Ellie Potts's Blog, page 35
October 2, 2015
The history of Halloween
Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. The word Halloween is a shortening of All Hallows’ Evening also known as Hallowe’en or All Hallows’ Eve.
Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, bonfires, costume parties, visiting “haunted houses” and carving jack-o-lanterns. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century including Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom as well as of Australia and New Zealand.
Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced “sah-win”).
The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Samhain was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops.
The festival would frequently involve bonfires. It is believed that the fires attracted insects to the area which attracted bats to the area. These are additional attributes of the history of Halloween.
Masks and costumes were worn in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or appease them.
The history of Halloween has evolved. The activity is popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and due to increased American cultural influence in recent years, imported through exposure to US television and other media, trick-or-treating has started to occur among children in many parts of Europe, and in the Saudi Aramco camps of Dhahran, Akaria compounds and Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia. The most significant growth and resistance is in the United Kingdom, where the police have threatened to prosecute parents who allow their children to carry out the “trick” element. In continental Europe, where the commerce-driven importation of Halloween is seen with more skepticism, numerous destructive or illegal “tricks” and police warnings have further raised suspicion about this game and Halloween in general.
In Ohio, Iowa, and Massachusetts, the night designated for Trick-or-treating is often referred to as Beggars Night.
Part of the history of Halloween is Halloween costumes. The practice of dressing up in costumes and begging door to door for treats on holidays goes back to the Middle Ages, and includes Christmas wassailing. Trick-or-treating resembles the late medieval practice of “souling,” when poor folk would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2). It originated in Ireland and Britain, although similar practices for the souls of the dead were found as far south as Italy. Shakespeare mentions the practice in his comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593), when Speed accuses his master of “puling [whimpering, whining], like a beggar at Hallowmas.”
Yet there is no evidence that souling was ever practiced in America, and trick-or-treating may have developed in America independent of any Irish or British antecedent. There is little primary Halloween history documentation of masking or costuming on Halloween in Ireland, the UK, or America before 1900. The earliest known reference to ritual begging on Halloween in English speaking North America occurs in 1911, when a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, near the border of upstate New York, reported that it was normal for the smaller children to go street guising (see below) on Halloween between 6 and 7 p.m., visiting shops and neighbors to be rewarded with nuts and candies for their rhymes and songs. Another isolated reference appears, place unknown, in 1915, with a third reference in Chicago in 1920. The thousands of Halloween postcards produced between the turn of the 20th century and the 1920s commonly show children but do not depict trick-or-treating. Ruth Edna Kelley, in her 1919 history of the holiday, The Book of Hallowe’en, makes no mention of such a custom in the chapter “Hallowe’en in America.” It does not seem to have become a widespread practice until the 1930s, with the earliest known uses in print of the term “trick or treat” appearing in 1934, and the first use in a national publication occurring in 1939. Thus, although a quarter million Scots-Irish immigrated to America between 1717 and 1770, the Irish Potato Famine brought almost a million immigrants in 1845-1849, and British and Irish immigration to America peaked in the 1880s, ritualized begging on Halloween was virtually unknown in America until generations later.
Trick-or-treating spread from the western United States eastward, stalled by sugar rationing that began in April 1942 during World War II and did not end until June 1947.
Early national attention to trick-or-treating was given in October 1947 issues of the children’s magazines Jack and Jill and Children’s Activities, and by Halloween episodes of the network radio programs The Baby Snooks Show in 1946 and The Jack Benny Show and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet in 1948. The custom had become firmly established in popular culture by 1952, when Walt Disney portrayed it in the cartoon Trick or Treat, Ozzie and Harriet were besieged by trick-or-treaters on an episode of their television show, and UNICEF first conducted a national campaign for children to raise funds for the charity while trick-or-treating.
Trick-or-treating on the prairie. Although some popular histories of Halloween have characterized trick-or-treating as an adult invention to re-channel Halloween activities away from vandalism, nothing in the historical record supports this theory. To the contrary, adults, as reported in newspapers from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s, typically saw it as a form of extortion, with reactions ranging from bemused indulgence to anger. Likewise, as portrayed on radio shows, children would have to explain what trick-or-treating was to puzzled adults, and not the other way around. Sometimes even the children protested: for Halloween 1948, members of the Madison Square Boys Club in New York City carried a parade banner that read “American Boys Don’t Beg.”
October 1, 2015
Happy October!
The weather is finally cooling down! I’ve been absent for a while. But I have some good mews! In a few days I will have a cover release for Island of the Zombie King! Which should be out next week! Also I have book 1 done in my Stone Warriors Series. Pushing for a December release date.
This month of course is 31 days of Halloween! I will be posting about Halloween stuff, plus I have some great guests who will be popping in to talk about Halloween.
July 18, 2015
Sudden End by H.L. LeRoy (Love this series!) #freedownload until July 21st!
Title: Sudden End
Author: H.L. LeRoy
Series: The Fountain of the Earth Series (Prequel)
Genre: YA Dystopian
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: May 16, 2015
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook
Blurb/Synopsis:
Long before the events depicted in The Fountain of the Earth, the end came. This is how it happened.
Lisa Evans, sixteen, lives with her mom and dad in a cute little town, Rose Vista, California, It’s an idyllic life, except when you reside at the bottom of your high school’s social ladder. Picked on, laughed at, and embarrassed daily, it’s been rough for Lisa. But the next day things are going to change. She has an opportunity to take her life back.
Then catastrophe strikes. In the beginning, everyone thinks that it’s a simple power outage and everything will be back to normal in a week or two.
Instead, the entire world has gone dark, cities have burned, and the jails have emptied. There is sickness, starvation and death everywhere, and each day that goes by, the population shrinks even further.
Book Links
Excerpt
I rubbed my knuckles in my eyes. Every time I blinked, they felt like they had gravel in them. I pulled the curtain aside and looked out. The sun had just started peeking over the eastern foothills, streaks of pink coloring the gray.
No one around, just a few stalled cars in the street. About an hour before, the sound of motorcycles had finally drifted off, disappearing into the distance. Gone, I hoped, for good.
I’d been up with Chrissie all night. The shotgun blast had skimmed her side and peppered her leg with small pellets. I cleaned and dressed it the best I could and finally got her to sleep on the couch with Lily at her feet. I might have felt safe enough to sleep myself if I didn’t have other plans.
It had gotten to the point where we had to leave.
But if Dad or Charlie didn’t get back, we were stuck.
I looked out the window again. A few cars sat in driveways, mostly new so they wouldn’t start. A couple of old ones that probably would start, if we had a key.
I slipped on some dark clothes and slung Dad’s shotgun over my shoulder.
“What are you doing?” Chrissie was sitting up a worried expression on her face.
“We’ve got to figure out a way to get out of here,” I said.
She touched her side. “Isn’t it safer to wait for your dad or Charlie?”
“There’s only dried food left. No running water. Nothing works, and there are bodies rotting outside. It’s not healthy.”
Grabbing the doorknob, I paused, watching my hand tremble.
Can I even do this?
Now that it had come down to it, I was scared.
I turned the knob.
“Where are you going?”
“To try and get a car.”
Chrissie grabbed my hand. “It’s not safe.”
“I know, but we can’t stay here.” I stepped out and shut the door. I heard faint sounds far in the distance. A crash or maybe an explosion. Then a couple of gunshots.
Easing my way out to sidewalk, I hid behind a hedge and listened for a few more seconds. Some birds were chirping in the trees but that was about all.
Across the street, was Mrs. Goldman’s home, her old blue and white Ford sitting in the driveway. It would start, I thought, and we could take Mrs. Goldman where she’d be safe.
Broken glass crunched under my feet as I walked out to the middle of the street. Several of the houses that had been burned the night before, were still smoking. A dark figure at the end of the block lay crumpled on the sidewalk.
At Mrs. Goldman’s, I peeked in the front room window. The house was a mess, like someone had broken in.
I lifted the brass knocker and let it fall. “Mrs. Goldman? It’s Lisa. Are you okay?”
Something thumped inside, and I put my ear to the door.
“Do you need help?”
The deadbolt clicked and the doorknob started to turn.
“Thank goodness you’re okay.”
The door drifted open and a man stood framed by blood splattered across the entryway wall.
He raised a gun and fired at me. I dropped to the ground, rolling behind a planter. Dark blood spattered the concrete in front of me.
He fired again and chips of brick and concrete stung my face. Scrambling backwards, I pointed the shotgun at the door and jerked the trigger.
I felt sick, like I was going throw up, and then I drifted down into darkness.
Author InformationL. (Holly) LeRoy is an American short story writer and novelist, author of the award winning Street Crimes anthology and the novel The Fountain of the Earth (Nov. 22, 2013), first in a series of young adult adventures. Book two, Heralds of Juno, will be released in 2015. Born in San Jose, California, LeRoy currently resides in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with his family.
Author Links
Blog Random Thoughts
Other Works by H.L. LeRoy
Kindle Worlds
(A LT. Jack Daniels/Jillian Varela Mystery)
One Eight Seven (1)
Can Be Read As a Stand Alone
Can Be Read As a Stand Alone
Pooled Blood (3)
Can Be Read As a Stand Alone
The Fountain of the Earth Series
Sudden End (Prequel)
The Fountain of the Earth (Book 1)
Heralds of Juno (Book 2) Coming 2015
Mysteries
Hollow Point (Coming Soon)
Malibu Blues (Coming Soon)
July 13, 2015
Pooled Blood by H.L. LeRoy by H.L. LeRoy Blog Tour!
Title: Pooled Blood
Author: H.L. LeRoy
Series: A LT. Jack Daniels/Jillian Varela Mystery (A loosely tied together series. But any of the stories can be read as a standalone.)
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Publisher: Kindle Worlds
Release Date: May 3, 2015
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook
Blurb/Synopsis:
After barely surviving the horror of the Parkside Strangler, Lieutenant Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels and her friend, P.I. Jillian Varela, decide to head to Cancun for a little well-deserved R&R.
But instead of a relaxing two weeks at a five star, luxury resort, a grisly death lands at their feet, and a young girl is arrested.
It should be simple, but in Mexico, you are guilty until proven innocent. And if the Policia Federal find out what Jack and Jillian are up to, they’ll be spending a long time in less than luxury accommodations.
Book Links
Excerpt
I sat in the chair and the girl tilted it back. What a treat. I hadn’t had my hair washed by someone else in years. It might even have been my prom, when Mom paid.
“Close your eyes. You don’t want to get soap in them.”
I shut my eyes. Then I settled into the chair and relaxed.
The music in the background was some kind of classical piano thing. Not normally my cup of tea, but it was relaxing, and I felt myself start to drift off.
The woman’s fingers moved through my hair while she ran warm water over my scalp. With the spray prickling my skin, she squeezed cool shampoo and stroked it into my hair. I could feel my breathing slow and I started to drift away.
“Hi,” I heard her say.
I didn’t hear a response, but she stopped massaging my scalp for a moment.
After a few seconds, she started again.
“Mmmmm. Relaxing.”
I started to shift my position, and she pushed my head back and began to rinse the shampoo out of my hair. After a moment, her hands squeegeed the water off the sides of my head, settling on my throat.
“That felt goo—”
She clamped down on my windpipe shutting off my air.
My eyes flew open. Standing there wasn’t the girl but a man I didn’t recognize.
I kicked and bucked in the chair as he continued to tighten his grip
I pulled a hand free and jammed my thumb in his eye and gouged. He yelped and slapped a hand over his damaged eye. Rolling out of the chair, I hit the linoleum floor and sprinted toward the door. He grabbed me from behind and spun me into the counter. As he bent me back, I kneed him between the legs.
“Ahggh.” His sour breath hit me in the face.
I clawed through the combs and brushes behind me on the counter looking for something, anything to defend myself. My fingers scraped across the handle of a pair of scissors. I kneed him again, and as he bent over I jammed the scissors in his arm. Jerking loose, I ran to the door and out to the street. Shit! My purse was still in the salon, but I had some money in my pocket and flagged down a cab.
I had him drop me at our hotel and called the police from the bell desk. I tried calling Jillian but she didn’t answer.
It only took Garza a couple of minutes to get there.
After I explained what happened, he escorted me back to the salon.
“This is the place.”
A short, stocky woman with black hair shot with gray and brilliant red lipstick stood behind a cash register.
I looked around. Two older women working on two even older women. No girl. No broken glass on the floor.
“Do you speak English?”
“Si, yes.”
“Where is the young girl?”
“Who?”
“The thin girl with the short hair.”
“No one like that works here.”
“She was here not more than an hour ago. I even left my purse here.” I ran to the back of the salon to the row of sinks. “Here. This sink.”
There was no purse, and my jacket was gone from the coat rack.
“We opened at nine. But I didn’t see you.”
“I didn’t see you either.”
She shrugged.
“Are you sure this is the place?” Garza asked. “There are many hair salons.”
Garza didn’t believe me.
“Just take me back to the hotel,” I said.
Now I had another problem. No purse meant no money, no credit cards and . . . worse, no passport or other identification.
Author Information
L. (Holly) LeRoy is an award winning, American short story writer and novelist. Born in San Jose, California, LeRoy currently resides in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with his family.
When J. A. Konrath approached me with the opportunity to write in Lieutenant Jack Daniels’ world, I jumped at the chance. Since my other works are in the mystery/thriller/action/adventure genres and tell the stories of strong female protagonists confronting impossible situations, I knew it was a perfect fit.
Amazon Publishing has secured licenses from Warner Bros. Television Group’s Alloy Entertainment for Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The Vampire Diaries; Valiant Entertainment for Archer & Armstrong, Bloodshot, Harbinger, Shadowman, and X-O Manowar; J. A. Konrath’s Jack Daniels series, Hugh Howey’s Silo Saga; Barry Eisler’s John Rain novels; Blake Crouch’s Wayward Pines series; and The Foreworld Saga by Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Mark Teppo, Eric Bear, Joseph Brassey, Nicole Galland, and Cooper Moo. Licenses for more Worlds are on the way.
Author Links
Blog Random Thoughts
Other Works by H.L. LeRoy
Kindle Worlds
(A LT. Jack Daniels/Jillian Varela Mystery)
One Eight Seven (1)
Can Be Read As a Stand Alone
Can Be Read As a Stand Alone
Pooled Blood (3)
Can Be Read As a Stand Alone
The Fountain of the Earth Series
Sudden End (Prequel)
The Fountain of the Earth (Book 1)
Heralds of Juno (Book 2) Coming 2015
Mysteries
Hollow Point (Coming Soon)
Malibu Blues (Coming Soon)
July 2, 2015
Dark Skies by Cecily Magnon Blog Tour
Title: Dark Skies
Author: Cecily Magnon
Series: Order of the Anakim (Book 2) Though Amazon List it as Book 3 because of the Prequel to the Series.
Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy/Supernatural /with elements of Romance
Publisher: 12 Angels Publishing
Release Date: Nov 28 2014
Length: 316 Pages
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Passions are erupting.
Cryptic alliances are forming.
Armies are gathering.
And the fabric between good and evil is slowly tearing open.
Time is running out on Elysa and The Order of the Anakim. A gathering gloom hangs heavy over their mystic realm as the demon hordes measure a final deathblow in their age-old struggle. Step by step, the demons murder, capture, and conjure their way to a realm unified by utter darkness. Their ruthless queen Ashtaroth, guided only by ambition and her voracious thirst for carnal pleasures, masterminds their rising tide of evil.
The Order must unify its splintering members to meet the defining challenge of their history… or pass forever into oblivion.
But in a world where magic, warfare, and sinister prophecies rule the day… in the night, vile enemies may seek the warmth in each other’s touch.
At this vital juncture, Elysa’s passion is lured by a wicked voice both arousing and terrifying. If the love between Elysa and Jarron is eternal, it will have to overcome pressures seen and unseen and withstand the crush of an all-out attack by demon forces.
Darkness is bleeding its treachery into our world and Elysa and The Order of the Anakim must find a way to combat the gathering doom.
Dark Skies will sweep legions of fantasy fiction fans into Elysa Amalfi’s thrilling and treacherous world of the supernatural.
Book Links
Chapter 1 Excerpt
Easily moving across the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, he felt the accelerator sinking toward the floor, the massive engine of the SUV easily accommodating the demand for speed.
He didn’t need to be instructed to accelerate. He understood exactly what she was asking. Anakim lands were protected and as soon as they crossed into their border, they would be safe from the demon’s advance.
Thick fog rolled in, gathering around the vehicle and surrounding it in dark clouds. The windows became wet with condensation, obscuring his view of the path ahead. The vehicle trembled, fishtailing over the slick asphalt, the tires spinning without traction, coasting on the pools of water that came with the fog. “Fuck,” Caleb bit out. “Hang on.”
The condensation around the SUV collected, solidified, then separated into eight humanoid forms — Water Demons. They shrieked an ear-piercing call, rattling the reinforced windows. Caleb’s eyes darted to the rearview mirror. He could see Samantha protectively hunched over Ellie’s father. She had her eyes closed and was rapidly mouthing something as she swayed with the movements of the car.
Two of the demons swung from either side of the car and onto the top of the hood. They pushed their faceless heads into the windshield, drowning the glass in running water. Caleb stomped down on the breaks, lurching the car forward and flinging the demons off the hood.
Caleb tried to drive away, stomping heavily on the gas pedal, making the tires squeal over the pavement. A demon jumped on the hood, the heavy impact popping the back of the SUV up in the air. He heard Samantha let out a small yelp as the SUV landed heavily on the back tires. “Is Will okay?” he called back as he stared at the Water Demon trying to push through the windshield. It was craning its neck to catch a glimpse of the passengers in the back.
“They want Will,” Samantha hissed. She had him completely shielded underneath her body. In the darkness, it would have been difficult to discern another body underneath her, let alone identify who it was.
“Why?” Caleb growled, keeping his eyes on the demon. It had grown, combining with the other demons and forming one huge being with the strength of a rushing river. It started punching at the windshield. “The glass is reinforced, but all it will take is one crack and these bastards will drown us.”
“He’s a threat. They want him dead,” Samantha yelled over the shrieking. The demons were doubling their effort to crack the glass.
His eyes darted toward Isabel. She sat calmly in her seat, but her back was rigid, her head held high. “Caleb, let’s take this battle outside.” It was an order from the High Mother.
“The demons are not affected by any type of weapons. The only thing that has stopped them has been heat; fire from Adam, lighting from Ellie. Nic slowed them down with a huge blast of air, but it was temporary.”
“Let’s see how they react to Earthly powers, shall we?”
Title: Prelude to a Storm
Series: Order of the Anakim (Prequel) Though Amazon List it as Book 1 of the Series.
Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy/Supernatural /with elements of Romance
Publisher: 12 Angels Publishing
Release Date: May 4 2014
Length: 44 Pages
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Sarah Amalfi and her best friend Samantha are headed to Tijuana looking for some summer fun after their high school graduation… but there’s something far more sinister looming over this road trip than an innocent shopping trip at Tijuana’s famous market place… Warnings from strangers, a vicious attack by a shadowy assailant, a charismatic stranger named Will… What do they want with Sarah? Sarah is forced to consider that there was nothing chance about her meeting with Will, but how can she accept the fantastic possibilities that Will presents to her? A hidden realm within our own, governed by cryptic magic, ancient alliances, demons… and passion beyond her understanding The truth comes hard and fast in this riveting prequel to the romantic supernatural awakening of Gathering Storm!
Book Links
Amazon Free Read (Kindle)
Barnes and Noble Free Read (Nook)
Smashwords Free Read
Title: Gathering Storm
Series: Order of the Anakim (Book 1) Though Amazon List it as Book 2 of the Series because of the Prequel.
Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy/Supernatural /with elements of Romance
Publisher: 12 Angels Publishing
Release Date: May 9 2014
Length: 247 Pages
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Sarah Amalfi and her best friend Samantha are headed to Tijuana looking for some summer fun after their high school graduation… but there’s something far more sinister looming over this road trip than an innocent shopping trip at Tijuana’s famous market place… Warnings from strangers, a vicious attack by a shadowy assailant, a charismatic stranger named Will… What do they want with Sarah? Sarah is forced to consider that there was nothing chance about her meeting with Will, but how can she accept the fantastic possibilities that Will presents to her? A hidden realm within our own, governed by cryptic magic, ancient alliances, demons… and passion beyond her understanding The truth comes hard and fast in this riveting prequel to the romantic supernatural awakening of Gathering Storm!
Book Links
Author Information
Cecily Magnon is from the fertile valleys of northern California, where she lives with her husband and kids, and gets inspired by the diversity, beauty, and bounty of the people and of the land around her.
A self-proclaimed nerd girl, Cecily has had a fascination with all topics outside of the norm since she was a little girl. Things of fantasy, magick, sci-fi, the supernatural, and day dreams are the juice that nourishes her imagination and infuse into her writing.
According to Cecily, there is no such thing as “ordinary” when you believe and you see that the everyday is filled with magick.
Author Links
Blog Cecily’s World
Check out http://cecilymagnon.iggylife.com/ it is offering a free PDF Copy of Gathering Storm to Any and All that request it.
Remember the Dead by H.L. LeRoy Blog Tour
Title: Remember the Dead
Author: H.L. LeRoy
Series: A LT. Jack Daniels/Jillian Varela Mystery (A loosely tied together series. But any of the stories can be read as a standalone.)
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Publisher: Kindle Worlds
Release Date: Mar 2, 2015
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook
Blurb/Synopsis:
In the world of serial killer hunters, Lieutenant Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels is a legend and well known in every cop shop in America. But when one gruesomely posed body after another are discovered in the middle of Chicago, ambitious politicians and an aggressive press are threatening to derail Jack’s investigation.
And with her partner Herb on an extended second honeymoon in Mexico, it doesn’t look like help is on the horizon.
Then a friend from California, P.I. Jillian Varela, shows up on a job that parallels Jack’s case. Together they pursue the killer into a nightmare world of obsession, torture, and murder where no one may survive.
A dark follow up to the first Jack Daniels/Jillian Varela mystery, ONE EIGHT SEVEN.
Book Links
Excerpt
Ashley looked in the mirror while she brushed on the finishing touches of her smoky night face. Cat eyes and high gloss nude lips. She worked a small round brush and a hair dryer through her blue streaked pixie cut. With a pair of nail scissors, she snipped away a straggle dangling on her forehead. Blowing on her black-painted nails, she spent a minute or two deciding on glitter or rhinestones for the tips.
Rhinestones.
Drenched in a fragrance that smelled like sex, she tugged on an expensive pair of tight-ass jeans and buttoned her silver see-through top. Stepping into a pair of red spikes, she turned in front of the mirror.
Hot.
She slipped on a fur lined bomber jacket and looked out the window. The cab was already waiting. The ride to Chicago from Lake Forest was going to be expensive, but she didn’t care. Daddy was going to pay for it whether he knew it or not.
“Where to?”
“Pink Paradise, but I need to stop first.” She gave him an address in Uptown.
“Your funeral,” the cabby said.
He dropped her on the corner and waited.
The wind had started whipping across the lake, specks of ice picking at her face. Going to snow, she thought. Fortunately, it didn’t take her long to find the same sketchy asshole she’d dealt with before. She bought an eight and rubbed a little on her gums, as she hurried back to the cab.
The cab hissed through the Chicago streets to West Addison where the Pink Paradise sat, gaudy and loud. A wet snow had come, still thin, it spattered the windshield. Puddles in the road reflected the blues, pinks, and purples of neon lights and oil sheen. Slush drizzled off the awning edges, sheeting into the gutter.
She paid the cover, slipped past the crowd, heading straight to the lady’s room where she did a couple of lines on the toilet tank lid.
A little more on her gums, and she took another look in the mirror.
I hope he’s here.
The dance floor writhed with bodies, the rave in full swing. While a shirtless, tatted up DJ worked a constant, steady assault of nosebleed techno, Ashley wove into the crowd.
After an hour, she broke away and headed back to the bathroom for a recharge. On the way out, she felt a light touch on the back of her neck. Turning, she slipped her arms around the man standing there, lights playing across his face.
“You came.”
“Told you I would.” He slipped a blue pill between her lips. “A little helper.”
They danced for a long time, finally taking a moment to grab a beer.
He slipped another pill in her mouth. “Let’s leave.”
Ashley swallowed. “I’m not ready.”
He frowned and reached for her arm.
Author Information
L. (Holly) LeRoy is an award winning, American short story writer and novelist. Born in San Jose, California, LeRoy currently resides in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with his family.
When J. A. Konrath approached me with the opportunity to write in Lieutenant Jack Daniels’ world, I jumped at the chance. Since my other works are in the mystery/thriller/action/adventure genres and tell the stories of strong female protagonists confronting impossible situations, I knew it was a perfect fit.
Amazon Publishing has secured licenses from Warner Bros. Television Group’s Alloy Entertainment for Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The Vampire Diaries; Valiant Entertainment for Archer & Armstrong, Bloodshot, Harbinger, Shadowman, and X-O Manowar; J. A. Konrath’s Jack Daniels series, Hugh Howey’s Silo Saga; Barry Eisler’s John Rain novels; Blake Crouch’s Wayward Pines series; and The Foreworld Saga by Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Mark Teppo, Eric Bear, Joseph Brassey, Nicole Galland, and Cooper Moo. Licenses for more Worlds are on the way.
Author Links
Blog Random Thoughts
Other Works by H.L. LeRoy
Kindle Worlds
(A LT. Jack Daniels/Jillian Varela Mystery)
One Eight Seven (1)
Can Be Read As a Stand Alone
Can Be Read As a Stand Alone
Pooled Blood (3)
Can Be Read As a Stand Alone
The Fountain of the Earth Series
Sudden End (Prequel)
The Fountain of the Earth (Book 1)
Heralds of Juno (Book 2) Coming 2015
Mysteries
Hollow Point (Coming Soon)
Malibu Blues (Coming Soon)
June 29, 2015
Sex God by Matthew Armstrong Tour
Title: Sex God
Author: Matthew Armstrong
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Erotica
Publisher: Be Your Potential Books
Release Date: Mar 28 2015
Edition/Formats: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Short Blurb
Unfulfilled in his marriage and life, Alex Sterling makes an indecent proposal to his wife, Angela, which sets them off on an erotic adventure of self-discovery, revealing dark and repressed parts of themselves. On the verge of losing everything that is most important to him, Alex is a man in early life crisis, playing a high-stakes game and going to extreme measures to save what he values most. Is he going through a mental breakdown or is this some sort of spiritual transformation? He has no idea as his grasp on reality crumbles and all his worst fears are inevitably realized.
Long Blurb
Alex Sterling and his wife Angela are a young couple with two children Tristan and Holly living on the Costa del Sol in Spain. They seem to be the perfect couple with two bright young children, and despite their escalating money worries, they are living an incredible lifestyle on the sunny Mediterranean coast.
But beneath the surface, Alex is unfulfilled in his life and marriage and decides to risk it all by making an indecent proposal to Angela in a last ditch attempt to revive their flat-lining lives. He proposes an open-relationship, which much to his surprise opens a repressed Pandora ’s Box for Angela, a side of her that he has never known — setting them off on an erotic adventure that would make anyone’s head spin and juices flow. It seems to have been a good decision with amongst other intense erotic encounters, it introduces them to BDSM, the swingers’ scene and even finds them on a Russian billionaire’s yacht in a Jacuzzi with the billionaire’s blonde bombshell daughter. Their eyes are opened to the many dimensions of erotic experience two lovers can have, but these experiences are not without their risks.
A turn of unfavourable events manifest, from his kids being expelled from school for a failure to keep up with school fees, to the arrest of the swingers party hosts for secret filming and blackmail. All of this sends Angela into meltdown, blaming and resenting Alex for directing their lives to this point of no return. Alex’s worst fears are then realised as Angela abruptly ups and leaves with the children, moving to Portugal to live with an ex soccer star, old flame from her past — A man of means and a man of power, who Alex feels he is no match for. Alex’s world falls apart around him and a mental breakdown ensues catapulting him on a spiritual pilgrimage as he scrambles to regain his sanity. On this pilgrimage he encounters Lalita an exotic tantra goddess, who he immediately becomes infatuated with and who introduces him to yet another dimension of unity through tantra. She disappears from his life as quick as she entered it and Alex is almost driven crazy once more attempting to find her along the pilgrim’s way.
His pilgrimage offers him much more than he bargained for as he is forced to overcome intense and excruciating physical pain, ego transcendence and a near death experience where instead of running to sure safety, he faces down some wild mountain dogs that have viciously attacked a Japanese pilgrim; and in the process saves her life and becomes revered by her group. He then makes another difficult decision as to whether to return home or remain a pilgrim in the special land, a place and an identity that he has become very much at home with.
Upon arriving home, Alex is overcome and uplifted by two startling and monumental events. First a business partnership from a chance meeting earlier on the billionaire’s yacht, that proposes to put an end to all his money worries for a lifetime. Secondly the surprise return of Angela and the children. Alex is irrevocably changed and transformed from the culmination of the entire adventure, as is Angela, who finally reveals to him the skeletons that were in her closet that had contributed too many of their previous underlying relationship troubles — the truth clearing the way for their future together. But their adventure is far from over. On the contrary it has only just begun.
Book Links
Books A Million (Print)
Excerpt
“I think that it was a really great thing you did when you suggested the open relationship. So many men would just go off and have affairs, but you freed both of us to be ourselves and experience our own sexuality however we want and with whomever we want. I admire you for that,” Angela says, the sincerity in her voice and admiration in her eyes evident.
I take a deep breath and sigh. “I did, didn’t I?” We sit in silence for a moment as I formulate in my head what I am going to say next.
“So, who is he?” I say, deciding to tread carefully forward.
“Who’s who?” Angela replies.
“The guy that you have been messaging on your phone every day for the past month.”
“How do you know I have been messaging a guy?”
“Angela, I am not stupid. Some nights you have stayed up until 2 a.m. and I can hear your phone bleeping every couple of minutes. I have seen you almost run to see the message when it bleeps, dropping whatever you are doing at the time. The bleep that your phone is making is different from the messaging service that you normally use. It’s obvious, so please just be open with me.”
“Okay, Columbo, you got me. But just remember that it was you who suggested the open relationship. You did this. So you can’t be upset or angry with me for anything. Okay?”
“Angela, I am not upset or angry. I am excited for us. I didn’t expect things to go as they have. I didn’t think that I would have lost my desire to pursue the women I wanted to have sex with, I didn’t think that you would have been so quick off the mark with whatever you have been doing and I didn’t think that my attraction and desire for you would have gone through the roof as it has.”
Angela sighs and looks away. “You’re trying to make me feel bad, aren’t you?”
“No, of course not. I didn’t think that you would be interested in any other guys but I can see a new lease on life in you and I am happy about that. Your excitement and enthusiasm is infectious and to be honest I am really getting off on it.” Angela looks at me; she seems lost for words.
“So tell me about him. Who is this mystery guy you have been messaging every day? Did you sign up to one of those casual dating sites or something?” I say, feigning ignorance.
“Alex…I don ́t want to upset you.”
“Do I look upset? No, I am happy for you and I just want us to be open and honest about everything.
Author Information
Matthew Armstrong comes from Irish descent, attending the same grammar school as Oscar Wild — but only for a short while, as he was expelled for speaking his mind and not conforming.
Through two decades of living and travelling in 6 continents, he has gained much life experience and studied many cultures and ways of life along the way.
Originally an Author of non-fiction, covering topics from health, philosophy, relationships, spirituality & human potential, Matthew now finds his inspiration in writing fiction.
His first novel ‘Sex God’ is a ground breaking work that brings a breath of fresh air to the erotica genre and sets a new standard for other authors in this genre to follow.
Matthew lives on the east coast of Spain with his family, and generally spends his days teaching martial arts, writing in cafes and playing on the beach with his son.
Author Links
Blog
Facebook Be Your Potential Page
YouTube Be Your Potential Channel
Cover Reveal for Love Again by Kelli Heneghan #coverreveal #lovethiscover
3
2
1
Title: Learning to Love Again
Author: Kelli Heneghan
Series: Currently a Stand Alone with Potential to be the first in a Series
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: July 2015
Edition/Formats: eBook & Print on Demand via Amazon
Blurb/Synopsis:
What do you do if Fate gives you a second chance at the love of your life? Do you learn from past mistakes, or do you relive them? Nicole Winters is about to find out. After suffering severe injuries in a car accident, she is lucky to be alive. She has to return to her home town to recover, only to discover her family has been withholding information and the doctor on her case is none other than her college sweetheart, Jason Marrow. The man she dumped right before graduating from law school and leaving Texas. Once back in her hometown, Nicole realizes that she has allowed the ghosts of her childhood to rule her life. As she faces her past, and with the help of her family and friends, she realizes the love between her and Jason never faded. Can they recapture what they had and build on it? Can she move beyond the past and Learn to Love Again?
Kelli grew up all over the East Coast but her family finally settled in Cincinnati long enough for her to finish high school and college. She has always loved to read books and write her own stories. In high school, she used to pass around the latest chapter of the story she was writing for her friends to read. There is more than one high school teacher out there that can probably remember telling her to put the book down and pay attention to the lectures.
Graduating from the University of Cincinnati with her BS in Nursing, she left Ohio for Texas and the U.S. Army. She received a medical discharge for a knee injury, but was able to meet the man she’d one day call her husband first–thanks to some mutual friends who insisted they would perfect together. And what do you know–they are!
She continued to read books by the dozens and write her own stories. And then one day, a friend dared her to enter a contest. She didn’t win, but the feedback she received from the judges convinced her that maybe people were interested in the stories she wanted to tell.
She still lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two children and 2 dogs.
Places to find Kelli
tsū
June 28, 2015
Royal Partnerships by Gracen Miller Blog Tour
Title: Royal Partnerships
Author: Gracen Miller
Series: Road to Hell (Book 4)
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy/”Horromance” (because it’s a mix of horror and romance)
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: June 11 2015
Edition/Formats: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
It’s good to be the Queen…
Having ascended the throne of Hell, Madison Wescott is finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Though she has embraced her demonic nature, she has ensured the safety of everyone she loves. With both Micah and Nix at her side, she wields more power than she could have ever imagined.
But not even the throne is safe when you rule in Hell.
In the wake of a failed assassination attempt, Madison learns about a realm of the damned older than Hell itself. A fierce and powerful incubus vows to escape his imprisonment there — and his efforts are weakening the bonds that hold him and countless other monsters at bay. With no plan and nowhere else to turn, Madison contacts an unlikely source for help. But whose side is he really on? Will he help preserve her reign, or bring about Hell’s downfall?
Choose your partnerships carefully…
Book Links
Barnes and Noble
Excerpt
(Sexy, with graphic language):
Accented voice, his lilt flowed over her like rich wine, flavorful, intoxicating, and promised sinful delights. “I am Aramayis. I governor this realm. You may swear fealty to me now.”
She would swear fealty to no one. Not Hell like Micah wanted and damn sure not this unknown creature. “You’re an incubus.”
“You are a succubus.” He trailed his fingers along her cheek, and Madison made no effort to stop his forwardness. “Although, not very powerful. Pity. You will need power to survive our world.” He circled her. “Maybe you can persuade me to protect you.”
As if I’d stoop that low!
“You have fantastic lines, great breasts”—he met her eyes briefly as he continued to prowl about her—“hips a man can grip to anchor himself between your thighs.” He stopped behind her, his breath puffing against the back of her ear, much too close for her peace of mind. She also recognized it as a tactical move to dominate her. “And a fantastic ass.” His fingers slid through her hair and down her spine
She turned to face him just as his hand would’ve landed on her ass.
He smiled, devastating her for a heartbeat with his beauty. I want to fuck him. I need to—the asshole is mind-fucking me with his mojo.
The stretch of his power scared her a little. She couldn’t enthrall without touch. That he could alarmed her.
Madison laughed. “You’re good. I almost wanted to screw you for a moment.”
A smug tilt hit one corner of his lips. Classy. Real classy. He bragged without saying a word. That took talent, not to mention big-fucking balls.
“That is why I govern this realm.” Aramayis swept his hand to indicate the cavern at large.
He is much too arrogant.
Agreed, said her inner demon. Time to bring him down a notch…or ten. Usha giggled like she’d enjoy his fall from the pedestal he’d placed himself upon.
Madison lifted her hand and sifted her fingers through his hair. Cool tresses heated her fingertips. Everything about him must be designed to emit pheromones because she could feel them leeching into her flesh through his hair. Humanity would never be able to withstand his alluring vibe.
“Can you tone down your incubus elixir?”
“If I want.” He watched her, his gaze calculated, and his mouth turned into an eternal smirk. “I rarely want.” Double innuendo there, she bet.
“I’m Lynx.” His smile fell as his unnamed companions put some distance between them. At least they recognized her deadliness. “I also own the power of Pandora.”
Author Information
Gracen is a hopeless daydreamer masquerading as a “normal” person in southern society. When not writing, she’s a full-time basketball/lacrosse/guitar mom for her two sons and a devoted wife to her real-life hero-husband of over twenty years. She has an unusual relationship with her muse, Dom, but credits all her creative success to his brilliant mind. She’s addicted to writing, paranormal romance novels and movies, Alabama football, and coffee…addictions are not necessarily in order of priority. She’s convinced coffee is nectar from the gods and when blending coffee and writing together it generates the perfect creative merger. Many of her creative worlds are spawned from coffee highs and Dom’s aggressive demands. Gracen writes in multiple genres—paranormal romance, paranormal erotic romance, and contemporary romance. To learn more about Gracen or to leave her a comment, visit her website at www.gracen-miller.com.
Author Links
Road to Hell Series
Other Works by Gracen Miller
Road to Hell Series
(Must Be Read In Order)
Pandora’s Box (1)
Hell’s Phoenix (2)
Genesis Queen (3)
Royal Partnerships (4) June 2015
Hot Wired
(Can Be Read As Stand Alones and Out of Order)
Lost in the Beat (2)
Bama Girl Blues (3) Coming Soon
Stand Alones
Elfin Blood Coming Soon
Gracen’s Book in the 1Night Stand Serial
Fairy Casanova Book 7
One Eight Seven by H.L. LeRoy Blog Tour
Title: One Eight Seven
Author: H.L. LeRoy
Series: ALT. Jack Daniels/Jillian Varela Mystery (A loosely tied together series. But any of the stories can be read as a standalone.)
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Publisher: Kindle Worlds
Release Date: Mar 2, 2015
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook
Blurb/Synopsis:
Lt. “Jack” Daniels’ mom doesn’t just enjoy guilt trips she buys your ticket, packs your bag, and stamps your passport. Now she has Jack reluctantly heading to San Francisco in an effort to solve the murder of a drag queen superstar.
Teamed up with a tough-as-nails local P.I., Jillian Varela, Jack figures it will be an easy case. But what her mom didn’t tell her was that she would be helping a Mafia don with a long list of enemies.
As the bodies begin to stack up, it becomes obvious that Mom’s “simple job” has turned into something both dangerous and deadly.
Book Links
Excerpt
It was three-fifteen in San Francisco making it five-fifteen p.m. in Chicago. Herb would already be down the stairs and headed to his car. That left one person I could call. My erstwhile partner, Harry McGlade, now a third-rate, bordering on worthless P.I. Besides being a major thorn in my side, Harry had sold a stupid TV series, Fatal Autonomy, with a supporting character based on me. The writer had placed the fictional Jack Daniels on the extreme low end of the stupid scale, and the whole thing had damn near ruined my police career.
I decided that I didn’t want to talk to Harry after all, and I started to hang up.
Too late. The phone rang once and he picked up. “Thank God. After the ball gag problem last night, I was worried you wouldn’t call me again.”
“Harry, it’s Jack.”
“Jackie! I thought you were my date from last night. She—”
“Stop! I don’t want to hear about it.”
“Okay. Sure. Hey, I hear you’re in San Francisco consorting with drag queens.”
I’m going to clobber Herb and his big mouth. “I need you to check out a P.I. for me. Name of Jillian Varela, based in San Jose.”
“Give me a second.” I heard Harry tapping on his computer.
Harry whistled. “I’ve got a picture. Get a load of her. She’s hot.”
There was silence for a few seconds. Silence where Harry was involved was never good.
“Harry? What are you doing?”
“I’m—uh . . .”
“Never mind. Forget I even brought it up.”
“Say, can I come out and help you?”
Having Harry come out ranked right up there with removing my eyes with a grapefruit spoon. “No, you can’t come out. Tell me her background.”
“She’s thirty. Her dad and mom escaped from Cuba. They had two daughters, Jillian and Lisa. Jillian joined the Marines, staying two tours as an MP. Um. She became a cop, but only for a couple of years. She quit and opened a gym. She runs her P.I. business out of the back. At least ask her if she needs a partner.”
“Background, McGlade.”
“She’s had success. She solved a child killer cold case. When she caught up to the guy he was trying to snatch a ten year old off the street and she beat the crap out of him before calling the police. Then she got the goods on a skeevy cop taking protection money from an underage prostitute. She also caught a serial killer who’d been active in three states. She fights MMA for fun. She sounds even tougher than you.”
Not likely. “That it?”
“When the two of you team up, you’ll be Jack and Jillian. That’s pretty good, huh?”
“Shut up Harry. Is that it?”
“No. Tell me again why we shouldn’t get married.”
“We’re not the same species?”
“Jackie, you hurt me.”
“It’ll be okay, Harry. You’ll find someone to love, someone who won’t turn you in.”
“Maybe.”
“Goodbye Harry.”
“Wait a minute. Tell your blubbery partner I found his mom on the internet. She looks— ”
I hung up.
Harry’s the guy who asks, “What is that perfume?” right after he farts so everyone takes a deep breath. What an idiot.
I called the number Phil had given me. Jillian answered, directing me to an address on Broadway.
Okay, Jillian Varela. You sound professional, and you’ve been successful. I’ll talk to you, but I’m still going to be on a redeye.
Author Information
L. (Holly) LeRoy is an award winning, American short story writer and novelist. Born in San Jose, California, LeRoy currently resides in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with his family.
When J. A. Konrath approached me with the opportunity to write in Lieutenant Jack Daniels’ world, I jumped at the chance. Since my other works are in the mystery/thriller/action/adventure genres and tell the stories of strong female protagonists confronting impossible situations, I knew it was a perfect fit.
Amazon Publishing has secured licenses from Warner Bros. Television Group’s Alloy Entertainment for Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The Vampire Diaries; Valiant Entertainment for Archer & Armstrong, Bloodshot, Harbinger, Shadowman, and X-O Manowar; J. A. Konrath’s Jack Daniels series, Hugh Howey’s Silo Saga; Barry Eisler’s John Rain novels; Blake Crouch’s Wayward Pines series; and The Foreworld Saga by Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Mark Teppo, Eric Bear, Joseph Brassey, Nicole Galland, and Cooper Moo. Licenses for more Worlds are on the way.
Author Links
Blog Random Thoughts
Other Works by H.L. LeRoy
Kindle World
(A LT. Jack Daniels/Jillian Varela Mystery)
One Eight Seven (1)
Can Be Read As a Stand Alone
Can Be Read As a Stand Alone
Pooled Blood (3)
Can Be Read As a Stand Alone
The Fountain of the Earth Series
Sudden End (Prequel)
The Fountain of the Earth (Book 1)
Heralds of Juno (Book 2) Coming 2015
Mysteries
Hollow Point (Coming Soon)
Malibu Blues (Coming Soon)
