Cynthia D. Witherspoon's Blog, page 3

Keep Friends Close...But Enemies Closer - K.G. McAbee

Have you ever read a story and wished - for just one day - you could see inside their head? Where do these ideas come from? How do you create such worlds with such realism that you make the reader want to slip inside your book and live there forever?


This is what happened when I read Keep Friends Close. I have the unique privilege to call K.G. both my friend and co-writer, but there is no bias here. Believe me. There is no need for it.



K.G. McAbee has a talent for fantasy that is unmatched. Her ability to pull the reader in, and transport them, into her worlds is pure magic.
This particular story is no exception. McAbee draws you in, then by the end, the reader is left with nothing more than the desire to read more about this world. 


A fantastic work by a wonderful writer. This story comes highly recommended.

Sunday Scenes - A Little Taste Never Hurt Nobody...right?

Every Sunday I will feature a new scene instead of a review. So if you're an indie author who would like to schedule an excerpt from your book to be featured on this page, send me an email with a link to your cover and the text of your scene to cdwitherspoon@live.com. 

And onto the first rendition of Sunday Scenes! 


Gilded Cages: K.G. McAbee and Cynthia D. Witherspoon Lord Vauxhall ignored me, leaving the room and then returning with a strange object in his hand. It was made of rich red mahogany and glistening steel; even in the dim light I could see the red shine of the wood and sheen of the metal. My captor pressed something on the bottom as he approached me, lifting the mechanism up for my inspection.

As if my opinion mattered.

“This, my dear, is what we like to call a marker. With a single flick of this switch, I can brand any slave with my personal family seal. If you run, and you are caught with this on your skin, you will be returned to me.”

I felt my very soul freeze at his words. I held my breath as he walked around me. When he began to unbutton the back of my dress, I found my voice.

“Touch me and I will scream. By all the gods, I will damn you if—”

I voice left me when the marker was pressed against the skin Vauxhall had exposed on my right shoulder. First, I heard a sharp hissing noise, then smelled my flesh burn as he set it on fire. The pain was slow to hit but once it did, I felt as if a thousand red hot needles had been pressed into my arm. When Vauxhall removed his wicked machine from my shoulder, I did the only thing I could think to do.

I ran.

I shoved past Vauxhall, ignoring the pain increasing in my arm as I sought to escape that hellish man. I gritted my teeth against the waves of darkness threatening to slow me down, promising myself that if I could make it to my room, all could be set to rights again.

As if anything in my life would ever be, could ever be right.

As I rushed past the confused patrons of the Winter Palace, I focused on my anger to keep me going. I had been sold and branded as if I were nothing more than chattel. Try though I did, it was becoming more difficult to move without staggering. My healing abilities were trying to begin, and my body was starting to fail me.

I was so focused on making it to the security of my quarters, I failed to see the man I ran into until my nose collided with his chest.

“Mademoiselle Cynara?” Sir Jamison’s easy smile fell when he caught me against him. “What in the devil...”

“Go to hell.” I managed through gritted teeth. “You are one of them. Slaver. Witchfinder. You are my enemy and I hate you for it.”


~*~ ~*~ Want to read more? You can find Gilded Cages here! ~*~ ~*~

My Summer Roommate - Bridie Hall

My Summer Roommate is broken into two separate character viewpoints: Chloe and Chris. I loved the structure of this book because it gave me the opportunity to see the romance from both sides. The story itself flowed very well between these two character perspectives, but what amazed me most about Hall's writing is that she captivated me. 

I will admit, I have a hard time reading a story in present tense, so I was hesitant when I began to read this book. However, after a few paragraphs, I became so wrapped up in the story, I didn't even notice. To me, this is the mark of a great writer because she was able to immerse me into her world within minutes. 

The world is set in modern day, and there is a spark between the two main characters that is noticeable from the start. I loved how Hall let us see the romance develop. Her characters are flawed, which made them more realistic instead of the usual perfect mate scenario often found in YA fiction today. 

There wasn't really anything I didn't like about this book. The story itself was realistic, the romance was sweet, and Chris was a guy any reader could find herself falling for. My Summer Roommate is a perfect read for anyone looking for a little romance, some drama, and the pleasure that comes from reading a very well written book. -


** This review was written for Pretty Little Pages Indie Fall Fest 2014 **


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Congratulations to the 2014 Black Orchid Winner K.G. McAbee!!

Have you read K.G. McAbee's work? If not, get thee to your nearest e-book retailer and grab yourself a story. 


K.G. McAbee's author bio reads like a pro - because she is one. Check this out:


K.G. McAbee writes science fiction, pulp, mystery, horror, gothic, steampunk, and fantasy. Her works have won various awards, including a Dream Realm Award for Best YA Fantasy. Three of her shorts have recently been accepted by the glorious Untreed Reads: BLZ, horror; Overdue, light fantasy; and Keep Your Friends Close, dark fantasy.



K.G. lives in upstate South Carolina in a log cabin built in 1816, along with a gorgeous husband, two spoiled black Labs, and hundreds of books. She is extremely partial to scifi, horror and historical movies, comic books and conventions where she can dress up as her steampunk persona, Lady Abigail Moran.



If you've been to www.cynthiadwitherspoon.com, you'll see that I've had the pleasure of working with K.G. McAbee on two paranormal series and a number of short stories. I know..I know...you think I'm bias. But really? I don't have to be. K.G.'s work speaks for itself, and I am proud to call her my dearest friend and co-writer.


So congratulations, Sunshine, for becoming the 2014 Black Orchid Winner for your mystery Dyed to Death.! You've earned it and more! Where to Find K.G. McAbee's Stories

Silver Bound - Ella Drake

When I picked this book up from Carina Press, my first thought was 'Slavery? Oh, she's gonna end up falling in love with her master, and if I already know how it ends, what's the point of reading it?' But Drake surprised me. 

When I read that she was a fellow Firefly enthusiast, I got excited. Then, when I started reading, I found that this story was about so much more than the classic slave/master story. Drake made me care about the characters and their emotions, which is the whole point of being a successful writer. She was able to pull me into this story and keep me there.

Overall, I loved this story. Strong characters in a vivid environment...romance...steamy scenes...what's not to love?

Glamour - Louise Bagshawe

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, books like this are my guilty pleasure. And I have a confession to make:

I totally judge a book by its cover. Why? Because if the author or publisher puts a lot of thought into a beautiful cover, then I know they put the same care into the story they are trying to sell to me.

With Glamour, I was not disappointed. This book had it all: three friends vying for control over a store they created. This story explores the back story of three women and how their friendship was destroyed by their success. Together.

I loved that Bagshawe told the story from each woman's prospective and how she used the past to strength the decisions made in their futures. I found myself immersed in her world and hated to leave it.

This read is one I would definitely recommend to readers. It's fun. It's powerful. And the ending is one that is quite surprising.

The 12 Indies of Christmas!

Tis the season for presents, right? And what better present could you receive than a book? Or a giftcard?  


Come give some love to your favorite authors - or even better - discover new ones. Me personally? I can't wait to get my hands on these reads.

Here's the schedule. Just click on the author name and it'll show you where to go!


The Schedule

Dec 12th - Zane Sachs
Dec 13th - Krista Pakseresht // Kira Adams
Dec 14th - Chess Desalls
Dec 15th - Kai Strand
Dec 16th - Zoe Dawson
Dec 17th - Amanda Porter
Dec 18th - Joy Penny
Dec 19th - Mary Waibel
Dec 20th - Cynthia Witherspoon
Dec 21st - K.K. Allen
Dec 22nd - Ann Everett
Dec 23rd - Erin Rhew and Deek Rhew



And now for the goodies! See the bottom of the prize list to play! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan

Have you ever picked up a book, read the back, and had such high hopes of it that you started reading it the moment you got to your car in the Target parking lot? 


Yeah. That was me. With this book.


See, I love all things Asian inspired...and my guilty pleasures include books that circle around wealth and privilege. So I was sure I'd found a read I'd have done within a few hours.


Boy, was I wrong. 


Crazy Rich Asians was nothing more than a long list of family names and connections with gold plated brands sprinkled in. I got to the fourth chapter and threw the book in my donation pile. 


So what does that all boil down to you ask? I didn't care. I didn't care about the characters. I didn't care about the plot. And I couldn't find the story amidst all the glitz thrown in to show just how rich these people were.


This one? Not recommended. In the least. 

The Shadow - A.G. Porter

A.G. Porter has woven a tale of suspense, romance, and the paranormal like no other. Although I was reading a story about a teenaged girl discovering herself, at no time did I feel as if the characters were weakened by their age or inexperience. 

Told from Rayna Stone's perspective, The Shadow started out with the basics to build up the world she lived in. But once we are introduced to Rayna, the story took off. I found myself unable to put this book down. The more I read, the more I needed to know about what was happening, what was going to happen, and how the characters were going to react. I love a good series, and The Shadow is the perfect beginning to a series I will be reading.

There were no weak points within this story. Porter used imagery and dialogue to set up an atmosphere that kept me on the edge of my seat and flipping the pages. Rayna is great character who not only grew as a person throughout the story, but in her supernatural abilities as well. 

What I loved the most about this book was how Porter used the paranormal in a realistic way. Instead of being a quick fix to certain problems, Rayna's dreams are used as a plot point to further the story and the reader's interest. They are graphic, but not so much that I wouldn't recommend this book to readers above the age of fifteen. 

The Shadow was a great read. Porter has proven herself to be a fantastic writer - one I will be seeking out in the future to read. 



* Review was originally written for Pretty Little Pages Indie Fall Fest 2014

Inaugural Review - The 11th Percent by T.H. Morris

Wow. 

When I was asked to review The 11th Percent, I was hoping I would find a new series to get hooked on. 

I was not disappointed.

The story itself is so well written, I found myself immersed in the world Morris has created. I found myself wanting to be one of the 11th Percent. The concepts are fresh for paranormal fiction and ultimately, could be seen as real theories for paranormal phenomena. 

So what does that mean for The 11th Percent? This book is fiction, but holds the reader in a feeling of realism. These people could actually exist. Their abilities? Their enemies? Could be going on around us right now - which is the strange and wonderful thought I was left with when I finished this book.

Morris has a gift for character development. Jonah is so well developed that you could meet him anywhere. You can feel his confusion, his disbelief - his emotions - through his experiences. The supporting cast work as the perfect backdrop for someone who has just been thrown into a whirlwind of the paranormal.

My final thoughts are this: The 11th Percent is a must-read for paranormal fiction readers. The story is strong, fresh, and realistic. The characters are well developed, and the plot hooks you from the word go. I will be following this series - and this writer - for years to come.


Get More Information About The 11th Percent Here.