Devika Fernando's Blog, page 83

Book Club Blog Tour - Spotlight for Rapid Fall by Adiana Ray

Rapid Fall
by Adiana Ray



The Blurb   Sonia and JD’s tempestuous attraction is as stormy as the rapids at Rishikesh. Not even a dip in icy waters can douse the sparks that fly when they are around each other.

JD’s recent divorce, however, has left him commitment phobic and bitter, and he doesn’t seem to want more than a physical relationship. At heart, Sonia is conservative; can she bring herself to accept a modern ‘live-in’ relationship, or will she push him away with her demands for a commitment?
Buy @
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Meet the Author


The Author's Thoughts
'Sixteen and counting' are the number of cities that I have lived in so far. I like to think of myself as a 'Metronaut'. The myriad city cultures, the food, the hustle and bustle, the people are all elements of life that I thrive on and if you can have an 'Astronaut' why not a 'Metronaut' after all there are so many more of us out there?
I believe in the Zen tenet that every situation has a 1000 truths. It helps me write and it definitely helps when I am dealing with my two children. I like reading, I like cooking, I like travelling and I love sitting like a mindless zombie in front of the TV and if anybody says anything to that....Aha! a 1000 truths come in very handy.
I also write under a pen name M.X Steele. Why? My daughter thought Adiana Ray was too boring a name.
I do hope you enjoy reading all my work because I believe passionately that though we writers love pontificating and are totally in love with whatever we write; at the end of it all it is the readers that matter and above all what we write has to be 'entertaining'.



You can stalk her @                                               


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Featured - The Missing Partner by Liza O'Connor

That's right. To celebrate Book 2, The Missing Partner's early arrival,
Book 1 is only 99 cents from 9/15 to 9/21. So grab it NOW before it returns to $3.99.

What's The Missing Partner about?

Glad you asked. 

The Adventures of
Xavier & Vic
–
Book 2

The Missing Partner
By Liza O’Connor
∞
Cases to be Resolved:
The ‘New Woman’ Who Lost Her Old Mind
The Lost Servant of Dante’s Hell
The Disappearance of a Very Important Man
The Abduction of Sneaky Snake by a Grand Elephant
The Cat Who Wore Too Much

Vic Hamilton takes the reins of the investigation office, while Xavier Thorn disappears on an assignment for the British government. Her caseload is entirely ‘lost and recovery’ cases. In the midst of solving all her client’s problems, she learns that the government has lost Xavier. With the help of the gypsy pirate Jacko, and her driver Davy, Vic rushes against time to rescue everyone.

Most alarming, she befriends and hires a dangerous criminal as an employee of Xavier Thorn’s Private Inquiries—without Xavier’s permission.

Xavier frowned as a darker thought occurred to him. “If this case turns toward a seamier solution, I want you to wait for me.”
Vic sighed. “If I can.”
Her answer infuriated him. “What the hell does that mean?”
She matched his glare with a scowl of her own. “It means just what I said. If I can afford to wait, I will. However, if some young parlor maid is two hours from death, I am not waiting two weeks for you to return and intercede.”
“Then‒”
“Take Davy. Yes, I will.”
“And your gun!”
“That goes without saying. I’ll take my knife, as well, if you like.”
Evidently, Vic’s intuition told her this case was more than a fired servant. “Call up Davy.”
“Why?”
He huffed at her challenge. “My God! I’ve been gone for a mere month and you think you can challenge every command from my mouth. You do not need to know why. Just call him up!”
Vic glared at him and stormed from the room.
By the time he had finished dressing, she returned with his trusted driver in tow. Upon sight of his boss, the man rushed forward and crushed him in a powerful hug.
Xavier struggled to escape his grip. Why couldn’t he have normal employees? “Davy, stop before you break bones.”
Releasing him, his driver stood back. “Sorry, sir. I’m just so glad to see you.” His brow furrowed as he stared at his employer’s face. “That’s just a disguise, I hope.”
“No, I caught my nose in a meat grinder and am now forced to live in the streets because my true love cannot bear the sight of me.”
Vic laughed. “Can’t fault her there.”
Davy nodded in agreement. “Me either.”
“A fine set of friends you two are! If I ever do lose my looks, I’ll remember not to expect a happy welcome home from either of you. In fact, I’ll fire you both and hire blind people in your stead.”
Davy frowned. “I don’t think a blind driver will work out very well.”
“I’ll sit beside him and call out directions. As long as he follows my instructions to the letter, he’ll be fine.”

Book 1
The Troublesome Apprentice
Amazon
Only 99 cents from 9/15 – 9/21

Book 2
The Missing Partner
Amazon

First, I got tired of telling my proper blog. Now, I’m tired of telling my improper bio. So what’s left?

Liza O’Connor was born, raised badly, left the South/Midwest and wandered off to find nicer people on the east coast…and employment. There she worked for the meanest man on Wall Street, while her psychotic husband tried to kill her three times. (So much for finding nicer people.) Then one day she declared enough, got a better job, divorced her husband, and fell in love with her new life where people behaved normally. All those bad behaviors has given her lots of fodder for her humorous romances. Please buy these books, because otherwise, she’ll become grumpy and write troubled novels instead. And given her past, they will likely traumatize you.

Mostly humorous books by Liza:

Saving Casey – Old woman reincarnates into troubled teen’s body. (Half funny/half traumatizing)

Ghost Lover —Two British brothers fall in love with the same young woman. Ancestral ghost is called in to fix the situation. There’s a ghost cat too. (Humorous Contemporary Romance)

A Long Road to Love Series: (Humorous Contemporary odd Romance)

Worst Week Ever — Laugh out loud week of disasters of Epic proportions.

Oh Stupid Heart — The heart wants what it wants, even if it’s impossible.

Coming to Reason — There is a breaking point when even a saint comes to reason.

Climbing out of Hell — The reconstruction of a terrible man into a great one.

The Troublesome Apprentice — The greatest sleuth in Victorian England hires a young man who turns out to be a young woman.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
LIZA O'CONNOR, XAVIER & VIC:
Investigate these sites:
Liza's Blog and Website   Facebook   Twitter

Featured - Risking It All by J.M. Stewart

Risking It All by JM Stewart Series: A Morgan Family Romance, #1 Genre: Contemporary Romance Publisher: Berkley Intermix Release Date: September 16, 2014


Love requires a leap of faith...

She’s everything he wants…

For years, Kyle Morgan has hidden his true feelings from the gorgeous girl next door that he grew up loving and protecting. But when she shows up at his apartment in the middle of the night, desperately needing comfort and support, his iron will begins to waver…

…and the only thing he can’t bear to lose.

Kyle was always the big brother Cecelia Anton never had, but suddenly her goofy best friend has become a sexy man she can’t keep her thoughts—or hands—off of. As their deep connection melts into uncontrollable desire, Ceci is willing to put it all on the line for a shot at true love. Only Kyle is keeping a terrible secret about Ceci’s past that could destroy not only their lifelong friendship but their happily-ever-after…



For a moment, she stared, her eyes searching his, then she straightened her shoulders. “Why’d you kiss me?”

Panic curled through him, sending his pulse pounding into his rib cage. Damn. Why hadn’t he expected her to ask that? But he couldn’t answer it. To do so would be tempting fate. An intense need for distance seized him. Half afraid he’d lose his mind and do something else he’d regret, like pull her into his arms and show her why he’d kissed her, he shot to his feet.

He flashed her a smile he knew had to look as phony as it felt. “Headache’s better. Thanks.”

He didn’t wait for a response but strode toward the yard.

“I need to know, Kyle.”

His answer sat on the tip of his tongue, but the voice of reason sounded in his head. Don’t say it. Whatever you do, do not say it. Just keep walking.

Her soft footsteps sounded behind him. “You can’t just do something like that and walk away and expect me not to question it. You blow hot and cold, do you know that? I know desire when I see it, yet you just keep walking away.”

“Ever think maybe I wanted to kiss you?” The words left his mouth on a hoarse whisper, and God help him, a desperate need to see her eyes seized him. He turned to find her directly behind him. She stared for a fraction of a second too long, heat and curiosity blazed in her eyes. A heartbeat later, a light blush stole into her cheeks, but she didn't move, didn't say a word.

Everything inside of him ground to a halt, his mind twisting off in another direction. I’ll be damned. If ever he needed a confirmation, there it was. Whatever had happened between them was definitely not one-sided.





Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon CA ~ Amazon AU
Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo ~ iTunes ~ Google Play ~ Penguin

JM is the author of passionate, heartfelt contemporary romance. She’s a wife, a mother, a spiritualist, and lover of puppies, and happily addicted to coffee and chocolate. She lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her husband, two sons, and two very spoiled dogs. She’s a hopeless romantic who believes everybody should have their happily-ever-after and has been devouring romance novels for as long as she can remember. Writing them has become her obsession.


Facebook Fan Page ~ Facebook Friend Page ~ Twitter ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads
Google + ~ Pinterest ~ Website ~ Blog
eMail: authorjmstewart@gmail.com
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JM is looking for Street Team members who are active on Facebook and Twitter. Is this you?  Want to be one of Jo's Jewels?  Then click here!

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WIP Blog Challenge

An author friend of mine, Natasha Ahmed, has tagged me in the Work-in-Progress Blog Challenge.

So first of all, I’m sending my thanks for including me in this interesting tour. Do take your time to check out Natasha’s blog and her book “Butterfly Season” that is drawing rave reviews from all and sundry. I find it fascinating what insights on life in Pakistan this author weaves into her stories.

Here are the rules for the WIP Blog Challenge:

1) Provide the link back to the post by the person who nominated you (see above).
2) Write a little about your work-in-progress.
3) Give the first sentences of the first three chapters of your current WIP.
4) Nominate four other writers for the challenge.

In Deep Water
I am currently working on "In Deep Water". It will be Book 2 of the '4 Elements of Love' series. Book 1, "Playing with Fire", is already available.

Blurb

What if all the legends about mermaids and the lost city of Atlantis carry a nugget of truth inside them?
When Wendy is hired by a dubious multi-million-dollar corporation to investigate the corals covering a ship wreck off the island of Serendipity, her world gets turned upside down. She discovers a lost city under the ocean – and falls in love with Calder, the partner she has been assigned. The shocking truth about the hidden underwater world leads Wendy to self-discovery.
Should she give in to Calder’s persuasive charm? Can they use their magic to prevent a tragic disaster?


More insights:

"In Deep Water" is a paranormal romance novel. It can be read as a stand-alone book with a happy end.
I've always been fascinated by the ocean, and by myths of legendary ocean creatures, sea monsters and of course mermaids. This is my take on what wonders might lurk beneath all that water.
I am trying to make this book more action-loaded than "Playing with Fire", and I'm focusing less on the heroine's interior battles and dark past.
Once again, both protagonists have magic powers. The only problem is that Wendy doesn't really know about hers, and to whom she belongs. Calder changes that. Of course there's a love story full of hurdles, the greatest being that the hero seems to be part of a greater scheme, and that Wendy will have to make a fatal choice in the end. Enter a despicable villain - who has more in common with them than they realize - and the tourist hot-spot Serendipity Island, and you'll have plenty to keep you hooked.

I love writing this book, but it brings a few challenges with it. I have absolutely no knowledge of or experience with diving and marine biology, so I need to research much more than for my previous novels. The mermaid legends as well as the Atlantis myth play an important role, but I don't just want to copy what has been written about so often.


Chapter 1
For the first time in her life, being underwater made Wendy uneasy.

Chapter 2
An hour later, they were standing on the beach, rows and rows of luxury resorts and crowded hotels pressing in on their backs, the many-hued blue satin cloth of the ocean spread out endlessly before them, stretching all the way to the soaring sky.

Chapter 3
How could the presence of one man delight and frustrate her so much?
Using her long hair as a curtain, Wendy indulged in some more staring at Calder.


And here are the 4 wonderful writers I tag to take up the WIP Blog Challenge:

1) Marie Lavender: http://marielavender.blogspot.com/
2) Adite Banerjie: http://aditebanerjie.com/
3) Kirsten S. Blacketer: http://kirstensblacketer.com/
4) Kandy Shepherd: http://www.kandyshepherd.com/

Writing Tips from Chocolate

September 13th is International Chocolate Day – and it has made me think about the connection between chocolate and writing. No, I don’t mean rewarding yourself with a chocolate chip cookie for having written a certain amount of words – I mean that there are surprising parallels between both. Here’s what writers can learn from chocolate.

Delicious from the first bite on. First impressions count: Chocolate has us from the first bite. As soon as we sink our teeth into the sweet bliss and our taste buds are tickled, we’re gone – and we want more. Exactly that is what good writing should also do. Make the first lines / chapter of your book and the beginning of each chapter count. Make it a feast for the senses so the reader has no choice but to read on. Leave a lasting impression right from the start, like tasty chocolate melting in your mouth.

Wait for the filling to delight you! Don’t forget about the middle! I’m a huge fan of chocolate with creamy filling. Sweets with an exciting filling go that extra length. They thrill us even more than plain chocolate. We savour them with relish, and if we know about the crunchy core we work our way toward it layer by layer with anticipation. Oreo cookies come to mind, After Eight chocolate and many, many more temptations like Snickers with nuts and caramel.

The eye wants to feast on it too. Show, don’t tell: Chocolate advertisements and packing are all about showing and not telling. No manufacturer will describe the taste in a long text or come up with a load of adjectives and adverbs. Instead, customers are enticed with sensual commercials that make the mouth water. Droolworthy graphics on the packing that show the filling and / or ingredients and the supposed feel and taste are what make us buy the product. Writing should be like that too. Pull the reader into the story and make him a part of it. You need to talk to them instead of talking at them. And don’t forget about the book cover. If chocolate pudding looks like poo and a biscuit is totally out of shape, you won’t eat and enjoy it. So the book cover needs to catch attention and hint at the delicious treat ahead.

Work hard and make it special. Practice makes perfect. If you bake a chocolate cake or try your hand at an enticing chocolate mousse recipe, the chances are high that the first result will suck. Maybe the cake is too dry or too sweet, maybe the icing looks wrong or the decoration is all over the place. Or you burned your first cake because you kept it in the oven for too long. It’ll be much the same with your first book or at least first draft. There’s got to be a second draft, lots of revising and editing, and even more dedication. Write, write, write until the book cake looks tempting and the great taste stays in the reader’s mind for a long time. Create books that make the reader addicted to your style. Make the first book of a series so convincing that he hungers for the next installments.

I want MORE!

FIRE Friday

It's time for another short excerpt from "Playing with Fire" to bring some heat and spice to Fire Friday!

Felicia shook herself like a wet dog and cursed. After wiping some strands of hair out of her face, she glared up.
“Don’t you know better than to sneak up on people?”
Joshua chuckled drily, although he did look guilty when he cast a glance down at her soaked clothes.
“You should know by now that it’s one of my specialties. Besides, I don’t think a private investigator announcing his presence in advance would be successful at his job.”
She gritted her teeth, chattering from the wet and cold.
“So I’m just another assignment for Mr. Pseudo James Bond?”
It only made him chuckle harder for a moment, but then his face grew frighteningly sober.
“No, you’re not.”
He kissed her.
Hard, deep, with searing passion, and full of an emotional message that she couldn’t decipher but that resonated inside her.


To read more, buy this paranormal romance novel here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LYMQ9NK

Review - The Runaway Bridegroom by Sundari Venkatraman

Looking for a book that entertains and makes you think, that is a great romance and yet deals with controversies? Then “The Runaway Bridegroom” by Sundari Venkatraman might well be the right choice for you. I was given an ARC for an honest review, and I’m glad about it because I feel in love with this story.

The story starts with a real shocker—and those are the best ways to catch the reader. The casual way in which the child marriage was handled by the people involved left me with an uneasy feeling. As if the marriage alone wasn’t shocking enough, the young groom (Veerendra) runs away and is lost to his family. The even younger bride’s (Chanda) family can’t live with the shame and moves to the big city of Jaipur to start anew. Fast forward 14 years, and we are introduced to the then child-bride and now student Chanda. She makes for a wonderful heroine, shy yet intelligent, innocent yet eager to learn. When she meets dashing Ranveer and is hired as an intern at his IT company in Delhi, two worlds collide. I totally fell for the hero along with Chanda, he’s just so gorgeous. And the difference in their characters makes for interesting dilemmas. He’s more modern with an almost foreign approach to things, he isn’t a family person, and he is hugely successful in his business. His experience, his confidence and his suave manners contrast with Chanda’s behaviour. The chemistry between them is sizzling, their interactions are full of emotions, and the steamy scenes are beautifully written. Chanda’s family want to marry her off, but when they consult an astrologer, the past bullies its way into the present. Instead of finding a new bridegroom for their daughter, the parents have to chase the old groom whose life is supposed to be inextricably mixed with Chanda’s. I immensely enjoyed all the twists in this.

So much for the love story. Now enter complications left, right and center, and you have a tantalizing mix like that spicy masala snack Indians (and Sri Lankans) love to munch. I found it a wonderful touch that the author chose to give Chanda such a big family full of caring brothers. Each of them and the parents are very well fleshed out and enhance the plot. Talking about secondary characters, let’s not forget Shikla, working at Ranveer’s office and wanting a piece of the Ranveer cake. I loved hating her, she was the ideal villain. She plays an important role in the story and adds zing to the read.

Of course I have to mention the astrologer and his magical touch. Ever since I came to Sri Lanka from almost 20 years in Germany, I’ve been confronted with astrology and its utmost important in society, and I know India is much the same. Personally, I’m a huge skeptic, but it was intriguing to see how astrology was woven into the story. A very neat move that had me shout and gasp and laugh at times!

There’s so much more to praise. Take Venkatraman’s effortlessly flowing prose style, and her way of making each scene and character come alive. Once again, I was reminded of a movie or drama on television. I haven’t read all of the author’s books yet—I will, mark my words—but out of what I have read, this one is her best!

I was hugely entertained by this book, but “The Runaway Bridegroom” also made me very thoughtful. How tragic that child marriage is still so common! How magical that two people who are destined to be together somehow find a way!

Rating: 5 out 5

Pre-order link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N7IN69E

Featured - Eden Forest by Aoife Marie Sheridan

I'm a huge fan of fantastic covers and stories with a paranormal twist, so I'm pleased to spotlight this new release by a friend. Give it up for Irish author Aoife Marie Sheridan and the first book of the Saskia Trilogy, Eden Forest!
Eden by Aoife Marie Sheridan About the Book
Eden Forest
Book One of the Saskia Trilogy
Aoife Marie Sheridan

Four banished Angels,
A world created by the hands of God,
A Kingdom on its knees,
A secret protected for centuries,
And one mortal can save them all.

Step into Saskia.


Buy Links

Amazon.co.uk   Amazon.com     Easons
www.aoifemariesheridan.com

 E-book:  http://synergebooks.com/ebook_edenforest.html

Author Aoife Marie Sheridan About the Author
Aoife Marie Sheridan has loved reading from a very young age, starting off with Mills & Boon's books given to by her grandmother, her love for romances grew. By the age of 14 she had read hundreds of them.

Aoife had a passion for writing poetry or in her eyes her journal entries. It was something she did throughout her teens and into her twenties. Aoife won first place for two of her poems and had them published at a young age of just nineteen. Realizing she needed to get a real job (what writing isn't) she studied accountancy and qualified working in that field for many years, until her passion for reading returned and she found Maria V Snyder. Poison Study, one of her favourite books, has been read and re-read countless times.

Aoife's first book Eden Forest (Part one of the Saskia Trilogy) came to be after a dream of a man and woman on a black horse jumping through a wall of fire, and the idea of Saskia was born. Now with her first novel published and taking first place for Eden Forest with Writers Got Talent 2013, Aoife continues to write tales of fantasy and is currently working on her third book for the Saskia Trilogy amongst other new works.

To contact Aoife you can email her at aoifesheridan101@gmail.com 

Website www.aoifemariesheridan.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Aoifemariesheri
Blog: aoifesheri.wordpress.com
Goodreads: Aoife Marie Sheridan
Twitter: aoifesheri

Sneak Peek Sunday

This Sneak Peek Sunday, I'm treating you to an excerpt from my upcoming contemporary romance novel "Kaleidoscope of Hopes", out in October or November.
You can get more ideas about the book here and here.


The next song came on, Don’t Speak by No Doubt, and one of his hands was crawling up her spine, causing goose bumps to rise. It came to rest exactly at the spot where her deep neckline revealed her skin. His thumb caressed the tiny square inch of bare skin, sending one delicious shiver after the other down her spine.
God, this felt wonderful!
Years and years of solitude melted away.
Nadia shed all her insecurities and inhibitions like a bride lifting her veil after the wedding ceremony to entrance the groom with her beauty.
One of her hands wandered from his shoulder to his chest where it came to rest over a heart beating as fast as hers.
She felt Lucas pull her closer, and closer still, until their bodies were molded against each other and every move caused incredibly tantalizing friction. The light cotton of her summer dress was torture against her skin, as was the way his fingers on her waist massaged and pressed with just the right amount of pressure.
If he pulled her any closer, she’d break through clothes and skin, and fall through his body right into his heart.
Nadia recalled the almost hungry looks he had shot her during the day, the countless times he had found an excuse to touch her.
Was he as drawn to her as she was to him?

And in addition to the verbal and visual treat, here's a treat for your ears, too. This is the song I mention in the dancing scene. I've always been a fan of it.

FIRE Friday

From today onwards, I will be sharing a small snippet from "Playing with Fire" for each Fire Friday. I'm thinking of turning the middle of the week into Water Wednesday as soon as I have made enough progress with "In Deep Water", Book 2 of the '4 Elements of Love' series.
Heart on Fire
It wasn’t important. What was important now was to make him believe the truth, and to become one with him again. She was a survivor. She was a fire witch. She could do this.

Taking his hands, Felicia turned them palms up, leaned toward them and breathed out with full concentration, as if she were a dragon. A small ball of fire hovered an inch from his hands, and when she blew at it softly, it shaped itself into a heart, pulsing with heat and energy, growing by the second until it was casting its ruddy glow over them like a miniature sun.

“Do you think a ghost could do this?” she asked.

Joshua stared at the fire heart and at her, a glimmer of hope flickering in his eyes, ready to die again any moment.


To read more, buy this paranormal romance novel here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LYMQ9NK