Harmony Kent's Blog, page 132
June 19, 2016
26 Hours in Paris
Hello and welcome to Harmony’s place. Please give a huge, warm welcom to author Demi Alex with her Erotic Romance novel, 26 Hours in Paris. Demi will be awarding a digital copy of 26 Hours in Paris to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. For her other tour stops, please click on the banner above! 
One day to see the sights.
One night to change your life. . .
Magazine writer Kathryn Taylor is traveling from New York to Paris for work. But the flirtatious Frenchman she left long ago is waiting at the airport–and he wants to play. . .
No one can guide Kat through the sensual city’s delights like Marko Renard. He let her get away once, and now he’s determined to make her stay–even if he has to tie her down. He will wrap her in cashmere, tease her tongue with chocolate, and take her to the peak of the Eiffel Tower . . . But can he convince the bohemian beauty she belongs with him, in his luxuriously decadent world? In business, he’s the master–but it’s Kat’s body and soul he truly longs to rule. He has just enough time to show her the pleasures of the boulevards, the boulangeries–and the bedroom. To finally get her to just say oui, he’ll have to seize the day–and the night. . .
Excerpt:“Why do I need to go to Paris?” Kathryn asked, rubbing her temple with more force. “I’ll be looking over my shoulder for him at every turn. What if I bump into him? What happens then?”
“You mean, how do you research the perfect place to find love when love finds you?” Paul folded his muscled arms over his chest and leaned back in his seat. “You could even have a true Parisian show you around all the hot spots. Why is that so bad, Kittykat?”
“Because Marko is not an option. He’s loaded, cultured, and out of my league.” Even worse, he’d insist on introducing her to his family like he had that Christmas years ago. “I’ve worked real hard to establish myself as a competent professional. It would kill me to have the mighty Renards look down on me.”
“Why would they look down on you?” Paul asked. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“You could never understand, Paul. You’re rich and entitled, cut from the same cloth as Marko. I’m a girl from Long Island that had to take online classes for eighteen months to finish my last semester and get my degree, all while keeping my dad’s aluminum-siding business afloat to save my childhood home. Could you picture a woman in Marko’s family with chipped nail polish and callouses on her palms?”
“Marko stayed by your side. You were the one that ran away from him.” Paul’s jaw was set, but his gaze was full of compassion. He’d seen what her father’s passing had done to her and her mother, and he’d also been there for her in that difficult time. She hadn’t turned away from him. The difference was that Paul was her friend. Marko was her soul mate.
About the Author:
Demi Alex writes steamy romances, blending emotional fulfillments of the heart and carnal desires in her work. Born in Athens, Greece, and raised in her own version of a big fat Greek life in New York, Demi was infected with book and travel bugs early, and currently admits the only therapy for this condition is to combine the two in fictional stories that allow her characters to let loose and experience all they crave. She attended SUNY at Stony Brook, and after changing her major numerous times, graduated with a degree in Public Policy and International Studies. Her characters are loosely based on people she encounters while she travels or during the time she spends matching homes to owners as a Realtor. She simply has a passion for matchmaking that can’t be put to rest.
https://twitter.com/demialex2u
https://www.facebook.com/demialexletsloose
Buy links:
amazonkindle: http://www.amazon.com/s/?field-keywords=9781601835994
Apple: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781601835994
Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9781601835994&c=books
Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9781601835994
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781601835994
by 
Monday Musings Part Four: Mirror of Our Lives
Mirror of Our Lives
When I first came across the teaching that if somebody judges me, it is their problem not mine, I thought: What on Earth? In some indignation, I spluttered, ‘Of course, it’s my problem!!’ After all, it’s about me, isn’t it?
Wrong. It’s about them. Any time we judge a thing or another being, we actually show more about ourselves. Our judgements hold up a huge mirror in front of us and show us exactly who we are.
More often than not, we project our perception onto the external situation. We make up a story about an event or person. The particular slant we put on it shows who we are at our core.
This ties in to last week’s Monday Musing, Let it Go. If we can accept something for what it is, we can see more clearly what’s going on, instead of only being able to see the stories we tell ourselves—the judgements we put on it.
Actually, today’s reflection (if you’ll pardon the pun) ties in to all of the Monday Musings so far. It’s about being in this moment right now, exactly as it is, without dressing it up or colouring it with memories or future projections. Without making up a story. With no position to defend. Anything else just coats our mirror in dust, and all we can see is the grime, not what’s actually there beneath the muck.
I don’t know about you, but I want the mirror of my life to be as clean as possible. That way, I see as clearly as I can and am able to make better choices as a result. Also, I suffer less. When we see things just as they are, it’s so much easier to just accept them as they are.
I can’t get away from my mirror. It comes with me wherever I go. So, I may as well use it. If it’s full of rubbish, it won’t do me much good. If I have to lug it around with me, I have enough baggage without adding yet more. What would be the point in obscuring the reflection? What good would that do anyone?
Life is what we make it. Our mirror just shows us what we’re making. In the wise words of Zen:
‘Life is like a mirror. Smile at it, and it smiles back at you.’
If you’ve missed my previous Monday Musings, you can find the links below:
by
June 16, 2016
Falling for Sarah
Hello and welcome Harmony Kent Online! Please, give a big warm welcome to Cate Beauman and her Romantic Suspense novel, Falling for Sarah!
Cate will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
To see her other tour stops, please click on the banner above; do leave comments for more chances to win!
Widow Sarah Johnson struggled to pick up the pieces after her life was ripped apart. After two years of grieving, she’s found contentment in her thriving business as photographer to Hollywood’s A-list and in raising her angel-faced daughter, Kylee… until bodyguard and long-time friend Ethan Cooke changes everything with a searing moonlight kiss.
Sarah’s world turns upside down as she struggles with her unexpected attraction to Ethan and the guilt of betraying her husband’s memory. But when blue roses and disturbing notes start appearing on her doorstep, she has no choice but to lean on Ethan as he fights to save her from a stalker that won’t stop until he has what he prizes most.
Excerpt:
Ethan’s gaze roamed over the guests crowding the elegant function room. A massive buffet ran the length of one wall where people busily helped themselves to a variety of top-notch dishes. He spotted Sarah and Kylee sitting alone at a small table in the corner, watching Kylee take a bite of her grilled cheese, followed by a heaping spoonful of applesauce while Sarah pushed salmon and rice around on her plate. He studied her as she set down her fork and wiped a glob of apple from Kylee’s cheek puzzled by her behavior. In all the years they’d known each other, she’d never looked at him with such disdain as she did earlier, and she’d never spoken to him with such heat. He caught her eye in the dim, candlelit room and started toward her just as Nicolette made her way back from the ladies’ room. He watched Sarah’s gaze wander to his date before she turned her attention back to her daughter.
“Let’s get something to eat, darling.”
He glanced at Sarah once more then focused on Nicolette’s stunning face. He would have to talk to Sarah later. “Good idea. I’m starving.” He sat down to lobster tail and filet mignon while Nicolette nibbled on her miserly salad and talked to one of Morgan’s friends from DC. Ethan looked over his shoulder, surprised to see the corner table empty. Sarah had to pass him to get to her suite, unless she left through the door leading to the shore. She knew better than to walk the beach alone after dark. Staying at a luxury hotel didn’t negate the possibility of the criminal element lurking in the shadows along the water.
Uneasy with the situation, he took his napkin from his lap. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he said to Nicolette, who barely paid him any attention. He moved to the picture windows overlooking the beach and spotted Sarah’s blonde hair whipping in the wind as she walked toward the waves with Kylee. “Damn it. What is she doing?” He cut through the crowd and headed for the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time to the first floor.
About the Author:
International bestselling author Cate Beauman is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense series, The Bodyguards of L.A. County. Her novels have been nominated for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Golden Quill Award, Writers Touch Award, and have been named Readers Favorite Five Star books. In 2015, JUSTICE FOR ABBY was selected as the Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Gold Medalist, while SAVING SOPHIE took the Silver Medal. SAVING SOPHIE was also selected as the 2015 Readers Crown Award winner for Romantic Suspense and FALLING FOR SARAH received the silver medal for the 2014 Readers’ Favorite Awards.
Cate makes her home in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack. Currently Cate is working on Deceiving Bella, the eleventh novel in her popular Bodyguards series.
For information on Cate’s new releases, monthly giveaways, and upcoming events, sign up for her newsletter at: http://www.catebeauman.com/author/home.html#!newsletter-sign-up/c9td
Cate can be reached at www.catebeauman.com and www.facebook.com/catebeauman.
You can follow Cate on Twitter @CateBeauman
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Cate-Beauman/e/B00A05KHVM/
Buy Now Links:
Amazon: http://bit.ly/FallingForSarahTourAMZ
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/FallingForSarahTourBN
iBooks: http://bit.ly/FallingForSarahTouriBooks
Kobo: http://bit.ly/FallingForSarahTourKobo
Paperback: http://bit.ly/FallingForSarahTourPaperback
My review can be found on Goodreads and Amazon.
by
June 15, 2016
Outcast
Hi folks! It gives me great pleasure today to welcome Dianne Noble, author of Outcast. For her other tour stops, please click on the banner above.
Dianne Noble will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. For more chances to win, leave a comment!
Women’s FictionRose leaves her Cornwall café to search for her daughter in the sweltering slums of Kolkata, India.
In the daily struggle for survival, she is often brought to her knees, but finds strength to overcome the poverty and disease, grows to love the Dalit community she helps.
But then there are deaths, and she fears for her own safety.
Her café at home is at risk of being torched, and finally, she has to make the terrible choice between her daughter and the Indian children.
Excerpt:
Kolkata, India. Dec 2014
A fierce white light burning her eyes. A silent wind tearing at her skin, ripping her clothes, pitching her forward. A moment as long as infinity when gravity deserted the world and the air was sucked away. And then the terrible thunder of the explosion shaking the streets, vibrating the ground beneath her.
She raised her head to see the hotel being sucked inwards on itself with a roar, a whirlpool of glass and steel. Her tongue moved over her dust coated lips. The metallic taste of blood. Felt her vital organs shrivel with fear.
Kishan. Oh my God, Kishan.
She struggled to her feet, broken glass crunching beneath her flip flops. Felt the warm trickle of blood down her face, saw the lacerations on her hands and arms. Looked through the black smoke at the hotel, at the raging fire.
Kishan is in there.
Started forward but there was no hotel, only a burning crater. Bodies and pieces of bodies. Blood, already glossy with flies, running down the street. Within a minute the sirens were screaming.
‘Go, go.’ The policeman waved his arms and those who could stand began to stagger away. ‘Quick, quick.’
Is it another bomb?
Frantic, she followed the others. A woman wailing. A child silent with shock. An old man whose clothes hung in shreds, a white faced pregnant woman. She stepped on a dismembered leg, blood and mush at one end, a gold sandal at the other. Doubled over and vomited. As she straightened, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand a small girl in pink knickers clutched on to her arm. Rose looked at her blankly for a moment then remembered.
About the Author:
I was brought up as a Service child in Singapore and Cyprus which ensured itchy feet forever! Journals kept on a lifetime of travelling in far flung places are now providing rich material for my writing. Readers will be transported to exotic and atmospheric settings in the company of women responding to enormous challenges.
I am currently writing a novel set in Cairo about a forced marriage, and re-editing an earlier manuscript about an English woman trying to help the street children of Kolkata, India.
Website – http://www.dianneanoble.site
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/dianneanoble
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/dianneanoble1
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianne-noble-183a143a
Tirgearr Publishing – http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Noble_Dianne
My review can be found on Goodreads and Amazon.
by
Who knew Pork could be so scary?!?!
Okay, folks, I’ve stopped trembling enough to write this post, lol! As well as hosting today, I’ve been asked to give a review, which you’ll find at the bottom of the page. Just the book cover is enough to give me goosebumps. Right, well, ahem, on with the post … 
June 14, 2016
Descended from Dragons
Hey there! Come into my lair today if you dare, but beware, for dragons be there! Please, help me give a warm welcome to Tricia Owens and her Urban Fantasy novel, Descended from Dragons.
Tricia Owens will be awarding a $75 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
To see Tricia’s other tour stops, please click on the banner above, which will take you to her tour page on Goddess Fish Promotions’ website; and do leave comments for more chances to in her Rafflecopter draw!
Beneath the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas lies another city. A secret city in plain sight, full of warlocks and demons, shape-shifters and golems. A city that feeds off the chance magick that is generated by gamblers and which is ruled by mysterious beings called the Oddsmakers.
It is in this strange underbelly of the occult that Anne Moody runs a cursed pawn shop for the desperate, the curious, and the magickally inclined. Though the job is boring, it keeps her under the radar. None of her customers have any inkling that she is a dragon sorceress with a power that’s been feared throughout history. However dragons are no help when a stone statue ends up in her shop that is more than it appears. The statue is a gargoyle named Vale, who is shrouded in mystery and secrets. When she learns that Vale is possessed, and that the person responsible for cursing him plans to take over Las Vegas with a horde of demons from Hell, Anne realizes it is up to her to defy the Oddsmakers and save the city, and possibly the world.
Excerpt:
A shift of the eyes to the left. I followed Orlaton’s line of sight to a riveted metal trunk that sat on the floor at the base of one of the bookshelves. Like a pirate’s chest, it was sealed closed by a large, ancient padlock. The padlock was probably only window dressing. The real locks were magickal, and they would hurt you if you tried to break them, if not outright kill you.
“I’ve made my mistake. I will never make it again,” Orlaton murmured.
His cheeks were white. His shoulders had hunched. As I looked at him, dread crawled up my spine like a spider. There had been horror in his voice. A wretched sort of anguish. Anguish still bound up in fear.
I looked at the chest again. It didn’t look so simple anymore. Now it looked like someone’s nightmare.
“What’s inside it?” I asked, reluctant to hear the answer.
His eyes shimmered behind their lenses. “Do you really want to know?”
Orlaton had taken this somewhere darker than I’d intended this conversation to go. I wanted to back away from the haunted knowledge in his eyes even as a part of me wanted to defend him. Orlaton was no wounded bird, but something in that trunk had hurt him. Badly. I couldn’t begin to imagine how terrible—how wickedly devious—it must have been to have slipped beneath his guard.
I couldn’t begin to imagine what it had done to him before he had managed to stop it.
“I suggest you don’t do what I did,” he warned in a voice that trembled. He aimed a meaningful look at the gargoyle statue. “Some magicks…linger. Some magicks destroy you when you least expect them to.”
“I’ll get help,” I promised him. A name came to mind, one I hadn’t thought of in years.
His mouth thinned into the smile of a ghost. “I’d wish you luck, but it won’t help you.”
About the Author:
Tricia Owens wants you to know that Las Vegas is actually a pretty cool place and you won’t be eaten by a troll there. Probably. A former casino games dealer and cruise ship editor, Tricia has traveled extensively, visiting over 70 countries. She writes full time in several genres including urban fantasy and romance. Her favorite setting is her home town, the city of sin.
Website: http://www.triciaowensbooks.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tricia-Owens-Author-348774068467200/
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Tricia-Owens/e/B009HBB3FY
by
June 12, 2016
Monday Musings Part Three: Let it Go
Let it Go
When we hold onto things, we suffer. This includes our beliefs and wants. Sometimes, the way things are match the way we want things to be. Most of the time, though, that doesn’t happen. It’s when we wish for things to be other than reality that we suffer.
In life, we can only depend upon two things: change and death. Nothing else comes with a guarantee. There isn’t a way out of this. No quick cheat that will save us. The only thing that works for sure is to give up.
I don’t mean give up in the sense of no longer caring. I mean it in the sense of offering it up. To just let it go.
Clinging brings suffering.
This does have its positive side, too. It implies that the bad stuff will change as surely as the good. So, if you’re in the deep dark depths of despair, take heart—it will change eventually. Nothing lasts forever.
What does this tell us? The way to a happy life is to live in the moment with what is. To wish ourselves someplace or some time else is pointless and only brings pain, or at the very least, discomfort. Whatever is going on, let it go.
Only when we stop wasting energy on wishing things were different, or holding onto a bit of our life that we don’t want to lose, can we more effectively channel that energy into changing the things we can change.
One of the seven stages of grief is denial. This is something we each bring to our everyday existence. When we desperately wish something wasn’t, we all (in one way or another) go through some form of denial. The same too with all the other stages, which includes anger and despair.
The good news is that, actually, we don’t have to go through all those stages before we reach acceptance. We do have a choice. All we have to do at any point is to accept it and let it go. Any time we suffer, we make the choice to suffer.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that we have to like everything that we meet. For sure, I didn’t like losing my leg. If I’d had the choice, I would have changed things. What happens when we don’t have the ability to change things, though? My choice wasn’t between keeping the leg and my old life and losing both. Rather, I had the choice to go with the flow, accept the changes, and make the best of it. Had I resisted, I would have suffered more.
In the wise words of Zen:
‘This too will change.’
If you missed the first two Monday Musings, you can find the links below:
by
June 11, 2016
She Dies at the End
Hello ya’ll, and welcome to my place. It gives me great pleasure to host author A M Manay today on her 4 Wills Book Boost Tour! To find her other awesome tour stops, please click on the banner above. Okay, take it away, Anne Margaret!
Sometimes I like to play around with my supporting characters. Here is the result of one of those experiments, followed by a blurb and excerpt from my short story collection She Sees in Her Sleep. You can read more about my protagonist November Snow, and all her friends and enemies, in the novels She Dies at the End and She Lights Up the Dark, as well as in the short story collection She Sees in Her Sleep, which features the encounter between Lilje and Ilyn mentioned below. Enjoy!
This excerpt comes from the journal of Lilje, a fairy monarch once known as “The Ice Queen.” It was written shortly before her assassination approximately 1000 years ago and has been translated into modern English. It was intended as a message for November Snow, one of her future incarnations, whom she had seen in vision but whose name she did not know. The journal was entrusted to her husband Gul, who brought it with him to the New World.
It isn’t always easy, dear girl, knowing the end is coming soon. You’ll learn that lesson again, probably more than once. At least in my case, I’ve had plenty of time in this life. I’m nearly 2000 years old. I’ve ridden into battle. I’ve know victory and defeat. I’ve married and borne children. I’ve ruled in times of plenty and in times of want. You, though . . . death will come early for you, early and bloody. It seems unjust that I, for all my sins, have had so much time, and that you, in your comparative innocence, will have so little.
In my case, my death will be in retaliation for my work for peace between vampire and fairy. I imagine you might have a similar mission. Perhaps you will help us to reconcile with the humans, or the lycanthropes, as hard as that is to picture. In your case, though, I suspect that your death will be an integral part of your mission rather than an unfortunate consequence.
I do hope, for your sake, that future Ilyn proves worthy of your friendship. It was quite a surprise, seeing the two of you together. Or, should I say, the two of us? I was more than a bit worried for you until I met him again, the night we signed the treaty. Heretofore, I had only seen him on the battlefield. He was more charming than anyone called “The Scourge” has a right to be. Though I suppose the same could be said for me. “The Ice Queen” is not exactly a term of endearment.
I don’t mean to saddle you with too much information or too many expectations. You will have enough to carry without the weight of all of my burdens. I will tell you that Gul and Raina, Queen Marisha’s daughter, will be of help to you on your journey. Of that, I am certain. Good luck.
Scribbled in the margin:
Gul, after I’m gone, I know that you will read my words in the midst of your grief. I need you to remember to keep your eyes open for this girl. I don’t know her name, but she will have my eyes. She will be dark-haired, fair-skinned, and slight, with the scar from a fairy blade on her arm. You may find her in human or in vampire form, depending on the timing. She will need your help, yours and Raina’s, both. Be her friend, for my sake. All my love, L
Book Blurb for She Sees in Her Sleep: Three November Snow Shorts
These three short stories are set in the universe of A.M. Manay’s paranormal novel, She Dies at the End (November Snow Book 1). These stories have been previously released either via the author’s website or through her mailing list. This is the first time they are available as a collection and in the Kindle format.
“She Forges a Peace” provides a glimpse into the formation of the alliance between fairies and vampires as well as insight into one of the primary characters in the series. “He Worships his Queen” delves into the painful childhood of vampire Luka, the primary villain in She Dies at the End. “She Fears the Dark” focuses on the popular fairy characters Pine and Zinnia as they take a trip to Disneyland that turns into an unexpectedly dangerous adventure.
Short Excerpt from She Sees in Her Sleep: Three November Snow Shorts
She was sanguine. She knew this peace would hold for centuries and more. She’d had glimpses of the future, a future in which vampire and fairy fortunes were interwoven, a future in which the old wars would be, if not exactly forgotten, put aside in the pursuit of prosperity as well as safety from the lycanthropes.
In truth, it was the fairy who needed the peace more urgently, which fact they had taken great pains to conceal. It was easy to make new vampires. A single sire could make a dozen in one night if he wished. Not that that would be wise, but it could be done. Fairies took time to grow, far too much time at the rate they had been dying of late.
Weakened though they were, they did have much to offer the vampires. Daytime protection would be a boon, especially in those lands rife with wolves and human witch-hunters. Fairy magic was their other currency. Some vampires had abilities, of course. Queen Marisha was a gifted empath, and the Scourge could all but move mountains without raising more than an eyebrow.
But gifts were rare among their people, and abundant among Lilje’s. Every fairy could do something amazing. And some fairies . . . some fairies could cast spells affecting hundreds, or thousands . . . or maybe just one very crucial person at a very crucial moment. Her husband, Gul, could hide whole armies. That gift, along with her own clairvoyance, was the only thing that had allowed them to hold out long enough to broker this accord, which promised peace in most of Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. Lilje had seen that the rest of the world would follow their lead, once they saw these lands bloom with the prosperity that would come with peace.
It helped that Marisha was a reasonable creature, herself weary of constant warfare. Lilje wondered how the vampire queen had convinced her husband. The Scourge seemed to thrive on leading men and women to their doom. Perhaps that was an act, meant to sow fear in his enemies. Either way, Ilyn’s reputation was such that Lilje felt a little shiver of apprehension as he pulled back the fabric and entered the tent from the opposite side.
“Ilyn,” she greeted him with squinting eyes. His sprinkling of silver hair amidst the black glittered in the candlelight as he bent to offer her a shallow bow. The scar across his cheek twitched as he unfolded back to his full, imposing height. She had heard a number of tales of how that mark had been made. The only commonality between the legends was that a fairy had been the culprit.
“Lilje,” he replied blandly. It had been some decades since he had seen the fairy queen in person, but she remained a strangely fascinating creature. Her short, silver hair stuck out wildly in all directions, her similarly pale eyes glowing in the half light. She was dressed like a man of action, as was her habit, in rich leather breeches the color of pine needles and a well-padded vest covered with intricate iron mail. A delicate gold chain crowned her hair, the only concession her attire made to her queenhood.
They simultaneously took their seats and began silently looking over the documents one last time. The table was set simply: two copies of the treaty, two quills, two pots of ink, two candelabras of solid gold. The table was a scarred veteran of many a campaign. It had traveled many miles in the backs of wagons bouncing over ruts or mired in springtime mud. Lilje could see phantom maps scattered across its surface, pins and goblets and fallen wax, elbows of generals long dead but not forgotten. Perhaps it could be retired now to a less martial use.
About the author:
In addition to her work as an indie author of paranormal fantasy, A.M. Manay is a former inner-city chemistry teacher, a singer, a yoga enthusiast, a Clerk of Session in the Presbyterian Church (USA), and a mother through domestic open adoption. She has a passion for increasing diversity in popular culture and for strong heroines who stand up for themselves, make their own decisions, and don’t depend on romance as their reason for being.
Be the first to know about the release of the upcoming sequel as well as bonus material about your favorite characters by
Checking out her website: www.ammanay.net
Signing up for the fan email list: November’s News
Following the author on Facebook: facebook.com/ammanaywrites
Following the author on Twitter: @ammanay
Following the author on Instagram: instagram.com/a.m.manay
Following her Amazon author page: amazon.com/author/ammanay
She Dies at the End: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0112S00KI
She Sees in Her Sleep: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019EG1NWE
She Lights Up the Dark: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BQGGBMW
Website: www.ammanay.net
The tour sponsored by 4WillsPublishing.wordpress.com
by
June 10, 2016
Leaving Shangrila
Hi folks! Today, I bring you author Isabelle Cecils and her memoir, Leaving Shangrila. Isabelle will be awarding a $30 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. For her other tour stops, please click on the banner above. And, be sure to leave comments and indulge in a bit of internet stalking for more chances to win!
Leaving Shangrila: The True Story of A Girl, Her Transformation and Her Eventual Escape by Isabelle Gecils, is the captivating memoir of a charmingly complex heroine.
Isabelle paints a colorful world as she tells the tale of how she forged her own path in the midst of turmoil. The story, set in Brazil where she grew up, is populated with fascinating characters, both good and bad. From a narcissistic mother to her perpetually flawed lovers to three resilient sisters, Leaving Shangrila’s motley crew make for an endlessly intriguing storyline.
Leaving Shangrila begins with young Isabelle, trapped in a hellish world. Surrounded by lies, manipulation, and abuse, Isabelle is desperate to escape the adversity of this place. Filled with tremendous strength and an unyielding drive to survive, she begins her journey toward freedom and self-realization. Through the trials and obstacles along the way, Isabelle goes back and forth to balance who she is with what she must do to survive.
With themes of perseverance, self-reliance, and the resilience of the human spirit, Leaving Shangrila: The True Story Of A Girl, Her Transformation and Her Eventual Escape highlights the important character traits one discovers on the path to finding their self. Truly empowering and inspirational, readers everywhere will relate to this coming of age story.
Excerpt:
At the school grounds, my classmates cracked jokes about what happened during their afternoons together. They perched on one another as they traded stories and exchanged hugs. I heard about the English classes they took after school, their boat trips around the bays of Rio de Janeiro, the excited chatter that accompanied field trips I was never allowed to join. When the entire class decided to spend a lightly chaperoned weekend in Cabo Frio, a town with white, sandy beaches and coconut trees lining the boardwalks, my jealousy meter spiked. For two months, that is all anyone talked about. Since I did not even receive an invitation, nobody spoke with me.
I felt lonely observing them. I longed to be as adored as were the two most popular girls in my class: Isabela and Flavia. Isabela, despite the discolored white spots all over her skin due to type 1 diabetes, was the reigning queen. The boys swooned over Flavia, two years older than the rest of us although she repeated third and fifth grade due to her poor academic performance.
I observed these two girls, searching for what it was about them that made them special. Yes, they were both beautiful. While their beauty may have helped with their popularity, it surely was not the main factor, as there were other pretty girls too. I decided that what they had in common, what nobody else had, was that they were the best athletes in my class, even perhaps the best in all of the school.
Isabela and Flavia were always the ones everybody wanted to have on their team and as their friend. They were either team captain or the first pick. They seemed to try harder than everybody else. So I thought that if I truly focused on sports, then I could be just like them. If only I could excel on the handball field—as girls did not play soccer, despite the madness surrounding the most popular sport in Brazil—then maybe, just maybe, my social standing could change too. I made a plan. One day, I would be just as great as these two. One day, I would be chosen first.
The Making of Leaving Shangrila
By Isabelle Cecils
When I moved to the United States as teenager, I left my previous life behind.
From that moment on, I became a new person. I did not think about my past, did not talk about it, and did not think that I would ever feel compelled to.
But in 2004, my son was born.
By then, I had surrounded myself with friends and love, when earlier in my life I felt mostly alone and abandoned.
I found myself relatively successful professionally, using the financial security that it provided to mask that I grew up without means, often wearing tattered, stained clothing.
My travels around the world hid the fact that I had not been anywhere beyond the walls of a round house in the middle of a jungle in Brazil and its nearby town of Petropolis, until I first set foot in America.
Most importantly, I was the owner of my destiny, free to make choices that would keep both me, and now my newborn son, safe. A privilege that eluded me throughout my childhood.
It was hovering over my son’s crib that I felt the need to tell my story. I felt the calling to share with my son the story of the immense struggle to free myself from the circumstances where fate had placed me, that enable me to offer him a life free – to the extent that I could provide it – of fear, of lies and of loneliness. A gift that I had not been able to enjoy.
And I started writing Leaving Shangrila was born. I wrote this book in fits and spurts, when I found a moment among raising my family, building a business and having a life.
By then, I had a built an entire business focused on numbers and economic and business models. I can make spreadsheets sing! Writing? I had written various technical papers with the findings of my analysis, but that would not translate well into a book. So I applied to the Stanford Creative Nonfiction Certificate program, with the purpose of obtaining guidance on how to write a book I am proud of.
It would have been easy to give up on this project and on this journey. My life was so hectic with various responsibilities and little time. But the more I wrote, the more I wanted to write. The more of Leaving Shangrila I shared with my classmates at Stanford over the ensuing 2.5 years, the more excited I felt about the universal appeal of my story and the power behind its message: that irrespective of where comes from and the adversities they face, we can end up with a different, better life, by rejecting lies and dysfunction.
I learned that we climb mountains one step at a time. So, It took me years to publish Leaving Shangrila. Along the way, I learned that this story was meant not only meant for my son (who has read it multiple times now), but for anyone who ever felt compelled to live a life of their choosing, not the one others create for them.
About the Author:
Isabelle Gecils grew up in Shangrila, a remote farm in a lush jungle in Brazil. But who really knows where she hails from? Her immediate family hailed from 6 different countries: France (dad), Egypt (mom and grandma), Turkey (grandpa), Lithuania (grandpa) and Poland (grandma). There is a freedom in belonging nowhere and everywhere at the same time.
Leaving Shangrila is the story of Isabelle’s journey from a life others choose for her to one she created for herself. To support the writing of this memoir, Isabelle completed the Stanford Creative Nonfiction Writing certificate program. She currently lives in Saratoga, California, with her husband, four sons and two territorial cats.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/IsabelleGecilsAuthor/
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June 7, 2016
Fueled by Lust
Hello and welcome to Harmony Kent’s place. Pull up a chair and make yourself comfy. There’s coffee in the pot and cookies (if you’re quick). It gives me great pleasure to welcome author Celeste Prater today, and her Erotic Romance novel: Fueled by Lust: Geleon.
Celeste will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. For her other tour stops, please click on the banner above. Visit as many as you can for more chances to win her Rafflecopter prize giveaway!
Hey! Yeah, you! Want in on a juicy secret? Geleon Thaice sure does. Why is the mysterious female of his dreams, wet or otherwise, constantly slipping through his hands? All he craves is to shower her with love and make her his own. Is that so bad? Is it just the fingers of fate doling out yet another allotment of misery upon his head? Or has destiny slyly laid a precise path that’s been waiting patiently for centuries?
Jaelyn Areeda just wants to peacefully survive another day, but the cosmos have her violently colliding with forces out of her control, falling into the capable, muscle-packed arms of a sinfully sexy alpha alien hell bent on inserting himself into her life… as well as her heart, mind, and soul. Will she run—or stay?
Book 9 in the Fueled By Lust Series doesn’t fail in delivering up another scrumptiously hunky male to whet your appetite, make you drool, and dare to love.
Excerpt:
Geleon’s head immediately turned and captured her lips again the second she’d uttered his name. He kissed her so passionately that Jaelyn unleashed a cry of discontent as he dared to lift away from her. Growly, strained words had her squirming in his arms.
“Your key … where is it?”
“Back pocket,” she croaked out.
He palmed both ass cheeks and squeezed before she felt his fingers digging into her pockets. They both looked over to watch his frantic attempt to shove the card into the little slot. He had no clue that his rumbling curses, repeated up-and-down bounces on his thick thigh notched between her legs, a broad palm steadily squeezing her ass, and his rich musky scent were sending her into a teeth grinding orgasm. He caught on quickly as his name shot from her throat, piercing the air. Their eyes locked.
Hands slammed down onto her hips, and he ground her against his leg, sensual heated words catapulting her into a mind-numbing level of pure ecstasy.
“Come on. Come on. That’s it,” he growled. “Show it to me. No. Don’t close your eyes. Look at me. Fuck. So beautiful. Roll your hips. Yes. Yes. Aw, I can feel the heat of your pussy on my leg.”
He began nibbling along her neck, hot breath sending a sheet of pebbles to race across her flesh.
“Ah, gods, you’re coming for me,” he rumbled. “That’s so fucking sexy. Feel how hard I am for you, Jaelyn.”
Her feet touched the ground, legs immediately buckling—only to be caught around the waist and held tightly to his side. She gripped his shirt, valiantly trying to kick-start her lungs. His body went perfectly still, and she felt him inhale deeply and slowly release. She vaguely registered the flash of green as he pulled the card and slammed his hand down on the door latch.
About the author:
I was born and raised in a small town between Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin. Wanting to see more than her small Texas town, I joined the Marines, which satisfied my craving to see more of the U.S. and my drive to see if I could be one of the few and the proud.
A firm believer in educating the mind, I’ve achieved several advanced degrees, the latest being a master’s of science.
My true love is writing erotic romance, especially about alien hunks that know how to treat their females. Drusus, Severus, Cato, Lucien, Caelius, Maxim and many more have swirled in my dreams until I had to bring them to life and allow them to find love within the pages of the Fueled by Lust book series.
Book 1 DRUSUS was nominated as Top 5 Finalist and placed 3rd in the 2014 RWA Passionate Ink’s 9th Annual Passionate Plume Book Contest in Erotic SciFi/Fantasy Category, Book 2 SEVERUS achieved BEST BOOK review rating and won April 2014 BOOK OF THE MONTH Reader Poll at LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS, Book 3 CATO won the May/June 2014 BOOK OF THE MONTH, LUCIEN won the September 2014 BOOK OF THE MONTH, and MAKAR AND BARUCH the SEPTEMBER 2015 BOOK OF THE MONTH Reader Poll at LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS. All currently released books in the series have made it into the Top 5 Bestseller Lists at Bookstrand.com within days of release as well as making it into the Top 10 Hottest New Releases in Erotic Science Fiction on Amazon.
I would like to give a big shout out to my gorgeous model, Anthony Zuniga, and the awesome cover photographer, David Erickson. You can catch Anthony on Instagram @anthonyzuniga1_ and David at @david_erickson8.
Buy Links for Book Series:
Releasing 5/24/2016 exclusively at www.bookstrand.com/celeste-prater and 6-8 weeks later at major retailers.
Bookstrand http://www.bookstrand.com/celeste-prater
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Celeste-Prater/e/B00H5Y36N2/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1410962247&sr=1-2-ent
Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/celeste-prater?store=allproducts&keyword=celeste+prater
KOBO http://prod-www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=celeste+prater
ITUNES https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/fueled-by-lust-drusus/id826723786?mt=11
You can find Celeste at:
Website http://www.celesteprater-romanceauthor.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/Celeste_Prater
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Celeste-Prater-Erotic-Romance-Author/181230038723758
Instagram http://instagram.com/celestepraterauthor
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/celesteprater/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCudyD1KXoknydE443MWe5mA
Google+ https://plus.google.com/118162420222320764665/posts
Tumblr http://celesteprater-author.tumblr.com/
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