D.E. Haggerty's Blog, page 42
June 12, 2017
Spotlight on The Sleeping Legion Series #military #scifi by @jr_handley
Do you like science fiction? What about military science fiction? In that case, have I got a treat for you today! The Sleeping Legion series is a military science fiction series of three books. Each book can be read as a stand alone but will be more enjoyable read as a series.
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Title: The Legion Awakes, Sleeping Legion Book 1
Author: J R Handley
Genre: Military Science Fiction
Published: Dec 17, 2016
Synopsis
A century ago, all but two members of Lance Scipio’s unit were executed. He has been woken into a strange new time, and tasked with whipping into shape the worst squad of misfits in the entire Human Marine Corps. The price of failure is death – no pressure!
2565AD. Tranquility-4 near the frontier of the White Knight Empire. Guided by mysterious orders, the authorities at the Human Marine Corps base of Beta City thaw Lance Scipio. In 2441, an entire Marine company was executed with the exception of Captain Grimgerde and Sergeant Lance Scipio, the usual punishment for running in the face of the enemy. But these two were preserved… as if they would be required in the future.
Although Scipio is not expected to escape execution for long, he has been given a slim chance. For a Marine, a chance is all that is needed to change the fate of worlds. This entertaining tale takes many twists and turns as Scipio not only turns this band of misfits into first class marines, but also teaches them forgotten tactics making them a force to be reconed with.
The Sleeping Legion is a breakneck new sequence of military science fiction novels set in the worlds of the international bestselling series: ‘The Human Legion’.
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Title: Fortress Beta City, Sleeping Legion Book 2
Author: J R Handley
Genre: Military Science Fiction
Published: Dec 20, 2016
Synopsis
Thirty-five years ago, Lance Scipio pulled most of Beta City into an emergency cryo-freeze. Now he is awoken to a catastrophically changed world.
2601AD. Tranquility-4 near the frontier of the White Knight Empire. Lance awakes to a world where unidentified Marines have raided his city, the enemy is occupying the unflooded portions, and as if that wasn’t bad enough, the city is slowly dying. Lance must find a way to save his marines.
With true ingenuity Lance and his marines save the city and themselves. This tale tells of the will to push past merely surviving, where huamnity fights to thrive in this brave new world. You will love the drama as these resourceful marines find a way to out of the dire situation. All the while knowing the end result will be freedom or death.
The Sleeping Legion is a breakneck new sequence of military science fiction novels set in the universe of the international bestselling series: ‘The Human Legion’.
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Title: Operation Breakout, Sleeping Legion Book 3
Author: J R Handley
Genre: Military Science Fiction
Published: April 20, 2017
Synopsis
Bloodied yet defiant, the Legion survivors emerge from an alien onslaught.
Lance Scipio and the defenders of Fortress Beta City are cut-off and betrayed. They’ve proven they can survive in this harsh world. However, liberating an entire continent is a far greater challenge. Finding ancient warriors long thought extinct should help – but whose side are they on?
Although costly mistakes are made, and they are relying on these dangerous Marines. Will the impossible happen and Lance’s forces prevail? Read this riveting novel and find out!
Fans of modern military science fiction will relish this fast-paced and realistic series, set in the worlds of the Human Legion.
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About the authors
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J.R. Handley is a pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team. He is a veteran infantry sergeant with the 101st Airborne Division and the 28th Infantry Division. She is the kind of crazy that interprets his insanity into cogent English. He writes the sci-fi while she proofreads it. The sergeant is a two-time combat veteran of the late unpleasantness in Mesopotamia where he was wounded, likely doing something stupid. He started writing military science fiction as part of a therapy program suggested by his doctor, and hopes to entertain you while he attempts to excise his demons through these creative endeavors. In addition to being just another dysfunctional veteran, he is a stay at home wife, avid reader and all around nerd. Luckily for him, his Queen joins him in his fandom nerdalitry.
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Spotlight on The Dragon’s Playlist, #contemporaryfantasy from @Laura_Bickle
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The Dragon’s Playlist
Laura Bickle
ISBN: 9781537891965
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
From the author of THE HALLOWED ONES and NINE OF STARS comes a new novel blending the magical and the real…
“This is war,” the dragon said. And she believed him.
Di fled rural West Virginia to study music and pursue a bright future as a violinist. But when a mining accident nearly kills her father, she is summoned back home to support her family. Old ghosts and an old flame emerge from the past. When Di gets a job as a bookkeeper at the same mine where her father worked, she is drawn into a conflict pitting neighbor against neighbor as the mine plans an expansion to an untouched mountain.
If the mining company’s operation goes forward, there will be more at stake than livelihoods or the pollution of the land: Di has discovered a dragon lives deep within Sawtooth Mountain, and he is not happy with this encroachment upon his lair. When catastrophe strikes, Di must choose between her family’s best interests and protecting the dragon – the last surviving bit of magic in Di’s shrinking world.
In every fight, sides are chosen. And there can be no yearning for what has been left behind.
Read 2 New Chapters Free Each Week Starting June 1 at Wattpad and Facebook
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About the Author
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Laura Bickle grew up in rural Ohio, reading entirely too many comic books out loud to her favorite Wonder Woman doll. After graduating with an MA in Sociology-Criminology from Ohio State University and an MLIS in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she patrolled the stacks at the public library and worked with data systems in criminal justice. She now dreams up stories about the monsters under the stairs. Her work has been included in the ALA’s Amelia Bloomer Project 2013 reading list and the State Library of Ohio’s Choose to Read Ohio reading list for 2015-2016.
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June 9, 2017
Now live! Grab a copy of Dirty Like Brody #rockstarromance from @JaineDiamondXO
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Title: Dirty Like Brody
Author: Jaine Diamond
Genre: Rockstar Romance
~ Synopsis ~
He was all she ever wanted. Then she broke his heart…
As longtime manager of Dirty, the hottest rock band on the planet, gorgeous and brooding Brody Mason has had his share of beautiful women. Yet the only one he’s ever wanted is the one he never had—the one who tore his heart out.
Beautiful and elusive Jessa Mayes appears to have it all. Talent, money, and a glamorous life. But she also has a secret. Six years ago, she ran away—from her dream career as a songwriter with Dirty, and the only man she’s ever loved—without telling anyone why.
Now Jessa’s doing the one thing she swore she’d never do. She’s coming home—to be a bridesmaid in her brother’s rock star wedding… and face the mistakes of her past.
It won’t be easy.
Love this intense never is.
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Add to your TBR
~ About the Author ~
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Jaine Diamond is the author of the Dirty contemporary rockstar romance series, and the DEEP erotic military romance series. She is fond of writing the love stories of built and badass men endowed with massive hearts, and strong, complex women she’d love to have a cocktail with.
She lives in beautiful Vancouver, Canada with her real-life romantic hero (Mr. Diamond) and their little girl, where she reads, writes, and drinks copious amounts of tea.
Get the free Dirty prequel book by subscribing to Jaine’s mailing list → click here
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June 8, 2017
Spotlight on Sacrificial Lam #mystery #suspense from @gmguinn #excerpt
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Title: Sacrificial Lam
Author: Gary Guinn
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Published: March 2017
~ Synopsis ~
When English professor Lam Corso receives a death threat at work, he laughs it off. A liberal activist teaching at a small Southern conservative college, he’s used to stirring up controversy on campus. It’s just part of the give and take of life. Even when violently attacked, Lam is convinced it has to be a mistake. He can’t imagine anyone who would want to kill him for his beliefs.
When his home is broken into and his wife’s business vandalized, Lam is forced to face facts. The police can’t find a single lead. Lam’s wife—a passionate anti-gun crusader—is outraged when Lam brings a gun into the house for protection. Left to their own devices, Lam and Susan must examine their marriage, faith, and values in the face of a carefully targeted attack from an assailant spurred into action by a different set of beliefs.
What will it cost to survive?
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~ Excerpt ~
In the silence immediately after Susan screamed, Simon’s high wail came from upstairs. Billy’s voice broke through, “Mom? What happened, Mom?” His voiced moved to the top of the stairs. “Mama, I’m scared. Where are you?” Simon was sobbing.
Susan grabbed the flashlight and scrambled to her feet. The darkness of the room pressed in on her, weighted with threat, the silence in the downstairs smothering her voice. She shined the flashlight toward the stairway, heading that way, and yelled, “Boys, can you see the light from the flashlight?”
She flicked the light around the room, and seeing nobody, she yelled again, with less panic this time, “Nothing to be afraid of, Billy. I’m sorry I scared you. You and Simon come on downstairs right now.” She shined the light on the stairway steps, fear crawling up her spine from the darkness behind her.
~About the Author ~
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Gary Guinn was a liberal professor at a conservative college. The idea for this book came from actual events early in his teaching career. He lives in the southern Ozark Mountains with his wife, Mary Ann, and his dogs, Seamus and Peanut. He loves to read, write, walk, sail, and brew beer (and of course drink it). His fiction has been published in literary magazines and anthologies. Sacrificial Lam is his second novel.
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Cover reveal of upcoming novel ~ Protocol ~ #mystery from @KathyValenti1 #preorder
Freshly minted college graduate Maggie O’Malley embarks on a career fueled by professional ambition and a desire to escape the past. As a pharmaceutical researcher, she’s determined to save lives from the shelter of her lab. But on her very first day she’s pulled into a world of uncertainty. Reminders appear on her phone for meetings she’s never scheduled with people she’s never met. People who end up dead.
With help from her best friend, Maggie discovers the victims on her phone are connected to each other and her new employer. She soon unearths a treacherous plot that threatens her mission—and her life. Maggie must unlock deadly secrets to stop horrific abuses of power before death comes calling for her.
Ready…..
Set…..
Reveal!!
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Protocol by Kathy Valenti will be available
September 5 from Henery Press!!
June 7, 2017
Read an excerpt of Redemption Lake, a new #mystery from @SusanCGoldner #giveaway @RABTBookTours
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Title: Redemption Lake
Author: Susan Clayton-Goldner
Genre: Mystery
Published: May 17
Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing
~ Synopsis ~
Tucson, Arizona – Eighteen-year-old Matt Garrison is harboring two terrible secrets: his involvement in the drowning death of his 12-year-old cousin, and a night of drunken sex with his best friend’s mother, Crystal, whom he finds dead the following morning. Guilt forces Matt to act on impulse and hide his involvement with Crystal.
Detective Winston Radhauser knows Matt is hiding something. But as the investigation progresses, Radhauser’s attention is focused on Matt’s father. Matt’s world closes in when his dad is arrested for Crystal’s murder and Travis breaks off their friendship. Despite his father’s guilty plea, Matt knows his dad is innocent and only trying to protect his son. Devastated and bent on self-destruction, Matt heads for the lake where his cousin died—the only place he believes can truly free him. Are some secrets better left buried?
Redemption Lake is a novel of love and betrayal. It’s about truth and lies, friendship and redemption, about assuming responsibility, and the risks a father and son will take to protect each other.
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~ Excerpt ~
For the next hour and a half, he drifted in and out of sleep. Cradled by the night sounds of the desert outside the open window, each time a memory emerged, his thoughts thickened and folded back into sleep. At one point he heard water running for a bath. A little later, he heard a car outside. Oh God, please don’t let it be Travis. He stumbled to the window and opened the curtains. In the street, two long rectangular taillights moved away, turning south onto Oracle Road.
Matt leaned against the wall, staring at the sunflower sheets on Crystal’s bed. The same bed he and Travis had jumped up and down on when they were eight. The digital clock read 10:38 p.m. His head throbbed. He needed to close his eyes. Crystal would wake him in time to leave before Travis got home. He fell back onto the bed.
When he woke up again, the room was very dark. He wore only his boxers and a white T-shirt his mother had insisted upon—claiming his usual dark one would show through his tuxedo shirt. As if the color of his T-shirt could ruin her perfect wedding. But he’d been ingenious and found another way to ruin things for his mother. He turned toward the empty space beside him. It took a few moments for him to realize where he was. He closed his eyes, shook his aching head to clear it. Crystal was his best friend’s mother. What the hell was he doing in her bed?
He thought he heard the sound of the front door open, then close again. Oh God, please don’t let it be Travis. His eyes adjusted to the darkness. One event at a time, he remembered everything.
Fully awake now, he shot from the bed, rocking for a few seconds before he achieved balance, then hurried to the window. The moon hung over the mountaintop, its light silver and unforgiving. Crystal’s driveway was empty. Whoever he’d heard, it wasn’t Travis. On the other side of the street, an engine started. This time the taillights were round. Definitely not Crystal’s Escort. The car turned north on Oracle Road.
Matt let out the breath he’d been holding and glanced at the digital clock—its red letters told him it was 11:20 p.m. He needed to get dressed and leave. The dance ended in forty minutes and Travis would head home. He grabbed his tuxedo pants and shirt from the chair. His hands shook so hard he could barely work the fly and the button on his trousers. He slipped into his shirt, then sat on the edge of the bed. As if he had the flu, his head throbbed and his stomach felt queasy.
He rushed down the hallway toward the bathroom. And when he did, he saw the puddle of blood on the floor beside the bathtub.
He hurried across the room, jerked open the pale green shower curtain.
Crystal lay naked in a bathtub filled with blood-colored water. Her hair, her beautiful blonde curls, had been chopped off, shorter in some places than others, as if a small child had done it. Some of the curls were floating on top of the water.
For a strange moment, everything remained calm and slow.
Her head was propped against one of those blow-up pillows attached to the back of the tub with suction cups. The tint of her skin was pale and slightly blue. Crystal’s eyes were open and staring straight ahead—looking at something he couldn’t see. Blood splattered the white tiles that surrounded the tub. It dripped down them like wet paint. One of her hands flopped over the side of the tub. A single thick drop fell from her index finger into the crimson pond congealing on the linoleum floor. It covered her neck and shoulders. Tiny bubbles of frothy blood still oozed from the gash in her neck.
An empty Smirnoff bottle sat in a puddle of blood on the tub’s rim beside a straight-edged razor blade.
The bathroom was so quiet. Nothing but the sound of his own breathing. He clenched and unclenched his hands. His body grew numb. “Oh no. Oh God, no,” he said, the words thickening in the air in front of him. His head filled with strange sounds—the drone of insects humming, violinists tuning their strings. “What have I done?”
The contents of his stomach rose. He crouched in front of the toilet and heaved until nothing more came up. Then he started to rock, back and forth, muttering what he already knew was a useless prayer. Please, just let her be okay. He said it over and over like an unstoppable mantra. If only he could keep saying the words, maybe he could reverse this unthinkable thing.
Maybe she was still alive. He straightened up and stepped over to the bathtub to check Crystal’s neck for a pulse. As he bent closer, he smelled the metallic scent of her blood as it mixed with her perfume and the stale, metabolized smell of alcohol seeping through her skin. He placed two fingers on her neck, searching for her carotid and pressed. His fingers slipped into the gaping hole. It felt wet and warm. He screamed and jerked them out. They were covered in blood.
He swiped his hand on the front of his shirt, then checked the other side of her neck for a pulse. Please, just let her be okay. Nothing. He shook her by the shoulders, then tried again. Still no pulse. At that moment, he stopped his mantra.
Though he knew she was dead, he held her hand—soft and still warm. It belonged to Crystal, who’d taught him to line dance, who liked hot buttered popcorn with cheddar cheese grated on top. Crystal, who was sometimes irresponsible and drank way too much. Crystal, who’d cheered for him at bat in Little League, cheered just as loud as she had for her own son. Crystal, who’d always be sitting in a bathtub of blood. “I’m sorry.” He squeezed her hand, then let go. “And I swear to you, Travis will never know what happened between us.”
Struggling to his feet, he headed for the kitchen phone to call 911. Halfway to the bathroom door, he stopped. Blood smeared the front of his white shirt. And there was still blood on both his hands, drying beneath his fingernails. His body was slick with fear. He smelled it, tasted it, and felt it coming out of his pores like sweat. His mind told him to call the police, to tell the truth. His heart told him to keep his promise to Crystal. It was the last thing she’d ever ask of him.
He dropped his chin and stared at his shirt. Holy shit. If anyone saw him like this, they’d think he’d killed Crystal. The thought stopped him. Had he? Was he capable of doing something so heinous?
The bubble of panic in his throat got bigger. He hurried across the bathroom to wash his hands. There were more clumps of hair in the sink and a hardened blue streak of toothpaste. He used toilet paper to pick up the hair clumps and dropped them into the trashcan. Looking at the uncapped tube beside Crystal’s toothbrush, he felt as if something had been cut out of his chest.
He grabbed the sides of the sink, stared at himself in the mirror. The face staring back resembled no one he’d ever seen before. Was it the face of a murderer? Had he just pushed someone else to her death? He shook his head—breathing in short gasps, like a swimmer gearing up for a plunge. His lungs burned as if he were being swept away by a strong current.
When the memory of his cousin’s death surfaced, as it often did, Matt used his fists to hammer the stranger’s face he saw reflected in the medicine cabinet. The mirror fractured, sending out long cracks in every direction. The face split into interlocking parts like an abstract puzzle. One jagged sliver fell into the sink, breaking in half. It left a black and empty space in what had once been the mirror.
He held onto the sides of the sink again and rocked slowly in front of it, still staring at the blood on his hands and under his fingernails. “You’re all right,” he said, but could barely hear the words, the sounds inside his head were so loud.
In his mind he saw himself letting go of the sink and getting as far away from this nightmare as possible. But it would destroy Travis to come home and find his mother like this. Matt had to intercept him.
He washed his hands, then rinsed the blood from the sides and bowl of the sink, recapped the toothpaste and tucked it into the medicine cabinet. He wrapped the shards of mirror in toilet tissue, careful to avoid getting his fingerprints on the glass, and placed them in the trashcan, jagged sides down. There were no towels in the bathroom, so he wiped his wet hands on his pant legs. Panic rolled in, sucked him under.
What should he do? Call the police? His father? 911? If he did, there’d be a recording of his voice and he’d have a lot of explaining to do. The police often suspected 911 callers. They might take his DNA. What if they found semen inside of Crystal? What if they matched it to Matt’s DNA? If that happened, they’d know. It would be in the newspapers. It would hurt Travis. He couldn’t let that happen.
He hurried back into Crystal’s bedroom. Hands shaking, he sat on the edge of her bed and put on his socks and shoes. Then, as if he were someone else, running through an obstacle course, he went into the kitchen and gathered the empty beer bottles. He took them out into the garage and carefully placed them in their cardboard carriers. Next he wiped the kitchen table, closed the open drawers, loaded the dishwasher, emptied the ashtrays, then made Crystal’s bed with fresh sheets. He tossed the sunflower sheets into the washing machine and started the cycle, careful to wipe his prints from the lid and dial. With the same cloth, he wiped down the edge of the plastic shower curtain, then pulled it closed—the way he’d found it. For the most part, his fingerprints were easily explained. He’d spent almost as much time in Travis’ house as his own.
Matt stood in front of the coffee table. He heard the candles guttering, smelled the wax melting. He blew them out, then picked up the clothes Crystal had discarded in the hallway beside the bathroom door. Folding them neatly, he then placed them on the chair beside her window. He grabbed her red cowboy boots from the living room and set them beneath the chair. It was the least he could do for Travis.
The clock on the stove read 11:45 p.m. The Narrow Way didn’t allow opposite sex teenagers to spend unsupervised time together. Jennifer’s parents would pick her up from the dance. That meant Travis would be leaving for home soon.
If Matt hurried, he could intercept him, convince him to spend the night with Matt and his dad. He raced into Travis’ bedroom, jerked open the drawer where he kept his T-shirts. Surely he had a plain black or a dark blue one somewhere. Matt lifted the stacks of folded shirts until he found one, then ripped off the tuxedo and stained T-shirt, slipped Travis’ shirt over his head, then grabbed his jacket from the kitchen chair and hurried outside.
On the back deck, insects clustered around the light fixture, high-pitched, insistent and frantic. The sound reminded him of Crystal’s voice when she’d pleaded with him not to tell Travis. Why hadn’t he agreed?
In the carport, Matt unlocked the trunk of his Mustang, a restored nineteen sixty-seven Grande that had been his mom’s first car, and dropped both the jacket and the bloodstained shirt inside. Silence ballooned into the night air around him, a strange silence with a ticking heartbeat. Then he remembered the cufflinks. Crystal had tucked them into his shirt pocket. He checked. They weren’t there. He plunged his hands into his pants pockets and then the tuxedo jacket. No cufflinks. He didn’t have time to go back inside. He had to stop Travis from coming home.
When he climbed into the front seat, he looked out through the windshield, but the dome light inside the car and the darkness outside had changed the glass into a mirror. He turned away. His face was the last thing he wanted to see.
~ About the Author ~
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Susan Clayton-Goldner was born in New Castle, Delaware and grew up with four brothers along the banks of the Delaware River. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona’s Creative Writing Program and has been writing most of her life. Her novels have been finalists for The Hemingway Award, the Heeken Foundation Fellowship, the Writers Foundation and the Publishing On-line Contest. Susan won the National Writers’ Association Novel Award twice for her novels and her poetry was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
Her work has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies including Animals as Teachers and Healers, published by Ballantine Books, Our Mothers/Ourselves, by the Greenwood Publishing Group, The Hawaii Pacific Review-Best of a Decade, and New Millennium Writings. A collection of her poems, A Question of Mortality was released in 2014 by Wellstone Press. Her novel, A Bend In The Willow, was published in January 2017. Redemption Lake, the first in a 3-book detective series, will be released May 17, 2017. Prior to writing full time, Susan worked as the Director of Corporate Relations for University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona.
Susan shares a life in Grants Pass, Oregon with her husband, Andreas, her fictional characters, and more books than one person could count. In her spare time, Susan likes to make quilts and stained glass windows. She says it is a little bit like writing, telling stories with fabric and glass.
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~ Giveaway ~
Win an e-book of Susan’s first novel, A Bend In The Willow
How I changed the course of my life for a song #LifeLessons #WednesdayWisdom
[image error]Small things that seem insignificant sometimes have huge influences on our lives. Like the words to a song. Several lives ago, I joined the military. One of the reasons for my joining the US Army was the GI Bill. The GI Bill provides military veterans with tuition and/or living expenses for higher education. I already had a Bachelor’s degree in history, but I was determined to go to law school and become a lawyer. I had decided to become a lawyer when I was five-years old, and I never wavered from this decision. (Although the US Army offered me tons of incentives to change my mind.)
After five years in the US Army as a military policewoman, it was (finally!) time to head off to law school. I had basically boiled down my choice of law schools to two: The University of Wisconsin-Madison and Ohio Northern University. The first – UW-Madison – is a well-known and respected state school and was in my home state. But I was no longer a resident of Wisconsin and would be forced to pay out of state tuition. The second – a lesser known private school – offered me a scholarship that fully covered my tuition for three years. What to do?
At the time, I was working as a military police investigator at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. I worked closely with the JAG officers. Naturally, I asked their advice – state school that is well-known and respected or an unknown school that offered me a free ride? They asked me what I planned to do with the degree. I wasn’t sure in what area of law I wanted to practice, but I did know that the chances were more than likely that whatever law I practiced would not be in the US.
Their advice? If I’m not staying in the US, the law school I attend won’t matter. Although this sounded like good advice, I hesitated to listen to anyone who put their medals upside down on their Class A uniform. That sounds shallow, but my fellow military peeps will understand.
Right around the time I needed to make my decision, I got married. In fact, we eloped. While driving off to the courthouse in Manassas, Virginia, one of my favorite songs of the time was playing – Ironic by Alanis Morissette. As we drove in the rain, I sang along to the words:
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It’s like rain on your wedding day
It’s a free ride when you’ve already paid
Huh. It was raining on my wedding day. And I had the chance to take a free ride to law school, but I was hesitating. Why was I hesitating? Would I regret more – paying for law school when I could have taken a free ride or going to an unknown school? The answer was actually easy. We were planning to move to The Netherlands as soon as I graduated. With both the hubby and I starting our careers, money would be tight. Add on having to move overseas and start a household there and the decision was made. No way was I going to start our new life with a huge debt.
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Just in case anyone needs proof that I actually made it through law school 
June 6, 2017
Read an excerpt of Guardians of the Crown, #historicalromance from @AlisonStuart14 #giveaway
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Title: Guardians of the Crown
Author: Alison Stuart
Genre: Historical Romance
Published: 25 May 2017
Publisher: Escape Publishing
~ Synopsis ~
From award-winning author Alison Stuart comes a stirring historical trilogy about soldiers, spies, and the strong women that love them.
By The Sword (Amazon Rating 4.5)
England 1650. In the aftermath of the execution of the King, England totters once more on the brink of civil war.
Kate Ashley finds her loyalty to the Parliamentary cause tested when she inherits responsibility for the estate of the Royalist Thornton family.
Jonathan Thornton, exiled and hunted for his loyalty to the King’s cause now returns to England to garner support for the young King. Finding Kate in his family home, he sees in her a chance at a life he doesn’t deserve.
But love is fragile in the face of history. What hope can one soldier and one woman hold in times like these?
(Winner of the 2008 Epic Award for Best Historical Romance)
For more information click HERE
The King’s Man (Amazon Rating 4.7)
London 1654: Kit Lovell is a disillusioned Royalist who passes his time cheating at cards, living off his wealthy and attractive mistress and plotting the death of Oliver Cromwell.
Penniless and friendless, Thamsine Granville has lost everything. Terrified, in pain and alone, she hurls a piece of brick at the coach of Oliver Cromwell and earns herself an immediate death sentence. Only the quick thinking of a stranger saves her.
Far from the bored, benevolent rescuer that he seems, Kit plunges Thamsine into his world of espionage and betrayal – a world that has no room for falling in love.
Torn between Thamsine and loyalty to his King, Kit’s carefully constructed web of lies begins to unravel. He must make one last desperate gamble – the cost of which might be his life.
For more information click HERE
Exile’s Return (Amazon Rating 4.8)
England, 1659: Following the death of Cromwell, a new king is poised to ascend the throne of England.
Imprisoned, exiled and tortured, fugitive Daniel Lovell returns to England, determined to kill the man who murdered his father. But his plans for revenge must wait, as the King has one last mission for him.
Agnes Fletcher’s lover is dead, and when his two orphaned children are torn from her care by their scheming guardian, she embarks on a perilous journey to save them. She didn’t plan on meeting the infamous Daniel Lovell.
Thrown together with separate quests – and competing obligations – Daniel and Agnes make their way from London to the English countryside, danger at every turn. Will they find the peace they crave, or will their fledgling love be a final casualty of war?
For more information click HERE
Watch the trailer
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~ Excerpt ~
A shadow fell across the table. Assuming it to be the bookseller, without looking up Jonathan said, ‘I’ll take this volume —’
‘Thornton.’ The name fell onto the table like a fist.
At the sound of the familiar voice, Jonathan looked up into the cold, blue eyes of a man he knew too well, a man he had once called a friend, and his blood froze in his veins. The book dropped from his nerveless fingers back onto the table.
The stocky man in the uniform of a Parliamentary officer smiled without humour or warmth. ‘God is with me this day,’ his nemesis said in a low voice as he reached for the pistol he wore in his belt.
In that moment of hesitation, Jonathan threw the table over in one swift movement and took off down the street crowded with the afternoon’s shoppers. Behind him he heard his name bellowed as the man he knew as Stephen Prescott gathered his men for the chase. Heavy feet trampled the slimy cobbles and loud voices shouted exhortations for someone to stop the fugitive.
No one paid them any heed. The shoppers simply parted before the running figure and despite the urging of the soldiers, none made to catch him. Twisting and turning down the narrow streets, Jonathan found himself unable to shed his pursuers. His heavy boots slipped on the wet, mired streets and made running hard. Almost spent, he heard Prescott behind him, urging his men on, knowing that the man would not let up with his long-sought quarry in such plain view.
The man thought he had God on his side.
Jonathan turned sharply down a street he knew led to one of the gates but was brought up short by a heavy ox cart, laden down with wool bales, taking the width of the passageway.
‘Cornered, Thornton. Turn around and face me like a man.’ He heard Prescott’s breathless voice behind him and turned slowly to face his pursuers.
There was no mistaking the look of malicious triumph on Stephen Prescott’s face. He had seen it before in a town square in Devon six years ago. Surely it would be better to die now than at the end of a rope?
‘While I live I hope,’ the late King had said, and Jonathan had escaped Stephen Prescott before. He raised his hands away from the hilt of his sword. At least with so public an apprehension, there might be some hope of fair trial, if not immediate escape.
A fascinated crowd pressed back against the shops as Prescott swaggered towards him. The man stopped some fifteen yards from Jonathan, breathing heavily, savouring the moment. Jonathan held the man in a cold, hard gaze, determined that Prescott would see no fear in them.
‘No escape this time, Thornton. You stand tried and convicted.’
Prescott straightened and raised his heavy pistol in a slow deliberate movement. In the brief moment before the report of the pistol echoed from the houses, Jonathan saw his death written in the man’s eyes. The watching crowd gasped as the pistol ball smashed into his shoulder. The force knocked him backwards, and he fell to his knees in the mud.
He looked up and saw Prescott accepting a second pistol from one of his soldiers. He would not remain here waiting to be shot like a dog in the streets of York with Stephen Prescott his judge, jury and executioner.
~ About the Author ~
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Award winning Australian author, Alison Stuart learned her passion for history from her father. She has been writing stories since her teenage years but it was not until 2007 that her first full length novel was published. Alison has now published eight full length historical romances and a collection of her short stories. Her disposition for writing about soldier heroes may come from her varied career as a lawyer in the military and fire services. These days when she is not writing she is travelling and routinely drags her long suffering husband around battlefields and castles.
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~ Giveaway ~
If you would like to explore this fascinating period in history, Alison is offering a copy of her time travel romance SECRETS IN TIME to any readers who wish to sign up to her newsletter. The offer remains open until 30 June.
https://www.instafreebie.com/free/U0q8I
Read my review and an excerpt of FALLING FOR HER BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND by @NoelleAdams3 @Barclay_PR #romance #giveaway
Celebrate the Release of FALLING FOR HER BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND!
Fifteen years ago, three girls were thrown together because their brothers were best friends. Now they’re all grown up, and their brothers are grown up too. The Tea for Two series tells their stories. Fans of contemporary women’s fiction will become engrossed in this new series by New York Times Bestselling Author, Noelle Adams.
Watch the trailer here!
Add FALLING FOR HER BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND to your TBR pile on Goodreads! Then keep reading to get an exclusive excerpt of FALLING FOR HER BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND. Be sure to enter the giveaway for a $15 Amazon gift card! One runner-up will receive their choice eBook from Noelle’s backlist.
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Title: Falling For Her Brother’s Best Friend
Author: Noelle Adams
Release Date: June 7, 2017
Publisher: Noelle Adams
Series: Tea for Two book #1
Word Count: 47K
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Tropes: Brother’s Best Friend
Price: $0.99 preorder; $2.99 regular
Synopsis:
After too many bad decisions in romance, Emma is going on a man-fast. For the next six months, she’s fasting from men. No sex. No dating. No soulful gazes. No fond memories of her first crush. She’s going to spend the time focusing on her career, getting in touch with herself, and helping her two best friends with the launch of their new tea room. No men. And that includes her brother’s best friend, Noah Hart, who has just returned to their hometown. She doesn’t want Noah anyway. He might be even hotter than he was before, but he’s not a nice guy anymore. He’s made a fortune by acting ruthless in business, and the last thing he’s looking for is small-town domestic life. He doesn’t even want to be in town again, but a sick grandmother guilted him into it. Then he has nerve to not even recognize Emma when he sees her again. Maybe it’s been seven years, but a decent guy would remember his best friend’s little sister. Noah is not a decent guy. Anyway, Emma is on a man-fast. And she doesn’t want Noah.
At all.
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Excerpt from FALLING FOR HER BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND
Copyright © 2017 Noelle Adams
She waited to see if Noah would complain about her walking home alone at night, but he didn’t. He just said, “I’ll walk with you.”
She started to object—automatically but for no particular reason—but she stopped the words from coming out. There was no reason he couldn’t walk a couple of blocks with her. He would probably insist on it, even if she tried to object.
“Okay,” she said. “Thanks.”
They didn’t speak as they walked down the sidewalk and crossed the street to her building. But she was intensely aware of Noah’s presence beside her. It felt so strong, so masculine, so… man.
Why the hell did she always seem to want him so much?
She should know better by now.
She was feeling strangely shy when they reached the front entrance to her building, and she turned to face him, dropping her eyes. “Thanks again.”
“No problem.” There was that husky note in his voice, the one she really liked.
She didn’t dare to look up at him. “I could have made it on my own, you know.”
“I know that.” God, just the sound of his voice sent shivers up and down her spine.
“No matter what you think, I’m not a little girl anymore.”
She had no idea why she was saying this. She was just rambling, too nervous to think through the words that were coming out of her mouth. And she was seriously having to hold herself back from reaching out toward him, taking hold his shirt and pulling him closer.
He smelled so incredibly good. Not anything as strong as aftershave, but something warm and expensive.
She wanted to smell him even more.
She wanted to feel him.
She wanted to taste him.
She wanted to…
He reached out and tilted up her face so she was looking at him. “I know you’re not a little girl, Emma.”
Emma.
He’d called her Emma.
“You do?” she whispered, the world shuddering in front of her eyes.
“Damn it, Emma,” he rasped thickly, raising his other arm so he was holding her face in both hands. “Surely you know I’m seeing you as anything but a little girl.”
She was trembling now, and there was absolutely no way she could hold herself back. He was holding her face like she was precious, and the look in his eyes…
So filled with heat and hunger. She’d never seen anything like it.
She grabbed onto his shirt like she’d always wanted to and drew him even nearer, and then he was finally, finally kissing her.
Naturally, she was kissing him back.
My review
Falling For Her Brother’s Best Friend is a somewhat cliched story. Younger sister has humongous crush on older brother’s best friend who doesn’t realize she’s alive, much less a grown woman. There’s even an embarrassing pet name! I expected a sweet, simple story full of romance. There was more tension and drama than I expected because Noah has got issues. Seriously, the man is messed up. Worse? He knows it and instead of doing something about it, wallows in his messed-up-ness. I didn’t much care for the man. Yeah, he’s hot and successful. Otherwise, he’s a bad friend and can’t communicate to save his (love) life.
Emma was too sweet for her own good. Her emotions are stifled. I seriously wish I could get over heartbreak as easily as her. And while many say that to forgive is divine, I say it seems weak. I didn’t much like Emma.
I enjoyed the interaction between the friends and the setting of small-town Americana. Adams is a talented writer and this comes shining through the story.
If you’re looking for a quick, beach read, this is one to give a try.
About Noelle Adams:
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Noelle handwrote her first romance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states and currently resides in Virginia, where she reads any book she can get her hands on and offers tribute to a very spoiled cocker spaniel. She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances. If you’d like to contact Noelle, please contact her at noelle.s.adams@gmail.com. Or connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.
June 5, 2017
#Samanthapalooza! Day 1 – Spotlight on Cement Stilettos by @dianevallere – #Giveaway
Welcome to Day #1 of #Samanthapalooza!!
To Celebrate the 5 Year Anniversary of the Samantha Kidd Humorous Mystery Series by Diane Vallere Great Escapes Book Tours is hosting #Samanthapalooza!
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CEMENT STILETTOS
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Forget the cannoli. Take the shoes!
When newly engaged amateur sleuth Samantha Kidd discovers the body of a mafia princess dead in fiancé and shoe designer Nick Taylor’s showroom, her questions are so numerous she’d need a bookie to keep track. The victim’s ties to local organized crime are unexpected. Nick’s apparent vow of silence makes Samantha question the vows in their future, and despite past promises, all bets are off. Wise guys and leopard ladies keep her busier than a consigliere during tax season, and if she can’t keep her head above water, she’ll end up sleeping with the fishes.
Books in the Humorous Samantha Kidd Mystery Series:
“Just Kidding” (short story)
#1 DESIGNER DIRTY LAUNDRY
#2 BUYER, BEWARE
#3 THE BRIM REAPER
#4 SOME LIKE IT HAUTE
#5 GRAND THEFT RETRO
#6 PEARLS GONE WILD
#7 CEMENT STILETTOS
Perfect for the beach, the bath, or the line outside of the fitting room. (and way more fun than shopping for bathing suits under fluorescent lights.) National Bestselling Author brings you fashion, mystery, and humor in one stylish package. Get to know Samantha Kidd today!
Grab a copy!
Amazon
About The Author
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I’m a former fashion buyer turned mystery writer, trading fashion accessories for accessories to murder. I was bit by the mystery bug as a kid reading Trixie Belden, Connie Blair, and The Three Investigators. Now I’m writing three series: the Style & Error Mysteries, the Mad for Mod Mysteries, and the Material Witness Mysteries.
The Costume Shop mysteries debuted with A DISGUISE TO DIE FOR, which introduces Margo Tamblyn, costume shop owner, who helps solve a murder after one of her clients is found dead at his own costume party (dressed as Sherlock!). MASKING FOR TROUBLE, the second in the series was released last October and Dressed to Confess will be out in August 2017.
The Material Witness mysteries feature Polyester Monroe, who inherits the fabric shop where she was born. Books include SUEDE TO REST and CRUSHED VELVET . The third, SILK STALKINGS, was just released.
The Style & Error Series features former fashion buyer turned amateur sleuth Samantha Kidd. Books in that series include DESIGNER DIRTY LAUNDRY ; BUYER, BEWARE ; THE BRIM REAPER ; SOME LIKE IT HAUTE, GRAND THEFT RETRO, and Pearls Gone Wild. (A short story, “Just Kidding ,” tells the story of how Samantha first met shoe designer Nick Taylor).
The Madison Night Mysteries feature a modern day interior decorator who specializes in midcentury design (studying Doris Day movies to get the look right). Books are PILLOW STALK ,THAT TOUCH OF INK , and WITH VICS YOU GET EGGROLL . A prequel novella, “Midnight Ice,” can be found in OTHER PEOPLE’S BAGGAGE .
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Giveaway
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