A.L. Butcher's Blog, page 87

The Crystal Heist – Joanna White – Blog Tour #Fantasy

The Crystal Heist
by Joanna White
Genre: Fantasy



Alyra is a thief desperately trying to survive in the slums of Lower Kryston. Every day is a constant struggle for survival, but no one will trust her because of her Thief Mark. After she ends up in prison, Alyra meets a mysterious stranger who soon changes her life. Makai protects her and together, they pull off a few scams that earn them a bit of money.

Yet it’s still not enough.

Together, Alyra and Makai gather a ragtag team of thieves to pull off the greatest heist Kryston has ever seen. If they pull it off and steal the Sky Orb, the social classes will be destroyed and Kryston will be changed forever. But several members of their team have their own ideas of what to do with the Sky Orb…

Can they pull off the Crystal Heist to change Kryston forever or will their team’s selfish goals stand in their way?

The Crystal Heist is a character-driven, fantasy adventure with characters that will stay with you long after the story is over.

**Only .99 cents!**

Add to Goodreads
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Book Trailer:

 

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Joanna White is a Christian Author and fangirl. Hunter and Shifter are the first two books in her debut series, called the Valiant Series, published by Christian publisher Ambassador International and there are more to come. In December 2019, one of her short stories was featured in Once Upon A Yuletide, a Christmas fairy tale anthology by Divination Publishing. Her newest release, Dark Magi, just came out in November 2019.

She graduated from Full Sail University with a BFA in Creative Writing For Entertainment. Ever since she was ten years old, she’s been writing stories and has a deep passion for writing and creating stories, worlds, characters, and plots that readers can immerse themselves in. In 2019, she reached her personal goal of writing a million words in a year. Most of all, Joanna loves God, her family, staying at home, and being a total nerd.

Website * Facebook * FB Group * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads





Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Child of Destiny Blog Tour and Guest Post – #YAFantasy M.K. Adams

1: Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?

I don’t have any stories fleshed out quite yet. But I do envision a future where I’ve finished this trilogy and am working on my next series, whilst perhaps publishing the odd short story here or there that fill out the world of the Rive. The first story that immediately jumps to mind would be a prequel-esque story covering how Turiel and Kwah first met in the Shimmering Isles. I already touched on it in book 1, Child of Destiny, but I think there could be a fun story to tell there. It would also allow me to expand on the worldbuilding for the Shimmering Isles, as they haven’t really be explored yet within the story. Other than that, I can think of one or two other ideas that could be written as short stories as well, but I won’t talk about those as they spoil parts of Book 2!

I think short stories can be beautiful additions to fantasy worlds. If you want some prime examples, although they’re not short in the slightest, you should look to Joe Abercrombie’s standalone novels that are set between his initial First Law trilogy and his new trilogy. They build out the world wonderfully, introduce us to a whole host of great characters, and help us understand the world-state as we find it in the sequel trilogy.

I would also consider writing short stories based on reader feedback. If the readers fell in love with a specific character that I wasn’t really expecting, then I would definitely consider fleshing them out with backstories and “side-stories” in the future.

Child of Destiny
The Rising Saga Book 1
by M.K. Adams
Genre: YA Fantasy



A young orphan on the run from the King. A warlock with the power to protect her. And, the fighter holding them together.

The Rive, a realm ruled by the iron grip of a war-hungry King, is on the brink of rebellion and Lyvanne, a young girl who has witnessed a vision of his downfall, is the key to victory, whether she wants to be involved or not.

Forced to leave her loved ones behind, her life becomes a deadly game of cat and mouse. With the King willing to stop at nothing if it means finding the one who threatens his reign. But when a defiant insurgent group known as The Spring takes her into their protection, Lyvanne is offered something she never could have dreamed of before. The chance to fight back, the chance to make a difference.

Embark on a journey of self-discovery and political upheaval as a common street rat takes the first steps of her great journey along the paths of love, magic, and war.

**Only .99 cents!!**






Goodreads * Amazon







M.K.Adams is a new author within the fantasy genre. He works in politics by trade but writing is where the heart lies, and he’s been concocting worlds and stories since he was a child. He carried out his degree at the University of Kent, Canterbury, before moving into the private sector in London.

M.K. also has an unhealthy obsession with collecting Funko Pops and can often be found listening to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack when locked away working on his next novel. An avid reader of fantasy and all its sub-genres, M.K. is always on the lookout for the next great story.

Able to find inspiration in the smallest of details he is a firm believer that creating new worlds from scratch is one of the most fulfilling past-times. That belief also led him to the world of Dungeons and Dragons, a hobby that he believes perfectly compliments the creative outpouring of working on a new fantasy novel.

His favourite author is J.R.R.Tolkien, and he found great inspiration when he visited Tolkien’s hometown (and local pub!) in Oxford.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads





Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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NN Light’s Bingeworthy Book Festival 1-31st Aug

Calling all readers! Feed your book addiction with N. N. Light’s Book Heaven Binge-Worthy Book Festival. 68 books featured plus a chance to win one of the following:

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Enter to win a $50 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Enter to win a $50 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Enter to win a $25 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Enter to win a $15 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Enter to win a $10 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

 

I’m thrilled to be a part of this event. My book, The Secret of Blossom Rise will be featured on 11th August. I even talk about the first binge-worthy book I read. You won’t want to miss it.

Bookmark this get-together and tell your friends:

[image error] https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/bookpromos/categories/binge-worthy-book-festival

Runs August 1 – 31

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/92db775069

Drawing will be held on September 1.

Geschichten aus Erana

https://books2read.com/Geschichten-aus-Erana-German

Wer möchte die alten Legenden aus einer Welt hören, in der die Ausübung von Magie vom Orden der Hexenjäger verboten wurde? Hier findet man fünf Geschichten aus einer Zeit der Magier und der Monster.

Der Mond auf dem Wasser: Eine Geschichte der Liebe zwischen einer Göttin und einem Krieger und des schrecklichen Fluches, den diese Liebe nach sich zog.

Die Legende von Treyna: Wenn eine sterbliche Frau von zwei rivalisierenden Göttern umworben wird, werden Himmel und Erde von der Magie bewegt.

Sturmkind: Ein einsamer Magier findet Freundschaft und Liebe in einem Wesen, dass während eines schrecklichen Sturms erscheint. Doch die Magie fordert immer ihren Preis.

Die blaue Phiole: Hier lernen wir wie wichtig es ist, Anweisungen genau zu befolgen!

Die Legende von Oeliana: Die Geschichte einer Nymphe und einer Kröte, Eifersucht, Magie und einer Lektion, dass Schulden beglichen werden müssen.

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Historias de Erana: la maldición del guerrero

https://books2read.com/la-maldicion-del-guerrero-Spanish

Aquel que haga tratos con monstruos, ¡cuidado! Un héroe forja un impío trato con una bruja y aprende que la magia nunca olvida.

#fantasía #fantasía oscura, #fantasía corta, #mitos

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Poisoned Primrose Blog Tour

Poisoned Primrose
Motts Cold Case Mystery Book 1
by Dahlia Donovan
Genre: Cozy Mystery



Autistic, asexual, and almost forty, Pineapple “Motts” Mottley flees London with her cat and turtle to a quaint cottage in Cornwall. She craves the peace of life in a small village. The dead body buried in her garden isn’t quite what she had in mind, though.

Unable to resist her curiosity, she falls directly into a mess of trouble and runs head-first into the attractive detective inspector, Teo Herceg. She tries to balance her business with the investigation, but as the killer focuses on her, staying alive becomes trickier than advanced origami.

Will Motts survive the onslaught of murderously bad luck?

Can she solve the mystery before it all spins out of control and off a cliff?

Add to Goodreads
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Dahlia Donovan wrote her first romance series after a crazy dream about shifters and damsels in distress. She prefers irreverent humour and unconventional characters. An autistic and occasional hermit, her life wouldn’t be complete without her husband and her massive collection of books and video games.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads * Newsletter





$5 Amazon

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Here Be Trolls Bundle – New Release

Here Be Trolls

 

A reclusive young woman ventures out of her library to meet her identical twin, a twin she never knew about. How many more secrets lie in her past?

A fallen mage believes he’s reached sanctuary. But when three ingots vanish from the vault he protects for a troll warlord, his search for the thief once again thrusts him in harm’s way.

A troll shaman calls from her deathbed, sending her heiress on a quest to return their people’s magical gemstone to its place of origin. If she succeeds, she becomes the leader of her tribe. If she fails, there will be no tribe to lead.

A wise old auntie and her kin must defend their remote homestead against a marauding troll of old, a fearsome beast bearing great fangs and claws—and gripped by a hunger for human flesh.

An agent of the Society for Magickal Heritage must find the source of an occult disease decimating Britain’s troll enclaves—and fix it. Simple in theory, tricky in practice, for the only place that might hold the information she needs is the ancient and inconveniently lost enclave of Farringale…

A princess faces war on two fronts: demons outside in the forest and hidden enemies in the caves of home. If she loses either battle, everything is lost, even though she’s a badass warrior troll.

From nightmare monsters who enjoy dining on children to spiritual mystics in tune with the natural world, from gritty champions to peculiar cooks, from shy hermits to paladin mages—greenskins, trolls, and orcs feature as heroes or as villains in these 10 tales of magic, myth, and mayhem.

https://books2read.com/HereBeTrollsBundle

 

https://bundlerabbit.com/b/here-be-trolls

https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/here-be-trolls

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DQC98M6/?tag=kydala-20

https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1525161877

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/here-be-trolls-a-l-butcher/1137403594

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Release Blitz for Hasty – Julia Kent

Out Now—HASTY (Do-Over Series Book 4) by Julia Kent (@jkentauthor) #romcom #romance

Author: Julia Kent

Release date:  July 28, 2020

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Contemporary Romance

Cover Designer:  Hang Le

Editor: Elisa Reed

Description:

AN ALL-NEW STANDALONE FROM NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR JULIA KENT COMPLETES THE DO-OVER SERIES!

I never thought my perp walk would lead to true love.

Then again, I never thought I’d be arrested on RICO charges and hauled away in zip ties on camera for the world to see, minutes after closing the most amazing deal of my career.

And all of it in front of my biggest rival, billionaire wunderkind Ian McRory.

I am broke.

I am disgraced.

I am alone.

I am a sucker.

But the worst part? I have to go back to my hometown and live in my bedroom filled with relics from my childhood.

Lisa Frank never made me so mad before.

Just when I needed a rescue, I got one — in the form of help from my biggest rival.

He can’t bring back my money.

He certainly can’t bring back my reputation or my pride.

But there’s one thing he can bring back to me.

A sense of hope.

Maybe even love.

Ian sees something in me no one else does, and he’s relentless about making me see it, too. As we grow closer, I’m starting to see that while my entire life used to be a lie, the truth is staring me in the present — and it’s a truth I like very, very much, hot eyes and gorgeous smile and all.

But I have to be careful.

I can’t be too —

That’s right.

Hasty.

The final book in the USA Today bestselling Do-Over Series (Fluffy, Perky, Feisty), as Mallory’s sister, Hastings “Hasty” Monahan gets her turn at a happily ever after that starts off with an arrest.

  Hers.

Other Standalone Books in the Series:

Little Miss Perfect (FREE)

https://www.prosaicpress.com/jkentauthor/free-ebooks/

Fluffy

https://www.prosaicpress.com/jkentauthor/books/fluffy/

Perky

https://www.prosaicpress.com/jkentauthor/books/perky/

Feisty

https://www.prosaicpress.com/jkentauthor/books/feisty/

Buy links:

Amazon (all countries): https://geni.us/HastyAMZsm

Google Play: https://geni.us/HastyGPlaysm

Kobo: https://geni.us/HastyKOBOsm

BN/Nook: https://geni.us/HastyNOOKsm

Apple Books:  https://geni.us/HastyABsm

BookBub:  https://geni.us/HastyBBsm

Goodreads: https://geni.us/HastyGRsm

Audiobook narrated by Erin Mallon – Coming Soon

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Author Bio:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. Since 2013, she has sold more than 2 million books, with 4 New York Times bestsellers and more than 19 appearances on the USA Today bestseller list. Her books have been translated into French and German, with more titles releasing in 2020 and beyond.

From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men’s room toilet (and he isn’t a billionaire she met in a romantic comedy).

She lives in New England with her husband and three children where she is the only person in the household with the gene required to change empty toilet paper rolls.

Social Media Links:

Website:  http://jkentauthor.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jkentauthor/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/jkentauthor

Newsletter:  http://bit.ly/2PIBi9n

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/jkentauthor/

Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/julia-kent

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3238619.Julia_Kent

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Julia-Kent/e/B00A99V268/

 

Excerpt

 Today is the best day of my life.

I know people say that, and they mean it, but they don’t mean this. My best day is better than anyone else’s. Trust me.

I know.

I’m sitting at a table at Essentialz, a five-star restaurant in San Francisco. Everyone at the table watches me as I tuck the signed paperwork away in my black Bottega Veneta woven leather brief bag.

I, Hastings Monahan, just signed a nine-figure investment deal on behalf of the venture capital firm I work for.

Full partner, here I come.

Of course, lawyers will handle the majority of this. The signatures are symbolic as much as they are legal. But the fellow diners at my carefully crafted table will go back to China with an exciting opportunity for their company, Zhangwa Telecommunications, to enter the North American market with climate-change technology projecting yields that are the best aphrodisiac ever.

As I sip from my glass of Montrachet Grand Cru, I catch the eye of Ming Bannerton, a consultant with Zhangwa whose father is a high-ranking U.S State Department official in China, a woman who has a hunger for financial success that I can spot in anyone in three seconds flat. There’s something special about a fellow hustler–and when I use the word hustler, I don’t mean it pejoratively.

People who hustle get things done.

We connect. We network. We pattern match. We ruthlessly apply what we intuitively feel to what we operationally know in order to produce optimal outcomes.

In short–we hustle.

And we win.

But in competition, there can only be one winner.

One.

Tonight, I’m it.

Her smile mirrors mine, red lips stretched over perfectly white teeth that are as straight as a new picket fence. The smile doesn’t reach her eyes, but an intensity infuses her. She’s about five years younger than me, with a knowing eye that tells me we need to stay in touch. Someday soon, she may shoot past me, and that’s where all the legwork pays off.

In this business, you network down as well as you network up, if you want to get anywhere.

And the manila folder resting in my brief bag, the one that feels like a warm gold ingot pressed against my lips? That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you get somewhere.

“Where is Burke?” Mr. Zhao Bai asks, his head at a slight tilt, a gesture of genuine curiosity as his eyes survey me, looking for information that doesn’t come directly from my mouth. He’s the youngest of the four men at the table, a fast talker who looks around the room like he’s a mob boss. Negotiating with him took a steady hand I didn’t know I possessed, but now I understand.

Burke is part of the deal, and I didn’t realize it.

The contracts are signed, though. That makes my husband an off-the-books addendum. No matter what, this is my accomplishment.

My husband, Burke Oonaj, is one of the hottest market makers in finance right now. Even he will have no choice but to be impressed by the deal I’ve just put together.

But the inquiry about my husband makes my uterus fall.

And it’s not like he’s around to catch it.

“Good question,” I say before taking another sip of wine, needing to buy myself a smidgen of space and time. I only need a split second.

Normally.

For some reason that I can’t explain, my emotions are tangling in my mind, and that’s an unpredictable variable I have to weed out.

Fast.

My heart feels strangely heavy in my chest, a sense of dread filling me that has no right to be here. This is MY night, I tell that sense of dread. This is MY deal. This is my culmination of six years of careful work, all coming together, right now.

Go away, dread.

But Mr. Zhao’s question is a good one, because Burke isn’t answering any of my texts or emails or phone calls, and hasn’t for the last three days.

My husband has disappeared.

Not literally, of course, because husbands don’t just do that. Business travel can be intense. Plenty of stretches of time have gone by without hearing from him. They involved twenty-four hours or less, though.

Not eighty-one hours and thirteen minutes.

Not that I’m counting.

I can’t admit any of this to anyone at this table, of course, so instead, I give what my pattern-matching brain tells me is the optimal answer, designed to make me look good.

“Burke’s fine,” I say with a grin, the glass of wine still full enough to make more sips look like an appropriate response. “He sends his best regards. He would have been here tonight, but… you know.”

Two of the men share a look I don’t like. It’s a fleeting glance, the type that is practiced and meant to look like nothing. You think I’m paranoid, that I’m inventing it all?

Wrong.

I’m in a state of hyperarousal.

No, not the sexual kind. Haven’t felt that in a long time, at least not with Burke. My hyperarousal is based around the stress hormones pumping through me from the excitement of what I just accomplished.

Me. Myself. Alone.

Independent of Burke.

As workday smiles stretch to become the more casual, intimate grins of people enjoying bottle after bottle of excellent wine, I loosen up. The answer I gave them sufficed. We can move on.

My body feels numb and excited at the same time. I’m on top of the world. The pinnacle.

I am Peak Hastings.

Which is why, when the maître d’ approaches my side, I don’t pick up on the gravity of his whisper. No one would. Because learning that my credit card has been declined for this business dinner is definitely not part of the plan, and the areas of my brain assigned to processing language literally can’t comprehend it.

“It’s what?” I whisper, standing carefully, legs still steady, my alcohol consumption measured, even if my tablemates have made their way through more wine than an entire wedding party back home.

The maître d’, José, gives me a wide-eyed but polite look. “I’m sorry, Ms. Monahan. This has never happened before when you’ve dined with us. But the credit card company was very firm. You cannot use this one.”

Mr. Zhao gives me an inquiring look. My stomach sinks. Did he overhear?

“Will you all excuse me?” I tell them, hating the disruption, my legs turning into two steel beams covered in chilled skin.

“Something must be wrong with the credit card processor,” I snap at the maître d’ as I hurry away from my group. I want to get the taint of this failure out of the way and get back to my stellar success.

Once we’re out of sight of my table, I rifle through my purse and find another business credit card. “Use this one. And let me be very clear, to you and to your boss, that this is absolutely, abjectly unacceptable.”

He inserts the card, chip side in. “I realize this, Ms. Monahan, but we cannot…”

Beep.

He stares at the credit card terminal.

I read the display upside down. “Declined!” I hiss. “This is impossible! That card has no limit!”

“Perhaps you’ve had your identity stolen, or there are fraud alerts on your account? Perhaps you’re the victim of a financial crime?” José suggests.

“I can’t be the victim of a financial crime!” I snap at him. “I’m a financial expert! This doesn’t happen to people like me. Here!” I shove a third company card at him. This one better work.

I only have one more.

My mind races ahead, conjuring contingency plans, even as my cheeks burn with shame.

Shame.

Why would I feel shame for someone else’s mistake? And yet, there it is, and I have to override it fast. Because if I don’t, it gets a toehold.

And that is the fastest way to lose your edge.

José closes his eyes and lets out a sigh through his nose, a split second before the display terminal beeps.

Again.

“Your computer system is down,” I declare, pulling out the fourth card and my phone, texting my office manager. Maybe something went wrong. Maybe José is right. Maybe we were hacked. But this is surreal enough to let the dread come inside me and have a seat, as it decides whether to become an overnight guest.

It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m staring at a mid-four-figure bill that I owe, right now, and have no way to settle.

This cannot be happening.

As he runs the fourth card, the main door opens. My spine straightens, calves stretching tall, and not just from the five-inch heels I’m wearing.

I know that man.

I hate that man.

And he’s the last person on Earth I want to see in the middle of this debacle.

Ian McCrory cannot see me like this.

 

Release blitz organized by Writer Marketing Services .

Crow Blog Tour – Amanda Mackey #DarkRomance

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Crow
by Amanda Mackey
Genre: Dark Romance



Death

I’m the Grim Reaper

My face is the last thing my victims see

I take life without blinking

Bred this way by the devil himself

The asshole who raised me

When the time comes, I’ll bury him too

In the meantime, the little starling feeding the birds in the park has my full attention.

Raven colored hair

Disarming eyes that infuse my dead heart with oxygen

The broken pieces of me want her to put me back together

But the monster is calling to come out and play.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star….

Goodreads * Amazon







Amanda Mackey was born in New Zealand and moved to Australia when she was 12 years old with her family, where she has lived ever since. She has loved books since an early age and is an avid reader. This has helped lay the foundation for her writing. She’s published 7 novels to date with plenty more on the way. An author with Limitless Publishing, she loves to spend time with family when she’s not writing or reading.
Amanda hopes to make writing her full time career and travel in the near future.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Goodreads





Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt

Crow: I stand in darkness. I am the darkness. The maroon, velvet drapes are pulled tightly closed, shutting out the world as I attempt to quiet my mind. Visions stole time again last night, robbing me of sleep. The monster lurking. Always there. Voices like background noise never leave. Pain so deep, nightmares constantly speak to me.

My dedicated martial arts room failed to pacify me this morning after a grueling workout with knives and swords. I need more. A kick of pain greater than my bare limbs can provide.

Using the straight edge of my trusted friend, I slice the final letter into the skin on my torso, making sure it’s back to front so when read by another, it will make sense. The smell of sweet metal a hit to my senses. Heady. Intoxicating. I feel the upward and downward strokes, not needing to see. The sharp tip stops its journey and I let the knife drop to the floor, sated. I allow my fingers to brush across the wound, gathering the red nectar and placing it to my parched lips. The workout has left me dehydrated so when I swallow and allow the fine liquid to coat my throat, I let out a groan of relief.

My body is a work of art. Ink covering half of it. This new tattoo is another piece to the puzzle.

The bright lights shooting like laser beams through the cross-barred windows have me squinting. The ornate gold mirror to my right, allows me to view the masterpiece. With my chest bare and a pair of sweats hanging under my hip bones, I grin broadly.

It’s complete. I’m branded. I finally have a name. An identity even he can’t steal from me.

CROW.

 

Fuera de los Muros

Cuando la guerra llegue a sus puertas, ¿quiénes sucumbirán ante la catástrofe? Una historia corta sobre la determinación de una mujer durante tiempos de guerra

Ganadora del premio “Chill with a Book” otorgado por Chill Awards.

https://books2read.com/Fuera-de-los-Muros-Spanish

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