Alyssa Richards's Blog, page 14
April 17, 2015
Free Romance Books – Excerpt
It’s Friday – Free Romance Books Day! Enjoy this excerpt from Book 2!!
Though she didn’t feel much like eating, she knew French cheese could heal many ills so she managed to eat several small wedges. Wine had healing powers as well, but mostly when the first glass was followed by a second. So she drank both.
Her father and grandfather had once been the steady heartbeats of her life. They were the cadence that each of the women in her family stepped to. Not because these men were overbearing, but because their pure love for their families swept each heart into full devotion to them and made their wives and children adore them like heroes.
Everyone was a better version of themselves when Campbell and John Montgomery were around. They had a way of seeing the best in people and emphasizing it in such a way that no one could believe anything else about themselves. When they disappeared, Grandmother Grace put it best. She said that each family member had lost their respective North star.
For Addie, as well as the other women in her family, their lingering grief was a mislaid sense of longing. Because each woman in her family was psychic. Some could see ghosts. Others could predict the future or know what you were feeling or pull the history from an object. But everyone had mediumship abilities to varying degrees of proficiency. And no one had heard from either Campbell or John since they’d died. Or left. Or whatever it was they had done.
The Montgomery women held out hope for years that they would return. But that hope dwindled when no one could sense their presence. Anywhere. Neither here. Nor on the Other Side. They were simply gone.
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April 13, 2015
If I Say: “Cliffhanger” – Do You Find That Infuriating?
“Summer’s approach signals the end of the traditional broadcast season — bringing with it season finales and scores of cliffhangers.” That’s a quote from the Hollywood Reporter as they preview the final episodes of this season’s hottest TV shows. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-finale-dates-2015-complete-785817
And they’re predicting…cliffhangers.
Which, honestly, I find exciting.
But my publicist tells me that cliffhangers upset readers.
Really? I don’t get that.
But, then again, I didn’t grow up in an age of instant gratification. When I was a kid (and I realize I’m dating myself here…) we didn’t have smart phones, digital cameras, cable TV or computers.
If we were expecting a call, we had to wait until we got back home to receive the call. And if we missed the call, we had to wait until they called again because (gasp) we didn’t have voicemail. Or caller ID or call waiting for that matter.
When we wanted to see the photos from Christmas morning at Grandmother’s house, we had to wait until Mom took the film to the camera store — where it would be developed and the pictures were printed — before we could see how the they turned out. That process would take weeks. It could be Spring before we knew how the Christmas pictures turned out.
Can you imagine?
Didn’t bother me a bit, actually.
If we encountered a (teeth chatter) cliffhanger on a TV series, we waited until the following season to see how it came out. Which was — A YEAR — by the way.
When we had to do research for a school project, we went to the library and scoured books. It would take several trips to the library before our work could be completed. And if the book we wanted was already checked out? We had to wait for it to be returned. Or find another resource to use. Horrors.
Oh, and we didn’t have microwaves either. So dinner wasn’t ready in five minutes unless you had a bowl of cereal.
Which was fine.
Here’s a list of best cliffhanger books: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4564.Best_Cliffhanger_Ending
Check it out, you’ll see such familiar titles as Harry Potter, Divergent, The Lord of the Rings and about 97 other books that you’ve probably read and dearly love.
If there’s one word I’ve used over and over in this post, it’s — wait.
Which is apparently hard for some people to do. At the end of The Fine Art of Deception, Undoing Time, Book 1, ALL loose ends are not wrapped up. Because it’s Book 1. See that? It’s a series. So, there’s more adventure to come.
I love starting a series and knowing that there’s more fun to come in books 2, 3, and 4. It gives me something positive to look forward to. I’m so excited to see what happens!!!! Will they get off the cliff?? Who knows?? I can imagine all sorts of my own made-up endings and next scenes until the next installment comes out.
Honestly, I’m usually sad and suffer a major book hangover when the series does end. So, I *love* a good cliffhanger. The author is telling me that the fun continues…yay 
But, I’ve learned, that not everyone can handle that. They need immediate gratification or risk losing their … patience.
I’m not sure if Book 2 ends in a cliffhanger or not because I haven’t finished writing it, yet. I’m close to the end of it, but I often don’t know what’s going to happen next until I write it. Sounds strange, doesn’t it?
I am pretty darn sure that everything isn’t wrapped up at the end of Book 2. The story runs deep. So, there will be more to come. And hopefully you’ll consider that a good thing.
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Paranormal Romance Book Review
Thank Azahara from Living In Our Own Story Book Blog for her review of The Fine Art of Deception, Undoing Time !!! (A Paranormal Romance Book)
While I am writing this review I am listening to the playlist that Alyssa has created for the book and there are some songs that certainly remind me of both Addie and Blake. I love You Found Me from The Fray,it is so perfect for this couple!
This book kept my undivided attention for the whole 2 days it took me to read it. I enjoyed every minute of it and I am so happy that I accepted the request to review this book because undoubtedly Alyssa Richards has just become one of my new favourite authors for this year.
It has been a really long time since I read a really good paranormal book. I was tired of reading the same clichéd stories so it was a breath of fresh air to read The Fine Art of Deception. I am a sucker for great mysteries and trying to solve them and this book gave me just the chance to do that. I have to say that there were things I caught at first sight but there were others that were so well hidden that it was impossible to unravel them till the end.
I loved all the concept of predestination, reincarnation and soul mates. I have previously read about this kind of topic in other books and really liked it. But Alyssa brings a new kind of passion into the paranormal genre, she brings adventure, mystery, desire and love while bending the limits of the paranormal world with romance to create an unforgettable story.
Both main characters are strong-willed and passionate about what they love. The whole story is narrated from Addie´s point of view which gave me an insight on how hard her power makes her life. I really liked her as main character but I loved Blake. He is powerful in a kind of alpha male way that you cannot do nothing but fall under his sexy spell. I mean, just his name is sexy 
Living in Our Own Story Book Blog – Review!
Thank you to Azahara with Living In Our Own Story Book Blog for her review of The Fine Art of Deception, Undoing Time !!! (A Paranormal Romance Mystery)
While I am writing this review I am listening to the playlist that Alyssa has created for the book and there are some songs that certainly remind me of both Addie and Blake. I love You Found Me from The Fray,it is so perfect for this couple!
This book kept my undivided attention for the whole 2 days it took me to read it. I enjoyed every minute of it and I am so happy that I accepted the request to review this book because undoubtedly Alyssa Richards has just become one of my new favourite authors for this year.
It has been a really long time since I read a really good paranormal book. I was tired of reading the same clichéd stories so it was a breath of fresh air to read The Fine Art of Deception. I am a sucker for great mysteries and trying to solve them and this book gave me just the chance to do that. I have to say that there were things I caught at first sight but there were others that were so well hidden that it was impossible to unravel them till the end.
I loved all the concept of predestination, reincarnation and soul mates. I have previously read about this kind of topic in other books and really liked it. But Alyssa brings a new kind of passion into the paranormal genre, she brings adventure, mystery, desire and love while bending the limits of the paranormal world with romance to create an unforgettable story.
Both main characters are strong-willed and passionate about what they love. The whole story is narrated from Addie´s point of view which gave me an insight on how hard her power makes her life. I really liked her as main character but I loved Blake. He is powerful in a kind of alpha male way that you cannot do nothing but fall under his sexy spell. I mean, just his name is sexy
March 30, 2015
Paranormal Romance Book Giveaway Winners!!
Thanks to the nearly 1000 of you who signed up for the Paranormal Romance Book Goodreads Giveaway for The Fine Art of Deception!!!
Goodreads.com chose the winners. Then I mailed the books, along with some cool swag items, last week.
If you were one of the lucky winners, but haven’t yet received your book — hang in there! Many of you winners are from the far corners of the world and it may take a minute for them to reach you. Rest assured, though, they are on their way!
Didn’t win this time? Fret not. I have a fun blog tour coming up and the blog owners will be giving away more copies of The Fine Art of Deception! I’ll keep you posted here and on my social media sites as to where you’ll need to go to register to win.
Happy reading!
Alyssa oxox
The post Paranormal Romance Book Giveaway Winners!! appeared first on Alyssa Richards.
Congrats to Goodreads Giveaway Winners!!
Thanks to the nearly 1000 of you who signed up for the Goodreads giveaway for The Fine Art of Deception!!!
Goodreads.com chose the winners. Then I mailed the books, along with some cool swag items, last week.
If you were one of the lucky winners, but haven’t yet received your book — hang in there! Many of you winners are from the far corners of the world and it may take a minute for them to reach you. Rest assured, though, they are on their way!
Didn’t win this time? Fret not. I have a fun blog tour coming up and the blog owners will be giving away more copies of The Fine Art of Deception! I’ll keep you posted here and on my social media sites as to where you’ll need to go to register to win.
Happy reading!
Alyssa oxox
The post Congrats to Goodreads Giveaway Winners!! appeared first on Alyssa Richards.
What are Ghosts?
Ghosts are such a fascinating topic, don’t you think? People assign the term ‘ghosts’ to all kinds of spirits – most frequently to the spirits of deceased people. While it is true that all ghosts are spirits, not all spirits are ghosts. Ghosts are a very specific kind of spirit. Ghosts are earthbound souls whose bodies have died, and for many and varied reasons they have not yet crossed over to the Other Side. Ghosts are spirits who choose to remain on the earth plane after they leave their bodies.
Ghosts Are Spirits in Need
Every ghost is in need of something. Sometimes they’ve lost sight of what they need. But all ghosts are spirits in need. And the one thing they need most of all is to find a way forward.
Ghosts are a wonderfully clear mirror of what happens to all of us when we’re too scared to move forward in our lives. We lose our sense of direction, we become less trusting, more afraid, our worst attributes and limiting beliefs become larger than life and nothing gets better until we find a way to face and overcome what frightens us. We become ghosts in our own lives – shadows of our former selves.
Holding ourselves back out of fear of what’s next isn’t a wise approach to life. We may find plenty of reasons to feel afraid in this world, but we all need guidance and trust to help us through them. There are times when giving up and losing hope may seem like the only alternatives, but ghosts show us how these options sequester us in our pain and bring long-lasting suffering that is worse than whatever happened in the first place.
Their staying here beyond their time, mirrors the places in our lives where we choose fear over faith, anger over forgiveness and despair over hope.
Have a ghost in your home? Try to use this experience as a helpful mirror. Take an inventory of your life and look for the stuck places where you may be holding back or feeling too afraid to move forward. Make some positive changes in your life and flow forward.
There’s no guarantee that the ghost will move on after you make those changes. But they might!
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March 27, 2015
The Fine Art of Deception, Undoing Time Soundtrack
Did you know that each day of the week is ruled by a particular planet?
Yep. You’ve probably even felt the unique energetic and planetary influence on each day.
Friday is ruled by Venus and is associated with the Roman Goddess, Venus, Goddess of romance, love and beauty.
Who doesn’t love Friday? Our favorite day of the week, the perfect date night, the day when romance fills the air, perhaps even the day you might feel your most beautiful.
Celebrate romance, love and true inner beauty today and enjoy the soundtrack to The Fine Art of Deception, Undoing Time (BOOK ONE).
From Bryan Ferry to Alec Clare, these artists sing the story of The Fine Art of Deception. If you’ve read the book, (or even if you haven’t…) click the following link to: enjoy the soundtrack!
Happy Friday!
Alyssa oxox
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March 9, 2015
The Truth About Ghosts
Do Ghosts Exist?
In a word, yes. They do.
That’s an easy fact to accept if you’re someone who is sensitive to the energy around them, or has actually had paranormal experiences.
For those who have not had the gift of a paranormal experience, it’s an easy fact to question.
Whether you see them or not, they exist. Those who have seen them, felt them and interacted with them, can tell you.
What is a ghost? A ghost is the spirit of someone who has not yet crossed over.
Why does a ghost stay behind? Sometimes it’s a conscious choice. They choose to stay because of unfinished business — some situation that they just can’t leave undone.
Or they might stay behind because they have been so attached to the addictions of their earth plane existence that they couldn’t imagine a reality beyond this one. This fits those with addictions such as drug addicts or alcoholics — even workaholics!
Sometimes someone dies so tragically that they don’t realize they’re dead.
This applies to the ghost mom I wrote in The Fine Art of Deception, Undoing Time. She died so suddenly that even 20 years later, she still didn’t realize she was dead. Of course, too, I think her spirit also wrestled with some unfinished business relating to her two children and her former husband. But out of respect for those who haven’t yet read the book, I won’t say any more about that mystery …
But, for those who have already read the book, most of ghost mom’s story is a completely true ghost story!
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