Karen Docter's Blog, page 158
March 29, 2018
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with VOICES OF ANGELS by Darlene Oakley #recipe ~ ONE POT RICE & CURRIED BUTTERNUT SQUASH #naturallyella
[image error]Karen’s Killer Fixin’s
**AUTHOR SPECIAL**
with Darlene Oakley!
Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, DARLENE OAKLEY, and her favorite recipe for ONE POT RICE & CURRIED BUTTERNUT SQUASH #naturallyella!!
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VOICES OF ANGELS
BY DARLENE OAKLEY
BLURB
After shooting a teen during a jewelry store robbery, Halifax police officer Daniel Howard (Dany) takes stress leave and respite at his grandmother’s house on the Bay of Fundy. While sifting through some of her things, he discovers a message in a bottle in her attic, an object he and Nan had found decades before. As he fights to recover from the trauma of the shooting, and finds the courage to hold a gun again, he undertakes a personal mission to find the person who wrote the message in the bottle.
Julia McIntyre is a well-known Christian performing artist whose brother was killed by a stalker during a stage performance. As Julia cradled her brother’s lifeless body, the killer slipped away in the ensuing chaos. Ravaged by depression and deserted by her husband, she hides away, locked in a prison of fear and grief.
In an effort draw out her brother’s killer, at the encouragement of the investigating officer, Julia steps out into public and is determined to return to a normal life—but there’s no denying the terror lurking in her heart and around every corner—until Dany appears on her doorstep.
As their hearts are inexplicably drawn together, Dany and Julia must unravel long lost family secrets to get inside the mind of a killer before Julia’s voice is silenced for good.
[image error]
VOICES OF ANGELS
BY DARLENE OAKLEY
EXCERPT
She glanced at the kitchen clock. Half an hour. He would be here in half an hour.
She turned on the television in the living room and sat down on the sofa with a couple slices of rye toast with peanut butter and a bowl of fresh-frozen strawberries.
She was just in time for the 8 o’clock news. They were just getting to the weather when her cell went off.
Who would be calling at this hour? Maybe Dany, checking up on her and reminding her that he’d be there shortly. Her heart cartwheeled.
“Good morning, honey girl.”
The food in her mouth turned to sand and she was barely able to swallow. Definitely not Dany.
“You showed some guts yesterday morning on TV.”
“I’m glad you thought so, Anthony.” Good. Just enough bravado, but not overconfident.
He chuckled. A sound that made him sound like a deranged Harley Davidson, and her stomach churn. “Anthony, huh? You really think that’s my real name?”
She nearly choked on her own saliva. Not his real name? What other information had he given her that was not right and that had wasted considerable time for Dany and Constable Davis?
“Wh-What do you mean?”
“Oh, that’s for me to know and Dany-boy to chase his tail for a little while longer.”
Anger pushed the usual terror she felt at the sound of his voice down to the furthest part of her stomach.
“Why are you calling me?”
“I know Dany-boy’s not with you this morning.”
“So, you’re just calling to keep me company, is that it?”
“Ooh. Feisty. Nice try, honey girl, but no. I’m calling to tell you about an unexpected visitor I had last night who is now keeping me company.”
If she hadn’t already been sitting down, she would have fallen. Fear, dread, heartache, and anger all nearly suffocated her.
Dany. He had been called in last night while she was sleeping. Had he gone on his own to confront P.O.? Had he decided to follow-up on whatever tip Constable Davis had been working on when he called them at the mini-putt?
Tears bedded her eyes, but she kept her voice level and lethal. “What have you done to him?”
The Harley Davidson chuckle returned. “Nothing … yet.”
Julia sighed. P.O. hadn’t killed him. Not yet. He was probably only using Dany for one purpose – to lure her to him. There was no guarantee that if she surrendered to him he would let Dany go, or that he’d even spare Dany’s life. She had no way of trusting anything P.O. said.
“Let me talk to him.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Then how do I even know you’re telling me the truth?”
“Do you really want to test me?”
She didn’t, but she also knew she couldn’t just sit in her house and do nothing.
“Don’t you hurt him. I’ll come if you promise me you won’t hurt him.”
She couldn’t decipher the next sound that came through the phone. Was it glee? Victory?
“I promise.”
“If I come to you, you will let him go?”
“Yes. If you come to me, I will let him go. Completely unharmed.”
Her body raged with the war between her mind screaming that something wasn’t right and her heart knowing that if she didn’t respond and something actually did happen to Dany as a result of her inaction, she would never forgive herself. She would never be able to live with that guilt. The guilt of knowing she hadn’t done everything possible to save him.
“Then, I’ll come.”
It was quiet on the line for a few moments. P.O. was probably celebrating.
“I’ll look forward to it,” he finally said.
Julia sat in shock for a few moments after P.O. hung up. This was it. The confrontation she’d been dreading. He’d finally succeeded in getting her. Of course, that was assuming that he actually did let Dany go, and Dany actually left after she surrendered. Dany wouldn’t be happy that she offered to sacrifice herself for him, but she also knew that him being free was the key to eventually getting her out of the whole predicament.
She was dressed and ready to go in ten minutes, her breakfast forgotten on the table. There was one more thing she needed to do.
She dialed Dany’s cell. It was entirely possible that P.O. didn’t have Dany at all. When she got his voicemail she hung up. There could be many reasons why he didn’t answer the call. His phone could be dead. He could be involved in some sort of aspect of the investigation that he couldn’t pull himself away from. If part of that work had meant confronting P.O., he could be unconscious.
Her next call was to Constable Davis and only got his voicemail, too. Maybe already working on getting Dany back.
Oh, well. A message would be better than nothing.
“Constable Davis, it’s Julia McIntyre calling. I received a phone call from P.O. He’s got Dany. He’s promised to let Dany go if I go over there. So that’s what I’m going to do. I tried Dany’s cell and he didn’t answer. May not be able to answer. I’ll be in touch when and if I can.”
She hung up and slipped the phone in her pocket. On a whim, she put the two empty Coke bottles and the remaining four loose in her satchel, and headed out the door.
[image error]Meet Author Darlene Oakley…
Darlene Oakley is a freelance writer, editor, and transcriptionist. She has written over 200 articles that have been published online, and edited over 25 books. Her first title, Inner Sanctum (Dystopian Fiction) was released in 2014, along with a devotional companion and journal. Her second fiction title, Voices of Angels (Romantic Suspense), was released December 2016. She is currently working on Book 2 of Inner Sanctum.
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Amazon Book Link: https://amzn.to/2pCfAWi
Darlene Oakley, Author on Facebook
I hope you enjoy the recipe Darlene is sharing today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy Eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 367 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.
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ONE POT RICE & CURRIED BUTTERNUT SQUASH
[Courtesy of Naturally Ella & Author Erin Alderson]
https://naturallyella.com/curried-butternut-squash-and-brown-rice-skillet/
DIRECTIONS:
4 teaspoons olive oil (divided)
1/2 medium red onion (minced)
1 clove garlic (minced)
1/2 cup short grain brown rice
1 1/2 cups 1/4-inch cubed butternut squash (about 1/2 pound)
1/2 cup chickpeas (drained/rinsed if using canned)
1 1/2 tablespoons mild curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
Scallions (for serving)
Cilantro (for serving)
In a 3 qt (or 5 qt) dutch oven, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add in the onion and cook until onion is translucent and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
Next, add in the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil followed by the brown rice. Stir until the rice is well coated with oil.
Stir in the squash, chickpeas, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Then add in the tomatoes and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to the lowest simmer, cover, and let cook for 45 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Sprinkle with scallions and cilantro before serving.
FOR SPECIAL TIPS & TRICKS: Go to the recipe link at Naturally Ella. https://naturallyella.com/curried-butternut-squash-and-brown-rice-skillet/
Note from Darlene: Healthy and hearty are not usually used in the same sentence but can be with this recipe. Instead of butternut squash I added sweet potato, 1 full can (798 mL) diced tomatoes and 1 can of coconut milk instead of vegetable broth.
This can easily be done in the Instant Pot, as well. Psst, the house smells really yummy afterwards
About 15 minutes on the meat setting on the Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker XL
~~~
[image error]SPECIAL GIVEAWAY!! Darlene is giving away either Voices of Angels mobi or epub editions, or a complete paperback set (Voices of Angels, Devotional, and Journal), reader’s choice, to one reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog.
Thanks, Darlene, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: MADNESS UNMASKED, Dragons of Zalara by M.L. Guida #NewRelease
[image error] [image error]
[image error]KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
~~
MADNESS UNLEASHED
Dragons of Zalara
BY M.L. GUIDA
Blurb
Damon is in love with the queen of the dragon warriors and the only way to get close to her is to be her personal guard. But the Fates are against him. Instead of wooing the queen, he’s forced to go to Earth to steal his destined human mate.
Three months ago, Hera Athans woke up in a park with no memory of who she is, where she lives, or what she does for a living. Now, she’s in survival mode. Two months behind on her rent she’s one step away from being homeless—again. She didn’t think things could get any worse. But she was wrong.
Kidnapped by an alien and held captive on board the spaceship Orion only Hera has the power to soothe his savage beast. She must mate with a dragon shifter to save both their worlds and unleash a love that will shake the stars…or lose both Earth and Zalara forever.
MADNESS UNMASKED
Dragons of Zalara
BY M.L. GUIDA
Blurb
Ysam, a dragon shifter, must kidnap his mate and bring her back to Zalara if he ever wants to join the crew of the Orion. But he’s got a big secret.
Kathy Strong, a psychic and a defense attorney, swore off all aliens and is furious when she wakes up in a space craft. All she wants to do is return to Earth and have a normal life.
Caught in an asteroid storm with communications jammed, they are forced to land on a hostile planet. With flesh-eating aliens on the prowl, can Kathy and Ysam trust each other to survive?
~~~
SAUSAGE PIE
A Recipe from M.L. Guida
Hello Everyone!
I’m excited to be here. Thanks, Karen, for allowing me to stop by.
I now have three books out in my Dragons of Zalara series. One of them is in the box set: 20 Shades of Shifters. To celebrate, I thought I’d share some of my family heritage.
Easter is around the corner and my family has a tradition of making Sausage Pie for Easter. I thought I would share the recipe with you.
It’s a secret Italian recipe!
5 Cups of flour
2 t Baking Powder
½ t Salt
Sift above ingredients. Make a well in center. In the well break six eggs, ¼ cup of cooking oil, and ½ cup of water. Mix together and stir flour in from sides. Stir until sticky, add more flour or water. If necessary, mix with hands. Sprinkle flour on the board and knead dough until smooth. Cover dough in bowl with plastic.
Slice thin 1-1 ½ inch Italian sausage. Fry and drain. Mix one dozen eggs, 2 lbs of grated pecorino cheese, ½ cup breads crumbs. Add sausage. Roll 2/3 of dough to fit pan. Fill, roll top, moisten edges with water to seal. Fit top, brush top with beaten egg yolk mixed with water. With fork, punch crosses in top.
Bake one hour @ 350 degrees.
I hope you enjoy this. I love sausage pie!
[image error]Meet Author M.L. Guida…
Award Winning Author M.L. Guida loves the paranormal. Even when she was four years old, she would watch the soap opera, Dark Shadows, and fell in love with vampires! Who wouldn’t want a bite on the neck? But she didn’t stop there. Witches, dragons, angels, and demons are sprinkled throughout her books.
Today, she continues to love the preternatural and watches Supernatural, Paranormal Survivor, and A Haunting. Like Dean Winchester, she loves to write alpha males who aren’t afraid to face the forces of evil.
~~~
Links to M.L.’s website, blog, books, etc.
Amazon 20 Shades of Shifter Boxset: https://amzn.to/2uuWE0t
Amazon Madness Unleashed: https://amzn.to/2GYyazq
Amazon Madness Unmasked: https://amzn.to/2GWH14I
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mlguida2
Website: https://www.mlguida.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLGuidaauthor
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/m-l-guida
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/6ICXv
Sign up for M.L. Guida’s newsletter to receive the latest book releases, updates, appearances, and any other fun information. http://eepurl.com/6ICXv She also has a readers Facebook Group called ML Guida’s Supernatural Lounge. She has giveaways, news, and ways for her to connect with you.
~~~
Thanks, M.L., for sharing your books with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read these books!
March 27, 2018
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: SEE THE BEAUTY, A 30 Day Celebration of Your Magnificent Life by Jools Sinclair #non-fiction
[image error]KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
~~
SEE THE BEAUTY
A 30-Day Celebration of Your Magnificent Life
BY JOOLS SINCLAIR
Blurb
Your life is beautiful.
Not your life yesterday. Not your life tomorrow. Your life right now.
But if you’re like most people, you probably don’t feel that way. Under a nonstop onslaught of depressing news stories, social media brain drain, gossip, fake news, and everyday frustrations, your awesomeness gets worn away and lost. And with it, so does your chance at happiness, joy, and the life that you deserve.
See the Beauty: A 30-Day Celebration of Your Magnificent Life will help guide you back to seeing your life with clear eyes. Through this daily mindfulness and interactive gratitude program, you will learn to unplug from all the ugly noise and focus instead on the countless wonders that surround you each and every day.
~~~
[image error]SEE THE BEAUTY
A 30-Day Celebration of Your Magnificent Life
BY JOOLS SINCLAIR
Excerpt
The See the Beauty program is a path back to seeing life, your life, as it truly is: amazing, big, and beautiful. It’s a practice of “interactive gratitude” that will help you notice and then record the beauty in your life every day, letting you unplug from a negative world and reawaken into a positive one full of grace and appreciation.
Your life is full of beauty right now, even with the credit card debt, the extra 20 pounds, the divorce, the troubling news in the world, the terrible boss, and the car that makes a funny noise when you accelerate. Even in the midst of all the chaos, you are surrounded in beauty. But if you’re like most people, you barely know it’s there because you’ve fallen into a habit of focusing on the bad instead of the good.
I know this because that’s exactly what I was doing for most of my life. I was living inside a fog and I didn’t even know it. It finally dawned on me one day when I returned from a long walk.
It was during a period when I was writing my bestselling mystery series Forty-Four. Life was good. I was making six figures a year for the first time ever, I had fans waiting for my new releases, and I was doing what I had dreamt about since I was a kid—writing for a living. But for some reason I wasn’t particularly happy. Despite the money and success, most of the time I was still swept up and focused on the nitty-gritty problems of day-to-day living.
One afternoon after hours of being locked up with my main character, I was eager to escape and get some fresh air. Walks have always been an important part of writing for me, a chance to release endorphins while thinking about plots and scenes. So I slipped on my shoes and headed outside.
After a block or so, I stopped thinking about the story and turned my attention to my sore heels, which had been hurting and didn’t seem to be getting any better. This thought led me to thinking about how I probably should go see a doctor, and this thought led to how I had gained weight and didn’t want to get on that scale. As I rounded a corner, my brain hopscotched back to the book I was writing, but suddenly veered over to my frustration about how Forty-Four had been close to being made into a television series, but had lost out to a zombie show. (No, not that zombie show.)
My mind was on a wild ride, Mr. Toad at the wheel with no brakes and plenty of gas. When I turned around and headed back home, it kept going. I thought about obnoxious politicians, annoying celebrities, and about how the housing market had recovered everywhere in the country except the place where I actually owned a house.
When I returned home I drank some water and went over to an open window.
And that’s when it hit me.
The blue skies. Warm air. The smell of hot pine needles in the soft wind. It was the end of summer and the bright leaves had just a hint of orange at the edges. Purple wildflowers grew in the yard, red berries cascaded off vines, butterflies fluttered near the grass.
It was a fantastic time in Bend, Oregon, and I had battled snow and ice and cold temperatures for five months to get to this brief oasis of sunshine and warmth. And yet on the walk I had missed all of it, hadn’t even given it a second glance.
It was a startling and painful realization. But then I thought of something else.
What if this was happening all the time?
What if I spent most days focused on the negative aspects in life while ignoring the blessings around me?
Not long after, I started a simple daily practice of noticing the beauty in my life and recording it in a journal. And not just natural beauty like sunsets and colorful leaves, but all kinds. Everything that I saw, touched, tasted, heard, smelled, and felt. The beauty of the people I interacted with, the beauty of good writing, the beauty in the books I read and the music I listened to. The beauty in drinking a glass of wine at four o’clock on the deck, the soft fur of my cat at my fingertips.
I wanted to give these moments their proper respect, give them the attention they deserved. I certainly focused a lot on all those bad, grating things, why not spend at least 20 minutes a day thinking about all the good ones?
I made the commitment to sit down in the late afternoon every day with my journal for one month. And because I wanted this new practice to be fun and not just another writing obligation, I bought some nice colored pencils to sketch little illustrations alongside my short entries.
I put all of it in my journal, big moments of beauty and little moments. Everything. The email from a reader who loved my books, red-gold sunsets, cooking lasagne alla bolognese, the conversation I overheard between two five-year-olds talking about Batman, watching a Dodger game, a full moon rising up over the mountains, impromptu and silly dancing with my husband.
And, as the weeks went by, something magical happened. I started seeing more and more beauty, and it soon felt like I had entered into another world. A world that existed right there beside the negative one. A place that left me feeling happy and appreciative.
And that was how See the Beauty was born.
The program is not about slapping a happy face on devastating events or pretending that life is wonderful when you’re experiencing difficulties and are in a dark night of the soul. And it’s not about picking up a pencil and drawing a flower when everything feels like it’s falling apart.
Life is hard. But, if we’re honest, most of us would agree that our lives aren’t falling apart most of the time. Still, we’re in the habit of giving our attention and power over to negativity, a darkness that drains our energy and spirit. This negativity is everywhere, wanting and needing and feeding off the light inside us.
It’s on our phones, tablets, and laptops. It’s on the television at the gym when we’re trying to do a workout and at the hotel breakfast bar. It’s in the lunchroom chatter as we refill our coffee mugs. We have a tendency to not only listen to bad news and gossip, but we also spend valuable time reacting to it.
I’m not suggesting that you should remain ignorant or uncaring of the world’s woes. What I am saying is that you should be the one in charge of your focus. Not Fox News or CNN. Not the White House. Not Wall Street or Madison Avenue. You.
See the Beauty is a simple practice that allows you to step back, unplug, and start giving yourself a little time each day to appreciate your amazing life. And when you do this, you’ll begin seeing the following:
Instead of lack, you’ll see the abundance that surrounds you;
Instead of desire for the things you don’t have, you’ll feel gratitude for all the wonders that you already possess; and
Instead of feeling overwhelmed by a mean, crazy, and out-of-control world, you’ll begin to see that your own life is really not so mean, so crazy, or so out-of-control but bursting with beauty.
While I can’t say that all my problems and habits of negative thinking have vanished since starting this practice years ago, I can tell you that making a conscious effort to notice beauty has helped cultivate a deep reverence and appreciation for my life.
Most days you’ll find me sitting at the table in the late afternoon with my journal open and a pencil in hand. It’s a routine that I am grateful to have found and am so excited to share with you.
Because the core of the See the Beauty program is about love, it is the perfect companion to all religions, philosophies, and beliefs.
So, welcome! I’m so glad that you’re here!
Thank you SO much Karen for having me on your amazing blog!
[image error]Meet Author Jools Sinclair…
Sinclair is a bestselling author, teacher, speaker, and the creator of SEE THE BEAUTY, a program that helps people celebrate the beauty in their lives. She lives in Tucson, Arizona.
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Links to Jool’s website, blog, books, etc.
Amazon:
amazon.com/See-Beauty-30-Day-Celebration-Magnificent-ebook/
Barnes and Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/see-the-beauty-jools-sinclair
Website: seethebeautyproject.com
Website: Joolssinclair.com
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/208106776425796/
~~~
[image error]**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: Jools is giving away a See the Beauty: A 30-Day Celebration of Your Magnificent Life Giveaway: One 30-Day class (either through Udemy or her website) to one lucky reader and one SEE THE BEAUTY Ebook to another lucky reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog. That’s two lucky readers!
Thanks, Jools, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
March 26, 2018
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: REVENGE, LUST AND VOODOO by Dina Rae
[image error]KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
~~
REVENGE, LUST AND VOODOO
BY DINA RAE
Blurb
Lucien Nazaire is an old Haitian priest with a checkered past. He longs to find the perfect apprentice to carry on his life’s work of black magick. He hires Jake, a neighbor boy, to help him with odd household jobs and then takes him under his wing.
Sixteen year old Jake LaRue lives with his abusive uncle. Voodoo becomes the perfect solution to get him out of a helpless situation.
Henry Novak, an autistic teen and Jake’s only friend from school, becomes obsessed with Haiti and the dark arts. He wants to be included in Jake’s Voodoo lessons.
The newly learned magick gives both boys the power to manipulate those they hate and lust. But their dreams soon unravel once the Voodoo spells wear off.
~~~
[image error]Zombies Are Real
By Dina Rae
With the so-called zombie apocalypse approaching, one must be educated about the different kinds of zombies before prepping for defense. First, there is the most common and believable-the human that turns into a zombie because of mental collapse, disease, infection, and/or radiation. They stagger around dazed and confused and cause panic to others. Then there is the man-made monster kind or the kind Hollywood and horror authors like me tend to capitalize on.
Zombie interest continues to fascinate the world. Jeffrey Dahmer drilled holes then poured acid down his victim’s heads in hopes of creating his own zombie. His madness didn’t work. Can man make his own zombie? Are these monsters real?
According to Wade Davis, author of The Serpent of the Rainbow, zombies are real. They are a product of the Voodoo religion. He was originally hired by a pharmaceutical company to find out about the drugs Voduists used in their death rituals. He believed that datura also known as zombie’s cucumber was a plant that could medically make one who ingested it appear to be dead for a certain length of time. Sounds like the stuff Juliet Capulet used to fake her death. Could Shakespeare have known about the magical zombie-making plant?
Datura or sometimes Cimora, a close relative of Datura’s, eventually wears off but leaves the victim in a state of confusion, highly susceptible to the art of persuasion. Presto! A zombie slave is at the captor’s disposal. Mr. Davis didn’t just find his datura flower, but witnessed zombie phenomena as he immersed himself within the Haitian culture.
Revenge, Lust and Voodoo is a unique blend of paranormal, romance, and fantasy. Besides The Serpent and the Rainbow, I read volumes of other Voodoo material and watched hours of TV specials. Some of the terms I learned can be found below:
Bokor: A wizard who practices black magic, a zombie maker.
Loa: deity/spirit
Ghede Family: A family of loas known as the spirits of the dead. Three barons rule the family. Baron Samedi is the loa of resurrection. Baron Kriminel is the most feared loa associated with cannibalism and souls. He’s honored on The Day of the Dead. Baron LaCroix is the loa of the dead and sexuality.
Poppet: Voodoo doll
Ti-bon-ange: “little good angel” The part of the soul that represents a person’s individuality.
Gros-bon-ange: “great good angel” Part of the soul that is collected into a reservoir of the Cosmos or spirit world.
Baka: Voodoo spirits in animal form.
Loup Garou: werewolf
Djab: a devil
Dessounin: Death ritual that separates the gros-bon-ange from the body.
Bizango Society: Secret society of Vodouists. They have Freemason-like qualities such as aprons, secret handshakes, oaths, hierarchy, and symbols. Legend states they change into animals at will. They are known for stealing black cats and boiling them to death for Voodoo services. They drink each other’s blood from a human skull chalice.
[image error]Meet Author Dena Rae…
Dina Rae has written seven novels. She lives with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs outside of Dallas. She is a Christian, avid tennis player, movie buff, teacher, and self-proclaimed expert on several conspiracy theories. She has been interviewed numerous times on blogs, newspapers, and syndicated radio programs. She enjoys reading about religion, UFOs, New World Order, government conspiracies, political intrigue, and other cultures. The Sequel, Volume 2 of The Best Seller series, is now available and released by Solstice Publishing.
~~~
Links to Dena’s website, blog, books, etc.
Revenge, Lust and Voodoo is available for 1.99 on Amazon.
Blog: www.dinaraeswritestuff.blogspot.com
~~~
Thanks, Dena, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
March 25, 2018
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: THE BREDE CHRONICLES BOOK 1 by P.I. Barrington
[image error]KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
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THE BREDE CHRONICLES
Book 1
BY P.I. BARRINGTON
Blurb
Half-human Alekzander Brede is a law unto himself…or so he thinks. Elektra Tate, the street orphan who loves him has other ideas. When she betrays him for no apparent reason, he vows to punish her one way or another. Taking the one thing she treasures most—their son—begins a cat and mouse relationship spanning two planets and costing possibly his life. Elektra will stop at nothing to save her son but can she overcome Brede’s twisted idea of vengeance?
“Science fiction bodice-ripper set in dystopian future complete with aliens…best sci-fi novel of 2014!”
~ Ursula K. Raphael, Zombephiles.com
5 stars
“Welcome, P.I. Barrington to the ranks of writers who are worthy of the description sci-fi writer… The ending leaves you eager to start on Book Two…”
~Nerd Girl Official
4 Stars
“This is a love story with it’s ups and downs in a world like Star Trek or Buck Rogers or Fringe all mixed up into one… “
~Mello and June
~~~
Novel Dialog vs Script Dialog: Which is Better?
By P.I. Barrington
Many years ago (nearly a decade now) when I was a fledgling novelist, I was constantly telling people to “Be concise. Choose your words carefully and don’t use five words when you can use one!” Like everything else in life, it came back to bite me (never mind where).
I was stuck in the middle of the second book of The Brede Chronicles when my sister passed away and I had to move across country. I finally finished the book, sent off to the publisher and as a reward I binged-watched a film that I loved, Pitch Black.
When you binge-watch a movie five times in a week, you’re bound to learn something new and I did. I’d been reading articles about screenwriting (yes, I actually wrote one back in the Pleistocene Age) because I found it challenging. Screenwriting is, in it’s entire definition, a film script in 90 to 120 pages. Not word count, but in dialogue and images. Short sentences even a word or two have to convey actions or emotions…yes concisely. See what I mean about biting me?
But when I had my dialog revelation, it was from a line in Pitch Black that seemingly was unimportant. Radha Mitchell’s Carolyn Fry is beginning to gain back her responsibility as the only person left that inherits the title “Captain” though she at one point tried to eject all the passengers to save herself. When the survivors find a workable skiff ship she attempts to take over and mercenary Johns questions her authority.
Example FRY: What is the discussion Johns? Just get the power cells to the ship.
I won’t post anymore but I will explain what I mean. First, I love the first line itself. Well crafted and to the point. “What is the discussion Johns?” uses angry though low sarcasm and frustration and expresses that she is the reluctant “Captain” and is trying to get the ship working before almost inescapable, permanent eclipse envelopes them all in blackness and danger. Without everything I just wrote the sentence says all of that. Again, granted this isn’t the most urgent, important line in the film but it does its job. The rest is visual as well as dialog in film and everyone uses short, to the point sentences that keeps upping the stress and danger levels and the passage of time.
Now, that’s a major change from most novel dialog. You have the advantage (or disadvantage) of writing longer more complicated dialog as well as the description of it and others’ reaction.
Example: “And that, my friends, is the unmistakable scent of the Violin Rose!” He sat back down and smiled at the crowd, imagining them all to be ardent admirers.
“Well, he’s obviously an interesting speaker,” Tina said.
“He’s a boor,” Thomasina said. “Most speakers are, thinking that their overblown speeches are magnificent.”
For novels, you get all that extra space to enhance dialog with description and prose. Something like this:
The sun’s rays broke over the horizon, splintering over and between the minarets like glass shards.
You can add dialog before or after the above sentence if you’re careful and know exactly what you are doing and what effect you want to have on the reader (this is why I say be concise).
Example: The sun’s rays broke over the horizon, splintering over and between the minarets like glass shards. “It’s beautiful,” he whispered over his shoulder, never taking his eyes off it.
Which of these styles of dialog win for creativity? The answer is neither. What they do and should do is what they did to me. They showed me how to be concise with my dialog, to give it urgency or explanation in relation to scene, situation, emotions. They just do it in different formats. Both help the writer and teach him/her how to manipulate dialog to the best effect. Ready for launch?
[image error]Meet Author P.I. Barrington…
After an extended trek through the entertainment industry, P.I. Barrington has returned to writing. She is multi-published via several publishers. She and her MaltiChu, CupCake love to hear from readers & can contact her at pibarrington@yahoo.com
~~~
Links to P.I.’s website, blog, books, etc.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2pEewkC
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/P.I.-Barrington/e/B0032UWIA0/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PIBarrington
Facebook: http://www.Facebook/BarringtonPI
~~~
Thanks, P.I., for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
March 23, 2018
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with ROADSIDE by Angie Dokos #recipe ~ Angie’s Aunt’s Strawberry Cake
[image error]Karen’s Killer Fixin’s
**AUTHOR SPECIAL**
with Angie Dokos!
Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, ANGIE DOKOS, and her favorite recipe for ANGIE’S AUNT’S STRAWBERRY CAE!!
~~~
ROADSIDE
BY ANGIE DOKOS
BLURB
Zayne finds Serena’s lifeless body off the side of the road one morning. She has been beaten and left for dead. As she recovers, they become the best of friends. It doesn’t take long for Zayne’s feelings to grow stronger. Will the fear of ruining their friendship keep them from taking a chance on love?
[image error]ROADSIDE
BY ANGIE DOKOS
EXCERPT
Levi didn’t look at the caller ID on the screen before answering. “Detective Morgan.”
“Dad. She’s awake.” Zayne spat out.
Confused, Levi questioned, “What? Who?”
“The girl we found. She woke up.”
“How do you know? The nurses were to call me when she woke up.”
“They are working with her now. Trying to calm her down.”
“You’re there? At the hospital?”
“Yes. I came back to check on her. She woke up while I was talking to Sadie.”
“Son, why did you go back? You knew they’d call me if there were any changes.”
“I don’t know, Dad. I just felt like it.” Zayne snapped. “Please get back down here and ask your questions so you can help her.”
Levi exhaled loudly. “I’m on my way.”
Zayne stood outside the door listening to Sadie and another nurse talk to the girl. Sadie was telling her she had been beaten and was found lying near the side of the road. The other nurse told her, “You’re safe now. The young man that was here when you woke up was one of the people that found you and brought you here.”
Sadie asked, “Can you tell us what your name is sweetie?” Zayne listened for a response. He heard Sadie say, “It’s okay honey. You’re going to be okay.”
The other nurse asked, “Do you want some water to drink?” He didn’t hear a reply from the girl, but he could hear the nurse moving around. He was afraid to go back into the room. When she first woke up and saw him, she panicked. She didn’t scream, but it looked like she was about to. She was whimpering. Tears rolled down her bruised and swollen face. She tried to push herself away. She was shaking, and the heart rate monitor’s beep sped up. Sadie asked him to go find a nurse named Piper. She was trying to calm the girl down. He found Piper at the nurses’ station. She rushed into the room to help Sadie.
Zayne was still standing at the door listening when his dad arrived. Levi asked, “Son, are you okay? You look exhausted.”
Zayne replied, “I’m fine. Go find out who she is and help her.”
Levi shook his head. “We need to talk about this later.” He lightly tapped on the partially open door.
[image error]Meet Author Angie Dokos…
Once upon a time there was a young woman with a passion for writing. When her oldest daughter was a senior in high school, they developed a plan to write, edit, format, and publish a book together as a project. Okay, well since you know the daughter was a senior, you know she’s not a very young woman. She refuses to grow old, so we’ll stick believing she’s a young woman. Anyway, the project ended up being a little too complex for the daughter to endure to the end. The young woman had already grown too attached to her characters, so she had to see it through. Two years later, Mackenzie’s Distraction was born…I mean published.
[image error]Mackenzie’s Distraction is a new adult romance novel with some humor tossed in. Mackenzie is a young woman with a rough past and a promising future. Just when her career is within reach, tragedy strikes. A terrible accident and a family secret turn Mackenzie’s world upside down. She’s sure her new life can’t become any more complicated. Then she meets Trevor. Will he be the distraction that pushes her over the edge?
You can order Mackenzie’s Distraction at www.amazon.com/dp/B01BL4H20E. She’s got some great reviews on there, check it out.
In addition to Mackenzie’s Distraction, Angie Dokos published her second new adult romance novel in 2017. Roadside introduces you to Zayne, Serena, and their friends. Zayne finds Serena’s lifeless body off the side of the road one morning. She has been beaten and left for dead. As she recovers, they become the best of friends. It doesn’t take long for Zayne’s feelings to grow stronger. Will the fear of ruining their friendship keep them from taking a chance on love? You can check it out at www.amazon.com/ROADSIDE-Angie-Dokos-ebook/dp/B0722T3Y58
~~~
Links to Angie’s website, blog, books, etc.
Angie can be found all over social media. She hangs out on Twitter and Facebook more than she should. Her links are listed here:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2FX1uVx
Blog: www.angiedokos.wordpress.com
Website: www.angiedokos.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/angiedokos
Instagram: www.instagram.com/angiedokos
Facebook: www.facebook.com/angiedokosauthor
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/angiedokos
Goodreads:
www.goodreads.com/user/show/31452642-angie-dokos
Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/angiedokos
I hope you enjoy the recipe Angie is sharing today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy Eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 366 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Angie would like to share her Aunt’s strawberry cake recipe. She has made it a few times, but it never tastes as good as it does when her aunt makes it. Maybe you’ll love it as much as her family does.
ANGIE’S AUNT’S STRAWBERRY CAKE
1 box Duncan Hines classic yellow cake mix
1 box strawberry jello (regular size)
3/4 cup veg. oil
3 eggs (room temp)
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup sliced frozen strawberries (thawed)
Mix well and put in 4 greased and floured round cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees 20 to 25 minutes. Put on a cooling rack. Mix the icing ingredients. When layers are cool, ice one at a time using toothpicks to hold layers together.
Icing
5 1/2 teaspoons margarine (1/3 cup)
Melt butter and add 1 box of confectionery sugar (Dixie Crystal 4X) and 1/2 cup strawberries. Ice your cake. Enjoy.
Thank you, Karen, for helping readers find new books to enjoy, and for supporting authors.
~~~
[image error]SPECIAL GIVEAWAY!! Angie is giving away a signed, paperback copy (U.S. Only) of ROADSIDE to one reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog.
Thanks, Angie, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: TRAFFICKED, a Mex Anderson Novel by Peg Brantley
[image error]KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
~~
TRAFFICKED
A Mex Anderson Novel
BY PEG BRANTLEY
Blurb
Sex trafficking.
Not Thailand. Or the Philippines. Or Russia.
America.
Rich or poor, black or white, girls disappear across this country every day, pulled into the nightmarish world of prostitution and drugs.
Mex Anderson is back, tasked with finding three missing girls before it’s too late. Three girls. Three girls who could live in your town, your neighborhood, or in your own home.
Jayla Imani Thomas is fifteen. A smart kid from a poor part of town who has to fend for herself. Jayla is headed for college and a better life than her mother had.
Alexis Emily Halston is seventeen. Money provides everything she wants or needs except functional parents. Alexis has the world by the tail and she knows it.
Olivia Emma Campbell is twelve. She’s a middle child who dreams of being a veterinarian when she grows up. But right now “Livvy” just wants someone to notice her, maybe even to love her.
Caught up in a cruel system fueled by lust and money, all three young women must find the courage within themselves to survive. And Mex must come to terms with his own loss and face his demons head on—or he might not have the strength to save them.
~~~
[image error]TRAFFICKED
A Mex Anderson Novel
BY PEG BRANTLEY
When Research is Devastating
Since I write what I feel and not necessarily what I know, I’ve done a lot of research for each of my books: from working dogs to organ donation to depression to Santeria. I’ve investigated locations from Colorado to Louisiana to Monterrey, Mexico. Most of the research was intriguing (though I have to admit bringing Santeria voluntarily into my knowledge base scared me).
I found a vacant building right next to Mile High stadium (which gets renamed so often it’s good the old guard never stopped referring to its original moniker) where the Denver Broncos and their fans gather on many Sunday afternoons. I called a restaurant in Slidell, Louisiana to find out whether they had booths. They didn’t. Details. They can make or break a story.
But the research for my new release, TRAFFICKED, about did me in. The human suffering I found in the all-too prolific material had details I’ll never be able to un-learn. Details that weren’t simply to flesh out a scene. Some of them I used in my story in a fictional way, some of them I quoted to open chapters (I think I did that so it wouldn’t just be me who had to face the reality). And some of them I let sink into some deep recess of my mind.
What I came away from the research on human trafficking is this: I write fiction. I make the story up and at the end of the day I can move on to my next story. But the men and women who live this reality, who fight it and who reach out to the victims every day, don’t leave the horror behind. Their next story is the next victim. The next perpetrator. And the sad truth is that there’s always a next.
I think maybe that’s why it’s been so hard for me to let go of this story and move on to my next one. I’m feeling a little haunted.
TRAFFICKED will take you into a fictional world from a base of reality. It will open your eyes, provide real data, and if I did my job right, introduce you to characters you’ll care as much about as I do.
If you’re inclined to move forward in any way, don’t ignore the resources listed at the end of the story. One of my fantasies is that this little book might find its way into the hands of a young girl who’s alone and afraid, and she’ll see the list of places to help. You can be part of those if you choose.
[image error]Meet Author Peg Brantley…
A Colorado native, Peg Brantley and her husband make their home southeast of Denver, sharing it over time with the occasional pair of mallard ducks and their babies, snapping turtles, peacocks, assorted other birds, foxes, a deer named Cedric, and a bichon named McKenzie.
With the intent to bring credibility to her stories, Peg is a graduate of the Aurora Citizens’ Police Academy, participated in the Writers’ Police Academy, has interviewed crime scene investigators, FBI agents, human trafficking experts, obtained her Concealed Carry Permit, studied diverse topics from arson dogs to Santeria, and hunted down real life locations that show up in her books.
~~~
Links to Peg’s website, blog, books, etc.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2GKfdQV
You can learn more about Peg’s books at http://www.pegbrantley.com or meet up with her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pegbrantleyauthorpage.
It’s all better with friends.
~~~
[image error]**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: Peg is giving away an ebook or paperback (U.S. Only) copy of TRAFFICKED to one lucky reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.
Thanks, Peg, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: FIRE CHASER, An Everyday Heroes Novel by Teresa L. Arrowood
[image error]KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
~~
FIRE CHASER
An Everyday Heroes Novel
BY TERESA L. ARROWOOD
Blurb
My Name is Nathan Becker. I’m a fire chaser.
My life had always been uncertain. From the time I was a child, nothing has been what most would consider normal.
My father became a raging alcoholic, and my mother a runaway.
My stability came from one person.
Allison.
It’s been seven years… Seven long years since she left my life.
Now she’s back, and if my life as a fireman wasn’t dangerous enough, she is sure to burn me down.
~~~
[image error]FIRE CHASER
An Everyday Heroes Novel
BY TERESA L. ARROWOOD
Excerpt
“Darn it,” she exclaimed. “Jack must be wondering what happened to me.” She was still in his shirt, and found the jogging pants he laid out for her the night before, which were too big for her. Her auburn mane was still held in place by his tie, and had it been any other woman, they would have looked frumpy in his clothes—not Allie. She could make a sack look good. She was starting to get anxious again. There were no messages that could have gotten through, and no way for anyone to get to them unless they were in for a hike.
He had to stay cool. Both of them couldn’t fall apart. He sauntered into the kitchen, and poured both of them an ice tea, as Allison continued in vain to get a signal. He handed a glass to her, and she looked at him as if she wanted to say something, then let her gaze drift away. “What’s wrong, Allie?” He could see she was uncomfortable, but couldn’t imagine why.
“Nothing,” she responded, as she turned away facing the opposite wall. “Are you sure?”
“No, there’s nothing wrong.” She stepped away, just enough to be out of reach, and remained with her back turned. He took a drink, and observed her as she worried the cell in her hand. “There is too. What is it?” Nathan wasn’t angry, but he raised his voice just enough to get her attention. He hated to see her in distress. Something was bothering her.
She didn’t turn around as she worried her cell in her hand again. “It’s just that… um…”
“What Allie?”
Without turning, she pointed behind her. Looking around, there was nothing in the room that would have been disturbing. “What is it Allie?” He again waited for her response. She crossed her arms in front of her and looked down.
“It’s… um… um.” She was stuttering again, and he knew her feathers were ruffled over something.
He took a step toward her, and she took a step away. “What is it?” When it dawned on him, he backed away. “Is it me?” She didn’t say anything, just nodded her head. “What about me?” She couldn’t seem to put the words together, and it annoyed him. “If you don’t tell me, I can’t fix it.”
She walked away, not turning around. “Allie!”
She picked up the T-shirt she had worn the night before, and backed up, with her face away from him. She handed it to him, reaching it behind her. He chuckled. “You’ve got to be kidding.” She shook her head. He’d come from the shower, dressed in a pair of old, faded worn-out jeans that were ripped at the knees, and no shirt. He hadn’t thought a thing of it. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen him like that before. “Allie, you saw me dressed in less clothing when we were teenagers.” Her arm remained extended behind her. Taking the shirt, he smirked as he slid it down his body.
“Okay, I’m decent,” He laughed. She turned around, and he could see that she was outraged, which made it more comical to him.
“How could you,” she yelled, and took a few more steps away. By this time, she was more than six feet away from him.
“Allie, come on, you’re a caregiver, you see a man’s naked chest, and more every day.” Then he went a step too far. “I’m sure you’ve seen Jack in various stages of undress.”
Her face turned crimson, and she fumed as she made her way toward him, standing directly in front of him. She was so close now that their noses could have touched. “How dare you?” She paused for a moment. He knew she was calming herself. “Yes, I’m a caregiver, and I see men and women in different stages of undress every day. And not that it’s any of your business, I’ve never seen Jack. None of that matters, none of them were you!”
What did she mean she had never seen Jack? Did that mean? No! It couldn’t be. She was how old now—twenty-five? She had to be, her birthday was in April. That made him snicker a little more.
“Now what,” she demanded.
“You. I can’t believe you.”
‘Me! You’re the one who comes out here half-dressed.” She again waved her hands from his shoulders down, he guessed, implying that he was indecent.
When he seen that it really upset her, he quit teasing her. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, looking down. He took a few steps toward her, slowly. He was cautious as he took a step toward her, and she made it clear she didn’t want him near her.
Clasping her face, he turned it up to him. Her eyes closed tight, slowly opened on him. “Allie, are you telling me that you and… you never have?”
Her face flushed. Embarrassed? “No,” was all she would say. Somehow, it lifted him. She was still untouched? At least not by Jack. The silence was awkward. Nathan sat on the couch as she stood where he had left her.
“Come sit by me,” he coaxed. “We’re not going anywhere. We might as well catch up.” Allison turned to pick up her glass from a nearby table, and sat in the chair across from him. Again he laughed. “Allie, I’ve had my shots, I won’t bite, and you did spend the night in my bed last night, or have you forgotten?” He followed her every move as she reluctantly stood, walked over, and sat beside him. The friction was thick between them, if there had been one spark they would have burnt the house down around them. She sat stock-still, looking down into her drink, then took it to her lips. He fought the idea of what her lips would feel like on his. He wanted to kiss her, just as he had the night before. Not sure how he wanted to enter into the conversation, he sat saying nothing. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, and was sure there were none she would have answered. “So,” he started, “what do you want to talk about?”
She looked at him as if she could choke him. “This was your idea.”
He shrugged, and kept cool. “Sorry, I just thought you would want to start.”
“Not particularly.”
He turned and looked at her as she gazed of in the other direction, making every attempt to keep from looking him in the eye.
“Okay, why don’t we start with how you ended up here last night? Last night was your engagement party, what happened to Jack? I thought you would have been with him.”
[image error]Meet Author Teresa L. Arrowood…
“I’m Teresa Arrowood and I have been writing since I was a teen. I decided to write a book when my son and his now wife married a few years ago. These books are meant for the enjoyment of others but to also make you think how precious life can be. I always wanted to write a story that would bring the reader into it and keep them there until they read the last page . With the release of my first book I hope to achieve that goal and bring along some new friends for the ride. Fire Chaser will be my first release although I have had two others released previously. Those books have been pulled for recirculation at a later date. All of my books so far have dealt with the lives of first responders and how they handle life in a nonstop adrenaline rush. These books, for the most part, are romance suspense to a romance thriller. Fire Chaser is about a bad boy fireman who grew up with his best friend across the street. His parents, who at first seemed to be a perfect couple until their lives fell apart, leaving Nathan Becker with a runaway mother and a alcoholic father. This is the first in a series called the Everyday Heroes and I absolutely believe we see them everyday. What makes me an expert? I am a Critical Nurse in a small rural hospital. I have been in the nursing field for over thirty years and I have seen many strange and beautiful things. Like everything in life, with the good always comes the bad. I am writing these books to help those who have been impacted by many aspects of difficulties and have come out stronger on the other side. It is my intention to give you characters you can relate to and fall in love with. Ones that will leave you laughing, crying and cheering with everything in between. I absolutely love what I do and want to share it with you.
~~~
Links to Teresa’s website, blog, books, etc.
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Teresa-L.-Arrowood/e/B00DT9Z4C8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1521146051&sr=1-1
Blog: https://teresaarrowood.wixsite.com/teresa-arrowood/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teresal.arrowood/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZFWv-ndYqWQ
~~~
[image error]**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: Teresa is giving away an ebook copy of FIRE CHASER to two lucky readers who comment on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.
Thanks, Teresa, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
March 19, 2018
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: KNIGHT REVIVAL (Echoes of the Past Book 5) by Rachel Trautmiller
[image error]KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
~~
KNIGHT REVIVAL
Echoes of the Past Book 5
BY RACHEL TRAUTMILLER
Blurb
If seeing is believing, then forget what you know…
Prison Chaplain Dexter Knight is determined to move past one horror-filled December day—in fact, he has. He’s even forgiven the woman responsible for his near-death.
Now if only he could shake the empty void in a place he knows was not always that way. If he could remember a woman well beyond her importance in his life, beyond the figment of his imagination his family assumes he created post-trauma, and the fragmented dreams he swears are real.
Internal Affairs Agent Charleen Davis wants nothing more than to fade back into her behind-the-scenes life. A string of undercover ops have left her with an entourage of concerned and overly involved friends, a sudden vested interest in Knight’s Rescue Mission, and a therapist salivating over the thought of ending life as Charleen knows it.
But the information is already in the wrong hands and silencing Charleen is the beginning to an absolute end, where taking down innocent people is a foregone conclusion.
Hiding out is no longer an option. If Charleen hopes to beat this phantom, she’ll need the one man who might dislike her more than the woman who nearly took his life. Because he—and his mysteriously absent wife—might be the only thing standing between her and death.
Between her and those dreams that aren’t what they seem, because they aren’t dreams at all.
Some secrets must be guarded. Some heroes aren’t born.
They’re revived.
~~~
[image error]
KNIGHT REVIVAL
Echoes of the Past Book 5
BY RACHEL TRAUTMILLER
Excerpt
© 2017 Rachel Trautmiller
S tupid.
Charleen was the most stupid person on the planet. The truth buzzed inside every fiber of her being. This lifestyle wasn’t new, her cautious and evasive nature a well-worn habit that she never veered from.
Apparently not where Dexter was concerned.
So, how did you know, Charleen?
She flicked through the camera feed inside the Internal Affairs video lab. Rewound it, then watched the video again and tried to drown out Dexter’s seemingly simple question. Her not-so-simple answer.
The words had tumbled out so quickly, her mouth moving faster than her brain—a problem she couldn’t afford. Not with anyone, but especially Dexter.
He saw too much. Heard it with his heart instead of his ears. Was interested in digging deeper.
How was she supposed to explain that she’d known because she’d witnessed the bloodshed? No, she’d seen the direct aftermath. Been there—too little too late. That she’d traveled more consecutively than ever before. With no warning.
Dexter wasn’t going to get any of it. He wasn’t going to grasp the role he’d played through at least two of those absorptions—not only in her scope of reality, but connected to her in a way that had never happened before.
With anyone.
Was she supposed to blurt that out in one rush? Mosey away as if sunshine and roses ruled the day?
Beth made a long and high-pitched buzzing sound from where she sat next to Charleen inside the video lab. “Wrong conversation, Vi.” Beth propped her feet on the desk in front of her. “You start these conversations slow. Same as when you’re interviewing a suspect. Start simple. Work your way up.”
“Uh-huh. So you keep advising.” Charleen froze the old feed from last summer outside of the crime lab. “You’re forgetting the fatal flaw. I’m already on bad terms with Dexter.” She hit play. The vehicle came into view, the trajectory in line with her when she’d pulled her car out of the parking lot. There’d been no slowing. If anything, the van appeared to speed up. And then it sandwiched her Toyota between a tree and its metal before reversing, nearly running Amanda down, the latter conveniently off camera before disappearing out of sight.
None of the five angles had a clear picture of the man inside the vehicle and no distinguishing features that set it apart from any other Fords in the area, except the dent in its front bumper.
“Says you.” Beth moved her feet to the floor and leaned forward. “You’re not going to find anything on this old footage. You and Amanda already scoured it last summer. If there had been something to find, one of you would’ve found it already.”
“Searching for every Jo or Elliot isn’t exactly opening any doors either.” There were too many combinations. First name. Last name. Nickname. Children. Adults. Teens. Unless she could find a connection. A way to whittle the list down. Until then, these men were a blur of faces and nationalities. The process had led her down a ridiculous rabbit hole.
“It’s not stupid to care for someone, Vi. So you called up to Raleigh and asked for all available sign-in rosters from the rehab center the day of the explosion. You either find what you’re looking for or you don’t. No big deal.”
It was. She’d find answers on his mysterious wife, and then Dexter would be gone. That would be it. Problem solved.
A whoosh sounded in the quiet as the automatic doors to the lab opened.
“Should have known I’d find you here.” The deep masculine voice grated down her nerves with knife-like precision, an onslaught of emotions popping into her mind. Anger. Annoyance.
“Oh, goodie.” Beth crossed her arms over her chest. “Showdown number eighty-seven for the day. Featuring Mr. Bad Date. Wonder what he wants this time.”
The door slid closed as firm footfalls brought Detective Brent Harwood closer. He took the seat next to her, his large body taking up the space between their chairs. The sharp scent of his cologne incited an instant headache.
“Major Fritz is looking for you.” The words nicked over her like razor blades, hitting every raised piece of flesh along the way.
“Uh-huh.” She didn’t move. Didn’t let the prickle of anxiety covering her skin sink any deeper. Maybe if she kept her replies short and her focus elsewhere he’d leave.
“Keep dreaming, honey.” Beth’s hazel eyes were locked on Brent, his dark hair and chiseled face. The way he wore his uniform on the snug side. “He’s not going to get the hint. Your avoidance wasn’t a big enough sign. You gave chase.”
She’d accepted an undercover op. That was different. Not a chase she’d expected him to latch on to.
“From your perspective.” Beth smirked. “In his mind, you were right under his nose. Hurts the pride, honey. He’s a cop. He should’ve been able to find you, undercover deal or not. Now he’s a bad date that won’t go away.”
There had been a reprieve. At least before he’d shown up at Knight House last week.
Beth shook her head. “Because you jumped from that moment to a long series of undercover ops. Instead of confronting this issue and making it go away, you ran.”
Charleen ground her teeth together. The choice had been automatic, her decision leading to one extended mission she’d repeat.
“Which puts you right back here, Vi.” Annoyance dripped from Beth’s words.
Sent irritation through Charleen. She should’ve gone straight to the hospital. Tried to talk to Josiah. Checked in on Fay. Made sure the pair would have access to each other once Josiah came to Knight House.
Known she wouldn’t find anything of value in the Internal Affairs building.
Brent rolled a pen between his thumb and forefinger. “You hear about Hicks?”
She let out a breath. Maybe he’d shoot the breeze and leave. “Yup.” She didn’t know what to make of it. Had her words at their last counseling session hit that big a mark?
“They brought in an interim replacement. Some doctor that normally works with inmates.”
“I know.” She’d seen Dexter in Hicks’ office when she passed it and kept on walking. Pretended she’d never seen him. The image of Dexter’s tall form and violet eyes did stupid things to her stomach. “Thanks for the information.”
“Heard you made a big save today at that house on Avon Avenue.”
The slow ache building in her ribs wouldn’t let her forget. “Team effort.” Charleen flipped to another video, a scene that looked unfamiliar. She jotted down a few notes she didn’t need. Willed her hand to stop shaking.
“I didn’t realize you were back out in the field.”
She eyed him. “I wasn’t aware that you were in a position to be informed of my status.”
He leaned a forearm on the desk and moved closer. “That’s how this is going to go?”
What the…? She wasn’t backing away. Had already made that mistake today with Jo. Showing weakness had left her wide open for attack. “I guess since I have no idea what this is, yes.”
He shook his head. “I looked for you.”
She tried to keep her breathing even. She needed to get out of the room. Get out and not look back. “I wasn’t supposed to be found. That was the deal. No attachments.”
“We made plans. You disappeared. I thought something happened. Major Fritz wouldn’t give anyone any information.”
“Tell him to back off, Vi.” Beth stood. “It’s not complicated. You aren’t interested in anything with him. Period. End of story. Nothing personal, buddy. Your concern is appreciated.”
“Then you showed up on TV after the hospital shooting.” Harwood’s voice was quiet. “I’d like a chance to explain.”
Explain? She logged out of her browser and stood.
He followed suit and stepped closer. His hand moved toward her arm. The hair on her body stood at attention. If he touched her…
[image error]Meet Author Rachel Trautmiller…
Rachel writes novels filled with murder, mayhem, and romance that leave her readers wanting more incredible twists and turns. SIDE NOTE: A nightlight may be required. Some bleary-eyed mornings have been known to occur. Coffee is recommended.
Rachel began weaving tales well before she could actually write. Those early stories included danger and mystery, Barbies and G.I. Joes, a few sensational heroes and their villainous counterparts. Sometimes the hero had to time warp through a hole in her backyard to save the damsel in distress and sometimes he only had to outwit the aforementioned villain. Nowadays, she leaves the Barbies to her Extremely Cute Toddler (follow ECT’s antics on Facebook) and when she’s not riveting readers with the chaotic and sizzling mess of her character’s lives, she can be found poolside with her husband, toddler, and a super snuggly dog. She enjoys football, reading, spending time with her daughter, and discussing the NFL draft with her husband. She also loves anything to do with the FBI, law enforcement, the military, and enjoying time with friends and family.
~~~
Links to Rachel’s website, blog, books, etc.
You can find (and follow) my mayhem on Amazon.
Links:
You can also stay up to date with what my characters are doing via:
www.facebook.com/rachel.trautmiller
www.pinterest.com/rtrautmiller
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9158433.Rachel_Trautmiller
https://plus.google.com/114312211972391785843/posts
http://www.amazon.com/Rachel-Trautmiller/e/B00OARKZKO/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Sign up for my mailing list here:
~~~
[image error]**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: Rachel is giving away an ebook copy of KNIGHT REVIVAL to one lucky person who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.
Thanks, Rachel, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
March 18, 2018
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: DISCOVERY (A Collection of Poetry) by Kenna McKinnon
[image error]KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
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DISCOVERY
A Collection of Poetry
BY KENNA McKINNON
Blurb
A collection of poetry by Kenna McKinnon, a member of The Writers’ Guild of Alberta and Canadian Authors Association, contains 63 poems covering the author’s experiences, love stories, fantasies and a variety of perspectives into the life and times of Kenna McKinnon. Broad use of Haiku, metaphors, romance, animals, religion, travel and war round out some of the many topics brought forth in this wonderfully written sampling of poetry.
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DISCOVERY
A Collection of Poetry
BY KENNA McKINNON
Excerpt
NOTE FROM KENNA: Some love poems for spring, the second darker than the first, but hey, who said love was all jellybeans and unicorns?
5 stars a review from JustJudi: “Kenna McKinnon loves words and imagery, and is masterful at using both.”
BUTTERFLIES
Your bows are leaning by the willow, Merry Men
You gambol in the flowers
take turns with fair Maid Marian
While Robin dances with the cook
There is a certain decorum
that’s lost in springtime
To Sherwood Forest.
Yes, now that May explodes in pink and white
Every oak hides dryads
Who are trysting with the centaurs
The dog discovers secrets
in the scent of broken swaths of baby grass
And all about the puddle-happy world
The butterflies rise up
in yellow speckled clouds
As though to say
We won again!
MAYDAY
You who are a delusion
I chased you through hallways of confectionary
Fast down the tanks of marshmallow crème
to chocolate covered daydreams far past
the bricks of sugar which implacably
you impersonated
ll too well for my adolescent lust.
You knew that yet with candied orchids
poisoned sticks of mulberry still you
plied me with and then I
hallucinated and they told me
I was dangerous.
Poems from the life and times of Kenna McKinnon.
[image error]Meet Author Kenna McKinnon…
Kenna McKinnon is a Canadian freelance writer, author of SpaceHive (2012), and Bigfoot Boy: Lost on Earth, as well as Benjamin and Rumblechum, The Insanity Machine; Blood Sister; Short Circuit and Other Geek Stories; DISCOVERY: A Collection of Poetry, Den of Dark Angels, Engaging the Dragon, and Timothie Hill and the Cloak of Power. Her most memorable years were spent at the University of Alberta, where she graduated with a degree in Anthropology. Kenna is a member of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta and a professional member of the Canadian Authors Association. She has two children and three grandsons. Her hobbies include fitness, health, drawing, reading, walking, music, cooking, volunteering, and baking for friends.
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Links to Kenna’s website, blog, books, etc.
[image error] Amazon: http://amzn.to/2G3XF48
Author’s blog: http://KennaMcKinnonAuthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KennaMcKinnonAuthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KennaMcKinnon
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kennamckinnon
Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=kenna+mckinnon
~~~
[image error]**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: Kenna is giving away an ebook copy of DISCOVERY, A Collection of Poetry to one lucky person who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.
Thanks, Kenna, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
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