.  She would be a werecat.And thus, Missy the werecat was born in today’s era.  She’s not exactly the same as those ancestor werecats, but she does have many special abilities -- not the least of which is being able to transform, with a great shimmer of light and burst of energy, into another form.  She can Change from being fully human in one instant to being a cat animal in the next.  In her cat form, she has the same body mass as in her human form and fully retains her human intellect and memory.  And, in either form, she has all the instincts and abilities of a wild, predatory mountain lion.Eventually, she will learn how to Change forms back and forth, and how to manage and control her special abilities.  Her genetic anomaly, combined with some evolution along the way, brings her cat endowments into her human form:  speed, strength, agility, and enhanced senses of smell, hearing, taste and sight.  She is also gifted with rapid healing and is immune to disease.  As Missy will gradually learn about herself, she will go from being a girl with great skills to a grown woman with truly fantastic powers.
Chapter OneJul 2013
In the middle of her last night at soccer camp, Missy awakened with a strong desire to get up and go outside.  She just knew this was something she had to do, and right away.  So, slipping out of bed and quietly making her way down from her dormitory room, she did go out.  Although there was a full moon, it was cloudy and very dark outside, with no streetlights or anything else to illuminate the landscape.  However, the darkness did not bother her at all.  She could feel something pulling at her, drawing her away from the dorm.  And, she also noticed her ability to see in the dark was somehow much greater than ever before.She had always been able to see, hear and smell things to an extent far greater than those around her, but tonight it was even more so.  She knew she had other special abilities as well.  She had gradually come to realize that others were not able to do all the things which she could do.  She had accepted that she was just different.  She had shown an athletic ability which was quite advanced, excelling in little league and youth soccer programs, as well as at karate practice and during any gymnastic events.  She easily had won all the competitive races at school and in her local community.  All of that had lead to her attending soccer camp every summer.Soccer camp was in Keene, NH and near Monadnock Mountain.  It was now late July, a month after her 13th birthday, and Missy had really been enjoying her time back at this wonderful camp once again.  It was so beautiful there!  A whole week away from home, where she was getting some elite training in a sport where, as a junior high school player, she had already been noted as being really special.  Her Mom was keeping all the news articles written about her in a special scrapbook along with several photos.As this week at camp had been coming to a close, she’d been getting more and more excited about the fall season coming up.  This would be her last year in junior high and she just knew her soccer team would go on to win the state championship this year and get to compete in the nationals.  Then, the following year, she would finally be competing at the high school level.  Her older brother and sister had both been telling her all about the fun activities they were experiencing in high school, and she could hardly wait to get there.At night, she typically found herself anticipating and dreaming vividly about many of these things and had no trouble sleeping soundly all night long.  That’s why waking up with this sudden need to go outside in the middle of the night came as such a complete surprise.  What made her wake up and why did she feel this compulsion so strongly?  She could not understand what was happening.  Her entire body was experiencing something new and strange, something she had never felt before.  Her heart was pounding and her blood was racing!   And, just why was she having all these tingly feelings?Once outside, she was drawn towards the nearby trees which marked the edge of the deeper forest and she quickly walked over to them, crossing the courtyard and the small parking lot.  The full moon suddenly came out from behind the clouds, shining down brightly.  She glanced backwards just once, looking back the way she had come at the dormitory building she was leaving behind.  She was thinking, “What am I doing?  Why am I out here?”  But, then she turned and walked deeper into the woods.  She just knew this was something urgent and absolutely necessary.Further and further she went, all the while continuing to experience all kinds of new feelings, with her senses hyper alert and more aware of sights and sounds and smells than ever before.  Since she still had not had her first period, she began to wonder if that might be what this was all about.  Puberty!  Yes, she had been anxiously waiting for this as most of her girlfriends had already had their first period and had started growing hair on their legs, under their arms, etc.  Shaving had been a big topic amongst the girls!  And, boobs!  And boys!Missy was somewhat of a late bloomer and had not yet really developed.  She’d not had her first period yet, in spite of various signs that things would be happening for her very soon.  She had experienced some swelling of her breasts and tenderness of her nipples but was concerned she still looked very flat compared to most of the other girls.  Although she now did have some hair growing in new places, she had not yet shaved under her arms … when would she finally be getting her period anyway!?!But all the talks she’d had with her mother and her sister about this important subject had not really suggested anything like what she was feeling right now.  Not only was she physically reacting to something, she was also getting so many thoughts and emotional signals.  Whatever was happening was compelling her to be out here … something irresistible was forcing her.  Nothing had prepared her for this.  And yet, remarkably, she was not at all afraid.  Somehow, she just knew …And then … it happened!  Her body just collapsed and her mind was overwhelmed, going to a quiet place deep within itself.  She didn’t lose consciousness but felt as though she was in a dream state.  She had no control.  She knew there was some sort of Change happening to her and then there was a shimmer of light and a burst of energy.  She could feel this was coming from within, from somewhere deep inside and from something that was a part of her.  There was no pain or discomfort during this Change.  Then, in the next moment, everything was suddenly new and different.  Very different!She was a cat.  Her form was no longer human but that of a large animal, very much like a mountain lion.  She had no idea of that, at least at first.  She did notice a huge difference in the sounds and smells around her, which now were even more noticeable.  And when she looked out at her surroundings, she could see much more clearly, but without all the color.  Since it was dark, there wasn’t much awareness of that just yet.  Instead, she was noticing more the way things felt to her body.  Her arms and legs were very different and were covered with fur.  So was the rest of her body, even her face.  Her hands and feet were now paws -- paws with claws which could extend and retract.

 About the Author:
P. G. Allison has always loved stories about female characters with special powers (Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Bionic Woman, Batgirl) along with stories about witches and werewolves.  The Missy the Werecat Series has no pack, no pride of other werecats and no alpha; Missy is a girl with fantastic abilities doing great things in today's world, amongst humans.  Future books in this Paranormal, New Adult, Urban Fantasy series are planned where Missy will go on to West Point and eventually serve in the Special Forces.
http://missythewerecat.wordpress.com/
http://amazon.com/author/pgallison
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7491359.P_G_Allison
https://www.facebook.com/pages/P-G-Allison/1435556920052731
https://twitter.com/p_g_allison

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