Cynthia L. Enuton's Blog, page 2

Guest Author David Edmonds and Prizes

Lily of Peruby David Edmonds
Markus goes to war-torn Peru for one reason: to take home the woman he's loved since his Peace Corps days—Marisa with the long dark hair and sparkling blue eyes. But when he arrives in Lima, he's confronted by a general with a subpoena, agents with guns, and the startling accusation that she's a key figure in one of the most bizarre terrorist movements in the world.

And they want his help in bringing her to justice.

Markus is stunned. Is she the Marisa of his dreams, or is she the bomb-throwing terrorist on her wanted posters? The truth lies somewhere down the road, and nothing is going to stop him from finding it—not the soldiers who dog his every step, not the terrorists who think he's on their side, and not the hostile natives and witches who chase him through the eastern jungles.


To buy the book click  HERE



About the author::
 DAVID C. EDMONDS is a former Marine, Peace Corps Volunteer, Senior Fulbright Professor of Economics, academic dean and U.S. government official with long experience in Latin America. He's the author, editor or ghostwriter of seven other books, including the award-winning Yankee Autumn in Acadiana. Dr. Edmonds grew up in Louisiana and Mississippi and studied at Mississippi Southern, L.S.U., Notre Dame, Georgetown, George Washington and American University. He currently lives in lovely Tarpon Springs, FL with his wife Maria.

Win! Win! Win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Author Jaima Fixsen and Prizes

IncognitaA Historical Romanceby Jaima Fixsen
Jilted and faced with returning to the battlefields of Spain, Captain Alistair Beaumaris is quite sure his life can’t get any worse. Then he mistakes a perfectly respectable widow for a female of a much more interesting variety, and discovers he was wrong—on both counts. 
Incognita is the second book in the Fairchild series, which chronicles an aristocratic family in Regency England. The first book, Fairchild, tells the story of Sophy, Lord Fairchild’s illegitimate daughter, who must carve her way through a world that has no place for her. Incognita, the second book, follows Sophy’s rejected suitor, a Captain in the British army during the peninsular war: his unconventional love story and the complex web of relationships in the Fairchild family. 
Here’s letter from the conflicted and lonely Lady Fairchild, not included in the novel, that she writes (but is too proud to send!) to Sophy, her estranged step-daughter, in the midst of Alistair’s troubles. From the correspondence of Lady Fairchild
Dear Sophy, 
I’ve written you so many letters I can hardly close my desk—they slide over each other, ramming against the top of the drawer—but I never send them so they sit here, getting battered about the corners. I’ve started even more that I can’t finish, and they end up in the fire. It shouldn’t be this hard. What I want to say is, I’m sorry. For not loving you from the first, when you lost your mother and came to my home, and then, when you became like a daughter to me, for not loving you well. I should have listened, when you told me you loved Tom and couldn’t marry Alistair. I just wanted to keep you close and see you settled happily. Alistair seemed the best chance for both. Now I’m less certain. He was broken hearted for a week or two, but now he’s tangled up with a Widow with Problems. I don’t see it ending well at all. He feels though, more than you think. It’s a sad tangle. Are you happy with Tom? Is he good to you? It’s hard, imagining you married to a stranger. I wish I knew how you are faring, that I’d listened, and held your hand as you drove to church for your wedding. The chance for that is gone, but if I could convince you that I only ever had your best interests at heart…I’d like to see you, in your home, with your new husband. I’d like to be your friend, if you will let me. I’m not good at apologies, or at starting over, but I want to try. Is Tom kind? Does he smile at you and tell you to stay off high-tempered horses? I hope you listen. You’ve had enough scrapes of that kind. London is empty with you gone. I miss you. With affection,Georgiana

Click HERE to buy the book and ebook


About the author Jaima Fixsen






Win! Win! Win!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Author James DiBenedetto and Prizes

The Dream SeriesAuthor James DiBenedetto
Sara Barnes thought her life was perfectly ordinary – until the night she began stepping into other people’s dreams. Follow Sara as she learns to cope with this extraordinary gift (or curse) in the first three books of the Dream Series:

DREAM STUDENT
Click HERE to get book one of the Dream Series
It’s bad enough that, thanks to her supernatural talent, Sara is learning more than she ever needed to know about her friends and classmates, watching their most secret fantasies whether she wants to or not. Much worse are the other dreams, the ones she sees nearly every night, featuring a strange, terrifying man who commits unspeakable crimes. Now Sara wonders if she’s the only witness to a serial killer – and the only one who knows when and where he’s going to strike next.

DREAM DOCTOR
Medical school and life as a newlywed would be enough by themselves for anybody to handle. But Sara’s got another problem – her dreams have started up again. Almost everyone at the medical school is dreaming about the death of the school’s least popular teacher, Dr. Morris, and once again, Sara finds herself in the role of unwilling witness to a murder before it happens. But this time, there are too many suspects to count, and it doesn’t help matters that she hates Dr. Morris every bit as much as any of his would-be murderers do.

DREAM CHILD
Sara thought she had made peace with her dreaming talent, but she’s got a surprise coming: her four-year-old daughter has inherited it, too.

Author Bio:

J.J. (James) Dibenedetto's fans would swear he's got a sixth sense when it comes to seeing into the minds of others and often wonder if his stories could possibly be fiction. He enjoys suspending disbelief with suspenseful paranormal tales that are a perfect blend of reality meets fantasy.

His popular Dream Series continues to delight readers with each and every exciting installment.

Born in Yonkers, New York, he currently resides in Arlington Virginia with his beautiful wife and a cat he is sure has taken full advantage of its nine lives. When it comes to the cat, he often wonders, but then again it might just be his imagination.


Author Interview:

    What inspired you to write your first book?
DREAM STUDENT came from asking a simple question. Why, in most mystery stories, do average people try to solve a crime or catch a killer themselves, when most normal people would do the sane thing and just call the police?

I tried to come up with an answer, and what I thought of was: maybe they wouldn’t go to the police if the only evidence was in their heads. If they saw the crime through the eyes of the killer, and that was the only proof they had. If they saw it in the dreams of the killer. So there was the idea: if you could see someone else’s dreams, and that person was committing crimes, what could you do about it? You’d have no physical proof, the police would never believe you. You’d have to start investigating yourself, if you wanted to stop them.

Sara, the main character of DREAM STUDENT, came into being along with that idea, and so did the college setting of the book.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

The actual story of DREAM STUDENT (and the rest of the Dream Series) is not based on real people or events, but the background settings and some of the minor characters definitely are. In DREAM STUDENT, Sara attends a (very thinly) fictionalized version of my college; the apartment building she lives in in book four, DREAM FAMILY, is basically the building I lived in when I moved down to Washington, DC, and so forth.

What book are you reading now?

I’m finishing my yearly re-read of my favorite novel ever, “Winter’s Tale” by Mark Helprin.

What are your current projects?

I’m working on the latest book in the Dream Series. This is the ninth book, and it’s called SHATTERED DREAM. I hope to have it released by the end of April.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

Absolutely. Every time I read my work over, I see things I would change. But I think every author feels that way. Leonardo Da Vinci said it best – “art is never finished, only abandoned.”

Who designed the covers?

The original covers for my first six books were hand-painted by a local artist who also was the head graphic designer at my old employer, Ami Low. She did a fantastic job, and gave me exactly what I wanted. But unfortunately, what I wanted was not what readers in my genre were looking for. So I had to change the covers, and the new covers were designed by Emma Michaels (http://www.emmamichaels.com), who’s also done an amazing job.

While you were writing, did you ever feel as if you were one of the characters?

Not exactly. What I feel like, sometimes, is that the characters are actual people, and I'm only passing on the stories that I've heard from them, rather than creating them myself.



Find the Dream Series at:
http://www.writingdreams.net (website & blog)http://viewauthor.at/JJDiBenedetto (Amazon Author Page)https://twitter.com/jjdibenedetto (Twitter) https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dream-Series/107699179403603 (Facebook)



Win! Win! Win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Author Stacy Claflin and Prizes

Stacy Claflin, author of the book, Gone, joins us today. Sit back and enjoy reading two chilling excerpts from the book.
Goneby Stacy Claflin
Macy Mercer only wants a little independence. Eager to prove herself grown up, she goes to a dark, secluded park. She’s supposed to meet the boy of her dreams who she met online. But the cute fifteen year old was a fantasy, his pictures fake. She finds herself face to face with Chester Woodran, a man capable of murder. Distraught over his own missing daughter, Chester insists that Macy replace his lost girl. He locks Macy up, withholds food, and roughs her up, demanding that she call him dad. Under duress from his constant threats and mind games, her hold on reality starts to slip. Clinging to her memories is the only way of holding onto her true identity, not believing that she is Chester’s daughter. Otherwise she may never see her family again.


Excerpt #1Sitting in his warm truck across from the park, Chester Woodran watched her walk across the open field. An overhead light turned on as she passed under it in the dusk. Her long, dark hair swished back and forth behind her. She wandered around the playground, walking between the climbers and slides until she stopped in front of the swings.He had spent hours watching her. Studying her. He knew her almost better than she knew herself.The moment of truth would arrive soon. She’d come a few minutes early, but he wouldn’t deviate from the schedule. He would act exactly on time. He’d laid the groundwork. He wasn’t going to let her change a thing.Chester pulled out his phone and scrolled through the pictures, stopping at his favorite. It was the girl in the park for sure, although he couldn’t see the details of her face up close yet. He would have to wait a few minutes.From the phone, her light brown eyes shone at him. Her shy, almost insecure face smiled sweetly.His heart sped up at the thought of many weeks of work coming together at long last. The waiting was about to end.Clenching the steering wheel with all his might, he took several deep breaths to calm himself. Every precaution had been taken. Prepared with painstaking care. There was no chance of anything going wrong so long as he stayed with the plan.The alarm on his digital wristwatch beeped. He turned it off and then leaned back into the seat, adjusting his over-sized glasses.It was time.
Excerpt #2Macy Mercer sat on the swing, clutching the cold, metal chain. Soon she’d meet Jared, the sweet and adorable boy she met online. She pushed the dirt with her foot, swinging back and forth, listening to the leaves rustle nearby as a breeze picked up. The temperature felt like it had dropped ten degrees, so she zipped up her hoodie as far as it would go. She should have worn a coat, but it was too late to go back home.A crow cawed in the distance, giving her the chills.To distract herself, she grabbed the new smart phone she’d received for her fifteenth birthday. She checked the time. Jared still had another five minutes. Macy had been so eager to meet him that she’d sneaked out of her house a little early, eager for her first real date. Her parents had a stupid, outdated rule that she couldn’t date until she turned sixteen. There was no way she would wait an entire year. Not when her friends all went out every weekend.She looked around the empty park once more, the swing chains groaning as they carried her back and forth listlessly. Jared was supposed to meet her after his baseball practice. He was the star of the team, and sometimes had to stay a little late because the coach expected more from him than anyone else. She scrolled through their latest texting conversation, her excitement building. The phone buzzed, startling her. Hoping that it was Jared, she scrolled to the bottom of the screen and smiled.Sorry, coach is keeping me lateMacy sighed, shivering in the cold Washington breeze. How long?Abt a half hrThe last thing Macy wanted was to put the date off, but it was really cold. U sure 2day still works?You want my dad to get u?Macy ran her hands through her freshly-styled hair. Going with a grown man hadn’t been part of the plan. She was just supposed to meet Jared and go the mall, or maybe a movie or to the arcade. They were going to play it by ear.Is it ok? Or u wanna wait?It was getting colder, and no way she wanted to sit here that long. The mall was too far to walk to, but with his dad she’d be warmer and see Jared sooner.They’d talked for so long over computers and texts. Macy didn’t want to wait more. She’d show everyone she wasn’t afraid to go out with a boy, no matter what her parents said.She texted him back. He’s ok driving me? He offeredU can’t come now?No. I have to helpOk. Your dad can pick me upK c u soonSliding the phone back into her pocket, she looked around again. Something didn’t feel right, but she pushed it aside. She and Jared had known each other for a whole month, and he was sweet and funny. If he thought it was okay for her to go with his dad, it was fine. She wasn’t a little girl anymore. Macy held her chin a little higher.A green pickup truck with a black canopy pulled into the empty parking lot. Macy squinted, trying to see if the driver looked like an old version Jared’s profile pictures. She couldn’t tell.



Click HERE to buy the book


Author Bio I love writing and reading a variety of genres. I've been writing and telling stories as long as I can remember. As a kid, my story telling would get me into trouble when I would try to convince other kids that my stories were real.When I'm not busy writing, I spend a lot of time with my family. I run a preschool from home and homeschool my kids.You can find me at: http://stacyclaflin.com/Connect with StacyFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/stacy.claflin.authorTwitter: http://twitter.com/growwithstacyPinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/growwithstacyGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6591338.Stacy_ClaflinBook Updates/Newsletter: http://bit.ly/10NrfMw


Win! Win! Win!

   a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Author Lisa Buie-Collard and Prizes

Today we have author Lisa Buie-Collard of the mystery thriller book, The Seventh Man. Read all about it and where to find it, and then check out the cool mystery riddle she left us. Can you figure out what it is?



author Lisa Buie-Collard
     When a young writer is kidnapped by a man who can't be seen, her only hope of escape rests on the one London cop who believes in ghosts. On a cold, white, before-Christmas day, an assassin completes a job only to be pursued by police. Dodging through crowded city streets, the assassin nabs a young woman for cover.Celia Wight, a reclusive American writer is shopping between engagements during a book tour. When a knife is pressed against her back, she loses her tenuous grasp on her carefully controlled existence.Assigned to the homicide case, Detective Alban Thain, of the Metropolitan Police, suspects an assassin he calls the Wraith. The problem is, only Thain believes the assassin exists. Disregarding the consequences, Thain, who is the only one who believes there is a connection between the murder and the kidnapping, will do whatever it takes to exploit the Wraith’s first and only mistake: the kidnapping of an innocent bystander—if she is innocent. 




Click HERE to buy book and ebook


About author Lisa Buie-Collard:
I am a writer, mother, wife, sister, and daughter. I’ve been a server, dental assistant, teacher, journalist, and gardener. I love to travel and speak French. I’m from north Florida, but now abide in Georgia. I write full time and have completed six novels. Writing is life, life is writing…

Where to find the author:http://www.lisabuiecollard.com
GoodreadsFacebookTwitterAmazon



I Love To Fly (Can You Guess What I Am?)
I love to fly. Even if there is constantly an element of trust that I must always count on, I will never give up flying. Sometimes flying is harder than other times. Sometimes I can only get a few feet off the ground. But mostly I can fly higher than treetops. I can soar; the only sound is air rushing by my ears. My eyes love the view. My skin loves the wind. My breath loves wicking away with the air flow over my face.Sometimes I hate landing. When it’s hard and bumpy and parts of me break off, I cry until I’m fixed. Sometimes I land by softly falling into outstretched hands, gentle and always happy to hold me. I prefer those landings.I am a simple being of simple desires and ideas. I am not grandiose. I am not flamboyant or made of odd and exciting angles, though I know of those who are. I am distinct and useful. I provide hours of entertainment while doing what I love best. I seem to please whomever I am partnered with all over the world, and have for quite some time. I am loved. I never cease to amuse and test limits. Then comes a time when I sit for years, unused, seemingly forgotten, and it is at this time I am sad, defeated, wondering if my trust and faith will be acknowledged or rewarded.But it always is. There always comes a moment when darkness turns to light, when kind hands repair and strengthen me, when daylight bursts upon my senses and I excel in that first long awaited jump into the air. I then breathe. I spread myself as far as my perfectly formed body can extend and I laugh, I soar, I dive, I live with every filament of my being. To my utter and profound satisfaction, that is the instant I truly grasp the greatness of happiness.I love to fly.

Win! Win! Win!
 a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Getting ready for the Indie Lights Book Parade

The Gooberella blogspot is getting ready for a month longIndie Author Book Parade. Guest authors will be blogging on the Gooberella blog and we'll be blogging on their blogs.Check back often and see all the different books and their authors.

A few recent watercolor paintings I've done of some pretty special dogs

Blanca


Augie & Xia


Guy

Love is in the air...next month.

Getting ready for Valentines Day. We are taking orders for talking dog and cats Valentine videos.
Order them at Talking Dogs

Peace, Love, Health, and Wealth, for 2015

The 3 Goobers got dragons and fur coats for Christmas this year