D.E. Haggerty's Blog, page 84
March 9, 2016
Making more money with #KindleUnlimited
There has been a lot of talk about Kindle Unlimited. Some authors are absolutely livid about the changes Amazon has made to the KDP Select program. They feel that being paid for pages read instead of per book downloaded is unfair. After all, they claim, if you buy a paperback at a book store, you can’t return it. I can’t deny that’s true. But it’s now 2016. A new age of technology has not only dawned but is on its way to full maturity. New rules are being written and will continue to be written, altered, and amended for online consumers.
So what does Amazon claim is the benefit for its authors who enroll in KDP select? Amazon claims that KDP select authors will reach more readers, earn more money, and maximize sales potential. Wow! Sounds awesome – although I don’t know how you reach more readers when you have to give Amazon exclusivity. And the tools for maximizing sales potential are limited: Kindle Countdown deals only work if your book is higher priced and Free Book Promotion may lead to more sales but definitely not to more cash in pocket.
If I’m so critical of the program, than why I am I writing a blog post about how excited I am for the program?
It’s all about the money. Well, not entirely, but higher royalties is definitely one of the huge benefits for indie authors like me. Unfortunately, my books just don’t sell when they’re priced above $1.99. In fact, they sell best when priced at 99 cents, which leaves me with less than 35 cents royalty per book. Not very encouraging. On the other hand, with my book Life Discarded, which is normally priced at 99 cents, I earn $1.45 per book if the reader reads the entire novel. And if they only read half the book, then I still earn quite a bit more than with the strict royalty per book set-up.
Stop the presses! Why would an indie writer with bargain basement priced books not want to sign up for this great deal? Well, it turns out that not every author profits from pages read versus books purchased. The royalty for a book enrolled in KDP select is determined based on something called Kindle Edition Normalized Pages (KENP). I’m not sure how Amazon does it, but they’ve come up with this system to ensure that all books are treated fairly. For me that translates to my book The Gray-Haired Knitting Detectives Series jumping from 506 pages to 727 KENP. Since I get paid per KENP read, all I can say is GO ME!
But if you are a writer of short stories or novellas, your calculations are going to be less advantageous. In that case, you may want to opt out of KDP select and maintain the right to sell your works at Barnes & Nobles and other online retailers. And giving up exclusivity to your works is definitely the biggest potential disadvantage to joining KDP select. As a recovering attorney, exclusivity is a word that causes me to automatically go into fight mode. NO! I will not give up my rights. Because I don’t sell that many books with other retailers, I decided to give KDP select a go. The increased royalties make it worthwhile for me to give up my exclusivity (even though it pains me to admit that).
What are your experiences with KDP select? In or out.
March 8, 2016
Wicked Bad Boys by @BellaLoveWins
Contemporary Romance
Date Published: March 1, 2016
These bad boys are wicked, sexy and oh so misunderstood…
Meet the dark and dangerous bad boy book boyfriends who are alpha to the core with secretive pasts. This is a super-hot bundle of complete romantic suspense stories, with no cliffhangers and the kindle-melting happy ever afters you love.
Over TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS worth of books for only 99 cents and available only for a limited time.
Guaranteed to leave you breathless and begging for more!
This bundle includes:
The Billionaire’s Empire Complete Series by Bella Love-Wins
Wild Flames Series (Burnt, Torched and Blaze) by Bella Love-Wins
Bonus just for you – Rocked Complete Series by Bella Love-Wins & Bella Wild
About the Author
Bella loves writing steamy, high-action romance stories about firefighters, billionaires, shifters, and alpha males who know what they want and aren’t afraid of laying claim to the women who catch their interest. She loves a happy ever after ending. Bella enjoys reading, hiking the countryside, and traveling to destinations unspoiled by commercial tourism, like Las Vegas. :)
Like so many characters in her novels, she gets a kick out of action, romance and unexpected love connections that take your breath away. For the next while, you’ll find her plotting and writing about her latest stories on her Macbook.
Contact Links
Website
Purchase Links
Amazon
Giveaway
Kindle Fire ($49 value plus US shipping, or $75 Gift card if winner is international )
a Rafflecopter giveaway
March 7, 2016
Crushed by @DeborahCoonts
Title: Crushed
Author: Deborah Coonts
Genre: Contemporary Romance
~ Synopsis ~
In Napa Valley, he who has the best grapes wins. And in the pursuit of perfection, dreams and hearts can be crushed.
Sophia Stone is a widow on the brink of an empty nest, stuck in an unsatisfying job managing the vineyard for a mediocre Napa vintner. Faced with an uncertain future she wonders how do you choose between making a living and making a life? Between protecting your heart and sharing it? Five years ago, after her husband was killed in an accident, Sophia put her heart and dreams on ice to care for those around her. Now her home, her dreams, and her family’s legacy grapes are threatened by the greed of the new money moving into the Valley. Sophia has a choice—give up and let them take what is hers, or risk everything fighting a battle everyone says she can’t win.
Nico Treviani has one goal in life: make brilliant wine. A woman would be an unwanted distraction. So, while recognized as one of Napa’s premier vintners, Nico finds himself alone… until his brother’s death drops not one, but two women into his life—his thirteen-year-old twin nieces. In an instant, Nico gains a family and loses his best friend and partner in the winemaking business. Struggling to care for his nieces, Nico accepts a job as head winemaker for Avery Specter, one of the new-money crowd. And he learns the hard way that new money doesn’t stick to the old rules.
When Sophia Stone gets caught in the middle of Nico’s struggle to remain true to himself or sacrifice his convictions to make stellar wine, both Sophia and Nico are faced with a choice they never imagined. A choice that might extinguish the hope of a future neither expected.
~ Excerpt ~
Nico Treviani’s mood stood in stark contrast to the collegial spirit of the throng gathered at the annual meeting of the Napa Valley Vintners Association. Housed in a LEED-certified, open and airy, steel-and-glass building near the library in St. Helena, the Vintners Association was Mecca to winemakers both experienced and novice—a repository of their collective knowledge and a gathering place to commiserate over the fickle affections of their shared mistress.
Wine.
Had he had a choice, Nico would’ve done anything other than be a winemaker, but choice was not an option—he’d been born to it, a family heritage so strong that Nico suspected his blood was half Cabernet. As his father’s first-born, he was handed the reins to something that was less a business than a calling. On the other hand, his brother, Paolo, had been given the option, and, fool that he was, he chose wine. And the fool had died before he knew the brilliance of the last Cab vintage they’d crafted together. 100 points. Liquid perfection. Not many wines reached those lofty heights—not that it translated into much more than bragging rights, which were a damn poor substitute for food on the table. Without his own land, his own grapes, he was nothing more than the hired help. Oh, he could buy grapes and custom crush, but that wouldn’t be the same—he’d have no real control, and folks would take too keen an interest in watching him work his magic … assuming he had any left without his brother. No, he needed his own space far from prying eyes … and he needed very special grapes.
Their mother had always said while you’d be hard-pressed to make a good living out of winemaking, you could make a great life. Nico wasn’t sure he agreed. And now that he had Paolo’s, children to house, feed, clothe, chase down, and send to college, he was feeling the pinch. How his brother had done it, he didn’t know. Especially after his wife had fled to the city. Preferring a quiet, sophisticated life, she’d turned her back on her family, her children. Nico was sure that was one of the unforgivable sins, the kind that ensured an eternity roasting on a spit over the open fires of Hell. And if it wasn’t, when he got there he’d be sure to figure a way to make it so.
As he eased into the back of the large room and leaned against the wall, Nico thought about the price a life of wine exacted. He recognized the back of every head filling the rows in front of him as the speaker droned on. He knew their histories almost as well as they did. One guy was a recovering alcoholic—no longer able to risk tasting his wine, he still made it, slaving over every nuance of the process. One or two had hit a home run and now basked in the ability to make limited batch estate wines that sold for upward of a grand a bottle. Some scratched out an existence on the strength of their wine clubs. Most turned large fortunes into small, proving the old joke. And then there were a very few, like Nico, who had been born to winemaking or grape growing, selling their skills to those who could pay. Despite differing backgrounds, and differing futures, wine glued them together.
Except for Avery Specter, Nico’s current employer.
As if thought could conjure flesh, Avery materialized in front of Nico, his usual ruddy complexion flushed hotter than normal. With his eyes at half-mast, his comb-over falling the wrong way in wisps of misplaced hair, exposing his bald pate, he looked like exactly what he was: a self-important prick who’d made a fortune in manufacturing, or textiles, or running a hedge fund, or something, and had bought his way into the wine business.
Specter grabbed Nico by the arm and tugged him into the vestibule as he hissed, “Have you read this report?” Stopping in the center of the open area, Avery turned to face his winemaker and pressed a sheaf of papers into his chest. “And before we get started, you need to learn one thing, Treviani. You come when I call.”
Being treated like a dog to be trained was enough to kick up Nico’s simmer to a boil, so he wasn’t about to validate Specter’s contemptuous attitude by making excuses … although he did have a good one. He figured talking the sheriff out of turning his twin thirteen-year-old nieces over to the Juvenile authorities would earn him a get-out-of-jail-free card, but ego wouldn’t let him play it. The psychologist said the girls were just acting out and they’d get beyond it. Fine for him to say—he didn’t have to ride herd on the heathens. Who knew two pint-sized females could bring a grown man to the point of complete surrender? Nico snorted at his own weakness.
“You think this is funny?” Specter’s voice rose enough to turn heads as the meeting broke up and Nico’s friends filtered out of the meeting room. When Nico ignored the sheaf of papers, Specter pulled them back and began rolling them into a tube, his agitation poorly hidden.
“No, sir.” Nico avoided making eye contact as he fought to get his temper under control. “There’s a lot more to life than making wine, Mr. Specter.”
“Not while you’re on my payroll.”
Specter had no children of his own, and that thought alone reassured Nico that there was indeed a God. But it also made arguing with the man futile. So he argued with himself. He had sold out. Lowered his standards. And he couldn’t shake the feeling it was going to bite him in the ass.
“You wanted to talk to me about a report?” Nico asked even though he knew all about it. Avery Specter might need a report to learn what had been painfully obvious for years, but Nico didn’t. Hell, he could’ve written the damn thing himself—he’d been saying as much for a long time now to anyone who would listen. It didn’t take some government expert to know the baby boomers were transitioning to fixed incomes, their penchant for high-end wine taking a hit along with their lifestyle. The next generation, whatever they were referred to—the Millenials, the Me generation, the Y generation? Nico couldn’t remember, but whoever they were, they didn’t yet have the disposable incomes or the sophisticated palates to support the high-end wine industry at the current levels. Something had to give.
Wineries had to reposition themselves.
Keeping his eyes lowered, Nico managed to avoid the few stragglers just now leaving the meeting room. It was bad enough being called to heel by his boss, but having his colleagues witness it threw gasoline on the embers of his foul mood. A few greeted him, and he nodded but didn’t invite conversation so they didn’t stop. Out of the corner of his eye, Nico caught the looks many flashed at Avery: contempt, thinly veiled if they tried to hide it at all.
Avery wasn’t stupid … anything but. His barely contained frustration and worry pulsed from him like light from a dying star making his hands shake as he unrolled then re-rolled the sheaf of papers into a tighter tube. “Cult wines are coming under economic pressure and there’s nothing we can do about it.” His reedy voice screeched like notes played by a fourth-grade clarinetist.
Nico crossed his arms and glowered at his boss. Cocking an eyebrow he feigned interest.
Avery didn’t wilt when he ran headlong into Nico’s scowl. “They say that the number of Boomers, the population segment solely responsible for the record profit of the cult wine industry, is shrinking.”
“Age attrition. People die, Mr. Specter.” Nico’s voice was flat, hard.
Avery’s mouth pulled into a thin line. His backbone straightened. But at six feet he was still several inches shorter than Nico, so he leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “I like being talked down to about as much as I like tardiness. You’re property bought and paid for. You’d be wise not to jerk my chain.”
“And you’d be wise to show a bit more respect. You need me, Mr. Specter. Without a winemaker making wine’s damned difficult. And you want high-priced juice, so you need a man with my CV—and, to my knowledge, there is only one.”
Heels firmly dug in, both men stared at each other. Neither wavered.
Finally, Specter shrugged as his gaze slithered to the side, focusing over Nico’s shoulder. “I know what people think of me around here. You people think I haven’t paid my dues. I don’t have wine running in my veins, filling my soul.” His derision leaked from each word. “You think I’m the worst kind of blight since phylloxera—a businessman thinking he can buy his way into making great wine. And you know what?” He stepped back and slapped the rolled-up report into Nico’s chest. “That’s exactly what I am.” He shot Nico a grin. “Working pretty good so far, don’t you think?”
Nico grabbed the papers before they could unfurl like the white flag of surrender in the heat of battle. A tic worked in his cheek as he watched the bastard saunter away. Avery Specter didn’t deserve much, he thought. Perhaps a grisly, lingering, painful death and a pine box, but not much more than that.
Nico felt someone step in next to him, but, wearing the blinders of pride, he resisted looking to see who.
“He’s wrong, you know. To me he’s more like Pierce’s disease. Kill a vine in less than five years and no cure in sight. Phylloxera we got under control.” Billy Rodrigues clearly had been eavesdropping, a fact that would make Nico mad if Billy wasn’t his best friend.
At the sound of Billy’s voice, Nico felt himself relax. “Quatro, you do have a way with words. Let’s hope he and his friends don’t kill the wine business.” Nico called Billy “Quatro” as did many others, because he was William Xavier Rodrigues IV. His father was Tres, same logic. Nico called him “Sir.”
Through the years, he and Quatro had witnessed many of each other’s indignities; one more wouldn’t matter. “But there is another side to all of this. And maybe I’m justifying,” Nico said, his temper dissipating. “God, I hate to give the guy any credit, but without money it’s damn hard to make a truly great cult wine. When you and me scratched our way up the ranks, making wine was like voodoo, a bunch of wine drinkers relying on folklore and playing around with a kid’s chemistry set. And the growers were nothing more than hobby farmers. But now, with property values through the roof, international distribution agreements, hundreds of wineries in this valley alone, it’s big damn business. ” Nico shot his friend a serious look minus the scowl he’d used for Specter.
“I still can’t figure whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing.” Quatro was thick and solid, his hair and skin different shades of brown, his eyes black, and his smile pure mischief. He’d been working the fields so long his hands were a mass of callouses permanently stained from red dirt, and red grape skins, and scarred by the brutal work. As if remembering his manners too late, Quatro swept his sweat-stained broad-brimmed straw hat from his head then raked his fingers through his thick salt-and-pepper hair. When he was done, he set his hat back in place, low over his brow.
“Both. More money to go around, but long-time residents are being priced out of the game.” Nico stuck the tube of papers in his back pocket. “All of us are in this together, the whole Valley. If we don’t figure out how to distinguish ourselves, the economic contraction is going to squeeze us all back into oenophilic oblivion.”
“All your awards—”
“Couldn’t save the family vineyard or keep my brother from dying.” Nico snarled as his brows snapped into a frown. The emotional tempest dissipated as fast as it had arisen. He squeezed his friend’s shoulder. “Sorry. Got a lot on my mind.”
“You made a 100-point wine from Beckstoffer grapes. And we all know they are the best.”
“I made the wine. My employer makes the money.” Nico didn’t voice his fear that now, without his brother, his wine wouldn’t be as good. They’d been a team. Was half really as good as the whole? And, his worst fear, could he even make wine without his brother? “What I need is something new, something better than Beckstoffer.” Nico raised his hand before Quatro could get a word in. “Not better, that was the wrong term. Just different, but not too far a reach for the discerning but limited American palate. Something amazing that we can produce at a reasonable price point.”
“Amazing yet accessible. The Holy Grail. Well, if anybody can do it, you can. But God knows where you’re going to find those grapes. And I know you’re a Cab guy, but, if I were you, I’d be thinking about something white or rosé.”
“Yeah, short or no aging, quick to market. I got an MBA in the family who’s been singing that song for years. We just haven’t found the grapes.”
“I’m pretty sure if you start making wine on the side, Mr. Specter will have no problem dragging you into court. As I recall his lawyers spent a lot of time crafting your non-compete. He’s got you tied up pretty good.”
“Given time and conviction all knots can be loosened.”
~ About the Author ~
My mother tells me I was born in Texas a very long time ago, but I’m not so sure—my mother can’t be trusted. She’ll also tell you I was a born storyteller. That I believe—I have the detention notices and bad-conduct reports to prove it. However, the path from minor hyperbolist, or as I prefer to think of my former self, Grand Master of the Art of Self-Prevarication, to the author of the New York Times Notable Crime Novel and double Rita ™ finalist, Wanna Get Lucky?, the book that launched the bestselling series, was a bit tortured.
Someone once told me I lived a peripatetic life—yes, I had to look it up. And he was right. I’ve been everything from a mom, business owner, accountant, wife, pilot, flight instructor, lawyer …worse, a tax lawyer… to a writer. The three personas I’ve kept suit me the best: mom, flight instructor, and writer. And the other personas I’ve tried on then shrugged out of and discarded like an itchy coat were great grist for the story mill.
Chasing stories keeps me busy and out of jail…for the most part. Researching in Vegas can be a bit… sketchy.
Prodded by the next adventure and the police, I keep moving. Right now I have a house in Texas, but that will change soon. I lived in Vegas for 15 years—the longest I’d stayed anywhere. And I get back there often. But other places, too, are calling.
Someone asked me the other day where I lived. The question stopped me cold. Finally I said, “On Southwest Airlines, third row, window seat, either side.” Always in search of a story. And the adventure would be perfect if they could just stock a split of nice Champagne.
~ Giveaway ~
Deborah will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
March 6, 2016
Release Blitz ~ Sexy Bad Boys by @BellaLoveWins
Contemporary Romance
Date Published: March 1, 2016
Meet some bad boys who are sexy, broody and ready to step up for their women…
Sexy Bad Boys is a hot bundle including two complete series and no cliffhangers with book boyfriends who will make you swoon. Prepare for steamy alpha romance and happy ever afters ahead.
Over Seventeen Dollars worth of books for only 99 cents and available only for a limited time.
Guaranteed to leave your heart racing. Panties optional.
This bundle includes:
The Complete Cabin Heat Series by Bella Love-Wins (never before offered in a bundle, and includes Cabin Heat, Cabin Fever, Cabin Glow and Cabin Fire).
The Complete Disguise Series by Bella Love-Wins and Bella Wild (Disguise, Reveal, Release)
BONUS: Get a sneak peek at The Bet: A Billionaire Bad Boy Romance, coming in early April, 2016 or sooner.
Purchase Link
About the Author
Bella loves writing steamy, high-action romance stories about firefighters, billionaires, shifters, and alpha males who know what they want and aren’t afraid of laying claim to the women who catch their interest. She loves a happy ever after ending. Bella enjoys reading, hiking the countryside, and traveling to destinations unspoiled by commercial tourism, like Las Vegas. :)
Like so many characters in her novels, she gets a kick out of action, romance and unexpected love connections that take your breath away. For the next while, you’ll find her plotting and writing about her latest stories on her Macbook.
Contact Links
Website
Giveaway
Kindle Fire ($49 value plus US shipping, or $75 Gift card if winner is international )
a Rafflecopter giveaway
March 4, 2016
What traffic signs in Turkey actually mean
There are a lot of confusing things about moving to a foreign country. Arranging electricity, gas, and water is a pain no matter where you are in the world, but all of a sudden everyone’s speaking a foreign language. Don’t even get me started on the labyrinth of problems when getting a residence permit in a non-EU country. You can find lots of information on the net about how to deal with these issues. There are even companies – expensive but still – that will help you with the oodles of details that need to be handled. But no one talks about this one thing that is very confusing: road signs. Everyone assumes that road signs are international symbols, which are pretty much interchangeable wherever you are. Wrong. Here is a short guide to what road signs really mean in Istanbul.
It looks like your typical stop sign – red octagon. It even has the word stop – dur – written on it. But if you actually stop at this sign, you are in danger of getting rear-ending because this sign does not mean stop. No, it means honk your horn, slow down a tad bit, and then speed through the intersection.
You’re probably thinking that this sign indicates the maximum speeds you are allowed to drive in Turkey. Good thing this isn’t a test because that would be the wrong answer. This sign tells you the speed that scaredy-cat drivers who just got their driver’s license will be driving. That’s all.
Aha! You’re thinking. This one you know. It’s an international sign after all. Sorry to disappoint, but no it’s not an international sign here in Istanbul. Instead of indicating that a driver should not enter this road, this sign indicates that a driver should drive this road extremely fast while honking and shouting at any drivers who dare to drive in the opposite direction.
This is an easy one. It’s obviously a one-way sign – even if you don’t understand what tek yön means. But this sign – like most in Turkey – is merely an advice to drivers. Go ahead and drive the wrong direction but be prepared to use your horn!
This one looks like a bus sign and guess what? It is! To be exact this bus sign means that a bus may or may not come by, but we don’t have any idea which bus it will be, where it will go or when it will come. In fact, it may not come at all. (To be completely honest, this is exactly a bus sign but I couldn’t find a picture of a bus stop and I’m not going out in the rain to walk down the hill to take one.)
What are your experiences driving in a foreign country?
March 3, 2016
Silent Partner by @JChaseNovelist #Suspense
Title: Silent Partner
Author: Jennifer Chase
Published: December 2015 2nd Edition
Genre: Suspense / Police Procedural / K9
~ Synopsis ~
One Cop, One Serial Killer, One Witness
Who Will Survive?
Northern California’s elite Police K9 Units arrive at an abandoned warehouse after a high-speed chase and apprehend two killers after they have fled a grisly murder scene. This barely scratches the surface of a bloody trail from a prolific serial killer that leads to unlocking the insidious secrets of one family’s history, while tearing a police department apart.
Jack Davis, a top K9 cop with an unprecedented integrity, finds himself falling for a beautiful murder suspect and struggling with departmental codes.
Megan O’Connell, suffering from agoraphobia, is the prime murder suspect in her sister’s brutal murder.
Darrell Brooks, a psychopath who loves to kill, is on a quest to drive Megan insane for profit.
Everyone is a suspect. Everyone has a secret. Someone else must die to keep the truth buried forever. Silent Partner is a suspense ride along that will keep you guessing until the bitter end.
* A portion of the sales from Silent Partner will be donated to purchase a new ballastic/stab proof police K9 vest*
~ Excerpt ~
The city streets were quiet. It was approaching 1 a.m. and most residents were fast asleep waiting for the next day to begin. The sleeping neighborhoods were completely unaware of who and what roamed the streets in the middle of the night.
Everyone had a story to tell and those people out in the middle of the night were no different. What made it unlike any other night was that there was a serial killer on the loose and it didn’t seem like the police were close to catching him anytime soon. The erratic murders didn’t seem to have any type of connection except for the victims it left behind.
The sidewalks, along with a few parked cars, were wet from a mild rain from a couple of hours ago. Large droplets of water on the road reflected the approaching headlights of a police cruiser.
The car idled as it slowed near quick flashes of light. In the shadows, transients were lighting up their scrounged cigarette butts in between quick swigs of cheap booze disguised in brown paper bags.
The cruiser paused for just a moment, then slowly moved on.
Deputy Jack Davis surveyed the streets with intense, dark blue eyes, casually running his fingers through his dark military haircut, looking for anything suspicious or out of place. His well-seasoned cop instincts from the past ten years rarely failed him.
Jack had many things weighing heavy on his mind. One of those things he was going to have out right now.
He vented to his partner, “You’re such an adrenaline junkie. The end doesn’t justify the means.” He sighed and continued, “I can’t even look at you right now. You have to start following procedures otherwise Sarge is going to have both our asses on suspension.”
It remained quiet inside the cruiser.
Jack finally spoke again. “Just because you sleep with me doesn’t make this any easier. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
A muscular one-hundred-pound black Labrador Retriever stared at his partner from the back seat. His large square head tilted slightly to one side, his black eyes fixed at attention as he watched his handler with building curiosity.
Jack demanded. “Say something. Anything.”
The dog barked twice and stood up, pushing his wet canine nose toward Jack and giving him a sloppy kiss on the side of his face, not forgetting the inside of his ear.
Jack smiled. For a brief moment, his tension melted away. “Like I can stay mad at you.”
Jack roughly scratched the big dog’s ears. He was rewarded with snorts and happy low-pitched whines.
The police cruiser took a turn down an alley between two closed businesses, their interiors lit only by low emergency lighting illuminating a shadowy glow from the display shelves.
Jack cut the engine but kept the car lights shining so he could see down the long alley. There were several dumpsters behind the electronics store and deli. The light bounced peculiar shadows and distorted views from the sides of the buildings and off barred security windows.
Jack’s military boots hit the pavement as he got out of the car with purpose. He walked around the cruiser to the trunk, popped it open, and pulled out three gray blankets. He slammed the trunk closed, tucked the blankets under his right arm, and walked around the car.
With eyes focused and ears perked up, his four-legged partner never missed a single step or movement that Jack made. The dog’s black eyes gave the canine an almost demonic appearance.
A sign posted on the side of the back window of the police car read boldly: CAUTION POLICE DOG—KENO. Monterey County Sheriff was printed down the side of the front doors.
Jack’s squeaky gun belt echoed in unison with his footsteps while he walked down the alley as a few suspicious eyes peered out at him from the deep shadows.
Trash and flattened cardboard boxes littered the ground next to broken bottles that had been neatly swept against the side of the building. Some care had been taken to keep the glass from causing any injury to those who had to sleep there.
Upon closer inspection, Jack could see several homeless people hidden beneath the city’s refuse cloaked in several layers of clothing with a few precious personal belongings clutched at their sides.
A young woman barely in her twenties with short blonde hair and a five-year-old child huddled together in their filthy clothing, shivering slightly from the damp evening. The local homeless shelter had only a few beds even for women and children. When they were already occupied, there was nothing else that they could do but find the safest place to hide out for the night. For them, this was the next safest place to be―away from the usual areas of downtown and under the bridge. It was cold, but they would be safe for another night.
Jack slowed his pace and with careful discretion he unfolded the blankets and gently wrapped them around the woman and little girl. They didn’t say a word to him, but their eyes conveyed gratitude. It was difficult for Jack to just leave the homeless behind to shiver in the night, but he turned and kept his focus on the cruiser as he walked back.
Jack didn’t raise his eyes to look through the windshield until he was seated back inside his warm cruiser. Several sets of eyes reflected from the harsh headlights, but they seemed to be more curious than wary of his presence. Some nameless faces had seen him before, especially on extreme cold nights and holidays. He resembled a dark knight coming to the aid of his homeless kingdom.
The cruiser slowly backed up and then disappeared into the night. The lights flashed like ghostly shadows for two seconds and then vanished as quickly as they had appeared. Once again, the alley was dark, quiet, and cold.
~ About the Author ~
Jennifer Chase is an award-winning author and consulting criminologist. She has authored five crime fiction novels, including the award-winning Emily Stone thriller series along with a screenwriting workbook.
Jennifer holds a Bachelor degree in police forensics and a Master’s degree in criminology and criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent sociopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists.
Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Blog
March 2, 2016
Book Blast ~ Between Good And Evil by @rmpbook
Between Good and Evil
by R. Michael Phillips
(Auburn Notch Mystery)
(Volume 1)
Crime – Mystery
Sunbury Press, Inc. (January 24, 2016)
Hardcover: 224 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1620066607
Paperback: 222 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1620067291
E-Book ASIN: B01B12YPTC
SynopsisYears after the Willis Asylum closed, the secrets of its past lingered in its decaying halls as a reminder to the good people of Auburn Notch—when Evil closes a door, he also opens a window. Sheriff Promise Flynn was new to the town, and she was about to find out some windows should never be opened.
Promise Flynn is an overly impulsive Metro Detective whose disregard for procedure finally resulted in her being shot and left for dead during an investigation. To repair her bruised ego and splintered confidence she abandons the callous dark alleys of Chicago to patrol the quiet, birch-lined streets of Auburn Notch—a favorite vacation spot of her youth. For two years everything was idyllic, until the body of a young girl found in the abandoned asylum outside of town awakens the insecurities she thought her new life would insulate her from.
As the new Sheriff she begins her investigation refusing to accept the similarities between the young woman’s death and her own case, oblivious to being unexpectedly recognized and penciled in at the top of a clever murderer’s To-Do list. Her internal struggle intensifies when a discredited crime reporter from the past suspiciously arrives in town to resurrect his threadbare reputation, along with an FBI agent chasing down a lead in a cold case. Both men quickly become entangled in Flynn’s investigation and her attempts to finally put her past to rest.
Flynn reluctantly accepts the murder of the young girl might be the work of the two men responsible for her hasty departure from Chicago, but Agent MacGregor insists the evidence points to a man he’s been chasing. As the rising current of her past threatens to pull her under, Flynn finds herself unprepared for option three.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael is a classically trained artist turned mystery writer. By combining his creative talents with a passion for mysteries he conceived his first series—The Ernie Bisquets Mysteries
. It introduced Ernie Bisquets, a retired London pickpocket who decided he was going to assist the London police with their most difficult cases—whether they want his help or not. Michael has completed 3 books in the series, and has plans for at least five additional books.
Michael travels a bit, especially to Great Britain, but also has a fondness for New England. He spent many winters in the shadow of the White Mountains, skiing and enjoying the beautiful countryside. Those fond memories are the backdrop now for the new Auburn Notch Mysteries being published by Sunbury Press. The main character is Sheriff Promise Flynn—an ex-metro detective who left a dark past and her big-city detective shield behind and moved to a small New England town. What follows is anything but therapeutic.
When he’s not painting or writing Michael is an avid antique collector, filling his current home—an 1894 Queen Ann Victorian he, his wife, and son are restoring—with an assortment of antiques from around the world. Michael also enjoys cooking, working in the garden, and playing in the yard with their two rescues, Beau and Pup.
Author Links
Website ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ A Fifer’s Blog
Purchase Links
~ More Books by R. Michael Phillips
March 2
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too!
Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews
March 3
Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book
Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews
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March 1, 2016
Eli’s Coming by @DarciaHelle
Title: Eli’s Coming
Series: Chasing the Night, Book 1
Author: Darcia Helle
Published: May 11th, 2015
Genre: Supernatural Suspense
Content Warning: Moderate violence and adult language
~ Synopsis ~
Eli’s dark legacy holds murder as his rite of passage. They say his ability is a gift. He calls it a curse. A life of violence and heartache leaves him with nothing left to fight for.
Or so he thinks.
Amanda steals his heart, but love makes him vulnerable. He must give her up or accept who he is and fight.
Will he risk stepping into the darkness that could consume him?
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | GoodReads
~ Excerpt ~
The allure of the night is its ability to pull you into its depths, to keep you hidden in its crevices. The darkness wraps around you. Nothing reaches you there.
And you reach nothing.
Have you ever wanted to melt into the darkness? Dissolve into the shadows?
You can lose yourself in the black emptiness. But while you may lose yourself, the night always knows where you are.
Eli Hayes stood alone in the darkness. The night sky was clear, lit by the stars and a perfect quarter moon. Shadows fell across the ground, casting a thick and almost tangible black film. He was aware of the tension in his shoulders and the ache in his jaw. Closing his eyes, he breathed in slow and deep. He stayed that way, quietly meditating, until the pain melted away.
When he opened his eyes again, the shadows followed the path of the gravestones. He squatted in front of a square chunk of marble. He read the name and date slowly, committing it to memory as if he’d later be quizzed on the information. As if it wasn’t already etched in his mind, a permanent fixture there.
He reached out. The stone felt cold against his fingertips. He traced the letters. Deep grooves in cold rock. All that was left at the end of existence.
~ About the Author ~
Darcia Helle lives in a fictional world with a husband who is sometimes real. Their house is ruled by spoiled dogs and cats and the occasional dust bunny. Suspense, random blood spatter and mismatched socks consume Darcia’s days. She writes because the characters trespassing through her mind leave her no alternative. Only then are the voices free to haunt someone else’s mind.
Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Blog | Website
~ Giveaway Details ~
There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:
Faith & Inspiration Sterling Silver Two-Toned Angel Pendant Necklace (US)
$20 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
Giveaway Ends March 8th at 11:59 PM ET.
February 29, 2016
Spring in Snow Valley Anthology
Spring in Snow Valley: A Snow Valley Anthology
Operation—Kiss the Girl, Cindy Roland Anderson
Ivy Baker is doomed to marry a man she only pretends to be in love with to save the family ranch. Since she isn’t marrying for love, Ivy secretly creates a kissing wish list composed of scenes from the romance books she loves to read. She hopes to experience at least one kiss from her list before she becomes officially engaged and seals her fate. When she travels to Snow Valley to help her aunt recover from knee surgery, Ivy finds herself falling for Kellen Thomas, an irresistible cowboy she should avoid. By chance Kellen finds Ivy’s list, and decides to make it his mission to help her fulfill her bucket list, turning her world upside down and making Ivy want to choose her heart over duty.
Love Coming Late, Jeanette Lewis
Cynthia Eddington never thought she’d return to Snow Valley after a string of bad luck forced the sale of her beloved farm there. But here she is, about to start a new life with her children, Jackson and Anoria. Cynthia plans to focus on her career and her family; she’s not looking for romance and she’s definitely not looking for sexy cowboy, Colby Schroder.
Running from the Cowboy, Cami Checketts
Missy Horman escaped an abusive marriage and returns to Snow Valley to help her father deal with her emotionally disturbed mother. Volunteering to teach a youth Sunday school class seems like a good way to get out of her comfort zone—until she ends up kissing Porter Wilson in front of a bunch of teenagers. Embarrassed, and secretly thrilled, by the kiss, she writes Porter off as a playboy. But, Missy wasn’t the only one affected and Porter’s new mission in life is to prove that there’s more to him than flirting and world-tilting kisses. He wants to show her that a true cowboy knows how to treat a lady and, if Missy can’t keep her wits about her, she might just let him.
The Bet, Taylor Hart
When Destiny Morningstar gets blackmailed into spending her spring break in Snow Valley, the last thing she’s looking for is a date, especially not with Adam and Chase Moon—two attractive and athletic brothers. But soon she finds herself tangled up in a dating spree that includes a flag football game, swinging around the barn dance, and hiking to Snow Valley’s romantic hot springs with the town’s most eligible bachelors. At every turn she’s within kissing distance of one of the delectable Moon men. When she discovers she’s been part of some bet fueled by sibling rivalry and overactive egos she has to make a decision—forgive them both or miss out on the best thing that’s ever happened to her.
Sealed with a Kiss, Kimberley Montpetit
Jessica Mason and Pastor James are struggling to make their long-distance relationship work between Snow Valley and New Orleans where Jessica dances with the local ballet company. When April Murphy, a war widow with a child, shows up in Snow Valley, James reluctantly begins to wonder if he and Jessica are really meant to be. April would make the perfect pastor’s wife and he’d have an instant family and the stability he craves. But he can’t get the spitfire Jessica out of his mind and when she returns to Snow Valley to accept an inheritance, her male ballet partner in tow, the love triangle takes on a new edge. Can Jessica and James figure out how to create a family while living in two different states—or do they allow their hearts to move on and forget the passion they once shared?
Romancing a Husband, Lucy McConnell
Natalie Lawson is at a crossroads. Her husband is down on his luck and some days he’s just plain down while Natalie is moving forward, gaining promotions and starting new adventures. In some ways, they’ve grown apart and Natalie can’t help but wonder if her path through life will always include Eli. When tragedy throws them together, Natalie learns a profound lesson that may save her marriage and provide the key to romancing a husband.
Blog Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 3/17/16
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
How to choose an excerpt that won’t turn readers off
My Readsalot blog often functions as a blog tour stop and I always read the excerpts from the book I’m posting about. After all, I’m always looking for something new to read. I was posting a blog tour stop last week and I was a bit confused with the excerpt. It didn’t match the book description at all. I actually looked up the book and previous blog tour stops as I was sure the blog tour operator had made a mistake. But no, it was no mistake. This isn’t the first time I’ve been totally turned off by an excerpt and that got me to thinking about what I – as a reader – prefer to see as an excerpt. Here’s what I came up with (and please keep in mind that I’m certainly no expert and this is just my personal preference):
Captivating. We all have busy lives in which we are trying to do a gazillion things at once. While I love reading and spend more time reading than I probably should, I don’t want to read an excerpt that is a slow starter. I want something that immediately grabs my attention with a big bang!
Length. Personally, I don’t like reading long excerpts. Although I love to spend time searching for my next read, my time to search is limited. I often won’t even bother trying to read a longer excerpt as I find the mere idea exhausting. What is too long? I think the sweet spot is around 500 words.
Matches the synopsis. Synopses are a pet peeve of mine. There’s nothing worse than reading a book that doesn’t match the synopsis. This is double true for excerpts. If the excerpt doesn’t match with the idea of the book created by the synopsis, I’m not going to bother with the book no matter how much the synopsis might capture my attention. How can I trust the book to match the synopsis when the excerpt didn’t?
Sets the proper tone of the book. It is important to set the right tone for your book in two significant areas: sex and language. If I read an excerpt that contains a very hot sex scene, I’m going to assume the book is full of hot sex and if it’s not, I’m going to be disappointed even though the book may be a good read. This is also true for language. Personally, I’m a big ‘ol potty mouth and I have no problem with swearing in a novel, but that’s me. There are a lot of readers who want clean books. If your book is full of the f-bomb, but your except is squeaky clean, readers are going to be upset when they read the book.
What are your pet peeves regarding excerpts?
