Sage Nestler's Blog, page 22
May 10, 2018
Literary Vacation Club June Theme – The Emerald City
I am excited to announce June’s destination for Literary Vacation Club: Emerald City! June’s box is going to be all about The Wizard of Oz, and you are sure to love it! I will be featuring a gorgeous Oz spinoff novel with accessories to transport you to the Emerald City.
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Each Box Includes:
1 – 2 Books
3 – 5 Multi-Sensory Accessories
Use Code “SUMMER15” for 15% off!
May 8, 2018
Author Spotlight: Ant Richard
I have an awesome guest post to share with you today from author Ant Richards! Richards is the author of Damned If I Don’t: Short Thrills, which is a collection of short psychological thriller stories. Enjoy the post!
Much love,
Ashley
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DAMNED IF I DON’T
They left the building hand in hand and walked towards Matt’s car; Mel blushing and Matt feeling like a million dollars.
‘This is my beauty,’ Matt announced, proud as they reached to where he had parked his car.
Mel was impressed at the sight, mainly for the wrong reasons. The car, a ’82 Ford Fiesta, had certainly seen better days. With a few small dents here and there, a few minor scratches and signs of rust around the wheels, it resembled its owner; juvenile, rough on the edges, with a European flair to it, defiant, rebellious, yet cute and loveable.
Matt opened the passenger door for Mel and invited her in.
‘So Mel, what do you think, the pinnacle of class and sophistication, eh?’
‘Reminds me of you,’ she replied all giggly.
‘It’s all I can afford at the moment,’ he had replied embarrassed.
Immediately, Mel pushed up the lock under the window and made as if she was about to open the door and get out of the car.
‘What are you doing?’ Matt feared his battered, little, un-American car had scared her off.
‘You see, I’m not sure whether I’m supposed to ride in the car or help you push it.’
The Full Circle
Running naked, splashing the warm foam of the recently crashed wave on the sand on a sunny summer morning is priceless. Accidentally stepping on a hole, you could have sworn wasn’t there and falling face first on the sand is, well, stupid. But that’s the way it ends. All the time.
Jimmy Kerr’s eyelids feel heavy, dry, and grainy. Nevertheless, he still makes the effort. As his eyes adjust to the dimly lit room, he sadly realises nothing has changed. Same dream. Same ending. Repeatedly and ruthlessly cruel.
Has another day passed?
Just an hour?
He couldn’t care less. There is no way of knowing, so why bother?
The Sentence
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While wracking my brains trying to complete what would become my debut novel IN YOUR DREAMS, finding the time, the inspiration, and basically, the will to continue writing, I came across with loose ideas to add to the storyline.
As it sometimes happens, they didn’t necessarily fit in with the original story I was working on, but after discarding a few ideas, I decided to keep some of them as they came along in my head. At the time, I had joined Wattpad, and then it occurred to me that it would be a good idea to turn these loose ideas into short stories. That way, besides being a good writing exercise, and a way to churn out more ideas to add to IYD, it could be a good way to showcase my writing to other Wattpad members and start growing an audience in preparation for my first book’s release.
IYD was released in July 2014, and in between trying to market that title and life getting in the way, I continued developing these short stories. I must have had three or four by that time.
I then decided that this collection of tales could be my second release.
Working on these short stories I believe really helped develop my writing style and taught me that there was no need for clever, complicated words to convey an entertaining and easy to understand message. It was a great learning curve that taught me that simple is usually more effective.
I explore various different genres with these stories, always however, keeping a few common aspects. In each story, irrespective of its genre, there is an element of dark humour, regret, false hope at times, but ultimately, a moment of lost opportunity. Oh, and the South East London element of some of my characters or locations. DAMNED IF I DON’T therefore, became a fitting title for these tales.
Life is a journey of opportunities, decisions, and tests. The means and tools are scattered throughout our life and it’s up to us to decide which we use or which we ditch. More often than not, we will decide on the outcome depending on what choices we make and what risks we take.
So, if you love short tales packed with romance, suspense, dramas, southeast London gangsters, speakeasies in Spanish beach towns, bad decisions, even worse behaviour, a ruthless enforcer and a missing cell phone then you shouldn’t miss reading DAMNED IF I DON’T. After all, what can possibly go wrong?
It’s available on Amazon in e-book and paperback format.
But hurry, you won’t always get a second chance.
Ant Richards
May 7, 2018
New Unboxing: New Orleans 2018
I have a new unboxing video for you of our New Orleans box from Literary Vacation Club! Ashayla Webster is a wonderful reviewer, and I am sure that you will love her. Check it out!
Enjoy!
Ashley
We Are Now in Summer Mode!
This summer we are taking you to four amazing destinations
June: Emerald City (The Wizard of Oz)
July: National Parks Road Trip
August: Hawaii
September: Time Travel
These boxes can now be purchased as a set in our shop, or bought individually!
Use Code ‘SUMMER15″ for 15% off!
May 1, 2018
Early Release: MARITICIDE by Jo-Anne Joseph
I am excited to let you know that a thrilling new novel was released early! Mariticide is a passionate suspense novel with a romantic flair. You are sure to love it!
Much love,
Ashley
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How far would you go to protect your loved ones?
What would be the ultimate sacrifice?
Lie? Fight? Steal?
Would you kill?
For Alyssa Morgan there was no question.
She would do anything.
When her ideologies are threatened she has a choice to make.
But can she destroy the one person she trusted most in the world?
Luke Greene realized from the moment she walked into his office he was in too deep.
He believed in her innocence, even though she refused to admit it.
Was his obsession with Alyssa just a diversion from his own crumbling life?
He has a choice to make – his profession or uncovering the truth
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Book Links
GR link: https://bit.ly/2JAp64w
UK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CQL9YML
US: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07CQL9YML
CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07CQL9YML
AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07CQL9YML
Author Connect
https://m.facebook.com/joannejosephauthor/
www.instagram.com/joanne.joseph84
www.twitter.com/jjosephauthor
https://www.facebook.com/groups/277055792810041/
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jo-anne-joseph
www.amazon.com/author/joannejoseph
April 28, 2018
Literary Vacation Club – The Weekender Package
Did you know that we offer a cheaper version of our “The Holiday” box through Literary Vacation Club? “The Weekender” is our second box option and it is only $14.99 + shipping instead of $29.99 + shipping (which is “The Holiday”‘s price)!
“The Weekender” includes 1 book + 1 – 3 accessories based on a different destination each month! It includes the same book as our “The Holiday” box, just with fewer accessories.
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Example Box (Victorian Themed):
– Davenport House by Marie Silk
– Davenport House Art Print
– Tea Party Scent Pack from Adventure Scents
– Cameo Pin
“The Weekender” is available as a subscription or single boxes in our shop!
May’s destination is “The Happiest Place on Earth” and you won’t want to miss this Disney themed box!
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Use Code “DISNEY10” for 10% off!
April 25, 2018
Literary Vacation Club – March 2018 Reveal
I am excited to reveal to you our March “New Orleans” box! This box was so much fun to make, and I hope that you enjoyed it. 
April 22, 2018
Calling All Artists
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Are you an artist, or do you know any independent artists? I am looking to collaborate with a few artists for my subscription business – Literary Vacation Club – as well as some of my own projects. All art styles are welcome. I would love to help you spread your work through my avenues! Just fill out the form below so that I can get a glimpse of your work.
Share this post with anyone who might be interested!
Feel free to email me with questions or more information
peachykeenreviews@gmail.com
April 18, 2018
Book Review: A Necessary Evil by Christina Kaye
Author: Christina Kaye
Rating: 4/5
Synopsis:
In 1977, blood-brothers Frankie Cartwright and Kurt Jamison were inseparable. But when a shocking event touched someone they both loved, the boys handled the trauma differently…
Kurt became aFullcop. Frankie grew up to be a notorious crime lord.
Forty years later, when Frankie’s teenage granddaughter Mollie is kidnapped and Kurt is assigned to her case, the former best friends are forced to work together. However, Kurt wants to conduct the investigation within the confines of the legal system, while Frankie would rather use his less-than-legal resources to find her—and punish her abductor.
With the cloud of a dark secret casting a shadow over each man’s endeavor to find Mollie, Kurt and Frankie exhaust every resource at their disposal in an effort to save her and serve up their own individual brand of justice.
Short Review
A Necessary Evil is a nail-biting thriller with spectacular detail. You are sure to finish this novel in one sitting!
Full Review
Christina Kaye writes with detail and depth, and A Necessary Evil had me on the edge of my seat. Kaye’s characters are easy to relate to and I felt glued to her work early on in the novel.
Crime versus legalities is one of my favorite conflicts in the literary world, and the clash between brothers Kurt and Frankie brought high stakes to the story. I loved the family conflict that Kaye presented, and how a kidnapping was the main crime involved. It made me ask the question, how far would you go to save someone you love?
In our current political climate, we are in conflict between legal and illegal practices and how they relate to justice. A Necessary Evil made me question what I would do if a loved one was kidnapped, and that personal connection made the story come to life.
A Necessary Evil is an excellent fiction novel that features heartbreaking drama and family ties. Sometimes the writing could be inconsistent in terms of long-winded sentences paired with sentence fragments, but I flew through the novel nonetheless. If you are a fan of crime action novels then A Necessary Evil won’t disappoint!
April 14, 2018
Literary Vacation Club – Summer Destinations Contest!
I hope that you all are having a lovely weekend.
April 10, 2018
Brain to Books Cyber Convention Wrap Up
Hello, Everyone!
Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the Brain to Books Cyber Convention this year! 
It was quite the success, and I had such a blast! The virtual booths for every author in the cycon will remain live for the next year so you can go back in and discover authors if you missed out!
Romance Cover Wars Winner
Thank you to everyone who voted in the Romance Cover Wars! This year was the first year that I won cover wars, and I am so honored. My novel Beautiful Nightmare is very dear to me, and I want to thank you all so much for your support!
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Romance Character Tournaments Winner
This year my friend Tiffany Apan won the Romance Character Tournaments with her character Dorothy Blake Turner! Thank you all for voting, and join me in congratulating Tiffany!
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I look forward to next year’s con, and to another year of bookish goodness with all of you!
Much love,
Ashley
