K.C. Sprayberry's Blog, page 173

Book Release - Inits!

Excerpt:
Thudding footsteps, a smack on the back as I’m swallowing, and then RAS straddles the chair across from me.“Don’t gulp. Then I won’t have to keep you from choking.” He fills his plate with enough food to feed the back line of the Atlanta Falcons. “The jerk used all the hot water.” RAS glares at me. “You will so pay later.”“Yeah, right.” I stuff more pancakes, strawberries, and sausages into my mouth.
I always pay. When will he figure out that I’m not his favorite tackle dummy?


This is a story that was with me for a long time, a story begging to be told more and more each day. Many, many people have been bullied. Most of us survived and went on to have useful lives, but we will always remember those who pushed us around, physically and mentally.

We stood up and walked away. The bruises weren’t always visible, but they were and are there. We remain quiet when harsh words are spoken … walk away when others begin conversations that make us feel uncomfortable. One and all, we dream of the day when bullying will stop.Some of us are around to share our stories. Others could no longer handle what was said or done to them. How do you stop a bully? Words? Actions? Treat them as they do you? There is no perfect solution, yet we can never stop standing up against these people.
Enter here for a chance to win a copy of Inits!
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Blurb:
High school means a whole new world. Yet, for Alex Starkey, pimples, discovering one of his buds is a real girl now, and an older brother using him as his favorite tackle dummy are tiny problems. What gets Alex's temper simmering are his inits. Surviving his freshman year without diving into deep trouble seems impossible. 

Bio:
KC Sprayberry started writing young, first as a diarist, and later through an interest in English and creative writing. Her first experience with publication came when she placed third in The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge contest while in the Air Force, but her dedication to writing came after she had her youngest child, now preparing to enter college.
Her family lives in Northwest Georgia where she spends her days creating stories about life in the south, and far beyond. More than a dozen of her short stories have appeared in several magazines. Five anthologies feature other short stories. She has three books that are Amazon best sellers: Softly Say Goodbye, Who Am I?, and Mama's Advice. Her other novels available are: Take Chances, Where U @, The Wrong One, Pony Dreams, Evil Eyes, and Starlight.
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Celebrate the Summer Solstice - June 21, 2014

Celebrate the Summer Solstice!
Summer Solstice Publishing celebrates the Summer Solstice, June 21, 2014, with a giveaway of books. 24 authors – 38 books! And bling with some of those books. We all love that beautiful bling.


First, we would love to offer you a free download of our cookbook here: Celebrate the Summer Solstice Cookbook



Just who are these authors? We’ll let you know in groups, and give you breaks with another video, some music, and a Rafflecopter link to get in to the drawing.Our first group of authors:
Jessica Tornese                                  E.B. Sullivan  Linked Through Time                       Christmas Guardian AngelLost Through Time
K.C. Sprayberry                                P.A. Estelle                Softly Say Goodbye                           Her Cracked HeartWhere U @                                         At What PriceWho Am I?                                        Hike Up Devil’s Mountain
Michael Thal                                     Marie Lavender        The Abduction of Joshua Bloom     Upon Your ReturnThe Legend of KooluraKoolura and the Mystery at Camp Saddleback

Geraldine Solon                                 Rebecca FrenclLove Letters                                       Ribbons of MoonlightChocolicious
Marelee Lowder                                CrackerberriesThe Gold Bluff Deception                 Blackhorse 2015
Mary H. Collins                                 W.H. MatlackNadia’s House                                   Waiting to Run                                                            Noir Town

Reagan Werner                                 Peter N. BernfeldRed Wing                                           Eliezer’s Journey
Elle Marlow                                       Angela BurkePour Me                                             LucidityOne Hundred Horses                        Beneath the Mayan Moon
Mysty McPartland                           Olivia GraceyPlundering the Treasure                  The Allow FactorHer Faithless Prince


Chrystal Vaughan                            Janice ClarkDead in the Water                            Hall of Doors 1
Kiss Carson                                        Mary FilmerCome the Blue Moon             Mary Sumeridge BeginningsFairview                                            Mary Sumeridge and The Golden Locket
Vic Nikitin                                        Rebecca StevensonHijack                                                 Another Summer
What a fabulous collection of books, and they can be all yours. All you have to do is click on the Rafflecopter link below. Each entry you complete gives you 5 points. This drawing is only for 24 hours – so enter now. The winner will be contacted as soon as we get the info.
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Release - Decker

Out of Control Characters is proud to help spotlight the newest book by Mel Massey!



Book Blurb:
In this first companion novel to the Earth’s Magick series, Decker tells his incredible, and sometimes painful, life story. For over 2,000 years, he has fought to survive and find his place in this ever-changing world. Beginning in a remote village in ancient Saudi Arabia, he takes the reader with him to Egypt, Rome, Gaul, Ireland, Scotland, Africa, and finally to the New World. Earth’s Magick readers will relive Decker’s incredible adventures and his most intimate secrets.
Excerpt:

Decker watched Mela as she went inside for the night. It was another late night of training and she’d done well. He smiled and thought he made a wonderful teacher if he could have her fighting like that in such a short time. He worried for her though. He watched Mela through the windows, still innocent in the eyes of a warrior, as she made her way through the house. She hadn’t taken a life yet, and until she did, she would be at a disadvantage from the part of her that mourns and feels guilt. He worried she wouldn’t be willing to and that was the thought that kept him up at night. She needed to be a killer.
She would hesitate--he could feel it. She wasn’t ready to face a real life or death fight, not yet. Until she was truly ready, he’d keep watch at night. Until he knew, without a doubt, that she would use her sword as if it were a part of her, and with no thought of the outcome, he would worry. He wondered if Wyatt would come now that the day’s training was done. Telling him stories from the past brought up many memories, and a deep longing he hadn’t known was there began to bother him.
Decker sat in his chair. It was his because he told everyone it was, and for now he rested his feet on the porch railing. Despite what he previously thought, he felt comfortable here at Mela’s home, and with his brothers. His affection for the girl was deepening every day, much to his surprise. When she moved with graceful purpose, he was so proud of her accomplishments. When she couldn’t manage to do something quick enough to suit her, he wanted to help her more. Yes, he knew he had become very fond of Mela. She was kind, but mouthy too. He liked that. She didn’t scold him often for being uncouth and she laughed at his jokes. It was almost like…
“Hey there, Decker!” Wyatt’s voice broke into his thoughts and Decker nodded his greeting to him. Wyatt was such a pretty man, Decker thought. He would’ve done well back in a time when a man’s beauty was considered just as important as a woman’s would. He smelled nice too, just like a proper Roman.
“Evening, Wyatt. What brings you out on a crisp, dark night?” Wyatt didn’t respond as he sat in the chair beside Decker and handed him a box.
“For you. I hope you like it.” Wyatt said, flashing his brilliant smile. Decker eyed him for a moment and opened the lid to the box.
“Ohhh…” Decker couldn’t help but smile. Wyatt had given him a box of cigars. He lifted one of the brown cylinders and held it up to his nose. He closed his eyes and breathed in the thick, heady aroma. “Lovely.” Completely chuffed at his gift, Decker swiftly bit the tip off of the cigar and lit the other end. He puffed on it for a while to let it catch fully and the thick blanket of musky smoke covered the back porch.
“Good?” Wyatt asked with a hint of laughter in his voice.
“Oh yeah. Thanks pal.” He smacked Wyatt on the back once and sat back in his chair, completely relaxed. Wyatt watched him for a moment, pleased with the look of happiness on Decker’s face. The genuine pleasure he saw in Decker’s smile made the difficult task of buying a box of good cigars worth it.
“Right…So, are you ready to talk some more?” Wyatt asked him, already pulling out his pad of paper and recorder. Decker smiled and nodded his head as he tried to remember how to blow smoke rings.
“And what, may I ask, is going on?” Vasha’s sultry voice tickled the air. Both men looked to see Vasha walking towards them from the shadows. Each step he took was full of seductive grace. All four of his arms extended out to touch the trees as he passed them. With his silent approach, he brought an overwhelming mixture of fragrances. Vasha spent much of his time bathing himself with perfumed soaps, rubbing perfumed oils into his blue skin, or smoking an assortment of pungent herbs from his Hookah. “It looks like a party and I want to know why I wasn’t invited.”
Visit www.melmassey.com for information on Mel's books, how to connect on social media, interviews, her blog, and forums for readers to gather and chat!

Rlease Day Blitz - Dream Home

About the Dream SeriesWhat if you could see everyone else’s dreams?  That’s the question Sara has to wrestle with in the Dream Series.  We first meet her as a shy, bookish college student who doesn’t think there’s anything extraordinary about herself.  And then the dreams start…Over the course of the series, Sara learns to live with these supernatural dreams and all the trouble they plunge her into.  At the same time, she grows from a student to a practicing doctor; and from a single girl to a wife and mother.  But every time she thinks she’s got everything figured out, life – and her extraordinary dreams – teach her that she’s always got more to learn…
Blurb for Dream Home (book 7 in the Dream Series)
“Oh, my God, I’m not even starting the job for four months!  How can I have an enemy already?”
Sara thought she had found the perfect job, the perfect new house and the perfect place to build a bright future for herself and her family.
But her new life is not quite perfect.  Her husband and her children are fitting right in, but before Sara even shows up for her first day of work, her coworkers are dreaming about getting rid of her. 
If that wasn’t bad enough, the one friend she’s made is dreaming nightly about a disaster that could wipe out the entire town…and Sara is beginning to think he might be right…
Dream Home is the exciting seventh book in the Dream Series.
Purchase Links:


Dream Home (Book 7 - Just released this Friday!) Amazon (Kindle or Paperback)
Dream Student (Book 1 – on sale for $0.99!)Amazon (Kindle or Paperback)Amazon (audiobook)
A Box of Dreams (Books 1-5 in one Box Set)Amazon 



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Cover Reveal: Transcending the Legacy

The final book in the Piercing the Fold series releases May 13, 2014! In Book 1, Jesca's reality was set askew. In Book 2, Jesca and the guardians fought to surface the rim of reality. In Book 3, Jesca ascended the veil of our world to bring back those she loves.In Book 4, Jesca must transcend her legacy to salvage humankind's existence. The question is, will the stakes be too high and the sacrifice too great? Amazon Best Selling Paranormal Sci-Fi series Piercing the Fold: Book 1 Surfacing the Rim: Book 2 Ascending the Veil: Book 3 Read more »

Starlight - The Tour!

What happened to Tawni Barclay?
The first thing Brad Patterson noticed as he skidded into the Starlight Resort was a teenage girl hanging from the elm tree near the entrance. A shudder ran through him. This scene bore an eerie resemblance to a local legend of three girls who had killed themselves forty years ago. No official records existed to prove those three deaths happened. All he'd been able to uncover were three missing person cases involving three teenage girls who had never been found. “Where are you, Jayme?”
Jayme Barclay sees her 15 year old swinging on a rope from a tree at Starlight, the mansion the county commissioner is making over. Brad Patterson loses a piece of himself when he answers the 911 call to get to Starlight on a snowy December night. A year later, the mystery surrounding Tawni's "suicide" still haunts both Jayme and Brad. Events spiral until Jayme must return from her isolation and face her demons. After reuniting with Brad, she reveals a secret she hid from him. They work with Tawni's friends to uncover the activities at Starlight and rescue another teen before she kills herself.
READ IT TODAY: AmazonBarnes and NobleSmashwordsMuse It Up Publishing KC Sprayberry started writing young, first as a diarist, and later through an interest in English and creative writing. Her first experience with publication came when she placed third in The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge contest while in the Air Force, but her dedication to writing came after she had her youngest child, now in his senior year of high school. Her family lives in Northwest Georgia where she spends her days creating stories about life in the south, and far beyond. More than a dozen of her short stories have appeared in several magazines. Five anthologies feature other short stories. She has three books that are Amazon best sellers: Softly Say Goodbye, Who Am I?, and Mama's Advice. Her other novels available are: Take Chances, The Ghost Catcher, Family Curse … Times Two, Secret From The Flames, Where U @, The Wrong One, Pony Dreams, Evil Eyes, and Grace. FOLLOW Kc AROUND THE UNIVERSE via: [Website] [Blog] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Goodreads] [Pinterest] [Google+] [Amazon] [JacketFlap] [Manic Readers] [AUTHORSdB] [Authorgraph]

Coming soon - Starlight!

Starlight will be available on Friday, May 2, 2014 at online venues at your fingertips. You can pre-order this romantic suspense novel now for the sale price of $3.99 at Muse It Up Publishing 



Blurb:
Jayme Barclay sees her 15 year old swinging on a rope from a tree at Starlight, the mansion the county commissioner is making over. Brad Patterson loses a piece of himself when he answers the 911 call to get to Starlight on a snowy December night.A year later, the mystery surrounding Tawni's "suicide" haunts both Jayme and Brad. Events spiral until Jayme must return from her isolation and face her demons. After reuniting with Brad, she reveals a secret she hid from him.
They work with Tawni's friends to uncover the activities at Starlight and rescue another teen before she kills herself.

Excerpt:
         Help me, Mama!          The plea jerked Jayme Barclay from a restless sleep. She bolted upright on the bed, the sheets tangled around her sweat-drenched body.          "Tawni? Baby? Where are you?"          Then it hit. The pain hanging heavy in her heart sharpened as she remembered the importance of today's date. One year ago, her fifteen-year-old daughter, Tawni, had died. The official cause of death on the certificate was suicide. The determination, made within days of the discovery of her body, was wrong. Jayme had tried to challenge the autopsy, but every official door had slammed closed as soon as she mentioned her name.          "It wasn't just another death, a suicide." Jayme swung her long legs off the bed of her octagonal cabin and strode into the bathroom. "Tawni never would have climbed into a tree to kill herself. She had severe acrophobia. Nobody listened, except Brad. They all claimed we didn't know how depressed she was."          Her voice boomed off the walls and echoed around her. The words she'd said mocked her, reminding her of the scorn and ridicule she'd suffered, until she left.          No one else lived with her, nor did she have any close neighbors. Jayme had picked this house for its isolated location, but the silence bothered her from the day she moved in, even though it was what she craved more than anything else. After three days, she began speaking her thoughts, as a way to maintain her tentative hold on sanity.          "Why do I feel like I'll lose touch with reality if I don't do something?"           A glance in the mirror brought home how at thirty-five, Jayme was nothing like the dewy-eyed innocent she'd been so many years ago. Fine lines traced a path outward from her deep blue eyes. Her black hair now had strands of gray threading through it, a testament to the trials she'd  survived, and her creamy complexion paled with the massive shadows beneath her eyes.


About the Author:
KC Sprayberry started writing young, first as a diarist, and later through an interest in English and creative writing. Her first experience with publication came when she placed third in The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge contest while in the Air Force, but her dedication to writing came after she had her youngest child, now in his senior year of high school. Her family lives in Northwest Georgia where she spends her days creating stories about life in the south, and far beyond. More than a dozen of her short stories have appeared in several magazines. Five anthologies feature other short stories. She has three books that are Amazon best sellers: Softly Say Goodbye, Who Am I?, and Mama's Advice. Her other novels available are: Take Chances, The Ghost Catcher, Family Curse … Times Two, Secret From The Flames, Where U @, The Wrong One, Pony Dreams, Evil Eyes, and Grace.
Facebook Twitter Blog WebsiteGoodreads JacketFlap Amazon Author Page Google +Pinterest Authorgraph AUTHORSdB Manic Readers

Spotlight - Retribution by T.G. Ayers

RETRIBUTION (Chronicles of the IRIN, Book #1)
Genre: NA Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: 14th March 2014
Publisher: Infinite Ink
Pages: 220

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Her name is Evangeline and she is Nephilim.

Evie belongs to the Brotherhood Irin and together with all the other Nephilim of the world she is protector to humanity, protector against evil. But evil has found its way into the Brotherhood. Someone has murdered her guardian and Marcellus, the New Master makes demands of the warriors that go against all they stand for. Demands Evie just can’t carry out.

Evie uncovers Marcellus’ plan to collect a set of special seals, but when a high-level demon reveals the truth behind the Seals of Hades, Evie know there is no way she can allow the Master of the Irin to get his hands on them. But will keeping the Seals from Marcellus cause her to sacrifice more that she should? Will vengeance for her guardian’s death be enough or will she need more to satisfy her Immortal soul?

PURCHASE LINK

The hand at her throat didn't allow her to defend herself. Or speak in her defense. So drastic action was required or she would be dead before she got any information from her captor.
Evie shut her eyes and concentrated.

A fullness spread along her back. Her shoulder-blades rose and pressed against the skin of her back as her wings poked through the glamored slits in her upper back. In an instant, both Evie and Baa'ruk were enveloped by a pair of shimmering white and silver wings. Foot-long feathers sent wisps of silvery white dust floating around them.

She had hoped for a strong reaction. Perhaps the fear of God? Or maybe shocked, awed reverence. Certainly not an ear-shattering fit of sneezing.

The Head Demon now stood, hands over his nose, mouth slightly open, eyes scrunched up in silent expectation of the next bout of ground-shaking sneezes. Little blades of grass peeked out from between the flagstones, shivering in the wake of the thunderous sneezes.

Evie flapped her wings, which was unavoidable when folding them up behind her, and in a blink, both magnificent silver-tipped wings were gone.

Of course, she felt bad that she'd now started another fit of sneezes with a second breeze of wing dust. And of course, the whole thing wasn't really that funny especially when she'd so recently almost met her maker. But Evie couldn't help it. The first giggle that escaped her was tentative, mild. The next second she was having a full-blown giggle-fest.
I have been a writer from the time I was old enough to recognise that reading was a doorway into my imagination. Poetry was my first foray into the art of the written word. Books were my best friends, my escape, my haven. I am essentially a recluse but this part of my personality is impossible to practise given I have two teenage daughters, who are actually my friends, my tea-makers, my confidantes… I am blessed with a husband who has left me for golf. It’s a fair trade as I have left him for writing. We are both passionate supporters of each other's loves – it works wonderfully…

My heart is currently broken in two. One half resides in South Africa where my old roots still remain, and my heart still longs for the endless beaches and the smell of moist soil after a summer downpour. My love for Ma Afrika will never fade. The other half of me has been transplanted to the Land of the Long White Cloud. The land of the Taniwha, beautiful Maraes, and volcanoes. The land of green, pure beauty that truly inspires. And because I am so torn between these two lands – I shall forever remain cross-eyed.
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Cover Reveal: Transcending the Legacy by Venessa Kimball

The final book in the Piercing the Fold series releases May 13, 2014! In Book 1, Jesca's reality was set askew. In Book 2, Jesca and the guardians fought to surface the rim of reality. In Book 3, Jesca ascended the veil of our world to bring back those she loves.In Book 4, Jesca must transcend her legacy to salvage humankind's existence. The question is, will the stakes be too high and the sacrifice too great? Amazon Best Selling Paranormal Sci-Fi series Piercing the Fold: Book 1 Surfacing the Rim: Book 2 Ascending the Veil: Book 3 Read more »

Review: P.S. I Killed My Mother by Stephanie Campbell

Today, I'm reviewing a wonderful YA novel by Stephanie Campbell, P.S. I Killed My Mother. First, though, let's learn more about this wonderfully talented author.


About the Author: Stephanie Campbell had her first book published at the age of seventeen. Now, at twenty-one, she is still wacking away at her computer, one day at a time. When she isn't reading or writing, she likes to dance, take karate lessons, and run. After all, you never know when you're about to be sucked into another world.
Blurb: Whitney has been abused all of her life. One day, when her mother hits her, she fights back. Unfortunately, her actions lead to the death of her mother. Whitney grows so frightened of what she has done that she is forced to cover up the crime. Soon, as the police begin to track down the murderer, Whitney is forced on the run and her life changes forever.


Review: Whitney Cooper kills her mother. Years of physical and emotional abuse at this woman's hand have driven Whitney to a self-protection mode during a particularly brutal beating and she can't take it any longer. Stephanie Campbell takes her reader into the dark world of child abuse, and the effect on the child. Her at times curt and emotionless portrayal of Whitney gives some insight into the protective measures these victims take in order to survive in a world they see as uncaring of their needs. From the first word, I was hooked on this novel. The violence with which Whitney lived resonated against my most basic instincts. Whitney's guilt over her actions brought sympathy for a teenager forced into a horrendous act when no one around her – teachers, her father, the police – none would recognize the raving madwoman attacking a child. The realism of Whitney's reaction to the act, the numbness felt throughout the time she ran from what she thought would be everyone's reaction to her act, and her recovery all provide the reader with moments of tears, soft smiles, and finally laughter. I highly P.S. I Killed My Mother for all readers, no matter what their age.